Sasy Scarborough

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I wanted to do an interview with the person in Second Life that I’m most thankful for.  While I am thankful for so many people,  Sasy is easily this person for me. I met Sasy almost four years ago when I walked into her sim, The Deck,  with about 3-4 poses made and asked how much her rent was.  I was obviously new to the creator side and didn’t really know how that worked.  Sasy asked a few questions and somehow, I walked away from our first meeting with rental space on an amazing sim!  She took a chance with me and at the time, I remember thinking how crazy she must have been.   From that moment on, she would pop in and give me advice or tactfully tell me that she hated my blue walls, lol.   She will always  be honest when I ask for an opinion and I love that about her.  Over the years, she has not only been my landlord and business adviser (whether I wanted the advice or not, lol), but she has become the kind of friend that everyone should be so fortunate to have in their life.  I have laughed with her, cried with her, gossiped, screamed and virtually hugged her to death.    Thank you Sasy for being my friend.  I love you, hugs ❤  

Adorkable 

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How old are you?
40 RL nearly 6.5 SL

Where do you live or where are you from?
Originally I am from my Mummy, after that it would be Australia.

Care to give your personal background? Married, single, partnered, kids, etc.
Happily partnered to Mel Vanbeeck

When did you join SL and why?
I joined SL in 2006. A friend from yahoo had shown a group of us his new Second Life via webcame, he was a Vampire and part of the original Transylvania sims. He showed us himself dancing with his partner and it looked so amazing. When my computer died I went to the store with all the stats needed to run Second Life and bought a pc based on that alone. I wanted to experience what looked amazing, and then second day I started working and never looked back, I don’t think I slept for longer than two hours a day that first week, it was just so exciting here.

Do you have a significant other/family in SL?
I do, but he is my significant other everywhere, but we did meet in Second Life. I don’t have people with family roles, but I love my friends so much .

What do you do in SL?
I do many things in Second Life. I run the commercial sim The Deck, which has the most amazing tenants and their stores, and of course an offshoot of that is also the My Attic event. I help run Hair Fair every year since 2007. I have been on the committee of other events over the years also. I am the founder/owner of What’s New SL which is a group and website for content creators to announce their releases to a large group of residents who want to know about everything available to them. I also do consulting with businesses that wish to broaden their marketing range, or have hit a wall creatively or brand, store wise in Second Life..I jokingly refer to it as Sasy Bootcamp, and it can be very intense at times, but hopefully well worth it, though that work is confidential. I also collaborate on occasion with Whimsy Winx on builds that she does for her brand W.Winx under the brand name Flair…whether she likes it or not. She doesn’t really have much say in it, seeing as she starts building right beside me, and then all I can do is start moving her stuff around, or adding to it in some way, she calls it ‘fluffing her pillows’ which sounds a lot ruder than it is meant to.
After that and a few other bits and pieces I then do blogging for my website Sasypants.com. I post on fashion in Second Life, I also try to do posts about events, and other things such as tutorials etc. I wish I had time to do more of that.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
My style is the same, except in SL it is backwards due to the differing seasons. As for whether I get around dressed the same, no that is not the case lately, but my taste and the way I put looks together etc are the way I have always done so in the past. The only differ would be no latex.

Do you have a home/workspace in SL? Can you take some pics of them and show us?
I don’t have pics, and if I did I would be too embarrassed to show you to be honest lol, it looks like a tip, bags and boxes all over the place, and that is only if Whimsy hasn’t built a house around my head or rezzed every sculpt known to man at my feet. My immediate space though is my VR Studio stand and backdrop, which I would not survive without, it has thousands of poses in it, and that area is pretty clean. I do not tend to have houses or home environments on my sim, as I don’t like to waste prims on myself. Mel and I do have our own home though but that is elsewhere and private.

How did you get into Blogging?
I started working my second day in Second Life. I have been lucky enough to Manage some incredible businesses over the years, and because they were fashion based, I was always immersed in that environment. Fashion shows and events for the businesses, connecting with other stores and collaborations etc, so the fashion industry was very active – more so in world back then than I feel it is now. I actually did not even know there was fashion blogging taking place, I was doing my own blogging for the store I Managed for their releases, and occasional rambling, then one day around september 06′, somehow through link jumping I came across Appearance Mode – I have a vague memory of it being because it was on the wiki – I was in awe that this was being done as a daily thing, and on the sidebar it said that if anyone had interest in joining the team to contact the owners, one of which was Six Kennedy who I knew.
I sent her a texture with text on it asking if I could please blog – just in case she missed the notecard – and she had me added then and there. I blogged every spare minute I had, I was able to do so from my platform in the sky on the sim I Managed, and had a bell in the store in case anyone needed my help – which is actually how I met Mel. I then stopped for a while in late 07 and started up again in 08 with ScarboroughFlair and then moved to Sasypants.com the next year. I was unable to make anything, and felt that by blogging I was actually contributing to Second Life in some way, as it had already given me so much. My Inventory was already rather large for back then, so I just wanted to share all the information on all the items that I had purchased in my travels and just share the day to day events of my time here.

Blogger, sim owner, event coordinator, builder, business advisor and store manager are among some of the things you have done in SL. How do you find the time to do it all and do it so well?
Blogging doesn’t usually come first in my day to day, if anything it is always the last thing. I do have to prioritise a lot of what is more important to have done in each day, generally though for me that means other people. I tend to put my things on the back burner and that is ok as long as they are only my things and not the things people count on me for. The Deck is my first priority of the day, if stores have updated, or have new releases, those things need to be promoted as that is part of what I do at The Deck. Then What’s New SL and so on. Consulting is done by appointment, so that is fairly easy to handle, I have had back to back days, and those usually have me wanting more, I love interaction and helping in the ways I can. Twenty Five years experience in retail and hospitality as well as owning my own businesses in the past make Second Life something I really admire.

As for the big yearly events such as Hair Fair, that becomes our main focus for months usually, I tend to even shut down What’s New SL applications during that month so I don’t have anyone waiting. Hair Fair is really important to the committee that organises it, and we prioritise around it., Mel Vanbeeck, Whimsy Winx, Ashia Tomsen, Gabby Panacek and Adorkable Peapod give it their all every year, and make it something that I am lucky to be part of.

What was the first thing you blogged? Will you share it with us? (link, pic, etc)
The first thing I blogged was an asian dress from House of Zen, in red with white trim. I was the Manager for House of Zen at the time, I wore an Essentia Hair Rose in red, the naughty skin Alina, white shoes from Prim Seduction by Sylfie Minogue, my hair was from Diversity. I remember the pic clear as day, but alas Appearance Mode was made private after I left and I was never able to get my original posts or pictures, because back then I uploaded directly onto the blog and I have been through at least four computers since then also. I was standing at Hinode Shima – the sim House of Zen was on.I could totally recreate this whole look but I wont scare you.

What have you created that you are most proud of?
As I don’t consider myself a creator, I would have to say that it would be things I was lucky enough to be part of. Another Fundraiser was the first thing that came to mind, based off the Eloh full perms skins that hit the grid. I saw so much going on about them, mixed feelings, anger at them being available etc, so I wanted to do something that would make them a positive thing. Another Fundraiser was born, the idea was that everyone got the kits, then made modifications to them, sent them back to me with their ads and info and I vendored them all and we sold them for 50L each. We raised over One Million Linden – 1052292 to be exact, all organised so fast and it was only up for a week, that money went to Unicef. The bizarre twist of all that is that the sim that is now The Deck was actually the sim that so generously donated space to us for the event at the time. Over the years that event has been brought up fondly by different people, people I have never met before have told me they even bought the skin I made, which is just mind blowing to me, to have people remember such details like that. It makes me very proud.

Again other things that I am part of such as Hair Fair which is a big thing for us every year and I am incredibly grateful to Elikapeka and Six Kennedy for having faith in me to join the committee in 2007. but honestly the best and most amazing things I have helped create in Second Life have been friendships, Second Life gives us an opportunity to broaden our range, to reach people all over the world in ways not usually possible. We relate so much to our avatars that a hug, a gesture and just dancing around being silly are all things we feel, it is truly wonderful.

You have the sexiest voice and I love your accent. Is there an accent that you find irresistible?
Mels voice is the sexiest to me. I don’t get all gooey on accents, not sure if that is because I don’t always hear them as an accent, but rather just the way that person talks. I do hear the difference in Mel and Whimsy and other friends, but my upbringing was full of people from all over the world, so everyone I know must have had one, I just didn’t hear it. I didn’t even know my Mum had one until I was in high-school and one of my friends used to try and impersonate her. Oh and your voice is lovely too Miss Peapod ♥

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
Let whimsy have build rights on my sim when I was in the process of building it, she covered the whole sim in toilet paper and pink flamingos. I don’t tend to do a lot of silly and crazy in Second Life, I really should, but I spent so many years working for other people, that I always felt it was wrong of me to be reckless with their reputation. Mel would say the silliest is when I actually scream out loud in RL when I fall off things in Second Life, usually in his ears on skype, like I said I relate far too much to my avatar.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
Podcasting, I have been interviewed with Whimsy Winx in the past by Phaylen Fairchild, but I always wanted to learn to be able to do my own podcasts, because it would be an amazing way to communicate Second Life to people.

When you’re sitting at your computer logged into SL, what do you usually wear? Describe your workspace.
Whatever I am wearing for the day, mostly casual attire when inside. My Desk at the moment is a horror show, but that is because it is not a proper desk, and I have way too much stuff around it. I also have two rather large monitors so they take up a lot of space.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
That is a hard one, there are so many incredibly talented people in Second Life, and so many that don’t yet know their talents here. I often meet people that say they wish they could_________ and I encourage them to always try, because such a huge percentage of Second Life has been self taught, or learned on the go within the environment. I was lucky to join Second Life at the time when so many of our now biggest brands were also new, they were just residents, or starting out, and have grown and learned along the way, whether just by practicing their skills day in and out, or actually going off to learn in a RL course etc. I think overall the people of Second Life inspire me to be better, to try harder and to always aim for wanting to grow and learn. I find inspiration in my surroundings and I am blessed to be surrounded by amazing people, they all know who they are, I tell the ones I love daily and sometimes hourly.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
I am not hard to approach, I have been told on many occasions that I am intimidating and scary, which usually makes me cry. But I love people, and I try and help whenever I can, and if I can’t then I like to find people that can. Sometimes my humour doesn’t hit the way it was intended, I tend to forget that Aussie speak is just too our own, and it doesn’t compute across the equator all that well, text is always hard too, because tone matters.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
Sleep

If you were granted three wishes from a genie, what would they be? (you can’t ask for more wishes)                                                 I am going to assume you mean for me alone, because if not then of course the whole world peace, no diseases, help for those that need it.

1. Good health, not unfair superhuman etc, but just everything that may be wrong fixed.
2. The ability to speak and understand every language, because I think that would be an incredible skill and possibly help in some way, especially with ancient text etc.
3. To be able to play every musical instrument and read music, because music is magic

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
travelling

What things would you try if you had no fear?
Fighting crime, I could be like Wonder Woman, without the plane and the golden lasso of course. But I think if you are not afraid, then you would be able to help more people.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
As someone that contributed in a good way to the community. But aside from that, just being remembered would be a great thing.

We asked her fellow plurkers for additional questions, and here they are!

SySy:
Ask her if she likes beans on toast?

I love Beans on Toast, it is the perfect snack/meal, and so very popular in Australia, probably a UK thing too. I also especially love when designers name their items with fun names like that 😉

Whimsy:
How does Sasy manage her time.

I am lucky enough not to have a time schedule as such, but I do try and be online in the hours that are more active, which translates roughly from somewhere between 10pm and 1am my time, to 1pm and 4pm… so translated thats about 3-4 am SLT to after midnight.

Hotsy Totsy:
How does she keep going after so many years in blogging?

I wish I did keep up lol, it is hard, everyday is different. Most days I don’t find the proper time to get a full blog post done, but do log in wanting to. If you mean inspiration wise, there are so many incredible reasons to keep going. The creativity of Second Life content creators is amazing, to share in that in some way is a privilege. Then to be able to spread the word in my way, to reach out to people I may know or have yet to meet, and share my experiences and fashion looks, tips and tricks, is all something I value a lot…that is what keeps me going.

Whimsy:
Name 5 items you would love to take outworld.

5 items I would like in RL …do whole stores count ? I think I would actually just love miniature replicas of important things…my VR Studio posestand and HUD, I love them so much I would have to have one, and would get a special Barbie for it. Funny, now that I think about it, my favourite Barbie growing up was Photographic Barbie, she had a pink posestand lol.
Then it would be a model of The Deck sim, with proper little signage showing all the stores…I would love that. The other things would be something that Mel has made for me, and of course the Essentia hair rose. Last item would have to be some kind of huge picture of all my friends…that would be wonderful.

Blog: Sasypants

What’s New SL

The Deck

Sasy on Plurk

IsabellaGrace Baroque

Hi…Trin, here. Just wanted to say why I chose to interview Bella this time around. I meant to get this out before Thanksgiving, but as you can all see, that didn’t happen. I am very thankful to have Ms. Baroque as a part of my life. She ALWAYS makes me laugh; she knows how to pick me up and tell me to go have some wine and not eat the cake; and she understands all the crap and awesomeness that I go through being a mom. These are just some of the reasons that I am glad she’s in my life. She’s pretty dang amazing and I hope, after reading this, you think so too.

How old are you?
I’m 31.

Where do you live or where are you from?
I live in Sherwood, Oregon; near the Portland Metro area. This is actually the fifth state I’ve lived in, and was born in Colorado. In between, I lived in Georgia, Washington, and Montana. No, I was not an Army brat. The Army part came later.

Care to give your personal background? Married, single, partnered, kids, etc.
I am a married lady in real life, going on 8 years. We have two kids; Jackson who is 6, and Eliza is 3. Plus, we have two furry giant Ragdoll cats named Piper and Dexter. My purely platonic old lady in SL is my best friend, Annunziata Macchi. You probably know her as Anna, or even Tegan Serin of the awesome store Floorplan. My proposal went something like “I f*@$in’ love you girl. Chu doin? Marryin’ me, that’s what!”… we’re weird.

When did you join SL and why?
I joined SL in… *counts back on fingers*… 2007? Maybe? Sounds right. I remember my son was an infant and I was having that mommy crisis about how I’m going to work my hobbies into this new motherhood gig and find some balance. I have a B.A. in Music, and found an article on the internet about artists performing in this new-fangled game called Second Life. I joined, and hooked up with a music manager, Circe Broom, worked on a sim called Venezia as the Music Director, and still never found time to get my act together to actually perform. I branched out from there and found other interests.

What do you do in SL?
Now day? This might be the part that your readers wonder why I’m here, sorry! I don’t do anything at the moment. I was the owner of a pose and props store called Olive Juice for about 2 years. I also got into animations. I sold some with full permissions for furniture makers, and did a lot of custom work behind the scenes. It was an amazing experience, and I feel honored that it was so well received and grew beyond anything I imagined. I connected with so many great people through my store, met the best of friends and had the most fantastic and creative customers.
I decided to close earlier this year, as my kiddos weren’t babies who napped anymore and had early bed times. Yet, they weren’t school age yet either, so I had to make a choice between working or shelving it for now, and being 100% there for my munchkins. It was a difficult decision, and I miss Olive Juice, but it was the right one. That said, I still get teary thinking about all the well wishes from people. There are some very kind souls in this virtual world.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
Well, like I said, I’m not in world really anymore. But I’ve always modeled Bella after my real life self, even if unintentionally. I just gravitate to a clean, classic and comfortable look. I have pretty much the same green skinny jeans in real life that I own in Second Life, which is kind of strange. One day I instagrammed my real life outfit, and said something like “Whoops, wearing my Maitreya colored jeans and Mon Tissu lace top out in RL today”. I think in my earlier SL days, I dressed a lot different. I think I wanted to play dress-up dolls more, and wore retro clothes and gowns.

Do you still have a home/workspace in SL?
I did, but not anymore. I used to be a co-owner of a sim called Hide and Seek, along with Anna, who owned Molto Bene! at the time, and Aranel Ah, owner of *BOOM*. I’m so lame, I just had a giant platform, photo backdrop, and pose stands for a workspace. I was never great at creating a home for myself. I usually “crashed” at Anna’s!

How did you get into creating?
I first dabbled in pose making, after getting pretty into photography. Now, by no means would I consider myself an SL photographer, but there was a time period that I played around with it a lot. I liked exploring the darker side of things, maybe because I’m a huge horror movie fan, I don’t know. Back to the point (I ramble a lot, whoops!), I would get these ideas from a song, or movie, or whatever and have a distinct picture in my head. The most time-consuming part of piecing these pictures together was finding a pose as closed to what I had in my head as possible. Eventually, I just started making my own. I was blogging at the time with my two friends at “Who Let the Dorks Out?”, and we had a build for Burning Life in 2008, which I made all the poses for. I gave away poses there as a gift, and it went from there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulinaoceanlane/2892983415/ (This photo is of our Burning Life build, tacky poseballs included with my early attempts at poses)

What was the first thing you created? Will you share it with us? (link, pic, etc)
This is a photo of my very first store. I didn’t even know what pose packs were, until a customer came along and told me I need to sell them. It was just a couple of pose stands in a room with a 50 prim limit.

My first poses I created for the store were gifts. They were modelled from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie. I apparently wasn’t too bright with the whole copywriting thing, whoops.

And these were my first poses in those newb looking stands. They were all inspired by songs… and Chuck Norris? *Facepalms*

What have you created that you are most proud of?
Gosh, there isn’t a particular pose or set that stand out in my mind, but I would say probably the animations I made for KittyCats. Making poses became second nature, but animations were a different beast. It was challenging work, and I was proud of the end result for the ones I was asked to make for the breedables brand. It was pretty cool to see avs walking around, holding their cats with the hold I created and playing ball with their pets using my animation.

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve ever done in SL?
Oh man, blogging with the “Who Let the Dorks Out?” girls was one big silly/crazy experience. That was the whole point of the blog! But probably the random hangouts behind the scenes were crazier. There were a lot of griefing machines, floppy penises and saggy boob attachments, and more silly things that made for late nights of laughs that left my abs sore the next day.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
What I originally came in world for, to become a music artist in world. I have classical training with a focus in opera, so it’s not exactly the kind of music you want to dance to! There is a community out there that is involved in the classical arts, and I’ve attended an opera singer’s performance in world. But, yeah… probably not going to ever happen.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL or on Plurk, what do you usually wear?
I primarily worked at night, after the kids went to bed, so I’d be in my comfy uniform: black Gap lounge pants (I have 4 pairs, yikes) and a t-shirt or hoodie. Sexy, right!?!

Describe your workspace.
I started on my iMac, so at my desk, but about 6 months into creating, I bought a MacbookPro. So, my workpace was wherever I could plug it in and use my wireless mouse. If not at my kitchen table, then I used a laptop desk that had an attachable mouse pad platform thinger. That’s the technical term.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
Oh constantly by my fellow posers. For some reason, it seemed like our little corner of the SL Market had some not only incredibly talented creators, but amazing and kind people as well. Adorkable Peapod and Dove Swanson are two that stand out in my mind. Their work is original and creative, bursting with life and personality. Anyone can download Qavimator for free and make a pose; true. But not everyone can breathe life into that pose in such a natural way, and be so familiar with how the human body moves, as well as how that translates to SL and the limitations of the avatar mesh. It’s not an easy craft, and takes practice. These women make it look easy, but that sure doesn’t mean that it is!

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
Well, I already touched on being a singer. I had the time of my life being in a professional opera chorus, an active member of my local theatre company, as well as studying voice in college. I might be cheating by sharing another thing, but I was also in the Army Reserve almost 9 years. I joined when I was just 17, and opted to be honorably discharged when I became pregnant with my son. It was an experience unlike any other, and I wouldn’t change it for the world; good or bad.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do now that you aren’t in SL?
It’s hard to have hobbies that aren’t centered around my children for now, so a big one is being a member of my local MOMS Club chapter. We are very involved in the community and local charities. I’ve been offered the VP of Services position on the board, but I’m still thinking about it. I’m also working on a plan for a possible popsicle business venture next year. Hobby-wise though, I’d say running is a big one. I really got into racing this year and plan on a half marathon next year. I also am a pinterest addict and do a lot of crafty DIY stuff for my house and gifts.

If you had to choose a movie title or song to describe your life so far, what would it be?
All that running talk, made me think “Run Lola Run.”, lol. But no, probably the song “Beautiful Mess” by Diamond Rio. I’m not even a country fan, but that song has been my husband and I’s anthem since we were dating. Originally, it was for the lyrics and how we fell in love, but now the title is a good description of the life we’ve built. We’ve had a lot thrown at us, and sometimes it seems chaotic, but it’s a beautiful life and we cherish the family we’ve made for ourselves.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
I would love to be singing in a choir at least by 5 years, but hopefully less. But by 5 or more, my dream would be singing in the Portland Opera Chorus, as well as teaching private voice lessons. I also hope to get my little business venture up and running by then.
What things would you try if you had no fear?
My biggest fear is going through the audition process for adult choruses or choirs and not making the cut because I’m not talented enough. That I’ve been out of the game so long, my instrument is weak. If I could just get over that, and remember the confidence I had when I was younger, I could do anything.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
I’d like people to remember me as a kind dork who put her heart into her poses, and made people laugh.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
Well I’ve often had Teal Deer (TLDR= Too Long Didn’t Read) associated with me, so I’ve probably said enough!

We’ve also asked her fellow plurkers if they had any questions and here they are!

From Sookie Triellis: Will Olive Juice ever come back into our lives? We miss it so much!
Thank you, Sookie, for saying so. I miss you guys too! I can’t say for sure either way really and know that is like a non-answer answer. But I do miss it a lot some days, and I haven’t ruled out at least some random releases and collaborations. My good friend, Anna from Floorplan, is always encouraging me to get together with her on just that! So, look out for a collab or two or three in the future, at the very least.

From TrinityBelle Meriman: Why are you so awesome, Bella??
Lol, you dork. Why are YOU so awesome? HMMMM???

From Douleur: Since OJ is closed, what other endeavors do you have your fingers in?
In SL? Not a whole lot. (Most boring answers ever!) But like I mentioned above, I do have at least one finger in plans for collaborating with Floorplan.

From Adorkable Peapod: Did you know your picture is next to the term “Suzy Homemaker” in the dictionary?
HA! Ok, so I guess this is the other endeavor I’ve gotten myself into? Just kidding, but I do enjoy having the time to do some extra special things with my kiddos now days.

From Laurenza Republic: Where has she been?
I wish the answer was the Bahamas, Laurenza!

From Sasypants: I would like to know what advice she has for people considering starting a pose store, and if she was starting out now again herself, would she do anything in particular differently?
This is an excellent question! When I started out, I think the entire market was a different beast. It was okay to have no idea what you’re doing, no idea what a pose pack is, and think 2 stands can pass for an official start to a store. Now everything is faster paced, there are so many events and the market has really boomed with the number of pose stores on the scene. My advice to someone just starting out is try not to get overwhelmed and worried about “competition”. My roots may have seemed naive, but I always made what inspired me, what made me laugh, and what I couldn’t find myself on the grid. If you stay true to yourself, and you’re just having fun doing it, then you are creating for the right reasons. Would I do anything differently now? Yes, GET ORGANIZED! I always told myself I’d organize my pose stands and have clear departments in my store. In the final store, I did do that… somewhat, but man I wish I would have had a clearer plan early on. Ya live, ya learn!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellabaroque
http://olivejuiceposes.wordpress.com/
http://dorks.wordpress.com/

Anubis Darkwatch

How old are you?
37. Or in other words, young enough to be wild and dumb, old enough to know better.

Where do you live or where are you from?
I live in Louisiana USA, but originally from the old country…the really old one…India. The one Christopher Columbus thought he found, but didn’t. but ended up calling them Indians anyway.

Care to give your personal background? Married, single, partnered, kids, etc.
I am married in RL to my SL Partner,Belle. We have a 12 year old boy, 12 cats (I like cats, big whoop, wanna fight about it?) and one Italian Greyhound! Most of you know me as the resident scientist on Plurk. I work with Cancer research and testing patients for cancer mutations. I also like turtles.

When did you join SL and why?
I joined SL originally in 2004 because all my friends from the now defunct ‘There’ 3D client and also The Sims Online were flocking here, so I thought I’d check it out. I never left. I created Anubis in 2009 after a short break because I missed DJing in SL and my wife had just gotten interested in it.

What do you do in SL?
I am usually on SL to DJ/Party, but when I’m not DJing or getting ready to DJ, I love catching up with whomever’s online. I tend to keep anywhere between 10 and 16 IM windows open so I can talk to as many people as I can. If I have made at least one person smile that day, I am satisfied. I also have a daily bucket list of people to annoy. This list is always growing. Feel free to apply for either list anytime by IMing me! I am never too busy to talk.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
When I start styling an ensemble, I start with a core focus piece that I want to showcase and then let the rest fall into place as a puzzle whose pieces converge upon itself, thus representing my mood for the day or using it as a catalyst to create a particular mood. Heavily influenced by the late Alexander McQueen and the fallen from grace artiste, John Galliano, I share their penchant for eclecticism and adventure while staying true to my casual and hopefully approachable personality. In RL I tend to stay casual, even if I am a label whore.

How did you get into djing?
I was always the one with the most music cassette tapes when i was a kid (both mine and my dad’s collection), so that ‘qualified’ me to be the DJ at several parties. I also had an official Staedtler pencil with which to rewind said cassette tapes. I enjoyed it immensely, and decided I wanted to do more of it. In college, I joined the university radio station and had a weekly show highlighting music from
different countries around the world.

What was the first thing you created? Will you share it with us? (link, pic, etc)
The 9/11 Mix (http://anubisdarkwatch.com/new-mixes/). I was hit with the sadness around on that day and decided to find a way to make people smile. I still keep that in mind every time i make a new mix.

What have you created that you are most proud of?
I think I am most proud of the 9/11 Mix, the aforementioned first mix I put together. I had never done anything like it before, and I did something I still do to this day, I did it in one take only. I don’t stop and correct anything I do because every mix is like a timestamp in my life; even the mistakes contribute to making me a better person, so I keep them in there. Other than that, I am quite proud of the Classical Mix as well (http://anubisdarkwatch.com/classical-mix/).

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
Covered an entire sim with Freenises. I forget who I was trying to annoy… I just remembered that it worked.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
I would like to try my hand at photography. I see such immense talent among my friends on SL and Plurk that it’s something I admire them for and would probably enjoy it as a relaxation technique.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear? Describe your workspace.
I am usually in shorts and a t-shirt. My workspace is usually full of gadgets and receipts.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
Every single person I know inspires me in some way or another. Everyone is better than me in something, and I can always learn something from them, which is why I never turn down an opportunity to get to know someone and pick their brain.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
I enjoy watching movies and Plurk lurking.

If you had to choose a movie title or song to describe your life so far, what would it be?
Dr. Demento’s “They’re Coming To Take Me Away”. It’s so romantic.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
I will be yelling at kids to get off my lawn in 5, 10 and 15 decibel increments.

What things would you try if you had no fear?
I would like to try Skydiving, or Formula 1 racing. I have a thing for speed, but a slightly bigger thing for staying alive. The agony of choice…

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
I would like people to remember me as a positive force in their lives, be it through the high energy music that I always spin, or the number of smiles and ‘LOLs’ I get on Plurk when I post funny stuff. Life’s too damn short to be unhappy.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
Please don’t ever hesitate to IM me if you want to talk about absolutely anything. I love meeting new folks and getting to know people. I would like to think that I am fairly approachable, especially on days ending in ‘y’. God help you if you don’t like turtles though.

We’ve also asked his fellow plurkers if they had any questions and here they are!

From Tigist Sapphire: I want to know if the rumours are true. That he really IS Superman!
No, although my underwear drawer would think otherwise.

From Mikah Amysey: Is it true that his hair has its own entourage?
No, just a clever disguise for the return of El Chupacabra.

From Tigist Sapphire: is he really banned from entering 32 states, including Puerto Rico.
No, just 13 states.. due to that time…when I was young… and needed the money.

From Saffron Foxclaw: How do you keep up with work AND posting us interesting memes and pictures?
A lot of the work I do has incubation periods or reaction times, so I use that time to find funny stuff to brighten up others’ days!

From Reema Xue: Has music always been your passion in SL? Are there any other big passions you have or would like to get into inworld?
Yes, music was the original reason for my creating Anubis. It’s not much different in RL. I would love to do more creative work like building or designing stuff for DJs. I will be doing that as soon as I learn the Mesh Ropes! If there’s anyone willing to teach a willing student, feel free to contact me! 😀

From Misha Selene-Magnus: how did he get into his current field? and what’s he going to do after he finds the cure?
I came to the US for college, wanting to go into Biochemistry. The college I applied to and ended up going to had ‘Biochemistry’ as a major on their brochure, but when I got to the college, they had removed it from the curriculum. They did, however, say that there is a new (and better) program starting up in Molecular Biology and would I be interested. I did enjoy it, and eventually did attain the BS and MS degrees in the field. While looking for a job after that, I ended up doing more research and was able to add an MS in Molecular Physiology as well. Being in an academic institution helped keep me in the research field. To answer your second part, there is no ‘after the cure’ because there are thousands of different kinds of cancers that affect the body, any one of them due to a single mutation on one any of our chromosomes. As you can imagine, the possibilities for damage are endless. With the human genome project, that is becoming a lot quicker to decipher the reasons behind each kind of cancer, but a ‘cure-all’ remains evasive.

From Shiloh Selene: Is his RL profession related to his passion for music?
Music and Science go hand in hand with me, each balances out the other. I use a lot of science when I create my music sets, and I use a lot of music in my lab when doing science to keep me sane 😉

From Tigist Sapphire: If you could choose only one breakfast cereal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
I like Raisin Bran.. has more sugar than most other cereals 😀 . Other than that, I like Cookie Crisp… bitches love cookies.

From Brie Kovacs: How has science made your life better?
Science keeps my mind sharper than ever, especially because it is an ever evolving dynamic field that forces me to keep up. My memory and cognitive skills are probably better now than they were in college. In fact, I still have no idea how I managed to get through college, I don’t remember a lot of it :P. The important thing is that I did get through it I guess, and have a job that I do enjoy and make a difference in peoples’ lives on a daily basis.

Thank you, Anubis, for allowing us this opportunity to know you better. It certainly was very informative and entertaining!

Plurk: http://www.plurk.com/anubisdarkwatch/invite
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DJAnubisDarkwatch
Google+: http://gplus.to/anubis
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/user/technosaint

Isla Gealach

How old are you?
29 …. for 1 more day. :’/ I turn 30 on Wednesday.

Where do you live or where are you from?
I live in Scotland. I am originally American, but I’ve lived here most of my life

Care to give your personal background? Married, single, partnered, kids, etc.
I have a daughter! She’s 6. I have 2 cats – does that answer the married question? 🙂 (I’m divorced lol)

When did you join SL and why?
I joined SL in 2006. I was a housewife, I had a newborn, and a surprising amount of time to waste. I miss those days. I saw a segment on Good Morning America and thought it looked interesting.

Do you have a significant other/family in SL?
I do. 🙂 Kaz is very special to me. He’s the best friend, partner, and business partner I could ever ask for.

What do you do in SL?
I create furniture (mostly) though I do build houses, and more recently custom sim design. I own a store called Cheeky Pea. I also own The Nest shopping sim, The Pea, and I’ve had a few hands in some events.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
As for clothes… not really. I wear jeans, tops, and mostly walk around barefoot in RL too. 😀 Furniture style is more I make what I want to own in RL.

Do you have a home/workspace in SL?
Can you take some pics of them and show us? I have a full homestead that I own to work on. I live there with Kaz (my partner) and my friend Anna. An entire sim… and we work 2000m in the air on a giant grid.  It’s not very exciting!   

How did you get into designing?
I wanted a chair and was outraged at the cost of it and the prim count. For what it was I thought it could definitely have been much less. I asked a good friend who I knew created furniture to show me what to do to make a chair. He did, he told me to sell it, and then my store started.

You have made some really fantastic mesh items/builds. Was this difficult to learn? Any advice for those wanting to learn it?
It requires the ability to make a lot of mistakes. It’s not something I picked up overnight, for sure. I started with sculpts and moved on to mesh this year. Tutorials and practice every. single. day. Don’t stop. You WILL forget crap. Even if it’s just to open up your programme and make a horrible boxy thing, and end. Keep going. Also, you will always suck when you look back 3 months down the line. You will likely hate everything you make 2 weeks later when you realise you could have done this… or this, or this…. Just keep working. And don’t stop learning.

What was the first thing you created? Will you share it with us? (link, pic, etc)
It’s really awful. It’s pretty embarrassing. http://cl.ly/image/3s312n3e0I3k

What have you created that you are most proud of?
The Cinema sim. It’s not the most detailed, or the most technically skilled item I’ve made, but the sheer scale of it, the amount of work, the ideas behind it. It’s definitely something I’m proud of.   

How did you come up with the name Cheeky Pea?
My daughter had a little round face when she was a baby and we used to call her a Pea. She was always jabbering away at us telling us off so we used to say she was a cheeky pea. When I was trying to think of store names I really couldn’t decide. I thought I’d use it as a place holder until I came up with something better. Sort of like my product boxes… oops.

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
I feel like it was when I bought my first sim. It scared the crap out of me! It turned out to be a brilliant idea, but at the time I thought it was crazy.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
Make clothes. I just want to give it a try. I think I would probably be terrible at it. But I’d like to try.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear? Describe your workspace.
I’m usually wearing a shirt and jeans, or yoga pants and a tshirt. I usually work at night because I have far too many distractions in the day time so it’s whatever you would wear to lounge around at night time. I always have coffee and usually quite a few assorted bits of stuff around me. 2 monitors, 2 computers, a wacom tablet and my mouse and keyboard. I have a teal deer figure that lives on my desk too.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
Kaz. He’s made me pay attention to the details and the little things that bring something to life.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
I’m American. People love to call me out about debating living in America because I couldn’t understand it as I live in Europe. Nope. I’m actually American! lol I’ve lived there just as much as I’ve lived here.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
I love to travel. I travel a lot. I have been to Turkey, America, Ireland, and quite a few places around the UK all in the last 12 months. I have 3 more holidays away planned in the next 6 months too. I get itchy feet pretty badly and I just have to go. I read a lot too.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Oh gosh. I have no idea. Anyone who knows me would laugh like hell at this question because I have seen about 10 movies my entire life. I am not a big fan of movies at all.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
I’d love to branch out and do more commercial work. Get away from strictly SL things.

What things would you try if you had no fear?
I would love to go mountain climbing. I’m not great with heights though.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
As someone who made cute furniture. That’s about it.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I am terrible about keeping in touch with people. I start working and look up and it’s Tuesday. I think half my friends list thinks I’m anti-social and the other half thinks I’m mean!

We asked Plurkers for additional questions and here they are!

from Strawberry Singh: Where does she get her ideas for the gorgeous items she makes? And did she learn mesh all on her own or does she have any formal training?
Ideas…it just depends on what I’m making.  Some things are inspired from blogs, from RL, from tumblr, from pinterest, and some come totally from my head.  As for learning…100% self-taught.  I’ve never once taken a class in polygon modeling (mesh).

from Siobhin Shippe:  What is her favourite Item she has ever made?

The Calla Desk. I want one in RL. 😀

from Ohna:  Since you started making mesh, would you ever go back to making any non mesh items? Just curious.
No way! lol Mesh is not only much more versatile, it’s easier to do well. It’s cleaner, you never have to make do because the geometry won’t work a certain way in SL. The only limit is prim count. I LOVE mesh! I would never go back to sculpts.

Isla’s Flickr

Cheeky Pea on Marketplace

Cheeky Pea Plurk

Strawberry Singh

How old are you?
In my early thirties.

Where do you live or where are you from?
I was born in Pakistan and grew up in the United States. I live in Florida.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment in life?
I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished anything that substantial or amazing, but one thing I’m quite happy about is being a teacher in real life has given me the opportunity to teach hundreds of children how to read.

When did you join SL and why?
I joined in May of 2007 because a friend of mine told me about it. I was a bit lost at first and didn’t log back in for a week, but then I decided to give it another try and I’m happy I did.

Why Strawberry and why do people call you Mango?
LOL honestly? This is so embarrassing. I chose strawberry because at the time of signing up I was eating a bowl of strawberries (yeah, that’s how imaginative I am LOL). As for Mango, well I have an extremely bratty friend named Sean Black and he started a rumor on plurk about my flatulence and the smell of mangoes and then somehow it took off from there and everyone started tormenting me with it.  Obviously it’s all lies and fallacies because we all know that girls don’t do that kind of stuff. 😛 There, are you happy now? I’m surprised you didn’t mention pork swords. 😛

What do you do in SL?
I shop, dress up, take pictures, help Zaara and stand around and look pretty. Oh and sometimes I blog.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
I definitely do not dress as exotic or (skanky?) in RL as I do in SL.  But I’m definitely not a fashionista in either life. I just wear whatever I think looks good and feels comfortable.

Do you have a home/workspace in SL?  Can you take some pics of them and show us?
I do not really have a home. I have a platform in the sky on the Zaara sim. I just have a big white megaprim rezzed with some other prims for backgrounds and my pose stands lying around making a big huge massive mess. I honestly do not want to take pictures and show you guys cuz it’s quite embarrassing and really nothing special.

How did you get into blogging?
I was forced into it by a friend back in December of 2007. She had a fashion blog of her own and she wanted me to join and had been asking me for a couple of months. I just kept delaying it because I wasn’t really interested. At the time I used to host at a bellydancing sim and I just spent most of my time in SL in silks, dancing all day and just hanging out with friends. She pretty much threatened me to join her so I did a couple of posts and I got a great response from people and it got me hooked.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start an SL fashion blog?
Grow a thick skin and don’t take what people say to heart. It’s your blog, blog the way you feel like and don’t let others dictate what, who and how you should be blogging. I’m still working on that myself.

Have you ever created anything in SL? Will you share it with us? (link, pic, etc)
Nothing really that important. Just a few goofy tattoos that I gave away for free. Here’s one. (cat whiskers tattoo)

You are the queen of social media.  How do you keep up with all of your social media sites?
There’s actually a few apps and programs I use to follow a lot of my social media accounts. One thing I use is Chrome. It helps me because I use that exclusively for all of my sl work so I don’t get it mixed it up with my RL work which I use firefox for. I set it to open up a lot of tabs on start up, including three of my social media accounts that I follow often. The other app I use both on my pc and my phone is Hootsuite. That is seriously a lifesaver and it really helps me keep things organized, especially my twitter.

Can we see the oldest picture of your avi?
Why are you doing this to me?

If you could only keep 5 items in your SL inventory, what, specifically, would they be?
The Nizam set from Zaara. Hands down my most favorite thing on the grid. I want it in RL. Let’s see, what else….The Maitreya Mesh Flare Jeans, the Gos Equestrian Boots, All of my Truth hair and my mesh penis collection, (don’t judge).

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
hmmmmmmm I can’t think of anything, I’m so boring. Oh wait, I shot Zaara with sperm, does that count? No? Yeah, told you I was boring.

Which photo that you’ve created are you most proud of?
Oh boy, that’s a hard one. I don’t know if I’m actually proud of any picture I’ve done. I always find faults in all my work and ways that I can improve. This picture is one of my most favorites though:

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
So many people. They inspire me with their talent, their generosity, their love and I’ve just learned so much from all of them. Here’s just a few and I know I am going to leave some out by accident so I’m sorry about that: Zaara Kohime, Prad Prathivi, Winter Jefferson, Sawyer Campese, Faint Paulse, Catero Revolution, and so many more, especially those plurkers that I don’t even talk to that often but they inspire and amaze me with the things that they share about themselves.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
I really want to make something, preferably mesh. But I know that’s probably never going to happen.

You have amazing skills in SL photography and Photoshop. Are you REALLY self taught? What do you draw inspiration from?
Yeah I am. I have never had any kind of formal training in photography or photoshop. I just watched tutorials on youtube and got ideas from other bloggers. I draw inspiration from a lot of magazines, Vogue is one of my favorites, especially Vogue India. I also draw inspiration from movies, especially bollywood movies. And I also draw inspiration from other bloggers that I love: Jenny Lawson the bloggess from RL (for blogging) and Kyrie Source from SL (for photography and styling).

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear?
Well, that’s kind of a pervy question. During the day it’s probably shalwar kameez or a tank and yoga pants or jeans. At night I’m usually in Pajamas or naked under a blanket. 😛

Describe your workspace.
In RL? quite organized, I need to be. In SL, I’m a pose stand mess. I dunno why I am so lazy about keeping things clean in SL (this includes my crazy inventory).

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
I’m really insecure and sensitive and fragile and not strong at all, no matter how much I pretend I am. So even one little bit of criticism or harsh word affects me greatly. Not sure if I do want everyone to know that but sometimes I get a bit defensive and upset over silly little things and perhaps it would be better if everyone knew that it’s not them or what they’ve said, but it’s just my own insecurities that’s gotten that reaction from me. I am working on it though. We’re always a work in progress, right?

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
My biggest hobby is SL and it’s the one I make the most time for.  Other hobbies or things I like to do are Kundalini Yoga (I do this daily). I also love playing table tennis and checkers and scrabble.  And I love to watch romantic comedies and read 19th century literature, children’s books and Urdu poetry.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
hmmmmm, I actually like where I live right now. The weather suits me well. I wouldn’t mind living in Toronto but not sure if I’m really a big-city girl.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
I’d like to be surrounded by my family and friends and people that love me and support me. I’d like to still be teaching because I enjoy it. I’d also like to be traveling the world. I don’t have a plan for 5 or 10 or 15 years, I’ll just go with the flow and see where life takes me.

What things would you try if you had no fear?
Haha, oh boy, where to start. I guess I would possibly like to fly to the moon if I could. Just to see what it’s like up there and I also want to be the first person on Mars, that would be kind of cool. I’m kind of addicted to Curiosity and all the things it’s doing up there so I would totally be up for going if I wasn’t scared and if it was possible. Also, I guess I will try skydiving eventually.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
Hopefully in a positive light. I hope people would remember me as the goofy, silly girl that rambled on her blog and took some nice pictures and helped out whenever she could. Oh and also my pixel butt, can’t forget that.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know? I like big butts and I cannot lie. Seriously though, I guess I’d just like to thank everyone that puts up with me on all their social networks and that read my blog for all the love and support and encouragement. ❤ And also thank you to you guys at Bare for including me in this wonderful project of yours. I love reading all the interviews and it’s great to be included, so thank you.

We also asked Plurkers for additional questions and here they are!

from Alicia Chenaux:  If Berry wasn’t in SL, what would she be doing instead?

I would probably being doing what I was doing before sl: working, hanging out with friends, and watching a lot more movies and reading a lot more books.

from Alice Demonia:  So…how ’bout them pork swords?

Fired!

from Daniella Riaxik:  Are you as fabulous in your day to day life as you are in SL and where do you get your inspiration?

I don’t think I’m fabulous in any life lol but I do think personality wise Berry and rl me are not that similar. Berry is a little more friendly and outgoing on social networks whereas rl me is quite shy.

from Ohna:  What made you start wanting to do photography?

I was inspired by a friend who was the first person to ever take my picture in 2007 and then photoshopped it and made it all fabulous. Then he introduced me to flickr and the sl flickr community and I’ve been hooked since then.

from Lilly Lalonde:  How much chocolate is too much chocolate?

There’s no such thing as too much chocolate.

Blog: Strawberry Singh

Berry’s Social Media: Berry’s Links

Sixx Yangtz

How old are you?
30+ lets leave it at that. 😦 (Yes I’m feeling old around all you youngins!)

Where do you live or where are you from?
Born and raised in the St. Louis, MO area.

Care to give your personal background? Married, single, partnered, kids, etc.
Single father of one child.

When did you join SL and why?
Gosh, I can’t remember the date. Sixx is actually my second account. I deleted my first account for various reasons we won’t get into =P. I’d say around 2008 or 2009 maybe however my activity was maybe once a month if that. I know I took like an 8 month hiatus so even though it may seem I’m a SLveteran I’m really still a newbie, I swear. =P I still get the comments from people “you don’t know how to do that?” on various things. 😦 To answer the question “why”, that’s kinda a long story but in a nutshell a friend suggested it to me when I was going through some things in RL. Some friend he turned out to be! ROFL

What do you do in SL?
Currently I’m making guy static poses and part time blogger. I go and do where ever the shiny light takes me.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
Wow these are hard questions! This is actually one of the things that attracts me about SL, I love experimenting with different styles. I’ve explored most all of them but always find myself returning back to the midwest hometown boy with jeans, no shoes and t-shirt. shrugs. I LOVE trying on suits and ties in SL! But walking around as a suit kinda makes you look uppity. lol

How did you get into designing/blogging/djing, etc? (whichever applies)
Hmmm…I’m going to go with “designing” since that’s my current adventure. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to experiment with it. Just never could find the time. I’ve made a couple poses here and there for specific blogging scenes, but only when I couldn’t find the pose I wanted. Finally I just bit the nail and said let’s do this.

What was the first thing you created/blogged etc? Will you share it with us? (link, pic, etc)
Uhm, okay let me back up. BEFORE blogging and making poses I use to do photography. I deleted most of my early work so I don’t have that to share. My first blog post was deleted too so…yeah. Lol . My first pose was THIS though: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixxy/6825306816 which I made for a specific blog posting. I later put it up for sale.

What have you created/blogged etc that you are most proud of?
I’m most proud of this picture I did when I was doing photography. It’s my most faved and most viewed on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixxy/4695193780 . Recently I’ve been floored at the response I’ve gotten on my pose store. I’m most proud of my EmoLean poses: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixxy/7186535012/ They’ve been a hit and I’m really happy how they turned out. I actually made them when I was being emo in RL =P

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
I don’t do silly and crazy things! SL is serious business! Lol seriously, I don’t get out much. I’m always on my platform, I know I suck.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
omg there is so much! I’d like to learn more about mesh designs. I think that’s my next adventure.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear?
REALLY?! You pulled out the “what are you wearing” card? rofl uhm gosh idk. Weekdays I usually have on what I wore at work that day, dress slacks, shirt and undone tie cause I normally only log in, check messages/notices and log out. Weekends where I may sit longer and I know I’m not going to be going out afterwards and no one’s coming over, then PJ bottoms and tee. =\

Describe your workspace.
Desk, office chair, window behind me (so the whole world can watch lol) printer, acoustic guitar lying against the wall saying “learn how to play ME not SL!”

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
o…m…g… SO many! Uhm, with photography I have to give credit to the great Gabrielle Sinatra. She inspired me to work with close ups. I also have to mention Janaina Delvalle who got me to go “outside of the box” and work on other things than close ups. In my blogging world Rylan Carling got me into that with her masterful writing and unique way of blogging. With poses I have to give credit to Rogan Diesel who shaped the direction in where I wanted to go with my poses. There are SO many pose designers however that continue to give me inspiration. Adorkable Peapod and Del May are the master at thinking outside the box in their own way. Ruby Starlight’s couple poses are interment and poignant. I know I’m forgetting others, I’m sorry I’m getting old.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
I think we all say the “RL before SL” term a lot, almost to the point it has no meaning. However, for me it’s exactly where my priorities are. SL is a “fun” thing for me when I have no other time in RL. I think I hurt feelings too much when I don’t respond quick enough to others or not give special attention and I wish I could fix or learn how to compensate in those areas where I lack in. I wish others would know that I truly value their thoughts and opinions. I look at Flickr and Plurk, I try to keep up but usually it’s 3-4 days behind everyone else. I don’t know where I’m going with this but I think we as SL residents “assume” about 90% of what others are thinking/doing and come to wrong conclusions. And rightly so, I mean we’re all behind a computer monitor and can’t see body communications and sometimes verbal tones so we’re left with letters that come from and IM box to make judgements. Which aren’t enough. We all need to have patience. Wow, did that answer the question? Rofl

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
SL is sort of a “hobby”? lol It’s what I do when I have “extra” time. When I’m not in SL usually I’m involved with my daughter. I try to spend as much time as I can with her but as she grows older I’m noticing I’ve been getting more and more time for myself. 😦 lol Outside of SL I love doing yard work, camping and I volunteer on a weekly basis.

If you had to choose a movie title or song to describe your life so far, what would it be?
Movie title: “The Never-ending Story”

What things would you try if you had no fear?
Sing 😦 I love to sing in private but omg…I’m embarrassed even when I do it in the car I have to make sure no one is watching! =P

We’ve also asked her fellow plurkers if they had any questions and here they are!

From Cracked Mirror: Why did he choose the name Sixx?
I wish I had a captivating story to answer this but I don’t 😦 Rather dumb actually. When I was at that registration point when you’re trying to choose your first name for SL, I was really stuck with what to pick. My brain froze and the music that was playing at the time was Motley Crue, so; I chose Sixx due to lack of anything else. =P

From Grazia Horwitz: what is your ultimate photography tip/trick?
Levels & Curves. Learn them, own them, marry them, make sweet love with them. They really do change a picture dramatically.

From Cajsa Lilliehook: Who was your hero when you were 5? 15? 25? and now?
5 – My older brother. 15 – My dad. 25 – My Greek Philosophy Professor and now… my daughter.

From Reema Xue: what’s the most important thing you have learnt in SL so far?
hmmm … most ‘important’ thing? I’d have to say BEFORE you log in decide what you want to do and do it. Don’t just log in and expect things to happen. Make something happen. Do YOUR thing and own it. If your thing is making wooden prim boxes, then put red and pink bows on those damn boxes and make it happen! Enjoy SL, don’t have expectations that others are going to do that for you. Learn things, explore if that’s your thing. There is SO much to do in SL and it REALLY does kill me when i hear other say how bored they are…I’m like seriously???? I NEVER have enough time do do ALL THE THINGS!

From Cad Lorakeet: From the time of your first arrival into SL, how long did it take for you to locate and buy a penis suitable for a man of your stature?
The search is on going. There is always hope 🙂

From Starleigh Foxdale: Name one song you can jam out to all day long?
Right now, I can’t get enough of Jason Mraz “I Won’t Give Up”.

From Rhonda Elaine Pennell: if you were a Linden, which method of suicide would you choose?
Death by a Meeroo

From Damien Fate: Do you use photographs as references for your poses, or do you just do whatever comes to mind? I ask because you are one of the few places that offer very natural looking poses that seem to have weight to them.
Wow thank you for the compliment! I first decide what I want to do then I do searches for ideas or to expand on my own idea then I’m usually using between 2-5 references to go on. It could be another photo or made up of several photos. Thank you so much, you just made my day!

From Jorge Hutchinson: Boxers or briefs?
Boxer briefs =P

Thank you Sixx for a very entertaining look into your life!

Sixx’s Flickr

Sixx’s Blog

Sixx’s Store – HISpose

LiquidH3ll Carter

How old are you?
26 years old. I refuse to leave my mid-twenties if I can help it.

Where do you live or where are you from?
New Zealand. You take a bus to the end of the world and make a left. After a couple hours, you’re there.

Care to give your personal background?
I’m never-married, no kids, currently (over)working in corporate IT. I went straight out of university into the workplace, so I’m currently trying hard to save for some overseas trips within the next five years, but this messed up economy certainly makes my plans bumpier than Romney’s social policy.

When did you join SL and why?
I started playing in earnest in July 2007 because I was bored; it’s actually why I left the “3” typo in my name. I figured I was going to be here all of a week and then leave for good. So five years later, here I am – still a noob but with a (debateably) better shirt.

What do you do in SL?
I vegetate and I’m really good at it. My best work yet is logging into my skybox and AFKing until I’m booted. Seriously though, I recently do graphic design for Second Life residents and occasionally I do contract scripting. I have a (laughable) background in IT so programming in LSL wasn’t as much of a hurdle as I feared. I used to do some building, but I’ve taken a break from it until I learn to mesh model. A few friends have been awesome enough to help where they can. Recently, I’ve begun helping out Alice Project doing customer –circus– service work.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
I generally wear fairly simple styles, similar to my real life. I’m a fan of plain white tees, maybe a light shirt, blue jeans and chuck sneakers if I can get away with it. Liquid dresses a little more colourfully than I do, but the base idea is the same. It’s not so much my personal style as the fact that I’m just extremely lazy. If I were to offer free advertising, I’d probably name Gos, Kal Rau, Kauna, notsobad and Fate among my favourite inworld menswear stores.

How did you get into designing/blogging/djing, etc?
Well I first noticed I had natural skill in counter-productive procrastination in school, when I was about 11. Since then, I’ve just soared in that department to ever-greater heights. Besides that, I was an artsy kid in high school (took art, graphics design, languages, music, etc.). It wasn’t until I went to university that I did a complete 180 and opted for computer science and business school, so now and then I like to explore ‘the other life’ I didn’t choose.

What was the first thing you created/blogged etc? Will you share it with us?
A lava lamp. I’m not sure if I still have it, but I had to script the colour change and everything. I remade it in 2011 just to see if I could. I’d be interested in trying after I get a hang of mesh.

What have you created/blogged etc that you are most proud of?
I hardly ever blog, but I did one guest post on a friend’s blog called Slidioglossia revolving around music and the musician/rockstar style that I really had fun doing. A Little Less Conversation
I haven’t made anything cool in a long time inworld, unfortunately.

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
I am *really* not allowed to talk about this, sorry… =|

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
Own an estate or sim maybe. Or start a business in earnest.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear? Describe your workspace.
I’m wearing jeans and a tshirt that says “Got this for my girlfriend; awesome trade.” right now. My workspace is kind of cluttered with papers and folders at the moment because I was doing work earlier.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
I used to have a friend who doesn’t log into SL anymore, but she showed me the ropes not only in terms of building and scripting, but a lot of other aspects of virtual worlds too. No, I know what you’re thinking, but not that lol. I’m sorry I’m so boring.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
I really really really love YouTube cover bands. I’m addicted to them and can easily spend upward of two hours in one sitting just going through a band’s uploaded videos. Paste your favourite YouTube finds to me; I will appreciate you like a fat kid appreciates smuggled cupcakes at fat camp during a zombie apocalypse.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
I’m an avid bookworm, TV-watcher and video-game noob (mostly first person shooters). I also play the piano and the guitar but I rarely have time/motivation to practice these days.

If you had to choose a movie title or song to describe your life so far, what would it be?
Ke$ha’s Tic To-… you know what, I couldn’t even type that with a straight face. There’s a Kiwi rock band here called Elemeno P and they have an older song released when I was about fourteen called “Fast Times in Tahoe”. The title itself doesn’t really relate but I love the lyrics and the feel of the song. You should be able to find it on YouTube and/or any “high seas discount” places like any truly accomplished filthy media pirate.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
I’d like to visit the U.S. & Canada, Europe and South America. I’m a history and culture buff, so visiting ancient ruins is like castles, amphitheatres and such amounts to travel porn for me. Beyond that, I’d like to either start my own RL business or apply for an MBA program within 10 years. I guess I should think about settling down around then too maybe, but at the moment I admit it’s not priority one. 15 years…that’ll probably be around about the time to renew my immortality pact with the devil, so with any luck, I’ll be back to being 26 by then.

What things would you try if you had no fear?
Shaking hands with a clown. You think I’m kidding. I’m really not.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
Honestly, I’ve kind of gone into more detail about myself than I generally do with anyone already. I generally prefer to remain “that lighthearted, trolly guy” who likes to have a good time, so the added depth (of an ashtray) is new to me and probably some of my newer friends. I would hope people remember me as someone humourous, fun-loving and not dwell too much on any overly-serious moments, which I generally like to keep private anyway.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
Yeah, the guy you were actually supposed to interview just arrived – I can see him out that window. Thanks for letting me ramble for 15 questions, though.

We’ve also asked her fellow plurkers if they had any questions and here they are!

from Katya Valeska:
Why the name Liquidhell?
When I was about 9 or 10 and my dog was a puppy, he made it onto the breakfast table before school and completely psyched out, so there was milk and cereal and juice EVERYWHERE. That’s where I got the name from. The “3” is a @%damn typo that I figured ‘whatever’ since I wasn’t going to be in this online game very long anyway. Shut up.

from Ohna:
What is something that you like to do in sl, that you don’t really admit much?
That’s a good question. Hmm…honestly, there’s not too much I’d do in SL that I like and won’t admit. I used to teach basic scripting and building, though, so that’s something I really enjoyed. I even helped run a small academy and did group lessons too back when I still had the time. I don’t really throw that out there now, because the group still exists and occasionally I get a lazy ‘student’ who just wants to ask and have the work done for them rather than learn anything at all.

from Daoine Sidhesays:
How long have you been a graphic artist? Where do you get your ideas and.. what’s it like being Alice’s CSR?
I’ve never really ‘been’ a graphic artist. I took all the appropriate classes in high school but never pursued it after graduating, choosing to play around now and then more as a hobby. I’ve actually done logos for people quietly for awhile and only advertised very recently to help hone my creativity and skill set.

I get my ideas from everywhere. I make notes in my idea book and take photos on my phone when I can. Tumblr, deviantART and Fab.com provide some really good creativity seed, if anyone wants added inspiration. The hardest trick is to get a bunch of suitable elements to form something that makes you immediately think…”that’s it; that’s the one!” You have no idea how I feel when I get that and it’s obvious that others feel it too. It’s magic in it’s purest form and I didn’t even have to level up in some game.

Despite what anyone might think, I’m actually ridiculously organised because on average we get about 3-4 IMs a day that need following-up on. I have a shared Google spreadsheet (complete with a form) where I enter in customer queries that can’t be dealt with on-the-stop or need escalating. Alice and I work together to keep response times low and customer loyalty high. I think last I geeked out the numbers, we had like a resolution time of 6 hours or something. (6 hr resolution time thing, it’s for stuff that are “left messages” or needed escalating/addressing)

That isn’t to say that I don’t troll some of the customers, especially the ones that don’t like to read instructions or are rude; I have no qualms about throwing their attitude back in their face with a healthy dollop of apathy. Most are very nice, though!

from Alice Demonia:
Why do you ask SO MANY QUESTIONS? When are you gonna start learning mesh?
To make you ask questions. I’ll probably start picking up learning in earnest after the busy period ends. So probably near mid-November onward.

from Daniella Riaxik:
How did you get started in being an awesome man prop for the bloggers?
This is a thing? I genuinely like helping the bloggers out – I know it’s a pain in the ass to outfit an alt and run multiple viewers AND worry about taking a snapshot, so if I can help out and I’m not doing anything else at the time, why not? The bloggers work hard to present new content at an impressively exciting rate and it costs me nothing to lend a hand.

from TrinityBelle:
I’d like to know what makes him think of all the questions that he asks
My brain works in weird ways. I think of things during the day or when random things provoke an odd line of thought. It could be a stray radio question or a cool advertisement. Sometimes I read something online and adapt it into a question. I’m just curious about human nature in general, I guess, which might sound creepy in some cases LOL. I assure you though, my interest is very generic to people and social philosophy as a whole, not on any specific individual =). By the way, Trin, you’re out of orange juice.

from Dinalya Dawes:
I want to know when he is getting in his next shipment of cookies.
I feel so used.

Thank you Liq for a very entertaining look into your life!

sMoov Graphic Design

sMoov on Marketplace

Liq on Flickr

Cajsa Lilliehook

When did you join SL and why?
I joined Second Life in July 2007 after injuring my leg and having to be off it for a couple months. I was going stir crazy at home after being used to go to meetings and events several nights a week. I went to Apple’s download site looking for some games and downloaded Second Life. The first person I met was a surfer and I got hooked on being active in SL when I could not be active in RL.

What do you do in SL?
Mainly I blog and I DJ. I have two regular gigs a week at The Velvet, one of SL’s older clubs and an intermittent gig with The Pixel Bean. I also do events and parties. I blog at It’s Only Fashion and Shopping Cart Disco and write for AVENUE.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
My style is fairly conventional. I like classic clothing and love dressing up. It’s similar to my RL style in my love of color and prints. In RL and SL, I have a love of vintage. Where it differs is that in RL, I cannot possibly afford the variety of clothing I have in SL (or have a place to store it all) and in RL, I only have one outrageous ball gown, not dozens. Also in RL, a gown full of sequins and seed beads weighs a ton and high heels hurt at the end of the day.

How did you get into blogging?
I was unaware of the fashion blogging phenomenon until I discovered a blog by Felice Haruka while googling how to fix some glitch in Second Life. She no longer blogs, but she was a very inspiring blogger. From that, I got hooked on the blogs and started following her and Gogo and a few others. Then I discovered the huge feed from Tao and never came up for air. I decided to start blogging myself.

What was the first thing you blogged? Will you share it with us?
I blogged the gown I wore for New Year’s Eve in 2007 on New Year’s Day. It was by Nikki Ree and a white confection that made me feel so beautiful.
http://itsonlyfashionblog.com/2008/01/01/hello-world-happy-new-year/

What have you blogged/created that you are most proud of?
That’s a hard one. Probably my column for Shopping Cart Disco – What I Like – where I highlight photos from Second Life that catches my attention. It began as a reaction to someone who used to be on plurk and in SL, but has left both long ago. This person would plurk bad photos and explain what was wrong with them – including one of mine. While I understood it as instructional and didn’t take personal offense even when mine was one of the sources of instruction, I thought it was demoralizing. So, I began plurking picture that I liked and explaining why they worked for me. Kesseret Steeplechase of SCD invited me to migrate my “likes” to her blog and What I Like was born. I am also pretty proud of the Donna Flora A to Z Challenge to lift Squinternet Larnia’s spirits while she was struggling with health issues, but that was so much a community effort that could never have happened without the forty-odd people who participated.

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
Gosh, I don’t know. I have done lots of the traditional goofy things – watermelon gun fights, pillow fights and crazy dances. That kind of goofiness is part of the magic of SL. I have played lots of the sports of SL – surfing, sailing, ice skating, horse-back riding, etc. Gidge Uriza and I used to plan goofball parties.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
I would love to create dresses and shoes. There are so many things I would like to have in SL that nobody is making, but sadly, that would require one of the things I most hate to do – reading a manual on how to work a computer program. I have tried without reading directions, but it’s just too complicated for the kind of intuitive learning I prefer.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear? Describe your workspace.
I generally wear as little as possible. My workspace is a very modern, brick red polymer and steel double desk set that makes an L-shape. I have my desktop on one and my laptop on the other. The desktop is too old for SL, but I keep my music on it for when I DJ. Generally, my cat Oscar is to the left of the desktop with his front paws sitting on my forearm as I work and leaning his head against my shoulder or my chin.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
Many people. As I mentioned already, Felice Haruka and Gogo inspired me to blog. Vint Falken was my go-to tutorial website for photography. I have been inspired by the consistent optimism and professionalism of Sasy Scarborough, but the grit and determination of Squineternet Larnia and of course, most of all by my best friend, Gidge Uriza.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
I think most people perceive me as more serious than I am. While I am not the least bit shy, I am a fairly classic introvert and don’t share the more relaxed side of myself very widely.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
I love reading and generally read 3 to 5 books a week. I do some genealogy research. I also do some lace-making, though not as much as before

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
To be honest, I hope to still be in Second Life. I hope, though, that the health issues of the last two years are resolved and I can get back into organizing again.

What things would you try if you had no fear?
I would go to Antarctica and try to replicate Scott’s expedition to the South Pole – without the death and privation of course.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as someone who was kind and fair.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I believe that each and everyone of us have the power to change the world by changing ourselves. I remember when I was valedictorian and spoke at graduation, my speech was titled “You get from life what you put into it.” That’s still my philosophy, if you treat people with dignity and respect, they will treat you with the same. If you involve yourself in the world, you can transform it.

We’ve also asked her fellow plurkers if they had any questions and here they are!

From Daniella Riaxik: What are you passionate about in SL?
Community and friendship. Sure, like everyone I have a prevailing interest in one sector of Second Life – the world of fashion and design. But whether a member of Second Life involves themselves in fashion, or art, music, architecture, sports or role play, they will find themselves in a deeply integrated community with rich friendships. Each community has its own culture with its own mores and rituals, but they are intensely connected communities that cross national boundaries as though they don’t exist. Any active Sl’er can experience the world through their friendships and their community. It has this rich possibility for bringing the world together in a deeper way than the initial connection of sharing a common interest suggests.

From Tillie Ariantho: What do you think of the mesh deformer? What do you miss in SL? Anything you would add to SL if you could? Do you wear undies?
My own shape is pretty close to standard in the first place so I am lucky enough to enjoy mesh without the deformer. I hope that it can be successfully incorporated, though, so others can have the freedom to shape themselves as they wish. I do miss the easy layering that we had with systemwear and the ability to turn a dress top into a blouse, though of course we still have systemwear and can still do that if we wish. I would add a naming architecture to the upload process. (grins) Yes, I do wear lingerie. Early in my SL life, I had a variation of the system skirt bug that was so disconcerting. Not only was my system skirt invisible, so was everyone else’s. I went to a performance by a troupe of Geisha dancers and there were dozens of people there watching the performance and far too many were nude from the waist down. I have worn lingerie ever since.

From Liliana Barrs: What would you love to create in SL?
I would love to create clothing and jewelry. There are lots of things I would like to see made, but something about the process confounds me. I am not the most patient person in the world and it seems to require a level of patience beyond my capacity.

From Katya Valeska: What inspired you to do the “What I Like” for the Shopping Cart Disco?
I started doing “likes” on plurk in response to WTF and NO plurks from photo critics who shared bad pictures – sometimes with the intent to share tips by explaining why a photo was bad. I am more a believer in positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement so I started posting pictures I liked with a bit of explanation why. Kesseret Steeplechase suggested I write a column for Shopping Cart Disco since it would probably reach more people and give me more characters to explain why a picture works.

From Grazia Horwitz: Which person from any time in history would you love to meet with and why?
Oh, so many. I guess Thomas Jefferson would be at the top of my list or Alexander Hamilton. I would hope to persuade them that punting on slavery was a terrible decision that continues to have a negative effect on our society to this day.

From Don Mill: when would you let Oscar create his SL avatar? we all want to meet him!
Oscar has my permission to create an account. For some reason, he has simply not done it for himself. I think Oscar’s entertainment potential is his random and serendipitous communication. If he had an account of his own, it would no longer be spontaneous and it would not be Oscar himself. I have thought about making a plurk account for Oscar on my hard drive where I don’t plurk myself and just leaving him logged in, but that keyboard is not warm and not in front of me – the two reasons why he wants my laptop keyboard.

From Mina Nakamura: Did you ever consider making a real cookbook with your fabulous healthy recipes?
I have thought about it a little. There are some obstacles to that beside the obvious one of finding a publisher. Generally cookbooks are done by people who have a restaurant to get their food taste-approved by the public. It would also require fine-tuning the recipes from my about a tablespoon measurements to something much more specific – though I guess that is not hard.

Thank you, Cajsa, for your time. We loved getting to know you better!

Cajsa’s Blog – It’s Only Fashion

Cajsa’s Flickr

What I Like on Shopping Cart Disco

Blogging Second Life

Grazia Horwitz

How old are you?
almost 43…. and still no midlife crisis

Where do you live or where are you from?
I’m Dutch, living just North of Amsterdam. Close enough to the city to have the fun, far enough out to have a bit of quiet.

Care to give your personal background? Married, single, partnered, kids, etc.
I live with my long time bf. We’re not married, I don’t think we’ll ever tie the knot, but it works for us like this. Still crazy after all those years. We have no children, no pets anymore either, which I do miss. I’m a cat person and we used to have 2 Abyssinians who were like our kids. But they died a couple of years ago from old age. I’d adopt a cat today, but Mr H is not convinced yet.

When did you join SL and why?
It’s been 6 years now. I had some extra time at hand, sitting at the bed of my MIL who was slowly fading every day after work, till Mr H would come home from work to take over from me. It was the only thing we could do for her. Not that she was chatty, but she did notice us being there, and she loved it. Hated to be alone. But while she was dozing, I wanted to do something, and played some with my laptop. I had heard from SL through a TV show, I found out I had a wifi connection there… downloaded the client … and the rest is history.

Do you have a significant other/family in SL?
Yes, I have a family and a partner in SL whom I all love dearly. My partner Don Mill and my daughter Darla have become true friends over time, and I wish I could TP in real life to just go hang out with them sometimes. They are awesome people very down to earth and wise. Barbara Nicholls and GM Nikolaidis are my MommaB and Pops and they are some of the most caring people I know. My sisters Samara Barzane and Caelan Hancroft always know how to pick me up when I am down… or kick my ass when I need it (see also the frequent bat and slap emoticons in our plurks) . And then of course there are Sylvia Olivier and Ryker Beck who are Don’s sisters, but they are very dear to me, too, as much as my sisters.

What do you do in SL?

I’m a proficient procrastinator. No, really, most of the time I am in world, I’m just hanging out with my sisters, or with Don or Darla. When I decide to do something, it’s taking pics for the blog, or just for pure vanity. Otherwise you might catch me fiddling with shapes or new poses. I do have a little shop Geez, but I should finish all the poses I have made and actually put out some new stuff.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
Not that much actually. I like laid back clothing and elegant suits in both worlds. When I look at the feeds, sometimes I see people putting together outrageous and gorgeous outfits, and I feel some jealousy, but then again that is simply not me. Not in the least because the items they use to create the outfits with, often have issues for me that make me not want to spend money on them. Extravagant designs don’t automatically equal excellent execution, unfortunately.

How did you get into blogging?

Back in November 2006 I saw Celebrity Trollop posting on Second Style blog that she was looking for some fellow bloggers and I decided to contact her, putting my social awkwardness aside and that’s how it started. Later on, actually already mid 2007, I made my own blog. Initially I thought I would use it for stuff that didn’t really belong on Second Style, but I discovered that I liked having my own blog, and so I started to post there more and more and kinda moved away from Second Style.

What was the first thing you created/blogged etc? Will you share it with us?
I am almost happy that Second Style is no longer around, because those first posts… omg, what was I thinking!? OK.. I found my very, very first introductory post at Second Style I’m So Excited (that may very well be the earliest image of me that still exists.

Followed by Wintertime my first fashion post … très 2006, no?

What have you created/blogged etc that you are most proud of?
There are a few things actually. First thing is a team effort. Back in 2007 I was in a Relay for Life team with some pretty awesome people (I mean you, Shai Delacroix, Nicky Ree, Truth Hawks and Roslin Petion, to name but a few who are still around) and with the SLebrity Date auction we were the first single day event ever to raise over 1 million L$ for Relay for Life. To date, when I think back to that day, I am pretty proud of what we did back then!
Blogwise, gosh, that’s a difficult one. I am proud that I am still keeping up with this year’s 52 Weeks of Color challenge. Actually, I’m pretty proud of still blogging several times per week after so much time.

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
what is this silly and crazy you’re talking about? No really, if you wanted proof of my boring, here it is.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
Create a new character and throw myself in a crazy combat RP. But I am short on time as is with Grazia, so it likely won’t happen.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear? Describe your workspace.
What I wear really depends on the day of the week and the time of day. Weekdays, when I sit down after work, I might very well still be wearing my office attire, but when I have the day off, it’s most likely jeans and a sweater… and in the weekend, when I can’t be bothered to dress up, yoga pants and a shirt or a sweater. I play on a laptop and I am usually in the living room. It’s spacious, with an open kitchen. 2 comfy couches to sit on and a glass coffee table that is hopelessly out of style, but I still love it anyway. There is a corner full of books and cd’s (yes we still haz them) and a 8 persons dinner table. My favorite pieces though are the small bookcase that inherited from my grandmother and the dresser that was made by Mr H’s grandfather.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
A lot of people inspire me in SL. People like Keira, Berry, Sasy, Cajsa and Gidge for their professionalism and style. My family for being caring and awesome friends. Creators like Monica Outlander for being insanely creative and always surprising me with their designs. But maybe what inspires me most is the community as a whole when coming together to help a fellow resident. Despite mandatory drama over any and every (charity) event, it’s pretty amazing to see what we are capable of. Whether it’s being the biggest Relay group, being an example for the ACS on how to raise funds successfully in teams, or to help out a single resident, the effort is tremendous and humbling.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
Not really. I think that after all, I think it’s better if people do not know I am likely to have sweaty palms and am blushing all over when I am talking to them because I’m so shy. On the other hand, if they think I’m snobby for not initiating talk often, then maybe it is good to know that I am really a shy person and likely just don’t have much to tell.  

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
What is this hobby thing you are talking of?? I’m kidding. I love cooking and reading. Reading cook books, too. When it’s the season I love making marmalade from the fruit from our own garden. For reading, my latest craze is the serial fiction by Sean Platt and David Wright. Their Yesterday’s Gone was a fun read and recently I’ve started to read their For Nevermore .

If you had to choose a movie title or song to describe your life so far, what would it be?
Sinatra’s The Best Is Yet To Come. Not because I’m not happy with how my life has been so far, but because I feel like I have only started to really enjoy life since I learned to like myself a bit better. So while life up till now has been good, I am looking forward to all the awesome that is yet to come.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
I’m not a very ambitious person, I think. I would just love to be leading a healthy and happy life with people I love and care for, enjoying whatever job I may be having then.

What things would you try if you had no fear?
Base jumping!! But I am way afraid of heights… so that’s not going to happen.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
As a kind person who had a nice blog for a couple of years. Wait, Grazia who?

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I did never have sex with Strawberry Singh, or Winter Jefferson.

We’ve also asked her fellow plurkers if they had any questions and here they are!

From Strawberry Singh: Does she ever get inspired by RL fashion styles/designs/designers when putting together her amazing looks for her blog?

I do. I am a long time fan of Armani, Jill Sander and Lanvin. I love their timeless elegance and effortless chic and the impeccable execution of the designs. That’s what I usually aim for. Other than that, I just love to look at images from the latest fashion shows. And of course, Victor & Rolf! As a Dutch girl, I just have to admire their insane creativity and brilliant concepts, even if I’d never wear their designs as a whole.

From Strawberry Singh: Which look/blog post/picture of hers is her favorite or is she the most proud of?

I hate questions like this, Berry!! Don’t make me look back on 6 years of SL blogging! But ok, I am really proud of the Mujer Desnuda post I did a few days ago, because I think the picture came out really well. There have been posts that at the time that I published them I was pretty proud of, but looking back, I see a lot of things I would do differently now. So, difficult question! Lets turn it around… which one of mine do you like best, Berry?

From Sam Laszlo:  Does she thinks its difficult to blog in another language?  

No. English is the language I communicate most in, really. I work in a very international environment where English is the leading language, so it has become second nature. Sometimes it’s even easier for me to say certain things in English than it is in Dutch. Silly but true, especially after a busy day in the office. Thanks for the question, Sam!

From Keira Seerose:  Does she feel a pressure to behave in a certain way knowing that she’s a role model for so many people?

I never think of myself as a role model, so I’m not feeling that pressure, either. I am just trying to be me, which is hard enough as it is at times. However, I am humbled by the knowledge that some people consider me to be one. Thank you, Keira (who is quite a role model herself, in my opinion)!

From Chance Raynier:  Does she wear the same type of clothing in real life?

I wish!! But I’d be bankrupt before done shopping!! I’ll admit to be wearing a lot of black in real life. Eventually combined with some colorful accessoires. But with a LBD you can’t go wrong. Merci, Chance!

From Luna Jubilee:  The style she shows on her blog is always beautiful and wide ranging. What is her favorite style showcase? and what one does she associate with the most?

To be honest… my favorite is the one I published most recently. Each and every time. And it changes. I don’t consider myself as having a particular style. There is too much that I like. What I always keep going back to though is what I like to call laid back chic. No outrageous designs, but well cut/modeled items with awesome textures that you can make an appearance with every time of day without being out of line.

From Luna Jubilee:  If she could pick to be any of the four seasons, what one and why?

Autumn!!!  This season has it all! Days that are still warm like summer, beautiful colors, the first frost, that crisp feeling in the evening air, storms that make you want to cuddle up on the couch with a book and a blanket and a warming drink and maybe even snow . All of this depending on where you live of course.  But I love the versatility of the fall, and I can only hope that people will identify me with it. Thanks, Luna! I loved this question!

Thank you Grazia for your time.  We loved getting to know you better!

Grazia’s Blog

Grazia’s Flickr

Geez Poses Inworld

Geez Poses on Marketplace

Welcome to Bare!

An interesting conversation came up on Plurk a few weeks ago that sparked our interest.  Damien Fate, co-owner of Cold Logic and owner of FATEwear, discussed his newest SL venture into men’s mesh clothing.  He told his timeline the story behind FATEwear and how it all came about.  It was the kind of story that grabbed your attention and gave you a glimpse at Damien Fate the person.  We found ourselves wanting to know more about our fellow residents in Second Life.

We began our lengthy talks about what we would like to do, how we would interview people and how we would choose people to be interviewed.   We decided this was too big for posting on Plurk and we decided to create a blog.  We asked Plurk to come up with a name for our blog and “Bare” was born.  Grazia Horwitz came up with that name and will be the subject of our first interview.

We hope you will enjoy learning more about the people behind the avatars!  We always welcome suggestions so please leave a comment for us or send us an email we.are.bare.sl.@gmail.com