For Wren

I heard the sad news today that someone I had met in SL had died suddenly.

I didn't know this person very well but she was a fun and happy person to be around.

I wanted to write something in memory of her and to send my deepest sympathy to her partner and her family.

This is part of the poem from Four Weddings and a Funeral, it is sad beautiful and very poignant.

 She was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

 

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

W.H. Auden

God bless Wren

Love & Other Assorted Foolery

Valentines Day is upon us and the world is awash with hearts and love is in the air and all that. I found this poem and just thought it was really funny.

Since My Valentine Got A Computer

Since my Valentine got a computer
My love life has taken a hit.
Nothing I say is important
Unless it’s a byte or a bit. Before she got her new laptop,
Everything was just fine;
Now she says we can’t talk
Unless we both go online. "But honey," I said, "I’m attached to you;
Love is what I feel."
"That keyword isn’t relevant,"
She said, with eyes of steel. She clicked the keyboard furiously;
The screen was all she could see,
And then to my horror and shame,
She started describing me: "Your motherboard needs upgrading;
Your OS needs help, too.
And you definitely need a big heatsink
To cool your CPU." "Don’t flame me, my sweet," I pleaded.
"Not on Valentine’s Day."
"Fix the bugs, and I’ll see," she said,
While looking at me with dismay. "What ever you want, my darling;
Whatever you need; you call it.
I’ll upload or download anything,
And then I’ll go install it." (Her hostile CD keeps replaying,
And though I don’t want to fight her,
Is this what I want for a Valentine?
I’ve been burned; can I rewrite her?) "Are you all hard drive now," I asked
"Is there no software in you?
Don’t you remember the good times?
Let our memories see us through." "LOL," she said to me, chuckling.
"You’re nothing but adware.
"I’ve got four gigs of memory;
I’ve got no problem there." "Please, honey, we can save it," I said.
"Our love means more than that."
"That’s not in my cache; we’re going to crash,"
She said, as she turned me down flat. (This woman has really changed;
Do I really want to chase her?
More and more I’m thinking
It might be nice to erase her.) "Aw, honey, don’t talk like that," I said.
"Can’t we just plug and play?
I hereby accept default,
And I’m yours, my love, come what may. My goal is to make you happy;
I want to be your portal,
But your sudden, distant coldness
Would test the strongest mortal. If we need a brand new interface,
So we can FTP,
I’m your go along, get along guy,
And I want you to stay with me." "If you want to get into my favorites," she said,
And you want to get past my encryption,
If you want to get through my firewall,
Here is my only prescription." "First, put up your own Web site,
And e-mail me when it’s done.
I’ll check your page rank with Google,
And tell you if you’re the one." My life has become a real trial,
Since my Valentine got a computer.
If I want her to care about me again,
I guess I’ll have to reboot her. By Joanna Fuchs

If you are in love or falling in love enjoy! If you are not in love or are anti love this year, eat chocolate and buy a pack of sharp pins.

Breeding Contempt

I have succumbed to the breeding phenomenon that has exploded into SL.

My SL sis is an expert in all things breedable (and about to breed herself in SL hahaha!) She talks about her menagerie and I have been over to see her horsies, but I didn't really 'get it'.

All that changed when I first read about and then went to to take a look at KittyCatS.  I was prepared to check them out and to file them away under 'Pfffft I don't think so'

The hype around the release of these Cats has been huge.This has to be some of the best marketing I have seen in SL.

By one minute to Midnight on Sunday (the official release time) Kitty wannabe owners were almost tearing down the gates to get in, I wasn't one of them as one minute to midnight =one minute to eight on a Monday morning in the UK

                                                      

Today I brought home my first kitty little Noir, Luckily she is a black cat as she is going to need all the luck she can get with a mummy/owner like me.

I have to go now and do some crazy cat lady type activities.

Window Dressing

As you may or may not know I am an avid profile reader. Some people make their profile window a pure work of art with symbols and hearts and all manner of twiddly fancy ASCII art.

In the last couple of days I have been IM'd by a couple of different fellas who's profiles are like works of art every symbol that can possibly be imported into SL is there,outpourings of love for their SO, poems, lyrics, YouTube links, you name it and they have it.

The ironic thing is both of these budding profile Picasso's have hit on me with the finesse of a steam roller on steroids. When I enquired about their profile sweeties I saw no outpourings of  love entwined with hearts or flowers

One fella told me that his GF was 'cool' with him having other women in SL and another said oh it's not a real partnership we are just friends..hmm OK!..of course I totally believed both of them :-/

Which brings me to my observation, is some of this stuff  purely for show? to show the world? their partner? themselves? how loved up or taken they are?

I am beginning to think more and more that it's sometimes just window dressing.

Do we need the validation of seeing how much another person wants to write about us in their profiles?

I hope some of those artistically decorated profiles are genuine..but I am seriously beginning to have my doubts.

There's a storm coming

I have tried and tried with Viewer 2, I have tried with Kirstens Viewer both of which kick me unceremoniously out the door often accompanied by the bsod (blue screen of death).

I have read blogs and  forums looking for reasons why I can't run either of them on a reasonable laptop besides which I really dislike the new interface it's cluttered and cumbersome.

There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel and I am really hoping that I will be able to run the new Firestorm Viewer when it's eventually released. Tonight I found this

I don't know what I think about the interface but it looks less cluttered than V2.

I wish I could say I want a V2 viewer for some techy reason but I can't  I want it for multiple tattoo's and the multiple clothing layers (yes I am just that vain)

Check out the link see what you think.

The Name Game

Now we have the ability to change our SL names, have I changed mine? I did drop the Romano for a week I thought I could be one of those cool one name girls but it didn't feel right to me.

I no longer know who from my friends list is logging in and out. I see blahblah is online who??? has someone sneaked onto my friends list? I have to look on the profile of blahblah to see who it actually is.

It's pretty cute to see paired up avis take the same last name and I can hazard a guess who that person is when they log in

Some people are changing their names to something totally random .Maybe I should try something more random, DeathbyChocolate Candylips maybe ?? -has a certain ring to it no?

Do we need change of name cards in SL- like we have change of address cards in RL.

Sorry for the gap in posts here I promise I will try to post more regularly.

30 days of truth-Day 30

Drum Roll...may I present finally and extremely overdue day 30.

This has been a very fulfilling experience for a couple of reasons.

It has given me an opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings with other people and also occupied my mind and distracted me from negative things that have been happening in RL and to a lesser degree SL.

Day 30-Write a letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

Dear Asia

This is a difficult letter to write but I want you to know how I feel.

I love that you are an intelligent and articulate woman with an active and enquiring mind.

I love your kindness to others you are a compassionate person with a big heart. You are one of the most loyal people I know please don't lose that quality even though people sometimes let you down.

I love your sense of humour and quick wit you have a real knack of making people laugh.

I could list lots of  wonderful things about you but I know how difficult that would be for you to read and more importantly to believe, you know what they are and one day you will realise that you have so much going for you.

In closing I want to let you know how proud of you I am you have overcome some tough times and managed to come out the other side in one piece.

Appreciate and love yourself, you are so worth it.

Asia x

30days of Truth-Day 29

Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.

Change myself??? I am perfect in every way (4 hour break while I laugh myself into oblivion)

If only it was as easy to change ourselves in RL as it is to do in SL,a little thinner a little taller etc.

What I really hope to change is my lack lustre outlook on life, I want to stop being  little Miss stick in the mud and be more little Miss dynamo.

Why? because If I am bored of hearing myself whine and complain then the people around me MUST be.

Don't call me baby

I am not mad about being called babe or baby especially in random IM's, my answer usually is "do I look like a baby?" so with this in mind I simply could not resist buying this.

 

How funny is that? I am still laughing. You just wear it and Nanny Linden is taking the baby out for a perambulation, very silly but very funny.

 

I think this is a weekend deal only at Altya's Dream Creations and Toys (60L$)

30days of Truth-Day 28

What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?

This must be the longest 30 days in history :) the finishing post is in sight now so without further ado onto day 28.

There is next to no chance chance I could become pregnant again so it is not something I have thought much about.

Pregnancy can be a much anticipated and longed for event or a tearing your hair out in panic event.

If you are sexually active and don't want to become pregnant use contraception if your beliefs allow that.

In answer to day 28's question, if I had an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy I would take steps to resolve that situation. I am a advocate of  Pro Choice.

Hostess with the Leastess

With my New Year SL resolutions fresh in my mind I decided to take myself out for the SL evening.

Off I went determined to paint the town red (well a wishy washy pink at least) pointing myself in the direction of one of the popular clubs in SL. 

After I had de-clouded and acclimatized to the lag I made my way to the dance floor and threw out general ‘hello’ to the club, nothing happened 'Hey! Happy New Year' I said to the host five minutes later still no response. Had the 500 line gestures eaten my greeting?

I checked back in local to see if I had missed a ‘hey/hello’ I hadn’t but I did see copious greetings and welcomes to the male visitors from the club host.

I continued watching local chat, other women arrived and received little in the way of a greeting or welcome yet male avis were bombarded with 'hello’s looking good welcome backs' etc.

This is not surprising I have experienced this before. But why does it happen? my theory is that 90% of clubs host are female.

A pretty female host shaking her pixels and flirting up a storm is more likely to be tipped by a man, possibly? So grabbing the attention of a male as soon as he arrives at a club makes good financial sense maybe.

I will tip a host if she is doing a great job or going the extra mile to make all people feel welcome, but in general if it’s just gesture overload and little else I don’t bother.

So Ms Host with the most, it's basic good manners to greet people as they enter a club and that surprisingly includes avis of the female persuasion too.

30days of Truth-Day 27

What’s the best thing going for you right now?

I would have to say it's that I own my house and earn a decent salary.

Yeah I know this is a practical thing and I maybe should have said something more about my health or happiness, but money is money,

It doesn't bring you happiness but it does bring you a roof over your head, a nice holiday a couple of times a year and no constant worry about bills. (been there done that)

The job in which I earn the decent salary is a different matter and may change this year.

Happy New Year

New years day and my thoughts turn to resolutions and goals for 2011.

The RL ones are still being formulated so here are the highlights of the things in SL I would like to change and/or improve in 2011.

• Blog more
• Comment more on the many many blogs I love and read daily
• Spend less time alone in SL (e.g actually leave my skybox)
• Find new places to go
• Be more organised in my inventory
• Be more sociable
• Stop living in the SL past.

I am giving myself a deadline, If I haven't improved or broadened my SL experience by March, to leave SL for at least six months and then see if

A) Things have improved
B)  I want to come back at all

I love SL but it's not ringing my bells lately I don't know if that's just circumstances or three years is my cut off point, we will see in March.

Thank you to the people who read this blog I have enjoyed writing it very much it is very therapeutic and I hope my posts have entertained you a teeny bit.

I wish you a Happy and Peaceful New Year

Asia x

Let old aquaintance.............

The year end approaches and for me a time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to the new year with optimism and a positive attitude (hopefully)

2010 hasn't been the best year I ever had, there were two bereavements to deal with and my mother was diagnosed with a serious illness.

Which really puts into perspective how petty and really unimportant SL mini dramas and annoyances are.

We lose ourselves in the make believe world of SL, things that are really nothing become something and we forget how to be grown ups and become parodies of ourselves.

Until quite recently I have managed to avoid the drama llama culture of SL, I thought I was immune to it and could spot a 'situtation' and nip in in the bud before it manifested into the D word.

I was wrong and ended up smack bang in the middle of drama central. I would like to say I rose above it, but alas I did not. I wont go into the gory details here but suffice to say it's an old story and one that thrives in SL.

This was a post that I had to write today.When you wake up at 4am thinking about a situation which is happening in a CARTOON WORLD  then Oh My Gosh! it's really really time to draw a line under it.

Happy New Year.

30days of Truth-Day 26

Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?

I have like most people had some extremely dark times during my life.

I have suffered on and off with depression for a few years and at times have been very very low/sad, but even during these dark days I have never thought about giving up on life primarily because of my son and also because life is precious and a one time deal.

Life is short, seize the day and all that and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

30days of Truth-Day 25

The reason you believe you’re still alive today.

I am not sure what to make of this question. is it a deep soul searching question? or is it a more literal question? I am really not sure.

I am alive because my heart keeps beating?

I am alive because I am needed and loved?

I am alive because a mummy and a daddy fell in love and got married and made a little baby?

Have I ever thought about not being alive? Yes of course I have.

Have I ever thought about ending my own life? hmm not seriously thought about it No

So my final answer is, the reason I believe I am alive today is because I woke up this morning and yay! I was alive.

30 Days of Truth-Day 24

Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)

Oh and I DID post the actual songs but there you go. I enjoyed putting this together.

Dear NI

I put together a playlist for you, the songs maybe don't mean much to you but they do to me, they represent bits of the journey we took together, and it's some of the music I listened to.

Anyway listen, don't listen, take it the wrong way, take it the right way etc.



Playlist for Ni

Never forget you-The Noisettes
The reason I chose this track is simple,refer to title.

Michael Jackson-Earth Song
Possibly one of the only songs that we both like so it's special.

Take That-Patience
Yeah I know Take That Yikes! but they are great lyrics and I listened to it a lot lately.

James Blunt-Goodbye my lover
No explanation needed these are some of the most beautiful lyrics I ever heard.

Kylie Minogue-Can't get you out of my head
Yep Yep.


Katy Perry-Hot N Cold
The theme tune of me and you :) both guilty as charged.

Scouting for Girls-This is not a love song
Listened to this when I was sulking mostly lol

Quote of the Week

Weekly quote time again.

She had an unequalled gift... of squeezing big mistakes into small opportunities.
Henry James

30days of Truth-Day 23

Something you wish you had done in your life.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I wish I had tried harder period.

Lazy is my middle name and probably should be my first and last name too, all hail Ms Lazy Lazy Lazy *makes a quick lacklustre curtsy and slinks off to contemplate her naval.

Home alone

One of my oldest RL & SL friends Flick logged in last night for the first time in a very long time. It was so nice to 'see' her in SL again.

We had a great conversation which ranged from the really emotional RL stuff to the whereabouts of SL people we both used to know.

We talked about how difficult it is now to engage or meet new people in SL and even though there are a massive amount of people logged into the grid sometimes our IM boxes remain ominously silent. Where are all these people?  apart from the clubs where are they hiding?

Our avatars are roughly the same age, 3ish years and we reminisced fondly about our days as newbies in formal wear at Phatcats (is that still open? I will check).  Oh how busy we were.

I remember going to Phatcats with Miss Flicky both of us juggling multiple IM's and participating in a wicked funny conversation in local at the same time, we were busy busy popular girls *sighs.

Fast forward to last night, I had only my friend in my IM box, I was standing in a SL club she in a SL forest, no wicked funny local, no bombardment of IM's.

What I want to know is how and why this has happened? I have spoken to other people in world who relate similar things to me.

Do we become more anti social? do we become less interesting? I don't believe we do.

If anyone has any thoughts/solutions to this please let us know, I will be the one home alone on a pose stand adjusting prims and Flicky will be the one looking in her inventory for something to wear, while standing in an elven forest.