love, romance; valentine's day is coming!

Well, we got both birthdays out of the way these past few weeks. Finally! His was a wild party of music and friends, and mine was a quiet-stay-at-home time reflecting on the past two years. We are now looking forward to celebrating a romantic time together this Valentine's Day.


Phatland features Phat's a beautiful jazz club designed for love and romance. Contemporary jazz with a salute to the old tunes, too, brings this club to the top among choices for Valentine's Day.

Last year, we were both at Avilion celebrating the heart, love day... giggles, but not with each other! He was with a friend and I was with a friend... and yet, we were in IM with each other... wishing each other a happy valentine's day. I remember thinking how handsome he looked... and wishing that he was my date. LOL!


Fair Chang Expo features a romantic dinner for two above the dance floor. High quality live music is featured here with jazz piano, flamenco guitar and blues, jazz vocalists.

One year has passed and we have remained both best friends and a loving couple. Wow, in Second Life, that's a loooong time. He lifts my spirits everyday. No matter what has happened, no matter the circumstance... he makes me smile. Thank you, my angel...


Phantom Rose Opera House features operatic selections every Sunday on their veranda overlooking the lake. Very romantic with beautiful music.

Grab a friend, a loved one or a buddy and go check out the romantic sims this coming week... if you don't have a significant other... then spend that Valentine's Day with the friends you love.
Pillow Talk is a retail store nestled in the clouds featuring romantic poses for couples using their famous pillows.



Avilion Ballroom was our message from the SL gods last year that we were meant to be together... and this Valentine's Day... we will be.

For more romantic places in Second Life, check the resources on The A List!

art for art's sake!

Clubbing isn't the only thing that I do in Second Life. I love art and SL is a paradise for artists and creators. Anything your imagination can dream of, you can probably create.



Zacch sent a special invite to Zeugma Gallery featuring Troy Vogel's beautiful Mission influenced architecture. Like Frank Lloyd Wright, Troy has created a beautiful light-filled space. He is a premier builder in Seccond Life.



Gallery hopping takes a lot longer than visiting clubs. Both of us love to look and then discuss each piece. If one captures our attention, then we are talking about it for at least an hour. So most of these pictures were taken over a course of a week.

Gallery Lemonodo Oh sent out a shout for (3) artists Soldinotte Allen, Zhora Maynard and gallery owner Lemonodo Oh. This is a fabulous gallery with sophisticated artwork. We were there all night just absorbing the artwork. Three levels of art, so make sure you check each floor.



One of the pieces also had a link to the Argonaut Art Gallery where we found Maryva Mayo's artwork. I was there for hours. Beautiful sculptures, beautifully scripted.



A few days ago, we went to The Aho Museum which houses some of the finest sculptures and artwork by very well known artists. Starax is there along with many famous art world names. The entire afternoon and night was spent there. So much to see!



A stop off while we were exploring sims took us to Ode. This is a very minimalist sim. A series of floating retail and gallery is there among rocks and ocean. No razzle dazzle, just ocean and rocks.

Random Calliope created WorthWhile, a retail/gallery. But, it was there that we found the Imagine Peace group and "But I'm Not the Only One" jewelry piece. You can read about that at The A List! blog. We also ended up spending a few hours just sitting on a rock, talking and meditating on the beautiful expanse of ocean. Very zen-like atmosphere.



On a sad note, member Chuckmatrix has recently closed his gallery. His work is emerging and is strong. I think I purchased the majority of all the pieces there. I am hopeful that he continues his art in Second Life.



Here's a landmark to Chuckmatrix's CMC Gallery. The prices have dropped so drastically; this is art worth grabbing while it lasts.

RAVERZ STYLE:Z and RAVELONG

I got into a long conversation with Raver who owns Raverz Style:z, a cool shop for ravers on the grid while I was dancing with my angel at Sphynx Club while DJ Jen Noel was spinning. As The Dealer set out her belly dancing Indian music, I was zoning and chatting with Raver, Mr. Retail himself.

We were bouncing off ideas for vendors, affiliates and other such boring talk about shops and such. He had just sent me the new affiliate kiosks for my shops... streamlined and better scripted.

I asked him about his suggestions about traffic and advertising, and I gave him suggestions about how to manage all the vendors and rental boxes with Hippo Tech. I love talking to fellow business owners. Their past experiences on the grid help those of us who are still new at selling products and services on the grid. And even more fun doing business talk while your dancing!



Raver has his products now in another friend's shop, DJ Doubledown Tandino. Doubledown has a one-stop-shop for clubs and dj's. He is also the developer of the Metahud. IM him directly or go to his shop for that all-in-one hud for search and other SL functions.



Doubledown sent me a tp this morning. He was spinning some tunes in front of his shop, Ravelong. Sexy beats with a Latin flavor kept me there while I took pics and wrote notes. It's a great shop for clubs and djs. Go check it out!

session one club (united beats)

Ahhh... started today off with nothing much in mind, except looking for a particular hairdo that my angel likes. Yes, I do try to surprise him with different looks. I have almost all the hair from my favorite shops so I checked out some new places. I went over to Panda Mart, a collection of boutiques and small shops in an asian setting. Inexpensive clothing and accessories makes this place a great shopping stop.

Suddenly, in the middle of testing demos, I saw the little blue window appear in the top right corner of my screen. Where to now, my pretties... muaaahhhh....



DJ Stefan Chrousch, who was one of the promoters of Session One event was sending an invite to his spin over at the Haad Rin grand re-opening. I hung out there for his entire set and just about saw everyone there. Because I was excited to see so many old faces, I immediately posted that re-opening story over on SL bloggers. You can read the story about Haad Rin re-opening there on that blog.



The beach scene was great and made a perfectly chill spot for me. Then, I saw the notices from Yura Gazov for the an old school techno set by DJKriz Algoma. Oooooo old techno is so fun to listen to, so I hit the TP and went over to visit.



I saw Stefan again there along with most of the Haad Rin friends, too. Kemmi was there sporting a cool t-shirt (took a pic of the back lol!) and several others including owner, Yura Gazov. The Session One club is housed in an old brick building. In a cavernous area, the dance floor is there with a dj booth. Old brick arches matching the old floor makes this a standout in clubs. The build is wonderful!

Industrial like old San Francisco SOMA district with brick, large windows, caverns, arches... the place feels like an older part of a city where artists, musicians get together to refurbish and reconstruct their living spaces, clubs, galleries or events. I really like this build a lot and it inspires.

are we still having this debate?

i can not believe

that we are still debating this issue.

i dont give an F about who sleeps with who.

rick warren?

why?

inclusive?

devisive w no respect for others.

couldnt we get someone else?

my god is shaking his head...

the first party on riverland at wet lands

let's get this party started!
that was the cry for the evening.
xavier had his divine wings on and someone gave him a crown.
it was his real life birthday celebration in second life.
and it was a mighty big one for such short notice.



he asked about a party on tuesday.
and i said no way.
i didnt want to work this hard on such short notice.
but he said not to worry, so i didn't.
very unlike me, since i usually need a looooong lead time on any project.



everyone showed up; the family came.
and the a list! peeps came, too.
the dj's were on time (never a doubt; they are professionals)
and the stream and sim held it's own with no problems.
thank you sl gods!



but the best part was the support, ppl.
i swear to gawd, i had tears in my eyes.
both xavi and i were just overwhelmed by the support.
not just dj's spinning either...
they also lent a hand in even promoting
the darn birthday when their own clubs had events at the same time!



its magic time folks.
sl magic.
and the love we felt last night was given back 100 fold.



thanks to the following friends: djxhalloween owner of house of divaz, djxxmp (xavi's best mate), dj tinamarie (xavi's best friend), dj thomtrance from organica (oh, ask him about fluffy clouds), dj jen from club neptune (salsa anyone?), dj healer (heal me grrrl) and dj shad owner of piranha.

even the networkers lent a hand.
they offered their own groups!
holy shiz... that just doesn't happen.
digi from digital nation, mack from mack's place, thomtrance from happy clam island, jen from the dealer, hallow with divaz vip's, shad with piranha vip group.



big up peeps!
it doesnt get any better than this!
<3 <3 <3 peace, love, unity, respect...
we had the PLUR going strong last night.

Happy New Year! <3 to my friends

Another year in Second Life brought so many opportunities and some disappointments. This is a place where opportunity just lays there waiting for you to pick it up. The big disappointment was losing (4) water sims, but the regular sim that replaced them was well worth the change just in performance level with the Class 5 server.





I never much paid attention to my rafting groups since they seem to just grow and remain on auto pilot. Then, Xavier founded The A List! which has snowballed into a full time project that is developing everyday with new power members that seem to be the best of the best in networking projects and events on the grid. I love these people. Talented, creative and work-a-holics like the rest of us. Yes, we play and party like crazy in SL, but we are also working and multi-tasking like no corporate level position I've ever seen. These people work very hard. Kisses to all of you.



My SL family has grown into a wonderful mix of brothers, sisters, dad and my angel. Xavier is my saving grace. He has brought so much joy into my SL life and even in my real life. Logging in, I know that he is there to support me in every way he can... sometimes with a pep talk and sometimes with a kick in the pants when I am whiny or being a big drama queen. He is my rock.



A couple of people I want to thank for making my SL world so wonderful. Thanks to Ronnie, my little brother who is always there for me when I am up or down. We love to dance and try to get together between time zones. To my big brother, Stig who stood by me through thick and thin last year and this year. He is my anchor and tells me when I need to open my eyes wide. To his darling wife, Leo, who has become my confidante... gawd we help each other when the men are giving us grief. LOL!



Then there is Mackenzie, my mom/sis who just gives me frank and honest words when I need it the most. Her and her husband are two wonderful people who support all of us whenever we need it. Thank you to Mack & A3! Contact Mackenzie Koenkamp for photography and photoshop work. She just made the cover to SL Magazine. Congrats Mack!



To Pan and Arora, dear sweet friends who's support we cherish. He is the Dark Psy master DJ PAN and his spins are legendary. Both are dj's and creators here in Second Life. Most of us just wait for him to send that special tp... sometimes only once a month. He is incredible and without abrasive ego that some artists may carry. He doesn't need to... he is the best. Hugs to both Arora and Pan!



To Thomtrance and Finny, two founders of Happy Clam Island for their sweet and dear words of love and welcome to the Organica world. This place is truely a wonderous place of psy music, particles and friendly faces. They welcome everyone and their dj's are some of the best! DJ Qee, DJ Emi and DJ Shiori spin there as well as Goa Master Thomtrance O'Toole. And the performance art from DJ Alexi is cosmic and surreal.



Another great club that I've been frequenting since last year, is Divaz International House of Music... but I just call it, Divaz. To DJxHalloween for his welcome and love and providing the best club on the grid. He has mentored so many dj's and this is his awesome contribution to the music scene in SL. Divaz has no idea how many times they were there when I needed a lift the most. Love you all!



And special thanks to Dance Island formerly TJIce, for having a soft landing point for me. Each late night build was always interrupted for a break at the 24/7 party zone at DI! Deirdre and Rox, the two have made such a dynamic presence on the club scene. I swear every DJ in SL has either started there or played there. I have never heard a bad dj there... ever! Love to all the staff there!



I can't forget the grrls at Piranha. It's one of those places that you head to as part of the clubbing schedule for the evening. Everyone's is always friendly and they have awesome dj's there. Shad and Violetta own the place and I've been going there since last year. Always a party, always fun.



One singular person here has also made a huge difference in my SL world. He is a troubador. He sings with his guitar. Oh, my world here changed completely after I heard Max Kleene. His voice will break your heart, and through all the trials and tribulations of SL, there was always Max to listen to whenever I needed to just cry. I love him dearly and thank him for his beautiful music. Miss you, Max!



Okies... now for the networkers. These people are incredible. There's Digital over at Digital Nation. A gentleman and walking encyclopedia of music. His mixes are so fun and he knows how to make a party happen. Kisses to Digi. X-man loves Digi too ever since they had the stump Digi contest... you had to be there... lol (note to SnowKitty... I didn't know any of those tunes either haha!)



Queen with Underground and her stable of networkers. Ahhh, the office is just next door to Divaz. See, we are all connected. She is a brilliant avie who creates, builds, networks and parties like there's no tomorrow. Thank you Queen for your support! Contact Bridgitte Boucher for info on their group.



Hats off to my new friend, dj Stefan who is over at United Beats unifying the music and the dj's there, too. He's such a great guy that he even donates his time and money for good causes... all for the love of the music. Big up to Yura Gazov & dj Stefan!



Special thanks to my friends at DeRailed who brings the noize like no one else. DJ Daemonchadeau is probably the best noize dj on the grid. He can hold me through his entire set with me wanting more. TY Aardvark & Donna! Luvsya guys! Check out their radio stream too!



More thanks to Mr Widget, the mash-up king. His tp comes and boom I am there. Can't help it... I know its gonna be a party. And, no I really don't want to share the 10 m diameter dance floor with you all... there's only a priviledged few that get to hear him spin. He's at Musik Haus with the best tunes. The New Year party was... dare I say it? the best? Yeah, it was...



And there's 8wall. He has never steered me wrong. He always has new tracks, new ways of spinning. His beautiful loft overlooking the city is home to awesome spur of the moment parties with him just spinning whatever the heck he wants. I love it. So fun! Very private parties at 8Wall's Place... and he always has an awesome avie on his self... lol!



All the BassLine Junkiez... omg that place is a rawking sim that vibrates all through the grid. Xavier and I love this place to either start or end our evening. They have Sven for god sake... need I say more. The Beat Bunker is my favorite area on their sim. And Liqwid my favorite monkey... so sweet and so monsterous in his spins. Love love Liqwid! Waves to Eon and Reyna too for having a great sim for music. It is never boring!



And to all my new friends over at alt7 and DJ Space! He sends a tp and I know if I go, I'll be there for hours. I love the tunes he plays. Lots of the music I listen to in RL on a regular basis. Long Blondes, Arctic Monkeys, Dodgy, Ash, Baby Bird... you get my drift... yeah, I'm a pop grrl... haha! Makes me happy... this music. *smiles* Come bounce with meeeeeee!



Damn... I know I am forgetting people. Forgive me. I want to thank so many people... I could probably write a darn book just thanking people. Ahhh, I do have special kisses for Alb, Bio, Cab, & Web... they know why. And to the professor... he is the reason for me surviving here. I don't need to say anything, he already knows this. Very special thanks with my heart goes to Aosh, my very best friend in SL. No matter what, we will be friends forever. I wish you the very best always, my dear friend.



2009 is here. What next in this beautiful place called Second Life? Not sure, but I know it will always be creative, artful and full of love from my friends here in SL. EVERYONE! Happy New Year! 2009 here we goooooo! May all your dreams come true <3 <3 <3...