Saturday, November 30, 2013

Communication and Happiness in Second Life



Hi everyone! I’m Summer and I’m looking forward to getting to spend time with you on this blog. Sometimes I will post as me and sometimes my brother, Noah (*cough* my alter ego *cough*), will post. Hopefully, we will always have something of interest for you readers out there.

So, this post is my first and therefore I wanted to write about something that not only introduces you to who I am, but is also something that is quite important in Second Life. I’m referring to communication and how it leads to happiness in SL. I think it is something that we can all relate to on some level in our lives. We all know that communication is key in our real lives, but in Second Life, it is extremely important too. In some ways, I think it might be even more important here in our world, due to the fact that as SL kids, much of our communication takes place in a type-chat setting.

I think it’s safe to say that most of us can relate to the following scenario. You are chatting with your family or friends in SL, and say something that in your mind sounds non-aggressive. The thought is not even on that realm of intention. However, someone in that group interprets it in a negative way. They hear tone in that statement, even though type chat cannot properly display “tone” in the normal sense of the word. After this statement is made… well that’s where the situation can take a turn from the pleasant to the point of wanting to crawl under a table. This is common. It is hard to convey true tone in anything we say in type-chat. That goes for any social media too, but here I’m discussing Second Life only.

Photo By: Syrah Evans (My SL Mommy)

 So, how do we avoid these misunderstandings? Well, I’ve messed up in this area quite a bit, so I’m definitely not an expert in answering that question. Usually, I’m the person misinterpreting what is said, and I end up blowing it up and out of proportion, then feeling hurt about something that technically didn’t even happen as it appeared to me.

But, see… this is where communication comes into play. For those with good communication skills, this isn’t much of an issue, as they know how to properly take care of the situations that arise. But, for people like myself who struggle in the area of communication, it can be quite difficult. When something difficult arises, I tend to shut down. This goes back to my real life childhood, and it transfers into my SL world perfectly, unfortunately. I get quiet and will distance myself from the situation as much as possible. I do this for a couple of reasons. One reason is due to becoming overwhelmed by how I feel and not knowing how to deal with it. The second reason is due to not wanting to say something that will hurt those I love and care about, so I step away from the situation to try my best to avoid that. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t always happen in time.

Obviously, that isn’t the best way to deal with problems anywhere, including SL. So, that is when communication can help make difficult situations turn out well and allow happiness to re-enter the atmosphere. Happiness is always important in life, but in Second Life it’s of even higher importance. Let’s face it… we are here in SL because we want something here that we maybe don’t have in real life. We are looking for happiness in some form or another. Therefore, if we aren’t getting that happiness, then it makes Second Life a lonely and sad place, which then overflows into our real lives.




It’s for this reason that communication should be high on the list in aiding misunderstandings or outright nasty arguments. It never feels good to get into an argument with a family member or friend. It hurts and it feels like a gnawing pain in the gut of my stomach when I have had disagreements with friends and family here in SL. I will go to bed crying and aching inside due to how it feels. But, there’s one huge reason for that… because the communication did not take place when the problem first arose. Rather than talk out the problem sooner, I shut down and essentially allowed it to fester inside of me, as well as the person with whom I had the misunderstanding.

So, see? Communication can help things resolve much faster and welcome happiness back into our lives much faster too. However, this isn’t to say that everything is skip-through-the-poppies perfect after these often difficult talks are done. Emotions still need to calm. People still need to reach a point of being ready to apologize, forgive and accept forgiveness. That’s another step in the communication process that involves working to repair that trust and friendship or kinship. That takes time, but hopefully since the first stages of communication take place, things can come a little easier and can go more smoothly for all parties involved.

Photo by: Syrah Evans (My SL Mommy)

 Just remember everyone. Happiness is important for all of us, so let’s all try to communicate better with those whom we love and care about in this world of kids and families in SL. I wish you all lots of happiness in your lives in both real life and Second Life.


“Happiness is anyone and anything at all, that’s loved by you.”
                                                                                 ~ Peanuts



Credits

Mommy Daughter & Solo Tree Photos 
Together Pose: Tiny Tot Poses "Piece of Life"

Adult Clothes: 
Pants: Client Female Rocker Jeans
Shirt: *Dreams* White "Merry Christmas Tee"
Shoes: AQUA Women's Black Leather Sneaks
Eyes: Izzie's Natural Mesh Eyes *Crystal Blue*
~Mynerva~ SoulHeart Eyes -Royale-
Eyeshadow: Izzie's Ginevra Eyeshadow Brown
Freckles: Izzie's Ginevra Freckles "Sunkissed" (Body & Face)
Hair: [e] "Flattery" Blonde 09
Skin: Izzie's Ginevra Skin "Sunkissed" LB CL

Kids Clothes: 
Outfit (Coat, Pants and Shoes): Marmelade "Under the Wind"
Hat: Muddy Buddies "Santa's Best Buddy Santa Hat" 
Eyes: *By Snow* Elven Eyes (Sky)
Hair: TRUTH HAIR - "Danni" Dark Brown 01, Amacci Bald Base
Shape: *Aura's* Enchanted Julie for Toddleedoo
Skin: ~Mynerva~ "Little Julie" Champagne B
Brows: ~Mynerva~ "Jane" Brown Brows
Freckles: R.icielli - Freckles 1
Necklace: Creator: Angelia Heartsdale "I love you to the moon and back"
Bracelet: *BOOM* Blue Friendship Bracelet

Charlie Brown Photo
Charlie Brown Outfit (Shirt, Shorts and Shoes) by Cade
Pose: Sits by Peacey - Kgsit13a26
Puppy: VKC Dogwood Puppy

Writing & Sad Photos
Pose: *Little Posers* "Letters Home 1 Pose
~Posey~ "Daydream" Pose
Izzie's - "I'm not feeling very well" Tears + Redness Tattoo more intense

* Mommy and Daughter Photos taken by Syrah Evans
* Other photos taken by me, Summer Pedalo







Friday, November 29, 2013

A Blistery Day




Thank goodness it's Friday!  It also happens to be Fifty Linden Friday too.  Hello, my name is Tess Cheri!  It sure has gotten chilly outside!  I'm super excited because now I get to wear all the cutest winter clothes that I have been waiting to wear.  Today I decided to wear my newest cable knit sweater from Little One's Couture.  It comes in a multitude of pastel colors for us girls, but if you are wanting a darker color of this sweater, then check out the boy's section.  Kibas is the boys brand from the Little One's Couture creator.  I decided to pair my sweater with a pink mini skirt from Baby Pie and some white lacey leggings from Madeleine's.  The leggings are from an outfit at the store for today's Fifty Linden Friday item.  I've been dying to wear these dreamy stitched heart gloves and matching mittens in blue from Click at the Heritage Gatcha!  They are all so adorable and come in a variety of colors with various different details.  Of course my mom wouldn't let me go out of the house without warm boots.  The Inner Peace Precious Wellies did just the trick!  They are the most lovely color of pink and the bow is just the right touch!   They too are found at the Heritage Gatcha.  But don't forget the Heritage Gatcha switches to a new round with new items every 7th of the month, so be sure to hurry if you want to grab a pair!  I also scoped out the Geeks'n'Nerds event this week.  I stopped by Noodles first to get the Mad Man's Box necklace because I'm a huge fan of Dr. Who..  I headed on to Whimey to play one of the two gatchas at the store.  I wanted a Fairy Companion that is based from The Legend of Zelda which is one of my favorite video games ever!  Link's fairy moves and if you click on it, it will say quotes from the game.  Well I hope everyone had a good Black Friday and found some deals along the way!  See you all soon! <3

What I am wearing:

Skin:  .::Mother Goose's::.Alison_01
Eyes: IKON Destiny Eyes - Blue (ML)
Hair:  /Wasabi Pills/ Sugar Rush Mesh Hair - Rye
Lashes:  the kid company. lashes. natural.
Freckles:  {Sugar Heart} Sweetheart Speckles ~ Cheeks
Sweater:  LOC: Cable Knit Sweater (Baby) - Pink
Skirt:  *Baby Pie* Shiver Pink Mini Skirt -Baby
Leggings: Madeleine's - Lace Tights #2 HUD  (from Jennah Hoodie in Pink) flf item
Boots:  :>Inner Peace<: Precious Wellies - Dusky Rose  Gatcha
Mittens:  .click. Stitched Heart Mittens - Blue  Gatcha
Earmuffs:  .click. Stitched Heart Earmuffs - Blue  Gatcha
Necklace:  Noodles - Mad Man's Box Necklace @ Geeks'n'Nerds
Fairy:  Wimey: Fairy Companion (Classic Blue) RARE  Gatcha @ Geeks'n'Nerds
Pose:  .click.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Winter Nerd

Today I went for a walk in the snowy forest...

I put on my secret magic glasses from [kik], they enable me to have the sharpest view there is! >.>

To stay perfectly warm I am wearing the Mystery sweater from Dream which I got from the Bubblegum Alley gatcha event.. The sweaters are currently not available but will be again soon, once the InWorld store is back.

I finally found a skirt from Petite Bowtique that goes along with a mesh sweater without colliding into each other...
It was part of the Fifty Linden Friday outfit called 'Piper'.

My hair is a rather oldie one, 'Neve' from Truth but I think it still works great and since we Toddleedoo don't have too many options with mesh hair, this was a great alternative. :)

Of course I had to add some warm tights... Mommy would never allow me to go out without them. :P
They were part of the Usagi outfit from Sew Cute.

To match everything I wear some warm pink funky boots from Marmelade.

Not to forget, the mittens! They are resizeable and if you make your hands invisible you can fit them to any outfit. :) I found them in a store with lots of cute knick knacks, called LEONARD.

That is all, have fun shopping and stay warm! ♥

Oh and if you want to visit the place for a nice winter walk, this is your taxi :D

Say hello to snowflakes

Even though calendar says it is still November, I know winter is right here. The air touching my skin is crisp and freezing cold. Sometimes I can see frost coming out from my mouth along with my breath. Getting a cold would be another option, too. As season changes, so many places in Second Life is changing its landscapes. Some places are completely covered with snow and some are showing a little hint of snow. I'd love to show you where I've been recently.




This sim, Small Town Green is very quiet place and landscaped beautifully. You can find so many great places to take photo here and there. There are props you can use, such as benches and chairs. Also you can rez your own pose ball or props by joining the group for free. You can find group sign front of the white building with blue door shown in the first photo.



P.S. There are animals hidden around the sim. It would be fun to find and take photo with them.


I am wearing...

Hair - /Wasabi Pills/ Claudette Mesh Hair - Rye by MissAllSunday Lemon
Sweater - *Baby Pie* Shiver -Blue 3 - Baby by Gabrielle Gregory
Jeans - Bonobo - Black Jeans (Baby) by Radiomodee
Shoes - :*BABY*: Lovely Sneakers by Even Genesis

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The last days of autumn.

Well.. not "the last day of autumn" according to any official calendar or anything, but tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and after that, I'm pretty sure I can convince my Dad to make it winter at our home! I've already been listening to Christmas music for a couple weeks, and planning presents for friends and family. This is my favorite time of year, without a doubt. :)

So, after school today, I decided to take one last swing on the tire, enjoy the sunshine and just relax.


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Who Needs ABC’s and 123's

Hey, I’m Lillie and I’m new to this type of blogging and am not sure what I’m going to bring to the table. My guess is you will see lots of randomness from me!


Today I’m gonna talk a lil about school. There are some fun schools in SL, if you haven’t ever gone to one I would really suggest you give it a try. School is a great way to make new friends, and learn lotsa fun stuff. I go to Oceanside Elementary School (OSE), and it is amazing! They have classes like art, theater, bookworms, video games 101, magical creatures… oh and yah even some that are academic. There is a student council and we just had elections. I’m not gonna say his name, but we have a cute president and I don’t think he has too many cooties.



One of the best things about school is the clubs and sports teams. OSE has a killer baseball (little league) team, swim team, cheerleading, marching band, dance team, and more. One of my favorite things to do in SL is dance. I’m excited to be on the Oceanside Elementary School dance team! We have to do challenges and this past week my group did our first challenge. Our song was Give Me the Meltdown by Rob Thomas.


As you can see, someone had a meltdown in this bedroom set of ours. I doubt Rob had this kind of meltdown in mind, but hey we are kids!
 

If you are interested in going to school, OSE is having registration for December starting today. Hope to see you there!


What you see:

Custom Jammies by A Dash of Dulce – Not currently inworld, but watch for her return soon!

Wall Art – Rainbow Promises Gatcha 

Simple Bunk Beds by Mudlarks on MP 

Books scattered around the room – Spronkwings Toys 

Doll and High Chair – Larnia Kids Bebe Buttons 

Rocking Horse – NACH Homes and Furnishings 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Waiting for Superman...




Oh my gosh! I am so insanely excited to be blogging again. Hi everyone! For those who don't know me and haven't read the intro post, I am Riley Sapphire (Riley Clarissa Insippo-Kent in world) and I am your Monday blogger. Super nice to meet you! So today's blog, I literally have my copy of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins beside me (for the 3rd time reading by the way) and I thought how appropriate would it be to blog something so dear to my heart- A nerdy  blog, and perfect timing too since the Geeks'n'Nerds Fair JUST began! Now I won't spoil it all, I just picked up a few things earlier today- but I'm sure some of us will be blogging little pieces from it throughout the week!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Hi from us!

Hello, everyone!

Thank you so much for reading our very first post ~ it's all about us, and what we love, and what we plan to do with this blog.

First, we'd like to say we're SO excited to be blogging as a group. There are so many blogs that are done from one or two peoples' perspectives, but with us you'll get eight different styles per week, plus one or two guest bloggers from time to time. We'll cover everything from clothes, hair, and accessories to furniture, decor, toys and fun stuff to do with your family! All that, all in one place - sounds fun, right?