Category: virtual worlds

What’s in a name?

What’s in a name?

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

For no real reason other than ‘something to do’ whilst I counted the minutes down until l I could leave my RL office and enter my SL one,  I decided to ‘google-whack’ my name.  For those of you unfamiliar with the term, ‘googlewhacking’ is when you enter your name in a search engine to see what results you get.  It’s  bad enough finding your real name on-line for all to see, so I wondered what it would be like for Kitty, and what kind of results I would generate.. Before I proceed to share my results with you, I’ll let you in on what inspired my choice of Second Life name.
When you join Second Life you have to choose your surname from a selection provided by Linden Labs. There are loads to choose from, covering a variety of cultures and both real life and fictional characters, but you cannot  use your own surname unless of course it happens to be included in the current list.   (This is probably a good thing, as I don’t think this website would be half as much fun  if I’d used my real name, which for the record is Ethel Thundercrackers.  I could have called the blog ‘Thundercracking’ though I suppose…)

Anyway, the first name wasn’t under any doubt for me owing  to my love of cats and all things feline it *had* to be Kitty.  I did toy with the idea of calling myself Selina- both in reverence of the moon and also because Catwoman’s real name is Selina Kyle, but Kitty just seemed less pretentious:) The tough part was choosing a surname because there were so MANY of them!  I’d just been watching the BBC series of ‘Casanova’ on DVD (the version which starred Sir Peter O’Toole and David Tennant) and I guess  Sir Peter was lurking in my subconcious somewhere when I spied ‘O’Toole’ as an available surname.  I liked the way it sounded, and there you have it, my name was born! 

So I google-whacked ‘Kitty O’toole’ earlier…and was gobsmacked.  Most of the references were to this site and the few others that I feature on across the old t’internet, BUT I was utterly *DELIGHTED* to see that there is an old Irish folk song called ‘Kitty O’Toole”  It’s even been recorded by a chap called Jim Hancock ! So it gives me great pleasure to present you with the lyrics to the song, and they sum Kitty up quite eloquently I think…especially the last verse eh Jez?

Kitty O’Toole

A charming young creature was Kitty O’Toole,
The Lily o’ sweet Tipperary,
With a voice like a thrush and with cheeks like a rose, And a figure as neat as a fairy.
I saw her one day, oh, she looked like a queen,
In the glory of sweet one and twenty.
As she sat with McGinty’s big arm ’round her waist,
Oh, how I envied McGinty.

Six months after that on a sweet summer’s day,
The boys and the girls were invited,
By Mickey O’Toole of the cabin beyond,
To see Kate and McGinty united.
And when in the church they were made into one,
And the priest gave them blessings in plenty,
As she stood with McGinty’s big arm ’round her waist,
Oh, how I envied McGinty.

But the years have gone by, now McGinty is dead,
Shore me heart was all broke up with pity,
To see her all lonely and mornful and sad,
So I went and got married to Kitty.
And now when I pass where McGinty is laid,
With a stone o’er his head, cold and flinty,
As he lies there so quiet and peaceful and still,
Oh, how I envy McGinty!

  

Don’t need no Valentine…..

Don’t need no Valentine…..

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

..well, actually it’s good to have someone to love:)

Here’s wishing a very ‘Happy Valentines Day’ to all of my readers, whether you be single or in a relationship.
If you’re single treat yourself to a bottle of wine or something equally nice, and love yourself  LOTS:) If you’re in a couple smooch..LOTS! Jez and I will be heading over to RL Amsterdam for the day, so fingers crossed it’s not too bad at sea or methinks Jez will be hanging over the side of the ship:) Have a goody!
Baiastice is pure ‘Catwalk Crack’

Baiastice is pure ‘Catwalk Crack’

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I have a confession to make. I’m sort of  sat on the fence about designer fashion. Sometimes it can be just so brutally pretentious that I find it completely off-putting, and with so many talented designers in world why bother to go the trouble and expense of seeking out SL Haute Couture?  After all,  with so many stores catering to all tastes and budgets in world what on earth is the point in being super picky? Besides, is there such a thing as haute couture in SL anyway? What is it that elevates the work of one designer above all the rest?

Yesterday I attended an event that has completely readjusted my perceptions of fashion in SL and has shown me what I have been missing out on.  Not  that I don’t love everything that I blog on these pages, oh  I do so very much..but last night I felt as though a veil was lifted and my peering through got me a taste of what I’ve been missing out on….and one taste was all it took for me to get addicted,  leaving me with a  lustful longing for more of the same deliciousness that I saw.

It’s official – I have taken ‘Catwalk Crack’ and I LOVED IT.

So what instigated this fashion frenzy that I find myself in? ‘Baiastice’ did.  I was lucky enough to attend the ‘Baiastice’ fashion event hosted by the MAD Modelling Agency last night and it was the grandest and most stunning occasion that I have ever attended in SL to date. 

Sissy Pessoa is the Rome based designer behind the label, and the show concentrated on her couture and carnival gowns, set against a sumptuous backdrop inspired by the masked ball featured in the movie, ‘Eyes Wide Shut’.  The presentation was elegantly stunning; a long white catwalk flanked by rows of white chairs against a backdrop of chandeliers and paintings of Marie Antoinette. 

 The models were some of the most professional that I have yet to see work in SL.  I have been to a few fashion shows before, but these girls seemed to know better than most about accommodating lag and not changing poses too often, BUT  just enough for you to get a feel for the movement of the clothing.  Believe me it was an event that could have been ruined by the lag as it was so crowded with all the movers and shakers of SL  in attendance. (I lost count of the amount of CEOs, Editors and Journalists that were present) The score for the event was perfect too, DJ Kromus Korobase created a sensational mix for the models to strut to.  (You can download the music here actually, which of course I have done and am still enjoying) To complete the package Nemi Mccoy delivered a commentary on the event that was poetic perfection.

But of course it was the clothes that made it. Everything I saw on the catwalk last night could best be described as ‘results wear’-the kind of clothing that you wear and get the exact result that you wanted. The collection I saw made me feel a complete fashion beginner.  Perfect isn’t a word that should be used lightly, but there wasn’t any outfit shown last night that couldn’t be described as such.  This was fashion on a *GRAND* scale.  The fabrics were gauzy and flowed beautifully (well they would have done were it not for the lag!) and were skilfully put together with imagination and flair. The colours were beautiful (I even liked a pink outfit which is unheard of for me) and the textures looked luxurious.  You could see that a lot of love and damned hard work had gone into producing this collection.

If I am honest Sissy Pessoa is the kind of designer that once you discover her work, you don’t want to share. No one had ever shared her with me until last night, and I can see why you would want to keep this one all to yourself.  The clothes and the hats and the bags and the whole caboodle are just too special to share with just anyone.  You want to keep ‘Baiastice’ all to yourself..but that would be such an injustice.  EVERYONE in SL needs to see this kind of work because it’s the epitome of virtual fashion design and pisses on some of the absolutely horrific stuff that is out there in our metaverse.  When you see work this good it just shows what truly can be created when you put your mind to it.

After the show finished (it was an hour but I would have been happy for it to go on much, much longer) I stuck around at the after party for a while before I was booted out of SL.  I guess the lag monster was too much for my laptop to handle in the end.  I was all ready for logging back in but then decided to leave it so that I could savour what I had just witnessed for a little while, and made a promise to myself to visit the store today.  I’ve just been and yes, all the catwalk beauty from last night is there for you to enjoy. I need a second virtual mortgage to be able to buy all the outfits that I fell in love with, but they aren’t as highly priced as you would think.  The store is brimful with lovely wares, but the only problem is the images are static so you don’t get to enjoy how the clothing flows and moves as you glide around. 

Chance it..I insist that today you check out ‘Baiastice’ and invest, because if you know quality and originality then you will NOT be disappointed.  And to prove my point, take a look at the slideshow of images I took last night.  Apologies for the quality, as I said the lag was terrible, BUT it gives you a tantalising flavour of what was on offer from one of SL’s most exciting designers:)

Oh, and fellas if you fancy taking your beloved somewhere special for Valentines Day, may I suggest you treat her to an ensemble from ‘Baiastice’ to wear at the event?  (You’ll also find some scrumptious undies in store which are perfect for peeling off your beloved after you’ve wined and dined)

Kitty Confesses! ( Alas, not as exciting as it first may seem!)

Kitty Confesses! ( Alas, not as exciting as it first may seem!)

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Apologies Kitty readers as this week I haven’t had much in the way of clothing shoppage to report on.  That’s because I’ve been spending all week running around like my bum was aflame completely re-jigging my island.  From installing a beautiful new house, to buying furniture and placing it, it’s incredible how much time it takes! Have you ever noticed that strange phenomenon where you log in at say 9am and next minute it’s the afternoon? That’s been the story of my week.  It really never ceases to amaze me how engrossed I still become in-world.  Just like real-life, you find yourself doing one thing, you get distracted, and end up doing something else entirely! .  (Of course  I’ve already touched on the phenomenon of bumping into friends in the most unlikeliest of places this week, but sometimes the parallels with reality are just astonishing)
One thing that always makes me snigger in a completely juvenile way are the sex shops.  I haven’t been to Strokerz Toys since I first joined, and having re-visited yesterday I can assure you  it’s still as entertaining as ever.  The sex rooms that this kind of store tend to offer are always packed with noobs there for their first taste of virtual naughtiness.  I wonder for how many it’s their last? Virtual sex can be entertaining in a funny way, but I can count the times that I have participated on one hand- once the novelty of contorting your virtual self into all sorts of positions you couldn’t achieve in real life has worn off, I find myself concluding that, like Boy George, I’d rather have a cup of tea! However I must confess that I did treat myself to an ASTONISHING bed and accompanying furniture for the master bedroom of the house.  This is where I confess something..I didn’t buy it for the fact that you can engineer every position under the sun using this bed, oh no.  I bought it because the sheets can be moved and you can look as if you’re sleeping underneath them. 

There is NO hope for me is there? Only I could buy one of the biggest and best sex beds in SL purely because you can cover yourself up, not because of the hours of virtual rumpy pumpy this bed can proffer. 

I’m off to put the kettle on..Fancy a brew?