Best apartments in SL in 2005

I was looking for an apartment in SL and here is my list of some the best ones today (pictures included) :)

I picked those that weren't a nightmare to get to, had a polished feel, and were of good quality.

Seaside apartments @ Roxy (114, 217)

Features: Patio, docks, beach, jacuzzi, bonfire, vending spaces, lockable doors, privacy windows option, amazing view. Talk to: Bill Sterling $300L/week for 150 prims

My impression: These apartments are the newest. I could almost smell the fresh laquer on the parquet floors, and could almost feel the rough, cool texture of the bricks against my "hand". They are also the most polished-looking. Bill Sterling did a really good job. I don't like builds where you constantly have to adjust the camera view, because they're so freaking small...so the spaciousness of these apts is like a breath of fresh air. And it seems no matter how you choose to decorate it, it will still look incredibly cozy!

Did I mention the view?

The music is mellow and husky, which just adds to the authenticity of the place, but if you decide to turn it off you'll be greeted with a potpourri of nature sounds :)

Tenants can hold events as long as they clean up afterwards.

The jacuzzi and the bonfire (below)

Langdon Sky Pod Apartments @ Zephyr (160, 193)

Talk to: Anita Langdon

$300/month!! for 100 prims
Mature sim

- Ultra-cool and ultra-safe up there...and cozy....but also alienating...in a futuristic kind of way....and dangerous! Try not to drink before walking the connector bridges....a wrong step and you're in trouble LOL. Unless you're into sky-diving. Then you can dive all you want right from your own porch. Or if you had a bad day and feel like commiting suicide. Or you can be more civilized and do it all from the helipad, which is on the fourth level.

- As far as your headquarters: You get one room, and instead of walls you have floor to ceiling glass, which is one-way glass, too.

- In Langdon sky pod apts, there are four levels in all. 1st level contains apartments A thru D. 2nd level has a nice garden, a cafe, and two apartments. 3rd level has two more apartments. 4th level has another garden, a Sun room (for relaxing on loungers while watching the sun go down and the stars come up), a swimming pool (although nice, the water looks as though it had a nasty chlorine spill) and the helipad.

- If you're scared of heights, stay away.

Sky Condos @ Hazeltine (185, 171)

Features: The most cozylicious apartments! Also has community grounds and pool.

This one seems by far to be the most popular one, with most of the condominiums being rented.

Prices are:
30 x 30 interior, 150 prims, for $200L a week,
20 x 30, 100 prims, for $150L a week,
16 x 30, 125 prims, for $175L a week,
14 x 20, 75 prims, for $100L a week.

My impression?:
Of all the places I've visited in Secondlife, this one has, in my opinion, the most immense feeling of community. Maybe next to Ahern.

Every house has two levels - the living headquarters (one-way glass from floor to ceiling) on the bottom, and there is a park-like area on the top :) Did I say COZY?? Some people have jacuzzis and beach towels up there :) I have no idea what it is about the interior of these sky houses that is so cozy, but it just is!! Every single one I've visited....you can stay in there forever. You can go really wild with colors, too. This sim is mature.

Mesede Seaside Cottages @ Mesede (210, 138)

Price: $150L/week for 500 prims!!
Unfortunately: Only 4 cottages, all of which are occupied at this time.
Talk to: Dello Martov

My impression: Great job, Dello! Each cottage has a private dock, teleporters between floors and docks. The cottages overlook islands and gorgeous houses. There is nice classical music.

There is also a JUMBO-sized community center (with Tringo, Slingo, Bingo, party tent, a very large pool, dance floor, and a touring balloon) right behind the cottages that can be used by the tenants to host events or parties!!

Butsu Island Apartments @ Butsu (101, 223)

Prices range from: $180L/week for 150 prims TO $200L/week for 160 prims
Talk to: Matina Appleby
Features: You get 2 spacious rooms plus a huge balcony overlooking the sim of Dedi, which is nothing but a sea.........There is also a public beach in the back.

I like the little glowing fishies that indicate whether the apartment is taken or not :-)
Interior: Ah! I love the color scheme. Incredibly exotic.
At the time of me writing this, there were two out of four apartments availably for rent. It also looks like Matina is building more apartments in the back!

Overall: the whole appearance is not as neat as Seaside, for example, because of the construction in the back, and it is kind of lonesome here, but these apartments are quite sophisticated :-) If you're looking for the finer things in life, I guess, look no further :D Events are allowed on request.

Last one...

Zuni Villas @ Zuni (208, 103)

Price: $400L for 200 prims
Contact: Bill Sterling

These are the most expensive ones on my list. I wonder what makes it so? Well, they do look posh...and the area has this gated-community feel...maybe that's because the plot of land is surrounded by water on both sides? The surroundings add to this feel as well...and the result is a perfected retreat.
The total # of villas is six.

That's it for now....Enjoy :-)

The complete idiot's guide to avatar contests

...By Avatar Contests I mean those events with a description like:

"250L for best dressed female and male"
"Formal wear contest"
"Best wings - 500L in prizes!"

If you don't know how to create stuff for a "living", or if you don't care for Tringo (like me) you can get money by attending those contests. There are plenty every day, therefore you can become better with more tries. If I had to guess, winning these contests is 70% planning (it helps if you have the resources to invest in a few eye-catching outfits, skins, and etcetera) and 30% luck (it helps if you have friends who vote for you, of course). It's much easier to win if you're a guy (competition - little to none) and harder if you're a girl (guess why!).

Strategies:

1. If you don't want to wait an hour or two for the actual voting, you don't have to.
5 - 10 minutes after the event begins (won't look suspicious): you can IM the host/hostess and ask them for the estimated wait time. Once you know what it is, you can do whatever, but do show up no later than 10 minutes before the voting. You'll have time to attract attention :-) (Actually I have a belief that showing up later gets better results - The eye gets used to old colors on the screen...eventually they recede into the background...new colors send a stronger impulse to the brain.)

2. Quality wins. People pay attention to it...especially women. Therefore buy it :) You can go as far as watching for sales on the forum I guess :p

3. Overdress; exceed their expectations...but keep within the limits of your personal, unique SL style.

4. Don't skip skin (and hair)! I bought my first second skin a couple of weeks ago and don't understand what I was thinking for the whole year that I was wearing the other really ugly one. It almost gives you definition and identity :p

5. Have your favorite dancing animation handy - the one that belongs only to you. You'll stand out.

6. I noticed that people who barely utter a word at the contest aren't likely to win. It helps if you make polite chit chat. Doing so gives you substance.

7. Say thank you when you win!

NOTE: Exceptions always happen, so please go by your own book! Just remember to have something no one else does.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A cool thing to do when you're the one who's voting (and you have to, otherwise you won't be entered into the contest!)

This is something I tried...and it just felt nice emotionally :)

Don't be quick to vote for the most striking, the most popular, the "coolest", even though you're tempted to.
Notice that bashful, SL-challenged girl in the corner...and that guy who knows he's not going to win, but he dances anyway.
Vote for them !
I did that, and afterwards IMed them, telling them I voted for them.They were touched. It also felt nice to rate their appearance, as my own way of giving them a prize :)

My first place

(Edited)

Was named Nimue's Candlelit Garden .

It was a modest and very small slice of land (compared to other people's builds, most of those more than 512 sq m)

Located on the tropical border of Kamba and Yora :)

Something clicked inside of me, and I just knew what I wanted to convert my land into.

...A place where the virtual dark is comforting, in the presence of flickering, soothing flames.

Food for thought

From a post in the forums by Jeffrey Gomez:

"Who are we?

---

I know I've seen discussions like this one before. However, with recent shifts in Second Life from "what you can do" to "how much can one make," I feel it's time for another look at ourselves as a community.


Who are we?


- We are creators.

This world exists only because we have created it. Two years since the release from beta, look at all that we have created. I mean, really look at it.

We have created cities. Towns. Worlds. Tiny details.

We have emulated reality. We have gone to great lengths to escape reality.

We have emulated art. We have emulated life. We have even tried to emulate sex.




- We are thinkers and innovators.

We continually rally about discussions of ideas. Despite our differences, we continually discuss the ideas and shortcomings of our world.

We discuss art. We discuss money. We discuss power. Yet, we still discuss simple pleasures and altruism.

We continue to shape our world in new ways through ideas.




- We are businesspeople.

We create to get paid.



- We are altruists.

We create at our own expense to help our fellow man.



- We are diverse.

We are newbies, taking their first steps in a new world.
We are veterans, coming from other virtual cultures with our own unique perspective.

We are Thereians.
We are gamers.
We are the technical newborn.
We are the common.
We are the elite.

We are the space captains - exploring worlds never known.
We are the simple reality enthusiasts - existing in a true Second Life.
We are the club-goers - virtual hedonists and socialites.
We are the isolationists - expanding virtual horizons from afar.
We are the furry - esoteric beings in a virtual world.
We are the mundane - existing only in the day to day.
We are the superheros - modelled after our childhood icons.
We are the daily man - the simplest of people.

We are the aliens, the animals, the mechs, the strange, the simply "not human," and the human beings.

We are many.



- We are all the same.

We all exist in the same world. We all share similar goals. We are 32,000 active residents.

We are few.



Who are you?
Why do you continue to exist in this "Second Life?"
What are your interests in this community and culture?"


SL population today: 33,398

A chat with an alien

Well, hello my quiet little blog! (It's so quiet, it's spooky *lol*) I was doing spring cleaning on my hard drive and came across this wonderful little chat log :)
---

Mobius Bard: hi
You: Hi
Mobius Bard: what is this stone thing?
You: looks like Stonehenge to me
You: who are you?
Mobius Bard: mobius bard at your service *bows*
Mobius Bard: :)
You: wow. :) Do you look like an alien on purpose?
You: lol
Mobius Bard: i suppose so, yes lol
You: I mean, here you are, at Stonehenge, by yourself.....looks pretty suspicious ;)
Mobius Bard: i read that this is some sort of really old sl place so i teleported here to check it out
Mobius Bard: supposed to be one of the first builds i guess?
You: my first time at this spot *shrugs*
Mobius Bard: not quite what i was hoping for... kind of boring
You: hmm, let me see
Mobius Bard: cool butterfly effect
You: :)
You: I like it here
Mobius Bard: not bad :)
You: it's your second day here?
Mobius Bard: yep!
Mobius Bard: thanks - how did you do that?
You: I right-clicked on you, then Profile, then Rate at the bottom of that screen :-)!
Mobius Bard rated you positively: (no message)
Mobius Bard: easy enough
You: clap
Mobius Bard: grin
You: hmm each rock looks like Pi
You: one of those mathemathical figures
Mobius Bard: a la mode I hope!
Mobius Bard: *stomach growls*
Mobius Bard: youve been on since may?
You: End of May
Mobius Bard: finding anything interesting to do?
You: too much for my own good ;)
Mobius Bard: :)
You: and you?
You: addicted yet?
Mobius Bard: yeah i can see this getting pretty addicting!
Mobius Bard: I've been up 'till 5am the last two nights
Mobius Bard: lol
You: Oh wow
You: me too, some days....
Mobius Bard: do you own land?
You: no ... I dont think I will because of the monthly cost. I'm happy with my apartment
Mobius Bard: yeah, i'm probably going that route as well
You: cool :) so you're into aliens?
Mobius Bard: yeah - anything out of the ordinary, really
You: that's really cool
You: Mobius reminds me of a song by the same name...weird song
Mobius Bard: my first day i saw so many plain humans i thought... "Why be human in my second life? I can be something entirely different"
Mobius Bard: you have wings
You: :-)
You: lol
Mobius Bard: that means you must be alienb too
Mobius Bard: lol
You: hmm...two aliens at Stonehenge , haha
You: who met by accident
You: Im gonna landmark this site
Mobius Bard: or maybe it was the alien mothership calling us
Mobius Bard: how do you landmark?
You: go to World on top of the screen, and
You: 'Create landmark here' :)
Mobius Bard: got it
You: have you been to any houses yet?
Mobius Bard: a few
Mobius Bard: looked at a couple apartments 2
You: ok :) well on top of that hill there is a house with two people inside if you didn't know :-)
Mobius Bard: friends of yours?
You: no
You: so where does your name come from?
You: it sounds techno-ish
Mobius Bard: well i've always liked the name mobius - he's the guy that first conceptualized the mobius strip...
Mobius Bard: ...a neverending circle that you could walk forever
Mobius Bard: bard is for me - in rl I'm an actor/musician
You: amazing stuff :)
Mobius Bard: so it's like "Cornucopia of Entertainment"? :)
Mobius Bard: you?
You: forgive me I got speechless :)
Mobius Bard: :)
Mobius Bard: what does nimue mean?
You: I just had a small vision that's why i got quiet
Mobius Bard: ah, a winged alien psychic at stonehenge!
You: for a split second I saw a real human being behind that green avatar...sort of like a break from the "matrix"
You: But anyway
Mobius Bard: there is one behind the av of course :)
Mobius Bard: its me :)
You: Nimue means Moon goddess and Galatea sounds like galaxy
Mobius Bard: nice
You: lol
Mobius Bard: bow
Mobius Bard: so what do you do in rl?
You: so you can say I like things like astronomy :-)
You: Well I'm still figuring out what it is I want to do for the rest of my life.
You: I need to hone a few things
Mobius Bard: that will never stop. once you embrace the journey for what it is you're fine
Nimue Galatea is digesting that thought....
You: Very deep. I never heard that before
Mobius Bard: the way i see it is all you have to do is something better every day. you don't have to find the perfect career tomorrow, just do something more along the lines of where you'd like to end up someday
Mobius Bard: if you take positive steps every day, you'll get there eventually and wonder how you got there :)
You: in other words, with a set goal in mind....
Mobius Bard: yes, but you don't have to necessarily know exactly what the end goal is...
Mobius Bard: just point yourself in a better direction and little by little the things that hold you back will begin to disappear and you'll be able to think more clearly
Mobius Bard: know what I mean?
You: Thank you :) Yes I do
You: You have wisdom
Mobius Bard: sorry, i don't even know you or your situation, so i hope im not imposing
Mobius Bard: :)
You: no :-) I think this applies to any situation, lol
Mobius Bard: yeah - basic 'how to live a happy life' stuff
Mobius Bard: just helps to hear it again sometimes i guess
You: but it sounds much better coming from an alien =)
You: Lol
Mobius Bard: a wise yellow stonehenge alien lol
You: :) I'd like to save the chat log...just a sec
Mobius Bard: wow, now you have to tell me how to do that
You: actually it's the first time I'm doing this
You: probably just go to History, select everything,
You: go to Edit, Copy and paste into a notepad
Mobius Bard: makes sense
Mobius Bard: didn't know if it had a special chat command

(And that's where the chat log ends)

SL Population today: 30,263

Mobius Bard and me chatting at Stonehenge (location?) in early 2004 

Luminye Onizuka, Singer Tyne, her friend, bose2004, and me. 

Embracing the rain 

My discovery of Second Life

How did I discover SL? I have to thank Activeworlds
I won't bore you with my earlier virtual travels, which starts with ImagiNation, then goes through a medley of mmorpgs. Anyway, I discovered AW in 1996. I left in '97 for a brief time, but kept coming back throughout the years. My build still remained, but memories lingered bittersweetly, and it just wasn't the same. So, one day last year, I was just looking around in the Atlantis World, when I stumbled upon a note someone left which basically was a wake up call for me, signaling that the time of AW was over, and something more exciting was out there. To make it short, that's how I discovered SL! ;)

I recently met three of my new neighbors in Kamba by the way! - the pic is above this post :)

Object of the day: "Embracing the rain" statue from The Royal Gardens.

SL population today: 31, 107

Superrific news!

I have a tropical land! Kamba is the succulent name so newly dear to me. My neighbors are as important to me as the landscape, and I'm ecstatic about residing right next to Damani. For those of you not familiar with him - he is one of the most talented and famous designers SL has ever had. I had no idea he had like a gazillion square meters of land here. What's more important though, is what he does with it. I'm verry happy to say he devoted all of it to beauty and can I say CLASS! He's obviously very devoted to SL which means he's not moving any time soon, which means I've got a great location. I've got views of water and a mountain, and the earth is flat. I could tell you more, but you have to come see it for yourself :) I got the land for $4k btw - LOL that lucky Bingo pot came in handy.

It's not like I found this land just like that. At first I used the Find > Land Sales tool. Unsatisfied, I resorted to just flying over to any 512 sq m land that was for sale on the map in the tropical lands. But before I flew over, I clicked the Terrain tab to see what kind of objects surrounded the plot. This is how I discovered this one! But I had to choose between it and another one in Igbo (90, 67). There are two 512 sq m plots in Igbo, side by side, facing a vast waterfront with these cute little dock houses. Behind is a huge locked Linden land filled with palm trees. It's very serene and beautiful. It just seemed kind of lonely to me. It's still for sale *WINK WINK* for around $3k, I believe?...

Well, I'm off to say hi to my neighbors :)

P.S.: In my next post I'll tell ya how I discovered SL.

Igbo 

Virtual paradise

I'm back in SL (yay!) and what's new is that I sold 512 sqm of land in Hazeltine to a cool guy named Glydur Stonebender. I IMed him to thank him for the purchase and he IMed me back telling me how lucky he felt getting land with such a good view. We chatted more and exchanged calling cards :) I would've kept the land for myself, being that it sits on a rocky hill overlooking a snowy forest and the horizon (the Sunsets are incredible!)...behind it is a green forest enveloped in mist, so it's a wonderful location for a virtual home :)
Anyway, I would've kept it if it was a tropical sim. But it's not. Quoting Glydur, "It's more like Aspen, Colorado."

Why do I want land in a tropical sim so badly? For my garden. I can't have a virtual home without a garden. That's just me. Substitutes a real one, too.

Well, I'm off to look for that land...

Great things really do happen when you least expect it

I'm amazed. I log onto SL, and the first thing I remember to do is to go to Bingoland Park to check whether I won anything in the Gigas lottery. But I guess if you win the lottery once, doesn't mean you'll win it again, does it!
The amazing part is here: It turns out I came there right before the last Bingo game (wasn't expecting that!), so I decide to try my luck one more time and play Bingo even though I never EVER win!! Like I always do, I leave the numbers on my card unchanged, for luck.

One after another, the numbers match the pattern, and before I know it, I win! What's more amazing is it was an extraordinary pot of $1,000L. I did feel sad for those that got their hopes shattered :( I really do know the feeling. But I also need the money to buy nice land and decorate it and etc... But still, moments like this rejuvenate a sense of wonder. Ever had this happen to you?