LnN's First EVER Customs Are Here!

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Building our first ever fish-able customs took a long wait, and I am sure glad that I have breached the creative barrier. Deciding how to build our own versions turned out to be quite laborious. But with reference to some of the customs available to us in the fishing community, opting for the "cute and easy-to-build types" was the best choice to get us going.

The now classic Powerpuff Girls character inspired me to go anime-style. Builds from LnN are not for sale and will only be available to catch for FREE for a limited time only. (L-R) Bubbles Luvs Octi, Blossom Lures A Piranha, and Buttercup Nets A Clown make up the first batch.

A handful of creators behind some of the most popular customs have cemented their reputation as being one of the best custom builders around. It would indeed be quite a challenge to create something as interesting and innovative as the ones currently being offered to the community. Now that the level of expectations for custom building is high, bringing out variations at par with the accustomed standards would definitely have to be a work of art.


The gist so far: Vintage battleships and pirate ships are associated with Migizi North; Daemian Ember renowned for his preference for all-prim-customs, builds amazing modern battleships; Mialissa Masala for her limited edition fed jellies and crab cakes while fellow SugarRush entrepreneur Skinny Paine has popularised building block (aka lego) inspired-customs; Amara Twilight (with no relation to vampires whatsoever hehehe) is synonymous to exotic and sometimes erotic mermaids; Dragonfishes are Alice Xue's turf, Resisupo chipmunks are a mainstay in the Magic of Oz; and the list goes on with veteran builders like Rails Bailey (Van Deimen's Land-Shimano), Grey Nacht (iPala), Shelly Macci (The Pig and Whistle), Sindy Bracken (Original LOLRus and Neko Characters), Oasis, Aruba, Alien Isles, naniSL, katat0nik, Takeli-li among many others make up the ever growing roster of 7Seas celebrity builders.

The second batch of PPG customs: Buttercup Is A Tease, Bubbles Drops A Fishie, and Blossom's Bag of Fishies, adds a bit of emotion with poofer texture effects overhead.

Bug-eyed Cuties
Reviving the Powerpuff Girls (PPG) phenomena...

Going for anime-style made it easier for us to build customs and the PPGs were just the perfect models. The designs on our sets evolved to a more personalised/all-original version with Liz and I modeling our customs on ourselves.

Go bag yourself an SUR! LnN's Karaoke Queen and King and the Tulips For Two Lips customs will start a series of caricature versions featuring SL personalities.

Earlier versions were unorthodoxical by interpretation with customs depicting a bit of Britishness. The Good ole English Muffin (stylised in the form of a cupcake thanks to Alice Xue's craving for it) was the first to be crafted followed by the humble Fish n' Chips (with mayo). Variations of the two customs soon followed with the addition of the Scottish Haddock and Chips (with tartare sauce), the Naughty Fish n' Chips (Page3.com inspired - well it's a UK thing hahaha), the Blueberry Oz (Australian) Muffin; and of course a meal is never complete without something to help the food run down smoothly: NapsieCola (Coke inspired) with Lizzy-ade.

Nothing compares to traditional fish and chips freshly served at your local shop. Customs celebrating a bit of Britishness and the Commonwealth.

Let The Fishing Begin...
Exclusive to Lo Lo

You can catch these customs at the marvelous Lake Lo Lo, and many thanks to Caroline Apollo for giving these customs a home! Catch rates are currently 20-30% higher than the suggested percentage, which makes collecting a tad more pleasant. So enjoy the customs as much as we enjoyed crafting them for you!

Catnapped Neko shows the continuously evolving look of LnN customs.

The sets are also "housed" in an unannounced/undisclosed location, so don't be surprised if you do suddenly catch one out of the blue! I also carry a CPG with me whenever and wherever I fish, unless the area owners prohibits any form of squatting (hahaha).

We will try to bring out at least two sets (usually three customs in a set) each month, just keep an eye for any announcements. In the meantime, get those rods fully baited and let's all go fishing for more customs!

Daemian Ember: The King of Pure Prim Building

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Fishing at Sugar Rush's Developers Dock with Grey Nacht led me to discover an extraordinary custom crafted by 7Seas veteran Daemian Ember; the SUR Aircraft Carrier. It was definitely an eye catcher as it was the biggest custom I have seen so far.

Formerly located at the WickedlySinful sim, DE originally offered his customs on global mode (caught at random regardless of rarity) making the whole set much easier to complete. But despite them being an easy catch, Daemian Ember did not fail to make them as popular as the other mainstream collectibles. The quality they posses will even pass the eye of the most fussiest of all 7S custom-collectors.

Perhaps a version 2 will see the aircraft carrier with miniature fighter jets; and the battleship with firing cannons. With Daemian's preference for detail and realism, who knows?

The SUR Aircraft Carrier (top) and the SUR Battleship (below) were part of Daemian's original set. Both customs average 1.5 metres (in the SL virtual metric system) making them the biggest and the longest customs ever built for the 7Seas Fishing Community as yet.

For those who are very particular with detail, one will know of the hard work that has been poured and spent into each of DE's customs - all of which are built with dimension, precision and proportion.


Battle of The Great Subs!
The cold war continues...

Recalling how I marveled at the sight of a non-7Seas swimming pet for the first time (during one of Jackpot Fall's fishing tournaments), DE gave us a glimpse to one of his upcoming submarines way before 7Seas opened the floodgates to custom building. I guess that says a lot on how passionate Daemian is about his custom builds; then again I'm sure all custom-builders are!

A sight which both the Whitehouse and the Kremlin would dread. Perhaps the first and only modern day submarine customs available to the 7Seas fishing community.

The American Ohio Class Submarine (above) seems to square it off underwater with the Soviet Red October Submarine (below) in this mock-up battle of DE's UltraRare custom collection. Still living up to the battleship and aircraft carrier's reputation for being all-prim-builds, the submarines give new meaning to the phrase "a deadly catch".


Adding More To The Man-O-War Portfolio
The US Navy's Landing Craft Air-Cushion (LCAC)

After having been in sabbatical for several months, Daemian Ember returns to us in true-form with the release of his long anticipated LCAC. Having seen how he built it from scratch (which was how I was inspired to do my customs mostly on prims rather than sculpties), it's amazing to see its final outcome - from just being a jumble of raw prims a couple of weeks back to something close to the real thing.

Daemian Ember does his finishing touches to the new LCAC custom in 1:5 scale. Top inset: A perspective of the LCAC; Lower inset: An actual photo of the military hovercraft.

The LCAC dons the spinning propeller trademark with a twist: water sprays from the amphibious craft's 4-bladed R345 propellers. The Rare U.S. Navy LCAC custom is indeed a perfect addition to Daemian Ember's amazing collection.

The Sloop-Of-War
DE goes vintage battleships!

Custom styles which were originally Migizi North's forté had caught up with Daemian Ember's creativity. The SuperUltraRare Sloop of War is the latest in DE's custom offering. With the ability to fire multiple cannons (thanks to a collaboration with Migizi North himself), you can't help but get reminded of those ghostly pirate ships that started people collecting these amazing wearable ship "pets".

Quels sont vos ordres mon capitaine? The Battle of the Atlantic can now be re-enacted with Migizi's own battleships. Let the fireworks begin!

With Daemian getting a hold of the "exploding cannon" script, perhaps a v2.0 of previous builds will see them upgraded with working cannons? The Sloop-of-War may be a glimpse on how future releases in the DE collection would be like. Even the shoulder cannon had been upgraded to a v2.0, replacing the older static version.

A New Custom In The Works?

Rumour of a fishing trawler is close to being released with just two "parts" needed for its completion. I guess the whole idea for this vessel is to "hoard" all the fishies we can get in the waters eh? (hehehe)

It never is hard to complete DE sets as catch rates are affixed to be higher than the standard percentage. The regulated number of customs would leave you enough time to try and complete other customs.

DE collaborations with RA Fishing are now available to catch at the Fairy Cove, along with Daemian's personal custom builds. Perhaps those who know him well would agree that he is more than just a builder... he's one heck of an innovator.

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Change Is Sometimes Good...

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... and it can save you some prims too! (laughter)

Revamping Unit 10 was not an easy task as the need to shed at least 300+ prims would mean a major change in the layout (yep, I went over... again, sighs hehehe). Something had to give way and sadly my Ferrari shrine would be the first to go! Liz knew how much that would break my heart, although trying to see things in a different perspective may have helped things go down smoothly.

The need for a conservatory was put into question...

Though letting go of the garden would seem like the recession had taken over our Second Life (hee hee hee). I for one (even in RL) refuse to buckle-down to the bloody crunch, so the conservatory definitely stays. I would just have to find a way on how to trim down on prim-consumption without having to compromise style and design. Though I must admit, looking for that silver lining in the horizon was not as easy as it was before.

Moving the pond to the east wing (in place of the Ferrari shrine) may have done the trick, as things started to look good from there. In fact it even made me wonder why I have not thought about doing this in the first place. The indoor fish pond looks absolutely fantastic the second time around!



The pond expanded to about 60% more to which if ever it were in real life, would be good for the fish /me smirks. It's a rule of thumb to give a gallon of water (3.8 litres) as allowance for every inch of fish, now that's a bit of fish trivia for you (hahaha, is it obvious that I am trying so hard just to convince myself here?). But yeah the new pond does look good, doesn't it?

Caroline Apollo did tell me once that the Ferrari shrine looked somewhat "odd" being situated next to a garden 30 metres above ground level (chuckles). My argument then was that it's a Ferrari, and that alone overrules logical reasoning and even religion (hahaha)! Besides, Liz loved the shrine! /me hears Caroline say "yeah right turkey butt"... hahaha




The "re-org" left us with more breathing space with the mobility to move around freely. I am claustrophobic IRL, so having done the first layout in such a crampy and small space was indeed very ironic. Defense mechanism perhaps?

Now Liz and I know how God may have felt on a Friday, for we too were both pleased by the new look.

Trimming the flowering plants and giving them some room to breathe (in other words removing redundant or similar plants hehehe) had helped in taking back the much needed prims.


Less is sometimes the best.

Gladly things didn't turn out to be as stressful as I thought it would. Stress from RL work was just too much for me already, and why the heck would I want to take that with me to Second Life? /me screams "aaaarrrghh!"



Even the bedroom was given a little make-over. Adding two 1-prim corner posts in exchange for the old photo album, throw-pillows, fur rugs and two potted plants may have given back at least 19-prims. A good move I may say, considering the textured-columns looks a lot better in taking over those bare bedroom corners (see above and the old layout here).




The dining area, which is the most restless part of the property was also not spared. But just like many re-organisations before, changing the layout always proved to make things look better. I am sure with the shower cubicle now out of the kitchen (yeah don't tell me I know, so please no laughing!) and the breakfast nook looking good in its place, everything seems to be a bit more settled down.


Hrrmmmm? Now that I think about it, maybe Liz actually meant "I told you so" when she said "I really love what you've done with the condo babes?" o.O eeeeeep!

So there you have it folks, sometimes it really is good to move away from our comfort zones. Though one thing that surely wouldn't change is Liz and I. But for everything else (no I wasn't going to say "there's Mastercard" silly!) change is sometimes good.

After all, wasn't it Sheryl Crow who sang "A change would do you good..."?

Which now reminds me, putting on a fresh new pair of Spiderman underpants would perhaps do me some good? One week straight of doing "side A" and "side B" seems to be taking its toll on the wedgie, whaddayatink? hahahaha

Yeah I know how much you love that song too, so go on... and sing with me... hahaha
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The Magic of Blank Space...

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Not everyday do you get hit by a creative cloud. In my case though it seemed more like a ton of bricks than the symbolic bright light bulb (with the slight sound of a chime hahaha). Like most people who can create wonderful things from a blank page, seeing a vacated condominium unit below the penthouse was no less the same for me. It was a perfect opportunity for me to creatively express and do one of the many things I love doing most: interior designing.

Back in the old days of yore when AutoCAD (Automated Computer Aided Designing) was still in its infancy stage. We were used to designing with our ever so reliable Staedtler Mars®Matic technical pens on Grade A Rotring drafting paper. God I love those things!

OMG Which reminds me, an old mate of mine borrowed the whole set and haven't returned them to me yet. Worse part is, I forgot her name.. (laughter). Those were given to me by my dad (pouts) and meant a lot to me, considering my dad hasn't given me that much hahahaha.

Typical empty tropical condo-unit with a 400 prim allowance. The main attraction of this property are its bay view windows and idyllic surroundings. A prime real estate even in RL standards.

Still the same floor area with an alternative design trip. One of the important points that inspired us to build a conservatory was for us to have a plausible pond for our (yep you guess it right) 7Seas fishing. It was a bit ridiculous fishing in the bedroom and in the seating area. hahaha


Same room... different floor and with a post modern-twist. Constant improvements have made us arrive to a point where in not much is left to do. Quite pleased with the outcome actually. What do you think?

Kidding aside, Second Life has opened a lot of doors for creativity to grow. No resident needs a technical degree to be able to create such wonderful things. The SL platform has made 3D rendering easy for most of us to manipulate, explore and enjoy - devoid of all the technicalities that comes along with stereotypical and traditional methods.

So far I have become my own furniture builder and designer, and the thousands of textures available to us makes rendering more simpler. I've heard that real life Architects and Designers have set up their own virtual office in Second Life. Indeed SL could be a perfect venue to demonstrate an almost real life presentation of your work to clients, albeit even drawn to scale.


So what's with the blank condo space?

Well I just chanted Mumford's magic word: "Ala peanut butter sandwiches" (poof), and a vision of what to do with the condo came to mind. Perhaps we needed a buffer below the penthouse to protect our privacy? hahaha Well perhaps, after all having had a very strange tenant below us before was a bit hair raising. Imagine her "bottom privates" whispering kinky and at times "grossly suggestions" of what that part of her body wants to do (raises eyebrows), not to mention a very-very noisy cyber bed (did I say noisy already?... try to imagine that hahaha).

Bay windows needing a bit of a Midas' touch. What do you think will happen next? Well looking at the lower picture is what's going to happen next (laughter).

Beyond the pond. Think pink and white tulips, think Dutch! hehehe Just our little private sanctuary when you just want to sit, relax and chat the day (or night) away.

Where a lot of ideas were built featuring my personal (but Lizzy-inspired) creations: The Mornington Aquarium; 2-seater Breakfast nook (in which the lower compartment can be converted into another fish tank or a fireplace); a Japanese dining table (sushi-time! oishi, kampai!); a converted fridge (formerly a static fridge, but with the help of invisible prims and object giver scripts made it possible to modify the appliance to my own preference) which gives out various meals, snacks and desserts.

While most tenants in the condo utilise the west-side as their bedroom, I thought a dining and kitchen would be more appropriate for this area which compliments the stairs leading up to the roof-deck and the mezzanine.

Nowadays, when I attempt to do designs (yeah coz' I don't do it as a profession anymore, I "is" retired with that hahaha... pardon the pun), it would take me a longer time deciding what to do next. I used to be faster and spontaneous in my younger years as a graphic designer. I guess I need some sort of a viagra for the brain then? hahaha

The last time I remember I had some sort of a designing breakthrough was when an investment brochure project came to my attention, about a year ago or so. Condo Unit 10 would be another one since then... and how good this one truly is. It's not everyday that you get brilliant ideas raining down from heaven you know.


Putting All The Pieces Together

The fun part was connecting the right pieces together: from scripted items, an ideal park bench down to flowering plants and the right type of grass. I was like a happy dog enjoying the fresh country air (from an open window of a speeding car) as I hop from one sim to another. Very adamant that I get that picture perfect vision in my head, presented in physical prim form... not satisfied until it would be good enough to live up to the name Lizzy's Secret Garden (smiles).

Another blank space needs a makeover! The condo's east-side, just the right size for another bit of magic. Like the rest of the condominium, huge glass panels gives it that fresh breezy feeling... something I would call "claustrophobic friendly" windows hahaha

I do have a confession to make though... the whole project may not be entirely for my babes (sticks his tongue out). Two-thirds of the project may have been all flowery and feminine but I had the urge to add a bit more of brute force in the third that remained. Just balancing the yin and yang in the feng sui of designing. And there is only one thing that would be perfect for that spot, none other than my beloved Ferrari F1 2008. I wish there was a way I could make the car rotate while on display, but sorry it's no modify (sighs).

Something I would really want to have in real life, my very own Ferrari Shrine (hey Barbie-gal eat your heart out hahaha). A Ferrari F1 2007 that won Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) the Formula One championship. Posters of former world champ Michael Schumacher (Ger) and the ever reliable Felipe Massa (Bra) are on display as well as official Ferrari F1 helmets and an Acer Ferrari laptop (though IRL I am more of a Dell follower) that will actually lead you to this blog when clicked upon. Make sure you don't read my personal MSN-IMs in there, yeah? chuckles


Would you be surprised if i told you that this part of the penthouse is my favourite? You wouldn't, would you? My favourite command would also be /1 hide (hahahaha). Lizzy and I call this area the "snooker room", and to why we call it that way is just between her and I (sticks tongue out). Lots of personally modified gadgets in here as well. Also top secret (smiles)

Now with the Ferrari shrine in place (as well as all the gadgets and gizmos to perk it up) and our secret garden built-up to appeal from all angles... I think it would be safe to say that my vision and mission is now complete.


Lizzy's Garden Up Close

Just to highlight some of the special features of Lizzy's Garden. All it took was putting together all the right flowering plants, textured materials and scripted objects. Now I've got something to really be proud of, I know Lizzy is too!

A bay window with a fantastic view. You can watch the sun rise from here, amazing even if it's just virtual SL. Sadly the last time Lizzy and I hung-out here was when a storm blew-up her router. Now that was one really nasty crash. Ugh!


Special features: Waterfall themed walls (with ambient water flowing sounds and water splash animation); Flexy fan-tail gold fishes (radial swim); Pond Japanese Koi; Flowing rock with 7Seas fishing server scripts (just transfer the contents of the official transparent server to your preferred object); and a Wishing Pond (utilising a Migizi North tip jar script).

What does this picture tell you? hahaha...

a) Lizzy fell asleep on me because it was already 1:30 am in Oz
b) Oh babes, I have to be honest with you, I'm gay
c) Sorry babes, I grazed your knee
d) Damn, I declined that new SUR
e) Read my mind babes, hint: I'm hawt!
f) Ewwwww babes, you farted!

Well the real answer is: I wonder what I will be doing next? hahaha gotcha mate

Breaking Into The SL Property Market

(Revised March 2009)

HALE HAKUNA

First Time Around...
Searching for a proper SL home would be the next big step for N71 Aeon. Being a squatter for a week in Lo Lo may seem as if I was taking advantage of Caroline's hospitality hehehe.

I am certain that searching for the right property may be quite a challenge for a new comer like myself to Second Life. Still caught in between renting or leasing out a condominium/apartment unit to buying a parcel of land. Though all that tier, prim-limit talk and land ownership policies were something still foreign to me, settling down in Second Life would not be as easy as I thought it would be. /me frowns

No longer having the slightest trace of a Haraguy, N71 contemplates what to do next?

Hunting High and Low

So finally I have decided that I would go for renting a condo instead, sort of testing the waters before finally jumping into the lake. Taking the advice of Keeley Huet on the importance of using the search button (works exactly like Google and Yahoo in-world) presented heaps of fabulous properties, most of which were too costly for an SL newcomer.

Noticing that the word "prims" (short for primitives) on every rent-box was a totally new language. I thought it meant something more like the property's floor area. Being in a gung-ho moment, alien terminology didn't deter me to keep on searching for the right abode.


Discovery By Accident

With a stroke of luck just when I was about to give up, a bloke publicly announced renting his condo units for L$500 pcm. It was not too bad at all since the ones I have looked up earlier were ranging from L$800 to 1,000 (not really sure if I am ready for that yet hahaha). Strangely enough as he discussed the details of our tenancy agreement, the word "prims" came out in our conversation. Not wanting to look like an idiot for asking what he meant by a 25-prim limit, I pretended to understand everything. Unlike earlier when the word didn't seem to bother me at all, I now felt the need to be concerned. lololol

The condo unit was not the type I was expecting, having London's Canary Wharf in mind. It had a lot of odd architectural features which were not logically feasible to have in real life. But who am I kidding here, this is after all a virtual Second Life right?

Nevertheless, my desperation to settle down and to have a place I can really call my home, was more important than some minor architectural faux pas. I just thought that with the interiors done properly, things might end up the way I want them to be.

Hopping from one furniture shop to another, interior decorating has never been this fun since AutoCAD. The Architectural industry does have a potential to grow in Second Life.

Enhancing Dull Features

Adding a bit of bibidi-babidi-boo to blank space is the fun part. Doing interiors has never been this easy: just drag, drop and reposition the objects. Reminds me of the old days when doing interiors was so tedious, having to deal with coordinates, dimensions and measurements.

Having more than adequate lindens at hand, thanks to eBay (it would seem Linden Labs limits linden purchases to new members?), the time has arrive to do some serious furniture shopping! (thanks Laci Snowdrop for the landmarks, you have been so helpful).


The Finishing Touches

Since the condo already had sofas for the living room and an "animated" bed (I honestly had no idea at first what an animated bed really means hahaha) for the bedroom, all I had to do was add dividers, side tables, dressers, plants and some table top decorations.

I was a bit disappointed with the flooring (i love black marble especially the glazed Italian types, but not the ones the condo had) and the ceiling (unpainted and raw ply boards?), which looked so bare and unfinished. Though making the condo look as homely as it can possibly be (to real life) was my main concern; the flooring and ceiling would have to wait.

Among all the furniture and ornamental shops I have visited, MAKEA ended up to be my first choice. Their products were elegant and they remind me of an IKEA store. Don't be surprised if I tell you that I bought the whole range, from lighting, fixtures and furniture. Now that I think about the similarity between the two stores, MAKEA might actually mean Mike's IKEA which would explain a lot.

An attempt to make the ambiance as cozy as possible. Mostly earth and dark colours are used to compliment the floor.. but the ceiling? /me screams!

Learning From Trial and Error!

Ever heard of the saying: "... if it sounds too good to be true.. then it must be too good to be TRUE..." Yep, don't you ever forget that!

I had a feeling that there was something more to the low cost rent-package and all that desperate marketing strategy. And true enough, there was a limit on the number of prims (God I hate that word!) I could add to the property. In fairness to the landlord, I have been told that the limit was 25 prims. If only I were not too proud enough to ask what he meant by that in the first place; I would not have to endure all the pain and disappointed on having to remove most of my furniture!

According to Ashton (the landlord), I have exceeded my prim limit to about 200, that is exactly 800%! Talk about being a prim-hogger hahaha

Thankfully enough, because according to him I was a nice chap (add naive to that word lol), he was willing to compromise by removing some of the standard furniture to free up a few prims (now I fully understand this prim-of-a-headache... finally). But surely MAKEA was now out of the question; each sofa average 12-13 prims which would not leave me much to spare. Now with some added prim allowance, I would have to work around 49 prims... which obviously is still not enough.


Next Step... Low Prim Furniture!

Looking for low-prim furniture is like finding a needle in a haystack. My best friend: the SEARCH BUTTON took me to a store that do have items of good quality. Not necessarily close to IKEA standards BUT good enough: Primsavers, I guess the name says it all.

... more of a life saver, furnishings from Primsaver averages about 1 to 3 prims per item. The secret lies on the proper textures being used other than multiple primitive shapes aka PRIMS, now that is indeed amazing!

After tasting the sweetness of having more prims to spare for furniture I really like, gut feeling tells me to reconsider going for high prim property. It may cost me just a bit more in lindens (actually would only cost as much as a candy bar in real life), but I am sure it would be worth every bit of the investment. What good is living in a restricted environment when you know you can do better and have more? Besides I am quite a rebel when it comes to such restrictions; I'm one wild stallion that no one can restrain! hahaha go ask my parents!

GOING HIGH PRIM (Royal Tropical Condos)

The only thing constant in this universe is change - Ηράκλειτος

True enough, having to starve the need for more prims triggered the compulsion to look for an alternative place to stay. Going back to the "tropics" where I inquired the first time makes me regret for not moving here in the first place. Just add L$300 more to the Hale Hakuna unit would have given me about 400% more prim allowance!

Laci Snowdrop was right when she said Royal Tropical Condos was offering me a great deal. Having learned my lesson from Hale Hakuna, I now give more consideration to prim allowances than the cost of the rent pcm. The penthouse unit which includes the whole of the roof deck would give me 400 prims, an eye popping offer for L$1,000 - adding just L$200 more to the other units with 100 prim allowance, or double the rent of Hale Hakuna BUT statistically with 1600% more prims!

On top of the world: having 2 floors and 400 prims to mess around with, I would not have asked for more! As an added bonus, no eyesores in the neighbourhood as structures in the sim have to abide by covenant standards.

Quality and Taste...

With so much room and space for my sweaty hands to work on, more home furnishings and fixtures (other than the ones I already have) would definitely be needed. Being a bit more wiser the second time around, I was more conscious in counting my prims without having to sacrifice quality.

Somewhat in between MAKEA and Primsavers, T&S Designs is one of the best places to get your furniture and other decorative and ornamental items.

My penthouse's "well behaved" bedroom... just right for resting your AVs before logging-off. Start to think out of the box, who said everything indoors have to be flat?

Having been frustrated with Hale Hakuna's marble texture, I took the liberty of adding a prim cover to replace the lighter wooden floor boards with a varnished finish. Decorating has never been this exciting especially if you start from scratch.

Home made goodies! The Aquateque Aquarium; the Japanese dining table; and the breakfast nook and bar are few of my very own creations! With an adequate prim allowance, custom-making should not be a problem.

Patiently taught on the basics of prim building and crafting by my SL mates (Lizzy, Lisa and Drei in particular), personalised and remodified furniture would definitely be part of the penthouse showcase. Nothing feels more better than having to see your own creation on display.

With prims to spare in my new home, I can now rezz up my favourite Makea furniture (at last).

Finding my MAKEAs a home for the last time, my sitting area has never looked this good! I am very pleased with what has been done to the penthouse and I can't thank Relic Starbrook enough for welcoming me into his group. He does have a lot of good offers for land without having to worry about maintaining tier fees, but I guess that would have to be left for another time. For now, the penthouse is just right for me.

This is what generous prims-allowance can do for you... the freedom to create and re-decorate! Side tables, fireplace re-assembled to fit your needs and requirements.

My New Home... My Sanctuary...

Moving to the new penthouse is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made! Though I cannot be sure that maintaining Hale Hakuna would be such a good idea, maybe I give it another month?

I have actually been asked countless times from fellow condo tenants below me, on when I would be leaving the penthouse. As much as I hate to disappoint people, I made sure they got the message that I would be staying way much longer. After all, I did gave Relic my word for a long time tenancy, and I plan to honour it. It would seem that "my penthouse" is one hot property, giving me the feeling that I have struck gold... and indeed I may have!

I have never felt so optimistic about my SL's future and so inspired in building more stuff. I do have dreams and aspirations in my virtual life, merging RL and SL just might be one of them, but who knows what tomorrow will bring? We would have to just wait and see...

The perfect sunset at the penthouse roof deck... setting the mood right with Lizzy-babes who loves what we had done with the condo.

Haven Is Where My HEART Is...

Only a handful of friends have seen this secret hideaway of ours. Not that I don't like having guests, it is just that I love to keep "some things" private /me winks and grins. Every corner of the penthouse carry a wonderful memory, making our home a sacred and holy ground. heeheehee

The perfect living quarters set on a homely ambiance simply brings RL close to SL ... and a house ain't a home without the Lizzy around to keep me company. Darn, I miss her already!

Lizzy and I could just sit at home (both virtual and RL I'm sure) and talk about absolutely anything under the stars for hours until one of us gets a tug from our dear Mister Sandman. With a homely atmosphere at the penthouse, there never will be a dull moment... ever.


Is There Life After Hale Hakuna?

... Definitely! But what to do with it, after Royal Tropical is the real question. While I'm at it, I do admit that I cannot help but wonder this time on how it is to finally have land of my own? If so, what would it be?

Beach island property or a secluded house by the lake? Hrmmmm... Better weigh the pros and cons first to know which type of property would suit us best.

Am I hearing wedding bells somewhere?

But until the Virgo knows what he finally wants, and that Libra for once quickly makes up her mind (woooot hahaha), for now the penthouse will stay!


What Ever Happened to the Old Condo?

You would not believe what actually happened... it's gone! Imagine this: while doing some conversions to the unit, from just a sitting area to a disco with matching psychedelic dance floor... the whole building just disappeared!

Boogie nights, before the bloody building disappeared!

Good thing I was not in the shower stark naked (ROFLWPIMP try figuring that one out hahaha) or worse doing a "winnie the...". I found out from the real land owners that the condo-owner's leasehold on the property has expired, and even has unsettled dues to his tier. That explains the desperate marketing he was doing when I first met him.

Still no word from the chap, wish he informed us all in his group before hand. So I guess in a way, this solved my dual-property dilemma. laughter

Where my old condo used to be? Gone with the wind (and 2 months worth of rent along with it... bugger!) I patiently wait for the condo owner to return... with a SIG 556 slung on my shoulder hahaha