I was going to blog this lovely gown I picked up at Culture Shock, but I ran out of time. Culture Shock closed yesterday and I am eager to hear how much was raised in total. Anyway, although this was a donation gown at Culture Shock, it will be available after the event at Vanguard, a store that features wonderfully bold and provocative clothing.
Today is the last day of Culture Shock. I popped by last night to do some last minute shopping and there were only about 6 to 10 other people, making it a delightfully lag-free shopping experience. If you have been deterred by lagophobia lo these many days, now is your chance to find delightful dresses like this one from Spright and fun fashions and shop until you drop knowing that your lindens are saving lives for people whose time literally is running out without the fabulous work of Médecins Sans Frontières MSF (Doctors Without Borders).
Tomorrow is the last day of Culture Shock and time is running out for you to save lives by spending your lindens on fabulous fashions. I know buying a dress at Culture Shock rather than somewhere else seems a pittance, but your lindens make a difference. Your purchase of this dress buys the antibiotics to treat 3 children with pneumonia. The skin or the jewelry will buy vaccination against meningitis for 10 years! You see, many of the things that can save lives are relatively inexpensive, but it’s getting them to where they are needed that makes all the difference. That is what makes Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders so very important. Unlike many other aid organizations, they have no affiliation with any government, ideology or religion and have no agenda beyond providing the health care that saves lives where it’s most needed. This means they are uniquely trusted and able to operate in places where others are not welcome.
With projects in over 60 countries, MSF is saving lives not only around the world but here at home, wherever home may be. We like to think we are secure and isolated from the ravages of famine, disease and hunger but illness is infectious. No man is an island, particularly when it comes to viruses. People who are not motivated to support good health care for everyone out of a belief in access to health care as a human right, should be motivated by self-interest and the need to combat diseases before they become international epidemics.
One of the joys of Second Life is being able to wear completely impractical gowns that might not be impossible in real life, but would be highly improbable. Take the Dance in the Wind gown from Gizza, for example. You can teleport from place to place in Second Life, but in the real world, you would have to get that skirt to end all skirts inside a vehicle to go anywhere. Well, that won’t happen. So say you decide to walk the 4.8 miles to the ballroom, the dress is so full of life and so sensitive to every pulse of the wind, it’s like walking in the midst of a white tornado – so that won’t happen either. But in Second Life, you don’t have to worry about transport or being able to see where you’re going so you can wear an extravagantly flamboyant gown.
There’s eight full days more of Culture Shock and now that the initial mad rush has subsided, it’s a good time for the more leisurely shopping that comes with fewer people. Also with fewer visitors, the script gate is no more, so you can attend and wear your wizard hud, though you probably would have a better shopping trip without it.
One of the places you must stop by is R.Icielli where there’s jumpsuits and tops and shorts in a ridiculous number of colors and prints. It’s a rainbow and then a rainbow factory on top of it. I hopped over to a lovely sim to snap a few pics. You really have to see to believe the incredible variety.
One of the best things about moving into my houseboat has been redecorating and making the empty shell my own. I’ve been kitchen shopping but living on a boat, I find that space is a huge consideration and I just can’t throw in much of the furniture pieces I like because I don’t have space. BUT PRAISE SWEET LITTLE BABY JESUS Lisp Bazaar has the best kitchen on the planet AND it has a nautical theme, for sale at Collabor88. Continue reading
The Magician’s Assistant is not only a fabulous book by Ann Patchett, but an occupation you can explore in Second Life. Most magician’s assistants wear showgirl costumes with bodysuits, sequins and fishnets, but I went for a more practical and elegant solution with a gorgeous, low-cut jumpsuit from R.icielli for Culture Shock. Part of the role of a good magician’s assistant is to draw the eye, and with this much cleavage, the eyes will be drawn.
Continue reading
I was thrilled to be able to pair the mesh pants from MiaMai with the mesh tank from JANE. Finding pieces that work together, particularly from different stores, is often a chore. One of the great things about the top from Jane is that it offered a regular and wide hem. With the regular hem, the pants bled through in the back, but with the wide hem, the top stayed on the outside like it was supposed to. This gave me all the pleasure in having mesh that moved and looked good from all angles. The print pants from MiaMai are so rich and elegant – and your purchase supports the work of Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Continue reading
I love the fab retro print in this great dress from Chantkare for Culture Shock. It makes me think of the fun prints that were such a hallmark of the late 60s and the 70s. It’s a dress that could be worn by characters in this season of Mad Men. I shot the dress at a brand new sim. How new you ask? It opened on Friday!
It’s called Neva River and I predict you will be seeing many photos shot there as there are many charming set pieces that are perfect for taking pictures.
Essential is the word for Médecins Sans Frontières MSF (Doctors Without Borders) who, because they are independent of any government agenda, go where they are needed without fear or favor. One of the places they go is Cameroon where they provide critical work fighting drug resistant HIV, Buruli ulcers and cholera. You can help support this work with an expedition to Culture Shock.
One of the complaints my friends from Africa have voiced is that too often, all we hear from Africa is war, famine and disease. We don’t hear about the vibrant culture and the joy of Africa. A Cameroonian poet Emmanuel Fru Doh wrote about this in his poem Telling Africa. I think it is important that while supporting this essential work of MSF, we remember that the people they serve are more than their diseases, that they have a rich cultural tradition and a long history. That link will take you to a collection of Cameroonian poetry – a small window into the wider panorama of life there.