INTRODUCTION
What is Second Life? Find out more in this page.

Note
Click HERE to find out how to register, where to register and what to download to enter Second Life.

Second Life is an online virtual world which is akin to The Sims 2 meets ICQ. You're represented by an avatar whose gender, looks, features, body and all can be manipulated by you. This avatar comes with a preset look but if you know where to look, you can buy stuff to modify the looks like one do in real life. Fashion, make up and hair are big business in Second Life and there are plenty of places to shop till you drop. The currency in Second Life is known as Linden Dollar and USD1 is equivalent to about L$250 or so. You can buy Linden dollars or you can earn Linden dollars by working in Second Life.

Working in Second Life is called Camping. It is like a part time job. You can mop, garden, dance or basically just sit there to earn a small sum. The usual rate is L$2 for 10 minutes and the max can be from L$20 to unlimited amount. You will be logged off for inactivity so if you know how, you can try to get certain hacks or objects that will let you remain online even if you're away from your computer. In that case your avatar can sit the whole night and let the metre run, so to speak. You can also open your business by selling merchandise in your own shop or in a mall to earn some cash. There are many items available for free, or even for a very low sum like L$1 but the good ones are usually priced at L$300 and more thanks to its photo realistic design or looks. These are hair, clothes, skin and make up. Skins are usually caucasion although there are some good anime-ish skins available but for a very expensive price and to which you can't modify the looks which is pointless in my opinion. You will notice most avatars looks quite familiar but if you could, it is encouraged to change the looks to the looks of your choice. Whilst many may cynically say there aren't fat avatars, you are dead wrong. I have seen short, tall, mighty tall, fat and extremely alien looking avatars. I have even seen Optimus Prime walking around. Depending on which world you're in, you're bound to encounter even draculas, zombies and if you're lucky, an elf. These are mostly those involved in fantasy role playing world. However everyone is generally tall. I never knew how tall my avatar was until I had her measured and she was 6 feet 10 inches tall. And I am still quite short! But I changed it to a modest 6 feet 2 inches and added puffy cheeks since being too thin isn't very attractive looking.

There are many places in Second Life to visit. You travel between islands or what SL call regions by way of teleportation. And once in that place, you can walk, run or even fly from point A to point B. If you have a vehicle or a helicopter, you can even ride that vehicle or fly that helicopter. But that would mean you need to buy your own land since other owners will not let you place your vehicle on their land. Your friend can even teleport you to their location, only if you agree.

In Second Life, the places you go to can be owned by private citizens or by Second Life. Certain private citizens bar their lands from being entered but there are many public places. They can be restaurants with eating animation, swimming complexes, shopping malls, entire streets recreated like the real thing, beaches, gardens, fantasy realms, houses, museums, etc. You can rent a place to stay (and decorate it the way you want) or you can find free apartments. Whilst some of you may think it is a perfect waste of money to buy land, in my Miss-Adventures you will find some very beautiful places that you can't possibly visit as a real person. I won't be surprised someone will create a place like centre of the earth or Harry Potter world. How I wish...

You must remember every place is owned by someone. So even at a public place if you misbehave or for no particular reason your avatar can be booted out and banned. I recently received this shocker from the island known as Diaoyu Islands which I love to sit by the seaside, leave on for the night whilst I earn some meagre sum by camping and having the sounds of the waves hitting the shore, however not real that may be fill up my room every night. It was meditative and then suddenly one morning I woke up to see my avatar in a foreign land and when I tried to get back into the island I got the warning pop up window that said I was banned from that region. Now I was very angry why I was banned so I instantly messaged (or IM-ed) the founder twice and until now no explanation. I was booted out, banned and ignored for no apparent reason. Maybe he didn't like the look of my avatar, maybe he didn't appreciate the fact that I was camping night after night or in that one coincidence when I was sleeping he wanted to change the poseballs and saw me and when I didn't budge, he booted me out. But courtesy sake would dictate at least to entertain my messages and explain why instead of complete silence which gives me the impression you're welcomed on the island as long as you're welcomed. Feels rather superior for one party and like a convicted innocent for the other party. So be forewarned, never ever misbehave or even look annoying or even anything because you can be booted out anytime and never get back in. That doesn't stop you from creating another avatar but you can't transfer all your clothes to this new avatar. So the point is like in real life try to be obscure because that's the way to survive even in a digital world. The cruel reality of virtual reality.

I would like to point out that sometimes the Meet & Chat may be organised in Second Life. So please do join in the fun if any. But the system is frustratingly unstable. You will crash often, get logged out very often and freeze framed much too often. But other than that, the Second Life that Funn Jewell inhibits is a very interesting adult themed world.

The first time I arrived there under another name, I arrived at a lesbian community and without knowing what I was pressing, my clothes was gone in an instant. Being anatomically correct, even as an avatar I felt embarassed. As I grappled with the keys and shortcuts, I accidentally clicked on some other avatar who was having a conversation with another avatar and my very naked avatar was suddenly performaning a pole dance. I couldn't stop her and that lady on the other side was so annoyed, my avatar was banned, in all her naked glory into another much populated region. I tell you even as an avatar I can't cope with such level of nakedness so I logged out. But that region I was in had some free clothes and skin, so wanting to get back that look, I re-registered another name and this time got the keys right. That's when I realised I could be so gullible when I befriended someone (a guy, assuming he is a guy) and there's this feature call Offer Teleport where you can offer that desired person to teleport their original destination to your destination. I accepted the teleport without knowing where and guess where I ended? One massive orgy. Yes, a sex den. That was quite an experience because

a. an orgy my friend, an orgy;

b. I never expected technology to be so advanced that the virtual sex could be so real looking complete with various positions and items; and

c. imagine me, in an orgy, enough said.

I stayed for a while, you know me curious and that's when I know mature contents meant more than just anatomically correct avatars. But fascinating programming if you ask me, they even have a poseball called Love Scene and it begins with cuddling and ends up with you know what. Sex is big business even in Second Life and from what I can observe, there are many eager participants.

I logged out again and wanting to preserve my good name, I decided to re-register again as Funn Jewell. This time I got all things right except for that ermmm Diaoyu Islands incident. I did visit certain beach areas that were marked as mature content and yes those poseballs again but what to do? I want waves and I want to pose for bikini pictures and so I had to just live with the fact that sex is very public and very abundant in Second Life. This is one of the many reasons why I am reluctant to hold any meeting in Second Life with you guys. However I have met many people who introduced me to beautiful places without the need to see someone exhibiting themselves for the world which I will review in this site.

Then there's the other reason about clothings, probably the biggest business in Second Life. The way some avatars wear their clothes, it is as if if you can't express yourself in real life, you can at least express yourself in Second Life. My avatar's clothing is already quite hot, short skirts, healthy dose of cleavage but oh my, there were some walking around with nothing but a thong. Well you may say at least a thong. Yes women are quite show offs but there are bare chested male avatars as well. So far my avatar dresses in a way I never do nor could I in real life and I like most of the really genuinely original designs which can range from free to really expensive. Inflation is high in Second Life.

But then there are those who are genuinely keen on exploring the place as a different species altogether. Not long ago I became Optimus Prime and visited the headquarters and saw Megatron. I was also Bumblebee, fantastically designed and detailed avatars. Then there was the fairy land or elven land ala Lord Of The Rings where I was strolling with my backpack and there I saw a dwarf who was kind enough to give me directions. I saw people camping as noodle seller or gardener, I could see avatars suntanning, and great thing is you won't drown if you sit on the bed of the ocean floor looking at the fish swimming by. In Second Life you can be as ordinary as the real life or as extraordinary as you can imagine it to be. You can even surf, play the piano and sit looking depressed other than just sex, sex and more sex. So you see, after seeing such good things with Second Life and not seeing any good websites introducing Second Life from the viewpoint of a tourist/traveller, I decided to create this site and use Funn Jewell as a connection to this world. The system I suspect is continously evolving so some areas look cartoonish but some looks like a really good Disney animation, and all seems too good to be true. It can get lonely, since I am mostly alone and I have no friends so my biggest wish is that one of you guys will one day join me in Second Life for some picture moments. Like us strolling in Everwind, or looking the waterfalls in the SL Botanical Gardens, sunbathing on a beach, eating in a restaurant, flying a helicopter or even strolling hand in hand like some lovers (there are such cute poseballs, awesome stuff) along some gardens. Or even shop together. The potential of such picture moments is limitless. But my greatest desire is that we can hold a decent meeting in Second Life and all of us pose some model pose or however you like and I could snap some pictures. Call me obsessed since I know these I can do in real life but I love the idea of what I can achieve in Second Life.


If you're not too fussy, even without a single penny, you can explore Second Life since all places are free except for some. But after a while even as a male avatar and you see some dude in some ninja attire, believe me you would want to get that costume too. My obssession now is getting make up, decent looking make up for my avatar but it is too expensive and the camping is slow. However I am sure slowly but surely I can get my wish. Of course I am a cheapskate, not willing to pay for real. But the idea of using credit card, I'd rather not. In Habbo, at least I can SMS for Habbo coins. If only Second Life goes international and allows SMS for Linden dollars, I wouldn't have to camp out all night and incur high electricity cost. Are you listening Linden Lab? What about international co-ordination in terms of getting Linden dollars?

I really grow to love Second Life despite my disgust at how many times my computer hanged. There are many places to see and to get free stuff which may look cheap but is still wearable. Now you can even play detective in CSI: NY virtual world! True! But I didn't like it. Looks like underdeveloped and I hate trying to find clues when like the Malaysian tourist that I am, I am busy taking pictures. But imagine that, so will we see Harry Potter world? Imagine walking in Hogwarts like in those PS2 games. I can't wait!

The possibilities of Second Life is limited only to the creator's imagination and the power of ones' computer. Whilst the counter argument is "You don't have life meh? All so computer nerd one!", the actual thing is you must know basic computer stuff to enter Second Life, you must know how to type and type real fast to communicate and you must have the patience of a saint to just explore it. These are very good qualities to nurture and all for the price of your monthly broadband bill, you can meet people from all over the world. This is a form of communication and gathering and if that is considered no life, so is going to pubs every night and chatting up perfect strangers. It is essentially the same but the best thing about Second Life? You can always log off if you don't like that person. You can be as rude as you shouldn't be in real life or as polite as one should be in any worlds, virtual or otherwise.

So what are you waiting for? Whilst I am still the boring me virtual or real, it is the world that is worth exploring. Will there be a day that there will be a movie premiere in Second Life with stars' avatars walking down the virtual red carpet? We will never know.

I hope to meet you in there and please, please don't ever ban me for no apparent reason.

Regards,


29.11.2007

Note
Click HERE to find out how to register, where to register and what to download to enter Second Life.