MUSIC PROMOTION : Let The Phoenix Fly (new release) by Phoenix J

Musician Phoenix J (pictured above) has released a new album called "Let The Phoenix Fly", on October 14th this month! To listen to samples and buy it, simply click the link by the promotional brochure below.



http://phoenixj.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-phoenix-fly

Phoenix describes her style as improvised jazzy bluesy pop, rock, R&B and classical styles on songs from oldies to present day which she performs accompanied by piano or guitar which she plays herself.

An album beautifully made by the talented Phoenix J! http://phoenixj.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-phoenix-fly

Phoenix also will have a concert November 7th at Mondo's and again on December 5th same time
For more info ,please read the brochure below!

Please enjoy the album and congrats Phoenix J, a long time friend of ours at OI Magazine SL!
Also since it's October 31st, Happy Halloween everyone.


Check out 2 beautiful pictures done by OI Magazine SL photographer Kaley Fancypants of our client Phoenix J's avatar in the Second Life virtual world game, thank you Kaley! :

A Second Life Prodigy : Topaz Joubert

Written by Carmichael Caudron






This interview took place on July 15th.
Since the year 2009, Topaz Joubert aka Thelma Lay in real life, has been a prodigy in the Second Life™ virtual world, simply because she was one of few who managed to catapult her virtual digital magazine, MANIERA™ into a real life legitimate magazine just like any other in the real world we all normally read. Real life models, real life coverage of fashion shows, art events their real life reporters attend and ofcourse also real life advertisers which truly makes it worth it in the magazine business.

MANIERA even got nominated last year at the Digital Magazine Awards™ ceremony, amazing.

Throughout all this, she remains as humble and genuine as can be, a pleasure to be around.

I interviewed Miss Joubert via Facebook™ this Monday morning at 11 AM Pacific time for an hour, getting all the details of her journey that seems to have many more accomplishments to discover.

How did you discover Second Life?

"I first heard of Second Life by watching the show The Office™ and thought it was fictitious until I heard a few guys I worked with talk about virtual games . I became curious and decided to check it out."

MANIERA magazine was first noticed in Second Life before you made it a real life magazine, what made you want to start a magazine, do you have a background of being an editor in real life already or was this all first created in SL™ (Second Life)?

"Everything I learned about publishing and the magazine business , I have learned in Second Life. My background in RL is travel management. But what I found was useful with my real life background is always thinking on your feet.

I was not the founder of MANIERA, I was originally hired as a fashion editor . After the company was formed in SL and before the very first issue was released the owner stepped down and asked if I would take over.

Well, to answer your question. We put a lot of work to get the first issue together. We had everything just about done and when the owner stepped down. It was either trash it all or try to make a go for it.

We all decided we wanted to make it work."

Thelma Lay's Second Life avatar Topaz Joubert by G Photography.

What made you want to take a job as an editor in Second Life?

"I saw the job noticed posted for a stylist and thought it would be interesting , I think at that time I was in SL for approximately 9 months. I honestly thought it would be fun."

How on earth did you manage to make MANIERA into a reality in the real life publishing world? It is so rare and unheard of,seriously.

"Well, I think we were in our 2nd year in SL when we first starting talking about it. by the end of that year , I honestly felt where do we go from here? We put so many hours into the SL magazine, and I say "we" because it was not only me but NOx Deigan, Aphrodite Brianna, Lovelymiwacko7399 Menna and our former photo editor AtomicSparkle Skytower. I personally got to a point of either close it, sell it or see how far we can take it. I knew I just could not let it go because MANIERA became so much a part of my life.

So I talked to the team and its been amazing. They all trusted and believed in the vision . I honestly think, or should say I know , that this would have not been possible with another group of individuals."

Sweet! how did the transition come about? Did you have real life contacts or you got real life offers? Dish some (not all) secrets to our readers please :D

"Real life contacts definitely help but with this business I am finding its based on trust , building relationships. Yes, there were real life contacts, friends of friends and a good portion of reaching out to people and building a relationship.We all do our part , researching, networking , searching for new and interesting topics to cover. Our writers play a huge part in obtaining content for upcoming issues."

Thelma Lay on the cover of ManieraSL's Women issue (June 2012)

Awesome, if I am not mistaken your first real life issue was the one where you were on the cover?

"The edition with my picture on the cover was out SL Women's issue. That was the edition where we first announced we were going real life. We ran a real life preview edition and had a launch party in SL which I think is one of my happiest memories of SL. Our first official real life edition was released September 2012 with the Russian Designer Dmitry Loginov on the cover."

MANIERA's November 2012 issue, one of their best releases

November 2012: MANIERA PHILLIP TREACY FEATURE

MANIERA CHI ZHANG FASHION SPREAD

MANIERA LONDON FASHION WEEK

Taking a look back at the cover of October 2012

Some editions of real world Maniera including last month's cover of June 2013

Please tell us about yourself a bit.

"Hmm.. well, I am single , I live in Washington DC. I am a lousy cook . I wish I could say my life is all glamour and glitz but working on the magazine consumes all of my time. I am still trying to find the balance between work and leisure. Overall , I think I am pretty laid back, some may say too laid back or some may just disagree. Hell, I am still trying to figure it all out."

From a personal standpoint, I have always looked up to you. Remembering seeing the arrival of MANIERA on the scene in Second Life when I was actively publishing OI Magazine SL™ at the time back in 2009 and 2010. I even attended some of your workshop classes on publishing back then. I knew right away you would go far from the beautiful professional work you did but just how far I was pleasantly surprised! Having said that, what advice would you give beginners in the magazine world besides not giving up on their dream? Follow up question, MANIERA publishes 2 magazines a month, the real life one due today I understand and then the Second Life issue too, can you give us a sneak peek what they are about for which we will post the embedded links below for our readers to read.

"Thank you , so much for your kind words and as well for all the support you have given us. The real life magazine is monthly and we have moved the SL magazine to bi monthly. We had to make some touch decisions regarding our publications. We felt going bi monthly at this time was the best decision , to keep the quality to a certain standard. The real life magazine started growing at a fast rate , faster then we even dreamed about. We started to be noticed in the industry , mind you we were only in our 3rd publication when we made the finals of the Digital Magazine Awards™ and that is pretty unheard of. So with how great that was it also added tremendous pressure to the entire staff.

Well, I am excited for this issue , we love fashion but we also love new technology as well as science and I think this one has the right blend. We also this issue have a very special interview with Tobias Tobell director of the new thriller Confine which will have its international release. We are so fortunate to be able to get one of the first interviews with such an up and coming director.

For the Second Life issue which is now called MANIERASL™ we have a special edition featuring Mohna Lisa Couture™ and the new MLC Adriel Huntress™. Our July SL edition is a new twist on fairy tales.

Read it here at the MANIERA website (click hyperlink)

MANIERA JULY 2013 COVER

The best advice I can give anyone who is planning on launching a magazine in SL is to really think on why you want to and are you willing to devote the time. Also, decided on what magazine you want , what will make it different from the rest and look not only at SL magazines but real life ones as well to get a sense of design, content and layout."

Then the only way is up!  Thank you for your time Topaz, it is an great honor you deciding to let us interview you.

"Thank you.. it was an honor and once again Thank you Carmichael for all of your support . It means alot."


Update for 2014 :Topaz Joubert is hitting another milestone, she is going print in real life with Maniera and thus retiring what started it all ,the SL Maniera, congrats Topaz!

Her words on Facebook :
As you all know, last year we took on an unheard of step in launching a RL magazine. In such a short time, we saw how what was a pipe dream became reality - not just any reality, but a recognized and respected reality, but with that came some hurdles. One of which is one many here in SL can relate with: balancing SL with RL. I know many of you have seen how it has affected the SL side: halting the SL publication, less shows and less communication.
This is due to the fact we are redirecting our focus. In 2014, the RL MANIERA Magazine will be not only a digital magazine but also a print magazine, which will be carried in bookstores and newsstands around the US, Canada and Europe. Another major change is that while we will still carry international features, we will be more centered around the events, people and news makers in the Washington DC area. Washington DC is an ideal market for us and having a “home” location will not only build distribution and circulation but also build the brand.
The RL MANIERA has grown over the past year and is at a critical stage. We just finalized a working relationship with a business consultant who specializes in launching new magazines and circulation and distribution with existing magazines. We are fortunate to be working and guided by someone with over 30 years experience with magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Time and with Bob Guccione, Jr.owner of Penthouse launched SPIN magazine.
So, what does this mean to SL? After much discussion and some serious soul searching, we decided it is time to phase out the Second Life operation over the next few months. We will be contacting students holding unused vouchers to finish their courses, downsizing the sim and APR/MAR will be the last official edition of MANIERASL. We will not be closing down any groups as to retain the MANIERA brand in the SL community. Our RL staff will still be here in world to keep an eye on the brand as personal members of the SL community -- but not as MANIERASL. There may be opportunities for shows, just can't say when. I will, of course, understand if any of you feel the need to drop our groups. I will keep you posted on the timeline of events as they happen.
Aphrodite, Nox, Deep and myself want to deeply thank each and every one of you for the last five years. I know I have said this many times, but SL has changed my life in so many ways and each one of you have been a very important part in MANIERA. This is not goodbye, but instead a new journey for us. Ending a relationship - whether it’s business, romantic or friendship - may be sad, but remember it is not the end of the world but a chance for a new and better beginning. (end quote)

Rap Sensation Tomgirl From Japan Is Also A Star In Second Life™!

Written By Carmichael Caudron

2 glam pics of Tomgirl's avatar done by our photographer,kaley fancypants.

Japan is a country where if you make it big, you have realized your dreams.
Tomgirl™, a rap sensation from Japan did just that, starting back in 2003, driven to become a rapstar after being a backup vocal musician for various Japan pop groups.
With the help of a Nigerian composer, Udy Frank, she started her success in rap in 2005.

The exact start of her professional music career was 2005 November , when her song “Give It A Try”...was nominated for “Yokohama Music Award” in FM Yokohama, Japan’s one of main radio stations. Tomgirl got the second best prize thanks to the listeners’ vote, which led her regular appearance in FM Yokohama.

Rap is big in Japan too besides the United States of America or Europe and the artists are very versatile, rapping in various languages besides Japanese, doing it in English and even in Chinese.
With her first album “Tomography” released nationwide in June 2007, Tomgirl did just that collaborating with fellow music star MC Maira™.

Her most recent release on Dec. 24th 2011 , Tomgirl released her third album "Lady Samurai" in downloading format. The album hit No 1 position in Amazon.co.jp download hiphop album category.

OI Magazine SL™ took notice and had the pleasure to meet with Tomgirl in Second Life ,a virtual world to discuss her expanding success in this virtual world what we call the future of the internet and unlimited potentials to come how musicians like Tomgirl and other world sensations have used it to advertise their real world success to millions of internet gamers from all over the world, in Tomgirl's case , making fans outside of Japan!

Her glamorous promotional pictures are as beautiful and "kawaii"(Japanese word for cute, adorable, pretty) as expected, the radiance of a rap star.
We met on a Saturday afternoon inside of the virtual world after making an appointment to meet there with communications via her official Facebook page.

Our interview starts.
"Konnichiwa Tomgirl", Thank you for meeting with us at OI Magazine SL.
How did you discover Second Life?



2 Nice real life photography promos of rapper, Tomgirl

"I had a producer who made several hiphop tracks for me. He urged me to perform in Second Life. That's how I got to know second life. So firstly I went to his house to perform.", she replied.

Do you perform by request or do you have a schedule?
"Since the first performance went very good, I wanted to do the broadcasting from my house. So I invested my money in expensive PC parts so that the PC I build up is fast enough to do SL™ (Second Life)", she continued. "Since then I kept on my regular show for about 3 years even though the producer quit his activity in SL. At the same time some of my SL audience started to invite me to his/her place and asked me to perform, which I also am thankful."
"As far as concert schedules, I both had scheduled gig and at the same time people requested me to perform."

Your English is excellent, you also rap in English, did you learn English in school or were you raised speaking English because I read in your Facebook bio that you once lived in the United States?

Tomgirl performing in Second Life (from Tomgirl's Facebook)

"I went to US when I could not speak English. But the hiphop tracks that my host brother was playing in his room hit me like a thunderbolt in 94. Since when I came back to Japan I started to buy lots of hiphop CDs and started to copy rap music exactly like Coolio™, Salt N' Pepa™ and other 90s rapstars were doing. That was how I evolved my English skills. But at the same time my high school provided the higher English education than other schools & my mom was an English teacher so I could always go ahead of the curriculum that also must be part of the reason."


Your rap music is really good, I listened to Lady Samurai and Player, do you write your own lyrics? What do you mostly like to rap about?
 "Yes I write my own lyrics. I'm glad you liked the messages in my songs, too. I express my message to boys in those 2 songs. In 'Player' I sing about boys who have two names, two cell phones, several chicks to play around and never commit to one girl. The message is similar to TLC™'s "No Scrubs". This song is favored by lots of female fans. In "Lady Samurai", I deliver messages to foreign guys who have fixed images to Japanese girls as nice, rich and obedient."

Pictured above are the cover photography of her 3 published Cd's in real life.
To our readers at OI Magazine SL, Tomgirl's music Cd's "Lady Samurai"(2011) , "Give it a try"(2005) and "Tomography"(2007) are available at this online store (click hyperlink). The albums and songs also available in iTunes Music Store. Spread the word!

Ok, continuing our coverage of this gorgeous female rapper we told her we were so excited to interview a real life star who made an account in the Second Life virtual world, our second time a OI Magazine SL so far to have the honor to have done this, our next question was how it felt when she first saw she became successful and what the first thing was that she bought to spoil herself.
Humbly, Tomgirl answered , "Honestly the first moment I thought I earned money with my music was when I won a 2 million yen (about 20,000 dollars) scholarship from one company to make my dream come true. But that money vanished quickly by my activity trying to print CDs, shooting PVs, hit ads and pay for my dancers. Everyday was another struggle after a success. And I don't feel that I came to my goal till today, which motivates me more. But one thing I learned is I should keep investing to my music from the money I earned from music because it surely paid back to me. Never buy a sexy sport car out of your music earnings if you want to keep on going with your dream job."
"And as far as in Second Life, the first thing I bought out of my SL earning was a stage costume from SL boutique, because I know I cannot look the same on 2 stages to impress the audience everytime.

That is great advice, and also I saw on your Facebook update that you are expecting! Are you having a boy or girl is its secret still? Congratulations!
"I will have a boy in mid August. This is my first baby and I am so excited!"

Thank you so much for meeting with us, Tomgirl ,it is a true honor.
"It was an honor for me to get interviewed from a famous editor in SL, too. Thank you for choosing me as your article subject. And thank you for the congrats to my baby", Tomgirl replied.


Here are some additional nice pictures including one of her on maternity leave, borrowed from her official Facebook page, a truly beautiful and successful woman, enjoy!

a promo in Second Life virtual world for one of her concerts

TomGirl beaming expecting her first child

She also Dj's in Second Life

Nice glam real life promo



Tomgirl's article translated in Japanese!

http://ameblo.jp/tomgirlweb/entry-11572399439.html



Update August 31st! :

Nice update : Tomgirl told me she had her baby August 14th. Congrats ! :)

Our fb convo :

Carmichael Caudron
Hey tomgirl I saw your baby on twitter! Beautiful and congratulations
Thursday at 9:44pm
Tomgirl
Hi Carmichael. Yes my son was born on Aug. 14th. Thank you for your message. I am feeling great to be come a mom.
Yesterday at 1:04am · Sent from Web

Update December 5th! :

Tomgirl posted a new song featuring the birth of her son on Facebook, check it out below from this proud momma! Enjoy.

[Tomgirl's Facebook quote]I'd appreciate your feedback and sharing to your friends. 感想コメント、シェア歓迎いたします
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkOl0EDxH0Q

Entrepreneur, Stacy Mosely Talks Business, Life & Charity.

Written by Carmichael Caudron

Glam picture of Stacy Mosely done by our photographer Kaley Rae Fancypants.

Few people in Second Life™ are as driven as Stacy Mosely, our client this time at OI Magazine SL.
She is the owner of 2 companies, acquiring one recently this year, VMS aka Virtual Music Services™ publication, previously owned by Jay Hurikan. She manages several live singing acts and on top of that also works as a photographer and machinima artist.

We will highlight her career up until now and take a look inside the mind of this dedicated entrepreneur of what she is willing to share ,what made it all happen into who she is today, who is by her side and what further plans she has stored in her journey in our virtual world online community.


Charity...

You must be tired, Stacy coming from the event yesterday. I read in some notices that you were promoting Brixton Canning and Jessy Davidson , could you tell our readers more about it?

Stacy: "To be honest, every day is pretty much chaotic. Not only the venue grand opening last night but I also had a performer singing the hour before the opening. So dealing with rl and then coming inworld to make sure notices get sent out, the performer has what they need, the venue has what they need then being at the show to monitor their stream, make sure sound is right and things are going as they should. Play hostess to their shows and answer the dozen IM's that always come through during performances about the performer, then running to VMS Club Neuro™ to get things ready for the first performer in about 5min or less before stage time, pretty nuts.
Actually it was so crazy yesterday that I was at all the events in an evening gown with no shoes.
SL was not cooperating with notices, my bot that sends out groups notices inworld about performances wasn't working right, I was writing 3 different sets of notices and never got shoes on!

Picture of the event taken by Stacy, with Jesse Davidson playing the guitar



Brixton Canning also appears in this shot, taken by Stacy Mosely

The VMS Club Neuro, is that your club?

"Yes, it's the collaborative work between VMS™ and The Guardian Spirit Transitions™ (GST) sim. It's a group working with autistics inworld. They use SL to help teach social and personal skills in a non-threatening environment. Hoping people can take what they learn gradually to their real life."


That is very cool, what kind of club is it and when did you establish this collaboration and what made you interested in doing so?

"It's a tips only venue, the main goal is a place where any performer can play. They don't have to be one of "the famous" to have a place to sing. A place for just musical enjoyment and help with bringing awareness of Autism to everyone. What it is, who these people are and how to understand.
when I took over VMS, the first thing I did was eliminate the venue. It was never prosperous and the cost was ridiculous. Venues really don't make money but what was being paid out vs return was beyond bad.There was some flack from some performers over it, who had had regularly scheduled (paid) gigs there. The more I started thinking about it, the more I thought would be nice one day to re-open but with better thought put into the operating.
Marcus, the owner of the GST group and sim approached me about their group and if I were interested in re-opening on their sim, rent free, with a tip split to the sim for the venue
after lots of thought and discussion, we came up with the plan - Club Neuro was a club they had had years ago and we decided to keep the name and go with it from there ... thus we now have VMS Club Neuro back on the grid
It's not a fund raising venue, that's not the goal. Any venue tips are appreciated but we don't use it as a fund raising venture. Just a place to hang, have fun, listen to some music and meet some extremely interesting people."

The promo for the Club Neuro grand opening event

Did Marcus come up with supporting Autism, a very noble case btw or did you both decide on it?
 
"Marcus is autistic and has been doing this for many many years. He's a published writer and loud proponent of all things Autism. It is his guides that are being used on the sim as training tools. He founded a rl non-profit foundation years ago based on his work and brought it into SL as a means to reach more people, services and support at no cost to anyone - minus sim tier fees.
There are a lot of supposed non-profit focused groups and sims in sl, all looking for handouts and fund raising under the pretenses of some rl foundation. The Autism Society of America™ does not have a true group inworld that is governed by their standards and guidelines yet. There are those who claim to be but the funds donated never leave SL and make it to the foundation. We're hoping to fix that."



Business....


You mentioned taking over VMS™, when did you buy it? Follow up, what made you interested in buying VMS?

"Well that's an interesting story.. short version - I'd been working with Jay as Chief Editor for about 9 months or so and he came to me one day frustrated and said he was giving up VMS, going to do something different because he wasn't having fun anymore. This happens to everyone in sl over time. So I offered to take it. That's pretty much how it came to be. We've reorganized, made some changes to the website, added to the magazine page and are doing very very well."



That's great. Looking over at your profile I noticed you are also the co-owner of Krypt Keeper Media™, tell us more about it please, what is it about?

"It's a group that my partner (Kessryll Stormcrow) and I put together, originally for the inworld machinima that we filmed - should point out that it is adult oriented material and the photography work that I do. We were very involved with it for a while and I do still photo work when asked or if the mood hits, but like most "hobbies" in SL, it's fallen to the wayside for the most part.
We enjoy building sets and poses for them for photo work, we have an MP store where we sell the custom poses really cheap after the photo shoots are done. We prefer making our own because of the uniqueness and ability to make what we want how we want, rather than use someone else's pose and make my set fit them."

logo of VMS

logo of Krypt Keeper Media

Did you start out as a machinima artist and photographer in SL before doing publishing and music management?

"Yes, we also do a lot of our own building and I make textures as needed. The music management came into play because my partner is a live performer inworld - Stormcrow."



Life....

Oh yes, I noticed you were partnered to Stormcrow, may I ask how did you guys meet?

"We met in SL, friend of a friend kind of introduction and literally just hit it off instantly.. love at first pixel."
*Smiles*
"He really wasn't singing much inworld and just didn't have a strong management base so I took over. That was almost 2 years ago. It just took off from there. Meeting the most amazing people just inspired me to get more and more involved."


That's so nice to hear, how long have you been together?

"We had some rough times and split up for a few months but we've been back together and partnered now for a year and 1/2."

past promo of Stacy's partner, live singer Kessryll Stormcrow

I always ask our clients this,because it is so interesting to know, how did you discover SL and what was your first wow moment here as a noob?

"LOL...omggg...sooo long ago! I actually saw it on an episode of CSI like a million years ago and decided to check it out. I think that was maybe 7 years ago now, maybe 6...lost track. But I was instantly hooked and have been here since in some for or another. On my 3rd AV and last.
And initially, every moment was a WOW moment and even now I am still Wow'd fairly regularly.
Haha...I googled...appears to be 2007 when that episode aired."



Contacting Stacy Mosely, VMS...

Great. In closing could you let our readers know what they should do if interested in contacting VMS and how they can stay updated on your future projects there?

"Well the best way to stay in touch with us inworld is to join the VMS group - we have around 600 in the group now. We dont spam! Notices are 99% about VMS updates on the web or major goings on on the grid.
We also have the Facebook™ page where same things are posted and a twitter account
and there's a VirtualMusicServices page that allows for everyone to post upcoming shows and anything live performer related on the grid.
VMS is not just about the VMS Venue, we want to promote all live performers, venues and anything performance related in SL. We don't charge for our write ups or reviews. We average about 12k or more hits a month on the site so great place to advertise - those we charge for but very affordable compared to other online advertising options for inworld marketing."

https://www.facebook.com/pages/VirtualMusic-Services/164576940263986
https://www.facebook.com/groups/virtualmusicservices/
http://virtualmusicservices.com/vmsmagazine/
https://twitter.com/Vmusicservices

"The first link is the main group to LIKE on FB, 2nd is the group to join and post in and last is the magazine website itself."
This concludes our interview of Stacy Mosely of VMS in Second Life, thank you for reading, feel free to comment and recommend this article to others, my name is Carmichael Caudron, reporting for OI Magazine SL.

Life Talk Adult Counseling Services™ Makes Its Entrance In Second Life™

Written by Carmichael Caudron

Surfing through Facebook™ last Sunday afternoon I came across Life Talk Adult Counseling Services™ page and saw the inspiring posts left by its founder, Sabrina Hannu aka sabrinaxox​o hannu, her avatar name in Second Life™.


Life Talk Adult Counseling Services, LTACS for short in this interview, a non profit organization was created by Sabrina and her best friend and business partner, kataluna Quinnell.




logo of LTACS

How did you meet I asked."Kataluna and I met at a club in SL and I had IM'd her asking where she had bought her outfit.  We both have a love for shopping so we clicked right away.  I have known her for a few years now and she is the sweetest person I know alive, also very smart." Sabrina answered.

Glam shot of Sabrina's avatar done by our photographer Kaley Rae Fancypants ({g} Photography)

When asked how it came about creating LTACS, Sabrina told me "We started throwing ideas at each other probably about 4 or 5 months ago and that night I was pumped up about starting it that I had started to create a blog and Facebook page and we talked about how we would run it, and that it'd be free because helping people is something that makes us feel good and we aren't greedy like some. I am doing this for the sake of others in the time of need. We decided to start this because we seem to always have friends coming to us for advice and we have been through a lot. So I have always loved helping others by sharing my experience with them. We both realized how many people came to both of us just to talk, or vent, or just need some help with life. When we realized that I sort of joked around saying maybe we could save many SL relationships. That's where the idea of marriage counseling came in, then decided to broaden it to a more diverse population."


Relationships seemed a big interest for LTACS to their clients. The advices left on the Facebook page are very uplifting. Wondering if and why she encouraged SL relationships, she replied "Well SL relationships are a lot harder to maintain than in RL.  A lot more trust is involved but every couple has their own rules set and ideas of what they want.  It is just to find that other half that wants the same.  I have tried and failed many times. With every failure you learn a lesson.  I encourage it but be cautious."

Lovely RL pic of Sabrina Hannu!

LTACS has existed for a few months and is in process of also making its debut in form of a blog, I wondered what the best way was for clients to contact her and Kataluna when they need to talk.
"Best way right now is by our Facebook group (click hyper link).Then as I finish our blog I will be keeping the page updated about that."


Sabrina told me she had a few hours before she headed to work in real life, so I went deeper into our conversation mentioning at OI Magazine SL we were familiar with counseling groups as our co founder Krissy Sinclair had founded Survivors of Suicide group in SL.
Asking her if she was familiar with depression issues and if she was including that into her services, she took a pause and replied "Depression hits home for me.  I would support it 100%.  I have lost a loved one a few months back for this very reason who was my inspiration, my brother in real life.....  Even in hard times myself, I still find I feel better helping others.  As I heal, I find ways to cope and continue on in life in a positive manor and if I can share that conception about grief I hope it spreads to others.  To let them know that everything happens for a reason. As we don't have a cure all we can do is show our support to those who need someone they can trust and know that we really do care."

Sorry to hear that, Sabrina. My condolences. "Thank you."


With the recent rise for civil rights finally in LGBT groups and couples, many LGBT people in SL also look for their life partner and take it to real life in many cases. I asked Sabrina what her opinion was of the movement finally happening in our era and if she supported and included it in her counselings in SL. "Yes definitely, all are welcomed. We are all the same, a human being looking for someone to love and appreciate them.  If they find someone who makes them happy and it happens to be the same gender then so be it."


How long have you been in Second Life and what do you hope to see Second Life develop into or are you happy with the way it is? Follow up, who introduced you to SL ,how did you find it?
"Well I was in a previous virtual game called Vside™, and the group of friends I had there we heard about Second Life.  We realized how much more freedom there was and a lot more to do.  So as a group we all joined SL.  I have been in SL now for just over 3 years, and it has grown lots.  I still find neat sims and I am always learning new things to build or create.  I do hope to see it improve a little more quality wise as we all know as "Lag" it can get pretty bad sometimes :P, " She smirked.


Who designed your logo on Facebook and how did it come about?
"I came up with it myself.  I wanted something simple I didn't want to be known as an artist so I didn't want a fancy logo.  After a few hours of me being picky I came across this one I liked. As a Facebook group I use inspirational pictures as most can relate to using Facebook to generalize some topics that have come up to talk as a group."


We came to a close of the interview with Sabrina's parting words "I am no professional, no degree in counseling I am only here to provide my opinion.  I would like to see myself as someone who can try my best to help others sort through any hard time in life.  I haven't been married but I will help sort out fights, or life questions, grief is very popular as I have been through it I can provide exercises and activities to help cope."

Great words, to support or contact Life Talk Adult Counseling Services, please contact Sabrina directly at her Facebook page listed earlier in the article where you can contact her business partner as well and remember Life Talk Adult Counseling Services is a free service and client issues remain confidential.
Thank you for reading our article, feel free to leave comments and please let others know about this, my name is Carmichael Caudron, reporting for OI Magazine SL.


Update July 10th, Sabrina just designed her blog and it's ready to be viewed at this link:
http://sabrinaxoxo.wix.com/howtodeal#

Celebrity DJ A.F.I. talks about Secondlife

Written by Carmichael Caudron



Introduction of a real life celebrity in Secondlife™......

beautiful promo glamour shot of DJ A.F.I

DJ A.F.I™ is a celebrity DJ and TV star aka Aubry Fisher (A.F.I stands for Aubry Fisher Ink).
Aubry who has starred in 2 reality shows TLC'S LA INK™, and VH1'S ROCK OF LOVE 2 ,also has upcoming movie projects in the works in Hollywood (Los Angeles) where she resides.
In this interview we will be looking into the past 2 years of her life , where she has visited a virtual reality game called Secondlife.
Many other celebrities have visited Secondlife (SL™) such as Duran Duran, real world companies such as Mercedes Benz™ and along with another estimated 10 million visitors at home have either made an account or live their "second" lives daily on this wonderful virtual reality.

It's not everyday at OI Magazine we have the honor to write an article on a real life celebrity so I was very excited.
I had the chance to talk to her on the phone as well as chat with her avatar in SL.

Along with the details of our conversation, lets look at her journey in SL thus far....

Family in SL....

Rain, Maddox and DJ A.F.I in Secondlife

On Facebook™ she has a professional page and an SL page for her profile and besides listing her DJ schedules , she proudly shows off her friends she made in SL and especially her SL family. To those less familiar with the virtual world, you can do as you would in the real world, after creating your avatar you can create your own first and last name, a career, design, rent a home,anything including raising a family and Aubry is doing all that.
In there she connected with the avatar Maddox Dupont, a native from Australia in real life,a well known hair,fashion and shape designer in Secondlife who owns KMADD & Mad Designs™ with whom she is raising a family that includes her simulated SL children, Rain, Paige,Lucas,Faith,Tana and their furry pet avatar,Andu.
Rain, Paige, and Lucas are all toddledoo (toddler/baby clothing) designers of which Rain has established an online store at Marketplace at this link https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/125519

DJ A.F.I in Secondlife with family and friends

The meeting of her first SL child named Rain is a deep genuine love story Aubry told me,who in real life is a 20 year old girl who roleplays Aubry's daughter in the game.It was something she had never experienced before, filling the void of not having had kids yet in her real life and finding it here in SL.

Rain in turn considers Aubry her surrogate mother as well as they both have established that deep unbreakable connection. They Skype™ almost daily, talk on the phone and Aubry mothers Rain like she would her real child, it was pretty touching hearing her speak in this way of her close friend from SL.

Meeting Maddox Dupont was also a love story on its own where she tells me one day she just imed him and said, "You are hot,I want to go on a date with you!"

Maddox replied and sparks flew in the game where they have been together ever since.


Designing SL fashion....

AFI Argyle UK Tank Top

AFI Boho Elephant Halter Dress

Recently Aubry has also just begun her own fashion clothing line in SL which she named A.F.I Designs™. She creates mesh clothing designs, male rock designs and female boho (hippy) designs with majority of the textures handcrafted by her.
That day I had met her earlier at one of her homes in the game with my own avatar where she had invited me over to ask me and one of her friends there for our opinion of some of her latest male mesh designs, where she was dressed as her male avatar displaying the clothing.
You can find her store at this link https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/125520 and to buy one of her items you need to register an account and exchange your currency into Lindens which is a very quick and simple process.


Djing in Second Life.....

promo made for her Secondlife DJ sets

The main clubs DJ A.F.I. spins at regularly in Secondlife are club Ambrosia, Rez, I love the 80s, Grind, BAD and Toontopia.
Aubry tells me she is also friends with Phil Kearny who is the owner of Ambrosia, Rez, Grind, and BAD. She continues "He has made a major impact on my game and life and I love him dearly as a friend. He has become a confidant and has been there for me through everything. He is very compassionate and motivating and a very caring friend. I owe him a lot. He pushes me and makes me a better person both in RL and SL ".

She has fliers for each event at the clubs and promotes them on Facebook or in the game (inworld)

DJ A.F.I djing in Secondlife

I asked Aubry what brought her to Second Life to DJ and roleplay plus how secondlifers perceived her being here from her RL celeb status.

"I saw it on HBO, I thought it looked so cool with 3D animations and I tried it out and found I could DJ on it as well.Been there ever since" she answered.

"Overall the acceptance was great" , she told me "but a few people did hate on me being here as they thought only normal everyday people with everyday problems as they put it,should be in the virtual world, to which I said I have as much right to be here as the next person, my status has nothing to do with it, I'm human and have the right to the same escape,relaxation and journey SL offers its players".

Couldn't have been a better answer,I thought and her answer definitely silenced her haters.

As to managing her Second Life keeping it in balance is her manager who checks on her from time to time logging in with his own avatar, who she on multiple times,ejects from her home she told me when he gets too intrusive hahaha.

past real world promo where Aubry performed

Validation was also an issue for Aubry, she tells me "When people saw my avatar, they always seemed to question my identity if I really was who I said I was, so one day I webcammed live during a set in the real life club to put the rumors to rest that I was faking who I was".She has since done several webcam shows as it was naturally well perceived by the audience in SL.

Next I asked if she has told her real life friends, colleagues and family about secondlife .

"In my real facebook I have a picture folder called Second Life, they are aware of it and it's definitely no secret"

The 108 pound 5 foot 6 blonde beauty then told me she enjoys promoting her SL but it is a lot of work as she is very busy with Djing in her real life career while trying to handle her secondlife audience at the same time but she does it because she loves it and she's paid well too for doing it.

She then gave me this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1CpojXrd2w (or see the embedded video we provided above) of her birthday party back in August last year she shared in SL on video listed on Youtube. Needless to say the event was grand and even a Linden employee attended which is rare in SL.Linden employees are people employed by Lindenlab™,the makers of the virtual world of Secondlife who have their own avatars and make sure everything goes smoothly inworld.
She tells me she has befriended several Linden employees now, who enjoy her events and periodically visit her sets!


Photography, Photoshop artist......

Photoshop Photography by DJ A.F.I

example of her client photography work

Photography is another one of Aubry's passions in real life that she is exploring in SL too using Adobe Photoshop™,she is very good at it may I add having seen her work, very skilled.You can schedule an appointment with her if you wish to hire her for any photography work,simply leave her a message inworld or via Facebook to set it up.

In closing......

As the clock turned 5 o'clock in the AM, our phone conversation winded down as I heard her yawning and ofcourse I couldn't keep a lady up this late, I thanked Aubry for her time and hospitality and being so open with me.A great experience for me as a writer in Second Life.

Don't expect to get her phone number out of me though when we talked because even I don't know it, it was blocked on my caller ID as her manager would go crazy if she hadn't made that precaution which I completely understood.

Real Life DJ bookings..........

Thank you for reading our article of celebrity DJ A.F.I (Aubry Fisher) exploring the virtual world called Secondlife.

You may join her group in SL named DJ A.F.I. Fans

Like her SL Facebook page to stay updated on her DJ gigs WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/RLDJAFI 

Like her real world Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-AFI/114614045270863?fref=ts

Also find her websites at WWW.LADJAFI.COM and https://soundcloud.com/BOOKINGTHEDJ
Follow these links to either book her services in real life or in Secondlife.

 

 

  

OI Magazine presents: Valora Al Nahyan & Her Music Video Debut of "Public Health"

Written by Carmichael Caudron





(Parental discretion Advised)Video of the event turned into a music video of Valora's hit record "Public Health"
Video made by Dzinwiz Babii for OI Magazine:




Details:
Was organized by OI Magazine owner,Carmichael Caudron

The hip hop event with socialite Valora Al Nahyan took place on Friday August 17th at 4 pm SLT  :D in Secondlife™

It was a great success where Valora and her crew attracted over 50 avatars on the sim!
Thank you to all those who came and partied with us!


Location of the event was this SLURL http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/San%20Jose%20East1/157/33/417

promotional poster of Valora Al Nahyan for the OI Magazine event (designed by Sicelle Daines)

This promotion is also seen in the August issue of LEVITY Magazine (after the publisher's journal):

Open publication - Free publishing - More business

Some pictures of the concert!

the city around the concert build by Apple Fall and Valora

more of the ny like city around the concert

Backstage by Valora

concert still shot by mery coldambitionz's facebook profile

another shot by mery (started raining but the artists and fans soldiered on!)

fight water with.....fire!...and dance :D

nipslip! oh no FCC will fine us!