Breathe of Life

Uich gwennen na ‘wanath ah na dhín.
An uich gwennen na ringyrn ambar hen.
Boe naid bain gwannathar,
Boe cuil ban firitha.
Boe naer gwannathach, [...]

You are not bound to loss and silence.
For you are not bound to the circles of this world.
All things must pass away,
All life is doomed to fade …
Sorrowing you must go, [and yet you are not without hope].

How the time is fleeting. Recently somebody reminded me that he lives in Second Life for the whole of thousand days. Surprisingly, I am also here more than these thousand days. Is it many or few? It is a question. Definitely, I would not want to do here some recapitulation of my being in SL, rather to remind or to remember the distant and past things that has happened me. I would not want to repeat too much, because I wrote here about many things once yet, so only several notices.

Birth of a city was one big adventure. When Vilem Beaumont gave a space on the sim named after mythic vaporous island Avalon, Bohemia city was born there. Some community of great and interesting guys appeared around this city. In some time, the city was moved to own sim – Czechoslovakia – and The Old City is actually Bohemia’s heart. Only informed people know how it was and anyway for me they have certainly nice remembrances of these days and of Club Paradise, where it really lived. The thematic parties have not repeated anymore.

It is Angara’s fall and then its rebirth. It is Angara that then disappeared in time again. Angara is next catching point of my wandering in SL. Angara, where Club Paradise came back in other look and with other name. Angara, where the most beautiful dragon was made and created (in my private opinion). Angara, where you could buy stylish clothing, which is selling now under PXD Toxic label. Angara broken into a sand of a desert.

The Lost Gardens of Apollo I have not even to introduce. They belong to the most beautiful sims in SL. I never stopped to feast my eyes on its beauty, its high towers, trees, flowers, birds and many other magic things. You can only stay on the bridge above the sea and only to look around and to hear.

Breathe of Life.

(Source: YouTube)

Dejà vu

So, did you ever have some feeling? You are somewhere. You look about yourself. You feel something. As if … I have been here sometimes. I have seen it yet. The remembrances are coming. Anyway like there is sunrise each day. Anyway like my alarm clock rings by my bed and I do not want to get up each day. Anyway like I do my everyday ritual, the ritual of washing, dressing or stripping, toilet, wash my hands, water in a teapot and then? Clicking of my key in my lock and all is open to the whole world.

There is some column, the column as a reminder of something. The old remembrances are coming from my memory. Was it one or many columns? Oh yes, I know. There is a long way runs somewhere, somewhere into a city center, a monumental entrance. All this was it. These two columns stand at beginning of entrance to the San Marco square in Venice in Italy. They present Venice's two patrons, Marco and Todaro, that stand by the water's edge: on them are the lion of Saint Mark and the statue of Saint Teodoro of Amasea, "Santodaro" to the Venetians, who is standing on the sacred crocodile of Egypt. One legend says (many tourists do not know it) that it is not good to walk between these columns, because it brings bad luck. The convicts were taken this way and after the crossing of the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte di Sospiri) they were locked in their jail cell in the infamous prison with the leads chambers.


...
Then the atmosphere changed as the faint, ethereal beat of clapping, palm just brushing palm, seeped through the silence. From one man came the sound of fingers sweeping across strings. From another emanated a deep and plaintive wail that soon flowed into a song. The rasp of his voice matched the roughness of the place and the ruggedness of his pockmarked face. Only the singer and his troupe understood the obscure patois, but the audience could sense the meaning. Love had been lost.

(Passage from the novel The Return by Victoria Hislop)

It was the atmosphere of one burning day. I took one cup of coffee and one glass of wine under the beautiful sky of Barcelona. First time I saw and also heard it totally elsewhere and in other country. In year 2000, the Picasso’s museum had opened in Münster, Nord Rhein-Westphalen, Germany. There are Picasso’s graphics there. This day and night belong to the celebration of his homeland Spain. If the darkness came down, the square in front the museum had filled with eagerly waited people, until he come. The air was headily full of different smells and noises. The grilled gambas (giant prawns) tasted fantastic and red wine from Rioja fast rose into head. Some guitar sounded and he appeared in the stage – Miguel Vargas and his compañía. It was first time that I saw and experienced flamenco.

For the second time I met him in Barcelona after many years. I was there at some international conference. In the frame of opening reception, the organizers invited a group of players, singers and dancers. It was again flamenco, but another. It did not suit here in this big hall space. Nevertheless, it enchanted me again.

For the third time it was another. In the evening after sunset, we walked the most beautiful, at least for me, boulevard of Barcelona – La Rambla Street (or Catalonian Les Rambles, Spanish Las Ramblas. This street connects the square called Plaça Catalunya and the Christophe Columbus at Port Vell. Here it was really another. Lots of people in the street, a lot of light, music and smells from cafes and bistros around and even here people danced. By chance we bumped into some flamenco dancer in one arcade. It was something other there. This dance was half-naked, which is, I think, against the rules, but here evidently something hung in the air. The young man danced with big passion, his sweat descended on his body that shined in the glare of spotlights like see water in the midday sun. His dance totally fascinated me; he led me into his story. It suddenly began and then after several minutes it ended. It was raw and animal. Almost I grasped for my breath by excitement. Finally it sounded festive olé.

We walk onward in this street, but the pictures of this dancer were running through my head. At once, cool breeze blew on my face. We came to the sea.

Dejà vu.

SLurls: The Beach Club, Barcelona del Oeste

Groove

The word “groove” has many meanings in English. It could be the groove on a gramophone disc, but who knows it today in the era of CDs, mp3, mp4, etc. It is also a term for music rhythm in pop, jazz, funk, rock music, power groove, vision or soul. Or it is a synonym for "cool". Sometimes we say: "It was a groove." This last meaning of “groove” in verb form is that I have in my head. To rejoice in something, to be happy and contented, to be enthusiastic about something.

However, sometimes we need some silence and humility. The world around us and inside us is accelerating with such high speed that we do not feel in everyday life. The small church (or is it a chapel?) is shining in red sun and is luring to visit. I have also succumbed to temptation, have entered and have sat on one of the banks. The sunlight has penetrated through the high gothic windows and I did not want to leave.

Nevertheless, I have stood up and have gone to explore the new terrain. Longer stony road has taken me to a vast castle, of which sharply cut features have come into view against the sky. And if the dark has fully descended, so only vague silhouettes of small houses in castle neighborhood have flashed there.

Next day I have wandered on long and empty plain. To my surprise I have seen some building in the light of the new sun. It has stood there lonely in the middle of nothing such a solitaire in a big garden. I have let it with its calm and loneliness and have continued forward.

Sun has achieved the highest point of its way and I have settled for a small shade and cool touch of the breeze form the see. Maybe the lighthouse will switch on its big light eye and will allure …

---

But now back to the reality, respectively virtual world. This babblement here at the beginning has some base in homonymous sim in Second Life. Although it is called Groove, generally we call it “The City by the Friends”. It offers several possibilities of an economic character, an accommodation and an entertainment like the other sims in SL. You can rent some shop space, room in a hotel or in one in the old cold castle with some fireplace to warm or some house with two floors. Enjoy also the local gallery, the movie theater or the dance club.

"To be, or not to be there, aye there's the point? And where? And how much is cost?", if I paraphrased the Shakespeare’s text of Hamlet.

So:

SLurl: Groove

SLurl: Hotel
Equipment: two rooms and bathroom
Prize: 50 L$/week
Number of prims: 50

SLurl: Castle
Equipment: one room with style bed and fireplace
Prize: 50 L$/week
Nember of prims: 35

SLurl: House
Equipment: two rooms, security system
Cena: 75 L$/week
Number of prims: 50

Shop rent (the most shops are located in the middle of sim)
Prize: 50 L$/week
Number of prims: 30

IM contact: albus Alex

Surprise

As yesterday’s RL shadows have become longer and the world was darker, I have visited just after some time the Beach Club in Bohemia city in SL. But something was wrong. Using LM I have landed on right coordinates, but everything was out. It has looked as if the coastal sands have buried the beach and with it also the whole club under the huge dunes. So, it was not that case.

So, I have started to study the map, where was the higher density of green point, alias the present avatars on sim. Behold one placed has fulfilled this condition and it was bull's-eye. Hooray, I have found it!

The club looks well and it is nice change. Immediately I was invited to dance and then everything went like clockwork. I have danced and around us other dance couples have whirled and also there was one female avatar with the violet butterfly wings. Lights and shadows have made wild colored combination.

Tired I have sat down to one of these comfortable chairs and gave myself fully to meditation and later to some nice discussion with Zuza Rritt.

How it has looked you can see on the pics.

SLurl: Beach Club