Cafe Kuula

The only thing constant in Second Life is change! So we add some stuff… remove some stuff… it’s an evolving landscape!

– Mrs. Nor Skosh (hardcorenor)

After taking a bit of a break from Second Life to attend to Real Life, I’ve come back to see some pretty awesome changes in NCI that I’d like to show off for those who might not have already seen them, and to also have a pretty nifty visual of how certain NCI locations have changed over the years.
The first thing has to be my favourite place (most of the time at least!), NCI Kuula and the Help Cafe & Coffee Bar!

Sign for the NCI Help Cafe & Coffee Bar located at NCI Kuula.

I had a bit of a chat the other day with Mrs. Nor Skosh (hardcorenor) at NCI Kuula, who is one of the people responsible for some of the new seating & decor changes.

Precious Mirror: So what led to changing the seating & going with a cafe type of look?
Mrs. Nor Skosh: Well we’d been talking a bit about changing things around – I’d already had furniture at NCI, so.. between me and Janet, we decided to do it. I went with this look because I wanted to make it welcoming and calm. The Cafe look just makes it less like cliques and more like a hang out spot. It was really a rogue operation lol… We were worried that Beverly wouldn’t like it – but she did and .. it stuck.
Precious Mirror: That’s good! I’d be worried too if I made a big change like that that it might not go over well. How did others like the new changes?
Mrs. Nor Skosh: There were those who hated it. There were those who loved it. But with any large change, you’ll get some people on both sides, but I have to say that it’s done well. I get lots of compliments on the design
Precious Mirror: Definitely, I think it was a pretty good change personally, it was really refreshing to see when I first logged in and saw it changed.

Ӎℴℴηδℎαᴆὄשּׁ (atalante85) , Precious Mirror, and Max (maxvongaresh.batista)

Precious Mirror: What’s your favourite part about this look? For me I think it’s a lot more welcoming of an atmosphere than it was previously.
Mrs. Nor Skosh: I like that people move around and don’t just stand in the same place. We have a bit more of a bohemian vibe now and I think that has actually drawn some older users back.
Mrs. Nor Skosh: We did a bit of work making sure that even smaller avatars could sit at the tables – most tables have at least one seat with a cushion for Dinkies and Tinies. We also have small seating for just those smaller avatars
Precious Mirror: I saw that! Even having a slightly shorter avatar can be troublesome to find a place to sit sometimes, let alone a tiny avatar. No matter how much you adjust, you still are just sitting oddly. lol

Seating at the table specifically made for Tinies & Dinkies!
A tiny table & chair set for petite avatars!

Precious Mirror: So, if you could make any changes to the decor at Kuula, would you keep it similar to how it is now, or go with something totally different the next time around?
Mrs. Nor Skosh: There are changes I’d like to make, but I defer to Beverly as the region coordinator. I’ve been doing some seasonal changes – new trees on the back side near the mountain for example. I like the season changing moving trees .. it’s a more realistic look. I’d like to replace all the flora through the Kuula parcel for NCI to items that are more realistic to give it a more current vibe
Precious Mirror: Fair enough! I do enjoy the seasonal touches, makes it feel a bit more personal too. 🙂

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and some delicious snacks are waiting for you at the coffee bar located in front the schedule board!

Precious Mirror: I think that’s all the questions I can think of right now, anything else you want added or mentioned?
Mrs. Nor Skosh: Only that the only thing constant in Second Life is change! So we add some stuff… remove some stuff… it’s an evolving landscape!
Mrs. Nor Skosh: We’ve also changed up the old Factory walk through! It’s now being developed to an “open air” market place so that the Superstar creators in Second Life will be able to place items for free there for new users who visit NCI. It’s an exciting time to be active with the organization!

Sneak peek into the marketplace located at NCI Kuula! We’ll dig into this soon and keep you all updated on it’s progress!

Big thanks to everyone who has helped with the seating & decor in Kuula & other NCI locations over the past years! It really is a team effort & a lot of time and thought goes into the decision making process to make each location as good as it can be! The NCI staff always does their best to make each location as helpful, friendly & welcoming as possible for new & old users alike, and we all hope that you enjoy & appreciate our efforts!

New Furniture at Kuula!

Every now and then there are some small changes done to some of our campuses, and the most recent one is that we are getting some new furniture and decorations set up at Kuula!

 

Who says only kids can have fun? Saz, Trent, and Precious at the kiddies table.

 

The new furniture & decorations have been set up by our lovely Mousie (mouseplay resident) and so far people are really enjoying the updated new look and think they are a great improvement to the overall look and feel of Kuula.

 

Cutie pie, Jeffy, all snuggled up in a cozy new chair! What is he thinking about?

 

We hope that everyone enjoys the new changes, and be sure to thank Mousie for all her hard work putting everything together and setting it up. It really does make things feel a lot more personal and cozy than the old set up, and to be honest I really want to curl up on one of those sofa’s with a little blanket and have a cat nap (unless Jeff beats me to it, at least!).

 

Eppie, Jeffy, Precious, Trent & Saz having a little chat while testing out poses on the new sofas!

 

Remember to keep checking by to see any new changes that might be happening at our campuses, you never know what things we might secretly add while you aren’t looking!

 

NCI’s Campuses:

 

Remembering Kreechur

 

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Last week we lost one of long term staff members, Kreechur.
Kree was involved with NCI for many years performing multiple roles. Whether it was a creating and maintaining the systems we use around our areas, helping in group chat and Kuula or assisting staff with various projects they were working on, Kree was often there to lend a hand to both new residents and staff. He’ll be greatly missed by many here as a friend and supporter of NCI.
Friends and colleagues gathered at the weekend to share memories and celebrate his life. A permanent memorial will be placed in the park in Kuula but if you wish to visit the area set up in NCIsland we’ll keep it out for a few weeks.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/NCIsland/51/170/21

 

Friends gather to remember Kree
Friends gather to remember Kree

NCI New Years Party 2016!

Dancing and fun all evening!

Then came the prizes…and more fun!

Costume Contest Winners Are Announced…

  • New Years Formal: We have a top winner with 3 votes.
  • Ayla Wemyss has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • Athena0Marie Resident has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • pupwarm Resident has 2 votes and wins L$157.
  • AnukManeewong1260 Resident has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • Laeluna Galuptra has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • Technus Grayman has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • Talia Malaspina has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • BrainFart Resident has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • Emilylo Mayako has 3 votes and wins L$235.
  • Varian Altney has 1 votes and wins L$78.
  • TaffyJones Resident has 1 votes and wins L$78.

Congratulations everyone!!

As the party pushed on through the night…finally…

**** Happy New Year!!! ****

Oh the things that you can see at SL12B!

One of the many things you can do in Second Life at the moment is go exploring at SL12B, Second Life’s 12th Birthday Event. Here are a few things I found while wandering around.

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All aboard the train of death…. look for the floating souls along the platform . ( that’s my interpretation of the build)

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I really don’t want to catch this train yet…

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What’s the chance of seeing a giraffe at a dance. 😀

Toady’s display on the destination guide.

Click to go to Toady’s Display

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I found the crystal cave on Toady’s build. Can you?

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Random shot in a graveyard.

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The Pink Panther strikes again in 8bit.

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Marco’s build, go see it before SL12B closes.

Marco’s display on the destination guide.

Click to visit Marco’s display.

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Nor’s Garden, a lovely tranquil place.

Nor’s display on the destination guide.

Click to go see Nor’s display.

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Everyone from NCI needs to go see this. Make sure you see the crazy film made by Team Baa.

Baa the final frontier on the destination guide.

Click to go see team Baa’s display.

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Ride the dragon or swim with the dolphin in Wyn & Vee’s Gianfar Peaks of Pern.

Wyn & Vee’s display on the destination guide

Click to go see Gianfar Peaks of Pern.

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Climb to the top of the stones to take a rest in Ginger’s display.

Ginger’s display on the destination guide.

Click to go see Ginger’s display.

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NCI’s What New Citizens Dreams May Come. Take a close look, everything is an oil painting.

NCI’s display on the destination guide.

Click to go see NCI’s display.

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Books, I like books. 🙂

 

 

Exclusive Art Auction

cyber-rainby-Ginger-Lorakeet

NCI has been given an Interactive Art piece by Ginger Lorakeet to be auctioned off during their 10th Birthday event.

The piece is called  ~Cyber Rain~ and depicts a futuristic scene filled with raining code (think Matrix)  Cyber Rain has been scripted with an animation that makes the immersed avatar look as though they are basking in the code.

This Interactive art piece will never be sold to anyone else so the winner of the auction will be the one & only owner. Though keep in mind the artist reserves the right to still show it at any art event.

 cyber-rain_auction-image

How to look FABULOUS for free!

Welcome NCI readers! Today’s post is going to cover a subject near and dear to my heart – Freebies! Everyone knows that one of the biggest parts of Secondlife is the infinite ways we can customize our avatars. Just check out the Marketplace sometime and see all the different outfits, avatars, accessories and parts for sale. “But Rowan,” you say, “I’m on a budget!” Well honey, who isn’t?

Freebieandcheapie

For the best guide to freebies and cheapies in SL, head to your closest NCI campus and find this notecard in the Freebie Vendors. I’ve scoured the grid for the best quality freebies. Hair, makeup, clothing, avatars, even men’s stuff! Not sure if I’m telling the truth? Check out this outfit I put together in about 20 minutes of hopping around the landmarks in the notecard.

freebieshoot_001

freebieshoot_002

 My skin is from Mother Goose – Anne from one of the MANY lucky boards there http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Turpentine/225/141/21
Shape is from External Appearance and was found at the FabFree HQ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Wash/98/140/23
Dress is by the generous Snowpaws! So many lucky boards and a whole wall of freebies! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Diamond%20Oasis/126/44/21
Shoes and jewelry from Duh! Check out the group gifts and their regular prices are a steal! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Slums/138/61/29
Eyes are Mayfly and found again at the too cool FabFree HQ
Hair is from Tameless and is located at Free Dove http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gallii/144/105/33
My pose is half of a freebie from Tuty’s who has a free AO on the Marketplace http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gallii/144/105/33

See? It’s not hard to be beautiful on a budget.

Sat Nite Salsa Shenanigans

Every Saturday at 5pm SLT (Second Life Time, or PST) for one hour we let our hair down and shake our butts for the NCI! We put the fun in FUNdraiser let me tell you! We Dance & Donate, Mix & Mingle and have a great time.

Location: NCI Beach Sky Classroom (SLURL HERE) It’s M-rated FYI. Salsa in the Sky…

Every week there’s a new Always Optional Theme: Join the New Citizens Inc group to get your reminder notices, theme for the week and handy landmark and/or SLURL link.

Lemme show you how we got down this past Summer:

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I flooded the Dance Flo’ for Splish Splash Salsa – what???

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Great to see the merfolk coming out to have a splashin good time!

I really love water so the next theme just HAD to be Ice, Ice, Baby (Too Cold, Too Cold) – butofcourse LMAO

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The Canadian Folks were in their element as we slipped and fell and hit our CHA CHA CHA moves as best we could.

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And YES we did have Vanilla Ice representin. We kept him frozen in an ice block because well you know…

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Dance Flo’ Bish likes to dress up for the weekly theme too! Her earmuffs, matching snow boots and sparkles were too much. Oh hey Bevvy – where you goin? ROFL

Come on out and party with us every Saturday! Broke? That’s ok! Bring yaself and a couple two three of ya pals on over anyway. Donate your Time, Energy and Awesomeness 🙂

The Gift Box is always in Full Effect with wacky prizes and operates on Mojo, so get it together! Experience Traffic Jam Salsa – practice makes perfect – the Panny Check and learn the art of the Glom.

See YOU on Saturday! IM Brace Coral for more info on this event and how you can help out the NCI. 100% of the funds raised go towards helping to pay our Instructors and Hosts.

CLICK HERE for the New Citizens Inc Classes/Events Schedule.

NCI’s Halloween Party – Euro Time

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend NCI’s early Halloween Event. I think this year we had the most people I have seen at the earlier party, thank you to all those who came along and made it lots of fun.

A big thank you to Wellington Beam for hosting and running the ever popular Toob Race, also big thanks to Imnotgoing Sideways & PJ Devonshire for being most excellent DJ’s, and Pawlina for hosting Prim Charades. ( adding a humongous thanks to Krystal Devonshire for organizing  us rowdy lot and making the whole thing happen )

I was the photographer for the costume contest and it was amazing to see all the imaginative costumes people had arrived in.  We had 3 male & 3 female winners in the costume contest ( check them out below ).

Female Winners

Pyewacket Bellmanrosalyn macarthurLaeluna Galuptra

Male Winners

Skip Jatho

Bardiel Nubalo

stignewman

 

Everyone Helping Newbies