How's your world?

Onrez update

2008-08-10T19:56:00.002+02:00

Bonjour!

A lot of people have asked me, when the hell i am going to update my onrez page.
Well i don't think i have to explain a lot, but today i added the new Rudeboy hat and the Guerilla hats to onrez. Together with all the older hats, plus the Rezzman and the Riddim boombox.
So for the people who where so kind to IM me with requests for gifts, you can now check out my onrez page.

http://shop.onrez.com/Menno_Ophelia

Have a great Sunday!
--
Menno

I call her Sheletta!

2007-05-03T12:35:00.000+02:00

I find it amazing how you can spend a day in SL without actually being in world. One of those "I'm not in world, but it feels like it" things is definitely Flickr and the creative and inspiring Sl community on Flickr. Friendships are born there, and "how to the hell did you do that" in PS questions and tricks are explained & shared. Not only i find it a great community and a great source for all sl related photo's, so does NBC4.

The only big difference, is that i upload my photo's and they seem to download and use photo's without permission from the owners. And to make it even better, they used those stolen photo's in a report. To make it even more better, the presentor (M. Medinae) even claims that he is that "young, groovy, sassy character" that you see in the snapshots/cutout. He even explains in this videoblog why he made Sheletta and that his second avatar look half human/wolf.(see photo)

Now that "young, groovy, sassy character" is in my opinion Ardemus Howitt. And even if she wasn't that avatar, than at least it is her photo. Another photo used, right after you first see Ardemus her photo, is a cut out of a photo called "Red hot" made by October Hush. Once again, no permission has been asked by nbc4 to use the photo.

All the photo's on Flickr are automaticly "All rights reserved", which means they should have asked permission to the owners. But since that never happend, plus the resporter clearly states in the video that he "IS" that person, I wonder what can be done and if Ardemus and October want to do something about it. If so, Flickr has the following information:

If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or that your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, please provide Yahoo!'s Copyright Agent with the following information:(read more)

Way to go NBC4! And just in case, Yes i asked for permission to use October's photo.

*Update*

NBC4 deleted the video's and where so kind to post a new video with there apologies and a full explanation about what happened. Way to go!(video)

Unrezzed Biz.

2007-04-24T11:48:00.000+02:00

I confess, i haven't blogged in a while, cause lately all i see in world is my beloved Imogen which we are rebuilding. So without exploring the grid, there is not much for me to blog about right? Unless you wanna read how we still haven't managed to make "Bukkake on ice" a spectacular show. But on a serious note.

Since 14-04-07 i can not log into our virtual world which makes it perfectly impossible to hunt for nice stories or inspiration to write something. After 30 seconds when i logged in, my Avatar can't move anymore. A few seconds later chatting or IM's stops working and 10 seconds later the mini map turns red. (Vini, Vidi, Fade out)

So i first did our number one favorite thing to do: Clear cache. Then reinstalled SL, checked the modem/router, network card, network cables, Tested WIFI but all without success. Since i work for the Internet company, i tested everything here plus made some phone calls to network operations centers and send some mechanics to see where the problem is. But as you might have guessed, I still can not stay longer in SL than a minute. And since im not really an one minute AV and there is tons of work to do for Imogen & Clients, I don't know what to do.

(you can make donations now! Call 0900-helpmennotorezzagain)

But please read the S.L.O.G. posting that the great Frans wrote and vote on Jira so not only me but many more Dutchies can get back to there work/friends/camping chairs/grieving/pose ball Hu.......never mind!

Happy birthday Haver!

2007-04-16T10:20:00.000+02:00

Being Neko

2007-03-07T21:25:00.000+01:00

You need to be a Neko! After six weeks of traveling through Asia, i could finally log in our beloved world and see my dearly missed crew. I never expected when Imogen rezzed it would also rezz 16 extra hairy ears and 8 wobbling tails waving me a warm welcome back. You need to be a Neko said Tess. Why the hell should i be a Necro.....phile? No silly! look at us, we are Neko's, as Tess waved her tail faster in my face than Bob Ross made paintings. Okay wait for one second guys. Can someone of you Mogwais please explain me what the hell is going on here?

And that was my introduction to this thing called Neko. But what does it really mean to be Neko? Well after one week of getting adjusted to the new big kitty litter called home, i thought the time was right for me to find out. So before my AV completely transformed into Garfield on crack, i first bought me a couple of ears. Just to find out if it would change any of my being " in world" adventures. Men-neko was born and ready to pwn this new world.

So the first hours i stayed on the workspace getting comfortable with two ears sticking out of my beanie. I zoomed in, zoomed out, zoomed in, zoomed out and zoomed in for the last time until i felt comfortable with those ears. Time to meet my fellow kitties in the kitty litter.

One Tp later i stood there with my ears in the wind, waiting for the first purr to realise. And as that little green dot on the minimap came closer, i couldn't wait to find out if i was going to be accepted as a part of the Neko gang. Hiya Sweety, said the sexy kitty as her tail spoke in a unknown but seductive language. And as i responded back, i slowly started to get nervous. For a few moments silence became to intro theme to my new Neko world, untill the following text appeared in my screen.

Uhmmmmmm Baby said the kitty. I think your ears are a little to big. Yes i know, i had some problems with adjusting them i said nonchalant. Uhmmmmmm baby, I think it would be better to buy some different hair to match those ears said the kitty. Yes i agree, i always have troubles finding hair that i like. I know she said, as she changed her hair to show me the possibilities. As minutes past by, i looked at the kitty and slowly realised that being Neko go's way beyond attaching ears. So it was time for a confession.

Kitty, i wanted to be a neko to see what it is like, and to support you hard working pwnd kitties. But to be honest, i think it is save to say that i am far from being a Neko. Yes said the kitty laughing out loud. And to be honest Menno. You now look more like cousin IT meets an ewok. We both laughed our ass off and that comment still makes me laugh. But the truth is, she was more than right. You can never discover what "Being Neko" is, by only adopting the look.

So do i now know what Neko is really about? Nope i still don't have any idea. But i can bet you for 30 boxes of Ketamine that the new edition of PWND will teach me all about it.

Keep your eyes on the blog, cause the new edition is almost there!

Menno

Child of the wave

2007-02-28T22:14:00.000+01:00

The boring 9 to 5 or seeing the same faces on different days. Work that never seems done, or creativity that died on the first day of your job. In RL we have one solution and that is taking a long break. And that long break means usually sand between your toes and sunshine in your face. But what can you do when you want to change your scene in a virtual world?

"Catch a wave" Keala Mimistrobell would say! And before i knew it, i found myself on a little island "somewhere deep in the Caribbean". No scum bar and grog, but lovely beach huts, palm tree's and a young hip crowd doing what they love to do. Having fun and riding those digital waves till the morning sun. Welcome to Namiko surf!

When Keala joined our beloved world, all she really wanted to find was a nice beach. And when she finally found the beach she was looking for, she quickly discovered that the same beach was shared with like minded, open and generous people, who embraced her and made sure she felt home on the beach or in the water. They all never knew that the same girl they warm welcomed on the beach would do something back for them.

And so Namiko was born. Literally translated from Japanese to mean wave child (Nami ko). Or child of the wave (wich she clearly is). And as i am standing here on the beach writing this, i can easily tell you that Namiko indeed became the child of the Sl surfing community. And like Keala back then, i received a warm welcome from everybody on the beach. So Menno are you ready to ride the waves? And as soon as i agreed (without a doubt) my AV was standing there in hip camo board shorts and ready to ride the waves. Needless to say that Dick Dale & The Del Tones - Misirlou was blasting way to loud through my speakers.

And there i was in the middle of the ocean, waiting for that big wave. And when i finally gathered enough courage to peddle in front of the wave, my av stood up.........and was thrown of his board. With in a few seconds i was saved by the super friendly KK (Kaela Kamloops) who took the time to explain me how to master this brute force of scripting in these virtual sea of possibilities. And before i knew it i was riding the waves and hearing " Awesome Menno" from the crew that gathered on the beach.

Surfing rules! But compared to these guys it feels like i just landed on orientation island. But i am more than sure they will learn me all about riding the waves and there surf style of living in SL.
Check out the Namiko website here and there machinima here.

With many thanks to Keala & KK for teaching me and showing me around Tropical Island surf. As Keala would say: See you on the water!

Not my world

2007-02-21T10:13:00.000+01:00

The Dutch public prosecution service wants to start with trail processes, so jurisprudence can be created regarding child porn on second life. Since the (Dutch) law is not clear regarding those subjects at this point, we need jurisprudence said Mrs Nooij from the public prosecution service, in a Dutch television programme called Network. Child porn, where real images are shown of children who are used for sexual purposes are with out a doubt punishable. But since there are no "real" images and the virtual child is "probably" an adult with a kid avatar, it is difficult for the (Dutch) law to judge this new phenomena. So by creating jurisprudence, the public prosecution service can present it to the Judge who will decide if this will be punishable in the future.

J. Buschman who works as a psychologist for the Mesdag clinic in Groningen, said that Second life is per definition a "learning school for pedophiles" and he fears that virtually having sex with children will result in sexual child abuse in the real world. Since "normal" pixel humping is not even a part of my SL, and not amongst my imogen crew & friends, i was kinda shocked to discover the other Second life. Although there are no english subtitles, you can find the documentry here. But without subtitles you can clearly see that this IS a part of our beloved virtual world.

My qeustion is, what are we gonna do about it, what can we do about it, and do we (residents and LL) want to do something about?

Network documentry.

When the journey ends.

2007-02-11T20:22:00.000+01:00

A journey can only be a journey when you get back to the point you started from. And that means yours truly is back home. And to be honest, i find it really hard to be home. From tropical weather back to cold and grey winter days and from Indiana Jones adventures back to a nine to five work week. Back to the people who are in the running and hurry hurry mentality instead of the almost meditation state i am still in. And i am not planning to loose that feeling through any person or situation. Menno became sabaai sabaai again and will stay sabaai sabaai.

Bangkok changed from the crowded laggy city where you have to be in frogger mode to cross the street, into a diverse and amazing city which has a lot to offer. The Thai and Khmer culture is interesting, fascinating, different and definitely something you should experience if you ever have the change to go there. Thailand and Cambodia are two amazing countries which both have so much to offer in many many ways. I feel blessed that i had the time and had enough time to realise a dream.

First of all i would like to thank everybody that left me comments on the blog, flickr and through IM. I never thought that so many people where traveling with me. And i would like to thank everybody who gave me the indescribable warm welcome back. I could never imagine that i was missed that much. And last but not least i have to thank my amazing Imogen crew for all they have done and i can tell you guys that i am more than proud at all the things you have created and worked on so hard. For those that don't know, please read the first edition of PWND Magazine or pick them up in world on Imogen.

So back to reality and back to virtual reality. I have to work on new Hey Joe content and several other projects and deals. The only big difference is, is that i will do it all from a different mind state. This journey may have ended, but a new one has started.

Thank you all!

ps. Jetlag sucks

The last week

2007-02-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the late update but i was a little laggy. From Phnom Penh we had an amazing trip to the Thai border in Hat lek. The road is recently created by blowing up rocks and it takes you straight through the Cambodian jungle and you have to take 4 wooden ferries (build Cambodian style) to get across the jungle river. Off course you can't find that information in the Lonely planet, but you find these use full tips by talking to other backpackers. (Which you do all the time anyway). And since the road was and is not touristy, the Cambodian people looked at us with there jaws on the ground. Once arrived in Hat Lek, i said goodbye to Cambodia en entered Thailand again.

From Hat lek we went to the Thai island of Koh Chang to get same tan again and to simply chill. Well i did chilled a lot, but i was forced to chill. Out of the blue i got what the Thai people call "you Farang, Toilet problem". So yours truly was watching bathroom tiles for 3 days in a row. And i can tell you that tile watching will never be my hobby. But things got better, so i got to finally enjoy our (SL Chaos Skolem & I ) house near the mangrove river. You wake up in the morning and you simply jump off your veranda in the river. As Brian the owner would say: Happy days man, happy days. And i definitely agree!

And now i am back in Bangkok. 7 days to go and i will be home again. But before i go, i want to do one last little adventure. So tonight i will book a bus to the old capitol of Thailand called Ayuthaya. I just uploaded the last 3 episodes of Secondcast on my ipod so i can listen to it on the bus. Hopefully i can give you a little update from Ayuthaya or else i will update you all from Bangkok before i go home. Although the question is, where is home?

The Killing fields - S-21

2007-01-24T14:55:00.000+01:00

I really wondered if i should post about this. But since i am currently using my blog to keep you all updated about my adventures in Asia, it would be more than honest to post something which is not so happy, sunshine, or feel good inspired. I am talking about the other Cambodia. The Cambodia before the tourist came in to see the amazing ancient temple complexes and the Cambodia where the Cambodians only talk about with fear and anger in there eyes.

For those who have never seen the movie "The killing fields", i would suggest you go and see it, because explaining what happened here, is not really easy. And for those that do know about the Khmer rouge (Red Khmer), i can tell you that it is not something of the past since many Khmer rouge soldiers or better "beasts" are still free and never got punished for there crimes. As i am typing this, the Cambodian people are still waiting for justice, but it seems that justice will never come according to the guide that showed me S-21.

Many ex Khmer rouge officers seem to be working for the current Cambodian government. Matter of fact, many ex Khmer rouge soldiers who brutally slaughtered, raped, tortured and killed millions of people received amnesty. I'm sorry if this will upset you, but let me explain it again with the full truth. The beasts that grabbed babies by there legs and smashed there skulls against a tree with nails sticking out, or those beasts who threw babies in the air and shot them, received Amnesty. Exactly!And how hard it may sound, this is not even the top of the iceberg.

I will leave further details away, but i can ensure you that after my visit of the killing fields and especially s-21, i haven't slept really well. When you see the actual tree's, the bones and clothes in the ground and when you hear in which way they tortured or better yet experimented on people and when you see S-21, you really feel ashamed for being a human.

So why did you go there Menno? A good question indeed. But it is a part of Cambodian history and better yet it is a part of our history as humans. And as a human i went there to show my respect to those who's life where taken for no reason at all. The other reason was the curiosity to learn what really happened. And no matter how many posh hotels pop up or how western Cambodia will be in 10 years, you as a tourist can not escape picking up something regarding the Khmer rouge period. So what better way to learn about those horrors in the place where it happened. And i knew it would be far far far from pleasant, but if you want to know the truth, you got to realise that the truth can be filled with horrors. (343 known killings fields and over 200 torture prisons). And me as only viewing the truth or facts, really really had to fight to keep my tears inside.

Why did i take same photos? I really considered not taking photo's but because i personally think the story should be told, i decided to take some photo's. That is the only reason why i took those photos and those are even mild. So i am sorry if this posting or the photos hurts or upset anyone reading this, but i simply needed to write it down and it is not my purpose to upset anyone. I hope you understand and i know you understand if you know me. My apologies for the not happy posting, but it is a part of what i am experiencing in Asia and it is something that all cambodian people have to carry with them.

Love,

Menno

ps. Tomorrow i will leave Cambodia and will travel back to Thailand to the island Ko Chang.

Without a mask

2007-01-21T09:27:00.000+01:00

Cambodia has really conquered my hart. It is not because of Angor, which is just undescribable in many ways. But what really made the biggest impression, is the Cambodian people. They are so open, honest, warm and welcoming. Cambodia does not even has the third world status, and despite the people have nothing but than totally nothing, they fill your heart with joy and love. Sure you can call me a hippy or anything, but it left a very big impression and i will tell you why.

Don't forget that this country has been involved in one of the biggest horror's. And although the land is slowly climbing up the ladder, every generation (even the newest) carry emotional or physical scars that you and i can not simply imagine. (besides millions of people have been murdered and tortured). It not like in Europe, where grandfather and grandmother where in the WO II and you where raised with stories of the resistance and the horrors. No this lasted over a decade and although the Khmer rouge no longer exists, it still effect every generation.

You may find this hard and unpleasant, but realise what i am going to say. When you encounter a little girl who's legs are blown off by landmines and she smiles at you from the bottom of her heart, and you realise there are still millions and millions of landmines in Cambodia left...I don't even know how to translate what it does to you.

But there is no crying, begging or time for sorrow. They know it and feel it it in there bones and they simply move on, despite having nothing. "Totally nothing". Again, "they move on despite having totally nothing". And still they invite you in there homes, share there only mattress to you and give there last food or money. It deeply and deeply touches your soul.

So if you ever come here, please don't be the idiot tourist that carves his name in an ancient temple. But be a "human" and talk to the people, laugh with them and connect to them. Do not only listen to them, but hear what they are saying. Cause if you open up, you will realise how unique, smart, amazing, warm and gentile spirits they are.

Love,

Menno

Cambodia - A dream come true

2007-01-20T02:58:00.000+01:00

Imagine a 500 km long highway. Now take away all the lightning and signs. Got it? Now strip it completely and even delete the asphalt and any traffic rules. Now add tons of sand and dust and major holes in the road. You got that image? Then welcome to Cambodia everybody!

A land where you flirt with malaria and dance with mysteries. After 14 hours traveling i finally arrived in Siem riep. And the cold shower was more than welcome, although i had a blast being on that extreme bumpy and dusty road. Many people got angry or complained about the trip, but things are just simply different in these countries. The minivan with airco that was booked always seems broken and replaced by a local bus and you simply just know the journey takes longer because of silly stops, so you can buy goodies and the driver gets commission.

You can get angry or upset but that is just simply how things go. So it is better to sit back, enjoy the ride and laugh about all these things. After all that is why you are traveling to the other side of the world isn't it?

So a dream has come true, since i always wanted to visit the Angkor temples complexes together with one of my best friends. So yesterday morning we started with the amazing and stunning Bayon temple and the "straight out of a fairy tale" Ta phrom temple. (Where Tombraider 1 is filmed) It is really hard to describe what this does to you and even the photos totally don't show what you experience. Every single wall is filled with stunning murals (Buddhist or Hindu). amazing ornaments and the temples are so unique that you even wonder if humans build it.

So i will spare you all the descriptions but please take a look on my flickr page under a new set called Cambodia 2007. Today i will visit the biggest complex called Angkor Wat and some other wats and i am more than thrilled.

To the next adventure!

ps. Frans, i did a little counting today and the bayon temple is 987382423 prims and no lag!

Paradise & Paradies

2007-01-15T06:02:00.000+01:00

All things must end. So my adventure on the Kho phi phi island will end today as i will be heading back to Bangkok. From there i will meet up with one of my best friends how arrived last week. Together we will leave Thailand and head to Cambodia to see the stunning temple complex called Angor wat en to see the killing fields. So from paradise to a sinister place where millions of people have been killed. But for now, back to my adventure here.

Kho phi phi don en Kho phi phi ley are definitely my favorite islands. Whiter than white sand and almost chemical blue sea filled with tropical fish. God i love islands. Everyday i went to the beach the get me some tan, unwind and simply relax. And at this point i am so relaxed and chilled, then i don't even know what day it is. You wake up and see how the day will go. And when your in balance like that, you found paradise in paradise.

Yesterday i took a trip around the island en visited amazing places. Instead of taking a big tourist boat with coffee and a shit load of luxury, i decided to take a local long tail boat. The benefit of those boats are, that they can go on the beach. The big tourist boats have to stay far away, so if you want to visit something you would have to swim for 15 minutes. Plus the captain of the boat was also the owner, which makes it more personal and you don't have a deadline. And it was the best 600 bath i ever spended in Thailand.

First we went snorkeling in kho phi phi bay. I saw fish that where even brighter than Torley's favorite colours and as a desert 3 dolphins passed by. (which happens like twice a year). Then after 40 minutes we arrived at Bamboo island. No hotels, bungalows or a mac D. The few bungalows you find are from local fisherman. The Thai government wants to keep this as a national park and i am more than happy they did. As i stood on the white beach overlooking the amazing sea, i took a deep breath and realised i was finally in paradise. It is like a dream and if i could, i would have never left the Bamboo island. I never seen anything like it and i don't think i will ever see something like that again. The photo's don't even come close to that what i saw. Sigh

The last thing to visit on the trip, was Kho Phi Phi Ley (where the Beach was filmed). And it definitely is amazing and stunning. But to late! In the morning there can be more than 60 tourist boats,which means over 600 tourist. 600 tourist x empty cola cans, plastic and more garbage. I got there late in the afternoon but still there where to many people. And although the place is amazing and something you should see, i was kinda disappointed. When you walk into the jungle and you see a sign with "snack bar", you know that once again we destroyed something unique and amazing.

Bamboo island is definitely my favorite. Maybe the last piece of true paradise in this part of Asia. I really hope no movie will ever be filmed there and that is remains as beautiful as it its.
I really enjoyed the Kho Phi Phi island and i definitely hope to return here one day. Just hope the island itself will not be fully build with hotels and things. But seeing all the constructions sides, i think it might be to late. Paradise or paradies?

So the next journey will be to Cambodia en i hope to shoot as many photo's as possible of all the ancient temples. How many prims would those be? before i forget, Happy birthday Shai and happy Rezz day Mooooo!

Love,

Menno

Ps, I finally took the tattoo i always wanted. What better why then in traditional Thai bamboo style tattoo!

Troubles in paradise

2007-01-10T16:48:00.000+01:00

After two days of tropical rain it was time to leave Koh samui. So i jumped on the local transport and crossed the island to the Koh Samui harbour. I bought a ticket for the ferry and before i knew it i was in the middle of ocean heading to the mainland. The first stop was Surtthani harbour and from there i had a two hour bus ride to Suratthani town. Once arrived at Suratthan town i bought a ticket for a four hour ride to the town of Krabi. But this sounds pretty easy, but in fact standing there as a complete stranger and in a non tourist town as Suratthani, well let's just say i have seen better places amongst the worst.

So the minivan was leaving at four and 10 minutes later we where dropped off in some poor strange neighbourhood. Lucky for me that there was an English guy with his temporary Thai girlfriend (which is more than normal here), and the boss of the minivan driver said to her hat we where not leaving till five (which became six). And in the middle chaos, the minivan left with all our stuff (never keep my passport and other important things in the backpack) but still, it is far from pleasant.(see photo) Twenty minutes later the minivan came back and it turned out he picked up more customers. So i was more than glad to leave Suratthani city.

So 4 hours later i arrived at the city called Krabi. It was night when i arrived and there was no boat going to the island of Koh phi phi till early in the morning. So i booked a hotel room and with 2 Ozzie's and 2 older Dutch grandma's we went to the local food market for some dinner. I had to wake up early again to catch the boat to Kho Pi Pi because all things seems to happen early in the morning in Thailand. And to keep a long story short, I was finally on my way to Kho Phi Phi islands (there are 2). Kho phi phi don is the "Tsunami" Island and Kho Phi Phi Ley is where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. (yeb i am there momma)

There are no words to describe how amazing the island is. When the boat entered the harbour my jaw was on the ground and even when i type this (arrived yesterday) i am still stunned. But every paradise has it's troubles, because of the Tsunami there are simply not enough hotels or guesthouses for all the tourists. So after 5 hours of searching i was ready to give up and almost wanted to sleep on the beach, until i was offered to sleep in a Thai massage salon. After 2 days of traveling you really want your own hotel with a big soft bed, but it seems that all the new arrivals have to go through this ritual of not finding a place to sleep on there first day.

So with many thanks to the owners of massage salons who freely offer there shop for tourist. And i must say i had a blast. Here you are on the other side of the world, taking a ice cold shower in a little bathroom above the shop and sleeping in a massage salon with total strangers and employees. But i am thankful and it was definitely a wonderful experience. So this morning before the first boat left with tourist, i found myself a great room and booked it for 3 days. And every time i see a tourist today searching for a place to sleep, i explain them the story so they also have a good night sleep in a massage salon. And i know for sure they will do the same tomorrow.

Koh samui - Big Buddha beach

2007-01-07T06:13:00.000+01:00

Time to say goodbye to the Lamai area. It is less busy with tourists then in Chaweng, but it still has a lot of tourist shops, bars and the Pattaya like girlie bars. So i grabbed a taxi and went to the Big Buddha beach area, famous for the golden Buddha statue that you can see from miles away. Plus from here you can take several boats to different islands, including the famous Full moon party island called Koh Phangan . So my plan was to go to the Mainland or to go Koh Phangan or Koh Toa.(Koh means island).
When i left Chaweng, the weather was already cloudy. And as soon as i arrived on Big Buddha beach it started to rain. Not just rain as i know it, but RAIN. And it rained though out the whole day and night. And as i am typing this it is still raining madly.

But there is a positive side. In my rush to hide from the rain, i found this little tiny resort called Shambala. As soon as i walked to the reception i heard Burning spear pumping through the speakers. And i can tell you, that means "Menno your home". So i booked a bungalow near the beach and spend my day reading books,and talking to the lovely English couple that run Shambala and listen to there music mix of roots reggae, lounge and Bossanova. Call it new age, call it hippy or call it lounge. Whatever you wanna label it, It is brilliant and definitely a place you need to check if you ever come to Thailand. So despite that it rains harder that you can imagine, for now i'm home!

Sawadee & Saesae

2007-01-05T15:57:00.001+01:00

I feel blessed. Today was not just another day, but one of those days that the tiniest thing makes you happy.That everything is in balance and nothing can get your out of balance. It started with the best breakfast somebody could wish, nope not Thai fresh fruit and no definitely not a Thai lady boy (before someone on Imogen wanted to answer that). But i woke up and had a long phone call with my SaeSae. What better way to start your day? Exactly!

After the phone call i noticed that the weather was a bit cloudy, so it was a great opportunity to do some tourist thingies. I opend up the lonely planet and searched through Koh samui if there was something nearby. And luck was on my side, since there are 2 Wat's (temples) near Lamai beach and one of those Wat's is famous. Not that the temple itself is famous, but the temple is known worldwide for one if it's monks. So i grabbed the local public transport called songtaews to meet Mr Luan phaw Daeng. For those who never heard of him, don't worry! Mr Luan phaw Daeng is no longer in the physical world. He is longer dead than you and i are alive.

But what makes it unique is that Mr Luan phaw Daeng died during meditation, and you can still see his mummified body in the same pose as when he died. (And with his favorite shades on). I can tell you all about that form of meditation but i will spare you the story. but if you find it interesting, pick up the Tibetan book of the death or the Tibetan book of living and dying. Another unique thing is, although not rare amongst enlightend monks, is that Mr Luan phaw Daeng exactly knew when he was going to die.So after a few snapshots, some blessings and a donation to the Wat, it was time for the next adventure.

On my way to Wat Samret, I suddenly realised i was all alone on this deserted road in the middle of a jungle. And just when you comfort yourself with "it's all okay", A Thai guy came out of the forest with some coconuts on his shoulder. At least i thought it was coconuts untill i realised the poor guy had a major lump on his back. We both smiled friendly and a Thai greeting later i was "sawadee" on my way to Wat Samret. When i arrived i friendly asked for permission to walk around the temples and make some snapshots (see flickr) and after another donation and i went home. Well i first uploaded some pictures which was a bad excuse to talk to everyone on skype <3

After a little nap, i made a long walk along the white sandy beach and dipped my feet in the blue water. For anyone who has been in asia or lives here, you know how fast it gets dark out here. But tonight was a little different. The sky slowly turned into bright orange and 10 minutes later it was beutifull purple. And not only i found it one of those moments that you want to share with someone you love, a guy in front of me fall down on his knees and ask his girlfriend to marry him. Offcourse she said yes and by saying yes, she did not only gave him a beutifull day. The Yes also contributed to my beutifull day, far away in Thailand <3.

Koh Samui - Lamai

2007-01-03T14:05:00.000+01:00

A little quick update from Thailand. This morning i left the Chaweng area and moved to the Lamai area/Bay. More photo's are uploaded on Flickr. I deeply thank everyone who left me Flickr comments, Voicemailes, E-mails etc etc.
I am sorry if i can not reply within a few days, but i defenitly read them and it means a lot. Sawadee kap!

MF Dubs on a plane

2007-01-02T16:06:00.000+01:00

"All things are temporary". And so this morning i said goodbye to Bangkok and went to the airport to see if i could get a plane ticket to another location. And before i knew it, i bought a ticket to the amazing island called Koh Samui. The flight from bangkok is only 1.5 hours, but for a person that doesn't like flying that much, being in little tiny plane is not my ideal situation. So with a ipod filled with Dub music, i took a deep breath and switched to "easy gwan" mode And before i knew it, i landed safely in Koh Samui.

I grabbed a taxi to the Chaweng area and booked a rather expensive apartment for the night. But holiday is a holiday and after a long warm bath (warm water is so 2007), i went to the beach and as soon as my toes touched the white sand, i was happy. And i still am more then happy. Time to explore.

"The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground"

Ipod song of the day: Barrington Levy - Shaolin temple Dub

Sawatdee pi mai - Happy new year

2007-01-01T11:40:00.000+01:00

Several hours for the new year, we heard that 7 bombs went off in Bangkok. Needles to say that for me, the little bit of Bangkok that i got to know in 2 days, all of sudden was a big strange unknown city. Most of the Bombs went off in none tourist area's, and the word on the street is that it was against the government. Sadly some non tourist and tourist died who where near the Central World Plaza. I don't know all about the history with the rebels in the south of Thailand and the government, but it seems to be going on for over 50 years. So one good advice is to not go all the way down south near the border. And i'm happy to follow that advice.

Today i had to buy a Thai cell phone and that does mean, i got another phone number again. The new number is: 0066 875139316 (But as the number 1 retardo, i will have to check that later again, to be sure). I am now going to get me some food and figure out where the hell i wanna go and how i will be traveling there.

Stay tuned!

Update: Yesterday 2 other bombs went off

Sawadee krap!

2006-12-31T01:26:00.002+01:00

I arrived yesterday morning after a long but pleasant flight, in the amazing city called Bangkok. My friend Rene who migrated to Bangkok 3 years ago, was waiting for me at the arrival point. After a big hug and a half hour taxi ride to his house, i finally slowly realised i made it to Thailand (Ty-land).

After a loads of coffee and a warm refreshing shower, we drove into Bangkok center on his scooter. And i can tell you, you will never see me doing that here alone. But the benefit of doing it non tourist style, is that you see way more of this amazing city. Plus Mr. Police officer finds it really interesting to see two "Farangs" on a scooter. The city itself is amazing if you get used to the laggy crowded sim feeling. From ancient Buddhist temples filled with gold and amazing statue's, to modern sky scrapers. And from huge shopping malls to illegal little black markets where you can buy simply everything. One things is for sure, and that is that Bangkok is diverse, and i love it.

I discovered that my cell phone isn't working well, so i bought a Thai sim card. So if you feel like leaving me another msg, my number is: 0066876921083. Make you sure you add your name to the text msg, or else i have no idea who was so kind to send me that :D Back to this wonder full adventure called Bangkok.

Last night we went to the backpacker's mecca called Koa sarn road. If you have a shopping addiction then i guess this would be the place to start. But since i don't wanna carry a shit load of extra inventory in my backpack i will definitely wait until the last week (oooo Cletus). A cold Heineken was ordered as me and Rene played some pool. After a few matches which i totally lost, it was time to play competition with everybody who was in the bar.( The if you win, you can stay rule).

As Rene stayed, i decided to take a little walk into Koa sarn road. Hey You, Great pingpong show..you looky looky? uhmm no thanks dude, but if she does watermelons, you can count me in. But Mr. Pingpong was not really interested to my response, and he was telling another Farang about the amazing pingpong show. So after a walk through Koa sarn road i went back to Gullivers to get me some coffee and i started to accept that a half hour sleep in 36 hours might not be enough. So as Rene's girlfriend arrived, i decided to call it a day and head home.

So here i am and it is 7 in the morning. So what will i do today? Tonight i will celebrate new years eve with Rene & friends, but untill that time, I think im going to Guybrush Treepwood around the city. I wish you all a great evening and a wonderful 2007!!!

xoxo

Update: Photo's can be found here.
Update2: Phone number is 066876921083

Time to go

2006-12-28T13:26:00.000+01:00

A lonely planet, a ticket , a backpack and a new adventure to start the new year with. I booked the flight in February and i know realise that tomorrow it will be reality. From 29 December till 9 February i will traveling through Cambodia, Thailand and maybe more countries. No real plans besides seeing the Angkor wat complex and to have a great time. So what is going to happen? or what will i experience? I have no idea and i simply love it that i have no idea. The day will go as it go's and things will come as they come. 6 weeks on the other "unknown" side of the world and i can't wait to start the new adventure. I will upload my photos on Flickr and when i have the time i will try to update you all on howsyourworld as much as possible. If i don't see you all before tomorrow morning, i wish you all a wonderful and great 2007. You know what?

Let't make it great! <3

A step back.

2006-12-22T15:44:00.000+01:00

I kept running. Running while there is no reason to run or there is no point B to run to. But because of several tiny external factors the mellow easy going me, was running. One of the big things that made me run, is work. Or better yet work became a burden while it should be something you love doing. The Internet company i work for has been sold and taken over by a bigger company. And on top of that, we all know that where going to be fired in March or June 07. So demotivation become our/ mine self replication grey goo. But with all respect, the new company is doing it's best to provide us with new jobs, plus they will all buy our contracts out. Which is a unique "ka ching" change, but it remains something temporary. I now realise and confess that this line of work is not that what makes me happy. At least not anymore.

So the honest "Good morning" to start the day with turned into a "another day at the office feeling". The family vibe, the laughter, the close friendships, The bonus and my upcoming holiday is that what keeps me here. Plus we strongly have the "this is our baby feeling" that if we let her go, we wanna hold her hand to make sure everything is okay. But if you know me well, then you know that i simply can not pretend. So i started running in many ways. The feeling of being chased, while if i took the time to look over my shoulder, i would have seen that there was no big monster but another Menno asking me to slow down en look around. "Lately i listened to me, While i used to hear".

It is easy to blame external factors for running, but my feet touch the ground the same way as before the external factors, i only decided to change the tempo. Sure i can blame the new company for the unrequested change, but all they really did is show me that i need a change. Second life made me realised how creative i am in many ways or how creative i can be. Isn't it weird that I am for example "more" proud for something that i made in world with the help of PS and building tools, than training Customer service agents. I am for example way more proud when i blast a new finished song through the speakers than when i resolve the same technical issue again. So being creative is that what makes me......me. And when you can't do what you love doing, you start to run "forest" run.

So what do you wanna do Menno? How can i find a job that does give me that challenge? And if it doesn't exist how can i create it? Indeed i stopped running and now i need to look around in the landscape of possibilities. First i need to find out which direction i want to look at. And once i know what i would like to do, i need to find out how to achieve that. But for now i accept that i am looking around.

Just waiting for it to rezz.

--
I wish you all a wonderful and great Christmas!
--

Rambling: What's behind your zero's?

2006-11-29T17:15:00.000+01:00

On my way to work i always pick up a free newspaper so i can once again read how the world is going down. See there is a real difference between reading or not reading. After reading the newspaper i suddenly realise that i am in a train filled with 300 terrorist and 150 weird suitcases. Call me weird, but without reading one of those "high quality" newspapers, i am in the train with 300 people that simply need to go to work. However on Wednesday there is one page dedicated to Human rights/human fights which i find really interesting. M. Wiersma is a photographer/journalist who travels all around the world to make photos and write stories about human rights for Amnesty international. Today's Article was dedicated to article 23.3:

"Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection"

Indeed wonderful words that became meaningless when i saw the following facts printed under a photo of a dirty dark factory and the employees that work there.

$49.99 - The average price for a pair of (known) sneakers.
$10.95 - Are the cost of the American leather used in those sneakers.
$ 5.25 - Are the cost for advertisers and advertisement.
$ 3.46 - Is the profit for the American owner of that (known) brand.
$ 1,88 - Is the profit for the Chinese factory owner
$ 1.46 - Is the transport cost from China to the US.
$ 1.50 - Is the salary of the Chinese worker who makes those shoes.

Okay this isn't really news, and probably next week i will buy me a new pair without thinking about this article. Simply because it is not part of my/your/our world. And the truth is, there is basically nothing me/you/we "can" or "want" to do about it. Cause if we all wanted to do something about it, it would have changed. Then again do you think the o so great Chinese government would care about it? The only Fair trade they did was invading Tibet and warm welcomed it back to the motherland. At least they think it is fair trade cause now the Tibetans had the change to become "Mao modern" and where no longer under the evil tyranny of the Dalai lama's. So 3000 ancient destroyed temples later and millions of Tibetans raped and killed, i think it save to say in SL terms that China and human rights will never grant modify rights to each other. Although i am guessing that you can't find that on google.ch! Back to fair trade & Human rights.

As virtual worlds grow, the need for in world objects will grow. From swords & magic spells to being on the highest level or from houses & land to entire Sims. There is a need for it, so there is a market for it. And like any successful business that grows really fast, there comes a time where you want to outsource production/customer service work so you as a company can make more profit. I mean the choice between one employee for $150 a day or 100 employee's for $1.50 a day is easily made. Plus there easy replaceable and there country has way easier laws/human rights or no human rights. And here is the birth of what men call: (Chinese) gold farmers.

Gold Farmer: A person who collects in-game currency in a MMORPG, for the purpose of selling it to other players for real world currency. With other words pay someone $1,50 and let him play for example W.O.W for 12 hours a day under to bad for words circumstances until he reaches level "blabla" and then sell that character for 300 dollars on eBay.Sure Sl isn't for example World of Warcraft, but i am wondering with the increase of the world wide popularity and businesses coming into SL, while there be a point where a big inworld company will outsource almost everything to gold farming companies? And if that is the case, what would that mean for you, who is in the beginning of starting a business? And what does it mean for our beloved world?

It is estimated that there are now a half million Chinese who make there living through gold farming. Who are these people? Who started the gold farming companies and how does it feel to work 12 hours a day as a gold farmer? And under what circumstances do they work? And will that reach the same level as the employee's in that famous sneaker brand factory?

American student Ge Jin had some of these same questions and decided to make a documentary about gold farming. More information can be found on http://chinesegoldfarmers.com. In the mean time here is a preview of his documentary, which i think you should see.

but i do wonder what's behind your $ero's?

Slampled?

2006-11-15T19:36:00.001+01:00

In 1969 the funk and soul group The Winston brothers released a single called "Color Him Father". The interesting thing about the single/45, is the B-side called "Amen Brother". Actually it is not the song that is so famous but 5.20 seconds of that song. Getting confused yet? Even if you are not a beat digger or a musician, i can ensure you that you definitely know the Amen brother break. Indeed the "break". It is all about the drum solo that Gregory C. Coleman once played and it is now considered one of the most sampled break/loop ever. Okay i see you thinking, why the hell is he writing about a drum break or loop? Well how weird it may sound, it is save to say that those 5.2 seconds definitely changed a lot in the history of music.

The Amen break was definitely responsible for shaping hip hop and rap in the early days. Needless to say that with the introduction of the Emu SP1200 sampler in 1988, Beat creators started to sample to Amen break over and over (Instead of the beat juggling looping style that was invented by Kool Herc). Plus the benefit of sampling the Amen break was, that they now could cut it up and totally rearrange it. A matter of fact, one of my first introduction to hip hop and the Amen break was Mantronix - King of the beats. If you still don't know the Amen break by now, than let me give you a well known hint. N.W.A 's - straight outta Compton. Yes..that is the Amen break. You just won a microwave!

But the story gets better/Worst. Around 1990 the music known as Rave to some or break beat to others became immense popular in Europe. But this time the Amen break changed from being "a" loop to one of the basic elements of break beat. In fact the drum loop changed to what i consider audio art. It was cut, sliced , rearranged, filtered and resurrected as one of the classical "Jungle" breaks. To keep a long but interesting story short. From funk&soul to Hip hop, from rave to break beat, and from Jungle to Drum & Bass (Although in my opinion the term Drum&Bass was already used by Jamaican musicians in the mid 70's) And from Techno music to the music we keep hearing today. And i am sure that in the future the Amen break will continue to be sampled and used over and over.

The reason why i blog this, has nothing to do with the actual 5.2 seconds. No what is so fascinating about the Amen break is the whole copyright history or the copyright Drama. The Amen break has been sampled over and over and released on thousands of records. Neither the copyright owner R.L Spencer or the actual drummer Gregory C. Coleman have ever received any royalties for the sampling. Another weird thing is, is that Zero G (For the musicians amongst us, yes the Zero G that released the well known sample cd's in the 90's) used the Amen break on one of there first sample cd's and claimed the full copyright of the Amen break.They gave the sample another name and rearranged it,but even a def person can hear that it is the Amen break. And no one has ever taking any legal steps or started a law suit. And i don't think that will ever happen because it is way to complex! Plus if you still want to use the sample without paying for the copyrights, well you can always sample the original Amen brother break. So what does this has to do with Second life?

There are not much differences between a musician and you the content creator/builder. As a musician uses notes/sounds/melodies/harmonies/instruments to create a song, you as a content creator use the building tool (instrument) prims/textures (notes/sounds) in different shapes and sizes(melodies/harmonies) to create your content (song). So once your creation is finished and your done with all the hard work and investments to even get the instruments/textures (especially when you made them yourself), you off course want people to see/hear it and even buy it. And once they do, well let's hope they enjoy it to the fullest and appreciate the time you worked on it. LL even provided rights to an object so you can give the buyer certain rights, which clearly explains what they can do with it.
Something that is not possible in RL right?

The texture (notes/sound) i use are made in photoshop (investment) with several plug-ins and imagination/creativity. Anybody can buy or download those 2 things and you have the same possibilities. The complexer or more detailed i make my texture the more it becomes mine, right? Anybody has the same building tool in Second life as i have, nothing less and nothing more. It means we all have equal changes to build anything we want and shape/colour/texture it anyway we like it. Just like in the music Biz, people claim that somebody copied something without ever asking for rights. Well sure that happens a lot, but then again on a world wide level, how many albums have been created over the past 100 years? How many times is the word "love" written in a lyric and how many times did someone pushed the C key on a classic Hammond organ during the recording of a song? So what is the change of you creating something that kinda looks like something someone else made? The change is there and it is kinda useless to argue about it right?

So one of the things that really separates you from the rest (cause you can't blame someone for creating the same 2 prim couch), would be textures? No not the textures you can find on google under "seamless brick textures", but the one you made yourself in PS to give your funky groovy creation more dimension and originality. And here is where we reach the dangerous Amen break/Content creation point.

So there you are as the drummer, and you just recorded your Amen break. The 45 is pressed and sold in several stores. On the label of the 45 is clearly stated that all rights are reserved to bla and bla. Several years later (years are weeks in sl) you realise somebody is using your "break" without permission and better yet, the person makes a profit of using your Amen break. Now what can you do?

First you need to look at the other persons Amen break. Does it has the same pattern and warm rough dark sound as the original Amen break? With other words the more original you are with your creations the more proof you have it was yours right? And i think it is up to your record company to start the investigation and to find the solution or to find a way to prevent people from sampling without permission. (they have the master tapes to prove it right?) And this shows in my opinion the complicity of judging theft in our beloved world. You can never prevent anyone from sampling a break. Maybe you can make sure no one has a sampler? Although that is kinda impossible.

In this case The copyright owner R.L Spencer (LL) or the drummer Gregory C. Coleman (you) should definitely keep searching for a solution in this complex matter.....

Prim Brother

2006-11-06T14:55:00.000+01:00

In 1994 two large television production companies owned by J. van de Ende and A. Mol merged into one company called Endemol. One of there biggest success has definitely been Big Brother which had many version world wide. So it is only a matter of time before the "first" virtual version will be born. O wait that time...is now.

Yes my dear readers, Big Brother is coming to Second life.
People from all over the world can apply to be a part of the "first" virtual reality show. The grand prize is nothing less than a private tropical island. All you have to do is to register in the virtual Big Brother house wich is located here.

15 participants from 3 time zones will be selected by Endemol to be part of the virtual Big brother. Once they are in the house, each big brother participant must spend at least 8 hours a day in the house. Just as in the TV show, each week the participants need to vote who can TP away for good and who will stay in the house. The show starts on the first of December and the "spectacular" live finale will be on 31 December.

So if you want to be a part of it, click the SLurl ( Kingdom of Media 176, 92, 26) or make sure you visit http://www.bigbrothersecondlife.com for more info