Ciudad de Mexico

i've not been to Mexico, DF.  it is one of my dreams to visit, someday.  it seems so interesting--apart from the sheer intensity of such a crowded place, there is the unusual geographic situation, and also the weight of history. the residents there are supposed to even have a special character, and have a charming (and from what I read, perhaps derogatory in some contexts) nickname (Chilango).  btw, as a completely off-topic aside, i keep up with a particularly hilarious blog called "effective swearing in d.f." which should help me a great deal should i ever get to visit the real Mexico, D.F.


so i thought it very interesting then when i was looking at Liqueur Felix's flickr stream (always the most gorgeous amazing finds and pictures of different places to visit btw) and saw this image of the ciudad de mexico sim, which is apparently a roleplaying sim run by brasilians. upon visiting it in person, i found it really quite lovely, though the observer tag is distinctly hideous to wear (it looks like a fishbowl over your avatar's head).  when i was walking there parts of the city reminded me vaguely of nexus prime in 07, and a little of hangar liquides before it moved to insilico. there are three levels to the city, with interesting and mostly empty buildings to look at, but take care. while i was doing my research and exploring the sim, i happened to touch a transport button and it teleported me into an arena on the upper level, into what i think was a beauty pageant that was in progress while i was there.  sadly there is no photographic evidence of this caper, as i was so completely flustered i ran across the room and jumped off the building. ah well next time.  and now you know this amusing little anecdote.

i was really at a loss what to wear--however there are shops when you first teleport in, and i found a really unusual outfit from rfyre, called providence. of course i pared it down a little to suit my purposes. its really quite striking on its own, but i liked very much how it seemed to combine so well with the deconstructed trenchcoat from nomine. i had also found the amazing mirror hair from paradox and alpha, along with their interesting facial piercings in my earlier travels.  as it is this outfit turned out to be a collection of new things and my favorite standbys, as you might recognize the rest of what juana is wearing from other posts.   

juana the wannabe cyber chilango wears:

providence house of rfyre
deconstructed trenchcoat by nomine
aztec sample bracelets and armlets by otaku designs (group gift)
bone queen bonus skin cutea benelli
mirror c14 hair and P_Stras piercings by Paradox & Alpha
ving boots by shiny things
mayan dream tattoos by garden of kuu (tinted red)
cybermacahuitl by cortech enterprises

rubaiyat

This Universal wheel, this merry-go-round
In our imagination we have found
The sun a flame, in the Cosmic lantern bound
We are mere ghosts, revolving, the flame surround.
(by omar khayyam, translated by shahriar shahriari)

when i am feeling sad and out of sorts, and am home-bound, i often find comfort and solace wandering the landscapes of this dreamworld. And more often than not i stumble on a place that either heightens my mood, or perhaps softens it a bit.

another one of my vices is the irresponsible reading of poetry. :) when in a mood such as this i like to read khayyam because even if it is bleak it is beautiful, and sometimes we need a whiff of corruption in this hyperreal perfect dreamworld. Amusingly enough apparently sometimes people use these poems to tell fortunes--you simply open the book to a random passage and wherever your finger falls will fortell your future supposedly. Unfortunately I don't have Wordpress because there is a random rubaiyat generator you can install.

An old potter at his wheel
Clay and dirt mould and deal
My inner eye would reveal
My father’s dust bears his seal.
(by omar khayyam, translated by shahriar shahriari)

Hmm. not sure what to make of that for today's fortune. :)

the pixel clay juana wears:

antie eyes silent brown by artilleri
hiding in trees sunrise set and monochrome shirt by i love 13
hair rose and ankle straps by gfield
dia de los muertos earrings by violet voltaire
magnolia bracelets and necklace by loulou&co
mary janes by violent seduction
stockings by rotten toe
ratty armwarmers and glam chinstripe skin by nomine
nobara hair by ay.line

at the miasnow store
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hwang/105...
listening to:
oud play by asoliman

peregrinations

Originally uploaded by al-zahra

one of the most comforting things about sl i think, is the endless wandering. it seems stupid but for a woman, it is priceless to walk unafraid of physical violence.

and also likewise, in the dead of night, when sleeplessness takes its toll, and in the grip of emotions, unable to release them, there is a kind of comfort in letting the avatar soul wander.

for me it is like descending into the depths of the unfeeling dingy world, a way to give in to the feelings that upset me so.

i went to hangars liquides, a place so very permeated with memories in my own personal geography of second life. it has changed in the time since i was introduced to it.

i used to call it the whispering city, and indeed the sounds there are very much like the vanished nexus. they are not soothing, but more like ambient noises, like the soft whine of a person breathing....like the city itself is sleeping and whispering and calling out in its nightmares.

all what i once knew is gone, and a new face of the city presented itself to me to explore. and soon it will be part of insilico, that wondrous place.

but in the meantime i meant to explore, and i did, finding a peculiar place. the owner was there, and i sat next to him for a good 5 minutes without a response. but he looked very much like a denizen of this place, post cyberpunk....and indeed there is a newness, a different sort of look to the people i encountered here.

mecha juana wears:

sunday out set, paper doll necklace, mad lilly ebony hair, skulls tattoo, and trophy hat skull cake by i love 13
beads and willow smokey skin by eat rice
red planet earrings by spica
64 flour and virgen tattoo by i dont remember
eskimo legwarmers by deviant kitties
synth boots by lazy places
akemi fetish fishnet hose by gauze
flea market bracelets by cake
zydratic complication eyes by tacky star