Event Coverage Recap of SLE & Lanai Jarrico's 10th Anniversary in Second Life- Debby Sharma Reporting...

Photography Credits: Maximillian Merlin

D-Day had finally arrived. It was the 9^th of May, the day that sponsors, fan club and staff members of SL Enquirer were eagerly waiting for. It was the day when we were all looking forward to celebrating 10 years of The SL Enquirer and the 10^th rezz day for Lanai Jarrico.

Photography Credits: Maximillian Merlin

About an hour prior to the start of the event, the staff gathered to get ready for the big party, jotting the last minute notes. Just before 1pm, guests started arriving. The paparazzi were waiting by the red carpet to get a shot of SLebrity for their welcome to the yacht party. Cameras flashed like glittering stars as the women stepped out wearing beautiful gowns and gentlemen in their tuxedos and suits. The staff proudly flaunted the red, white and black colours of the SLE logo, with the supporters wearing lovely coloured gowns. Everyone looked at their best. Lanai wore a dress created for her especially by Skew Creations owners,  Milae & Mackenzie Abbot.

Photography Credits: Maximillian Merlin

The party began with Anek Fuchs’ live performance and Mackenzie Abbot hosted, greeting the guests. As guests arrived, vodka, martini, gin, tonic and tequila spilled over at the bar. It was an open bar and everyone had a glass to enjoy. The couples danced together. The gentlemen asked the beautiful ladies to join them to the floor. The party continued with tunes played by Dj Zephyr Windgate, a special dance performance by The Night Theatre and Dj Mack wound things down afterwards/

Bixyl Shuftan, SL News Reporter and Jay Nighthammer of the Night theatre also joined in to celebrate. Among the guests who came to wish Lanai Jarrico and her team the best were Aleva of The Night Theatre Dance Troup, Jenza Misfit of Rendezvous II, Trinity Yazimoto of Petit Chat Art and Fashion, IrishGent of Seychelles Isles, and Vanna St Laurent of St. Tropez.

Photography Credits: Maximillian Merlin

Most of the readers will know about Lanai and SL Enquirer, I managed to grab the rezzday girl for a few moments for quick chat

Debby Sharma: How did you start this journey and how is it so far?

Lanai Jarrico: My virtual world media journey began in The SIMS Online in January of 2003 when I first set foot into the virtual world concept.  It was introduced to me by my brother who knew I love playing the SIMS PC game. He had come home from college and told me about it. I was intrigued by the idea of one world community of people from all over the world sharing the same space. From day one I was hooked and I knew it was a special place. It took me about a year to learn the culture and make some friends. Due to the crazy experiences I was witnessing and the assortment of colourful personalities generating drama in that community, I thought it would be a fun idea to create a newspaper to share with my small circle of friends. So on October 4^th 2004 The TSO Enquirer was launched.  I would write about the funny things going on and share it with them. We would sit around a hookah (a bubble machine as it was called in that virtual world) and talk and laugh about the many things that were happening.  Before I knew it they shared it with their friends and their friends shared it with their friends until it went viral. Not too long after, the RP Mafia families began using it as a bridge of communication between them and it exploded in readership. It has gotten to the point that people who began to migrate to Second Life were talking about it before I even set foot in SL. Within a year, I was contacted by Filmmakers from France who had heard about my paper in Second Life. They created an account in The SIMS Online to look for me. They were working on a documentary about people involved in virtual worlds and flew from France to meet me. For three days I was interviewed and filmed and on their last day they suggested I migrate my newspaper into Second Life. At first I was reluctant because I had heard it was a sexual orientated game. It took me a few months before I decided to give it a look and on May 9th 2005, Lanai Jarrico was rezzed in Second Life and I transitioned The TSO Enquirer into The SL Enquirer and it has grown into what it is today.

Photography Credits: Maximillian Merlin

Debby Sharma: Any memories of this journey that is special to your heart?

Lanai Jarrico: Within this 10 year journey there have been many special memories that touched my heart so I can’t choose just one. Every experience and person I’ve met along my journey has left a piece of inspiration with me. One of the most memorable times is when a random avatar approached me during my first couple of months in Second Life and asked to take my snapshot. Little did I know it would become a catalyst that would catapult me and the SL Enquirer into virtual super stardom and make the people in my real world realized that what I was doing was not just a game to me. That snapshot ended up being a main attraction in an Exhibition in the Soho District in New York City by well known artist Franco and Ava Mattes. The show was called 13 Most Beautiful Avatars.  I was invited as a special guest and the welcome I got was nothing short of amazing. I was being approached by strangers who saw me as some kind of celebrity at that event and my family who had come with me got to see exactly what I was doing and how it affected people. From that point on my friends and family accepted what I was doing and in Second Life fans and readership increased substantially. I never would have thought that a simple idea meant for my small circle of friends would grow into this.

Debby Sharma: How did you feel at the big party?

Lanai Jarrico: The feeling I had at my 10^th year Rezzday was nothing short of amazing. Looking back at a decade of hard work, sacrifices and dedication to The SL Enquirer makes me feel accomplished and proud of the work I have done. I feel humbled by the outpouring of love and support by the SL community and grateful for the opportunity to express myself and share my thoughts and creation with others who have a passion for writing and documenting their virtual world journey. I’m also thankful for all the fans that appreciate what we do for the Second Life community.

Media is very important, more than most realize. In the virtual world just like in the real world, media is the glue that binds the experiences, events and stories of our lives and makes them eternal. It is much more than one person talking to another, it is mass communication that has evolved into a global phenomenon and I am honored to have SLE be part of documenting our virtual history.

Debby Sharma: What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

Lanai Jarrico: I would like to say thank you to each and every one who has supported us through the years. Whether it was contributing to our news or reading it. Each of you is a part of it.

The party ended with a short a speech by Lanai Jarrico, a transcript of which now follows:

 “Hi friends. Welcome to SLE’s 10^th Anniversary and my rezzday SLebrity Yacht Party! You all look truly amazing and I hope you are all having a fabulous time.” She talked about her past decade experience in Second Life, “ I guess I’ll start from day one when I arrived looking like a pastey noob doing a penguin walk, homeless, shoeless and friendless on the grid trying to figure out my dashboard. After that hurdle that I’m sure you all can relate to, I got it all figured out. That is when SLE’s roots began to grow like a relentless weed that haters gave up trying to get rid of and just let it grow out of control. Everything that happens in SL is Inspiration for me to write or come up with ideas. It has certainly be an extraordinary journey with ups, downs, twists and turns but I have arrived to this point somewhat unscathed with a few greys I can call wisdom. With each year that passes I have collected a lot of memories, snapshots, had fun and somewhat crazy adventures. I have met so many amazing people that I can call friends.”

She continued to say, “This is truly a unique place and everyone one of you is a star in this virtual world. Each of us has a reason for being here. What we do contributes to the SL community and it affects the people we come in contact with. If it wasn’t for our differences there wouldn’t be motivation to learn from each other. It is uniquely our world that we have created for ourselves and share with the people around us. Today is a true testament of the possibilities. I don’t know where the future of Second Life will take us but I am hopeful that we never lose this sense of community and fun.” She promised, “I promise to continue to serve this community as long as I am able by sharing The SL Enquirer with anyone who reads it or is a part of it in some way.” Finally, she thanked M.Y. Studio Productions, The Night Theater, Chippendales of SL, sponsors and everyone for being there and celebrating the special day. 

See More Images Courtesy of Maximillian Merlin here: https://plus.google.com/photos/+MaximillianMerlin/albums/6148058140863196561?authkey=COTejfj26aHqTQ