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| Photography Credits: Maximillian Merlin |
D-Day had finally arrived. It was the 9th
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 10th rezz day for
Lanai Jarrico.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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 4th
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.
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| 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 10th 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 10th 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
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