Vashir.Com

Welcome to Vashir.com

Vashir is an open-minded community that welcomes all walks of life. It is spread between this website, and the Second Life region known also as Vashir. Vashir.com is host to information not only about the community, but about its members. As such we will have several community contributers who will help keep it filled with the latest news, fashion and information about our community.

The Vashir sim theme is inspired by a Utopian Future and built as an underwater city with above water entertainment and shopping areas. While currently at the end of Phase One of its revamp, it will soon move on to add more decoration and recreation areas for its community members to enjoy.

So please feel free to browse about the site and read what our community contributers have to say! You may also sign up for an account and comment on stories but please be friendly. ^^

We will also accept applications to be contributers but please speak to Teiko Moxie or Ushao Murakami about that!

Thank you and please enjoy our community ^^

I found this great store called Ichigoya Souhonpo that has a bunch of strawberry centric items some of which are very reasonably priced.

Like this strawberry table, its only one prim and only L$15.

This strawberry chair can be put with the table or it can be used on its own. It also runs at L$15 and uses one prim.

A touch more expensive at $50 these earrings have a nice shininess to them that can add a bit of a spark to an outfit.

This strawberry is a freebie and uses a single prim.

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Unreal/48/27/21

Hello Readers! Welcome Ask Nereida, to the section for talking to me, Nereida Rose.

I am a student of psychology, just finishing my freshman year. For years I’ve longed to help individuals in difficult situations by sharing advice and experience from my own obstacles, and thus of the people I’ve met along the way. During my time studying the field, and thanks to all the friends I’ve made, I’ve learned a lot about empathy and the power of simply having someone who understands us.

After many suggestions to create a help website, I’ve decided that now is the right time. If there is **anything** on your mind, rather it be romantic troubles, domestic disputes, stress, finances, politics…I’m here for you!

Submit ANY question, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability using all I know or can read up on, free of charge.

Or if you’d rather just let off some steam somewhere, blow it my direction. I’ll share comfort, support, or reassurance, regardless of who you are, how we know each other, or what your situation is.

If your question is one that you think may help others, and you would like it to be public, let me know and it maybe shared here on this website for future readers!

Submit questions as comments or e-mails, even anonymously if you prefer. I will check back every day, assuring that you’ll have a response within 48 hours. For urgent matters, I recommend e-mail. Title all e-mails as “Dear Nereida,” and include if you prefer not to receive advice or information.

[Disclosure: I honor the code set by the American Psychological Association. If you are not familiar with the code, you can find it here: http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx. Do not ask anything of me that would force me to break the code. If my honor seems in question, please tell me so immediately so all conflicts can be resolved swiftly and smoothly.]

Don’t be afraid; ask away!

- ladynereida@gmail.com

That’s right, all that is in the headline is correct. We waited for midnight – to begin the first few moments of Valentine’s Day by getting re-engaged and we plan to be wed 1020-2010 – that is, October 20th 2010. I am working on the announcements for family and friends. If you would like to receive the announcement – Please send me your name and addresses (email and snailmail) to me via the site! And I’ll work hard to get you added to the list of folks we have yet to announce to.

n.n

Lots of Love this Valentine’s Day – Feb 14th, 2010

Teiko & Ushao

P.S. There is a cute little island we have called Devotion Island in the Sim now, and is PERFECT for getting a great sweetheart photo with your cutie, or for even specialer moments, pledging your heart and undying love to them. We encourage everyone to give it a go and tell Chocolate just how much you love it, and couldn’t live without it.. OR you know…. Anyone who is extra super-duper special to you.

I took a little time to think about the third person I wanted to interview and it came to me that while I attend school in Second Life, and lots of my friends online want to know about the things that we do, not everyone gets to meet my instructors who also have sat in class with me as a fellow student. I decided that I would ask Janyth, one such person I have met in Second Life, and in Real Life due to our relationship and meeting there. She took Ushao and I and our little one out to eat at this great Mexican restaurant downtown. They have the best atmosphere you’ll find downtown SA  while looking for a Mexican meal, and BOY can those old guys with guitars sing! Make sure to tip them if they sing for you (About 6 bucks a song! But they are great).  If you want to stop by there on your next trip to San Antonio, the place is called Mi Tierra, and is located at a Mexican Market called El Mercado – Just ask someone who looks friendly or working in a shop how to find El Mercado – they’re sure to tell you how to get there!

So back to the interview, and we’re done talking about the food! .. Psst… we had Fajitas! THEY WERE THE YUM!. Oh right, So I asked Janyth a few questions and here is what she had to say!

TM: Education means a great deal to you, has that always been the case?
JT: My mother wanted to be a teacher, so I was her first student.  She loved teaching me things when I was young and she has a wonderful amount of patience.  When she finally did get the opportunity to go to college I would often attend classes with her when I was not in school.  My mom is dyslexic, so I would read to her and help her study for exams.  I even was paid the hefty sum of 5cents a page to type her papers.

I married and took a break from education.  Then as my children got older, I wanted them to have opportunities.  The way to make that happen was for me to return to college and get a degree.  This turned on a love of lifelong learning and when I see something new that will enhance my skills it captures my interested to know more.

TM: You do a lot of work trying to bring attention to the Blind having access to places where most people just figure that blind folks just won’t ever go. What sorts of projects have you worked on that integrated the blind, to such places as Second Life and the Internet or computers?
JT: I have long helped people integrate into Second Life.  People helped me get started and I wanted to pass that on.  I became a helper with Virtual Ability way back when it was known as the Heron Sanctuary.  Some friends and I co-founded the SecondAbility Mentors which focus on assisting disabled residents.  When I first met Louise Later, who is visually impaired, and she shared her plans with wanting to bring her sister, Jolie (who is blind), into SL.  I was quite frankly the first skeptic.  I mean, look at SL, it is all about the graphics. That is what draws us, right?   One, conversation with Jolie helped me truly understand why it is important to embrace the endeavors of including those that are blind.  While, at first glance this may seem ridiculous, it is quite the opposite.  The spatial sounds of Second Life combined with the ability to navigate provides a rich opportunity to break free from the flat Internet and everyone can enjoy the social interaction that virtual worlds provide.

Max the Virtual Guidedog was born out of the effort by a great group of people to make Second Life accessible to everyone.  We are currently working on AccessGlobe with the University of Australia.  Access Globe is an accessible client.  You can learn more at www.virtualhelpinghands.org.

TM: I know you because of the Design classes we’ve been taking together. Do you think you’ll make something out of the coursework we’ve been learning together over the last year? Do you forsee making any projects come into being, because of these classes?
JT: When I obtained my Instructional Technology Master’s Degree in 2005, the focus on online education was with learning management systems.  More focus was given to creating text content over visual content.  Today’s digital learners want to ‘experience’ learning and graphics create interest.  This was an area in which I did not feel comfortable and constantly wanted to know how people were so creative.  The more we worked on bringing the digital media degree into Second Life, the more I became interested in the creative elements the degree program offered.  So, I took the leap and enrolled with the second cohort group.

I utilize the design lessons I have learned every day.  I may not always be the creator of the design work but I can look at others work and add valuable input based on what I have learned.  I definitely utilized my skills in working on the Virtual Helping Hands website and other work.

I think if I point to any object with pride, it is the project I stated in Digital Publishing in creating a book.  I chose the subject of my grandchildren.  I had family members write messages or stories to them and then utilized my photography of them.  I plan to have this book printed and give it to them for Christmas.  I want them to enjoy it for years to come and share with their children and grandchildren.  I may continue this trend and create other books as well.

TM: How do you feel Education has impacted the world of Second Life as a whole? Do you feel that vTSTC has had any kind of real staying power as far as Second Life is concerned and getting more and more students to attend the real college, in a virtual campus? How do you combat the parents who just think its silly and a crock of horse radish stew?
JT: I sometimes feel like Columbus exploring the new world with fellow educators.  Educators started playing with online learning years ago but it only took hold in the last 10 years as being a truly viable method of learning that was adopted by the masses.  However, those that take online classes still voice frustration over the lack of engagement.  I obtained my Masters degree online so I saw the challenges but it did afford me the opportunity to continue my education where distance is a barrier.

Students that are serious about the knowledge to be gained want to engage in the learning.  They want to get to the higher level of the topic and figure out how it applies to them and the world around them.  Reading text off a page is less than engaging for most people.   However, virtual world education changes that.  We can interact with the world around us and the social presence we feel here helps us engage in the activities.  I have experienced it as an instructional designer, as a teacher and also as a student and I can say for sure that it is not ’silly and a crock of horse radish stew’.  It is normal for people to criticize what they don’t understand, we just will continue to move forward and show effective results and people will find out that ‘the world is not flat’.  I think virtual learning is here to stay.  I go to more conference where educators are really searching for a way to engage their learners and many of them are migrating to the new world of virtual learning because of the opportunities for simulations, social presence and other added values.

Additionally, why can’t learning be fun?  The first way we learn is by play.  I watch my grandchildren and that is the way they are learning and look at how much we learn in the first 5 years of our life.  Then, for some reason the method seems to be to stick students in a classroom and tell them not to talk, sit in their desk and shove a book at them.  And, we want to do that for the next 16 years?  Digital learners ‘get it’… they know how to learn by play and we have to step back and relearn how to teach these new engaged learners.

TM: And for my final question, I heard you like Mexican Food. I’ve seen you eat it once.. but is that your favorite type of meal!? What other types of foods do you enjoy eating? What about cooking at home? Are you able to cook your favorite foods from scratch at home?
JT: I love….Mexican food, Mexican food, and Mexican food!!!!!  People that know me understand that if they let me pick the place to eat, they are going to have Mexican food on the menu.  My total weakness!!!!   Actually, I am not a picky eater at all so I like most things that don’t look or taste like spinach, sweet potatoes, cashews or raw seafood.

I love to cook when I have time in my hectic schedule.  The women in my family are wonderful cooks and taught me from the time I was young.  I probably wouldn’t make it on some cooking show with all of the gourmet type cooking but I can cook great family style meals.  No one goes away hungry!  Additionally, I generally have a garden in the summer and enjoy fresh veggies and can some of it for winter and sharing with family.  My jalapeno jelly is pretty popular….and so is my homemade Mexican food.

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Janyth, you are completely busy, packing it in tight and honestly I think you relish in being SOO busy with everything there is to be doing in life. You’re like a robust social butterfly out buzzing the bees and having a great time at it! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and I look forward to seeing you in class next week!

<3 Teiko

Spork is going out of business, and in doing that they are having a closing sale with some wonderful deals. Everything in the store is L$50 or less, and they have some nice items as well.

This dress named Bourbon comes in byzantine, champagne, gamboge, maya blue, patina, retro pink and rust and cost $L50.

Zooey, also coming in at L$50, comes in several colors including black, gold, magenta, maroon, purple, red and teal.

Making you want to hurry to the store the GoGo is an excellent find with the option of colors being amethyst, chartreuse, enerald, fuchsia, ochre and tangerine.

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Malt/40/57/21