Check out this mini-story I made as a slideshow

View slideshow I hope you enjoy it!

Inanimatealice project from iStories

This blog is, as from today (12 Dec. 2009), a tribute to James Hadley Chase, who wrote with great precision zillions of novels set in the USA , without (hardly)ever having set foot in it. I hope I can measure up to him -even if only just a bit.

Afterthought

After some painstaking and futile attempts I've realised that Chase must have been a much more conscientious man when it came to geographical accuracy (or just plainly much more into maps than I am). So, while still dedicated to him, I hope readers will forgive -and perhaps enjoy- some creative licence on my part...

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Today...

They say every journey starts with a step...

Today I was able to walk once round the block. Maybe tomorrow, with some help, I'll be able to walk twice :-)

Saturday 28 August 2010

When minikat said "I'm very Happy"!!!


Here's a recording of minikat and me playing on the first day she said "I'm very happy" rather than "I'm in a good mood"! (also my very first video captured from SL so please forgive any lack of subtlety...)


minikat-very-happy from Beatriz Lupiano on Vimeo.




Tuesday 17 August 2010

Bentham forest

This weekend, just like other "wandering photographers", I visited Bentham forest in SL. It's a dark scary beautiful place and a roleplay sim. I didn't RP but entered as a visitor so I was supposed to be safe. And yet...knowing that didn't help when my curiosity made me open (at my own risk!) a coffin near the Manor. A soul catcher came out; he'd collected 5 souls so far and his energy was at 100% -avatar or not, visitor... I got scared and fled the site.

That taught me to stick to the forest and leave the manor alone...red eyes peered at me from the dark depths, but that was all...and my fear was appeased. Then I was able to take these photographs amid the swamps, mushrooms and trees...





Sunday 15 August 2010

Minikat plays!!!

Minikat has played with me!! Both catch and hide (she claimed I didn't find her but I did -she shouted she was climbing up a tree...). One thing  I like when I visit her, apart from being with minikat, is discovering the Africa sim.

Running after minikat or even having her follow me helps me discover places I wouldn't probably see otherwise. And so I've hung laundry to dry outside in the village, I've rested in a tent and round a campfire, come across elephants, zebras, deer, crocodiles, toads, giraffes, rested at the eagle outlook, taken a balloon ride...
Here's just a snippet of Africa virtual sim:



Tuesday 10 August 2010

Lazy...

Minikat continues to amaze me...he's letting himself be tamed very slowly...now he follows me when I ask him too but he still won't play. And just now he said he was full up, awake he likes me...and he feels lazy!! Perfectly natural, but the first time I hear it from a meerkat! Kat was always playful, never lazy.

I didn't know what to do; just in case I fed him (actually it may be a she -will have to check) and because I know she needs the exercise I asked her to follow me. She did for a while (slowly as..well you know!) but then started to draw away so I decided to send her to the den. I'm looking forward to her being strong enough to climb the tree she covets so much.

Saturday 7 August 2010

Taming

I'm visiting minikat more than once a day in the hope that he will interact with me (have I mentioned ,by the way, that I'm a guest blogger from SL? Well, I am...).
I've just left minikat in his den for the third and last time today. things were better this time. He admitted to being tired and hungry and accepted to go to sleep rather than crawl aimlessly about...He also let me feed him. I think those are the first steps. he's a cub and cubs need food and sleep, and are curious. He keeps wanting to climb a tree, always in vain...Here's a photo of him (finally!) sleeping.

He does look exhausted!!! And I can see the difference with Kat. Mini is smaller but his legs and body are thicker than Kat's were at his age. Still, I must remember he's a cub.

Friday 6 August 2010

Did they find the cheeseburgers? I don't know...most probably. I just followed them into the hole and wandered off to Virtual Africa to visit Kat, my meerkat. Only to find out that......he was gone!!! I called him and he said "Yip" as usual but then instead of coming to me he said "Bye" and went to the den. I tried calling him a few (ehem a lot) more times..but nothing.

I wonder where he is and how he's doing...I miss him, but perhaps it's only natural...meerkats are wild animals. We were friends but after two months he's all grown up and perhaps needs to explore on his own. Has he found a female meerkat and started a family? There are babies around...

I've cried and felt lonely with out him but need to accept it's part of life. I've adopted a second meerkat (minikat -I know I'm sooo original with names!!) and he's very different from Kat. Kat followed me almost from day 1; minikat is much more playful in that: he will say Yip and start sneaking away...I hope we get to be friends.

Kat (sleeping) and I in happier times

Friday 9 July 2010

And so off they went, with Mouse leading the way...

Kittehs want to go to cheeseburgerland but are suspicious...Well...one of them is; the other one's purring
(whispers say: Purrrrrr!!!! - Yes, but can we trust him?)

Tuesday 8 June 2010

And so...

She took the plunge -getting across was more important than those *** shoes...

Saturday 5 June 2010

Water


Water
Originally uploaded by Msbea3
Then she remembered that tuxedos have bows and are black...but what she really had to think about was how to get across that river...

Saturday 8 May 2010

Journeys that can help

Love, Ethiopia - Teaser from Keith Bolling on Vimeo.

Synopsis: In March 2010, Keith Bolling and Sam Nuttmann traveled half way around the world to uncover the stories of people who need all our help the most.



The documentary "Love, Ethiopia" will premiere Summer 2010 and will explore the effects of wealth and education on the societies of different countries. Produced by RefocusMedia.org, a collaborative production company of KeithBolling.com Photography and Session7Media.com.



Photos, videos and more at ReFocusMedia.org



CREDITS

Producer / Director / Cinematographer: Keith Bolling and Sam Nuttmann

Editor: Keith Bolling

Music / Motion Graphics: Sam Nuttmann

Sunday 2 May 2010

Monday 12 April 2010

Back home

After realising he'd never really find Ghost Mouse again, Mystic cat went home...where he shared his adventure with his housemates -they laughed so hard at him (really insensitive of them! Try being chased by a mouse ghost...and now possibly a ghost baby snake...) Anyway, he may be mean-intended, but Mystic kitty needs anger management help -if you don't believe me, watch him deal with frustration:



Wednesday 10 March 2010

Hunted


Hunted
Originally uploaded by kaibara87
Now Kitty was angry -his encounter with the car lady hadn't gone well and all the delicious birds had flown away. So he took it out on the first living thing he found.

In order to explain the lack of claws here, it's up to you to decide whether he was tired and not used to hunting, not angry anymore but playful, or just such a gifted hunter he didn't need to use claws at all!! (we know he hadn't been de-clawed, which is just plain cruel and shouldn't happen to any cat or living clawed organism)

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Kitty in the woods

Now Kitty being a kitty, and having never before ventured out, it was only natural for him to get side tracked and forget about Mouse after hearing the fluttering of wings and smelling the new fragrances the wood kept in its depths...

Thrushes were common in that area. Kitty smelled the air and listened intently to their songs. After a while,with perked-up ears,  he noticed that there were different tunes...One tune he found irresistible...so he straightened his whiskers and clattered his teeth, threw his ears backwards, ready to catch his prey ....With bared nails his paw darted forwards to pin the bird...



Now, before we know what happened to Kitty and the bird, let's go and see which bird he wanted so badly to catch, and which tune it sung. Follow me into the woods and let's play a game...Can you guess which bird Kitty wanted to get?

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Do you know?


Do you know?
Originally uploaded by gumdropgas
And Kitty knew...Mouse would haunt him forever unless he did something.


So he decided to take matters into his own..errm...paws and started a journey towards Mouse -looking for that fosforescent green background looming between this world and a so-far-unchartered one (as far as Kitty was concerned anyway).


Where to start? Kitty started treading softly, carefully onto the light layer of snow in his own garden...slowly, tentatively, got through the front gate into the street...

Mystic Cat's face on learning about Mouse Ghost message



Originally uploaded by Tim PopUp





That's what happens when you play hard to get, kitty...

Wednesday 27 January 2010

THE RESPONSE THAT MYSTIC CAT GOT


Click here to comment on this Voki.
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                                               WHAT NOW? WILL MYSTIC CAT EVER GET HER TREAT?
                                                        WILL MOUSE FIND RAYMOND?

Psychic Raymond


Psychic Raymond
Originally uploaded by essellejaye









As long as we're on the road looking for a psychic...







                                                                            Poster seen in a local cafe window.


                             Who could have predicted that the url on the poster would turn out to be a dead link?
                                                                                                      (caption (in black) by esselljaye as well)

Tuesday 26 January 2010

Mystery Mystical Tour

As I said before, Journeys don't necessarily require us to pack our bags or even change physical location...Today we'll be trying a journey into the spiritual world. We couldn't get a reputable channelling guide, but she'll do her best. Let's see how it goes...




Hope you enjoyed the journey :)

Sunday 24 January 2010

Travelling without roads: "FOAF"

Uploaded to Flickr by calmansi.

FOAF= Friend Of A Friend

We don't always need to make suitcases and use maps to embark on journeys...just think of all the journeys that are possible by connecting to others.

Friday 1 January 2010

Postcards

It's a summer weekend somehwere in the North-East of England, near Norwich. It's sunny and the end of a hectic week during which new acquaintances were made amidst an appreciated full schedule of lessons. Some of us even tried out new food, with different outcomes -one of those (the dreadful French toast H. didn't see coming as sweet) will become a landmark and will add a new loyal and assiduous customer to one of the big supermarkets in the area. A safe lunch is a must.

Today the weather's perfect as it can get, not the slightest hint of rain in the air. We get off the coach at the pier and there's your hustle and bustle of people waiting for the next boat tour, gladly killing time with snapshots and introductions and tales of the previous day and our new and fleeting everyday lives.

We get a sign to get on the boat, which will not really take us anywhere but around this man-made piece of water -is it a lake? a river? I don't remember, but nice houses have been built on the shores and people wave and smile at us and I'm eager to see the black swan I was promised -that, well, now English but originally foreign swan with a romantic story behind (was Churchill involved? Wasn't it about a bet? Vague recollections only). We take a turn and I see it, and it's even more exciting than I'd expected: it looks daring, bold, with an orange tip just on top of its bill. And of course it's Odile, and I can hear the music inside my head -see those defying arabesques and the moment when you feel the torment, the futile banging on the Palace windows while Siegfried is enthralled, entranced, with eyes only for that beautiful captivating black figure. Despairingly, we all know this will only lead to that fatal, inevitable breaking of the oath. And the music
grows louder and fills my head and we're now seeing trees and ducks (some really strange -Chinese originally?) but I can only pay so much attention because mi mind is still with Odette. She's alone now, apparently there is a companion but he must be hiding somewhere...And Odile may be pure and loving and the right one with that beautiful ground-breaking adagio but my heart is secretly and inexplicably with Odette.


And when we're back on the coach chatting and snacking we look at our photos and I see the beginning, when the true oath was made, in a picture gracefully captured by Pearl: