Luck of the Germans!

Penguins symbolize dreams, adaptability, dual-natures, closeness, family, and spirituality.

I hear many people already saying Happy New Year and the new year is not quite here. In Germany, it is considered bad luck to wish Happy Birthday or Happy New Year before the day actually has arrived. We say " Guten Rustch ins Neue Jahr", which means have a good slide into the new year.

In Japan, the peacock is linked with a Buddhist divinity.
It carries the values of kindness, goodness, love, care

The Good Luck Pig or Glücksschwein comes in a marzipan form in Germany and is considered to bring good luck and usually you see many of these piggy treats during the time before the new year. 

The ladybug is a Christian symbol of luck. In German, it's called Marienkäfer. Ladybugs can have up to seven black spots on their red wings and in German-speaking countries (well, many western countries) the number 7 is considered lucky. To this day many Germans believe you’re in luck when a ladybug lands on you!  You will find them made out of chocolate or attached to the lucky new year pig.

We consider it good luck to see a chimney sweep (der Schornsteinfeger). And you’re even luckier if you get to turn one of the silver buttons on his black uniform – which is why plenty of German chimney sweeps are missing buttons that have got torn off in the process.

However, you celebrate the upcoming new year and the symbols that create good luck I do with a perfect slide into the new year...make it a smooth one.

Fireworks: Noisemaking and fireworks on New Year's Eve (Silvester)
are believed to have originated in ancient times when noise and fire
were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring good luck.

May the Ox kick the Rat out of sight

Wishing for a better year!!!

The year 2020 really made no sense at all. I mean think about it, what happened? From doing our daily business, we now have been locked up since March. That is 9 months. I once heard you can't milk a donkey if you don't have a bucket. That was kinda like 2020.

As the year of the rat comes to an end we can only hope that the new year of the ox will bring us some well-deserved prosperity. 2020 was the year of the Rat. According to Chinese astrology, people in their zodiac year are believed to offend Tai Sui, the God of Age, and incur his curse. It is believed to bring nothing but bad luck. We know that was true, not only did a virus infected the entire planet, we also stayed home away from family and friends.

If we go by that the year of the Metal Ox brings career advancement, success in business, prosperity, and wellness for all zodiac signs. The Ox year of 2021 is under the influence of the metal element, just like the Year of the Rat 2020. This year predicts new career opportunities, so don't let anxiety or negative thinking affect you.

Don't give up on your dreams.

Here are some wishes friends from the Basement Club wished for:

1. Medea Frostbite: Happy holiday from medea! I hope 2021 doesn't suck as much :-)
2. Anjelikka Resident: Let us all be united and create peace for all people!
Happy Holiday...Stay Safe
3. Ohtra Resident: Merry Christmas and a Happy New year 2021. May it be better than the last.
4. CaseyCruz Resident: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I resolve to be quieter in 2021!
5. americanheroxoxo Resident: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
6. dandidlion Resident: Merry Christmas Holiday to Basement Club and Anjelikka! My home away from home
7. Alicia Czukor: Happy Holidays!
8. Electralaura Resident: Happy Holidays and all the best for 2021. What an awful year only kept sane by you wonderful people and the fun we have had. I hope for many more fun times and happiness in 2021. Hugs, Laura
9. Grumbachr Graymark: In an extraordinary year, I’ve been grateful for the extraordinary friendships made here at the Basement.…. thank you. And cheers to new beginnings!

Join us!!!

It is great to have second life to come together during this year...it was a blessing full of laughter, hope, friendships, and the experiences of how we cope.

Do you love music or need friends why not join our Auditory Refugees Discord group.

Just click the below button and join or on the link above. There should be something for everybody, you never have to worry about being alone. 

Merry Christmas, Mom!

May you shine like the brightest star on this Christmas Night.
 
Santa, do you know where heaven is?
Maybe your reindeer know the way.

For I have a special present
I need delivered on Christmas day.

For Christmas is a time for sharing
With those, we hold so dear.
Please take this gift, with all my love
For an angel who's no longer here.

It's wrapped up in all our memories
We once shared from the past.
The ribbons and bows are all our dreams.
Inside there's a broken heart.

It's such a special parcel.
Please Santa, don't delay.
I would love it to be in heaven
In time for Christmas day.

The Belvedere Hotel

The Belvedere Hotel was built in 1882 and was a popular attraction for the adventure-minded for many decades. Some say the road to the hotel is the scariest they’ve ever driven with steep cliff drop-offs on every corner. This once-thriving hotel where even Pope John XXIII was said to be a frequent visitor is now closed until further notice.

Lucky for us here in Second Life, you can now own your very own Belvedere Hotel and you can find it at the Collabor88 Event made by MilkMotion. You can go and view a demo there or look at the Flickr page for more information. It is absolutely stunning and if you never been in the alps you will feel that you are there. 

It is rather uncanny, isn’t it? A hotel built where? Up in the sky in the back of beyond. Truthfully, no one really knows for sure how and why it was built. What’s well established is that it was built right after the mountain pass was completed, probably as a lounge for people who wished to escape and enjoy the silence, or attend one of the many lavish parties held inside. So this might answer the question as to why it was built. Or maybe it was meant to be a resting place for the mountain workers, but, in no time, the charming location and what it offers in terms of isolation and excellence inspired the elite to climb the scenic road.

Located in one of the snowiest regions in Switzerland, the Furka Pass, connecting the cantons of Uri and Valais in the country’s south-central region, is considered to be one of the “most iconic, exhilarating, and exciting drives” through the Swiss Alps. When I was a child we went to this real glacier in the alps. Although we never stayed in the hotel or ate in the restaurant, I remember it was breathtakingly beautiful. Finding this here in Second life brought back a little piece of childhood to me. Thank you to the builder Marie Lauridsen who created this.

Respect All! Fear None!

Respect all! Fear None! You may ask yourself what does that mean? Let me give you my explanation for this quote. In a world full of DJs and Clubs such as Second Life you have to learn to stand up for yourself. Respect all means to never underestimate anyone! never think of them as “fools, weaklings or that they can never be in the position to alter your life." Fear none means to never let a person cow you, or make you feel small or have no power just because of their stature, appearance, or personality. 

Sounds much like Real Life? Yes, because it is no different that is where Second Life and Real Life come together. You have to be your own warrior in either world. I believe when people become jealous of other's success they lose that respect for them, but in reality, they lose respect for themselves. I know it is not easy when you play the best tunes and think you have the best club, yet it remains empty.

Your dream has to be bigger than your fear. 

"I need to rebel against myself. It's the opposite of following your bliss. I need to do what I most fear." 

It is really a simple formula because all life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. Do not fear those who are prettier, more successful, or smarter than you. You, and you alone, decide what something means to you. Yet this is a decision that most people make based upon past feelings, experiences, understandings, or future fears. None of this has anything to do with what is going on right here, right now.

So respect all and fear none of it. Follow your dreams without fear and when you fall, just get back up and dust off the dirt. 
In a gentle way, you can shake up the world and before you know it you are free from the fear that held you back.

Stay Safe everybody 2021 is almost here.

Chrismukkah

You may ask what is Chrismukkah? Well, it is really very simple. It is kind of blending both holidays of Christmas and Hanukkah into one.

Do reindeer have a religion?

People think more of it when both holidays fall on the same day or very close to the same day.

While the concept is not a new one-according to Ron Gompertz, author of Chrismukkah: Everything You Need to Know to Celebrate the Hybrid Holiday, German Jews celebrated "Weihnukkah" in the 1880s, with the German name for Christmas being "Weihnnachten"-it unquestionably rose to prominence in 2003 through its inclusion on the popular TV show The O.C. Characters on the show have continued to celebrate Chrismukkah every year, and the term has caught on among others around the country.

Think of all the fun you can have decorating for both holidays and all the food, trust me latkes go well for Christmas, they do.

Alfred: I can be Santa this year, while I light the Menorah.

You gonna light candles, so you might as well light the Menorah. I love decorating for both holidays in second life as well as in real life. Why do people celebrate Chrismukkah? There are several factors that might account for the popularity of the Chrismukkah concept. One might be a backlash against the increasing politicization of the holiday season, with people taking umbrage at tidings of "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." The term seems to cry out "can't we all just get along?" Another might just be an indulgence in postmodern mashup fun. But perhaps the largest factor is the increasing prevalence of families with mixed religious heritage. Chrismukkah neatly solves the question of whether to celebrate Christmas, or Hanukkah, or both, or neither. Like mixed families themselves, it brings together elements of both worlds.

Snow can fall no matter what holiday it is. 

I do have some decor for Christmas and Hanukkah in the apartment for you to see, where you can search for the pickle. Just follow the sign to teleport.

The Basement Club has both decors for Hanukkah and Christmas and that is what I like.

With the holidays coming around the corner, I hope you enjoy your Chrismukkah. Or Hanukkah. Or Christmas. Or whatever you practice.

Stay safe

You should be here.

What I miss most in real life, I can have in Second Life. Especially these days it is important to get something right. For me, Second life brings me the joy of seeing a Christmas Tree with 
real" candles like I remember in Germany.

It is truly remarkable of all the different types of trees you can find here in Second Life. You could easily put a tree in every room to complete the perfect look. This is one thing I love to do here is to decorate and then re-decorate. Unlike real life, the costs are very low or you could just create your own stuff. My favorite is to buy it in a gacha so after I am done enjoying it I can resell it so someone else can enjoy it.
Are you in need of an item, then check out my gacha store? I resell cheap because who doesn't want a bargain. Gachas are kinda like a big huge garage sale where you find treasure. I used to love to go to antique stores and find stuff I can decorate my home with and then later sell them and replace them with something new. Now I just do it here without the risk of catching the virus. Best of all, no shipping fees :)

You like pets? Yes, here in Second Life you can have just about any pet you desire. You can feed them, per them, and breed them. It is endless of all the things you can do. Oh, and here you do not have to clean out the litter box. The variety of pets is quite large and I am sure you will find your friend here. You will get very attached to the pet you pick. Once I had a Kitty Cat and it got lost I was sad and lucky the creator had a system to get your pet back. Sometimes that is not as easy in Real Life when your pet gets out and you have to search for it.

Dreaming of a white Christmas? You can have any type of Christmas you like, whether it is with snow or on the beach or why not try them all. I love snow and miss it during this time of the year. Lucky for me my weather system allows me to really let the snow come down. Where I live in Real Life snow is as rare as the Blue Moon we may get. 

So, remember whatever you desire no matter where you live and who you are, your dreams can be made into reality instantly in this virtual world. Might as well take advantage of the term "Virtual".

Virtual reality is inevitably going to become mainstream - it's only a question of how good it needs to be before the mainstream is willing to use it. Be part of it now. There is an entirely new world out there to discover. 

Oh and do not worry about the critics who say virtual is not real, I may have to argue that a little. It is real because you are the one controlling this in real-lifetime...your time is your time and that makes it real.