The difference between us.

Being an avatar in Second Life has, thus far, been quite fulfilling. In my RL wife's eyes, I probably spend too much time in Mindio with my neighbours and other friends. I've more than referred to Second Life as "crack for the masses." If SL is crack, then I'm continually puzzled as to what it's laced with that makes it so addictive. Of course, what good would I be if I didn't at least have a couple of theories that apply to my being.

Okay, I have one theory.

Aside from my wife, I'm having a difficult time finding my real life fulfilling. At some point in the game of LIFE™, I landed on the square where you become increasingly differentiated from all your friends, and gain a new feeling of isolation. Wait.. I don't think that's a square in that game. Regardless, despite good efforts, time has taken it's toll.
Coupling this is the feeling that I should be chasing something, although I don't understand what my prey is supposed to be. Is it my wandering spirit that is continuously calling to me?
Marco!
Polo!
Within the digital confines of Second Life, I believe I may have found that something. Being a former traveling Wilbury, feeling stuck in my native homeland is a common occurrence. Some fear being tied down by love, I feel tied down by playing the role of mature adult. While in the servers, I get the chance to ignore those chains, if not feel liberated from them, although it's for a short time only. Instead of feeling disconnected with so many people in the real world, I can connect with like-minded people on a virtual basis (no pun intended).
If my personal theory holds true, modern life has not only disconnected, but also reconnected me other people. We are, by nature, a social species. It's how we're connected that really helps define who are. Second Life provides me with that fine white line--a digital pimp hard at work.

If this were a TV show, it would be on in the afternoon.

And so it has come to pass, that I have experienced my first drama. At least, I think it's my first drama. The story is long, drawn out, and outright confusing--and I really don't want to repeat it again. I brought story to the written word once, and I don't wish to do it again.
I've often made comparisons to this thing called Second Life with IRC. At a time when I was called Neflite (sadly, a Sailor Moon reference--a time I'm trying to forget about) I spent a lot of time in the IRC circles, as I had a lot of free time. The kind of free time that only college life can truly afford. For those of you not familiar, IRC = Internet Relay Chat, or in layman's terms, an internet chat room. A form of avatarless communication that was created in the early years of the internet.
I digress.
One of Second Life's many applications is what IRC used to accomplish, and that is to have group or individual conversations with complete strangers via the safety anonymity of a computer screen. Strangely, certain faucets of real life could be find in these chat rooms including, but not limited to, friendship, love, and DRAMA! Oh, the DRAMA! What would generally take long periods of time to occur in the real world, could happen within a months time in a chat room. Backstabbing, arguing, relationship triangles, bad breath and no mouthwash.
A certain intimacy is developed with those behind your computer screen, as well as anger and hatred, and I find it completely bizarre. At the time IRC, and now it seems Second Life has become the new reality for a lot of people.
There are many parts of Daxiong Ling that are also the same as his real life persona. So many that fingers and toes can't add them all up. However, Daxiong Ling is Daxiong Ling, and no one else. And both Daxiong Ling and his real life host can differentiate the two worlds, and knows that in SL, you should be there to learn and have fun. The recent drama in my second life almost made me forget that.

Welcome back, Kotter.

You don't know me. Well, you may. It's quite possible that you've passed me on the street and didn't even know it. That's not what this is about.
Over two months ago, my real life persona took an exit from the blogosphere. He felt that he had done all he could with the medium, and that he really had nothing more to offer those in the real world.
Shortly after I, 另大熊 (Daxiong Ling) was born from Linden Labs in mid June, I saw a new conduit for my blogging. Even though I knew I could start my blogging career anew (if you could call it a career), I still maintained reservations about getting involved in the blog community again. After all, I had been involved for about nine years! I wasn't sure I was ready to take the plunge back into it all over again.
It wasn't until I began talking to Cinderella Kesey that I actually to began to seriously consider it. Her writing inspired me to continue on with my own , and that's what you will be seeing here; a narrative of my thoughts, ideas, experiences and analysis DaXiong Ling's Second Life.