Second Life Reflection - Virtual Shopping!

The game was super lag and move very very very slowly... However, I managed to get some items and got to places...

I don't remember the place I went to, but by looking at the items and interior design of the shopping mall, I think "Indigo"? Anyway, the place I went to shows almost no sign of other avatar. I got to meet one who happened to visit the same place I did. Well, didn't talk to her, because my mother told me not to talk to strangers...

The only avatar seen...

The place I went to sells a lot of apparels for male and female, such as shoes, boots, long skirt, mini-skirt, dress, coat, top, etc... There were even lingerie and some models were naked... Seriously... So with the L$500, I bought 2 items.

Item ONE: (PixelDolls) Timepiece 010 Outfit - L$250

Item TWO: (PixelDolls) Timepiece 012 Outfit - L$250

I have spent L$500 exactly! The two designs were different. Item one is a combination of a necklace, blouse and a high waist long skirt. For item two, it is a mixture of a long sleeve top, a coat and pants. One interesting factor about virtual shopping is that they sell as an entire set instead of piece by piece, unlike real-life shopping, usually we will look at the mannequins, they look nice because of the way different top, bottom, shoes that were being matched together. However, we can't buy the entire set with one cost, in a way, we need to add the individual pieces to know the total cost. Therefore, virtual shopping is something that saves time and effort.

Now, take a look at the interior of the shopping mall...

Gathering space in the middle with many entrances to different type of clothes.

Gathering spaces in the middle with Men's section and Dress section.

Interior of the Men's section.

Another view of the interior of the Men's section.

Unlike real-life shopping where each area within a shop is based on how much it can earn, the calculation of GFA, etc... However, for a virtual shop, they are very generous in the area and has very big spaces. It is easier to walk around the spacious interior and they have very nice decorations on the walls and floorings. A very different kind of experience from real-life shopping...

Blog Reflection - Practical 4&5 (Activity 3)

Site feeding is pretty easy when you're using Blog. You can link anyone and anything. For instance, my site feed is on the right column of my blog, heading as "Friends". If you want to know who they are, just click on their names and you'll be transferred to their site. It is good to have a site feed because you do not have to type in your friend's site repeatedly. Other than that, it is easier and faster to get to them. Sometimes, when you link a friend's friend's friend's, whoever it is, you might even realise that you know that person, maybe a long lost friend. Apart from that, having site feed helps you connect to a friend or other sites very quickly.Then!

Using different Search Facilities exposed me to more types of sources, ranging from an organisation website, article, journal, blog, etc. The 2 sites that I have used are Metacrawler and Yahoo+Directory.

Metacrawler webpage, search result of volcano eruption human effects.

One of the many sites chosen.

Yahoo+Directory webpage, search result of volcano eruption human effects

One of the site chosen

A benefit searching with two different search facilities is that both give two different kinds of result. For Metacrawler, it provides data and very detailed information as compared to Yahoo+Directory, it provides a lot of precedent studies. I feel that both are useful as they provide different range of sources that are pretty interesting and unique from one another. With these facilities, results will not be so boring and there will be a variety of information for instance video, article, data, etc, where all the text based information are being replaced by more exciting sources from other search facilities.

Blog Reflection on Wiki Collaborative Work - Practical 4&5 (Activity 2)

I was figuring out my login ID and password, tried a few times but to no avail. Therefore, requested for a change of password with my email address... Apart from the problems I encountered even before using the Wiki Wetpaint, another problem was searching for the discussion topic that I was supposed to do. It was in the midst of so many other topics that I find it difficult to look for. One suggestion here is to have folders named "Topics", then within the folder, maybe name the topics according to the list that was given to the students. Anyway, that's not very important, since I have found my topic already. I opened it and there was only one post. So happily, I

put in the research I have found and saved it. Guess what! I couldn't save. So I decided to place my research as a post instead of an update of the existing one. You'll see it if you scroll down further.

This is the page that I am supposed to edit and share my research.

It couldn't save....

Therefore, I posted them here...

One thing good about using this is that I do not have to search so much information by myself. I could actually get it from friends or people who are doing the same thing as I am. By having discussion and sharing of information on this site, I could actually get to know things that I could not find or have never come across before. It may be surprising to be able to know things that I never thought of. This also helps to lessen the burden and saved time on researching. Other than that, it is pretty fun to post related but different kinds of information that people have yet to post. I do feel good to be able to contribute to the this discussion. :)

Blog Reflection - Practical 3 (Activity 4)

I am pretty impressed with the functions and features by Google. In the past, I used to just type in a proper sentence when searching for something. After the lesson on using the search facilities and the way I should type my question, I realised that it is easier for me to get informations which are much more specific. Instead of having irrelevant websites, I think that the lesson was helpful for me by narrowing down to the sources so that I will not be drawn away from my research or get the wrong information. There were many features that I have never used them before, such as advance search and search based on timelines.

I have started a discussion topic on Caithness.Org. Currently, I am still waiting for replies. Unfortunately, after 2 days of waiting, this is what I've got out of the forum...

This is the place where I posted a new question...

I have gotten ONE reply and a very IRRELEVANT one!

My reflection on the forum thing:
This is terrible, I thought I could benefit from it. I guess I have learnt a lesson that not all forums work! Anyway, I am still glad that there is a discussion forum in Wiki Wetpaint which I can rely on. :) After this incident, I understand that not all forums are able to give the kind of information that I want. There are seriously people who cannot contribute to it and make things worst...

Citation and bibluiography is very important because,

"One must write a bibliography so that he or she cannot be accused of plagiarism. If you do not write a bibliography you are committing plagiarism, which is a serious offense with serious consequences."

Garretlloyd. The Importance Of Writing a Bibliography, 14 October 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2010 from http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/the-importance-of-writing-a-bibliography-602295.htm

Personally, I feel that it is also to respect other people's work and not to get credits for what we have never done it before.

Goodbye! :)

The $500 Activity - Practical 1&2 (Activity 2)

List of things that I would buy if I have $500...

Under the boots category for "Designer Mens & Ladies Shoes", I came across this website "singsale.com.sg", an advertising site. As I was browsing through what kind of sales they have, I was attracted to this pair of boots, Vidi Studio Ankle Boot - 828-Serraje-Petrol. Since I do not have any kind of shoe wear like this, I thought that it would be nice to have a pair. The usual price is supposed to be $338, but after discount, it is sold at $129.95. Well, make it $130, it saves some of my brain cells and easier to calculate as well. :)

http://www.singsale.com.sg/Product.aspx?saleID=615e6135-1a94-44b3-8d22-dfb3c6fe7b0d&productID=d625777d-38c6-4409-ab5d-0e18fcc8dc77

After spending $130, I am left with $370. :)

So I have decided to buy 2 Adidas pants since I do not have any... I found them on "Amazon.com"! Adidas WC 2006 Womens Pants and Adidas Women's Velour Pant.

http://www.amazon.com/Adidas-2006-Pants-Womens-X-Small/dp/B0015DSPDK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1288186626&sr=8-6

http://www.amazon.com/adidas-Womens-Velour-Black-X-Large/dp/B002HWQZX0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288186626&sr=8-3

For the white pants, its usual price was $50 and now it is $30 only! Wow! Then the black pants cost between $40 to $45. So to play safe, I'll get the highest price which is $30+$45=$75.

After spending $75, I am left with $295...

Since I love sports, except for jogging, maybe I would buy some exercising equipment? The Weider Total Body Work 5000.

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1073982&cp=710956.694003&parentPage=family

For this equipment, the usual price was $250 but now it costs $170! Saved 32%! Isn't it great to have discounts for things that I would like to buy? Well, if you want to know how it works, go to the link!

Finally, I am left with $125!

Apart from "singsales.com", "amazon.com", another online shopping website is "Gmarket.com".

As I do not have many shoes, I came across a pair of shoes that has very interesting design. REEBOK Zig Tech Shoes.

http://goods.gmarket.com.sg/gmkt.inc/Goods/Goods.aspx?goodscode=400928926

Well, it is seriously a great deal to get something that is so different from other kinds of shoes. The usual price was $219.90 but it is now $120! I don't really know what brand it is, but who cares for brand! As long as it is nice and worth the price, I will consider buying it. :)

Personal reflection:

To be frank, I don't fancy branded goods and honestly, I don't think I'll be buying any of those in reality. Like I've said for the sake of this module, I'll go search for things online and look for something that I like. However, doing this topic allowed me to discover new online websites and other than that, there are a lot of discounts as well, pretty surprised with what I have found. Last of all, I really respect those who are capable of carrying expensive stuffs! Either they are earning a lot or their family is just rich! :) I prefer to be an average person. Like the Chinese saying goes, "if you don't have a big head, don't wear a big hat". After all, just be happy with what you have and who you are. Count your blessings and always be humble! :)

Alright, to sum up everything, with the last $5, I am going to buy 2 Mcflurry (My favorite!) for exactly $5!

http://www.google.com.sg/imglanding?imgurl=http://hillie1203.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/mcflurry.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sodahead.com/fun/who-wants-a-mcflurry/question-287696/&h=290&w=294&sz=17&tbnid=8tAXNGr5SzXFKM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=115&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmcflurry&zoom=1&q=mcflurry&hl=en&usg=__B-HwPtVk8zcfmlYEN2RRFQBm7Ak%3D&sa=X&ei=18DLTIvcFMOecdzFlJcO&ved=0CC4Q9QEwAw

That's all! Bye! :)

Reflections for Using Search Facilities - Practical 1&2 (Activity 1)

Hi guys,

went for Effective Internet Research class this morning, so got to learn some new things and signed up for stuffs like blog, facebook, MSN, Twitter and the most memorable, Second Life. We went through the lecture notes and discovered the difference between each websites that we were told to create. Yup, very interesting indeed. However, to be really frank, I am someone who doesn't go online that frequent. Usually I will spend less than an hour on Facebook, sometimes not even once, and I rarely go online to chat with friends. But for the sake of this module, I guess I'll just do whatever that requires me to do. :)

Yeah. So had my new blog created and I hope I'll remember to update it daily. Signed up for Twitter, joined the EIR group in Facebook and created a new character for Second Life. The Second Life was really taking my life away. I have no idea what is it about. So I have captured 4 images about the drama that took place while using Second Life. Well, I guess I need help, but before that, have some fun with what I went through.

Here it goes!

Welcome!

 I followed the instructions and reach point 5 or 6.

Later, it wasn't responding...

Then it forced quit... Great...

After that incident, I decided not to give it another try...

The topic I have chosen was: "Discuss the causes and effects of volcanic eruptions on society". Actually, I wanted to take the topic that relates to endangered animals, but someone was faster than me and he took it already. However, I was fine with it as I like both animals and nature. So yeah, took the volcano topic instead.

Category : Organizational Website

Resource name : Wikipedia

URL : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/volcano

-       Information

As this website is usually full of text documents about a certain thing. Always supported with citations, improved/edited by users who has relevant information and reliable sources. Since this website is very recognized and has is pretty reputable, the information provided should be very reliable. Other than that, the site also provides links in between, for instance, about the word or other related topics. It is easier to branch out for more information.

Category : e-Magazine/journal

Resource name : Elsevier

URL :

www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws.home/503346/description#prescription

-       Information

-       News

As it is a magazine/journal, it is usually written by someone who had been through, accounted for, and experienced it before. Therefore, I find the information they provided were rather true and real, the news are also reliable as it seem like a documentary or a recount of what had happened at. Generally, magazines do differ a little from journal as magazines might be used to exaggerate something whereas a journal is like a diary of the events that took place.

Category : Blog

Resource name : The Volcanism Blog

URL : http://volcanism.wordpress.com

-       Information

-       News

-       Advocacy

-       Entertainment

-       Business/Marketing

Since it is a blog, there ought to be many comments, blogger’s personal views, and both right and wrong information. There will definitely be interesting, shocking news, information, entertainment. Usually, a blog is capable of supporting websites that are for marketing purposes, etc. It is normally placed in a column together with other links within the blog page. Some posts are supported when they included links to the information the blogger got, therefore, there is some advocacy element for some post where I am able to find my way to those sites.

Category : Discussion forum

Resource name : Caithness.Org

URL : http://forum.caithness.org/

-       Information

-       News

-       Advocacy

-       Entertainment

-       Business/Marketing

For a discussion forum, it has almost anything and even things that one does not expect it to be there. There is much information available by people who have the same interest and even those who just coincidentally pass by the site and knew something about it. Forum is open to public to drop comments and such which is therefore serves many purposes. Anyway, I signed up for it actually...

Introduction

Hey everyone!

I'm Xiu Fen, but had chosen "Nicole" when I was 15 as an English name. I guess I'll be putting in this name into my IC soon?

Well, I'm taking Diploma in Environment Design, currently a third year student. This is a very new course as we will be the second graduation badge next year. Our lecturers really have high expectations on us. This is scary...

Alright, so some of the things I like to do during my free time, especially during holidays, are to go for a swim and get tan, cycle near my house, hanging out at restaurants and bars with my very close friends whom I knew for many years. 

Sometimes when I am pretty busy, I would just exercise at home. I exercise only for keeping myself healthy, not for other purposes. Other than that, I will do some stretching as I used to learn ballet, which I find it very effective when I am very stressed because feeling the stretch in the muscles will help to take away some stress.

I do not really like a specific singer and seldom watch television, therefore, I have no interest in the social industry or whatever its called. I do listen to songs from many genres, from metal to classical. SERIOUSLY. But in overall, I still prefer Christian Songs, since I am Christian after all.

Some of the websites that I will visit are usually the common ones like "Facebook", "Google", "Yahoo" for news, "Youtube" and definitely my MSN?

One skill that I am good in? I don't know seriously. I know a bit of everything, "Jack of all spades, Master of none." Maybe the skill of preparing breakfast for my family?

Personal, I think that when you are the first to wake up in the morning, it is an opportunity to make a sumptuous breakfast for the whole family. Even a simple breakfast shows a lot to them. Well, I feel that everything happens during the preparation. You'll put in your heart and effort to make breakfast and the final result may it be good or bad, it is always satisfying. Yeah. Unfortunately, there isn't a link for "preparing breakfast with your heart"?

So. I guess, I am done with my introduction already. Bye... :)