Hello everyone.  This month we have the gorgeous Meimei Shiu as our Influential.  She is a runway, print media and live fashion model.

Meimei has been in Second Life a little over a year, having rezzed in on the 15th September 2010.  She heard a lot about SL from people she met on WoW and while she was waiting for their new expansion last year she got bored with the end game, so she decided to give SL a try.

She spent her first 3 months in Second Life orientating herself,  Meimei went exploring, trying different things such as dancing at various clubs, went surfing and of course shopping!!!.  One night she happened to be teleported to a modelling school whilst she was out shopping for shoes. Here she met one of the models from the agency and was given a quick tour. They just so happened to be running a styling contest at the time which she entered to for the fun of it, and would you know, she won 3rd place on her first try. And so she was bitten by the modelling bug. She discovered that she really enjoyed styling and so signed up for her first modelling course and has enjoyed a successful career in modelling since then.

Meimei has trained with the following academies:

• Lush Modeling Academy (Graduated July 2011)

• Maniera Institute of Style (Graduated July 2011)

• CWS (Graduated Jan 2011)

And since she believes you can never stop learning she is currently a trainee with Passion - The Fashion Agency.

She has represented Farouche Tres Modeling Agency and Maritima Inc. as well as PurpleMoon Creations and SACHI Photo Studio.

And then there are the contests and pageants she has participated in so far:

• Champagne!Sparkling Face of the Month for September and October Runner Up

• Miss Avatar World 2011 top 15 candidate

• Crown winner of Miss Elegance 2011

• 1st Runner-up and Best Creative for Miss Sophisticated Lady 2011

• 2nd Runner-up and Miss Photogenic for Miss Hollywood 2011

• Prestigious Model February 2011

I caught up with Meimei  in between assignments.  Meimei thank you so much for taking time from your hectic schedule to talk to us.

“Lacy I was so surprised to hear that I had been chosen as this month’s Influential, it is such an honour.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Giancarlo Takacs and all the staff at CRS for supporting and maintaining this beautiful environment for us to call home.”

Meimei, what is your opinion of the SL fashion and modelling industry?

“It is definitely an exciting industry as there are always new designs of outfits and accessories coming out and so many different contests for models to showcase their creativeness. However, it can be stressful since it is a very demanding and competitive market.  I hope to see more opportunities to support new up and coming designers, photographers and models since this will bring more fresh ideas to the industry and everyone can have even more fun.”

What would you say your contribution to world of fashion in SL has been?

“My unstoppable wardrobe expansion... lol.  Well apart from spending money on the amazing designs available, what I have endeavoured to do previously is to present whatever it is I am modelling in the best way possible, in the hope that my styling and presentation will encourage those that see the outfits to go and buy them”

What are your plans for the future?

“Actually I have just come back from a short break and my plan for now is to catch up what I have missed and enjoy my time here at CRS before I start with a project that is in the pipeline with my mentor Topaz Joubert.”

How did you come to be resident on the Costa Rica Sims?

“I discovered the Chinese Tea House here while exploring different sims. I found out it is located on the Costa Rica Sims, so I searched online about it and immediately loved it. Later on Zachary Zufreur and AmyChristine Avedon, 2 of my close family members on SL and I were looking for a sim to move to, so I suggested moving here. We have been living here since April.”

What do you enjoy about the Costa Rica Sims?

“The scenery is definitely the #1 thing I enjoy the most at CRS.  I love beaches and ocean in RL.  Living here on the CRS with the tropical environment all year round can sure make my -40 winter time in RL a little bit more enjoyable :)”

Thank you Meimei for giving us some insight to your time here in Second Life

We invite you to join us on the last Saturday of the month which is October 29th, 2011 at 12 noon SLT at The Influentials Lounge, as Costa Rica Sims pays tribute to the stunning MeiMei Shiu.  Come wearing a hat!!

If you want to keep in touch with your friends and all things related to Costa Rica that we have groups on a number of social networks where you can do just that:

Facebook

Plurk

Twitter

Flickr

Thank you for taking time out to read our blog, your continued support is what keeps us striving to make the Costa Rica Sims the best place in Second Life to be.

Lacy Muircastle

Costa Rica Sims Estate Blogger