The countdown continues! Only three days until the MISS VIRTUAL WORLD 2010 pageant Grand Finale and the next, deserving lady is recognized. The Grand Finale for MISS VIRTUAL WORLD 2010 will be held at the Patch Thibaud Auditorium on December 19, Saturday 11AM SLT. There is nothing else like this in Second Life. See you there!

Miss Latvia, Chirzaka Vlodovic

Chirzaka: Christmas time is coming in Latvia as in many countries around the world. This period of the year is when I become more thoughtful and calm. I am inspired by the glory of lights, Christmas trees and all the rush happening around. If we look from SL side, it is almost the same but this year is different and I can not just sit relaxing at home in front of fireplace. Just try to guess why? Yes, it is the Miss Virtual World pageant. So somehow happened I am here and now one of the finalists of MVW!!!

Kate: Can you say a little about your name? It’s very interesting.
Chirzaka: I would love people, fans and also friends to know about my name. I know Chirzaka sounds kind of exotic and people have a hard time pronouncing it… haha!! So I will say this for the first time now. The story is very simple – in my language it means just Lizard!! I kept it Latvian because I really had no big plans about SL, at first. I never knew this world would soak me up that much. Otherwise, I would have chosen something prettier. The good thing is that nobody else in-world has such a name. I am unique. For those of you who need help with the pronunciation, I am happy to be called, simply Chir.
Kate: When you are not being a MVW finalist… what do you do in SL? Hobbies? Pastimes? Businesses? Sunning on a rock, perhaps?
Chirzaka: As I am very busy in RL, there is not much time left for SL. I built my home and every single thing in it is so carefully chosen that it has taken a lot of time. However, most part of my time is devoted for fashion and modeling. Now it is been year around when I am both runway and print model. This job brings me a lot of joy and fulfils my dream of RL. Recently besides modeling I have been spending time in learning photography. Every time I decide to make a photograph it should be like a piece of art. Basically, SL is my expression of art.
Kate: Things like styling are very time consuming, particularly at the top level of fashion model… like your stunning 20’s contest picture.  How do you balance this against a demanding RL? Have you got any tricks on how to style efficiently you can share?

Chirzaka: I believe in many cases it is intuition. Sometimes it is just a luck game to choose something from inventory and see how it goes together with something else. Sometimes it works surprisingly well and never stops to amaze me. That is why I always and in every minute here feel very thankful to each and single designer of SL. The biggest part belongs to them and styling comes afterwards. I think it is just each individual sense of style how to interpret each outfit. For me it is very depending on the things going around. Like now, inspired by snow covering so many sims and MVW almost in every outfit I choose something wintery, warm and at the same time  keep it elegant.
Kate: I keep trying to make an elegant winter fashion statement with baggy flannel pajama pants, which I wear around the house in RL all the time, but I can’t quite pull it off in SL. A common thread with the MVW finalists seems to be fashion as an art or vocation or calling rather than as a business. If a gown needs a $2000L pair of shoes, it doesn’t matter if the model is only getting paid $1000L for the show. Do you agree?
Chirzaka: I agree with this definitely. Modeling has always been my dream, and here it has come true. So no matter what price is for it I go and take it. I never thought about SL modeling as a subject of money making. This is just the way of living here. I was about to quit SL after a half of year playing and then I somehow landed in Avenue Models Academy. I was so lucky to be taught by Kryptonia Paperdoll, Summer Deadlight and Rusch Raymaker. At the first of the lesson I understood that this was what I have been  looking for. There it was. I still remember what Summer said to us in her first lesson – do not think that you will earn tons of money with modeling, modeling should be a passion. Avenue Agency is my first and dearest one.
Kate: Summer’s light burns brightly in SL. Her insights, wisdom and personality has made a deep impression on many models.
Chirzaka: I was listening to her and was very charmed by her stories about fashion. I did not even notice that she had been talking for almost two hours almost non-stop. I think it was luck again that I had found Avenue with all its great people and teachers.
Kate: Yes! There are so many model schools with dubious credentials and teaching methods… you were very fortunate indeed. Can you talk a little about the MVW experience for you so far?
Chirzaka: First when I heard about MVW was last year when Mimmi Boa was crowned and she was shining from the covers of the famous magazines. At that time MVW was as far as the moon from me. Meanwhile I was learning new things every day about fashion world, finding new areas, entering contests, attending shows, taking part in them. Spring has come and the first audition of MVW announced. I did not have much time for styling but I found a nice combination of  a Paper Couture jacket  (thanks to Ava Lu) and the Unforgettable Gown by Italian designer Klara Waco. There I was on Patch Thibaud Auditorium, the stage that I had seen for many times but never walked on it. After the week we received first audition results and I was shocked. I was shocked in a good way, of course. Since then I have enjoyed every moment of being a finalist. The closer event, the more serious I become. For comparison, at the beginning I was like a butterfly but now like a huge eagle above the stormy ocean. After the show, whatever the result is like… I will be butterfly again )
Kate: Nicely said! You had the first rehearsal for the finale yesterday… it means the pageant will be here soon… are you ready? What are you feeling?
Chirzaka: The first rehearsal was very good and despite some issues with Frolic’s internet connection. We managed to go through 2 sets.  Kay, BlackBarbie were very hard working with us, and of course, girls were fantastic. I will not talk about stages, but sure thing is that nothing has been seen more beautiful.  The most difficult part of the pageant was finding national costume because I wanted something which is both national and fashionable.  Luckily I have found it. Just have added some more things to it and it looks like I was imagined it to be. Before the show I have told myself to breathe slowly and be down to earth. Calmness is my strongest quality.
Kate: What advice would you have for a MVW applicant next year?
Chirzaka: Girls, women, and young ladies – each and everyone – if you have a dream, go for it! I know girls who did not make it this year but I strongly believe if we really want something, sooner or later it happens. Good luck and break a pixel next year, it is worth it!!!
Kate: okies.. Thank you. One last thing… is there anything you wanted to say that we didn’t get to in this interview anything else you would like to say?
Chirzaka: Yes, I will take an advantage to wish everybody Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Let your wishes come true and moon is closer than you think!

Kate Stockholm is a featured columnist for Best of Second Life Magazine, a retired SL Mentor and a Miss Virtual World Organization executive. She was last year’s Miss Sweden and winner of Miss Congeniality.