This is your chance to tell us how your island stay has been and qualify to win some extra spending cash as well! All you have to do is click the "Take the survey" button on the right-hand side of the page and answer a few simple questions. Help us make the island a better place for you and your friends!

Planning a camping trip on the island? Yep, great idea, but beware of the bears though – they may come snatch your food and scare you up a tree! Don't believe me? See for yourself! RandyLH's got a gal scrambling all the way up a tree, trying to get away from a bear on his property.

I'll bet you the bear's just a tad hungry. Maybe if we give him the exploding cupcakes, the bear will fill up his tummy, and the girl can finally climb back down. Maybe, maybe not...who knows? Check it out and see if you can save her from the hungry bear!

 

 

So here on the island, our moon is ginormous, bright and just glows in all its awesomeness. But did you know that a famous Chinese holiday , Mid-Autumn Festival, actually celebrates the moon? It's a day that families get together and eat these sweet, plump little cakes called "moon cakes"  (no joke) and do some moon watching.

Let's get back onto our Magic School Bus  in our sassy island-style and head at lightning speed back to the past. Back in the day , it was believed that the Chinese revolutionaries planned a revolt against the Mongols on the 15th day of the 8th month – lunar calendar , of course. This message was crumpled, hidden, and then baked into these moon cakes and passed out to all the people.

 

And then there's the mysterious legend  that goes with the moon about Ch'ang-O , the beautiful wife of the Divine archer. No one knows the exact version of the story, but my fave tells of her taking a longevity pill – you know, the pill that makes you live forever and ever – and then floating away to the moon. It's said that she built a palace where she and her jade rabbit  live. Every year around this time, her husband, who built a home in the sun after Ch'ang-O left, visits her – that's why the moon is so beautiful!

Fable or no fable, it's a pretty awesome story to think that there's some girl living in the moon. Do you think there's anyone living in ours?

A big round of applause to mermer4u and midevil for their awesome work and creativity in building the new game they brought to the island! For those who haven't already checked it out, it's a dragon race thingy at 159.44S 102.65W 3.77a 268.

The red dragon alone is worth the visit. It huffs and puffs smoke, and its eyes follow you wherever you go! We'll have to wait for mermer4u to give us the dragons' names, but in the meantime, they're just sitting in the water and looking like some fierce game guards.

Cbow, falk and I gave the game a couple of tries yesterday, but yeah, I didn't make it to the end. Heck, I didn't even make the first turn! For those of you who can complete the race and finish through to the target – which is worth some major hands down props – post your name here so we can keep a score card of who the superstars are! Let mermer4u or midevil know if you guys have any suggestions and ideas too.

Come on then you guys, let's race!

 

 

The cinema is here, the cinema is here! (cheering in the background)

Yep, Onetruegod has been quite the awesome guru here, and he built a theater on Island Del Sol – the coordinates are 160S 121W. I know, I know, it's super creative, and who knows, maybe he'll start making movies as well. The possibilities are endless!

For those who've read the "What's New" post, I got a telegram from Onetruegod telling me that the cinema is in fact a TWO-picture theater. So have no worries, forget the long lines and waits – there are 2 screens! Well, sort of. I don't mean to burst your bubble and all, but you'll still have to wait in line for the toasty popcorn. Lots of islanders are already gathering around the front door peeking in and trying to find the way into the cinema. What are you waiting for?

If you guys see any other awesome things popping up anywhere, share them with the community! Other than that, let's set a date and have a movie night!

*running off to grab popcorn*

With the continuing growth of business around the island, we welcome our first theater complex built by Onetruegod on Isla Del Sol! It's a one-picture theater that serves hot, toasty popcorn and candy. Aslan was there with us checking out the plush seats and screening room. It's got a real flare to it, so go check it out at 160S 121W!

 

 

What endangered animal  is black and white, big, very bear-like, and looks like its wearing a pirate patch on both eyes?

They're not the polar bears that roam out island (which are also endangered, btw) – it's actually the panda . They're these chubby looking bears that sit and eat bamboo  almost 99% of the time. But don't be fooled – they bite too! To them, you may look like a tasty carrot or sweet potato.

They weigh between 220 to 250 pounds, and there are only about 1600 of them left in the world. That's a scary statistic when you think about how pandas have been roaming the bamboo forests  for several million years, and that, with their itty-bitty habitat now, most of them are starving. It's so sad! If any of you have seen them in zoos, you know they just sit there and use their paws to eat – a lot like us humans.

If you know any fun facts about endangered species, post 'em up! And check out the live Panda Cam  at the San Diego Zoo. Go, pandas, go!

As you islanders may already know, it's fashion week for many metropolitan cities like New York  and San Francisco . Woot! How are we going celebrate? The new island styles will be dropping in soon, and (hush hush) I've seen them – they're pretty sweet!

I know it's exciting, but before we can get our virtual hands on them, let's see what threads and kicks we can flaunt right now. I've put together 5 combinations for every kind of occasion – one for spring, summer, fall, winter, and partying. If you have a 'fit you think rocks the island style, submit it and I'll post it up.

What are you waiting for? Strut your stuff for the community!

 

 

Everywhere you look it's "bling  this" and "bling that," so let's just drop whatever everyone calls it for now and focus on what it really is – jewelry and accessories. We gals like necklaces earrings and bracelets, while guys seem to like belts, watches and other cool gear. But do you know how much you're spending on your bling-necessities?

Let's see...when I buy a pair of earrings, they usually run about 10 dollars a pair. But throw in some fancy schmancy shiny bangles or headbands, and I can run up that bill pretty quick. Guys have it worse, though. Their belts alone cost as much as two or three pairs of our earrings – that is, if you don't shop at crazy expensive stores of course.

A certain celebrity , whose name I shall not mention (cough, cough), had a six-carat pink diamond ring  worth approximately $1.5 million. Yep, your eyes read those numbers right! Am I wrong for wanting to save that money and buy, oh, let's say, 50,000 dozen cupcakes  a day? I could give one to all you islanders and still have some leftovers for New Year's.

It never hurts just to check whether or not you really like certain accessories before you buy. I really try to buy only what I love and think that I can't live without (or so I'd like to believe).

So plan ahead, and who knows? Maybe you can cash in the extra moolah you save for some hardcore bling, or something else that's really high on your wish list.

Along with the new clones that have arrived, I've found one that doesn't look too much like a clone at all. While hanging out with Lostpoet over the weekend, Sephra g.k and I watched him give his new gal creation, "Angela" (originally a clone), some new looks with the tagging function. It was uber cool to see new styles on her. First, she had an Egyptian look, which was cute, but we weren't really feeling it. Then she ended up with a cute pink shirt that Sephra g.k and I liked the best.

You must be wondering why I'm calling her the "sleeping clone." It's simple really – she just sleeps, so what else could I possibly say? Sometimes she gets up, stretches and moves around, but then she falls back down to snooze. What a life. Check her out – but be careful not to wake her!

 

 

Ok – so many of you have asked about having an island Stock Market, but how many of you are actually in the know about the different ways you can invest your money?

Of course there's the good old-fashioned leaving it in the bank and earning all that interest, just like your money here on the island - but there are other ways as well. I won't get into all of them because that's just TMI, so I'll just talk about the one that's the most similar to a savings account – a CD. No, not the kind of CD that plays artists like Justin Timberlake or Madonna, it's actually called (drum roll, please) a Certificate of Deposit , more commonly known as a "CD."

How's it work? It's simple! You take a chunk of change and purchase a CD. The only differences between a CD and your savings account is that, with a CD, you typically receive a higher interest rate and your money will be on lockdown for a given period of time before you can pull it out. When that time is up, it's called "maturing." Just like plants and veggies, you've got to wait till CDs are ripe for the pickin'!

We're adding some new buttons to the community site to add functionality and make communication easier.

They include "Send this Post to a Friend," "Invite a Friend," and "See What the Community Says." With these new trendy features, you'll be able to send individual posts to your friends, get a friend to join the S.I. community, and easily read all your post feedback and comments.

So use those new buttons – they're up right now on a post near you!

Those of you who've been trekking around the island may have noticed a change in the in-world avatars from the BP (Builder's Paradise) – they are dancing, moving, sitting, swimming, and doing just about everything we're doing. Yeah, it's finally happened...they're alive!

It's almost spooky when you first see them, but they grow on you...kind of. Lostpoet showed me the dancing collection from his basement. Clones are actually entertaining and will add life to kitchens, living rooms, and so much more.

Check 'em out!

 

 

Come celebrate a back-to-school event at RandyLH’s and Scorpio’s pad! The gathering will be hosted by Rylienikole and take place on Saturday, Sept. 1, from 3 to 4:45 p.m. Pacific time (6 to 7:45 p.m. Eastern time). There will be a best costume and best personality contest, so feel free to dress up. If you would like to be a candidate for the contests, the host has requested that you send Rylienikole a telegram.