The globetrotting residents of Moove criss
cross the real world
When we started the Crystal Angel last year,
we had no plans on offering free vacations
to Moove residents. It was not until our
first trip into the Real World for the 2007
Spring Fashion Shows that the idea was hatched. Most folks do not know that the Global Fashion
Show Tour last Spring was financed by Mela's
company. The Crystal Angel was a young start-up
and we were passing on our pay checks to
make sure we had enough money to buy film
and ink to get the magazine out.. It was on this Mela-funded venture into the
real world that the concept of vacationing
in "Real"
L-R / Mela, Angeleyezs and Tory in Paris,
France during last Springs Fashion Show Tour
first came up. We figured if we had such
a total blast, then surely other Moove residents
would enjoy a vacation as well. It was Angels idea to plan the First Annual
Rose Cruise to Tahiti. When the April Issue
came out and it surpassed our wildest dreams,
we were able to pay Mela back and put away
a nice sum of money for a rainy day - or
a sunny one for that matter. While the Spring Fashion Tour was not a true
vacation, Beads, Mela, Angel and I were not
about to pass up a chance to
Tory and her Mother (PlayingwithBeads) on
the First Annual Rose Cruise to Tahiti. Tory
is wearing a Rasta designed grass skirt and
tie dyed top while Beads wears a Victor Dennet
swim suit.
enjoy Amsterdam, Paris, Banff, and New Zealand.
Even though we were pretty close to being
broke, we were treated like Royalty and to
be real honest, it felt darn good. Shortly after the Spring Fashion Show trip,
Angel became ill
but the idea was
always
there like a fluttering
butterfly. We found a use for the extra money when Mela
and I decided to make Angels butterfly a
reality.With the help of Mela, Beads (my Mom), Victor
Dennet, and the Rayden sisters, we gathered
200 Moove residents and set sail for Tahiti aboard the Tahitian Princess for the first ever group vacation outside
of Moove. We had a friggin blast. An added bonus was having my fav, Nickelback,
Uncle Kracker, and Kid Rock (YUMMY) hang
with us and give us a show that still puddles
me up and rings in my ears. The kewlest thing
was having Angel flown in by Coast Guard
Chopper to let her see that her idea had
been turned into reality. I could tell then
that she really enjoyed it and was even kinda
proud in a good way. It was Mela that decided we needed to keep
the idea of vacationing in the upcoming issues
Angeleyezs
in Amsterdam
during the Spring
Fashion Tour
, and with the merging of the Crystal Angel
with Mela's company we became TorLa, and
had all the funding we needed to expand our
vacation offerings. When we returned from Tahiti and began focusing
on our August Issue, Mela had a burning desire to visit the Orient. A quick call to my friends at Orient Express
Vacations and we were set. As a matter of
fact, they were so excited about having the
first Avatars ever on the E&O (Eastern
and Oriental) that they became advertisers
in the mag. Once the word got out in Moove that we were
offering a free vacation to the Far East,
the guest list filled up faster than my Tubo
Lacey Motorbike.
L-R / Angeleyezs,
Beads and Tory
taking a
break from
Matti's Spring
Show in Banff,
Alberta Canada
It was the first vacation I had taken since
Angeleyezs had gone to Heaven and to be with
Mela in our quest to rebuild the magazine
and look to the future meant so very much
to me. It was our only trip with Delicious
Enigma, KNB and Stacia who were arrested
and nearly imprisoned for a very long time in Hong Kong
for not having the proper documents. My fondest memory of that vacation is sitting
in silence on the top of the viewing car
with Mela on the train in the early morning,
and listening to the sounds of the jungle
fade as the sun rose. I never knew that this
special time was the calm before the storm. I also had no idea that our trip to Burma,
where we met and befriended the peaceful
Buddist Monks, would be one of the last
Rhovana became
close friends
with several
Buddhist Monks
in Burma. They
were fascinated
by her Vampire
teeth.
trips to this beautiful country for Avatars
and those that live in Real. A few days after we left the Orient, the
Burmese government
cracked down on the
Monks
who held a march
to protest the Governments
policies. This protest
is now known as the
"Saffron Revolution" The march that the 15-member Buddhist Monks’
Representative Committee
led had over 100,000
people on to the
streets of Rangoon included
a large number of
monks from the former capital
wearing deep maroon
robes. According to the United Nations, 31 people
were killed and hundreds
were arrested during
the crackdown. But
opposition and human rights
groups place a much
higher casualty rate,
with over 100 deaths
and over a thousand
protesters
Delicious Enigma
and Stacia
sitting and
listening
to a Buddhist
Monk enlighten
them on the
joys of a Peaceful
existence
arrested. On 15 August, the junta suddenly increased
fuel prices overnight
by as much as 500 percent,
and the hikes resulted
in increases in prices
of public transport
and also higher prices
for some basic commodities
due to higher
transport costs.
The sharp rise in fuel prices
triggered a series
of small protests in the
country’s largest
city, Rangoon. The 88 Generation Students Group led the
walking protests
to demonstrate against the
junta's mismanagement
and call for lower
consumer prices.
But the plainclothes security
officials and civilian
paid thugs handled
the protesters with
brute force and physical
abuse. All key leaders
of 88 Generation Student
Group, including
Min Ko Naing, the most
The protest
by Buddhist
Monks against
the
junta in Burma
is now known
as the Saffron
Revolution.
well-known activist after Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, were arrested. When police and civilian hooligans attacked
Buddhist monks in
Upper Burma who joined
the protest against
the gasoline price hike
on 5 September 2007,
it sparked subsequent
drama. The news of
monks being tied to lampposts
and beaten fueled
the public's anger in this
devout country, and
fellow Buddhist monks
throughout the nation
called upon the regime
to apologize for
their wrongdoing and start
national reconciliation
process, threatening
a religious boycott
if the regime failed
to comply with these
demands. As the junta
ignored their call,
the monks carried out
their boycott, refusing
any religious services
and donations from
the military and their
family
We were all
greeted with
warm smiles
and
genuine kindness
by the many
peoples we
met
on our Asian
Vacation.
members.
Thousands of Buddhist
monks led the marches
in several major
cities of the country,
chanting
loving-kindness verses
of the Buddhist Canon
and praying for the
peace of country.
When
students and the
general public joined
the
marches of monks,
the numbers of protesters
reached 200,000 in
Rangoon alone. This
movement
was known worldwide
as the "Saffron
Revolution".
However, the regime responded by spraying
bullets into the
monks and people, resulting
in at least 31 deaths
according to United
Nations figures.
At least 6,000 were arrested.
Hundreds of monasteries
were
Our cross country
motorbike trip
took us
to Salem, Massachusettes
where things
began
to get mighty
wierd.
Tory and her
Mom (Beads)
in Papeeta Tahiti
during our
First Annual
Rose Cruise.
that we began to realize that there was
a prejudice against Avatars in the real world
and we were banned from entering Pennsylvania
and New York. While the "Road Trip" was filled
with happy events and wonderful companionship,
the most vivid memory was of the small creature that stopped us in the road
outside of Salem and gnawed on the poor NOOB that was traveling
with us. I still have nightmares about that
devilish green monster. The road trip to Salem also enlightened
us to how our being in the Real World was
affecting us individually and in both the
realm of Moove and the Real World. Our most recent vacation took more than
20 Moove residents to Lake Tahoe for our first ski trip ever into the Real
World. Thank God for Livid since she was
able to design skis and ski goggles for us
to use. We did not find out until after we
arrived that "Real World" skis
cannot be used by Avatars. Lake Tahoe was also the premier of Angel Kiss, the all-girl rock band from Moove. The charity concert for the Angel Kisses
Stacia looking
simply yummy
in her swim suit
in Bangkok
Renewal Grant program raised nearly a million
dollars and the crowd simply could not get
enough of the cheerleader clad rockers. Our trip to Lake Tahoe made three of us very
rich, and it was really the first time we
all had a chance to relax and be pampered.
We continued the pampering in Las Vegas. The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas truly appreciated us and showered us with
spacious suites, private poker games and
perks galore. The only activity we had to
spend money on was our top of the line spa
treatment at the "The Spa" in the
hotel. Princess Sherry and I still talk about
how utterly relaxed and sexy we felt for
weeks after our
L - R / Stacia, Delicious Enigma and KNB
during our Orient Express vacation.
treatment. Of course, the reception we received at the
House of Blues was
less than warm, and
the
riot that followed
sent Angel Kiss on
the
current adventure
to the Navajo Nation. We passed on offering a vacation destination
this month to allow
everyone to gear
down
and catch up on their
responsibilities
in
Moove before the
2nd Annual Rose Cruise
in
March. It is a secret,
but I can tell you
that if you miss
this one, you are
going
to kick yourself
all the way to SECRET to catch up with us. Going over the past year and revisiting all
the wonderful sights
and people we have
met,
I made a list of
the top experiences
for
me.
Auntie Wood
Nymph and Mysteryman
exploring
the religious
history of
the Orient
Most Memorable Moment (Good) - The reaction of the crowd in Cleveland
to our arrival at
the Rock and Roll
Hall
of Fame. Most Memorable Moment (Bad) - The kidnapping of Mela and Dark Embrace
in Cambodia. Scariest Moment - Watching the tornado approach from the
small tool shed we were hiding in on our
motorbike trip through Kansas Most Luxurious Hotel - "The Hotel" at the Mandalay Bay.
It was the most plush
and well-stocked
accomodations
this fashion writer
has ever had the
pleasure
to enjoy. Best Meal - I have eaten some of the most amazing
food over the past year, but the one meal
that still makes my mouth water was the five
course dinner with the Captain aboard the
Tory and Mela meditating during their Spa
Treatment in Cambodia on the Orient Express
Vacation
Tahitian Princess. I love seafood and the
theme for the evening was Lobster. The dinner
began with a Lobster Custard with Beluga
Caviar appetizer which was served in chilled
egg shells and served on a bed of rock salt
and spices, topped with Beluga Caviar. (click here for the rest of the meal) Most Romantic Moment - The quiet dinner with Mela in Hong Kong. For some reason, that memory
is one filled with
a deep peace as is
the
fireworks show in
Tokyo and our meditation
session with Buddhist
Monks in Burma. Most Visual Memory - Watching Rando ride off down the road
just outside of St. Louis with his Harley
Davidson Model on the back. I knew he was
leaving forever and his friendship has meant
so very much to me over
Dave and Maggymay
cruising through
Vermont
during our
cross-country
motor bike tour
vacation in
October 2007
the past two years. (Rando has returned to
Moove after his new girlfriend ran off with
a Chippendale stripper from Omaha) Funniest Moment - The snowball fight on the mountain at the
Heavenly Ski Resort
with Livid getting fresh
snow stuffed down
her mouth and into her
Gortex Wonder Woman
ski suit. The close second
funniest moment was
the BBQ contest in Kansas
City and how big
our butts got from all the
fine foods we were
shoving down our throats. The Top Family Moment - There is tie for this one. Spending time
with my Aunties in
Las Vegas as they
took
the town by storm.
The other one was
the
time I was able to
spend with Mom (Beads)
last Spring as we
traveled around the
world
attending Fashion
Shows of the Moove
Fashion
Elite.
Tory and Dark
Embrace realizing
they were
the only Avatars
at the Oktoberfest
in Munich,
Germany
Most Disapointing Moment - Traveling all the way to Germany for Oktoberfest
and not being able
to see where the
Offices
of Moove were located
and never getting
to
meet Logan and Belle
of Moove. Most Missed Moove Resident on the Vacations
- My Uncle Lasher. he has been a guide and
friend to me for so very long, but with his
job of running a chain of the hottest Clubs
in Moove, he is always too busy to go with
us. Maybe we can get him on the 2nd Annual
Rose Cruise to....ooops, I almost let the
secret out. Most Supportive Vacationer - This has to be my Auntie Wood Nymph and
MysteryMan. They have both been on virtually
every vacation and MysteryMan has even served
as a translator
Livid was the
hit of the
ski slopes in her
self-designed
Gortex Wonder
Woman ski suit
during our
Lake Tahoe
trip.
for us in several foriegn far off places. Over the past year, we have been to dozens
of countries and met thousands of friendly
locals. All totaled, the Moove residents
have traveled more than a million miles in
our quest to have fun and show the Real World
that Avatars are people too. As we move into our second year, we are hopeful
that more NOOBS and those that have not had
a chance to travel with us will take up the
offer from the Crystal Angel to take a vacation
and grow closer to the many wonderful neighbors
and friends that call Moove their home.
Copyright 2007/ 2008- TorLa Inc
This Site is an independent affiliate of
Morning Glory Industries
All Coding except where noted is owned by
TorLa or is used by permission
Telluride, Colorado 81435
Contact Us: CrystalAngelFashion@earthlink.net
When we started the Crystal Angel last year,
we had no plans on offering free vacations
to Moove residents. It was not until our
first trip into the Real World for the 2007
Spring Fashion Shows that the idea was hatched.
