Date Posted: 14th Dec 2008 at 7:51 PM

Hi all

Just a quick word to let you know how I am doing. My father eventually died in July, but my son is doing ok so far.
So… and the picture depicts, among the debris…I’m Still Standing.
I’m working as a translator at home (just translated the last expansion of SimCity, for instance) … and in my spare time I’m “painting” in Photoshop. If you feel like it, visit me at: http://alexasrosa.deviantart.com/

As I told you I’m not making Sim stuff anymore, but I peek in from time to time, to see how everything and everybody is doing, and to answer PMs and Comments.

Thank you so much to all of you for your words of courage, for your prayers and good thoughts. May you all have loving Holidays – whatever you may call them – and may the New Year bring you love, peace, joy and the fulfilment of some of your dreams.

No all…you have to keep some for the next years…. :lovestruc

Date Posted: 30th May 2008 at 11:38 AM

The last time I had major health family issues – with my grand-mother and my son’s first round battling cancer – I used the Sims to keep my sanity. And for that I’m grateful.
But this time it’s not working.

My son has to undergo chemo, after having had another surgery, at least until August, and he’s reacting much worst to this treatment. At the same time, my father has been for the last month in the Cardio Intensive Care Unit, and they don’t even want to operate to move the wire that is touching the heart’s wall and causing the problems, because he would not survive the operation

So I’m stepping out, at least for the time being.
I really don’t know when I’ll come back.

I’ll keep peeking in, so you can send me messages and I’ll read them. But I want be making stuff.
Thank you so much for the support, encouragement, team work and very embaracing good critics :lovestruc – and thanks also for the not so good ones: they made me try harder and made my skin thicker.

So, a big kiss to all of you and … please don’t forget me. One day, who knows. I might come back.

Date Posted: 22nd Jan 2008 at 11:52 AM

I’m taking a time out.

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit “let down” by all this. I’m pretty tough skinned and don’t get offended very easily, but it builds up and builds up…
I’m trying to avoid the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.

It’s been quite a while since I last played the game and have been using it only to check the CC I make and take pictures, so I’m not even playing. I just come here, everyday to check my mail and see the messages.

I’m not saying that I’m not going to make any more clothes. But I’m not saying that I will either.
We’ll see.

Meanwhile… try to be good to each other and remember: if you don’t have anything nice to say… maybe it’s better you don’t say anything.

Date Posted: 31st Oct 2007 at 11:20 AM

I just realized I’m over 500.000 downloads and more than 100 “favourites”.

I know it’s shallow….but what can I say? I can’t help but think: “hei…at least 500000 times, people thought I did a good enough job for them to want to have it in their game. Maybe I’m not that bad after all”.

At my home, people are so uninterested in the Sims, they never bothered to even glimpse at my page. They have no idea … and so I have no direct feed-back.

But I made it through that BIG number.
And that means that a lot of people helped me over the years, teached me, gave me tips, heard my cries for help and generally supported me. And are still there, every time I cry “help”.

So, to the all Sims community – as divided and at war it might be at the moment – and mostly to the wonderful fairy good-mothers (and fathers) from MTS2.

Date Posted: 11th Jul 2007 at 1:12 PM

Hello everybody

I’m in the process of making a huge project with clothes from the period between 1900-1914.
There was such a great evolution in clothing and mentalities that I think it’s one of the periods that is more interesting to make.

Now, the thing is: I was only going to make Adult (+elder) female, as they seem to be the ones that people download the most. Then I started getting pleads for teens and kids…then for men…then for gym and other physical activities…
I’m getting a little lost here, especially because when you do teens and men people don’t seem to download them that much.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not worried about the “masses”. If I was I wouldn’t be making period clothing, as the majority of people prefer today’s fashion, or I would stick to Medieval/Fantasy.

But I would like to give you what you really think you are missing in your period neighbourhoods.

So, if you really think you need something drop me a line – here in the journal, please don’t PM me about that.

BUT (there is always a but, isn’t it?) this DOESN’T mean that:

1 – I will comply with your request individually
2 – I accept requests as a rule

So, keeping in mind that every single item takes a lot of time to research, put the materials together and then…making it…

-What kind of clothes do you think you are missing the most in your game?

Thanks for your cooperation, guys

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Date Posted: 27th Jun 2007 at 1:26 PM

I know this is rather personal, but I don’t care.


I want to scream it on the roof tops: my son had thumbs up from the doctor and is now in official remission!
Hurrah!

Of course he as to deal with a lot of chemo side-effects, but they seam like nothing when compared with what he went through and with what might have happened.

So… I’m HAPPY !

Date Posted: 26th Apr 2007 at 12:27 PM

Just musing…

Sims has given me a lot since I started playing, back in the first pack of Sims1.

Because of them I became more accustomed with the net, even if back then I had an awful dial system that made me sweat every time I logged in.
Then I meat a lot of great people that introduced me to “downloading items”. And THAT started a rollercoaster:
I had to learn to use PaintShop because I felt like making objects for Sims1. I had to research a lot because I wanted to make accurate recreations. I had to learn to use shades of black to make 3d in the game (remember?).

Then Sims2 appeared. I started making clothes for the first time ever. MTS2 appeared. I was invited to be part of a site crew. I decided to learn how to use PhotoShop.
I now I’m part of two teams, one of which just published the most amazing set (N8iveSims Mod Group) .

Meanwhile, my (real) life had a lot of bad bumps.

But the Sims, and the Sims community, kept me sane and gave me something fun to escape to. Sure there is a lot of bickering and nagging and you need a big amount of patience and a think skin. But you learn how to deal with people, how to keep firm and to accept other opinions and views. And it shows you what a true community is all about: you give when you have, you ask when you need.

It’s not Utopia yet…but it’s pretty close.

Date Posted: 26th Mar 2007 at 11:58 AM

Warning: The following text is assumedly bad tempered and can hurt people’s feelings. Those who have a thin skin or might feel attacked better stay away. This disclaimer exempts me for apologising to anyone.


This is a free site. People here work and help and make things for the fun of it and for the pleasure of giving others pleasure. Hackers make hacks, meshers make meshes, skinners make skins… but everyone make them in their free time and shares them willingly.
The only payment requested? A “Thank You”.

Noticing that people are lazy, the Mods decided to put on a “thank you” button, so that people don’t get too tired thanking, and creators can get what they deserve.
But, unfortunately, even requiring a simple click of a button, people don’t do it.

It’s rude.
It would hurt the creator’s feelings if we ever stopped and asked ourselves “why bother?”.
People write to us asking/demanding things, they rant if we send them to other links to get the meshes, take the time to correct what we or others have written… but they never say Thank You.

This is not a generational thing, as this is a multi-generational site. It’s not a national thing either or even cultural, for the very same reason.
It may be a “sign of the times”: people grab what they can, and think nothing of it, like the world owes them nothing less.

How else can we explain 45000 downloads and only 200 “thank you”’s ? 44800 persons out of 45000 – that’s a huge amount of grabbers and bad-mannered people!!!

If even Numenor writes in his journal and wonders if anyone is reading it… and then people can all excited when creators like EP decide they had enough.

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Date Posted: 23rd Jan 2007 at 1:13 PM

Wow… this was a great week !

After such a long time of receiving only bad news, I got the motherlode: two featured uploads straight up AND the news that my son will not be having anymore chemo, at least for two months.
The CAT scan was clean, so now we are on the next phase: the wait and pray that all cancer cells are dead for good.

2006 was an awful year. First I lost my job, then I saw my grand-mother (my soul-mate, the person with which I shared my birthday) suffer a sudden and rapid senile degeneration, that ended with her death and, on the same week, the news that my son had cancer and had to undergo two surgeries, chemo and all that.

Making things for the Sims saved my sanity.
I would make them even if no one liked them. But the fact that, apparently, people do enjoy them makes me feel good and useful, somehow.

So thank you all for being a part of a virtual world-wide community that shares not only objects, but dream worlds. :lovestruc

Date Posted: 20th Dec 2006 at 6:44 PM

Hi
I cannot send a Christmas card to each and everyone that somehow helped me - and countless others - throughout the year, be it by helping with a problem, offering a mesh, offering beautiful words of praise and encouragement, or simply sharing with all of us gorgeous things, fruits of hours of hard labour with nothing to gain but a meagre "thank you" push in a button. That’s the miracle of the Web Brotherhood.
So I’m posting here my Christmas card to all of you (and Thanks Delphy for giving me this little corner on the web).

May your Christmas be filled with Love and may the New Year bring you Peace, Joy and Health. Everything else would fall into place.

A big hug to you all :lovestruc

Click to see my card

Merry Christmas