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Top row from left to right: Apollo Call, Caine Elcano, David Jupiter, & Gin Zaks. Bottom row from left to right: Jaymz Pearl, Seth Diabolito, Todd Anton & Trevor Spore.

Catching up with Seth Diabolito, finalist for Mr. Costa Rica Sims 2010. The man, the marketer, the model. This guy is everywhere! Can it get better? Yep! He’s genuine, friendly, honest and good ole fashioned down to earth Texas! Yee haww!!! Ok enough of that.

When I called, he was at the Opera House, practicing on his own. “Just me. I wanted to get some extra practice time in. I am NOT falling on my face!”

Seth stumbled upon Second Life™ through his real life partner who is now co-owner of a nightclub and mall in SL.

“He couldn’t sleep one night and found it. Told me about it the next day. I thought, that’s lame. Whatever right? But just like a curious cat I signed up. LOL! I went to a dance club and met a purty dancer. She was like no no. She took me to get a new skin and the rest is history! Yay dancers!”

The result is an avatar that clearly matches his personality. He fits so well in the modeling industry its as if he was born to do it.

“A friend of mine, probably my first friend in SL, she took me with her to a casting. I never even knew modelling existed in Second Life™. After that casting, I wasn’t hired LOL, I was hooked.”

And we are so glad he is. Seth was in Second Life™ ten months before he came across Costa Rica sims.

“I saw Gian’s booth at the land expo and watched the video. I was like…um yeah. I’m living there! The attention to detail is amazing, the beauty. But the business behind it, it’s crazy! We live across from Las Baulas. It’d be really cool to see that in RL.”

Having heard of the Mr. and Ms. Costa Rica Sims pageants before, he decided to enter.

“I know of Nisa [current Ms. Costa Rica Sims and head of the Costa Rica Sims Ladies Society] from modeling. So, that was it. I decided to throw my hat into the ring. I saw the MVW [Ms. Virtual World] pageant and saw her. I thought, that’s sooooo cool! I want to do that but for men. LOL!”

If he wins, will he go for that too?

“Most definitely! I’ve aligned myself with the best. I work and live in Costa Rica. So I think Mr. Virtual World would just be a natural progression for me, if i was honored. Gotta represent!”

Represent he does! The nicest thing about Seth, what you see is what you get. He’s so geniune I wanted to pinch him to make sure he was real.

Finalist Seth Diabolito

“Seth is really who I am. No false pretenses. I am just this driven in real life, but also, just this down to earth. While I respect others for being in Second Life™ to explore another side to themselves, I ain’t got time! LOL! Plus, I think my successes, friendships, etc gained in SL are that much sweeter when i put myself, my real self, into it.”

I couldn’t agree more. With Second Life™ still perceived by many as just a game, Seth disagrees.

“Yes, there are avatars. But, they don’t control themselves. Real people do. So yeah, when deceit comes into play, that’s something that I don’t condone or want to be around.”

Just as many of us learn things about ourselves in real life by interacting with others, the same is true here.

“I’ve done the same and have seen it in a RL friend that is in SL with us. She’s normally a shy person, but she’s become more outgoing in Second Life™ and that’s carried over into [her] real life. It just comes down to responsibility. You either choose to be responsible for yourself or you don’t.”

Couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Catch my next interview with finalist David Jupiter. Might as well right, as he’s always rowing by my house with his wetsuit on. Oh these boys are gonna kill me, I swear. d(>.<)b

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite finalist on our poll. It’s open only until March 15th so get your vote in! One vote per person per day. You can find the link at the top under Fashion, Music & More then click Mr. Costa Rica Sims 2010. If your reading this on BOSL blog, you can follow this link.

peace & <3,

Keshi

Top row from left to right: Apollo Call, Caine Elcano, David Jupiter, & Gin Zaks. Bottom row from left to right: Jaymz Pearl, Seth Diabolito, Todd Anton & Trevor Spore.

Continuing interviews with the finalists of Mr. Costa Rica Sims 2010, I talked with Trevor Spore at his home on Puntarenas. A gorgeous Scarlet Creative prefab that blends perfectly with the land.

After dunking donuts in his pool, okay not technically; more like sitting on donuts from Ayeko, he passes a message from fellow contestant, Apollo Call.

“By the way, Apollo asked me to tell you hello. I IM’ed him and we became friends and he offered to help me. How cool is that?”

Very cool. It’s so good to see that even though all of these handsome men are competing, that they are forming friendships that will hopefully last beyond the big event. This is the first contest he’s ever entered in Second Life™.

“Yeah it is the very first. I don’t really know what to expect so I’m a bit thrilled.”

Something all the men so far seem to have in common as well as being prodded to enter by friends.

“I was paying tier last month and talked to Giancarlo and he introduced me to Clyde, Director of Costa Rica Sims Productions. I was kind of pushed by a friend of mine. She urged me to enter LOL. I asked Clyde if I was still in time to enter the pageant and he told me how to apply.”

Finalist Trevor Spore

But enter he did and he seems to be really enjoying it.

“I am yeah, only thing is the times for the group rehearsals are not okay for me, so Clyde offered to do private sessions.”

Trevor hails from Holland, so that is understandable. With a professional like Clyde helping him though he’s sure to have a much better understanding of it all.

“What I hope to achieve is a lot of fun and perhaps get some friends out of it. At least that part is a success already for I became friends to Clyde, Apollo and yourself. I like to see the glass as half full rather than half empty in real life so I like to act the same way in Second Life™.”

A very positive outlook! Having heard alot about Second Life™ before joining, he found Costa Rica about three or four months down the line.

“Wow man, when I asked Gian to give me a tour, I was flabbergasted! I totally enjoy the CR taxi too.”

Like some of the other contestants, he’s thinking of maybe dabbling in building.

“Not yet, I hope to follow some training to be able to build myself. I did what most people do here, shopped for nice things. I kind of have a dream to make jewelry for guys. I’m not a designer in RL but I have some ideas.”

I ask if he thinks he’ll also dabble in modelling, regardless if he wins or not.

“Its tempting I think, but I don’t know if I’m the right material. I don’t know what to expect and how people see me. But curiosity kills the cat, right?”

It’s been known to do that, yes. But at least they get the cream!

Check back for my next interview with the remaining contestants of Mr. Costa Rica Sims 2010!

peace & love,

Keshi

Top row from left to right: Apollo Call, Caine Elcano, David Jupiter, & Gin Zaks. Bottom row from left to right: Jaymz Pearl, Seth Diabolito, Todd Anton & Trevor Spore.

Today I spent some time with Finalist Gin Zaks and his lovely wife Docka Denja, at their home in Guanacaste Noroeste in Costa Rica. Gin found his way to Second Life™ by way of a business client. He wasn’t impressed straight away.

“I assumed SL was some sort of online video game, so I didn’t really care for it when I first got here. But after reading up on it and understanding more of what it was about I really loved it.”

Building and scripting are usually some of the first things we dip our toe in after getting our avatars in order. But Gin found one of the best things about Second Life he enjoyed more. The people.

“I will be the first to say that I am in no way a good builder, scripter. The friends I have made here are simply amazng. All walks of life and the cultures are something I love to learn about. Playing was what I loved to do. When I met my Docka, that was something I found that we had in common.”

After playing and grid hopping, and deciding he wanted to settle in somewhere, he happened along some homes that led him to Costa Rica.

“I’d heard of it [Costa Rica] for a while but I would say November 2009 was when we came to have a look. It was funny, I told Docka about a guy I know named Rawly Rousselot and that he built homes. We first went to look at his homes and she fell in love with one.”

Which of course led them to buying land and becoming part of the diverse community. How do you get from there to entering the Mr. Costa Rica Sims pageant?

“No really I saw it and thought, hmm well maybe I should. And Docka was like, ‘Why not? Let’s see what happens?’”

This leads to some light teasing from Docka. “I did that for selfish reasons, baby. I wanted the whole world to see what kind of man I have!”

Finalist Gin Zaks

While he’s never done anything like this in RL, he did enter a contest quite some time ago for HUNK magazine. The kind where you put up your pic and then have all your friends come vote with money.

“And it was nude.”

Did he win?

“LOL! No.”

Okay! He won’t have to worry about that this time. With a panel doing the judging things are sure to be different. Gin’s not worried.

“Everything has been created and well thought out that I see none of us having any problems. Since this is my first time, I don’t have anything to base what works and not, so I will just wing it. It is pretty much straight forward I think.”

And if he wins?

“Well, if I win I would feel happy and a bit sad. I have no experience with modeling nor have top model friends or well known people helping me. My wife is it. We are just having fun and joking around. I would feel sad if I won and they did so much more work.”

Generous and charitable, Gin says he’d be just as happy if he won in title only, letting the sponsors instead donate to a charity. Looking at Gin, he’s a big guy. I certainly wouldn’t nick his drink off him in a pub. It makes me wonder how he looked when he came to Second Life. Would his newbie avatar have had a chance in the contest I ask?

“Pretty much like this only shorter, uglier, less detailed. LOL! Wait! OMG! Docka, baby do you still have that before and after pic?”

I’m afraid, that is off the record

Check again soon for the my interview with Trevor Spore as he shows me around his Costa Rica home.

Peace & love,

Keshi

Top row from left to right: Apollo Call, Caine Elcano, David Jupiter, & Gin Zaks. Bottom row from left to right: Jaymz Pearl, Seth Diabolito, Todd Anton & Trevor Spore.

Day two of our interviews with the finalists of the Mr. Costa Rica Sims 2010 contest. I knocked on the IM window of Caine ElCano to catch up and see how he’s feeling about the competition.

“I swear, I could kick the butt of my friend that talked me into it.”

Sometimes it’s a good thing to be out of your comfort zone. Caine clearly has a very unique and appealing look, choosing to go without prim hair and giving him a smooth melon that even Yul Brenner would envy.

“That’s out of sheer laziness,” he states. “I can’t stand editing. My head is so huge, I have to edit everything so I said for-get-it.”

A pain we can all empathize with. Still you have to admit that it definitely sets him apart. The rest he’ll have to endure like his fellow contestants. The rehearsals, practice, photo shoots. He’s getting input from the best.

“Can you believe these girls made a runway for me, to practice my turns and walks? My friends TraLove [Pinazzo]and Tempest [Rosca]and a non-model Aubrei. Tra seems to know her stuff and pulls out the whip now and again. I met Tra as a newbie, she took me around and taught me basic stuff. Showed me the ropes. It’s about passing it on, so I help newbies as well.”

Finalist Caine ElCano

Caine happened across Costa Rica through a friend and after exploring decided to get some permanent digs for himself. When he’s not fishing or hang gliding, he’s building.

“I am attempting to make furniture with custom textures. So say you have a photo you like. I will make the sofa, or ottoman into that texture. Even thought about making jewelry too.”

Challenging as building is, it will have to wait until he’s finished with the contest. He and his fellow finalists seem to be taking it all in stride.

“I think it’s going well. In rehearsal last week we were laughing and making jokes as we learned the choreography. A good bunch of guys so far.”

Any regrets on entering, as he was prodded into it?

“So far, no. As long as the swimsuit competition doesn’t involve speedos, it’s all good til the end. And I have great support from some professional models so it’s making the process easier. If I don’t win, I’ll still continue to live in Costa Rica. I love it here and continue on wth my building and scripting, just enjoy Second Life™ for what it is.”

Regardless of whether he wins or not, Caine’s future looks bright. With his positive outlook and laid back style, we can see him going far. As long as the male fashion choices continue to grow that is.

“What about us men? LOL! Where’s the “fashion forward” designs for men they push for the women? I even thought about shrinking myself and changing my name to Cainita just to get a variety of clothing.”

Well, we won’t let that happen. I’ll drag him to CheerNo personally.

I’ll be back tomorrow with an interview with Gin Zaks!

Peace <3

Keshi

Top row from left to right: Apollo Call, Caine Elcano, David Jupiter, & Gin Zaks. Bottom row from left to right: Jaymz Pearl, Seth Diabolito, Todd Anton & Trevor Spore.

As the time draws closer to crown the Mr. Costa Rica Sims of 2010, I thought it would be great to get to know a little more about them and have a chat to see how they are preparing and dealing with all of the pressure. Today I had a nice talk with Apollo Call, a new resident to the Costa Rica Sims, to see how he was faring with it all.

Apollo Call is in hot demand as the male model featured in ads for W&Y hair and Gabriel fashions. Handsome and charming and amazingly modest, he entered the competition after another candidate pulled out.

“Clyde said [that] one of the finalists withdrew from the contest, so he asked me if I wanted to do it. I knew about the Mr. Costa Rica contest but I never thought I could be one of the finalists. I’m so excited!”

Finalist Apollo Call

He’s got good reason to be excited. The roster of finalists reads like a Who’s Hot in Costa Rica. Fellow Costa Rica Productions models Jaymz Pearl and Seth Diabolito, as well as Costa Rica residents David Jupiter, Todd Anton, Caine ElCano, Gin Zaks and Trevor Spore. Apollo is jazzed and ready to go. He’s even being helped by his lady, AGATA Model Agency C.E.O and Miss Virtual World 2010 1st run-up, Sora Tatham.

“She is already kicking my butt. The hair is no good for the contest or you have to make styling like this and that.”

Clearly Apollo has great support in his corner. Though he is not without his own accolades. Modelling for AGATA as well as EVANE, IMAGE|Models, Modavia, JSE and Maniera including the cover of their July issue. And like the Sun god of the same name, he is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon as he continues to shine. What does he do to relax? This hot model dabbles in a bit of Sci-fi.

“I’m a senior Commander of United Federation Starfleet. I build a lot of Greek statues and greek gazebos. I love to explore interesting places.”

What will he do if he wins?

“I think I might faint on the runway. LOL! I can feel that Costa Rica will be my lucky charm. As soon as I moved here, these kind of things happened to me. That’s very good sign.”

Check, one quilted chair to catch Apollo should he faint upon winning.

You can see more photos of Apollo here at his Flickr page. Tomorrow I’ll be tracking down another sexy finalist and deluge them with questions. God I love my job

Peace and love,

Keshi

As the sun blazed and the warm breeze blew across Alajuela, the Rezz babies of February came out to party and celebrate their year or many in Second Life. DJ Azu, looking very fine and comfy in his sandals, pumped out the jams. The crowd was a mix of jiggling bodies as Costa Rica regulars Solitaire and Chase made their entrance, then Rezz Day babies Diacentra, Millie, Jaymz accompanied by his lady Samantha Ohberg, Carrie, Jennaa, Imani and Natalia.

A shout out to the birthday babies that didn’t make it; Aldo, Aston, Brooklynne, Chance, Coughran, Dave, Dixy, Docka, Fontesph, GatoBHZ, Jamesen, July, Locky, Mason and Midori. We hope you had a great rezz day wherever you were.

Though Millie claims there was a cake, I’m quite sure the gulls got to it first. Not that it was missed, I think champagne was the food of choice for the evening. All in all, everyone had a good time, language barriers notwithstanding, and shared the celebration of their 60 plus years, just kidding! Some of you are as smooth as the day you were born. I won’t tell

You can see more photos of the party at the Costa Rica flickr site here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/costaricasims/

Peace everyone <3

Keshi

No doubt you’ve heard the now famous Giancarlo “Hola!” if you’ve attended parties or events around Costa Rica sims. Well now you can “Hola!” your brains out. Blazin Aubret’s Hollywood Gestures (slurl.com/secondlife/Laguna Arenal/184/215/23) has rolled into the Costa Rica Shopping Districtand will fill all your gesturbating needs. You can find Expressions to fit every Second Life™ pet peeve. Tired of that one avatar forcing you to wear SPF 500 with their horrid face lights? Or the other that wears more bling than necessary for a rap music video? Well, they’ve got a gesture for that

Ranging from hit television shows like “Will and Grace” and “Little Britain” to comedian Jeff Dunham’s hilarious Achmed the Dead Terrorist to “True Blood” and Club gestures.

Make sure you grab your free “Hola!” gesture at the store front when you visit and you’d best all be armed with Hollywood’s gestures at the January Rezzday party!

Hollywood Gestures in Laguna Arenal http://slurl.com/secondlife/Laguna%20Arenal/184/215/23

Peace!

Keshi