Considering Second Life, we tend to call REAL our normal lives as human beings that have to eat, sleep and go to the toilet. I think it is a mistake to think that physical world defines what is real and what is not.

Each time when you login into SL, you spend your REAL time there.

Each time you laugh staring at your screen while having fun with your virtual friends, you laugh in REAL.
Each time you get upset because of something in SL, you get upset in REAL.
Your physical body reacts on what you see and hear in SL.

What do you keep apart when you say I keep RL and SL apart? Your identity. In RL you are so “many” years old, having a job, hating your boss and probably afraid to tell him/het the truth, because he/she may fire you. In SL… you are a star, slebrity, going from party to party, enjoying compliments on your looks. You are your own boss and decide yourself how and when you’ll spend your REAL time in this virtual world. You may suddenly be a cat, a tiny, switch gender, be a part of a role play. Here you are who you always wanted to be, so aren’t you more real in SL than RL?