Monday, October 31, 2011

EVP


"You can [faintly] hear the three females talking throughout the recording. You will hear a female – the family member – say, 'Hello, baby,' and another long conversation. Those are all human voices. But what sounds like a struggle or attack is going on as well.

"The male [voice] you hear was not present at the hotel. You will hear a cuckoo clock (which was not present) a ticking of a hall clock (which was there); you will hear what sounds like the microphone being moved (which was not touched) and then the sound becomes clearer.

"You will hear a creaking door and slamming of the door, which is real. Then you will hear a [unknown] woman say, 'Get off me,' and what sounds like the woman being attacked. The struggle continues for awhile, and during the EVP you can hear some of my investigators' conversations. After interviewing my investigators, they said they went and sat on the stairs of this hotel, because they heard from an above floor, what sounded like footsteps and conversations, not what you hear on this recording. When the noises stop, you hear the investigators participate in a lulled conversation. They stated that they started to talk when the noises stopped. In their conversation, you will hear a male voice say, 'Help me' several times."

Read more.

Friday, October 28, 2011

UNSUNG HORRORS: THE INTRO


Horror fans (and I of course am one) are often unfairly maligned by the rest of cinema-viewing society. Because for some reason, we can’t seem to get enough of our beloved genre. The good, the bad, and everything in between, we need it—we need to consume it; and we do, in voracious, uncontrollable amounts. We have conventions and television channels and entire clothing lines; comic books and websites and collectible figures; and every single DVD release of Halloween that’s come down the pike (five so far). We live for it. To quote from "Millennium" (hey, a horror show!), this is who we are. And people notice this, and think us weird. Because, c’mon, who in their right mind walks around in a Freddy Krueger shirt? Who has the Tubular Bells as a ring tone? Who will actually wait two hours in line just to meet the guy who played a bit part in John Carpenter’s The Fog?

We do. Because we’re horror fans.

No one’s going to conventions for romantic comedies. No one has t-shirts dedicated to The Notebook or any of Tyler Perry’s nonsense. And sure as shit is no one waiting in line to meet Rob Schneider—that much I can guarantee you.

Horror, much like life itself, is cyclical. Fads come, we relish in them, we get sick of them, and then they go. After Halloween, we got sick of slasher movies. After Scream, we got sick of teen-casted, pop culture-centered, self-aware who-done-its. After The Ring, we got sick of wet ghost girls crawling out of wells and up walls and across ceilings. After the truly anemic Saw series, we got tired of seeing someone strapped to a table while their fingernails were removed. And could it be…after the poor box office performances of Let Me In, Fright Night, and The Thing…are we finally sick of remakes? (Some would argue that they were sick of them ever since Platinum Dunes saw fit to give us their take on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre back in ‘03, but horror fans’ opinions on message boards are not adhered to as much as they would like to think—it’s the wallets of the mainstream audience that speak volumes.) And sure, while remakes are bad ideas in general, and have only illuminated just how idea-bankrupt Hollywood has become, some of them are just fine. Like that Texas Chain Saw Massacre remake I spoke of earlier. It ain’t half bad. And neither is Zack Snyder’s take on Dawn of the Dead. Sure, your fiercely protective horror fans will lambaste them in some misguided sense of loyalty, and I can understand that. But as far as both of these remakes are concerned, audiences and critics agreed, and the two movies were rightly considered successes. (Entertainment Weekly gave Dawn an A-! Entertainment Weekly! A zombie movie! An A-!)

But what about the other hundreds of remakes and sequels that have come out? Did the world really need Rob Zombie’s truly abhorrent take on Halloween (2007)? Did we really need to find out the back-story of Billy in Black Christmas (2006)? And my goodness, how do you fuck up Friday the 13th (2009) so badly? We’re not talking Shakespeare here, people—we’re talking Voorhees. It’s a pretty cut-and-dried concept, and yet these tepid filmmakers managed to produce a movie filled with annoying characters, boring deaths, and the lazy presence of an iconic figure whose own myth was underrated and disrespected. I’d rather have seen a sequel to the truly ridiculous Jason X than this mess. And speaking of sequels, did you know that with the recent release of the by-all-accounts-terrible Hellraiser: Revelations, there are now more Hellraiser entries that went direct-to-video than were released in theaters? Did you know there are now TEN Children of the Corn movies? Fucking ten! (One of them being a big budget remake in the hands of Dimension Films.) Who the fuck is still renting Children of the Corn ??

So why am I railing on this genre I so claim to love, you ask? What does this have to do with anything? Because I have a problem with horror fans. A huge problem. I love them all, and I count myself as one amongst their flock, but they are a very persnickety bunch. Though they consume every subgenre of horror in bulldozer-sized chunks, they are constantly begging for something new and different; and yet, when something new and different finally comes their way, they ignore it. They claim to desire something fresh and unique, and not just a rehash of everything that has come before, but at the end of the day, they’re sell outs—the same they accuse their beloved filmmakers Carpenter, Romero, and Craven of being for selling off the rights to their film properties for many of the ill-advised remakes that have assaulted our community (and in most cases were not even owned by the filmmakers in the first place). Horror fans speak loudly, but do not carry a big stick. They stay home. They download Hostel 2. They fight on IMDB. But they do not support the original horror that needs to be supported. They instead rent Hellraisers 6, 7, and 8, which has now led us to 9.  Those movies are garbage, and they know they are. And while they claim to want more, they simply don't deliver. Why do they eagerly pony up their money to go see bullshit like The Hitcher (2007), in some cases more than once, but let something like the brilliant Zodiac fall by the wayside (which was released the same god damn year)?

Before finally coming to the end of my rant, allow me to explain what a horror fan is, first, in order to help mend fences: We’re the ones who stick by all the bullshit that gets released. We’re the ones keeping the candle lit for further (pure) adventures in Haddonfield, Springwood, and Crystal Lake. We’re the ones who (used to, anyway, while they still existed) sifted through the bargain bins of mom-and-pop video stores looking for an unheralded little gem to thrill us for 90 minutes. We’re the ones who ultimately ended up dipping into European cinema to grab at their take on the zombie subgenre, whose levels of gore and violence blew our own out of the water. We’re the ones who grin and bear it through tedious franchise pictures (looking at you, Child’s Play ) in hopes that the next installment will actually be good. (We know it’s possible; there have been high points in long-running franchises: Halloween 4 for one, The Exorcist III: Legion, another, and even Freddy vs. Jason—yeah, I said it.) We’re even the ones who every once in a while actually have a bit of power and help shape a movie like, say, Snakes on a Plane. (Sorry about that one, by the way.) And sure, sometimes those “other” people—read: mainstream audiences—dip their toes into our pool and walk away with a Paranormal Activity, a Silence of the Lambs, or a Seven. And good for them. But we remain behind, like ever-loyal soldiers. We suffer through horseshit like One Missed Call and the Resident Evil movies, and my goodness, Prom Night (2009). Because it’s our genre. It’s our family, and like family, you take the good with the bad. For every fun Cousin Dave, there’s a thousand creepy Uncle Chesters with whom you’ve got no choice but to co-exist, and we’ve made our peace with that. Like wedding vows between a bride and groom, we’ve signed on for the long haul—through good and bad, health and sickness, [REC] and Quarantine. For every Dracula, there’s a thousand Twilights. But horror fans need to be more discerning. You want to rent one of the rip-offs produced by the Asylum? Fine. I can't tell you any different. But why not keep an eye out for the movies actually worth your time? Why not keep an eye on message boards, or any of the top horror movie websites out there (ShockTillYouDrop.com, DreadCentral.com)? Except for radical misfires every so often (people love Repo: The Genetic Opera? Really?), these guys are on the money, and they know their shit.

Horror shapes the world—it’s a part of our history, our culture, and our subconscious. Fear is our most primal emotion. As John Carpenter states, we’re born afraid. We die afraid. It’s the only emotion we’re guaranteed to feel as human beings. It’s the first and last emotion we’ll ever experience.

The very first narrative film is believed to be Edison’s take on Frankenstein. To date, there have been more books written about Jack the Ripper than Abraham Lincoln. In fifty years, no one will be talking about The Social Network, "NCIS," or even Snooki. They’ll be talking about Michael Myers, "The Twilight Zone," and George Romero. They won’t be breaking down the events of "House" or "Big Love," but they’ll still be analyzing "Twin Peaks" and "The X-Files."

The horror genre is staggering—it’s an aphrodisiac. It has the power to stay with you long after you leave the theater. It’s that palpable force that makes you cautious to turn off the light—that makes you check your backseat, or gives you pause before flashing your high beams at a passing car whose own headlights are off.

Every once in a while, a genuinely great horror movie—one that would rightfully be considered a classic, had it gotten more exposure and love at the box office—makes an appearance. It comes, no one notices, and it goes. But movies like this are important. They need to be treasured and remembered. If intelligent, original horror is supported, then that's what we'll begin to receive, in droves. We need to make these movies a part of the legendary genre we hold so dear. Because these are the unsung horrors. These are the movies that should have been successful, but were instead ignored. They should be rightfully praised for the freshness and intelligence and craft that they have contributed to our genre forevermore.

So, better late than never, we’re going to celebrate them now…one at a time.

Part one: Lake Mungo. Coming soon.


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Holiday Time!

So this is the last post you'll be getting from me until next Wednesday as I will be playing tourist in bonnie Scotland! 


We're going to Edinburgh for five days to explore the city during the day and delve into it's murky past at night with various ghostly tours in the spirit of Halloween.

I'm really looking forward to it and I promise to take loads of photos while I'm there. 

Hope you don't miss me too much! :P


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

THE FUNERAL

When I was fourteen, my grandmother passed away. She wasn’t a very nice person, to be honest, and none of us kids liked her, but she was my father’s mom, and he was sad when she died, so we pretended we were sad, too. But we weren’t.

Whenever my grandmother came to visit us, she would say the meanest things. She would call my brother fat, my sister dumb, and me she called ugly. She never said anything mean when my parents were around, though, and even though we were kids at the time, we knew better than to tell our parents the awful things she said. We knew they would never believe us. Luckily, our grandmother only visited a few times a year— on holidays—so we never had to really see her.

On the day of her funeral, people gathered around her coffin on the church altar.

“She was a fine person,” someone said to my dad and shook his hand. They were sorry for his loss, they said. A lot of people said that on that day.

“Thank you,” my dad said and he looked pretty sad.

“I’m glad she’s dead,” I said to my sister that day. “She was terrible.” We were sitting in the back pew reading our grandmother’s mass card. Her picture was on the front, and even though she was smiling, there was still hardness in her eyes that gave me chills.

“That’s not nice,” my brother said. “That’s not nice to say about anyone who has died, even if you didn’t like them.”

“I don’t care,” I said. “She was mean to us our whole lives. Now she can’t be mean anymore.”

The funeral eventually ended and everyone began filing out. I waited for the coffin to be rolled out so everyone could follow it to the cemetery, and when it wasn’t I asked my mom why not. She said it was because my grandmother was being cremated, so instead the funeral home would take the body away to do what needed to be done.

The church had emptied out and we were all in the lobby, and I turned and looked back at my grandmother’s coffin. I could see the bump of her folded wrists, which sat on her withered chest. Her skin was sickly white, even from where I stood. Looking at her body, I remembered all the times she was mean to us, and I smirked, but I tried my best to hide it.

I turned back to my mom and said, “Can I go say goodbye one last time?”

“Of course, sweetie,” my mom said, and she adjusted the flower which was pinned to the lapel of my suit jacket. “That’s very nice of you.”

I walked back into the church as my family all talked amongst each other in the lobby. I strode up to my grandmother’s coffin and looked inside. Her face was wrinkled and strange looking—as if it had been re-formed with candle wax. Her dry lips were pursed closed.

I leaned over to her and whispered, “I’m glad your dead. You were terrible.”

I fell back and knocked my elbow pretty hard on a pew, and I was too terrified to even scream, because her eyes had popped open, and they were frosty and blue, like a foggy street after a warm rain. Her hand curled around the side of her coffin and grasped its rail, using it to pull her dead body into a sitting position. Her head turned robotically, the bones in her neck creaking like dry firewood, and she saw me through her cloudy eyes. She grinned, and the wires keeping her lips closed ripped through her skin.

“No!” I screamed and I turned to run. I heard her climb out of the coffin, and I think it was right when her feet touched the ground when the lights inside the church went off. The only light in the whole place came from the altar’s two candles, which were situated on either side of her coffin.

I sprinted down the middle aisle, and in the darkness I could see only the shape of her, lit from behind as she came after me, her burial dress swishing against her legs. I could see loose strands of her hair above her head, and hear her bones cracking as her dead brain forced her dead legs to walk. There was ragged breathing in the dark, and to this day I don’t know if that was her breathing or my own.

I made it to the lobby doors, but they had been closed. I wrenched helplessly on them and found they were locked. I screamed in terror and beat on the doors, but no one came to my aide. I looked through the small windows and saw that the lobby was empty—and that everyone had left me.

“No!” I screamed through the window. “Someone help me!”

A hand gripped my shoulder from behind—so hard I thought my bones would shatter. She turned me around and forced me to face her. Her grinning face was inches away from mine, and when she hissed, the smells of the chemicals inside her leaked down my throat and burned my lungs.

“Get off me!” I screamed again and tore away from her grip. I stumbled in the darkness and fell backwards into a pew. I covered my face with my arms and begged to be left alone.

I felt hands grabbing at me again, forcing my arms away from my face, and I fought them as best as I could, but the hands were too powerful. They grabbed my face now, and they were smooth and warm. I opened my eyes and saw my father. He looked very concerned, but there was also a glimmer of a faint, even sympathetic smile. The church’s lights were on, and the lobby once again filled with members of my large family, some of them looking in at me with concern in their eyes. I was crying very hard.

“I know, buddy,” he said to me. “I know you’re sad she’s gone, but don’t worry. She will always be with us.”

I grabbed onto him and held him tightly, and he held me back as we sat together in the pew, and when I looked over his shoulder and back to my grandmother’s coffin, where she was lying again, I swear to this day—as I swear that what happened to me on that day is true—that she was smiling.

And the flower from my suit jacket was clenched in her hand.


I ♥ Northern Ireland

Here are some reasons why YOU should visit Northern Ireland...


The Giant's Causeway


The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge


Dunluce Castle


Belfast Castle


The City of Belfast


Victoria Square shopping centre


The Marble Arch Caves


The Ulster American Folk Park


The Titanic Visitor Centre


And to visit me of course!


Monday, October 24, 2011

KILL YOU ALL

“He reached out with one bird-claw hand. He closed it around my wrist and I could feel the hot cancer that was loose and raving through his body, eating anything and everything left that was still good to eat.”


Sunday, October 23, 2011

Scratch Off Challenge!




So I've been seeing this around the Blogosphere for a while now and I thought I might do it too. It is a Sunday after all, no one expects bloggers to be intellectual on Sundays right? 
If you want to do this too then all you do is "scratch off" the things you've done/relevant to you etc

Appearance
I have/had piercings besides the ears.
I want piercings besides the ears.
I have many scars.
I tan easily.

I wish my hair was a different color.
I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.
I have a tattoo.
I want a tattoo.

I can be self-conscious about my appearance.
I have/had braces.
I have more than two piercings.

Embarrassment
Disney movies still make me cry.
I’ve laughed so hard I’ve cried.
I’ve glued my hand to something.
I’ve laughed until some kind of beverage came out of my nose.
I’ve touched something sharp/hot/etc to see if it would hurt.

Health
I’ve gotten stitches.
I’ve broken or dislocated a bone.
I’ve had my tonsils removed.
I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed.
I’ve had chicken pox.
I've had malaria.
I've had typhoid.
I've had jaundice.

Travel
I’ve been on a plane.
I’ve been to the US.
I’ve been to Europe.
I've been to at least one other country.
I've never been out of my country.
I’ve driven/ridden over 200 kilometers in one day.

Experiences
I’ve gotten lost in my city.
I’ve seen a shooting star.
I’ve wished on a shooting star.
I’ve seen a meteor shower.
I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas.
I’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.
I’ve slapped someone.
I’ve kissed someone underwater.
I’ve chugged something.

I’ve crashed a car.
I’ve been skiing.
I’ve been in a musical.
I’ve auditioned for something.
I’ve been on stage.
I’ve caught a snowflake on my tongue.
I’ve sat on a rooftop at night.
I’ve pranked someone. 

I’ve ridden in a taxi.

Honesty / Crime
I’ve been threatened to be arrested.
I’ve broken a law.
I’ve done something I promised someone I wouldn’t.
I’ve done something I promised myself I wouldn’t.
I’ve sneaked out.
I’ve lied about my whereabouts.
I’ve cheated while playing a game.
I’ve been in a fist fight.

Death
I’m afraid of dying.

I hate funerals.
I’ve seen someone/something die.
Someone close to me has attempted/committed suicide.
I have attempted suicide.
I’ve thought about suicide before.
I’ve written a eulogy for myself.

Materialism
I own over 10 music CDs.
I own over 10 novels.
I own over 5 electronic gadgets.
I’m obsessed with anime/manga.
I collected comic books.
I own a lot of makeup.
I own gaming console(s).
I own a car.
I own a bike.
I thrive on compliments.
I thrive on hate.

Random
I can sing low key.
I’ve stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
I open up to others easily.
I watch the news occasionally or always.
I like to kill bugs.
I sing in the shower.
I’m a morning person.
I’m a sports cricket fanatic.
I twirl my hair.

I care about grammar.
I love spam.
I’ve copied more than 30 CDs in a day.
I bake reasonably well.
My favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, blue, red, black, purple, or orange.
I would wear pajamas to school.
I like Martha Stewart.
I laugh at my own jokes.

I eat fast food weekly.
I’ve not turned anything in and still got an A in a certain class.
I can’t sleep if there’s a bug/insect in the room.
I’m really ticklish.
I like  chocolate.
I bite my nails.
I’m good at remembering names.
I’m good at remembering dates.
My memory sucks.
I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.

People
...used to ask if I was anorexic/bulimic.
...called me fat.
...say I’m skinny.
...have said I’m ugly.
...have said I’m pretty.
...have spread rumors about me.
...force me to eat.
...say I eat too much.
...say I eat too little.
...say I eat too fast.
...say I eat too slow.
...have called me a genius.
...have given me gifts.


Eating
I’ve lost weight.
I’ve gained weight.
I’m at my thinnest.
I’m at my biggest.
I’ve lost weight and kept it off.
I’ve lost weight, but gained it back.
My weight affects my mood.
I diet.
I’m vegan/vegetarian.
I exercise.
I’ve fainted from exhaustion. 


Family
I’ve sworn at my parents.
I’ve planned to run away from home before.
I’ve run away from home.
I have a sibling less than one year old.
I want kids.
I’ve had kids.
I’ve lost a child.

Relationships
I’m engaged.
I’m married.
I’m a swinger.
I'm in a relationship.
I’ve gone on a blind date.
I have/had a friend with benefits.
I miss someone right now.
I have a fear of abandonment.
I don't like to depend on others.
I’ve gotten divorced.
I’ve had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back.
Someone has/had feelings for me when I didn’t have them back.
I’ve told someone I loved them when I didn’t.
I’ve told someone I didn’t love them when I did.
I’ve kept something from a past relationship.

Sexuality
I’m a cuddler.
I’ve been kissed in the rain.
I’ve hugged a stranger.
I’ve kissed a stranger.

Bad times
I regularly drink.
I can’t swallow pills.
I can swallow numerous pills at a time without difficulty.
I’ve been diagnosed with depression at some point.
I have anxiety problems.
I shut others out when I’m upset.
I don’t have anyone to talk to when I’m upset.
I have taken/take anti-depressants.
I’ve slept an entire day before.
I’ve plotted revenge.



Wow. I'm really boring!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Q&A Time!

Hey guys!
Here is that Q&A I promised you all ages ago. Hope it's worth the wait!


Q1 Who is this Pablo guy your blog is named after?

Ans: Pablo is my boyfriend Paul. His friends all call him Pablo because he's a very talented artist and because he called me his angel, the blog name sorta created itself.

Q2 Do you love Ron Paul?

Ans: Umm... who?

Q3 What would you do if you ran into the Hasidic Plumber abusing some Raccoons? 

Ans: I'd save the raccoons! I've always thought they looked quite cute actually!


Q1 Have you traveled outside of your country and if not, where would you like to go first? If you have, where was it and what did you like about it? 

Ans: I've spent a week in Rome which was my first ever holiday. I went with Paul and loved seeing all the sights and just being alone with him. I would love to go back again and explore the city a bit more.

Jodie asked:

Q1 For your birthday, do you usually prefer a gift or money?

Ans: As a kid, I wanted lots and lots of toys. But now that I'm older I'm more than happy with just getting money. Though that being said, I do love getting gifts too lol!

Q2 Do you have any homosexual friends?

Ans: Nope

Q3 What is your fave color? And would you ever dye your hair that color?

Ans: Well my favourite colour is red and I would have no problem dying my hair that colour, but I'm not brave enough!


Q1 What do you love about your boyfriend?

Ans: Absolutely everything! The way I feel so safe in his arms, how he listens to all my nonsense, the way his eyes light up when he looks at me... I could be here all night talking about him!

Anna asked:

Q1 How did you and Paul meet?

Ans: We met online actually! Then we decided to meet up in real life and we've been together ever since.

Q2 Why did you choose to study Psychology?

Ans: I chose Psychology because I did a module of it during my Childcare course and found it really interesting. I probably wouldn't have went to university if Psychology wasn't offered as I didn't want to do anything else, like nursing for example.

Q3 Absolute favourite movie?

Ans: OMG how can I answer that?! I've got so many! I'll just give you a list instead... National Treasure, Stardust, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Lion King, Triple X...

Q4 Favourite memory?

Ans: I love remembering about the good times at school. At how my friends and I used to just double over with laughter everyday over the stupidest things imaginable. I miss those days.

Q5 What were you like as a kid?

Ans: When I was really young, I was very quiet, backward and hardworking. As I got older, I was still shy and hardworking but I also got bolder. If people annoyed me, I told them which led to a lot of arguments! I miss that boldness, now I'm far too pc.

Q6 Whose your favourite Greek God?

Ans: I don't really have a favourite but I'll choose Athena

Jewels asked:

Q1 Do you sleep on the side of the bed closest to, or furthest from, the door?

Ans: I always sleep on the side closest to the door in my own house but in hotels it doesn't really matter.

Q2 Who is your favourite musical artist/group/band?

Ans: I don't really have a favourite! I just tend to like certain songs from a multitude of artists instead of liking one specific band etc. If anything, I'm a massive fan of composers like Hans Zimmer

Q3 Would you rather...?

cat/dog              - Dog
snuggle/go out  - Snuggle
dance/twirl        - Dance
write/read          - Read
sit/stand             - Sit
eat/drink            -Eat
 night/day           - Night

Ezazi asked:

Q1 First crush?

Ans: A boy in primary school. Though I think I only fancied him because everyone else did lol!

My 2 Pesos asked:

Q1 Where do you live?

Ans: I live in Northern Ireland 

Q2 How do magnets work?

Ans: No idea, I was crap at physics!

Ovais asked:

Q1 Do you mind if I do this too?

Ans: No not at all

Q2 If you had two choices, to go sky diving without a parachute, or face a bull while wearing red, which would you choose, and why?

Ans: I'd choose to face the bull wearing red because at least I'd have a chance of escaping! There's no way I could survive a fall without a parachute O_o


Q1 Do you play chess?

Ans: Indeed I do! My dad taught me when I was younger, though I've never managed to beat him

Fatima asked:

Q1 Did you ever have major fight or difference with your boyfriend? Over what?

Ans: Every couple fights :P

Q2 Do you think he's your last love as well?

Ans: Yes I do, very much so.

Q3 What is the most bizarre thing you've ever done/wished to do?

Ans: Haha I think you've mistaken me for someone exciting! I don't really think I've done anything bizarre! Maybe the fact that I once drove my car in broad daylight wearing my pj's?


Q1 Can you do a make-up tutorial?

Ans: OMG no. I have no make-up skills whatsoever. I only ever wear mascara and eyeliner anyway.

Leah asked:

Q1 Are you a Disney fan?

Ans: Yes! I absolutely adore Disney films.

Q2 Which do you prefer, coffee or milk?

Ans: If I had to, I'd choose milk even though I'm not it's biggest fan just because I hate coffee so much

Q3 Let's say, you win an all-expense paid trip for two with luxury accommodations to a destination of your choice, where would you go and who will come with you?

Ans: Well I'd obviously take Paul with me but the destination choice is a lot harder to decide! I think maybe New York so that we could stay in one of those 5 star hotel suites and take in the amazing views all night long.

Mynx asked:

Q1 If the world thinks that the Irish accent is the sexiest, do you agree, or is there an accent you think is sexier?

Ans: Only some Irish accents are sexy, trust me, there are some awful Irish accents. I find most accents sexy, Scottish, Russian, South African and even German!

Hamza asked:

Q1 Name a blogger you have a secret crush on

Ans: Haha sorry, I don't have any!

Mark asked:

Q1 Tea or Coffee?

Ans: Ugh neither! Both are gross.

Q2 If you have kids, are you afraid that they will kill you off for the inheritance?

Ans: Haha not in the slightest because the chances of me leaving them an inheritance worth killing over is next to zilch!


Q1 Are you single?

Ans: Nope

Tiffany asked:

Q1 What is your deepest darkest secret?

Ans: Do you really think that sweet innocent little me has deep dark secrets?

Tilly asked:

Q1 What is your favourite fairy story and why?

Ans: I really like Sleeping Beauty the most, maybe because it has a dragon in it...

Q2 Which feminine folk do you admire deeply?

Ans: My mum

JOutlaw asked:

Q1 Which would be more awesome? A zombie-apocolypse diverted by the world rallying together to defeat it, or Aliens touching down and becoming our overlords?

Ans: You know what? Let the aliens touch down and wipe out the zombies!

Rebecca asked:

Q1 If you could change one thing you did in your past what would it be?

Ans: Probably nothing really because everything I did has made me into who I am today. Though maybe I wouldn't have spent so much time pining over a guy who was only interested in giving me mixed signals when I was fourteen =/

Q2 Where would you like to be in the next 10 years: job, home, relationships etc etc?

Ans: Well I'd be thirty so hopefully I'll be married to Paul with kids! I'd also like to have a cool job but I've no idea what yet


Q1 Do you have twitter?

Ans: Afraid not. Don't want to get addicted to another social networking site!

Q2 How did you and Pablo meet and how long have you been together?

Ans: On the internet and we'll be together 4 years this February!

Q3 Your view on kids, want them one day? 

Ans: I love children and I can't wait to have my own someday. I'm really curious as to how they'll look and what their personalities will be like

Q3 Rebecca Black or Justin Bieber?

Ans: Oh God neither!

MaryAm asked:

Q1 Are you perverted?

Ans: Guess

Kathy asked:

Q1 If you could have one super power what would it be?

Ans: To fly!


Q1 Your one really secret wish?

Ans: That I had a brother

PeeVee asked:

Q1 Tell us the best thing you feel that you've ever done and the worst

Ans: Working with children actually. I think doing that really has made me more patient and less selfish. The worst has probably been getting in to soo many fights at school and online. Everytime I think back those times really make me cringe.

Jenna asked:

Q1 What is your all time favourite food in the world?

Ans: Chicken curry but I can't eat it anymore!! My stomach can't take it. Though lately all I've wanted to eat is battered sausages from the chip shop lol!

Thanks for all your questions guys!!


Hello from Down Under!


I got this lovely little postcard from the fabulous Mynx all the way from sunny Australia! It's awesome! 

Thanks Mynx, it's so nice to get a little preview into what your home city looks like and I hope I get to visit ya sometime!

If you fancy joining The Postcard Campaign then head on over to J.Day's blog for more details!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Crazy, Stupid, Love: Review

WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!


Firstly, I'd just like to point out that rom-coms aren't my favourite genre of film. HOWEVER, I do like Steve Carell so I gave this one a chance to impress me. And it did. 

The plot gets under way pretty quickly such as Carell's wife asking for a divorce after sleeping with another man. Carell is of course a broken man and starts drowning his sorrows at a fancy bar. A bar that I have no idea how he could have set foot in as he was always wearing trainers...

Anyway, after a few nights of moping around, Ryan Gosling who plays the womaniser in this story, takes pity on him and vows to sort Carell out. Carell agrees because, well... if he didn't there wouldn't be any more film.

So the next few nights, Carell gets a new look as well as being taught the ways of the "ladies man". What got me the most is how shallow the women were in this film. Gosling blatently insulted them by telling them they were boring etc etc yet they still went home with him! They were suffering from the Halo Effect big time...

Carell manages to get a few women home too which boosts his self-esteem yet he's still completely in love with his wife. Now what's she been up to all this time? Well she's been at work and going on dates with the man she divorced Carell over but she doesn't seem all that taken with him. It's obvious she misses Carell. This angered me because why cheat on him and ask for a divorce then?!

What also annoyed me was that when she eventually found out Carell had slept with other women, she was pissed off! Um, excuse me but you cheated on him AND divorced him. He can do what he wants!

Gosling on the other hand, falls in love with Emma Stone and becomes a changed man basically. It's actually very very sweet to watch. Even skeptics will find it cute. 

At the end there is a huge twist which was so unexpected and completely brillant that it will blow you away. My mouth literally dropped open when it happened! It's that good.

Highlights: 
  • Gosling's "Be better than the Gap" line
  • Carell slapping Gosling
  • The huge twist at the end
  • Carell's son having a cringey crush on his babysitter

Rating: 5/5

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

RAGGED

“Shhh, listen,” Travis said to me over the phone. “Do you hear it? It’s in my house somewhere, and it’s breathing. Do you hear it? The ragged breathing?”

“I don’t hear it,” I said. “I only hear you. You sound panicky. Did you take your prescriptions tonight?”

“I don’t understand how you can’t hear the breathing,” Travis said. “I hear it all the time, but when I call you, you never hear it. It sounds like…a dog with emphysema or something.”

“No, I don’t hear it. I don’t hear any ragged breathing.”

“Once you hear it, you’ll never forget it,” Travis said. “So maybe you’re lucky.”

“Travis, this thing you hear—you’ve seen it before. You said that already, last week, I think. Right?”

“Yes,” Travis said.

“What does it look like?”

“It looks like a man,” Travis said. “But I don’t think it’s human.”

“Can you describe it?”

“Its skin is flesh-colored, like yours or mine, but it has scales. And it has gigantic teeth. Not fangs—regular human teeth. But they are huge. They’re so big that this thing can’t even close its lips around them. That’s why it smiles all the time, because the teeth force it to. And its hair is long, down past its ears. And its eyes, they shake inside its skull like rattling marbles. It wears an all-black suit with a white shirt, and it wears a bowler cap.”

“Uh huh,” I said.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Travis asked.

“Travis, last week you called me and told me this thing was in your house.”

“I know, it was under the bed,” Travis said.

“Right, but last week you also said this thing had an alligator’s face and octopus arms. Now you say it looks like a human being.”

“Yeah…?” Travis said, pensively at first. But then: “Yeah! You’re right! This thing must be…some kind of shape shifter or something! Maybe a demon! That’s why it only comes out at night!”

“Travis, do you need me to come over?” I asked.

“No,” Travis said. “The thing might get you. It hasn’t gotten me yet, but I think it might be afraid of me. Maybe because it’s my house, I’m not sure. But no, if you come over, it’ll get you.”

“Nothing will get me if I come over, Travis,” I said. “Because whatever you’re seeing isn’t real.”

“Easy for you to say,” Travis said. “You’re there, and I’m here, and I’m telling you: a monster is somewhere in my house.”

“Travis, have you taken your prescriptions?” I asked again, growing exasperated. “Twice a day, right? Two pills at a time? Did you take all four pills today?”

“Those pills make me drowsy,” Travis said.

“You have to take them.”

“Why?”

“Because when you don’t, you see things that aren’t there.”

“This thing chasing me? It isn’t here because I didn’t take some stupid pills,” Travis said. “It’s really here right now, in my house.”

“Have you called Dr. Farthing?”

“No.”

“Maybe you should call Dr. Farthing.”

“Why?”

“If you’re seeing things, your doctor should know.”

“How is he going to help me? Unless he has a shotgun that can kill shape shifters.”

“Travis, do you need me to come over? I should come over.”

“No, I told you, don’t. There’s a reason this thing hasn’t killed me yet, but you might not be safe.”

“Why don’t you go to bed?” I asked.

“With that thing in the house?” Travis shrilled. “Not likely!”

“Lock your bedroom door,” I said. “I once read somewhere shape shifters can’t cross through doorways unless they’re invited.”

“That’s vampires.”

“No, it’s not,” I lied. “It’s shape shifters.”

“Oh. Think that’ll work?”

“Yes,” I said. “Close and lock your bedroom door and get some sleep. And call me tomorrow.”

“Okay, thanks,” he said. “Good night.”

“ ‘Night, Travis. And take those pills.”

It was approaching early evening the next day when Travis called me, and while his voice sounded panicky again, it was a lot weaker. He barely spoke above a whisper.

“The door thing didn’t work,” he said. “It came into my room last night, anyway.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“It took something from me.”

“What?”

“It stuck its hands into my guts—through my skin, without breaking it, somehow—and took something. I’m afraid it might’ve been my soul.”

“Travis, I think I should call Dr. Farthing.”

“Let me finish,” Travis said. “After this thing took my soul, it went out into the hallway and began retching all over the floor. I think something in my soul—or maybe the soul itself—made it sick.”

“So why would this thing purposely take your soul if it knew it would get sick?”

“I wondered about that all night, and I think I realized why. This thing—whatever it is—wants to eat me. That’s what its big teeth are for: ripping the flesh off my body in strips and crushing my bones.”

“Okay?”

“But it can’t eat my soul because the thing would die. It must be poisonous to it, or something. So it had to get rid of it before it can eat me.”

“Where is the thing now?”

“I don’t know; probably somewhere in the floorboards. I think that’s where it lives.”

I looked out the window and saw that it was growing dark, which gave me an idea. “So, you don’t see the thing right now?”

“No.”

“Do you hear it?”

“No.”

“Well, look out your window. It’s dark out. See that? And no monster in sight. Right?”

“You’re right,” Travis said. “It is dark. Which means it’s going to come soon. And it’s going to kill and eat me."

“No, Travis, that’s not what I meant,” I said. “I think I am going to come over.”

“No,” Travis said. “It’s dark now. You’d never make it in time.”

“Then why don’t you come to my place instead?”

“I would, but I’m too weak. I spent all day in bed recuperating from that thing stealing my soul.” He cursed at himself. “I wasted the whole day. I should have been thinking of ways to kill this thing.”

“Travis, I’m calling Dr. Far—“

“Sshhh!” Travis hushed into the phone, and then I heard nothing. I waited with him, in the silence.

“What is it?” I finally asked.

“It’s here… in my room. It’s looking right at me. Do you hear it? The ragged breathing?”

“What’s it doing, Travis?”

“It’s got a sharpener. It’s filing its top teeth into fangs.”

“Travis, please,” I said, the hair pricking up on the back of my neck.

“You were always a good friend to me,” Travis said. “The very best, for years.”

“Travis, what are you going to do?” I asked, growing alarmed. I pictured the worst. I pictured him climbing into his bathtub with a razor blade, or taking the rest of his prescriptions in one hand and slapping it against his open mouth, or tying a rope around his neck and throwing himself off the roof, or—

“It’s coming at me now,” Travis said. “I should probably hang up. You won’t want to hear this.”

“No!” I shouted. “Don’t do anything stupid! Travis, I’m calling the police!”

“Goodb—“ Travis managed before there was a thickening crunch. I heard something heavy tumble to the floor. I heard the phone topple across the tabletop for a moment before dangling by its cord. I heard the phone tap-tap-tap against the table leg.

I heard dragging. I heard ripping. I heard chewing.

And then I heard something else: silence...for a moment. Silence before someone—or something—grabbed the phone with a hand covered in stony growths.

And before the phone was put back into its cradle, severing the connection, I heard something else.

I heard ragged breathing.