Back from the Wild...

la la la la....do be do do....ah, what a crazy few months I've had. New jobs, trips with the family and the likes. Wait! What's this? *Looks at laptop* I have a blog? OH CRAP! I HAVE A BLOG! *Throws away Hawaiian shirt and giant floppy sun hat and replaces with intelligent glasses and cracks fingers*

HELLO! Yes internet family, I have not abandoned you. Just got lazy and skipped off to look as if I had a life outside my room. To prove this to you I come back with a blog dedicated to my dear Papa.
We had our daddy, daughter day with a trip to...

I hadn't been to Paradise Wildlife Park since their star attraction was a deaf, blind and almost dying fox they brought back from the brink but as I'm assuming final destination has at last caught up with him, the place needed a new gimmick, and from what I could see that was more animals.

The cost of admission was £16 for adults and considering London Zoo is just a 'tad' more pricy, that's pretty good value. Although Paradise is a smaller place so I guess you get what you pay for.
The park starts you off with a few of their different varieties of lima. Ring tailed, red tufted, that other breed, and so on.

From here you could pick several different roots, so we decided that llamas were what our visit required at this point. Seriously if you have watched 'The Emperors New Grove' you wouldn't be able to stop watching and saying 'If he was Kuzco, he be saying 'Yeah I'm a llama again''.





Llama

Close up of said llama

         











We next saw some squirrel monkeys running around (but surprisingly not leaving) an open enclosure. With good timing and a cooperative monkey I managed to coax a conversation out of him about the time he hit Broadway and was a huge star with two other monkeys and a owl. I said I didn't believe him which prompted him to throw one of these my way...

JAZZ HANDS!





Ah, monkeys....So anyway I decided this guy was B.S ing me a went on with my on foot safari. We saw many a creature, penguins, emus, kangaroos and then we came across this stripy ass,

no, not my dad, the zebra...mean readers

Now as you can see, there is absolutely nothing stopping us from touching this zebra. No high fence. No electric wires. No small police squirrels. And yet that tiny sign you see past the zebras ear, the one we didn't come across till AFTER the zebra, said 'Do not touch, I may bite'....yeah, hindsight's a marvellous thing if the zebra was to ravage your face. Luckily not today.

Earlier in the year I went to another safari park and there was two things Misto Chris and I wanted to see. Wolfs and cheetahs. With it being one of the three hot days we have had this year, both animals were either hanging out under trees in the distance or none mobile, almost looking like road kill. So when I saw these wolfs very much alive I had to take many pictures for my Misto Chris.

Food? Food now?

 

 

I shall now group the next two animals together as these are both my dads absolute favourites. The meerkat and the water meerkat, also known as an otter. I have to admit I've seen a lot of meerkat's in my time but nothing came as cute as seeing two very small, very fuzzy headed babies running around and getting into trouble. My dad stood watching them for ages. I on the other hand lost interest after half an hour of people standing there going 'awwww'....puke

 

Now your doing it too right?

 

 

Onto the otters. I have never been as close to an otter as I had been this day. It couldn't have been better timing. We arrived while the keepers were cleaning their pool so the otters were herded into their indoor hut. This bought us face to face with them whether they liked it or not. Otters do make one of the cutest noises and do a great old man face but once again there was my dad *click, click, click, click*. There was also some school children trying to get in on the action but a quick 'piss off' did the trick...ok not exactly, but the kids got the jist.

 

Old people faces, naw

 

There was a point when I realised why the tickets were so cheap...

 

Hey, wait a minuet. They ain't no camels...

 

There was a lot more animals such as red pandas, racoon dogs (no idea) reptiles and such, but the part I was really looking forward too and turned me into a three year old again was the big cat section. In this respect of the zoo's I have recently visited, Paradise excels all others with variety and enclosures. They were all equally beautiful and easy to see. I won't go on about them, I will just let my pictures do the talking for me...

 



 White tiger and snow leopard

 

Ocelot and leopard

 



White Lions

 

 

 

And at last, my cheetah's...

 

 

So over all I'd say me and daddio had a fantastic day. The weather held out, all the animals were seen and nothing mated making an awkward daddy, daughter moment.

 

Just a word of advice. Nothing to do with me, but when going anywhere with a car park, be sure to take care getting out of a car. If you hit and expensive car next to you, forcing you to park elsewhere, it does tend to play on your mind for the rest of the day. As I say, just sound advice.

 

I give Paradise Wildlife Park a Gothic salute. And also one to my dad. Love you daddy x

My New Nom...

Yep new year, new you, new hamster...I'm sure that's the saying.

From a previous post you will have read last year I lost my sweet lil Chinese Dwarf Hamster Brett and for a while after I didn't want to look for a new pet (too soon and all that) but being unemployed for four weeks, with no money to go anywhere and stuck in the house alone, the silence can become....deafening. So my dad suggested it was time to move on...ITS HAMSTER TIME!

Sorry, couldn't resist....ahem...

Any who without further a do I would like to introduce my new lil hammy ham, my Madam Ham Carrera (aka Babushka) the Russian Dwarf Hamster

ta da

 

Yes, she does look very much like Brett but unlike him she is in fact just a ball of fluff with a face. Misto Chris (the other half) came up with Carrera as she is as quick as f**k and has a racing stripe down her back. Babushka is a nickname (or her real name according to my dad) as she is Russian. I like both.

I got her mid-Jan but she is still getting used to us and her new home. She still thinks if you poke a finger at her it means BITE ME! She doesn't bite hard but this did lead to a sudden jolt on my part and unwilling to let go right away she flew out of her cage. Lucky my trousers we on the floor where I'm a lazy git and didn't pick them up and she landed in them, but for me, lesson learnt. As for her....still learning.

I'm sure there will be other updates of the great Madam Ham but for now I shall bid you  adieu,  adieu, to yu and yu and yu. I promise a review will be coming soon. Pinky swear (holds up pinky and cuts it off to give to you) that's how its done right?

For the mean time, Carrera/Babushka, I give you a Gothic salute >^^<

End of an era....

Yes people. It is the end of another year and what a wired and wonderful, if not slightly depressing one it has been. We had the Olympics, the New York hurricane Sandy, rail strikes and prices rising....again. I read the price of public travel will keep rising for 10 years and the price of petrol will continue to go up meaning we will resort back to the Middle Ages only travelling by, foot, horse or cart. But on the bright side we are out or a double recession and into just a regular one so swings and roundabouts.

As for me, I lost my lil hammy ham Brett but I know he's in a better place. And I have a new business idea for the new year so I shall keep you posted on that development. Watch this space.

I guess I don't really have much else to say. Just 2012, I give you a Gothic salute.

And to you reading this. Happy New Year. Have a great 2013. Lets not fuck this one up >^^<

My lil Brett

This post is dedicated to the sweetest, cutest, kind natured lil hamster in the history of the world. My lil Chinese Dwarf Hamster Brett fell asleep today for the last time at the age of two years and seven months.

Brettney started life as a birthday present from my dad when I lived in Lancashire. He came home with his brother Murry. At first the two loved each others company but as they got older Murry became hostile and bullied lil Brett. So being the kindest thing to do Murry went to a new home and Brett stayed with me so I could nurse him back to health.
Moving back to London Brett lived in my parents house and eventually in my current house.

 

Brett is the first pet I've owned that was completely mine. I bought his hamster provisions, gave him treats, cleaned him and gave him as much love as a tiny hamster could take. I think this is why I'm finding it hard to stop crying as I write this. I know taking him to the vets to stop his pain was the right thing to do (he was extremely thin and his back legs had stopped working properly due to old age) but seeing how hard he was fighting to stay alive, I couldn't help but feel guilty. Just got to remind myself he's in a better place and not suffering anymore. He's in hammy ham heaven eating all the chocolate drops he can while running in a huge wheel and meeting lady hams.

 

 Bret enjoying the cue

 

When a tragedy with a pet happens, its better to think you gave it the best life it could of possibly had. That animal was loved and cared for. I'm sure I will be sad for a while but I have my photos and I have my memories of a hamster that never bit anyone, but would occasionally brush his teeth against your nose as he liked the rounded edge...I know.....

 

 

So for anyone who has read this, no matter how long after it was posted, do something in honer of Brett. Be a vegetarian for a day, run on a treadmill like it was a giant wheel, stuff your cheeks with food. Whatever it is make it hamsterish, post me about it and pay your respect to this brave, sweet wonderful hamster. My Brett.

 

 

 

Brett, I give you a Gothic salute.....

 

...I'll miss you....x

 



Neko Me...

On the 27th October 2012 I enter the Excel Centre in London to attended the only place you will find Darth Vader and Pikachu in the same room! At the

 If you read my last blog I was preparing my costume for the expo causing a 'minor' injury. I'm fine now btw! Over the years I have collected and been given various anime cat girl costume parts such as my ears from a previous comic con and a tail and paw mittens that my comic con veteran sister had bought for me. I decided because I am as poor as Poorie McGee of the Broke Estate off the coast of Skint Island, I got a white shirt, blue tartan skirt and long white socks which I already owned to combine the two most popular anime characters. Cat girl and school girl. I thought the costume needed a collar so I went to a pound shop, found a gold bell and 'ta da'. Also it was a baby blue colour to match my ears so I decided fate was on my side. Now putting my costume together I decided my dark hair didn't go with the white and blue motif so a wig was in order. I got a great one from Fancy Dress Ball on the old web. Once that arrived I ordered some blue anime contacts from YouKnowIt.com and I have to say I was surprised of the outcome. See what you think?

 

Afraid there is no full length picture just yet. I may add that at a later date. Anyway the expo itself was packed and we were there with the early crowed. We turned up at 8:00am as we knew it would get pretty cosy rather quickly and with buying the slightly more expensive tickets we were in before the BIG rush at 11:00am. And let me tell you that was SUCH a good idea (Thank you Danni). More on that later.

 

As we were one of the first in, nothing was overly packed. You could manoeuvre between stalls easily and see the new games and WiiU displays quite quickly.

 

I have to admit I did zoom around the whole place at record speed, but as I said before, Poorie McGee raises her ugly head and other then just looking there wasn't much keeping me there. I did love seeing the effort others had gone to making their costumes. Maybe I can get to that standard some day. And please take note of the girl in the homemade Mass Effect get up. She's doing it for the ladies.

 





 

To not let such talent go to waste, there was several photo stalls set up so you could get a professional picture taken to remember the day that you nearly went blind with dry eyes from wearing contacts too long or the dent you now have in the middle of your forehead from a misplaced seam in your wig or having a cold arse form wearing a stupidly short skirt at the start of the winter season....or was that just my experience?

 

Back to the expo and one cool thing you could see was memorabilia from TV and films. There was also people doing signings but the queues were too long for me to see who they were. If you want to know who just go to the expo website I have linked at the start of this blog (click on 'At the').

 

 

One thing people were doing (and if someone could explain this to me as I really don't get it), were walking around with 'Free Hugs' signs. These did not encourage me to hug these people. If anything it made me feel sad for them as they clearly had no way of receiving human contact except to give out hugs for free. Where did it start? Does it really work? And why wont someone stop it. Don't get me wrong, I love a cuddle more then a overly emotional teddy with PMS, but that just seems desperate. Sorry if someone who is reading this has donned the sign but its just not my thing. Good luck with it.I hope you get the attention you so crave.

 

So back to the crowdedness. By the time the normal ticket buyers arrived there was no room to move. I mean none. It was like being on the London Underground at rush hour at Christmas shopping season. That was it for me, I was done and had to leave. You couldn't stop to look at stalls, you were just shepherded along until you reached an exit. And that was my sign to bid fairwell to the nerdy wonerland of joy.



 

Overall it was a great day. I really did love being in a room full of people with the same interests as me but only with the early tickets. Without those I think it wouldn't have been as enjoyable and with the rising numbers of fans turning up to these events who knows what the future holds for Comic Cons in London. Bigger venues? Or smaller fans? You decide. Vote now.....I give this event a Gothic salute >^^<

The First Cut is the Deepest...no wait, it's the second

Ok so this is a review about myself. I just want to share with you what has kept me away from gaming and blogging for the last couple of weeks.

It started when I went to my mothers house to help tidy some of my crap and look for costume to go with my MCM outfit (pictures of that soon). Anyway as I cleaned, Mneko (my cat) wanted to play but hitting a bit of string around.

 

As the kind, sensitive owner I picked up the string and gave her a challenge. Not living with her anymore I had not realised Mneko had picked up a new trick. Instead of going for the string she finds it far more entertaining to go right for your hand making you drop said string. Not only did she go for my hand readers, she managed to get her claw into my thumb, between the skin and nail. This stung like a bitch so I dropped the string, gave her a little 'no' tap on her bottom and ran the cut under the tap. You couldn't see a mark but the blood was pooling under my nail. At this point I thought 'could there be worst pain right now?' Oh I was so so wrong.

Back to my room and I found my furry leg warmers and thought they would work for my costume. However since buying them my calf's have gotten, lets say 'more muscular' and they wouldn't go all the way up. I decide to cut them open, make some holes in them and create a sort of corset cross tying system. I get the scissors, cut them open and start making the holes. I get to a particularly difficult bit where the scissors wouldn't penetrate the fur so I gave it one mighty push. Perfect, straight through the material....and my finger. It was as if it was happening in slow motion but I was powerless to stop it.

Seeing the blood starting to appear I calmly went to my mums new white bathroom (eep) and ran the finger under cold water while keeping the pressure on it. After a while the bleeding wouldn't stop so I thought, 'Ok, call mum at work, she will know what to do'. I somehow manage to get my phone, call and put on speaker phone, still with a calm persona. But then I hear my mums voice and the shock wears off. Hysteria kicks in 'MUMMY, I CUT MY FINGER, IT WONT STOP BLEEDING. I CAN'T JDOEFJ EWOJLEK SMDPO...(Incoherent wailing)'. So my very kind mother says she's coming home to take me to the Doc's.

Fast forward to three hours later....I have a stitch. That's right, they decided the cut was deep enough to warrant a stitch. Don't believe me? Here's a picture.

 



As you can see I couldn't even paint the nail on that finger to match the others it hurt so much.

I know your looking at this thinking 'it's only a stitch, I had twelve stitches when I fell off that horse blah, blah, blah...' but as I say, this is my first one. Just the one. Anyway that was a week ago and I'm all (kinda) healed now.

 

 

 

But my pain doesn't end there. At the doctors after I got the stitch taken out I had with me my contact lenses I was going to wear for the MSM and as they needed to be soaked in solution for 2 hours before wearing I thought I would prepare them in the loo so I could try them when I got home. So, stood over the sink I start opening the jars they come in and if you have had novelty contacts you would know they have a have silver foil protecting them. This I slice my thumb on and bleed everywhere...hadn't even left the doctors. Well they say things happen in three's....I hope.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Question; is it worth wasting an hour of your short precious life, waiting in a queue for 15-30 seconds of pure joy, exhilaration and 'it's so scary it will stain your pants' excitement?

Let's find out with my out of the ordinary review on.....

I recently went here with the family and we couldn't have picked a better day for this experiment. It was the middle of the summer holidays and the weather was at boiling point. I will admit, we cheated with the first queue for tickets, as my clever mother (who had kindly treated us) had gotten Tesco's reward tickets. With these we threw back our heads and waved our way past the hot and bothered ticket buyers, into the turnstiles of joy, over the bridge of whimsy and into the park of promised fun.

I advise anyone, if you are planning on ANY day out, be it Theme Parks, London attractions....the zoo...it is a MUST to book on line. So much quicker, a lot less hassle.

Anyway, our first ride, after much umming and erring and looking at the DAMN MAP was,

Predicted queue time: 50 minuets

 

So, something this countries theme parks are slowly coming to realise is waiting to get onto the ride is the most eyeball drying, back aching, brain numbingly boring things to do. It ruins the day. When they made 'Nemesis Inferno' they obviously hadn't taken this into consideration, or they didn't care, because the best you get to look at is rocks. Rocks and occasionally people on the ride with their "I don't want to die" screams.
Eventually you see why the queue was much longer then you had once thought. They went and put a shop in the middle....WHAT? This is a good idea as you can get quite thirsty, but FOOD! More to the point why are people BUYING the food? If I had known this at the start it would have made the queueing process a lot more frightening, especially the times you are directly under the ride. But the point I'm trying to make is the queue time goes up about 30% as everyone is too polite and 'British' to go ahead of the consumers. Ridiculous. If you are one of these people who stop to buy, FOR SHAME! But after we past that line, it was pretty quick to the end.

The ride itself was just a typical roller coaster, nothing to make it stand out. The only thing I wise is that it hadn't been our first ride of the day. I forgot what loop-de-loops did to the brain and came off feeling dizzy and ill. And then, just to top off the whole experience, they put steps leading from the ride to the exit for you to roll down to collect your photo. Overall, not the best to start with but we were just getting warmed up.

 

Queue desighn: 3/10

Ride: 6/10

Predicted queue time: 70 minuets

 

There was a clue as to how long this line was going to be when the smiley line attendant handed us a pair of headphones at the start so we were able to listen to the 'retro' sounds of the t-iddy-orp park DJ's (FYI that's not what they were called). At first this seemed like a good idea, listening and dancing along to the awesome beats of Kriss Kross with 'Jump'. But after the first song, things started to grate. As you walk around, you see where people had abandoned their ear suffocators. Why do I call them that? The heat. Oh LORD the heat. This line seemed even longer for the sheer fact you were leaving parts of yourself behind as they melted into the concrete. And to make matters worse, as we turned the corner thinking the hellish ordeal was over, we curved away from the end only to go back the way we came. AHHHH! For a ride that only lasts 30 seconds, this line took the cheese, and the bored it was served on.

 

After all that, Stealth...totally worth it. Being propelled from 0-80mph in 2 seconds into a vertical climb only to come crashing down into a equally vertical plunge, is a breath taking experience, and you jump off feeling the adrenalin pumping through you, its one of the best feelings. It was my reward for almost spontaneously combusting and not throwing my earphones at those DJ's for not playing 'Let's Get Ready to Rumble'. Just wish the ride was a little longer or we got to go round twice. But then I suppose the queue time would be doubled. Best experience, worst wait.

 

Queue design: 2/10

Ride: 8/10

Predicted queue time: 50 minuets

 

I swear this wasn't as long as they said it would be. I remember when Colossus was first built and it was the biggest ride Thorpe Park had. The queue took absolutely ages. Now, because of the arrival of Saw, Nemesis Inferno, Stealth and The Swarm, no one is really interested anymore. So I would say the wait was closer to 30 minuets. Like Nemesis Inferno, there wasn't much to entertain you but there was a lot of shaded areas, so you weren't likely to get sun stroke.

 

If you must try this ride, I would suggest starting your day with it. After the new rides, this one is old and obsolete. My head banged against the headset, I was constantly pushed forward in my seat and you can feel every join in the tracks. OK, so it has its famous 10 loops. That was impressive when it first came out but now the whole experience is just a huge body ache. Boo.





Queue design: 5/10

Ride: 5/10

 

Predicted queue time: 50 minuets

 

Now this was a ride I was excited about, The Swarm. Never mind the fact that in testing the dummies came back with missing limbs, that only added to the build up. When first arriving in the area it was a crash site. There was over turned lorries, buildings blown up, even a ambulance that had been upturned and slammed into the concrete. All adding to the suspense and atmosphere of The Swarm, a roller coaster based on an alien invasion. Not only did you have lots to look at, whilst in the queue there are TV screens with news flashes, warning the thrill seekers of a crises that has hit Thorpe Park. This is what I was talking about with making a line interesting. We were so distracted, it felt as if we were at the front in no time. The look of the ride is amazing. Its as if the seats are the aliens that have swooped down and carried you on this fantastically, breath taking experience. I was worried about one bit whilst watching the other riders and that was the slow turn, upside down at the top of the slow journey to the peek of the roller coaster before you come crashing down again. All I could think was "Its going to be very embarrassing if the ride shuts down and I start crying for my mummy". It didn't make matters any better when just before queueing there was an announcement that the ride was 'working again'. Shit scared or not, I knew if I didn't do this I would regret it so after what seemed like only 10 minuets we were on...and bricking it.

 

After me and my boyfriend said 'I love you' several times out of fear, we had reached the top and on our way. Well, I have to say this ride was fantastically, amazingly, awesomely wow. I couldn't believe how smooth it was. After Colossus I was worried of a repeat performance but really this ride was graceful with the right amount of upside down, twisty bits so you didn't get too dizzy and the close encounters with the crashed plane and fire truck made it a lot more risky to put your hands in the air. I'm not one for screaming on rides but I admit I did let out a little 'woop' at the faster turns. I know you want to hear how scary this ride was but I can't do it. I wasn't scared. I was delighted and actually came off quite relaxed.

One thing that was a little disappointing was we saw there was a camera in front of our seats. When we asked if we could get a DVD of our ride, they said it was random and not everyone got one. Well they just lost themselves a sale, but I couldn't let that ruin my experience. I love this ride. A great way to end a fantastic day.

 

Queue design: 8/10

Ride: 10/10