Blog archives: April 2007

Saturday 28th April, 2007

Review 249: Sherica of Goingstrange.org

Icons - what the feck? Why do you have an icons page that does not even contain, gee I don't know, icons? Why the "I suck at icons lol. this will be back later" message? If you suck at making icons, don't make an icons page. Simple. A small matter of applying logic to the situation at hand, to save yourself from coming across as hypocritical.
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Thursday 26 April, 2007

Hooray for coc willies!

Hello everyone...how are we all? Good good...that's right, of course you are, because you're not me! *emo whine*

So, I've travelled around the entire North Island of New Zealand now - and in a month or less I hope to have done the same for the South Island. However, the prospect of travelling even furtherer afield appeals to me...obviously the USA will hopefully be visited (and of course a quick trip across the border to Canada), but I'm also hoping to visit the United Kingdom. I've wanted to for years! I have enough money now to visit both the USA and the UK, but I wouldn't be able to travel around for months on end like I'd want to, because all my money would go. The UK has so much to offer - Buckingham Palace, Tom, Hadrians' Wall, Stonehenge, Tom, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Tom, Abbey Road, Tom, Houses of Parliament, Lands' End, Tom, Liverpool (home of the Beatles)...did I mention Tom at all? And Lil, Li, Kim, Maz, Babe etc, of course. In case anyone was wondering, if I did get to meet any of you, James would not be present, due to the fact he has expressed his disinterest in chilling with the Friends of PSGR. I think it's because he's a million years older than most of you, I'm not sure. I think it would be better without him anyway, no offense to him of course. I hope to leave the country at some stage this year, following my trip to the South Island. I'm quite excited about going down South because I've never really been before, and for that matter I don't know anyone who has. It'll be interesting being in a snowy environment, as I've never been in one before. It's actually cheaper to go to Australia than the South Island, did you know. Ah yes...Australia. This time last year I was over there - and I'm sure that veterans of PSGR remember the angst ridden blogs from that time. Oh dear. I certainly learnt a lot from living in Australia.

Oh my goodness. I was in Rotorua yesterday, and walked up to the Ladies toilets with the hope of passing crucial yellow liquids. Alas - an army of men came out of the toilets as I was going in!! Damn tourists, can't they read?? Fucks sake!! There was even a goddamn picture of a lady on the sign. Well, you had better believe I didn't go into those loos after that - not after they had been infiltrated by the male species!! There would have been wee all over the toilet seat for sure, seeing as men are messy in that way. Perhaps tourists should learn the basics of...stuff...before they travel to an English speaking country. I've been in two non-English speaking countries myself (Singapore and Malaysia), but hello....signs? Images? Duh! I went into mens toilets once...but it was a long time ago okay. I was seven years old, give me a break! Sometimes I wish I had a....insert male anatomy here...don't you, girls? I do because it would be so easy to wee. All it takes is a quick unzip of the ol' fly, the quick whipping out of the...instrument...and away you go! Golden showers for all! Whereas girls - squatting here, crouching there, always having to find an actual toilet! (What can I say? I'm just a Kiwi girl who likes to live off the land *)

Time to go, until next time. Stay sexy!

* = if you believed that, I seriously fear for your insanity! Wanna join my fanlisting?

Sunday 22nd April, 2007

Review 248: Madeline of Unchained Harmony

So the images of Meatloaf are yours and yours alone? So, you went to a Meatloaf concert and took the pics yourself? Somehow I doubt this. Therefore, I can only deduce that this Disclaimer is a little...hypocritical...in that you're going on about how there will be hell to pay if people steal your images, when in fact it's more than likely that you're guilty of this 'crime' yourself. Perhaps stating where you got the Meatloaf images from could save you a bit of bother in the long run.
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Review 247: Li of Lirae.co.uk

There are three things in life that I am sure of - death, taxes, and the fact that Freddie Kruegers' return is inevitable. I was also pretty sure of the fact that Lirae.co.uk would remain permanently in my queue - but alas; the time has come for you to be reviewed! My goodness! Those pigs on the farm o'er yonder must be able to fly after all.
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Saturday 21st April, 2007

Review 246: Jenny of J2MAX

What layout? The template provided by Blogspot? Looks all right...in the same way that neon spandex leotards looked all right in 1981.
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Wireless internet for the...loss

Hello everyone. New review, as you can see. I am working on Lirae.co.uk but the site is probably the largest (content-wise) that I've ever had to review, so it is taking a while. I will continue to work on it though and hopefully it should be up soon.

I'm back on dialup again, because the wireless internet connection I was on proved to be a rip off and an utter sham all round. Upon signing the contract, we were told that it would cost $59.95 per month to be on their highest plan (1 GB...shitty eh) and that it would cost an extra $10 per extra gigabyte. I knew I'd go over the pathetic one gig allowance but had no problem paying for the extra gigs, seeing as we were told it would only be an extra ten bucks for those extra gigs. It turns out we were lied to, and instead of a bill for $80, we were billed a whopping $662. It turns out that the second extra gig is an additional ten dollars, and after that you are billed a massive 50 cents per megabyte. In the monthly period I had used two gigs, and the $662 is because I used an additional 300 megabytes. New Zealand is years behind in terms of fast internet and it is impossible to get cheap internet at all, but come on, 50 cents per meg??? As I mentioned earlier, we were not told this. The stupid idiot behind the counter had said "For every gigabyte over the first, you'll be charged an additional ten dollars". Lies. We rung up Vodafone and they advised us to go into the store in question and ask for compensation, but I bet you they'll just deny everything and we'll have to pay. Of course they'd deny it, to save their own skin and save themselves from getting in trouble. Had I been told that it would be an additional 50 cents per MB after the second gig, I would not have signed up for the plan. I'm not fucking paying! I'll see if there's a telecommunications ombudsman, or I'll go to Fair Go or something, I don't know.

Monday 16th April, 2007

I have a review down my pants...

This won't be especially interesting I'm afraid - since I'm no longer in, I don't know, the most haunted hotel in New Zealand? If you've no idea what I'm on about, I strongly suggest reading the two blog entries prior to this current one. Whilst I'm on the subject though, I'd just like to clear up the fact that the short blonde girl in the two pictures in Sunday's update was not a ghost. I received a few e-mails from some visitors on this matter, and once again I am not a ghost. Thanks for the concern! I'm sure if I was a ghost I would frequent PSGR often, due to my obsession occasional need to check my website statistics.

As the blog title suggests, I will indeed be returning to a state of normality very shortly. I realise that PSGR has not been operating in the way it should over the last month or so, but that is because I have been traveling around the North Island of New Zealand. It has been hard to review because I am not always able to find any means of charging my computer. Things will be returning to normal within the next few days, and you can expect an increase in review output, and a more speedy response to e-mails etc etc. I'm sorry that I haven't been around much, and that I am sometimes unable to respond to the many e-mails I receive each day. I do read every single one, it's just hard sometimes finding the time to reply at the moment. I'm sorry if that sounded a bit "off", it wasn't meant to be. I appreciate hearing from everyone and I will be replying very shortly. I've been particularly pleased to hear that most of you have received my postcards - about time, too! If you haven't received yours yet - and I can't imagine why - then give it until the end of the week. If you still have not received it, let me know and I will send you another one. I can't remember how many I sent out a few weeks ago - seventy something, I know that much - so hopefully I won't have to send out too many replacements!

After we left Waitomo Caves Hotel yesterday, we headed for a city called Hamilton. With a population of around 107,000, it is the North Island's third largest city. It's interesting how some foreigners assume New Zealand is a tiny country...it isn't really. I've travelled around the entire North Island (bar Northland) and that is 113,729 square km...making it the 14th largest island in the world. Since I'm at Wikipedia now, I may as well include an image of New Zealand, for those of you who seem to think we're somehow connected to Australia. Tip: Never, EVER accuse a New Zealander of being an Australian, and vice-versa. The association is unwelcomed, for both parties concerned :P

I remember once on MSN I was accused of being Australian, because New Zealand and Australia are "so close together", and that "New Zealand and Australia are the same thing". Um, no they're not. As you can see from the map, Australia is extremely close to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Indonesian islands. Sorry about the rant guys. I'm sure all fellow Kiwi's reading this can sympathise. So yes, I was in Hamilton. I receive a few hits from Hamilton, so I might as well comment on your city. I feel that Hamilton has no identity, much in the same way that my own city, Palmerston North, has no identity. At least the city council have put in major efforts to beautify the place, what with the modernisation of Broadway Avenue and The Square. But what of Hamilton? A wretched, dirty city if ever there was one. Sorry, but you know you probably laugh at Palmerston North! My ex boyfriend lives in Hamilton, though I believe he hates me and truly believes I ruined his life. His name is James also, and he visits PSGR daily. I don't hate him....

Before going through to Hamilton however, we passed through Te Awamutu - home of Nellie from Harlequin Girl. I desperately needed to charge my cellphone and my computer, but I thought it would have been rude of me to text her and ask if I could utilise her electrical facilities. I was concerned over the behaviour of the youth population of this small rural town, but yeah....

You know, I never realised how many fucking tourists come to New Zealand. I always knew it was a popular destination what with the whole Lord of the Rings crap, and the scenery etc, but maaaan! Tourists everywhere, with their damn campervans, and their visors. And their maps. And their Minoltas. And their fanny packs. I'd never really come across tourists before because they don't come down my way - after all, Palmerston North has nothing to offer. But everywhere else in New Zealand...jaysus! I'm in Rotorua at the moment, you know, the city that permanently smells of a bad, bad fart. It's because of all the geothermal activity in the area, the mud pools and the geysers etc etc. We saw a campervan parked up next to some public toilets, with the campers cooking up some kind of camper meal. Right outside toilets. Umm, sure you'd eat outside public bogs....oookaaay!! "Cool, maaaan!" The South Island would be even worse for tourists I imagine, what with all the snow etc. I've never seen snow, and there is talk of me going to the South Island in the next few months. James has a job now, earning $1100 a fortnight, which isn't bad since it's a crappy New Zealand wage. I won't be involved in this job, obviously, besides, I'd rather be reviewing etc. I shall see James in a few months time, I am sure. I think my mum is going to nag me to get a job when I go home, I was talking to Nan on the phone and she said there'd be "changes" once I got back. Umm well I can hardly get a job when there are none in the paper, can I. Plus I'm hardly going to take anything, am I? I can't take any office jobs because I don't know how to use Windows based systems and don't want to know (Windows is cool, but yeah, not really interested in Word / Excel etc). I think I lied on my CV and said I knew Windows, I can't remember. My entire CV is complete bullshit, in case you didn't realise. Well, my qualifications and work experience are all true, but my personal statement going on about how I'm a peoples' person is complete and utter tripe. I've walked out of every job I've been in, because I have this thing about not being able to stay in the same place for a certain amount of time. I get good jobs, I just happen to leave them. I know it's wrong, and I hope that one day I will find something I enjoy doing and will stay at. In every job I've been in, I always got into trouble for what I wore. Eg: I used to turn up to the Work and Income NZ job wearing a denim jacket with fur on it, and that was some masssssive problemo. In another job, I was bullied by a girl much larger than me. All the people in my training group hung around together at lunchtime, stuffing their faces with McDonalds (I saw them once in the mall) whereas I met up with my boyfriend / ex boyfriend and hung out with them instead. They weren't very nice to me at all, and one time one of the girls was like "Haha, you have to go with Rhiaaaaannnnon" so I stood up for myself verbally, and I was the one who got had up over it. I didn't turn up for work the next day because I was busy with some computer game or other, and the manager rung up and left a voicemail saying "I'll be keeping a close eye on you from now on". Yeah whatever ho, because you can damn well believe I never went back to that darn place. I lasted there a whole week, too! What a waste! So yeah, I do actually have a bit of a problem with jobs. I'm not poor though, as I have always had savings and monies allocated by deceased relatives, but yeah. I don't complain about being jobless because I know it's my own fault I don't have one. I could get one if I wanted, and if I saw something in the paper that was suitable I would surely apply for it, and probably get it too. I'm just basing that on the fact that I've always got any job I've applied for in the past, apart from one. The problem is staying at the job. It's just that I always seem to get picked on because people assume I'm an easy target because of my height and weight. They think wrong, and when I stand up for myself I'm the one who gets in shit. I get sick of this happening so it's ultimately put me off getting a job. Well, there you go, you learn something new everyday here at PSGR don't you.

Hey, Dicle - I was sorry to see you'd closed your site! I drink Hazer Baba Turkish Apple Tea on a frequent basis, and I think of you baby! Yay! Oh, and a special hello to whoever it is in the United States Armed Forces who visits here every night. Hi!

Anyway, best be off. But - expect a return to normality oh-so-soon! It'll be PSGR, the way it should be. Take care everyone, and rock on. Or if you're a guy, should I say cock on! Hehe........okay, that was lame. But you love me anyway, yes? Like I love you? YES! Now I can sleep easy tonight.

Kisses, smooches, and the promise of reviews,
Rhiannon S.E. Phillips
Resident Loser

PS - I have a review down my pants! Wanna see? Well you can't, AAHAHHAAHAH!!! It's of Lirae.Net :) Sorry about the wait, babe!

Sunday 15th April, 2007

Thanks for all the emails everyone, I appreciated them! We checked out of the hotel an hour ago, and I'm currently pulled up in a rest stop just outside of Otorohanga. I've got plenty of pictures to show you all, but right now I'll just put three up. First up, here's a picture of the hotel:

Next up is a picture of me that was taken when we first arrived in the room, when the temperature was absolutely freezing and some of our things were being moved around. It's important to realise that the flash was not on when this picture was taken. I turned it off on purpose. Note the purple mass next to me. This is a resized image I'm showing you of course, but the original size is absolutely massive and on this you can see shades of green and blue as well as the more obvious purple. I decided to run the image through Photoshop to see if anything else would show up after fiddling with the contrast and the brightness. (I've seen ghost hunters do this on tv!) The first image I'll show you is the original, followed by the contrast adjustment made in Photoshop.

After the final update from last night, the activity died down for a while. The temperature returned to normal and I felt more at ease. Maybe the ghost/s were just trying to scare us at the beginning, and then they decided to leave us alone for a while. There were only two powerpoints in the room and the second one wasn't working, and we wanted to watch tv and so I couldn't use the computer, seeing as the battery was dead and we needed the powerpoint for the tv. We watched "Unfaithful" (Diane Lane, Richard Gere) and "Passenger 57" (Wesley Snipes). The second movie ended at around two-something in the morning, and we decided to venture outside for a much needed smoking break. James went to put on his jeans and realised they were soaking wet from top to bottom. They had been placed on the floor on top of some other things, and they weren't wet. Nothing else in the room was. We went back up into the room afterwards and my shoes had been neatly placed side by side on top of the bed. I was too scared to sleep. There were footsteps in the hallway and unexplained banging noises. I slowly started to drift off a while later however, but woke up after I was shoved. I immediately shot down the covers, blocked my ears (????) and started crying. I actually said something whilst I was crying, but I won't bother to mention it here because you'll all piss yourself laughing. Let's just say it involves mothers. I felt a strong need to get out of the room, so again we went out for a cigarette. This was now about three thirty in the morning. We made our way through the dimly lit hotel, until we got to the side door which led us outside onto a balcony. While I was waiting for James to unlock the door, something blew in my ear. Just this...air...it's hard to explain. I looked behind me and in the distance, at the other end of the hall, I saw some strange orangey-yellow lights flickering in the old ballroom. I was scared shitless and I wanted to go and sleep in the car but James wouldn't let me. Nothing else happened that night, and as I've already told you we checked out at 10am this morning. When I got into the car I checked my phone (I had left it in the car) and I had received three text messages from Nellie, who lives in the area. Nellie had told me that the unmarked room I told you about yesterday is Room 12B. There was a 12, a 12A, and then a room without a number - this room was 12B, otherwise known as Room 13 I guess. She also told me that the management have stopped allowing people to stay in it since Ghost Hunt (tv show) went through there. The room number system was strange to me...there were no other rooms with A's or B's, and no 13's. 11, 12, 12 A, unmarked door (12 B/13), 14, 15...and down the hall the rooms were numbered in the hundreds. This was only just down the hall, and besides, the hotel only has thirty odd rooms. Our room number was 117. Apparently. According to the fire exit map in the room there was no Room 113 either, they'd skipped the number 13 once more. Strange. Looking at the map, we worked out that we were technically in room 115 - next door to what would have been room 113.

I also have a picture of me standing next to the door of "12B" (13), but I look like an extra from the Rocky Horror Picture Show so I won't bother putting the pic up.

In the near future I'm going to make this into an article for the "Scribbles" section, including a full gallery of all the pictures I've taken. Thanks again for the emails everyone, and thanks also to those who have submitted their site to me in recent days. I shall be adding you to the queue as soon as possible. Take care everyone!

Saturday 14th April, 2007

PSGR, Paranormal Investigator:
The New Nightmare

Edit: All follow up entries will be posted underneath the following blog, instead of on top. Be sure to scroll down often during the next 12 hours, as there will be frequent updates.

Hi, I know that the title may come across as borderline comical (I can't help it) but right now I'm pretty rattled and sitting in a carpark nearly crying with fear. I am in the carpark of the most haunted hotel in New Zealand - the Waitomo Caves Hotel. Management deny such hauntings, but I've known about this place for a while after reading several true stories on ghost sites. Okay, perhaps you ought to read the stories on the following links first, and then come back to the blog.

Link one (scroll down the page until you see the first article on "Waitomo Caves Hotel", with two other stories directly underneath it.

Link two (again, scroll down)

My experiences at the Hoffman Kiln in Palmerston North (see "The Kiln Diaries" under "Scribbles) got me interested in paranormal investigation (amateur of course, no electromagnetic frequency devices here I'm afraid) and I've been wanting to check this hotel out for a while. Since we were in the area, I thought why not? It's a very old building, looming above the town on a cliff. I took a few pictures as we pulled up, but after a few shots my camera died because I forgot to charge it last night. We went inside, and asked about the rates and the availability of a room for the night. The concierge seemed surprised, and gladly gave us the information we needed....considering this is a fancy hotel the rates were extremely cheap. He offered to show us around, and we jumped at the chance. I knew I had to look out for the infamous centre of the hauntings - room "12B", which is actually room 13. If you've checked out the links I gave you earlier, you'd already know about that. We went down the hall, and it was absolutely freezing. I felt like I was about to pass out, I had no idea what had come over me. It kept getting colder and colder. The concierge made some joke about the temperature...yeah right. Fancy hotel with cheap rates, no other guests to be seen? I couldn't get over the freezing temperature, and I told the man we'd think it over and we went back to the car, which is where I am typing this blog. (wireless internet). I had read the stories contained on the aforementioned links several months ago, but I re-read them just before and realised that it wasn't just room "12b" (13) that was haunted...the whole fucking place is. The rates are so cheap, and I'm so curious though. Foolish and curious, just like I was at the kiln. I have no problem with sleeping in the car tonight (and maybe checking out the path to the hotel with the mysterious caged beast that appears in the night) but yeah....kinda want to stay. My computer battery is at 43% and my camera battery is nil, so a charge of both would be welcomed. In any case, I'll be sure to come on again and tell you what we've decided. If we do stay here, you'd better believe that I will be walking the halls in the dead of night taking pictures and other foolish activities that sceptics will no doubt be scoffing at. Damn poltergeists messing round with peoples things...well I tell you this right now, I'm not having no damm dead ghost playing 'round with my computer. Fucken leave it alone. Don't touch my shoes either, they're expensive. Not that a ghost would understand, seeing as they're pretty inept when it comes to fashion oriented matters. Should I stay at the haunted hotel and combat ghosts head on? Or take the passive approach and spend the night in the car? I'll come back on soon and tell you!

Update one:

We're staying here tonight. It's freezing, and we're staying here tonight. We went to pay, using my Eftpos card. James tried it once - declined. I was quite concerned, knowing for a fact that there was over $1,400 in my account. He tried again - declined. "Are there any cash machines in this hol...town?" I said to the concierge, irritably. I was about to say hole, but stopped myself. He said there wasn't. I said that I'd try the card myself, and sure enough it got accepted straight away. I had been watching James though and he'd been pressing the right buttons - account type, pin, etc. Somehow I knew it'd go right for me if I tried it. Then the concierge made out he hadn't seen the word "Accepted" on the Eftpos terminal. Boiling, I said "Yes it was there!, you saw didn't you James!!". And then he finally noticed it in his records or some shit, and made some feeble excuse. "You're not much good are you" I remarked, and he said nothing. The room is absolutely freezing, even with the heater on. It's not even winter yet - winter officially starts in May. Mysterious banging noises coming from god knows where, but whatever. I'm going to give my camera a quick charge and then take a few pictures of the place. I'll be back on later - this has only just started!

Update two, 6:30PM

I've never been so cold in my life - it's warmer outdoors than in, that's for sure. I am fucking crying. I know that sometimes my blogs may seem a little far fetched, but you've got to believe me that I am not a liar. I consider myself a very honest person, sometimes even brutally honest. Please believe me. On my Gramps' memory, my cat Gloria's memory, and my Great Nana's memory - I am telling the truth. We went and had an explore of the place, saw rooms 12, 12A and an unmarked room. I did not see a 12 B. Amongst all the numbered rooms was a room without a number on the door, so I'm guessing that it must have been 12 B or 13. God it's freezing in here. As we left the room, we took note of where everything was placed - a magazine positioned in such a way on top of the television, a bottle of coke on the table, etc etc. We came back up to the room and James noticed instantly that the magazine had been moved - it was now on a different angle on top of the television. I suggested that perhaps the draft from when we left the room had made the magazine fall, but James wouldn't accept this. He then went into the bathroom and discovered that one of the towels had been placed in the bath. I've put my camera on the charger again and after the charge is fully complete we'll leave the room once more. I shall place articles in certain positions and see if they have been moved. If they have, what should I do about it? I've paid the money to stay...but if things have been moved again then...what do I do??? We have been here less than two hours - if this shit has started already, what is in store later? I can't believe this bullshit is true! I don't believe in ghosts, I just have an interest in reading ghost stories. It's easy to imagine things, it's easy to let your mind run away with you. It's easy to will yourself to see things that aren't really there. That's why I'm still not convinced about what happened to me at the Hoffman kiln. That said though, I did not imagine those things moving. They were in a different place!

Okay. I've just noticed something else. I've been drinking a cup of tea, but I came on here to type this update so I placed the cup of tea on the floor next to me, on top of the saucer. Right next to me. I just looked at it and the fucking cup is not in the goddamn saucer. This is ridiculous, I know that, but PLEASE BELIEVE ME! I would hardly lie like this, not to you, not to the people I respect. What is going on? WHAT DO I DO??? This is fucking ridiculous! Why do this? If I see anything with my own eyes then I'd probably have a mental breakdown (so what else is new) or a heart attack! I don't discuss health related issues on a review site, but all I'll tell you is that I am not in the best of health. I've done some stupid things in my life (Use of iFrames, losing my camera, etc) but this takes the cake! I should never have agreed to our staying here. What have I gotten myself into NOW???

Haven't even finished this m*therfucking blog and I just noticed that the door of the room is slightly open. We closed it. I'm right next to the door and I didn't hear it open. But that's fine. Whatever. James reckons that one of the stories he read (see links at beginning of blog) goes on about doors opening all the time when they shouldn't, so I guess I'll read the articles again for myself, I only skimmed them last time. I really have no idea what I should do.