Survival of the Craziest

...And so the story soldiers forward, onwards to whatever fate may have in store for those whom fear not defeat nor death.

Ah, but alas this way comes our hero as he returns from the battlefield. His face speaks silently of tales of harrowing dangers and perilous foes and the like. One may wonder, silently mind you, of what those sun worn and battle hardened eyes of his have seen.

Yet it is his stride that catches the eyes of those whom would other wise pay little to no heed to this man. It is within his stride, the walk of man whom holds strong to his pride and honor. Surely he is battered and beaten, the trials which he survived were long and arduous, there is no question about that.

But he is alive and in relatively one piece.

Who could really ask for more?

And there went my attempt at writing... with the way things have been going at work this past year, I've really fallen out of the loop of actually writing. By that I mean the stories that I have been slowly beginning and just dropping before they ever see the endings they all rightly deserve.

But that is life for ya...

At least I survived not just Monday, but Tuesday AND Wednesday as well. That should definitely earn me a medal or something (Yeah right).

Things should be interesting tonight, since Blue Dragon (XBox 360) is being released over here in Hawaii today. Hopefully the reviews I've read are all lies and this game absolutely rocks my XBox to death!

God I hope it doesn't decide to pop that red ring of death on me now. Anyone care to see a XBox 360 fly then?

Another game which has caught my attention (though I cannot afford it at the moment) is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam.

Yes, I have played a few of the previous Dynasty Warriors games and I think I know generally what to expect. Still, it is nice to get home and hack and slash hundreds of enemies just for kicks. Oh wait, there are missions and stuff in the game huh? Hmm...

In other random personal news, I am still watching Naruto. Is it just me, or is the pacing of the series a lot like Dragon Ball Z? By that I mean they spend a lot of time facing off and yapping rather then pushing forward in the story.

The series that I've been liking more is Naruto Shippudan, which hasn't even been released over here in the States yet. Freakin' awesome stuff! I mean at least they aren't wasting as much time as they do in the regular Naruto series.

Onto a little bit of wrestling chatter here... how long as it been since I went off about this stuff? Oh well, anyway...

Come on folks, surely a lot of people hate his guts but WWE must have some grand master plan in store for John Cena. I mean for them to have him as their WWE Champion for as long as he has been and not to mention the number of guys he has defeated. Just all in all, there just has to be a reason...

It's funny with Randy Orton, I mean certain feuds he looks absolutely horrible and others he just looks like a true to life Legend Killer. So I hear he has been doing fairly well off in his feud with Cena, but his loss at SummerSlam kind of paints the tale of where this feud is going.

But it still makes me wonder, will Orton be the guy that ends Cena's long reign as Champion?

Speaking of Champion, I wonder what the idea is for CM Punk. To lose to Nitro... er... John Morrison three times now? And here he (Punk) comes with yet another chance at the title. Will the fourth time be the charm? Personally, I hope so or else why bother coming back for a fifth time?

Undertaker is coming back at Unforgiven and The Great Khali is World Champion. Sure, Rey Mysterio has a title shot coming his way, but I still gotta believe the WWE will save the title drop for 'Taker. Or maybe it'll be Undertaker against Mysterio for the World title...?

I hope this isn't leading back towards Rey's days as the 'Giant Killer' like he had during his days in the old WCW.

One final comment from me today and it's about the recent passing of pro wrestler Crush or otherwise known as Brian Adams. Or, as he was called around my hometown, the Kona Crush.

It is sad to hear that he passed away, he was a pretty decent wrestler and hell, the man is an alumni from the same high school I graduated from. My condolences to the family, I wish them all the best during these hard times.

God I hope there aren't any more wrestler deaths this year...

Another Monday Here Again

Can you guess it? If the title doesn't spell it out too clearly, I dislike Mondays. OK, maybe dislike isn't the right word to describe what I'm trying to say. I mean I dislike things like raw fish and mochi and stuff like that.

So what could be the right word to spell this all out?

Hate?

Yeah, that's the ticket...

It never always was this way, but now Mondays for me means being stuck at work for at least 10 hours tonight. To add onto the fun of that little fact, I then have to wake up at 5 a.m. tomorrow and head back into work again. And to top off the cake, I don't even get paid well either!

Makes you wonder? It damn sure makes me wonder why I bother hanging around a place like this. I have heard from more then a few people I work with about how other companies pay better and offer better benefits. I think what it all comes down to is the fact that I am lazy. Too lazy to go out and find something better in life.

So really, this whole thing isn't really a real problem I suppose. I mean I have the means to change my way of life, it is all just a matter of me taking that first step into another direction.

And so now I'll bring this short little writing to an end, just so that I can get ready to endure and hopefully survive another day. With every passing week, these days feel longer and longer then the ones before them. Before long, one way or another, I'm going to change and change for the better.

...I hope...

Day of Movies

I'm sure there are an endless list of "cures" for a bad day at work, but for me there is one thing that can do it rather quickly. What could that be you wonder to yourself? Watch a movie (or three)!

Yes, I am "lame" in the way that I don't drink. Or go to clubs. Or party at all. Hell, I can't really say that I have many friends either. I got tired of trying to hang around a bunch that generally didn't want anything to do with me. I mean, why lie?

Oh well. That is, again, another story best kept for another day. Back to the subject at hand though, I do seem to lead a very boring life eh? But I seem to stay out of trouble this way, which I can't really complain about. I'd rather get in trouble on my own, rather then having to be a part of a group. Does that make sense? Not likely....

Anyway, my girlfriend and I went to a local Blockbuster the other day, searching for something that would be fun to watch. We both work for the same company and we've both got our fair shares of headaches and what not to bitch about. Well, rather then just leaving with one movie, we left with three.

Disturbia, Dead Silence and Nacho Libre.

I'll say right out that 2 of those 3 I actually enjoyed. One of them, on the other hand, was pretty much a waste of time. I'll get into all of that in a few moments here.

First up here is Disturbia, which I wasn't all that sure about to be honest. I thought it was going to end up being a typical horror/slasher movie, with all the predictable stuff to go along with it. But after seeing it, I can say that it is a fairly well paced movie that doesn't waste too much time with a lot of side stuff. I'd try to go into more detail as to what I really liked about this, but I'm afraid I'd end up spoiling something.

I'll even go as far as to say that I'm starting to like Shia LaBeouf's work. He did a pretty good job in Transformers and he certainly does so again in Disturbia. He played the main character named "Kale." Might he really be the next Tom Hanks? Nah, probably not. That isn't meant to be a knock, but rather, what I'm trying to say is... I hope this guy makes it on his own, so people will know his name and not as "The next Tom Hanks."

Pictured above is Sarah Roemer, who plays Ashley, Kale's new next door neighbor. She isn't all that bad on the eyes and she can act too! Hopefully she makes more movies in the near future.

Next, Nacho Libre!

Oh man, I've been wanting to see this movie for a long, long while now. And now that I have, it certainly didn't disappoint! OK, maybe it was the fact that I watched this at 3 a.m. this morning that it might have ended up funnier then it might have really been, but still.

I did enjoy it!

Jack Black is just awesome in this movie and his transformation into the masked Luchador, "Nacho," is just too funny. I don't know what was more entertaining to watch, he and his tag team partner training or them getting their asses handed to them by everyone from furry midgets, women or old men.

The music, which I think is worth a mention, is just so chirpy and weird that it fits into the movie just perfectly. I'd love to find the soundtrack now that I think about it...

Lastly and sadly the least favorite of this rented trio, Dead Silence.

To sum up a long and drawn out rant, it is a predictable horror movie with a story that explains the killer's motive that is so lame that it reminded me of the "Boogeyman." Or maybe Darkness Falls? Just thinking about it makes my head hurt...

Anyway, the characters were pretty flat and what I would have assumed were important story plots were just rushed out without giving much background into why it would be so important. Really, you'd think someone would improve on this genre after all of these years.

Which drives home for me the reason why I generally do not watch these types of movies anymore. Because really, it's all the same old song and dance as they say, and it just never changes.

Today's Challenge...

Today feels a little more challenging for me, because I surely do not want to go into work today. I'd even go as far as to call in a sick day, but alas... my financial situation can't afford it and I'm afraid I just might not go back all together.

I used to believe that it wasn't the job that was no good, but just a few people here and there that made things more difficult then it needed to be. Now I'm believing that it is definitely a combination of both, which makes things all that much more fun!

But that's enough of the vague rants, onto what I came here to write! Speaking of which, I failed to write everyday (again) like I wanted to try and do. That brings me back to work, which ends up leaving me very little time to actually want to sit down and write.

Poor excuse that is, but hey... a guy has got to try!

I got to watch The Bourne Ultimatum a few days ago and I will say it is freakin' awesome! If I had to vote, I'd pick this one as the best of the three Bourne movies for certain.

The plot isn't anything overly original, but then again... why does it need to be? It does continue where the previous 2 movies left off, in that Bourne is trying to find out his past and who he really is.

It has a lot of action for one thing and there were more then a time or two where I even said "wow, that was a smart idea." Believe me when I say this, but me saying something like that isn't all that common while watching a movie.

What I think amazes me so much is Matt Damon, who plays basically a total opposite character in the Ocean's movies. Hell, he plays out his character there fairly convincingly. Then he switches gears and goes into the Bourne movies and totally kicks ass. Needless to say, this guy is a heck of an actor!

Total switch in topics here. Elder Scrolls? Is that what it's name is? Anyway, the XBox 360 game has been the subject of many of my own personal (and self) debates lately.

No, I am not insane... I swear it!

But really, is this game worth buying? Or just worth a rent?

What hasn't helped me in the least has been my reading of all of these reviews and people's comments and stuff of that nature. People can't stop playing it, can't put it down, etc. It makes me want to get out there and rent it! Or buy it even!

Damn it all, I think I just might go and do that tonight!

Well that is some progress made huh? Anyway, now here I go... off to enjoy what little time left that I have before I must leave to endure a day more of work. Then it is a day off! Finally! Plus I hope to rent that Elder Scrolls game too, which would be a heck of a way to make use of that off day. It is a plan!

Naruto!

I realize that I've slowly gone the way of covering my blog with cartoon characters and such. I suppose that should be alarming? I mean... I should have this place completely covered with pictures of beautiful women!

*writes that down for future blog purposes*

...anyway, with all lame attempts at joking aside, this entry today is all about Naruto. Yes, I know it has been out for some years and I've only started up on this just a few weeks ago. I've been watching some episodes on YouTube and I've been reading up on the Manga as well.

I prefer the manga over the actual show, just because of the fact that it took a mere 4 books to accomplish what 17 episodes couldn't. For a moment, I swore I was watching an alternate version of Dragon Ball...

Still, I am considering on eventually picking up at least the first season in English. It can't be that bad, can it?

I think what caught my attention the most was how masterfully the characters are given life. I mean the writer gives just enough detail to give them life, yet doesn't go overboard right off and just bombards the reader/watcher with too much info. Take Naruto himself for example.

On the surface, he looks to be just a wreck less brat that live to stir up trouble any way that he can. And it is fair to say that he is also very good at stirring. But beneath that is a boy that is sick and tired of being alone and ridiculed. He wishes to be recognized and he'll do fairly anything to reach that, which sets him on the mindset that he can only get there by becoming Hokage (His village's top Ninja). If that isn't enough, the kid loves ramen!

What drew me even more to the character was the fact that he didn't know the reason why people in his village hate him. It all stems from the fact that he has the spirited of an evil nine tailed fox demon trapped inside of him, which seems to be slowly awakening as the story progresses.

In any event, I am only on episode 17 on the series and book 7 of the manga series. Well, I still have yet to read book 7 so... off I go! I'm sort of curious to see how the second part of the Ninja rank test goes for Naruto and company.

The things I get into just to keep my mind busy these days...

Rush Hour 3 & Zodiac Thoughts

I just got to see Rush Hour 3 last night and, despite the reviews that I've read, enjoyed it. I don't know, it is strange how I read these reviews and people bash the movies and here I am, enjoying the hell out of it. Maybe I am just easily entertained?

I'd like to think that I go to these movies with a fairly open mind and maybe go as far as to just drop all expectations. It seems a lot easier that way, I mean if the movie stinks, then no harm right?

Besides, I believe a movie was meant for the purposes of entertainment and what can I say? I am, more often then not, entertained.

Back to the movie though, I was surprised how the movie picked up with bits and pieces of the stories of the previous 2 movies. I mean with Lee's love interest from the second movie, plus Ambassador Han and his daughter from the first, it was sort of nice to see the reconnection.

Yet in the end, it might not have needed it because Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker seem to be the same as ever, in that Tucker is over the top and Chan brings the fight. OK, maybe that isn't fair because Jackie Chan does some singing himself and Tucker actually gains the upper hand in a fight (Finally!).

Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai) plays Lee's "brother" and does a decent job as the villain. I kind of wished there was a more to the story between his character (Kenji) and Jackie Chan's. It looked like it could have been interesting. But alas, no... nothing...

Then again the bad guys in Rush Hour 3 weren't all that prominent, which was a little bit of a let down to be honest.

George, the French taxi cab driver, was pretty funny too. Well, once he in convinced that he is a spy anyway. The man can drive! And I'll just say that in the end, he gets exactly what he wishes for in!

Noémie Lenoir plays Genevieve, the damsel in distress if you will. Her character carries something of importance, though I will leave out what that is for the sake of not spoiling anything. Did I mention how she is fairly attractive too!? You might even see a picture or 2 of her around here someday soon.

What was also worth a good laugh was then blooper reel, that is a Jackie Chan trademark it seems, that came up at the end of the movie. God that thing was funnier then the movie!

Wait, is that even possible?

I suppose that isn't entirely fair to say, but really. If you've watched the previous 2, you can pretty much expect more of the same. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie... but if you go into this expecting something totally new, you'll be quickly disappointed.

Quick thought: Zodiac was a fairly good movie too, which I just got to watch recently. I didn't expect much from this one, but found it to be pretty good in the end. It is on an interesting subject no doubt, I mean the Zodiac killings and all the unsolved questions can't be ignored right?

But I thought the movie dragged on just a little too long for it's own good, because you could definitely feel it losing steam a little after midway through.

And that is it for today... well, maybe I'll write again later. But then I usually don't get to doing that, so maybe next time? Eh, I am just too goddamn lazy for my own good some days. Why can't I just be absolutely lazy at work? It sure seems like that is what I'm being pegged for!

Anyway, that is a different story for a different day and time for sure.

Reviews of Stuff!

Today's blog is going to be totally dedicated towards reviewing a whole slew of things! Like games and movies and stuff of that sort. Why should this matter? Well, that is a good question!

Um... wow, why should this matter?

Because I like to write and that is what I feel I must do today! And lord knows I've been busy on gaming and movies lately.

But! I'd be damned if I actually did a post here without adding in a picture of a very good looking girl to go along with it. What does it have to do with reviews you wonder? Nothing! But still, what's life without a little dash of pleasure?

...no, I don't mean it like that either!

So anyway, pictured here is Jessica Biel, whom I must say was pretty kick ass in Blade: Trinity a few years back. Or has it been longer? Anyway, I hear that she is in that new comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry."

Speaking of which, I also heard (I do a lot of hearing these days) that the movie was pretty funny. Makes me kind of want to watch it, but I can say that it definitely isn't on my short list of "Must See" movies.

Moving along... the newest craze to his my humble little household has been picking up old works of the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Ok and some not so old stuff as well, but you get the idea I imagine.

Top of that list is New Police Story, starring Jackie Chan. Basic rundown of the story is a bunch of rich kids get together and make a game of killing off cops and Jackie Chan's character happens to cross their path and is basically broken at the hands of these kids. All in all, the hero comes out on top.

It is an interesting movie, despite what might sound like a generic story.I think I also said this before, but I think it is worth repeating. New Police Story definitely shows off the range of acting ability on the part of Jackie Chan. And the standard kick ass fighting scenes are also present, which is a obvious staple here.

One thing that was interesting was the fact that Jackie Chan kind of swayed away from putting comedy into this. I mean he is known for his comedy/martial arts films after all. Then again, I can understand how it would not have fit into the story, considering the tone of it and all.

Random thought: I love Myspace. Actually, that's a lie... but I do have a profile. Why? Um... like before, good question! I keep it to get even MORE spam mail! Hahahahaha! (<---losing it)

Next movie up is Black Mask, starring Jet Li.

I don't know, my girlfriend likes this movie and I... eh, me not so much. It's like a cheesy B-movie, complete with the cheap 'special effects' and fairly lame bad guys. I don't want to say too much else about this one, because I could spend a few too much moments about this then I'd like.

Then there is Disgaea the Anime, which doesn't count as a movie... but still!

I've gotten to watch the first five episodes and I can at least say that I haven't got any real complaints to air out about it. I like it! Then again, some days I am far too easily entertained... does that say anything?

Still, it is a fairly good series that gives more life to the story and characters that were in the PS2 game.

Speaking of Disgaea, I will eventually finish off the second game one of these days. Mark my words! I swear it!

Maybe.

Next up! Game time!

Call of Duty 3... there isn't much to really say about this besides the fact that it felt and played like a typical FPS. My only real gripe about it was the incredibly stupid A.I. that accompanies your squad members. I mean come on, the Nazi guy is sitting not even foot away and rather then going in for a melee kill, both of them will stand there and shoot each other. And miss! Truly sad sight folks, it really was...

Speeding along here, next game up for bashing... er... reviewing is Rumble Roses XX. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I rented this thing. Dare I call it a game? I mean I kind of knew what to expect, having played the first game a few years ago. I guess I thought, I don't know, maybe there would actually be some real game play in it this time?

Yeah, like DOA Beach Volleyball is a real sports game...

I do thank god that regular wrestling games don't go with the zoom in cam idea whenever a submission hold gets locked on. Dear lord, I don't wanna see that! *vomit*

...Overall, it isn't fun, its lame and that's $8 and maybe a half hour of life that I will never get back.

I think the next 2 games I'd like to rent will probably Sonic the Hedgehog and The Darkness. Both look promising, one of them actually sounded fun. Wow, maybe that wasn't a good choice of wording? Oh well.

Now it's back to sitting in front of my XBox 360 and cussing out that incredibly weak Overlord in... well... Overlord. He gets whooped by bugs! What evil Overlord gets whooped by tiny, ugly, little bugs anyway!?

Waking Up Far Too Early...

Like the title says, I've woken up way too early today and it's my day off too! I used to wonder if maybe my brain has finally had it, to the point where it'll just make me do whatever it feels at random. Now I'm thinking that could be happening.

I guess so long as I don't sleep walk out my front door and walk myself off of a bridge, I'm good.

For now.

What actually woke me up was the humidity here, which says something because nothing usually wakes me up.

Anyway! Pictured to my right is Megan Fox! Obsessed am I? No, I am not! But, she is a very good looking woman (that's saying it mildly) and again, any and all opportunities to post pictures of good looking women shall be taken!

Hey, she alone would make me want to see Transformers again, let alone buy the DVD. Does that say something?

No, I am not obsessed...

I will say though, just upon reading a few of the interviews that she has done recently, she does sound like an interesting person. OK, so it isn't saying much that this was based off of a couple of print interviews, but really. She certainly doesn't sound like a spoiled brat like Jessica Alba, whom I've lost a lot of respect for lately. I feel bad (actually, I don't...) for the suckers that go out with her, man those guys will probably have to put up with a whole lot of shit!

Well, moving along... I recently picked up the second DVD featuring the best of TNA wrestler AJ Styles. And truth be told, I was a little disappointed by the end of the DVD. Granted, I was happy it was not like Christopher Daniels' DVD, in that this featured full matches. But his first 'Best of' DVD had 2 disks, this time it was only 1 and the special features still sucked.

I'd think TNA's DVDs should be getting better and not worse, right? Then again, I'd still rather have this then the Best of the X-Division 2. They should have called it the Best of the X-Division Triple Threat and Fatal Four Way Matches. It would have been very fitting considering that was basically all that there was on the DVD.

One thing about TNA that has me scratching my head... I thought Triple X was done and finished forever? Oh wait, wrestling, right. Nothing ever really is "done forever" unless the person dies.

Back to the subject of DVDs for a moment, I still want to pick up 300...

Nine days until Rush Hour 3! It looks to be funnier then the previous 2, which is kind of hard to believe. It'll definately be a change of pace, I mean after movies like Harry Potter and Transformers. And I like Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, they make a pretty damn good team.

Speaking of Jackie Chan, I just got to rewatch New Police Story the other night. I have to say that I am impressed to see that Jackie Chan is a very flexable actor, I mean he can do the action stuff and he can do drama and all that.

Well, I think that is enough random chatter out of me for at least today. I am going to try that whole idea about posting once a day, everyday for the entire month. I tried this before and failed, but who knows... Maybe this time around, I'll be able to motivate my lazy ass into writing more often. I've kind of fallen out of the loop and I haven't done as much writing as I once did.

Maybe once I get going a little more, who knows, I might even get back to writing that story I had begun before this recent hiatus. Now that would be something else.

Few Thoughts to Begin August

Big month this month, in that it's finally time for Blue Dragon to be released here in the States. OK, so that might be the biggest news ever, but it kind of is for me.

For one thing, I am curious to see if the XBox finally has an RPG worth playing. I mean yes, they did have games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Fable, but that doesn't compair to say like a Final Fantasy.

Or, hopefully, Blue Dragon.

Speaking of Final Fantasy, I've been reading the rumors and a part of me hopes that they become true. What the hell am I talking about? I'm talking about the rumor that FXIII isn't going to end up as a PS3 exclusive. It would make life a whole lot cheaper for me, that's for damn sure!

One more bit about FF, I wish Square-Enix would just do a damn remake of Final Fantasy VII (if they aren't already). Those guys have got to be sick and tired of being asked if they are and clearly there is more then just a buzz over the idea.

So what's holding up the process? Then again, that alone could very well set the stage for me to attempt to pick up a PS3. Yes, one game alone has that kind of power of me... I admit it!!!

My girlfriend and I just finished off Gears of War (Casual setting) and it was pretty fun. I love the chatter between your group, it certainly does keep things interesting. But I think we might give it another go, this time on Hardcore setting, just to see how that'll go for us.

I mean truth be told, neither of us are all that great at this type of game. But what the hey, we'll give it a go anyway. And after that? Eh... I don't think either of us could be able to handle Insane...

And now that I think about it, we're what, a month away from Halo 3? I guess Gears of War will be a big help in getting us ready to see what becomes of Master Chief. I'll be definately welcoming back those plasma grenades... love those things!

Well, cutting this shorter then usual... it's time for work *yuck* and I'd rather get it over sooner rather then later. Anyway, nice little game post huh? I think I might post one more time today, just to get out some other thoughts that have been floating around in my clouded mind.