Final Fantasy Meets Tomb Raider?!

Wow, talk about a little news that turns out to be a real eye opener. Feeling a strange desire to read up on what's happening in gaming, I came across a very interesting and almost unreal article. Now I thought this just happened out of the blue, but apparently it did not. So yes, I realize that I am a little late to this party, but I just read about Square-Enix sealing the deal on acquiring Edios.

At first I wondered if maybe this was some sort of belated April Fools joke, but who in their right mind does that at the end of the month right? So there I was, sitting before this very computer and just in a little be of awe at the news. Maybe dumbfounded would be more proper descriptive word for this? Yes, I think my jaw might have hit the table at least once.

It just sounds so surreal to me to think that Lora Croft and Cloud Strife are all under the same umbrella now. It actually has me wondering if maybe I'll actually play a Tomb Raider game for the first time in the not-so-distant future? Hmm...

Distant Worlds

It isn't all too often that I come across a soundtrack from a video game that I fully fall in love with. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever listened to a game soundtrack from start to finish and felt like I experienced something great.

Well I've finally came across such a soundtrack and I have not been disappointed in the least with it. The soundtrack is called Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy (a couple of songs are located on the left side of this blog).

This soundtrack is comprised of music from just about every game in the main series (the exception on the CD is FFX). It has favorites like One-Winged Angel and Bombing Mission from Final Fantasy 7. However, the game that is most represented here is Final Fantasy 8, with favorites Liberi Fatall, Fisherman's Horizon and Don't Be Afraid (Battle theme). What actually surprised me here was the inclusion of the Opera music from Final Fantasy 6 (where Celes takes the roll of Maria). It is actually a pretty good piece of music! More so when hearing the parts with actual vocals (the in-game stuff was pretty epic for it's time too).

Despite all of that, my favorite track of all on this CD is the "Theme of Love" from Final Fantasy 4. It is absolutely beautiful! Very peaceful, very relaxing (in my opinion anyway). I didn't even realize it was on the CD, because a portion of the track names are in Japanese. But by happenstance, I awoke on the bus of all places and hearing it snapped me awake and fast! Still, besides getting funny looks on the bus, I was pleasantly surprised to hear it. It definitely brings back a lot of fond memories of that particular game.

Now I can safely say I have yet another goal in life: To listen to this concert live someday! I think I would probably get goosebumps from hearing a song like One-Winged Angel in person with a full orchestra and all that. What makes me more anxious to hear these folks more so after, came checking out their official site, which I came see that they even perform "To Zanarkand," an unquestionable favorite of mine from Final Fantasy 10.

One day, one day...

It's Going to Be a Long Year

So I've been keeping an eye out on new content on Xbox Live, just because of the fact that there has been quite a lot of new stuff getting released lately (like UFC Undisputed 2009 demo, Red Faction: Guerrilla demo, Left 4 Dead's Survival DLC, more on all of that sooner rather then later).

For starters, the UFC Undisputed 2009 demo.

I'll admit that I was hoping there would be a demo for this, because I was curious to see what THQ had in store for the MMA giant's return to the gaming world. And since THQ has been doing pro wrestling games for over a decade now, I had a sort of doubt that maybe they were rehashing their work from Smackdown vs Raw and just slapping on some MMA fighters' bodies.

And after playing through the demo numerous times through, I can safely say that it is absolutely nothing like the Smackdown vs. Raw games. Hell, it plays unlike anything I've picked up before. There are no special move gauges, no finishing moves or anything like that. The fight, depending on what types of hits you're landing and where, it can all be over in matter of sheer seconds.

What surprised me was the depth in these fights, which easily exceeds any wrestling game. In wrestling games, you press certain button combos and you can strike to hell or slam your opponent. In UFC Undisputed, yes you can strike down your opponent. You can take them down to the mat and pound them mercilessly or go for a submission. But it isn't as easy as it sounds as there seems to be quite a lot of counter moves to these situations. Needless to say, I expect the fights won't be as fast as they were in the demo. Or at least the fighters will actually get in there with the intent of knocking your damn head out to the third row.

If nothing else, the demo only boosted my overall interest in this title. But hey, isn't that the point of the demo? Still, I am glad that this game is looking like it can live up to any hype that is thrown it's way.

The second game demo I encountered was Red Faction Guerrilla. The only thing that really caught my eye and locked up my attention here was the devastation you can unleashed. Unlike a lot of games, Red Faction Guerrilla allows you to destroy entire buildings. Hell, you can take down walls and all sorts of things. I was just having a blast just ripping through buildings as I "escorted" my hijacked walker back to the truck.

And kind of like Assassin's Creed 2, Red Faction Guerrilla is promising a ton of missions. So, using my brain power here, I think I can assume that there will be a whole lot of real estate to be demolishing throughout the course of this game.

The only thing left that I can saw about this game is this: Where and how do I sign up?! I'll tear Mars apart, one building at a time!

One last thing here that I feel a need to write about here and that concerns a little game called Left 4 Dead.

Now recently there was the Survival Pack DLC, which essentially gives you the Survival mode and some other multiplayer options (now I think all 4 scenarios are playable online). As I don't venture into online play too much, I opted to try out the Survival mode with my girlfriend.

Let me just say this: I do not see how it is possible to survive this without actually playing with four human beings. The AI for the other survivors is just ridiculous to say the least. They are so stupid! They are even less helpful here then they are in-game! I think our longest survival time was barely past 4 minutes and that was with a lot of pipebomb tossing just out of the gates.

I admit that I am a little sad by this, because my thought was this mode would have been something more like Gears of War 2's Horde mode. But alas, it is not...

Oh well! If nothing else, I am at least grateful that the DLC was a freebee or else I might actually be pissed off about it.

Assassin's Creed II

It is officially safe to say that I am now falling back into the "hype" of things. Even while knowing that falling for such hype can be a double edged sword, in that there is a chance that the game in question cannot live up to what it was made out to be. I just cannot help myself...

And yet here I go again, drooling over a sequel that promises the world. This time I am falling to the hype that is Assassin's Creed 2.

I will make this fact no secret to the world: I enjoyed the heck out of the first game. Surely it was far from being perfect, but the freedom to move and kill as you pleased was far too alluring for me to ignore.

No, I am not crazed murder freak. I simply appreciated the sheer scale of the world, not to mention the fact that there was a pretty good and mysterious story throughout (the main character in modern times was a little odd though). The only pitfall to the game, at least for me, came in due part because of the lack of variety. My interest eventually fell off because the missions repeat themselves after the first city and really, the only side quest stuff you could do was find a crazy number of flags or hunt down the Templar knights. The latter becomes boring later on, when Altair gets more abilities because the field is more then leveled.

Well, the promise here is major expansion on what made the original so good and I am falling for it, hook, line and sinker.

One interesting change is the addition of a second "hidden" blade. I assume that means you can now assassinate twice as many people. Or maybe there will be some new and unique ways to utilize both? Hmmm...

Along the same subject, now you don't even have to select the blade to assassinate someone. Just find a unsuspecting victim and ta-da! Dead. Easy, no?

What gets my interest more so is the fact that the many nuisances that plagued the first game are being addressed here. More missions, more ways to assassinate, more weapons to choose from and just more of everything really!

Funny note: This time, the assassin can swim (unlike the first game, where you fall into the water and it's game over. Made me wonder why these "bad guys" didn't just jump on a boat and float out to sea...) and at least you have more ways of cutting down your notoriety in the cities rather then just assassinate, run and hide.

Okay, now I may not have made the best sense just then, but believe me when I say that I am already counting down the days until November 17 comes. That is the day when I become an assassin again!

Er, well... sort of.

Thinkings Aloud

Just thinking aloud on a few things going on in the world of professional wrestling... er... Sports Entertainment... er.... I mean entertainment? Funny how the classification seems to jump all over the place, more so recently. And apparently it is all in an effort to avoid paying a sports tax or something? Sheeh, the economy must be pretty bad off.

This might seem a little random, but eh... it's been a long while since I wrote anything really wrestling related. I still enjoy watching it (when and where I can)! Surely I see now what some people have said about how, after a certain amount of time, stories and ideas end up repeating themselves. To me, it is like watching football or baseball in that we see the same things, season after season. But the faces change and with these fresh faces, sometimes even the oldest and most used idea can seem fun and new all over again.

One thing I was surprised about took place at Wrestlemania 25 this year, with CM Punk being the first ever two time winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match. I wonder if they are going to do with Punk as they did with Edge? By that I mean have him win the title again by use of the contract in the briefcase?

Speaking of Edge, I wonder if he'll ever have a long title reign? The guy has been on the dark side for the past few years now. I guess a reunion with the returning Christian will be out of the question at the moment, considering how I think E&C reteaming will likely get these guys cheered.

Christopher Daniels finally returns to TNA! Well okay, technically he never left in the first place. But after going through being Curry Man, then the video game character turned "real" wrestler Suicide, he finally returned as himself!

I wonder if this will lead to a X-Division revival? It is interesting in a way, seeing Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels in the same ring again. Those guys have come a long way since their classic battles over the X-Division title a few years ago.

Bobby Lashley in TNA... hmm... I wonder what's the deal with this?

Kind of like Mick Foley winning the TNA World title. I wonder what's the point?

Following along the lines of asking myself questions, I wonder what the point of putting Matt Hardy over to Raw in the middle of his feud with his brother Jeff? Which ties into...

My surprise, after reading how Jeff Hardy has yet to sign a new contract with WWE. Though considering how they have all but buried his ass during his brief feud with his brother Matt, I can't say I blame him for feeling "burnt out." It is a long fall from being WWE Champion to losing damn near every match you're in.

I was disappointed to see the tag team of John Morrison and The Miz being split. To me, they are/were the best tag team in the WWE at this point in time. While it is true that there are not that many actual teams, I do consider them head and shoulders better then Cryme Tyme, The Colons (whom they lost to during a pre-Wrestlemania 25 match) and damn near anyone else that company can slap together.

One last little thought here: I am happy to see Dragon Gate (a wrestling promotion based in Japan) is expanding itself into the United States. They have a number of talented guys on their roster and it will be interesting to see how far these guys can go here in the states. Hell, I hope this means they'll make another trip over here to Hawaii... their live show was awesome!

You Know Its Bad When...

...You find yourself bored nearly out of your mind and you also find yourself playing a game like Kung Fu Panda. It is like the first sign that the end of the world is coming. How else would you explain having to endure through that?

The easiest way to explain it is this: I am just bored with the few games I've got and I am direly searching for a new fix. I've given up hope of ever finishing Prince of Persia, Mirror's Edge and Assassin's Creed. Even Blue Dragon has rejoined that list.

Of the games I've just listed, I can honestly say they are all good games in their own right. But they just cannot hold my attention for longer then 10-15 minutes at best.

Maybe it's an age thing? Maybe I am coming to an age where video games are not as alluring as they once were? Or maybe perhaps it is simply the games themselves which are not the same.

I can tell you this though, I have been watching a number of videos for Final Fantasy XIII and they intrigue me. Then I watched Final Fantasy Versus XIII and they blew me away. Forget XIII itself, I want to see and know more about this darker world that exists in Versus XIII. I'll let the video speak for itself now...



And what is this?! Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete??! The downside for me at this point is that it is on Blu-ray. Still, after seeing a video with some of the new scenes in it... man... I guess I ain't too old to geek out!



Talk about getting hit with too much information in too short a period of time. It would appear as though the desire of mine to get my hands on a PS3 has double up at this point. I have not missed a Final Fantasy game since FF6 and I wholly intend on on playing Final Fantasy XIII, whenever it gets released over here.

I need sleep...

Note to self: Damn the videos are HUGE.

Meh

So last night we (myself, my girlfriend and several other people from our working place), were planning on attending the Kingdom MMA event at the Blaisdell. Personally, I requested the night off twice because of this event (twice because the date of the event got pushed back from March to April), so this was like a culmination of all this wasted time.

Now the friend that was organizing this did not feel the need to pick up any tickets in advance, because he honestly believed the cheap seats would not sell out (a mere $15 they were). He was adamant about this, he was that certain.

Well last night my girlfriend and I arrive at the box office to see the sign on the window state the cheapest tickets now were $46. Wow. Talk about a jump in price huh? Now it is one thing if we even knew of or even heard of these fighters. But we don't have a clue as to who any of them are and to even think of spending that much more to see a bunch of unknowns was just unjustifiable to both of us.

Besides that, it was a jump in cost that was too far out of our range. Considering we planned on spending no more then $30, this was getting out of hand. And just like that, the show for us ended.

No Need for Tenchi?! Update

So after hours of searching through the vast devastation that is my apartment, I can at least say I found 2 out of 3 DVDs of season 3. Now I cannot find the second disk, the middle of the series, and that is driving me insane!

I would have likely bought the series (again) last night, if not for some intervention on the part of my girlfriend. Seriously, a simple 'no' would have worked all the same I think. Anything would have sounded better then "you buy it and I'll kill you."

Huh.

And even after a couple of hours of sleep, I still cannot say for certain why I want to watch this all again. If memory serves me correctly, I did not care all that much for this finale of the OVA series (and the voice of Ryoko was HORRIBLE).

It all came up because I had read some things about the series and questions began to spring up in my head. And so I think I felt compelled to seeing this all with my own eyes. Maybe I would comprehend the series and it's events differently this time around? At this point I may never know.

Then again, my search is not over... ONWARD!

No Need for Tenchi?!

I must be losing my mind. That is the only logical explanation that I can come up with at this point in time. For the past so many hours now, I have been digging (literally) throughout my apartment. Not for gold or precious jewels, but for a DVD. Not just one DVD, but THREE DVDs.

In actuality, those three disks were put together in a tin can (pictured to the left).

For whatever reason, my brain decided I wanted to watch the third season of the Tenchi Muyo! OVA. Granted, some years back I didn't really care all that much about this section of the series. In fact, I think I might have hated it.

Still...

Have you ever experienced this before folks? When your brain decides on something and that is it. You search and dig and claw until you've reached your goal? In my case, it does not happen for me in life (like pursuing a better job for instance). Instead, my brain goes ape shit crazy over finding DVDs and I end up like I am right now.

Now I am alone in this bitter, post apocalyptic DVD-hunt ruined world. Undoubtedly, I am lost in my own apartment. Disoriented, disheartened and defeated, I am surrounded by towering behemoths of pure debris and my morale is at an all time low.

Life is cruel.

But there is hope yet for our hero! Tiny and fragile as it might be, there is hope. And it comes to me now in the shape of a thought or rather, an idea. Call it an epiphany if you will, I call it my destiny.

Rather then further along the destruction of my habitat, I have devised a last ditch effort which shall be forever known as my savior! My one gleaming star of hope! Yes, I will praise myself always for having the genius to concoct this plan of plans. What is my brilliant plan you ask? Why it is simple! My plan is as follows:

I have now spent nearly 2 hours in search of this tin can and I have come up with nothing more then dust and total frustration. Do I continue? I know it is in my apartment... somewhere... but the question is where?

Taking all of that little itty bits of information into account, I can say with full confidence...

Screw this, I'm going to buy this thing (pictured below) tomorrow. It ain't what I have and it doesn't come in a spiffy little can, but damn it. It isn't all that expensive and it is still the complete series. Yes, I am not the most rational person in the world when it comes to stuff like this. But that doesn't matter, you know why? Because I will win!

Marley & Me

Just watched this movie last night and boy, oh boy is it a sad one. It starts out with the main characters just getting married. Their life seemed planned and they apparently knew where they were going. Their next move sent them to Florida, where Jennifer Aniston's character begins to toss the hints about having kids.

Now a friend of Owen Wilson's character suggests he get his wife a cute, cuddly puppy to slow the train down some. Thus begins what carries on for the rest of the movie: The many adventures and misadventures of the cute, terror of a puppy dog named Marley. The overall story of the movie pretty much carries itself on throughout Marley's (the dog) lifetime.

As much as I would like to dislike Jennifer Aniston, she isn't half bad in the movie. Certainly a lot better then I think I would have ever given her credit for in the past anyway. Also doing a pretty banged up job here is Owen Wilson. I think this is actually the first time I've ever watched a movie with Owen Wilson in it and not found him irritating.

I can't say anything bad about this, because I enjoyed it from start to finish. It is a good story, very touching and true and sad all the same. It doesn't sugar coat much and it doesn't skim anything when it comes to life and death.

But what surprised me was not the movie, but how people absolutely bashed this film into the ground. I mean people make this out to be like one of the worst movies ever made! Now be advised, the following does have spoilers in it. So if you haven't seen the movie and intend to, maybe it would be best to turn away and stop reading here, no?


Okay, now lets get down and dirty shall we?


Now I've read people complaining about the movie being too graphic. Wait, what? Too graphic? What's graphic about a dog getting sick and eventually passing on? It is sad and maybe this isn't ideal for young children, but this is the reality of things. This is just life! Some say this movie goes too far to be a family comedy, why? Because there are no ass jokes? No lewd humor? No farts?

I laughed when I read the comment about how someone and their daughter almost had to get up and leave because they were crying so much. They actually taught the movie was oh so bad.

Oh. My. God. Grow up will you?! If what you're watching is so bad and so traumatizing, do yourself a favor and just then do it. Get up and leave! Walk out that door and never look back. Really though, with all joking and sarcasm aside, why stay and watch something that bothers you so much? Did you think this was going to be a cute and cuddly movie from start to finish?

Same with people who bash movies about being too this or that. If it is so bad, stop watching it and walk out of the theater. Or if you're renting it, eject the disk and turn your television off. Why put yourself through the agony? You didn't enjoy it, fine... you didn't enjoy it. But to go off and just blast it and berate it is just plain silly.

Personally? This whole criticizing bit is what bothers me about so many people in the world today. At the end of the day what you are watching in the theater is JUST A MOVIE. It isn't real! Sure there are stuff based off of real life events, but these movies never go word for word. And no body dies, regardless of what happens in the movie. It might look graphic, but I promise you... no body dies (not even the puppy!).

Someone had made about this movie and it was as true a statement as I saw in the comments I read. Marley & Me is a movie about life, love, family and losses. It is just so very sad how even a movie like this can get blasted so badly by close minded people.

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD

Holy double post! I don't usually do this, but today had to be an exception of a major kind. Talk about Anime craze, today seems to be such a day. I can't help it! It started by watching some old stuff (Neon Genesis, Tenchi Muyo!) and now... now....

Wait! Must fill in the gaps with back story goodness! (Otherwise, things might make even less sense then it might already)

Some days ago, my girlfriend informed me that she read somewhere that Fullmetal Alchemist was continuing. Now since she couldn't say for sure where she read it and when, I took it as nothing more then probably a April Fools joke.

Fast forward to today and by happenstance, I ended up browsing through an article that confirmed her words to be true. There is, in fact, a brand new series that was released on April 5th. The name? Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Okay, before I write on, there is one thing that needs clearing up. The series isn't entirely "new," in that it is actually an adaption of the Manga. Or at least it should be more faithful towards the storyline in that series.

Anyway, like a man possessed, I began to scour the internet for relief. Someone in the world had to have uploaded the episode and I was right!

My conclusion? There is much more action in the first episode, much more then I remember seeing in the original series. And the story telling so far is top notch, as far as I'm concerned. Considering that I've read quite a few chapters of the Manga myself, it'll be interesting to finally see this story in living color.

My wonder is this though: When it arrives here in America, I wonder if there will be the same voice cast? Or a different one? My hopes (as I'm sure it is for a good portion of the series' fans) is they will get them all back. I know, I know, that sort of wish is certainly a stretch by any account. But still...

Fullmetal Alchemist is back!

Neon Genesis Evangelion

I was a lot more impulsive, many years back, and one of the things that I stupidly blew a lot of money on was the complete series of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

At the time, I believed it to have been a worthy cause to spend that much money ($200 at the time) on. Granted I had only see maybe three episodes of the series at the time, but I liked what I saw. For me that was enough to warrant a further look into it.

Personally, my liking of NGE goes up until about halfway through the series. Once things begin to get weird, my interest kind of drops off. I liked the way the characters were, rather then the separated and depressed messes they were by the end.

Then again, I guess the writers did their job to perfection. There I was, remembering how lively and vibrant the characters were and now I'm giving a damn when they fall. Huh.

I actually liked all three main pilots, though I think Asuka pulls ahead as being on top of that list. The reason? I liked how she came into the story as this overachiver, full of confidence and pride. But as the story wore on, all of that began to fall apart piece by piece. What blew my mind was the backstory behind why she was how she was. I never would have guessed the reasons.

There were only two parts of the end that I actually liked. The first came at the very end (after the last Angel was destroyed), during the invasion and slaughter of all things related to Nerv. It was brutal, it was heartless and it painted a strong image of what the world around them really thought about them (the people of Nerv).

The second part I liked was when Asuka wakes up in her Eva and the flashbacks help draw out a realization for her. Then she pretty much just snaps like a woman possessed. Despite the fact that they regenerated, Asuka sure laid down a mighty whooping on the rest of the Evangelion series. Single handedly too.

But then that is pretty where and when the interest ends for me. The rest of the ending is just flat out strange and the two movies didn't really help clear the air at all.

I had read somewhere a few years ago, about how there was interest in making a live action movie for the series. But considering I haven't seen nor heard anything of it since, I guess the idea was dropped? I can imagine a movie based on Neon Genesis would be expensive as hell.

Oh well. Anyway, back to rewatching the series! I've only gotten back to the 10th episode, which means I've got a long ways yet to go.

Back to the Groove

After taking a brief break from gaming, I've slowly getting back into the mix of things. What can I say? A lot of the games I've got right now aren't cutting it for me. Recently though, I've tried to replay both Mirror's Edge and Blue Dragon. While Blue Dragon no longer puts me to sleep on contact, Mirror's Edge has been kicking my ass like never before. I spent most of my time flying off of rooftops, sailing down to my untimely death.

One new game that I've been playing is called The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. Basically it is a hack and slasher, but it does have a strange and somewhat interesting story behind of it. Favorite weapon of choice: Chain saw!

Another game that has seen some playtime is Resident Evil 5, which is nice to play as a co-op for a change. My gripe with it is this though: Why did they have to split the screen the way that they did (Call of Duty: World at War style)? It's annoying! Just split the damn screen in half!

Yet another gripe is, why do they send in a team (the characters you play) into this place WITH ONLY A HANDGUN WITH VERY, VERY LIMITED SHOTS? Not really helping the chances of success here huh? And speaking of ammo, it is interesting as it is annoying how you can buy the guns you come across and yet you cannot buy ammo! A lot of good a shotgun with 6 shots will do ya in the middle of a crowd of angry, evil intentioned zombie-type people.

Side note: For the first time ever, I finally got to play LittleBigPlanet at Wal-Mart last week. I'd like to say I did well in the level I played in, but I did not. I spent a good deal of time falling off of stuff and burning. Very much like playing Mirror's Edge I'm afraid... my character experienced all too well the sensation of falling to your doom, over and over again.

Destiny Unfulfilled?

It is getting a little strange, to be having this many "life" posts in one month, considering I tend to do only a very, very few of them (usually) in the span of a couple of months. Anyway though, I'm thinking it is because of my extra free time that my mind has been wandering more then ever.

And what can I say? Writing has been the medium with which I can best convey these thoughts. At one point in time I even considered taking writing up as a serious profession, but the realization is that to be as such, you'd have to make certain sacrifices. As of now, that is something I am simply just not ready to do (maybe I'll blog about that someday).

Anyway, the purpose of this writing is as it tends to always been for me. To vent out thoughts, to see things out before my eyes and to hopefully make it easier to understand what the heck is going on in my head. Much, much easier said then done most days.

Right now my mind is just thinking some things over and I am trying to sort out the mess. The feelings I have right now is just a strong unease? I feel like I should have taken a different path in life. I just feel like there could have been more, or rather, I could have been much more then what I am now.

What helped bring this one was the fact that I am nearing three years at my current job at that grocery store. It isn't that much time to most people, but it feels like a lifetime to me. And to be honest, the last time I had the realization of how much time had passed, I had "snapped" and I quit my then job (At McD) not long afterward.

Of all things, what is important to me is I want to find a company that I can actually work with. One that will actually look at me for the work that I do and not because I kissed the most ass. Sounds impossible doesn't it? And don't want to be in a place that spouts off bullshit usage of "team work." I've heard that in so many different places and only to see that it absolutely did not exist was just brought me down.

But then, I know this is what I get for not hitting college right out of high school. At the time, however, I was just glad to be out of school and away from home. So much so that I just couldn't focus on homework, tests and all of that.

Maybe that part does not matter as much as I think, I wouldn't mind busting ass for a small company. So long as things are fair, they say what think and they mean what they say, then I wouldn't have an issue really.

Bottom line, I do not want to be the guy who spent all of his adult life working at a dead end job that makes him feel like shit. Worse yet, then he looks back over the fifteen years of life spent, knowing that it is an investment you will never get back, and realizing just how much his life truly sucks.

It has been my mission, these past many years, to continue forward in search of that something greater. The jobs that I have now are not for life, I assure you of that right now. To me, they are nothing more then stepping stones towards a higher goal. A greater purpose, if you will. One piece of advice that has always stuck in my mind is this: Always aim higher.

Believe me when I say, I wholly intend to.

WrestleMania 25

The original idea was that I would write a post today with my WrestleMania predictions. But as I just found out, the event is already done and over! I guess it goes to show, I am a little too slow somedays for my own good.

Anyway, just a few thoughts after I read over the results of what is considered to be the WWE's biggest pay-per-view show of the year.

I'll admit that I was a little surprised to read Triple H defeated Randy Orton, though I guess I should not have been. Even though Triple H has gone out and said how he thought a guy like Orton was the future, I suppose it was a stretch to think he'd like Orton win at 'Mania. Huh, maybe next year?

The triple threat match between Edge, John Cena and the Big Show wasn't one I was looking forward to. I had a feeling Big Show would not win and that part came true. I knew the real meat of the story was between Edge and Cena and it was Cena who walked away from the match as champion. I wonder where this will go from here? Perhaps Cena moving back to Smackdown? Or maybe Edge moving back over to Raw? Hmmm...

Shawn Michaels losing to the Undertaker wasn't that big of a surprise, considering HBK did retire Flair last year at 'Mania. Tack onto that the talk about HBK's knees going from bad to worse, I just wouldn't have believed he'd get this big of a victory a second year in a row.

Chris Jericho defeats the a number of legends in a handicap match. And with Mickey Rourke getting involved after the match, why do I sense a Jericho verses Mickey Rourke match somewhere down the line?

Matt Hardy defeating Jeff Hardy screams bullshit to me, no matter what kind of match it was. Sorry, but I just don't see the point of Matt Hardy winning. He was an okay bad guy during his last run as a heel, but this time just doesn't seem all that great. What now? Two weeks off before doing another run in? Come on...

Well, despite the rumors and talk, Christian did not win the Money in the Bank match this year. CM Punk did, for the second year in a row now. I'm wondering if Christian is regretting on his return to the WWE yet.

JBL quits and Mysterio is the new Intercontintal Champion. Wow. Great. I guess the IC title is now reserved for guys the company has no plans for? Talk about bad news for a guy like Rey Mysterio.

Carlito and Primo defeating John Morrison and The Miz is just wrong. How can a second rate tag team get such a huge win? Bah, whatever.

Last and very much least, despite a number of returning Divas, Santino (a guy) wins the Diva battle royale. What a waste of a match, they should have just dropped this joke and pushed in a ECW title match instead. How about Evan Bourne verse Jack Swagger? Oh, wait, no... that's right. ECW doesn't mean a damn thing does it?

All in all, I am glad I didn't bother to waste money on the event a lot of people agreed was kind of weak. For me, the best WrestleMania I've ever watched was Wrestle Mania XX, the same event where the late Eddie Guerrero defended his WWE Championship and also were the late Chris Benoit won his very first world title.

The NEW Rollercoaster Called DRAMA

There are a great number of things that I thought I had figured out by now. I mean I know there are some things that are just a given, right? But who would have ever believed there could be so much drama and headache at a grocery store? I thought I had seen and heard it all, but I'll be damned folks, there was more crap to be heard.

And all of the headaches is being caused by really only one person (my boss), who just cannot adapt to change at all. Tack on the fact that he can't deal with stress all that well and you can imagine trying to work around a guy like that. He just goes on and on about how the "good old days" used to be and how he would just love to end his life today.

Make no mistake, I do believe suicide is a serious issue and I would not want to see anyone having their life end that way. Life can get difficult, but I don't think anything is worth ending your life over, especially not a grocery store job. But in the case of this person in question, how do take seriously a person who uses that line every other week? Brother man uses it to kick start his own pity party so often, I think we all just kind of ignore it.

That was the key to survival for a good while, ignoring it or him to be more precise. But now that that is failing, his ranting and all is just getting flat out annoying. He is supposed to be a grown man and there he is, acting the part of a 14 year old who just can't change with times.

All I know is if this keeps up, he won't have to worry about taking himself out. I'll gladly do that for him...

Cyborg Girl

Quick little post here...

So carrying on from my last post, yes I was feeling like crap to say the least. And that feeling dragged with me through both jobs, which would have likely left me in a heap.

BUT.

There was a movie that had caught my attention and I've actually been wanting to watch this since the first time I saw this around (probably about a half a year ago?).

It's called "Cyborg Girl" or "Cyborg She."

I would like to go into details about it and rant and rave about how much I enjoyed it. Let me just say this: The movie is cute, funny, strange and downright sad when it all comes down to it. It is very, very, VERY touching!

I won't lie and I'm man enough to admit, yes, yes... I, like many who've watched this movie, had shed a tear or two during the duration. It is damn near impossible not to, especially as everything begins to come together. Both Haruka Ayase (the cyborg girl) and Keiseke Koide (Jiro, the main actor character guy) play their characters superbly and goddamn it, they make you care.

What I liked even more was the ending, which is absolutely a twist I never expected. All in all, it was a very nice and much needed change of pace. Hell, after watching that movie I certainly feel a whole lot happier, lighter and just better then I was earlier yesterday.

Anyway, never you mind reading this posting any further! YouTube this movie! Watch it! Watch it now! I compel you!

HAPPY ENDING! I NEED SLEEP!