Even in this time of mishap and depression a lot of us try to be happy by having something to look forward to or something that we routinely do that keeps us satisfied. So for the occasion I will state "It's a happy time" for different things that I think people will use to keep going.

It's a happy time for Hajime No Ippo fans:

If you like boxing or fighting animes and have never seen this one you better look it up right now. Hajime No Ippo is one of the longest running manga's and its still going. Why is it good to be happy? Well because it's still going for one, but also because the anime which in this case is as good as the manga, has started up again after a good 5 year absence. It the anime started in 2003 and had 76 long and amazing episodes but ended right when the main character won the championship despite the manga going on. But in December of 2008 it was announced that they producers would start up again and keep the anime going which is even more detailed and amazing than before. Even if you hate boxing or sports, you might be surprised by the amazing character development and amazing detail they put in every episode. It's definitely worth checking out.

It's a happy time for Naruto Shippuden fans:

As if Shippuden wasn't cool enough, the manga has really taken a serious tone. Seriously every time I say I'm done, someone pushes me back into in and I am surprised each time. It always just seems to leave you wanting more. I don't know about the next person but it looks like the creators are trying to get as close to an adult themed series as possible. Every chapter gets more violent and more serious and you know what I wouldn't have it any other way. Welcome to primetime Naruto.

It's a happy time for Lakers/Celtics/Cavaliers/Magic fans:

If you like basketball and these are one of your favorite teams you know what I'm talking about. If you don't or your favorite team isn't one of these four or the Spurs or Hornets than your out of the loop. Kobe and Lebron fans are all over the place now arguing and debating. Celtic fans seem to just pop up out of nowhere (I live in the Northeast) and Magic fans are just along for the ride. If you're a fan of any other team besides the Spurs or Hornets, may the soul of the game be with you.

It's a happy time for Pittsburgh Steelers fans:

Hey they won the Super Bowl and did it in a nice fashion. Fans have a whole summer and season to brag and that's always fun to do.

It's a happy time for Xbox 360 owners/possible buyers:

Not trying to persuade anyone or say that one system is better than another because I'm not a fan boy. However nobody can doubt the truth. Let's face it, games are no longer easy-set-up instant-play anymore. With the economy the way it is and so many systems on both the 360 and PS3 side failing, buying one is basically an investment. And as it stands despite RROD, the 360 is just the definite choice. You'd think the rechargeable wireless controllers, free online, web browsers and Blu-Ray would be a no brainier and in a way it is, just not at this time it seems. 360 is on a role, gaining new titles while keeping their exclusives. Aside from a few really good titles, there isn't anything you can play on the PS3 that you can't play on the 360 or that is worth playing in general. It also doesn't help that the PS3 is still costlier than the 360. But with the current release list and future big blockbusters coming out for 360, Sony better do something quick because at this point in time, they're losing and it's about to be a blowout.

It's a happy time for Halo fans (possibly again):

With a still strong multiplayer world Halo fans are less than a month away from getting a piece of Halo: Wars, the RTS game by Ensemble (who are pretty good at making RTS games). The ability to command entire armies is always nice, but the ability to command futuristic armies against an unstoppable alien force just sounds like hours of "I'm not getting up for the sake of humanity" time. Adding to the good stuff is Halo: ODST, which is set to arrive in September and seems to be shaping up nicely. If you're really into the story and universe of Halo the recent price drops and new novels will also help pass the time and Halo stories are no joke, especially since some of them are New York Times Bestsellers.

It's a happy time for Zombie fans:

You already got the heart pounding multiplayer action of Left 4 Dead which gathered high ratings and plenty of awards from critics. Yet in the coming weeks, Resident Evil 5 will be upon us adding even more mischief to our zombie blasting mayhem. Resident Evil 5 is expected to be another high scorer after the previous entry did so well. But it doesn't end there. Capcom officially announced that the rumors are true and Dead Rising 2 will be coming out (most likely by the end of the year or early next year) which will allow people time to beat RE 5 with a friend and play numerous L4D games over the summer.

It's a happy time for action movie fans:

Seems the demand this summer is a dose of Sci-Fi with a strong side of Action. With movies like Star Trek, Terminator, Transformers, Dragonball and G.I. Joe all set to release over the next 5 months we're in for a good show, well all except Dragonball, that'll be more of a shock and awe.

It's a happy time for Pokemon fans:

Hey man, I say only the show and cards are for kids. The games revolutionized handheld RPG gaming and allowed us to brag, create teams and start all out wars against our friends. With the DS as powerful as ever, Pokemon Platinum is coming at the right time. Considered to be the best and possibly the only Pokemon game you'll ever need this is going to be big. Expect people to pull out DS's from everywhere as the battles begin anew cause if Japanese ratings are any indication, this one's gonna be close to perfect.

It's a happy time for Reality TV fans:

I hate them and you probably do too, but they're a host of people that literally live and breathe the lives of other people doing stupid things on TV. As of now it seems like there is no end and won't be for a real long time.

At least for now, people who enjoy these things have something to be happy about. For the rest of us, well oh well. I know I probably missed some things, but these stood out the most. If you have anything tell me. I have a feeling this won't be the only "It's a happy time for" blog.

-Near-

Wow again, it's been a long while since I've been on. Never thought I'd have such a busy stretch. I'm back though and in for good for so lets get down to it...

First up SuperBowl XLIII was....well ok. I'm a Giant's fan so I wasn't too into it. Actually to tell you the truth I think only Steelers fans were into it. I've been to Arizona and even people there don't care about the Cards. What I will say is that Larry Fitzgerald looks like the greatest wide-out in the game today. His touchdowns throughout the entire post season broke a record and he's looking like the Kobe/Tiger/Crosby/A-Rod type of player, just crazy good for no reason. But yeah that's about all I really was into. I knew the Steelers were going to win even when Fitzgerald had that late game touchdown. But yeah this was nothing like the excitement of last years and I'm not just saying that because the Giants won. Last year just had a better setup. Also Bruce during the halftime show was ok but nothing special. I think they should've had U2 instead.

The things that got my attention were the movie trailers shown during the commercials of the game.

Transformers 2 is looking pretty interesting. During the trailer I thought I saw something and I had to confirm it on YouTube. About 15 seconds into the trailer a car blasts through a wall/window and transforms back into it's car mode. But the thing is it transforms into one of the hottest cars out today, the Audi R8. If I'm correct GM bought the rights to the Transformer movies to make all the transformers into vehicles they make but Audi is a German made car. Maybe the economy and the bailout has something to do with it but if they have foreign cars in it this movie is going to be sick. Imagine seeing a Mercedes or BMW or Lambo just transform. I personally think Bumblebee should have been a Lambo but hey even if the Audi R8 is the only car they have that's foreign, that's a sweet ride to choose. (I had an Audi A6 for a short while and loved it, til I had to sell it but I am definitely gonna get another once I finish college)

The next trailer I saw was the G.I. Joe movie coming out. That was sweet. It didn't blow me away but it was pretty cool. They showed Snake-Eyes and Storm-Shadow and it looks like they're going to have some over the top action scenes and that's fine by me. They didn't show anything that was too cheesy or stupid which I think got a lot of people interested. I think it's the same thing with the Star Trek trailer (which also looks pretty badass though I never watched Star Trek ever) they made it good but not cheesy.

So this makes four cool blockbusters that I want to see,

G.I. Joe

Star Trek

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

Terminator Salvation

This is looking like a real good summer. All these movies start in June and run til August. That's four long nights I'm going to have guaranteed. If you saw any of the trailers, write what you think, and if not get to YouTube immediately. As for now, well it's good to be back.

-Near-

Short blog but hey, life happens right?

I am not a fan of college. I'm doing fine with my 3.5 but man is there so much to do. I've almost completely stopped partying for two reasons. One, partying won't get you s*^t in the future, unless you happen to meet your future wife or husband at a club and they somehow are rich or have crazy connections to help you get somewhere in life.

The chances of that happening, 1 in 2,754,395.

Yeah, that's right.

To everyone who isn't in college, trust me it's worth it to skip some parties and hang outs in order to get in school work and some hours at a job. Most of my friend's party like crazy (drink and smoke, the latter which I don't do at all) but they all have under 2.0's. In fact that highest grade is 1.7. Yeah that is crazy hard to bring up in college, and you don't wanna put yourself in that situation. Trust me in will affect your life. Just ask yourself if it's worth it to party it up at the possible expense of the next 30 years of your life. The second reason I almost completely stopped is because people can get stupid. To guys' watch who you mess with, some girls, no matter how fine really aren't worth it. And to girls be careful out there, not all guys are a**holes but some are even worse than that.

Next up: snowboarding.

So I'm up watching a preview/reply of the old X-Games and the one that will begin next week and it really made me want to snowboard like crazy. However I'm not really good at snowboarding so I like to do the next best thing which is play snowboarding games. However these days there isn't much to choose from which kinda sucks. Shawn White isn't that good to me, and Amped is pure BS in my opinion. I usually don't say this but "Where the hell are you EA?"

Yeah, that's right....again.

EA. If there were two things that EA ever got right it was their cool Fight Night series and SSX.

SSX was fun as, well I can't even say but it was fun. It may not have been realistic but there was something about it that blew our minds away. Maybe it was the customizable gear, memorable characters or crazy over the top courses. We really need another one of those, something to take our minds off of life so we can escape to the mountain. Fight Night 4 has been announced, come on SSX 4, get yourself in gear.

NOTE: SSX 3, hands down greatest snowboarding game ever. We can debate this and trust me; I'll never run out of things to say.

Will FFXIII ever come out? Not for another year the least. From what I've researched SquareEnix is looking at winter 2009 as the release date. Problem is they still haven't officially announced anything. But even if they did I wouldn't believe them. We should all remember how many times FFXII and Kingdom Hearts 2 were pushed back. I expect FFXIII to do even worse with that. I'm willing to bet that I'll graduate and have my first career job, before it comes out and I'm a sophomore.

Is it just me or is everyone abnormally pretty in this game?

Either way, I'll be playing!

-Near-