2007 In Review

The time now here in Ireland is 19:41, on the 31st of December 2007. I was just bored and since I plan to have a quiet night in I kinda just got the idea to do up a little blog (which is also unprepared so it's gonna be a little crappy too!).

I thought about the year and then realised...there wasn't exactly much I could remember!! Naturally I can recall things which I had to deal with on a personal level but as far as public or worldwide stuff goes I got a bit stuck.

So instead, I figured I'd do a Top Five Best & Worst Moments of 2007. Really now, the lists are fairly mixed up between personal stuff and other stuff, so it looks a little messy and what not but who gives a fuck really, you're probably already bored having had to read through these three paragraphs of crap!

Top Five Worst Moments of 2007

5. Stan is not the Man
I, and so many other Irish fans this year suffered greatly on the sporting front. A team the country was once proud of, now sits in shame...

4. Bertie's Money
It has drawn the attention of everyone Ireland, the man leading our country doesn't know where his money is coming from. Catherine will be pleased to see that I'm having a go at Bertie here, but the implications should the tribunals investigation show that Bertie was in the wrong will have huge effects on Fianna Fail, this government, and Irish politicians in general.

3. Benazir Bhutto Assassination
A recent one yes, but given the severity of the event and the current political situation in Pakistan, the assassination of Benazir means there's going to be a rocky 2008 for Pakistan.

2. Madeleine McCann
Probably the biggest story of the entire year. Yes you might say it's terrible that its not number 1 but those who frequent my blog know that I far from support the McCann family. Nevertheless it was (and still is) a terrible tragedy and has affected more people and grasped the world more so than anything else this year.

1. The Rugby World Cup
Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing can express my disappointment regarding this tournament. We saw Ireland crash out in unfashionable style and England make it all the way to the bleedin' final!!

Top Five Best Moments of 2007

5. This Is Living!
The Playstation 3 made it to Europe this year, and although it had a rocky start it has now fully established itself in the market. I am completely satisfied with the package, and whats more is that the PS3 has now pretty much launced the advent of Blu-Ray technology!

4. Five More Years!
I haven't really written anything political recently, partly because I have neither the time nor the patience to research political matters in depth. But I DID cover this years General Election and I'm happy with the end result. If anything I'm more impressed with the performance of the Greens, we've seen tonnes of new anti-carbon emission and more "Green" policies coming in. Also, the current Government has now paved the way for HUGE infrastructural projects over the coming year, meaning there'll be plenty of jobs available when I graduate.

3. Grinds
Before I had finished second level, I had done my best to avoid giving grinds to anyone, simply because I was sceptical about my ability to deliver them effectively. 2007 showed that I can, and has presented me with a form of income that I enjoy and receive instantaneously. Never before have I had so many people request for grinds and it's a strange feeling when you know you're in demand!

2. Man Utd
Ah yes, too long have Manchester United been left out of the Premiership crown, and 2007 saw balance restored to the Premiership. Not only did United win the league convincingly, but they made it to the final of the FA Cup, the semi-final of the champions league and they also finished with 9 players on the team of the year, aswell as Cristiano Ronaldo winning any and every award the Premiership has to offer!

1. College Grant
I don't win much, and you could probably say I'm being a bit bigheaded making this number 1, but fuck it! The sheer shock and amazement at receiving a grant for my performance in first year college was by far my happiest memory of 2007. Not many things make me happy, but if anything, the grant showed to me that hard work does pay off!

So, what have we got to look forward to come 2008? Like the points above, I've got a mix of personal and public interests:

• Well I mentioned the PS3 earlier, and with the DUALSHOCK 3 on the way, aswell as exclusives like "God of War 3", "Metal Gear Solid 4", "Haze" and "Gran Turismo" there's a lot to look forward to, aswell as "Grand Theft Auto 4" and "Star Wars: Force Unleased".
• 2008 Olympics will hopefully go without a hitch. There's been a lot of criticism regarding China and what not, but only time will tell.
• Andy Lee is likely to go for a World Title in boxing....certainly something to look out for.
• Republic of Scotland? There was a lot of talk about this year and 2008 may very well be the year that Scotland becomes fully independent. It would be an amazing event, given that there are very few political events of that kind nowadays that are good.
• Will Madeleine be found? Enough said.
• Metallica are set to release their new album come this February/March. All we know so far is that there are 9 tracks and they've announced 3 European tour dates already. Here's hoping that I'll be waiting outside the RDS this year....
• There's a few films and TV programmes I'm looking forward to, "John Rambo", "Cloverfield", "Lost Series 4" and so on are supposedly on the way. But given the strike in the States at the moment who knows what will happen.
• Pakistan, Iraq, invasion of Iran? Iraq is still a disaster and Pakistan could follow suit, but with word this year of a potential invasion of Iran, will the Middle East once again be engulfed in war?
• New U.S President! It's fairly likely we'll have a Democrat in the White House, but is America ready for its first female President in Hillary Clinton, or even its first African-American President in Barack Obama????

Did you also see that 2007 was the year I started my blog and my comics, hopefully I will still be here this time next year, posting the usual waffle and making the same old same old comics!

Here's to 2008!!

~The Damo