Castle Shima

God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.
-- Voltaire

::: Tower View :::
Shoot Straight You Bastards

Over The Hills and Far Away by John Tams


Do your duty until your time is up.
**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

I will see you again, but not yet. Not yet!
-- Juba from Gladiator

::: Tower View :::
Sunrise, Sunset
I've posted this before, but when I heard the news that Drummerboy passed away today from his long term illness, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park
I close both locks below the window
I close both blinds and turn away
Sometimes solutions aren't so simple
Sometimes goodbye is the only way

And the sun will set for you
The sun will set for you

And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
And the sun will set for you

In cards and flowers on your window
Your friends all plead for you to stay
Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple
Sometimes goodbye is the only way

And the sun will set for you
The sun will set for you

And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
And the sun will set for you...



I and the rest of The Fallen will see you again, sir. Just not yet.
**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

Know how sublime a thing it is - To suffer and be strong.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

::: Tower View :::
Pain And Suffering
This past weekend was the big event of the year; the MS Bike ride. With over 2,300 cyclists participating, its the main event that Team Blue trains for. Its what we hurt ourselves over for and struggle to complete.

And in the end, the accomplishment outweighs the pain.

Then you end up with silly little stories like this one. Apologies must go out to Peter King, the NFL writer for Sports Illustrated, for "borrowing" the title.

The 10 Things I Think I Know -- 2008 MS Bike Ride Edition
1. The predominant cycling announcer, Phil Liggett, has always said that "Cycling is all about the suffering." This probably explains this year's most said comment: "My ass hurts!"

2. The most used high tech device used this year: the plastic freezer bag.

3. This is because its now a requirement that the last 15 miles must be ridden during a huge rain storm of biblical proportions.

4. One rider earned the name "Captain Nemo" for having to take their recumbant bike thru all the flooded streets. It was so bad that there was actually water inside the frame and it had to be drained.

5. If you ever want to have fun, when a cyclist comes into the finish area after riding thru a torrential downpour, ask him if they would like a bottle of water.

6. If you ever need to get your heart rate up, try almost dropping your wallet through an open hole while going over a bridge.

7. I can do without seeing yet another PB&J sandwich until next season.

8. The snowcone flavours were actually kind of bad this year. Root Beer?!

9. The Powerade was an excellent idea for Day One. Too bad we drank it all so there was none left for Day Two.

10. The pain and suffering we go thru for this is nothing when compared to the folks who have to deal with their MS throughout their life. Its no wonder cyclists want to keep going despite crashing across a metal grate bridge.

Cheers, mates.

Time to get ready for next season.
**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

I have the right to breathe. Everything else is a bonus.
-- Unknown

::: Tower View :::
Do I Dare

Breath After Breath by Duran Duran

**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they have many other fine qualities as well.
-- Unknown

::: Tower View :::
Stealthy, Fuzzy Bastard


**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

One out of four people in this country is mentally unbalanced. Think of your three closest friends. If they seem OK, then you're the one.
-- Ann Landers

::: Tower View :::
Four by Four Relay
Adnil sent this out so this is her fault. She totally twisted my arm on this. Yeah. Thats it. *Cough*

1. Four places that I go to over and over: Work, Gym, Soccer Field, Bike Trail

2. Four of my favorite places to eat: Bamboo Garden, McDonald's, Chun King, Pancintan

3. Four places Where I'd rather be: Las Vegas, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong

4. Four TV shows I watch: Law & Order: Criminial Intent, Bizarre Foods, Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State
**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

It needs but one foe to breed a war, and those who have not swords can still die upon them.
-- J.R.R. Tolkien

::: Tower View :::
Choices
Sometimes you dont get a choice in the matter. Sometimes you do what is required, whether you like it or not.


Never forget those that didnt have a choice. Never forget those that choose willingly.
**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself makes you fearless.
-- Lao Tzu

::: Tower View :::
Live Proud

Fearless (Huo Yuan Jia) by Jay Chou

**********

************************************************
I'm not giving into security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
************************************************

I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom.
-- Thomas Carlyle

::: Tower View :::
If I Only Could

Running Up That Hill by Placebo

**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

I am a prison for sperm. Those poor little tadpoles have been sentenced to life in Jeff Murdock's groin.
-- Jeff from Coupling

::: Tower View :::
Swimmers
Parents tend to know when their kids are heading to greatness when they are pretty young. Case in point...


Hat tip to Hoyt for this.
**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window.
-- Steven Wright

::: Tower View :::
Play Time


more cat pictures
**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

Ocean: A body of water occupying two-thirds of a world made for man, who has no gills.
-- Ambrose Bierce

::: Tower View :::
Wetworks

We Will Rock You by Waterboy

**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

::: Tower View :::
The Clouds All Scatter

Sound of Thunder/Hold Back The Rain by Duran Duran

**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.
-- Pele

::: Tower View :::
Kick To The Head
Here is a rare photo of the intermural soccer group. There is actually nearly 70 of us, but only a few that can make it for the lunch time games.


I cant wait til the season starts again. Heh.
**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

Death often weighs heavier on us by its weight on others and pains us by their pain almost as much as by our own, and sometimes even more.
-- Montaigne

::: Tower View :::
Panegyric
For Clan Roma

The Pallid Wreath by Walt Whitman
Somehow I cannot let it go yet, funeral though it is,
Let it remain back there on its nail suspended,
With pink, blue, yellow, all blanch'd, and the white now gray
and ashy,
One wither'd rose put years ago for thee, dear friend;
But I do not forget thee. Hast thou then faded?
Is the odor exhaled? Are the colors, vitalities, dead?
No, while memories subtly play--the past vivid as ever;
For but last night I woke, and in that spectral ring saw thee,
Thy smile, eyes, face, calm, silent, loving as ever:
So let the wreath hang still awhile within my eye-reach,
It is not yet dead to me, nor even pallid.
**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

Vincent: You know, I'm getting kinda tired. I could use a foot massage myself.
Jules: Man, you best back off. I'm getting a little pissed here.
-- from Pulp Fiction

::: Tower View :::
Frack Em If They Can't Take A Joke
Ever make a funny or goofy face while someone was taking a picture? I used to do it alot as a kid, even as a teenager.

Supposedly I'm more mature nowadays. Right.








Hat tip to Fury for these great pics.
**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping
-- Chinese Proverb

::: Tower View :::
Trip To Memory Lane
In the past, I've never really cared too much about the Olympics, but I've really enjoyed them this time around.

Perhaps since its in China, that was a natural interest to me. Perhaps its because I'm more into athletics than I was in the past, especially with cycling, soccer, and volleyball. Perhaps its the chance of seeing history in the making. Case in point: Michael Phelps trying to win eight gold medals.

Whatever the reason, there will be some memories that I will carry with me.

Speaking of which, here is an unforgettable ad that the BBC ran just before the Olympics began.

Journey To the West by The Gorillaz

**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.
-- Buddha

::: Tower View :::
Awake And Unafraid

Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance

**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked.
-- Voltaire

::: Tower View :::
Ignorance Is Bliss
Yeah, some days are just like this.


more cat pictures
**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************

In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
-- from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

::: Tower View :::
Explaining Myself
Although I tend to have road rage, its pretty much calmed down over the years. But then again, my stories simply dont compare to other stories out there.

I rear-ended the car in front of me. I admit that. It was my fault.

So, we both pull over to the side of the road, and slowly the driver of the car I hit gets out of his car. . and you know how you just-get-sooo-stressed... and life...sometimes life seems like... suddenly funny?

Well, the driver of the car I hit is a DWARF! He gets out of his car and I get out of my car. He is frowning and scowling and he storms over to me. Right up close to me he looks up in my face and says,

"I AM NOT HAPPY!"

I don't know what possessed me, officer, but I looked down at him and I said,
"Well, if you're not Happy -- which one are you?"

And that's when the fight started...

Good thing this wasnt me. Heh. I would have made a comment about the guy having a short fuse.

Hat tip to Tigress for this.
**********

************************************************
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath
We carry this mortal coil
************************************************