—Breathe - Oli
Cover: Breathe from In the Heights
***yes, that’s also me singing the spanish parts. i really got into it eh. hahaha!
Things to Know at 25(ish): Number 11
11. Don’t Get Stuck
This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people. On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find God and themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults. Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. They mean to find a church, they mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.
Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.
Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What have I learned about God this year? What parts of my childhood faith am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep? Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”
Now is your time. Walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe God is good and life is a grand adventure. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned.
Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.
- Shauna Niequist
Source: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/25956-11-things-to-know-at-25ish?start=1
2012 New Year’s Resolution
Break down the walls that I’ve somehow built around myself in 2011. Be more open to new experiences and to people. Rekindle old friendships. Make new ones. Invest time in building relationships with the people around me. Be more generous with my time and effort. Get out of this bubble of stagnant contentment. Quit idling around and do something. This is the year of the dragon - the year of my birth. It’s time for some roaring action! Happy New Year, everyone! :)
I remember my very first day, I improvised a line. My first day, probably my first shot, I had to kind of flounce out of a room when Dumbledore, played by the late, great Richard Harris, put me in my place, and there was no line written, no exit line. And I’d been humiliated, and my plan had come to nothing. And I said to Chris Columbus, “Don’t you think there should be a line?” And he said, “Well, say something. Say whatever you like.” So we did another take, and I hadn’t told anyone what I was going to do. And as I turned to leave, I looked at Daniel, and I said, “Let us hope Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day.” And then Daniel, who was all of 12, stepped right up to me, looked me right in the eye, and said “Don’t worry. I will be.” A chill went down my spine. And as he did it, I thought, “Christ, this kid is good.” The atmosphere was always creative on set, where you could feel free to play, and there was no such thing as failing or getting it wrong, ever. Young people’s opinions were just as valid as knights of the theater, and that’s why they ended up turning in such great performances.
—Jason Isaacs on the talent of the child actors in the Harry Potter series
—Just Around the Riverbend
Olipoli’s Disney Princess Project No. 4: Just Around the Riverbend from Pocahontas
2 Years Later
Watching Galaxy Quest, our first long distance movie watching experience! We’ve reached a milestone, thanks to the wonders of iTunes! Haha! The first shot is when Ryan was laughing at me while I was crying because this guy was shot. Don’t worry, Ryan hasn’t turned into an evil, heartless guy. It’s actually really a comedy, so it was a bit ridiculous that I started to cry! The alien guys were just so lovable! And Alan Rickman was SUPER FUNNY in it! He’s always been such a Snape after all!
Bohol (the bottom left picture is supposed to be a shot of a tarsier)
Just enough sun, a nice cool sea breeze, fine white sand, clear waters, a hammock, a good book, some nice peaceful music… I’d gladly wake up early every morning for this.
Early mornings at the beach
Bookmark: Words from the Imp in Martin’s Game of Thrones
I’ve always had the habit of marking lines or sometimes even whole pages that I like in books that I read. I would do this for a number of reasons - the line struck me, the scene entertained me or moved me, it made a whole lot of sense, it was good advice or filled with wisdom… whatever the reason, I mark these parts so I could go back to them whenever I wish. I don’t know when it started, but I found myself actually taking the time to type some of these snippets down (yes, even whole pages worth of it) and post it in a blog. Some are in my old multiply site, some I’ve reposted here… some are still in folded up pages of a book in my shelf. I find that the ones I’ve typed down and posted online are the ones that I recall the easiest and come to mind the most.
My latest “bookmark,” as I have (just) decided to start calling them, are two excerpts from A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, featuring my current favorite character, Tyrion Lannister, the Imp. I find these nuggets of wisdom, cleverness, sarcasm and sardonic humor from Tyrion are some of the most inspired bits in this book…
“You’re Ned’s bastard, aren’t you?”
Jon felt a coldness pass right through him. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
“Did I offend you?” Lannister said. “Sorry. Dwarfs don’t have to be tactful. Generations of capering fools in motley have won me the right to dress badly and say any damn thing that comes into my head.” He grinned. “You are the bastard, though.”
“Lord Eddard Stark is my father.” Jon admitted softly.
Lannister studied his face. “Yes,” he said. “I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers.”
“Half-brothers,” Jon corrected. He was pleased by the dwarf’s comment, but he tried not to let it show.
“Let me give you some counsel, bastard,” Lannister said. “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used against you.”
Jon was in no mood for anyone’s counsel. “What do you know about being a bastard?”
“All dwarfs are bastards in their father’s eyes.”
“You are your mother’s trueborn son of Lannister.”
“Am I?” the dwarf replied, sardonic. “Do tell my lord father. My mother died birthing me, and he’s never been sure.”
“I don’t even know who my mother was,” Jon said.
“Some woman, no doubt. Most of them are.” He favored Jon with a rueful grin. “Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs.” And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.
———————————————————————————————————
“Why do you read so much?”
Tyrion looked up at the sound of the voice. Jon Snow was standing a few feet away, regarding him curiously. He closed the book on a finger and said, “Look at me and tell me what you see.”
The boy looked at him suspiciously. “Is this some kind of trick? I see you. Tyrion Lannister.”
Tyrion sighed. “You are remarkably polite for a bastard, Snow. What you see is a dwarf. You are what, twelve?”
“Fourteen,” the boy said.
“Fourteen, and you’re taller than I will ever be. My legs are short and twisted, and I walk with difficulty. I require a special saddle to keep from falling off my horse. A saddle of my own design, you may be interested to know. It was either that or ride a pony. My arms are strong enough, but again, too short. I will never make a swordsman. Had I been a peasant, they might have left me out to die, or sold me to some slaver’s grotesquerie. Alas, I was born a Lannister of Casterly Rock, and the grotesqueries are all the poorer. Things are expected of me. My father was the Hand of the King for twenty years. My brother later killed that very same king, as it turns out, but life is full of these little ironies. My sister married the new king and my repulsive nephew will be king after him. I must do my part for the honor of my House, wouldn’t you agree? Yet how? Well, my legs may be too small for my body, but my head is too large, although I prefer to think it is just large enough for my mind. I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind… and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.” Tyrion tapped the leather cover of the book. “That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow.”
