O Brave New World

A log of personal thoughts, musings and reflections on life in the modern age

Quote Post
The story is hard because you don’t have years and years of writing under your belt; doing it is the only way through. The Japanese say, The longest distance is the distance from zero to one. The Germans say, All beginnings are hard. Don’t worry about the result so much—the stories always come out, one way or another. Pay attention to the process, so you’ve got retrievable miles under your belt next time. Slow but steady wins the race!
— My idol
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Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
— Henry David Thoreau
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“What you should not do, I think , is worry about the opinion of anyone beyond your friends. You shouldn’t worry about prestige. Prestige is the opinion of the rest of the world. This is easy advice to give. It’s hard to follow, especially when you’re young. Prestige is a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you admire. It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you’d like to like. Prestige is just fossilized inspiration. If you do anything well enough, you’ll make it prestigious. Plenty of things we now consider prestigious were anything but at first. Jazz comes to mind – though almost any established art form would do. So just do what you like, and let prestige take care of itself. Prestige is especially dangerous to the ambitious. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, the way to do it is to bait the hook with prestige. That’s the recipe for getting people to give talks, write forwards, serve on committees, be department heads and so on. It might a good rule simply to avoid any prestigious task. If it didn’t suck, they wouldn’t have to make it prestigious.” - Paul Graham View high resolution

“What you should not do, I think , is worry about the opinion of anyone beyond your friends. You shouldn’t worry about prestige. Prestige is the opinion of the rest of the world.

This is easy advice to give. It’s hard to follow, especially when you’re young. Prestige is a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you admire. It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you’d like to like.

Prestige is just fossilized inspiration. If you do anything well enough, you’ll make it prestigious. Plenty of things we now consider prestigious were anything but at first. Jazz comes to mind – though almost any established art form would do. So just do what you like, and let prestige take care of itself.

Prestige is especially dangerous to the ambitious. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, the way to do it is to bait the hook with prestige. That’s the recipe for getting people to give talks, write forwards, serve on committees, be department heads and so on. It might a good rule simply to avoid any prestigious task. If it didn’t suck, they wouldn’t have to make it prestigious.”

- Paul Graham

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Vid Post

This looks absolutely incredible. For me, out of all the movies coming out summer 2012, this is the closest equivalent to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, which is saying a lot. 

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plasticheartspaperplanes: words to live by

plasticheartspaperplanes:

words to live by

(Source: mellifluousbookshelf)

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Vid Post

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
- Steve Jobs

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Vid Post

Everybody’s free (to wear sunscreen)

This column, written by Mary Schmich, and this video, produced by Baz Luhrmann, cause me to reevaluate my current circumstance. It has been one year since I graduated from college, and I still am not sure where I want my life to go. I have thoughts, ideas and dreams, but I don’t know which to act upon and which to leave behind in my youth. Granted, I still have about eight more years of “youth” but, still.  

It’s encouraging to know it takes a while. What an encouraging video in general! 

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I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils.
— Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
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Vid Post

I believe this trailer to be quite misleading. While the story of Jane Eyre is well known, this film delivers it to viewers in a more palatable and captivating way than any of its predecessors; I fear this trailer would lead viewers to believe the exact opposite. 

Upon initial viewing of the film, not a single audience member left the theater. It seemed as if everyone was holding their breath in anticipation. I cannot laud the makers of this film enough for their efforts and end product. It is remarkable, to say the least. 

I happen to love films and consider myself quite the critic; this one met all of my expectations and, in fact, exceeded them. This film is ideal for anyone seeking escape, refuge or, simply, entertainment. 

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Quote Post
I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. That’s how I think it is with us. It’s a shame, Kath, because we’ve loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can’t stay together forever.
— Tommy, Never Let Me Go 
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