Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Reading Notes, Ramayana Part C

Ramayana Part C, Laura Gibbs

 101-110

Sugriva takes refuge on a hill that Vali cannot set foot on

Rama and Sugriva become allies, They want to defeat Vali and find Suma

They kill Vali

Sugriva is crowned King

They are looking for Sita

111-120

They find Sita on an island

121-130

Sita tells the monkey that Rama must come to her and she will not come to him (Queen $h!t)

131-140

Rama finds out Sita is alive

141-150

Rama and Sita are both still alive but have not reconnected

                                                                    Battle



Monday, February 22, 2021

Ramayana Notes, Ramayana Part A

Ramayana Part A, Laura Gibbs

1-10

 Dashagriva is born

Dashgriva wants to become invincible

Dashgriva Roars and is named Ravana or "He who roars"

Ravana wants Shivas wife so Shiva turns a frog into her look alike Mandadori

Ravanas Brother in law eats him and his sister in law cuts him out and Ravana makes her his new wife.

11-20

Ravana defeats the god of death

Ravana defeats his half brother Kubera

Vedavati curses Ravana and will eventually be reborn as Sita

Monkey King and Ravana become allies

21-30

Dasharatha accidentley shoots a boy

Dasharatha has a son "Rama"

Rama is supposed to kill Tataka

31-40

Rama kills Tataka

41-50

Sita is very in demand

Rama marries Sita

Rama's 3 brothers Marry Sita's 3 sisters







Sunday, February 14, 2021

Feedback Thoughts

How to Tame your Inner Self Critic, Joel Almeida

I found this article to be extremely relatable for my current circumstances. I currently have many different areas in my life causing a lot of stress and feel very off balance. I consistently beat myself up because I cannot get everything done even though I should acknowledge my progress.

A Fixed Mindset Could be Holding You Back,  Ann Kelsey-Sugg, Ann Arnold

Reading this article made me realize how much my mindset does hold me back. As a child most things came easy to me so I received a lot of praise. As an adult the topics, homework and work have become much more complex and don't come near as easy to me. Usually this just discourages me rather than motivating me to work harder. 




                                                                                    heart

Topic Brainstorm

1) Love Stories

    I would consider myself extremely guarded and pessimistic when it comes to love, but I have a soft spot for love stories. There are very few romance movies left on the earth that I have not seen. I could watch Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fall in love as a number of different characters and never get bored. I read romance novels, poetry and aspire to my own romance someday. Overall I am picking this subject because I just enjoy consuming content that has to do with love. 

Tales of Love, Kanika Garg

2) Food

    I am an avid foodie. I was first introduced to Indian cuisine by one of my friends in high school.Most days when a good meal can completely turn my mood around. I also find that food is one of the easiest ways to connect with people. Whether it's a dinner party, a holiday, or a coffee date food has a way of bringing people together. I would maybe write a story about a meal bringing family or friends together.

Food and Culture

3) Yoga

    I danced all throughout my childhood and adolescence, and I had a hard time finding an exercise routine in adult life that enjoyed half as much. Recently I have taken up Yoga and Pilates and find these exercises extremely fulfilling. Yoga not only refreshes the body but the mind. I would love to write a story that emphasis how practicing yoga can transform the spirit.

Yoga Studios

4) Horses

    Unfortunately if I am being completely honest there was a large period of my childhood where I was obsessed with horses. You could definitely consider me a horse girl. I still to this day have a fondness for them. Maybe I could write a story about a little girl who has the same love for those big creatures.

Horses Divine



Thursday, February 11, 2021

Week 3 Story, Student Nepotism

 Student Nepotism

EDITED STORY

The year was 2000. I was in high school. There were the class jocks, who thought they ruled the school but would be soon be forgotten. The cheerleaders and the dance team were too obvious they put all of their value in their looks and social capitol. We had the geeks, academic team, and film nerds but they were never under the impression they were more important they were.

    I on the other hand wanted real power, true power. Student council president. While the other students were busy going to parties and having fun at pep rallies I was running them. Everyone else had to have their mom call or have a Dr's appointment to get out of class, I all I had to do was tell the teacher I had something to do for student council and I was free immediately. 

    I had been planning this run since my 7th grade year. My minions Anna and Matt had been running surveys for months and I was 100% regarded as the most capable for the job. After this my path would be very straight forward. Just as my father was Student Council President I would attend Yale and eventually Harvard Law. My life was completely set and it was exactly how I wanted it. Today was the day I had been waiting for, election day. At 2:55 on this Tuesday in September I would be immortalized forever in my title at Grover Cleveland High School and my policies would secure my reputation.

    I was sitting in Ms. Davenports 7th hour English class with my leg shaking vigorously as I awaited the announcement over the intercom.

Static broke through. I heard Mr. Brown clear his throat. 

"Good Afternoon students, I have the much anticipated election results in front of me."

He rambled on with all the minor positions that I could care less about.

Finally he croaked "And the Student Council President is John Brown." 

I gasped. How could it not be me. I had done everything right only to be discounted by the Principal's  own son?

Author's Note and Bibliography

I based this story off of Ramayana when he was wrongfully exiled and had the title of King taken away from him. The story is told from the point of view of the character based on Rama.

Ramayana Part B, Laura Gibbs





Reading Notes, Ramayana Part B

50-60

 Ramayana wants to renounce the world but not renounce god.

Kaikeyi does not want Rama to be King.

Rama is sent to exile and Bharata made king.

Sita and Lakshama went into exile with Rama.

Rama insists his brother becomes king after his fathers death.

Ayodhya wants Rama to be King still

61-70

They are attacked in the forest.

Rama recieves weapons from Agaysta.

Anasuya gives Sita gifts.

71-80

Jatayu the Eagle says he will watch over them,

Rama kills shurpanakha because she attacks his wife.

Ravana vows to kill Rama and kidnap his wife.

Rama is tricked by a golden deer.

Ravana kidnaps Sita and cuts off Jatayu's wings.

81-90

Sia does not have to live at Ravanas palace.

91-100

Hanuman in very hungry.

Hanuman is destined for greatness.

Mayavi wants to avenge his father by killing Valli.

Hanuman and Sugriva go into exile.


Bibliography

 Ramayana, Laura Gibbs Parts 50-100




Week 5 Story, Alley Cats

Alley Cats

 In the depths of a dark alley behind a pizza joint in Brooklyn lived two cats. Kitty the cat was a ferocious feline with a fluffy orange coat who would never be fit for living in captivity. Tabby was a cat who was mostly gray with dark stripes and a nasty temper. Together they ruled the dumpster behind the pizzeria. Every once in a while humans and some other rodents would make there way to the back alley.

On a particularly regular Tuesday a couple of mice were scurrying towards the dumpster. Tabby jumped right down in front of them. 

"This is our alley" Tabby exclaimed "Unless you want to be the appetizer for our next meal I suggest you leave. "

The Rats chuckled and started prancing towards a hole in the dumpster. They believed they Tabby was much too slow to catch them. Tabby could not understand what was so funny. He thought he made a very threatening predator. He then decided his best choice was to stand by his word and go after the rats. He started chasing them and was about to lock his jaws around the second rats when he jaws were pierced by the metal instead.

Kitty continued to live in the alley and one day some children stumbled upon her. They had greased stained cheeks from the pizza they consumed and the siblings had fire red hair to match Kitty's own fur.

"A kitty!" cried the girl "I have been asking my mother for a my very own kitty for ages." 

The children made their way over to Kitty and she let out a loud "Prrrrrr."

The children reached out their hands to pet her and where met by a hard bite.

"Ouch!" the girl screeched and she ran back into the pizza joint to find her mother.

That will be the last time those rascals mess with me thought Kitty. 


Author's Note and Bibliography

I modeled my story after "Two Turtle Jatakas" by Ellen Babbitt link. Both stories future an animal that is either saved or meets their death because of their mouth.



Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Reading Notes, Week Two Anthology

 Two Turtle Jatakas by Ellen Babbit

Both stories mentioned a Turtle

In the story "The Turtle and the King" a turtle's words saves his live, because he was quick with his mind.

In the story "The Turtle and the Geese" a turtle's words end his life because he does not keep his mouth shut when he needs to.

I think these stories created a very unique juxtaposition in which we see that at certain points in our lives keeping our mouths shut can be just as important as saying the right things.









Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Week 2 Reading Overview

 I am choosing Tiny Tales from Ramayana. I am doing so because it is free, and since it is written by the professor for this specific course I imagine it will be most cohesive. Also playing a factor in my choosing is the that the stories are shorter. Through much trial and error in my life I have found that I perform much better when I don't over commit myself in life and assignments.


Vali: The Downfall of the Arrogant King

This story I felt had the perfect amount of drama and a moral debate on the ethics of murder to add some spice.

Mahiravana: A Magician Outwitted

I really appreciate when stories find the loop hole!

Harry Potter Meets Hindu Mythology

As as an avid Harry Potter fan this video really caught my attention.


Harry Potter, Fan Art, The Wizard, Owl, Magic Wand

Harry Potter

Harry Potter

Powerful Women in Hindu Mythology

I definitely consider myself in feminist and love learning about powerful women in all forms,

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Time Strategies

 As I am turning in this post a few days late it is painfully obvious to me that time management is not my strong suit. I honestly have struggled with it all of my live. I found the article by Lauren Marchese "The Psychology of Checklists" most accurate for myself. I find it much easier to complete tasks when I am able to check them off a list. I probably need to start getting all of my assignments done the Sunday before the week even starts.





Technology

 I think I have previously used all of the tools required for this class. It has been the longest gap since I have used blogspot but I think I am slowly getting the hang of it again.


Assignments

 I am excited to read stories from India that is a genre I am completely unfamiliar with. I am also looking forward to writing my own stories and getting to tap into my own imagination. I don't think I have written a fictional story since junior high. The extra credit will be extremely helpful during busy weeks!

Growth Mindset, Week 1

 I had never heard of growth mindset until today. Personally I find it refreshing and accurate. Through grade school I was always at the top of my classes and in the gifted program at my school. I breezed through high school and never felt like I had to try. I dedicate a large portion of this to my reading comprehension level. I never really felt challenged by what we were doing in class and was simply bored a lot of the time. College was a huge adjustment in that I finally had classes that challenged me. And these challenges didn't and still don't mesh very well with my personality. I find it extremely frustrating when I can't grasp a complex topic after skimming a paragraph. Instead of buckling down and studying hard I often avoid my assignments and procrastinate as long as I can. These are horrible habits. Maybe if I had been made to focus more as a child on the process I wouldn't be struggling as much in adulthood.

Monday, February 1, 2021

Introduction to a nerd



    
My dog Lola

Hi I am a senior at OU. I am majoring in economics and minoring in social justice. I chose economics because I was inspired my teacher in high school. Most recently the events with Gamestop and Robinhood have reminded me why I chose this major as I truly find it so exciting. My favorite TV shows are The Sopranos and Scandal. I think I enjoy The Sopranos so much because it has an excellent script and character development and I come from an Italian family. Scandal speaks to me because Olivia Pope, the main character, is a dynamic woman who knows how to get things done and in that way I would like to be her. I also enjoy reading. Most recently I read "The Great Alone" by Katherine Hannah and was moved greatly by the story of a family that decides to homestead in a very rural, very wild Alaska. Music wise I listen to a lot of alternative music but also have been a major Taylor Swift fan since I can remember. As I near closer to graduation I have given much more thought to my career. As of now I am planning on being a financial advisor. Once I have saved enough money I have plans to design an app that I hope will help a lot of women. My yellow lab Lola who lives with my parents is the love of my life. I don't think there is a more perfect living creature. I have been getting into astrology lately and my sun sign is Taurus which means I love to eat. There is nothing I won't try once and I will eat anything especially if I am trying to spare on of my friends feelings. Growing up one of my chores was always to help my mom cook dinner. At the time I resented it, but now I am thankful for my skills in the kitchen and appreciation for food. On my days off you can find me hanging out with my friends, going on walks, or painting.

Week 15, Story The Turtle Who Won the Forfeit

  The Ox Who Won the Forfeit , Ellen C. Babbitt The Turtle Who Won the Forfeit Once upon a time there was a very fast turtle. He was so fast...