Famous Last Words: Getting into the class

I think that the readings went well for me in the sense that I got to see more of what the stories will be like from here on out. I was kind of wondering what they would be like since I don’t know anything about Indian stories. I got the chance to do both readings plus the extra credit and I’m glad I had time for all of that this week. I thought that the story I wrote this week was pretty creative, but I’m sure there is a lot better work I can do on it. I plan to revise it for using it on one of my projects. I’m looking forward to start reading other people’s stories because that was something I enjoyed last semester in Mythology and Folklore. I think by reading other people’s stories I can see how my creativity is like other people’s. I would say that things are going pretty well in my other classes. I could have done better on a quiz for Neurobiology, but I would say I was just blindsided and studied the wrong material, so I need to make sure I can figure out what is the focus points in the class.

In terms of outside of classes material, I went to my first wedding yesterday. This was such a fun event for me that I think it could be a good topic to write about for this class. I think that it would be a good way to tell stories because it involves so many different people communicating and being happy. Next week I would like to get more studying done than I did this last week. I want this for all of my classes but especially in my genetics class. I feel that I have let it get a little away from me so I’m looking forward to trying to get ahead in that class.

Overall this was a pretty good week in my opinion.

I got this image from Wikimedia Commons to show wedding rings.

Reading Notes: Jatakas, Extra Credit

The Hawk and the Osprey

When reading this I really enjoyed the flow of the story. When I say that I mean I enjoyed how a conflict would rise and then the solution followed simultaneously. The pattern allowed for the final sequence to be expected for the outcome, yet one might think it would be different to end the story. However, the author does a good job as to sticking to the moral of the story. I think that in my stories that I sometimes try to over complicate it and change up the flow of the stories in order to make them more interesting. This isn't a problem always, but I think that sometimes I should just accept the fact that the reason of telling the story is more important than the dramatic effect. In thinking about how I could apply this to a story of my own, I was thinking about possibly having kids on a play ground who were each good at something. This could be a sport or just social skills but they would have to defend against a bully of some nature. This is just an idea to make it relatable but I think it could make for a good story. I could also possibly just change up the animals in to making them more domestic because I feel the animals do a great job of adding imagery. One thing I liked about this story was how quickly the idea of friendship was made important. I think that by highlighting a message early on in a story it allows the reader to focus on what the author wants them to through out the story. Overall, I thought this was a well written story and that I could possibly use it for a story I might write on my own.

This is an image of an Osprey as described in the story. I got the image from Wikipedia.

Learning Challenge: Reading Out Loud

So last semester I did this assignment for the Mythology and Folklore section and I really enjoyed it. However, like a lot of the things that I do, I forgot to keep practicing it yet I would like to reflect on a couple of things that I have done where this applied. On the way to the Rose Bowl, my friends and I knew it was going to be a long ride so we decided to get an audio book to listen to. I think we all enjoyed it because it past time pretty quickly. I think by having the audio telling us a story it allowed me to focus on details even better. I also decided to do this when reading people's introduction posts. This allowed me to focus on the events and passions they described and then let me try to relate to them even if I didn't have anything in common. I think reading aloud is definitely a positive way of retaining information however it is true that you can't always do it. I've found that the best time for me to do it is when I'm studying in my room looking at lecture slides. I think that this allows me to make connections in my brain better than just glancing and thinking about it. I would say that it is different than reading silent just in the sense that it goes a lot slower, but other than that there isn't much difference that is negative. I'm going to try and do this with all of the reading assignments this semester.

I found this image on Pixabay.

Growth Mindset: Quotes From Students.

"Sometimes when you run into an obstacle and you get pushed back, you start to forget why you were trying so hard in the first place so it helps to take a step back and imagine your goal."

Right now I feel that this applies to my life. Lately I have hit a hard patch in focusing on what I truly want from myself and why I want it. However, reading this quote made me think about why I have put in so much work over the years. I just need to get over this little hump in the road of my studying and pursue my dreams of becoming a dentist.

"The cat is driving a car and of course the road is not gonna always be smooth, it is going to bumpy and rough! Just like a semester of the school year. It is going to be rough, but enjoy the semester as it passes because along the way, one will learn new things and gain awesome skills! Enjoy the ride!"

I enjoyed this quote because sometimes we can get wrapped up in all of the different tasks that we have which ultimately leads to stress. I think it is important to live your life while you are young and enjoy the people around us. I can't imagine another time in my life when I'm going to be surrounded by so many friends, so I might as well enjoy the time with the people around me because I feel they will leave memories that will last forever with me.

I found this image on Wikimedia Commons and felt that it fit in with the message of the second quote. 

Feedback Thoughts

Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it

I found this article extremely interesting because it described why rejection hurts so much. It talks about the hunter gatherers being ostracized back in the day and compared that to how small things can even make us feel bad. I don't know anyone who doesn't hate being rejected, but the truth is it makes us stronger. I think that like this article says is if we focus on every thing that we might have done wrong but make it punitive then you will not better yourself any, but if you focus on how you can change things for a positive outcome next time then the rejection wasn't bad necessarily. This applies to feedback in my mind with practically anything. We live and we learn as people say. I think that the social interaction part of the rejection process is crucial. I personally always feel better around friends when I'm in a time of need or hurting. 

Eight things students should do when they make a mistake

I also enjoyed this article because it focused on adjustments we can make when things don't go how we intend them to go. I liked the second tip of "know that there is always help". I find this so relevant to me because I feel that through guidance and communication I am usually able to get back on my feet and maybe even help others out. I also enjoy learning from others experiences and trying to make their learned lessons applicable to my life. I feel this article does a great job of describing that everyone is enduring hardship so to make it the end of the world when something goes badly is ridiculous. 

Overall, I think that feedback is great if it is given in the right way. I also think that feedback should be given differently depending on the person. I've had coaches who have yelled at me too much or not enough. I have had teachers who have graded too harshly or not harsh enough. I think that balance is the key in feedback but feedback should always be in the goal of helping one succeed. For me, the best feedback I can receive is one that makes me challenge myself in wanting to be better but doesn't make me think that I will never be able to reach a goal. This applies to schoolwork as well with everyday life activities. I think it is more important to praise people however than to be negative in the long run. 

I found this image on Pixabay. I think that a high five is a great way to show appreciative feedback.

Topic Brainstorm

Animals, Natural and Supernatural

I like the idea of creating a storybook about different animals which I got from the link above because being a biology major, I have to learn about animals a good amount. I think that animals are always a great way to tell a story if you personify them. By using animals in the real world I feel I could make it more modern and relatable for readers while incorporating ideas of the past. I don't know anything about Indian animals so this would be a great way to learn about how the gods were portrayed as animals as well as famous animals who told stories. I specifically enjoyed the idea of using the elephant god Airavata because I think this might be a good way to explain natural things in the world since he is connected with the formation of clouds. I could possibly use him to do creation stories and what not. I specifically enjoy the idea of using animals to teach lessons. Although he doesn't seem to be portrayed as negative, I kind of like the idea of using Naga to do creation stories as well but maybe in a evil sense sort of like the bible with the serpent. I feel as if animals could lead me to a multitude of possibilities in direction of stories, but overall I feel they would be a great way to connect to a younger crowd which I would like to do. I felt like the Zoo Animal history storybook is the type of direction I could see myself taking. 

This is an image of Airavata which I found on Wikimedia Commons.

Music

Because I'm very interested in music of today and the past, I couldn't help but think this might be an interesting topic for me. I don't know anything about the music of Indian story culture but I think it would be interesting to learn how they incorporated music and dancing into telling stories. Ravananugraha seems like someone I could use since he was so musically in touch for being trapped for a thousand years. I was thinking maybe I could have him be a rapper who told stories through music. I know plenty of artists like Tupac, 50 Cent, and wrote songs in their prison sentences which told stories of their times so I was thinking I could maybe have him be like them. I could also include the dancing aspect and use someone like Nataraja to give history lessons about the dances he teaches. I realize this one could be very broad but if I were to get creative with it I could have these characters telling stories from other stories even. 

Brothers

I have never had a brother but have always wanted one because I can see how close they are. However, I have a bunch of friends who I treat as my brothers because I have so much trust in them. This is why I would think I could use the topic of brothers to tell great stories about loyalty. If I used Surgiva and Vali to tell stories, I could possibly even incorporate animals into the stories since they are the king of monkeys. I could even have stories where the brothers might turn on each other in a way to show how the loyalty isn't there sometimes. Because I don't have any knowledge about this topic as well in terms of Indian stories, I would have to do a lot more research to incorporate stories about brothers, but I would also like to take a modern and relatable approach with this topic as well just as the Hogwarts: Loyalty of Brothers storybook does.

Festivals and Holidays

I would say this topic got my attention because it seems to me that with holidays and festivals there always comes great stories that one could laugh about. I was thinking about possibly making this topic a comedy style storybook. I would have to learn about more fun festivals such as Navarati which is apparently a nine night festival. I like the idea of making it a crazy partying style festival where the characters make mistakes that can be laughable yet something that teach a lesson. If I couldn't do something like this I could just focus on the Gods or things celebrated in these festivals and hopefully come up with an interesting way of retelling their stories and why they are celebrated. I feel this topic would take a lot of research but I think I would have fun with this topic in the sense that I could take it a bunch of directions. 

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I downloaded the Canvas app to my phone last semester and so I decided to make some comments on how I feel about it for this semester. I love the app in terms of the simplicity in which it takes to get information for different classes. I like getting the notifications but for some classes it overloads your phone with notifications say for a discussion or what not. I would only wish that the app would give updates more close to the time things are actually posted as well. I don't know why anyone who goes to OU wouldn't want this app on their phone though.

Week 2 Story: The Daily Chase.

The updated version of this story is here.

The Daily Chase

Some things just never change. Every day Bosco is let out into the yard as soon as his owners are ready to leave for work. Every day the Squirrel lets Bosco know how much of a stupid mutt he thinks he is and runs towards the fence. Every day the squirrel seems to climb up the fence while Bosco tries to jump at him barking “I’m going to get you one day, you mean old squirrel!”

Well one day as the squirrel ran to the fence and climbed it he said to Bosco, “How long will it take you to figure out that I’m too quick for you!”

It finally hit Bosco. “The squirrel is right. I must somehow trick him into coming close enough to me, that I will be able to catch him before he jumps for the fence.”

So, Bosco spent the rest of the evening pondering ways to trick the squirrel. Bosco thought about his daily routine real hard. He realized that the squirrel always is standing in the same spot in the yard. “I have to make him come to me somehow.” That is when Bosco got his idea.

Bosco decided to beg his owner to let him out that night, so he could put his favorite bone near the bottom of the rose garden by the house. This was a huge sacrifice being that he chews on his bone every night before bed, but he reminded himself that it would be worth it.

The next day when his owner let him out, Bosco didn’t run after the squirrel as usual. Instead he ran over to his bone barking “My bone! My bone! There it is!”

The squirrel was confused and slightly moved closer to Bosco before he heard “OWWWWW! A thorn is in my paw!”

Bosco just laid there whimpering for a minute before the squirrel decided to move closer to Bosco to get a better view of his nemesis.

Bosco keeping a close eye on the squirrel continued to act out how much pain he was in, until he knew the squirrel in close enough distance where he could get him. At the exact moment when Bosco realized he could get the squirrel, he jumped up and ran towards the squirrel and trapped him in his paws!

“You’ve finally outsmarted me dog! Please show mercy!” squeaked the squirrel.

“Of course, I will show mercy. But you must never refer to me as stupid ever again and you must give me more of a chance to catch you in order to keep our game fun” barked Bosco.

From that day on the game was different each day, but they made sure to both respect each other for the enemies secretly had a friendship.

I found this image on Pixabay. I felt that it was a good representation of Bosco chasing the squirrel.

Author’s Note:

My story is based on The Crocodile in the River from the Jataka anthology. In this story, every day a monkey would go to an island in this river he lived nearby in order to eat fresh fruit. The only way the monkey could get to and from the island was to jump from the bank on a big rock, and from the big rock to the island. Well one day, the monkey noticed that the rock was higher out of the water than usual so he decided to call towards the rock to see if it would respond. Thinking that the rock normally did respond each day to the monkey, the crocodile responded making the monkey realize he must trick the crocodile in order to escape. The monkey’s trickery ends up working and the two ends up respecting each other. In my story, I wanted to create a more relatable setting so I used a dog and a squirrel chasing after each other in a backyard. Instead of having the monkey do the trickery however, I made the dog who symbolized the crocodile perform the trickery. I made sure that the two continued their daily rituals however I wanted the two to gain a respect for each other just as the monkey and crocodile did.

Bibliography:

The Crocodile in the River from Vanarinda Jataka, in The Jataka: Volume 1 translated by Robert Chalmers.