Famous Last Words: Week 4 First Midterm

This last week was a little different for me in terms of my work in this class. I did most of it this last Monday, but I did leave some of the extra credit assignments for the weekend. This wasn't bad for me because I still knew that I was going to have time to complete things, but I had a big test this last Friday in Genetics that I wanted to study more for so instead of putting as much time into this class as I normally do in the heat of the week, I gave my weekend a little bit of the work and it seemed to have been a good strategy. I probably will try to knock out most of next week's work tomorrow, but who knows maybe I will get tried of it and leave some for the weekend like last week.

In terms of the reading, I found myself not as interested in the stories this week. Honestly it could have been the time I was reading them though, I was a little stressed about other things so maybe this is why I didn't react as positively.

For my other classes, I didn't do as well as I would like to have with my studying for my Genetics test. I think I should have started studying a day earlier, because I still wanted to get more comfortable with topics and homework in another class distracted me from fully studying the material. Next time I will know that it takes more time to study than I gave it.

In terms of outside of school activities, I played poker with my friends last night. I liked it because it was a change of pace from the normal type of fun we do. It was nice way to have conversations as well as save money while still being entertained. Unfortunately I need to get better because I lost earlier than I wanted to.

This is a picture of Poker chips and cards. I found it on Pixabay.

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art, Part A

Ganesha

This is a picture of Lord Ganesha from the story. I found this on Pixabay.

One thing that I liked about this video was the setting up section. I like how he explained the things being strange or hard to possibly believe but then explains why people do believe in these things. In terms of the actual story I liked the idea of a "My world" story for me. I think this is a very broad idea but with the animals stories in my writing I think it would be good to have two different animals discussing how things are different in their own world's. I was thinking possible two dog's one large and small or one being a house dog and the other being a outside one. I also like all of the symbolism in this video. I think that is one aspect of my writing that I could do better. I think that I should try to incorporate physical figures to symbolize aspects of life or ideas. I think this would allow my writing to become a bit more deep. Since I am trying to make the stories I write simple and more towards younger people, I think that it would be cool to have deeper meanings within my stories through symbolism like these stories attempt to do with the gods and animals in their stories.  However, unlike these stories I think I would try to leave out the gods and demons in my writing for I just lack interest in these types of aspects for stories. I'm not saying I don't think a character like Ganesha isn't entertaining, I just don't think that I would be able to create my own story based off this one but rather just some ideas in it. This video was entertaining however.

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art written by Devdutt Pattanaik.

Learning Challenge: Study Stretches

6 Yoga Exercises You Won’t Be Embarrassed to Do at Your Desk

I chose to do the Deskercize challenge this week and I read the article above and tried a few of these stretches out. My favorite of the exercises was the chair twist. I have a pretty weak back and it tends to get really tight when I'm studying for too long so this exercise was nice because it made me feel more loose plus I got a nice popping which relaxed me. I also liked the neck one because I tend to read looking down for so long that my neck gets sore as well, so this was a good one for me. I think it is important to try and stay somewhat active while studying for long periods of time. It normally wakes me up when I try to do anything like this plus if you're in public these stretches can make you look less goofy than say doing jumping jacks. The next few weeks I'm going to try and stretch more because I'm working out again and my muscles can get tight if I am sitting for too long. 

I added this picture just for the representation of stretching. I found it on Pixabay.

Growth Mindset: Motto

I made this on Canva.

I chose for this week's Growth Mindset blurb to do the motto assignment. The motto I ultimately went with is based off Russel Westbrook's saying "Why Not?". However I'm using it in a different meaning I feel then he is. When he says it, he means why not you? As in you can be there person who makes a difference or is making history. The way I would like to use "Why Not?" is in the sense of saying yes. Why not make time to see your friends? Why not make a random trip? Why not do something different than the usual routine. I think it is important for us to not get too focused on ourselves but live life with others. It is a lot more fun and if you are actually engaged with people you'll learn more about yourself along the way.

Wikipedia Trail: From Icarus to Jack Nicholson

Icarus

So my story this week was based loosely off the story of Icarus flying too close to the sun yet I wanted to know more about the famous character so I decided to start my trail off with him. I learned that his dad, Daedalus, was known for creating a Labyrinth in order to hold a minotaur. I also learned that Icarus fell into the sea which now is known as the Icarian Sea. I also learned that it became a famous story of English literature and even inspired some work of Shakespeare.

Minotaur

I knew that a a minotaur was a half man half bull monster but I wanted to learn more about the creature so this is where my next stop on the Wikipedia journey took me. I learned that the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. I also learned that the minotaur was created in order to help Poseidon get revenge on King Minos. I even learned that the minotaur is referenced in Dante's Inferno. I also learned that some people believe the shining is based on the story of the minotaur.

The Shining

Although I have never seen the movie personally, I feel that too many people have told me that I would like this movie. I learned that the movie was based on a Stephen King writing which I have read a couple of his things and seen other movies based off his writings. I also learned that the movie at first received some bad reviews but now is revered as one of the best horror films ever made. Last thing I learned was that the movie features Jack Nicholson which makes me very upset that I haven't seen this movie, because I really enjoy him as an actor.

Jack Nicholson

I learned that he has been acting for nearly 60 years and that he has been nominated for 12 academy awards. I also learned that he was apart of the military service for the Air National Guard. I also found it interesting that he was once accused of assault for beating a Mercedes Benz with a golf club yet he settled to get out of it.

I found this image on Wikimedia Commons.

Tech Tip: Animated Gif

So I literally couldn't think of a Gif that I wanted to make however I have been watching a lot of SpongeBob recently so this inspired me to make this. I used http://gifmaker.me to do so and it was very easy. I might even try to make another Gif next time a group text is heating up and I need something funny to post.

Week Four Story: Snow Day Scare.

Snow Day Scare

On the first snow day of the year, Carter decided to take his dog, Bosco, out to play in the snow. The weather was absolutely beautiful with the snow falling like you would see in a Christmas movie. Carter’s mom was nervous to let Carter go play outside since it was his first snow day, so she made sure to warn Carter about how dangerous it was to walk on the ice over the pond. Carter said he wouldn’t, but he really didn’t pay attention to what his mom was saying, for he was so excited about getting out into the snow and playing with his neighborhood friends.

Once Carter got out side he could feel the blistering cold from the wind, but he had made sure he had put on plenty of layers. Bosco on the other hand was quite cold even though he was jumping in the snow like it too was his first time to play in it. As Carter got outside he met two of his neighborhood friends. The three and Bosco built a snowman, made snow angels, had a snow ball fight, and just as the group was getting tired one of the guys said, “I bet I can go out the farthest on the pond!”

The three lined up and the first two went out a little way on the ice, while Carter remained at the bank of the pond thinking about what his mom had said. As he was pondering, one of the guys yelled “What are you scared of? It’s perfectly fine.”

Carter didn’t want to seem like a chicken so with a rush of adrenaline he gave a slight jog and then did a slide motion right past the guys until CRACK!

This is an image of a hole in a ice filled pond which I found on Pixabay.

The ice broke and Carter went straight into the water. The boys didn’t know what to do so they gently walked back to the bank of the pond until they could run to get help. As this was going on Bosco decided he must save Carter. Bosco ran out onto the ice and barked at Carter, who was trying to hold himself up on the ice. Bosco then turned away from Carter and moved his tail in his face indicating that he wanted Carter to grab it.

As Carter grabbed the tail Bosco used all of his strength to maintain his balance, yet still pull Carter out of the pond. Finally, as the two boys had Carter’s mom coming, Bosco had given Carter enough momentum to pull himself out of the pond. He then carefully walked back with Bosco to the land and hugged his mother.

Although Carter was freezing and felt that the pain of falling and almost drowning was enough, he knew that his mother was going to be very upset with him. Although he was scared to be punished, he was just thankful that Bosco had saved him, and next time his mother warned him of something, he was sure he would listen.

Author's Note:

My story is very loosely based off the story of Sampati and Jatayu from the Ramayana. In this story, Sampati tells the story of when he was younger and him and Jatayu were flying and decided to race each other. Due to the race and heat of the son, Jatayu fainted and began to fall, so Sampati decided to spread his wings to help Jatayu. By doing so, the sun was so hot that when Sampati spread his wings, the sun burned them up and he crashed. Overwhelmed by the pain and from the sadness of losing his wings, Sampati wished he would just die. Unfortunately death didn't come as he wished so he decided to visit Saint Nishakara whom he told about his story and his wish to die. Saint Nishakara convinced him to keep living and that one day his wings would grow back. Well one day Sampati had Simians take him to the burial site of his deceased brother, and due to Sampati cleansing himself in waters on this trip, he began to grow wings just as he had had when he was young. Although my story varies a good amount from this tale, I wanted to make my story about ignoring signs of danger. Just as the birds should have realized it was too hot to perform such physical action, Carter should have realized the ice wasn't strong enough just as his mother had warned him about. The idea of my story truly was inspired by the story of Icarus from Greek Mythology, as in that story flying too close to the son also hinders him just as the birds. I wanted to teach a lesson of listening though, because even though Sampati listened to Saint Nishakara and things worked out, I wanted to change the outcome to resemble when things don't workout when one ignores warnings.

Bibliography:

Sampati and Jatayu comes from  The Iliad of the East: The Ramayana, by Frederika Richardson Macdonald (1870). [800 words] This is another section from Macdonald's vivid and detailed retelling of key scenes from Valmiki's Ramayana.

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part D

Ravana's Death

I had mixed feelings about this story, but it did give me the most takeaways that I feel I can apply to my writing. The first thing that I like is the idea of rhyming to tell events which is used at the end of this section. I think since I am trying to tell a more modern set of stories for my project that I intend a younger audience to read, that a rhyming story could be a good way to end my project. I think that this is a great technique I could use because rhyming tends to use a simpler vocabulary which is great for the audience I am writing for. I also think that the rhyming allows for the story to go by quicker in the sense that the plot is more direct rather than described. Yet with the rhyming the descriptions are simple, the main ones that are intended to be the focus get more elevation as I would like to say.

Another thing that I liked about this story was the use of senses the author got involved. As a writer I think that one of the best way to involve a reader with what is taking place is describing things by using aspects of our senses. For example this story gets the reader thinking about vision, smell, hearing, and touch involved. As I read the story I was imagining things the way I have used my own senses, so I think that this would be a great way for adding beauty if you will to a story.

In thinking about what I could use for this story, I like the idea of a funeral of an animal for my project. Although they are normally grim, I like the idea of having an animal have a beautiful funeral due to the respect of the other animals around him. I’m not sure how I would make this modern or simple though which is an issue for me.

I found this image on Pixabay to represent the funeral idea for my writing.

 

Bibliography:

The story of Ravana's Death comes from he prose portion comes from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913), and the verse portion comes from Ramayana, The Epic of Rama, Prince of India, condensed into English verse by Romesh Dutt (1899).

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part C

Sampati and Jatayu

I truly think this was the best of the options for me to write my reading notes about because it fits with my ideas for the project of animals along with telling a lesson. One thing that I would like to take away as a writer is how to make characters in a story tell a story. I like the way this is formatted this way because I think it makes the lesson seem more valuable. Everyone knows that the best lessons come from the old and wise, so by having an older Sampati tell a story about himself and his brother when they were young is a great way to convey a message as an author. I also like the sequencing in this story for the events. I think that one thing I could take away from this story is how to chronologically place events where there is foreshadowing like the plot line does in this one. 

By having the events of his brother falling, him wishing for a saint, talking to a saint, etc. I think that it gets the reader more able to go with the flow of events if that makes sense. Another thing that I would like to take away from this part of the reading is the dialogue. The dialogue is a nice break from describing things like action and setting for the plot yet still adding to what is going on. I also think that by mixing the dialogue into the mix allows for the emotion to be seen better like when he is telling the saint he wants death. I think that as a writer I should try to demonstrate this because it is one thing for a character to think it but to converse with another adds more meaning in my opinion.

Overall, I can see myself trying to recreate this story in a more modern (maybe with dogs as I have done the past few weeks) to tell a story that gives a lesson as does this one.

I chose this picture of birds flying to demonstrate Sampati and Jatayu flying too high. I found it on Pexels.

Bibliography:

The story Sampati and Jatayu comes from The Iliad of the East: The Ramayana, by Frederika Richardson Macdonald (1870). The link to where I read this story is above.