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Click here to enter Borgin and Burkes at 13B, Knockturn Alley.

("Borgin and Burkes" by HarshLight is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Microfiction: Jatayu and Ravana's Error

Story 1 - Jatayu

More than an eagle: a hero.

(Ravana fights Jatayu)

Story 2 - Ravana's Error

As the Brahma-astra soared towards his heart, Ravana realized the error of his ways. His invincible strength was nothing compared to the perseverance of man.

________

Author's Note:

The first story is about Jatayu, who died trying to save Sita. Even though he had very little chance of defeating Ravana and surviving, he still made a brave attempt and deserved to be honored because of it. I felt like his heroics could be summarized in six words. The simplicity of it makes it feel even more powerful. My story is kind of corny but I think it at least summarizes Jatayu's situation fairly well.

The second story is a two-sentence story about the second before Rama's astra killed Ravana. The Ramayana says so much about how humans learn to play their strengths in spite of weaknesses. Humans refuse to give in, and they do what they can to help those in need. I feel like in his last second of life, Ravana might have realized his mistake in doubting humans.

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image information: Image source: Ravana fights Jatayu, abducts Sita;illustration by K. Venkatappa
in Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914).

Week 4 Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part D

• Sita wants to commit suicide because of her situation, but Hanuman finds her, gives her Rama's ring, and helps saves her. But then Ravana's son captures Hanuman, and Ravana sets Hanuman's tail on fire. 
• Even when Ravana is reminded that he is not protected against humans, he still refuses to listen to those who tell him he is in danger because he feels he is invincible. 
• Rama builds a bridge to Lanka so that his armies can get across the water. 
• Ravana tries to trick Sita into thinking he cut off Rama's head but Sita realizes it's a trick.
• The Maya and Brahma-astras are used. 
• Rama uses the Brahma-astra and sends it to Ravana's heart. Ravana dies. 
• Rama tests Sita to see if she is pure and wasn't touched by Ravana.
• Rama returns to Ayodhya after exile. 

________

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image Information: Building the bridge to Lanka from the Philadelaphia Art Museum

Week 4 Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part C

• There's a curse that makes it so that if Ravana touches a woman without her consent, he'll die. Because of this, he picks up the ground from under Sita and takes her with him that way. 
• Ravana's fatal flaw shows again when he says to Sita, "You think too highly of Rama, but I don’t. I do not care to fight him because it’s beneath our dignity to confront a mere human being." I love that Sita responds to this with a bit of sarcasm and sass--she says, "Ah, yes, your class are ashamed to contend with humans, but you may covet and treacherously attack a helpless woman" which is really just on point. 
• Jatayu bravely tries to stop Ravana but ends up being killed. 
• I found Rama's actions so interesting in chapter 5 with the golden deer. The book mentions this: Rama is an ideal person who is heroic and usually fairly wise. But in this one case, he acted too quickly and let his guard down, which has now led to an entire tragic event. 
• They meet Sampathi, who is Jatayu's brother. 

________

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image Information: Ravana slaughtering Jatayu the vulture, from Wikimedia Commons

Biography: The Story of Yumi

This is my dog, Yumi.

If you've been on my blog before, you've probably seen her. I'm kind of obsessed with her. She's the love of my life and has made the hard things in life a tiny bit easier for me to deal with. Yet, if you would've seen me a few weeks after getting her, you wouldn't have thought any of that could be true. So here's the story of the stupidest, best, most impulsive, and positively life-changing decision I ever made.

(Yumi at around 5 months attempting to eat a small branch for whatever reason.)

I'm not a decisive person. I don't just do things--I need days, weeks, years to make a decision. But in June of 2018, all of that somehow went out the window. I was casually watching a YouTube video (the first bad decision--never listen to social media influencers) of a girl who had recently adopted a dog. She said it was the best thing she had ever done, despite the terrors that come with being a dog owner. For some reason, that was it for me. I had been wanting a dog for a long time, but I figured I was too young to get one (I was and still am). I couldn't be tied down by an animal that would depend on me every second of the day. I needed to study, work, and socialize.

And yet, I immediately scoured the Internet and quickly found a dog that stole my heart. My mom half-heartedly tried to stop me, but I convinced her. Nobody in my life stopped me (I'm still not sure why--they definitely should have), so I figured everything would be fine. By the end of the week, she was mine.

(The day I got her. Her haircut made her look like a hedgehog.)

In the first week, she had fleas and worms. Lots of them. I think this is where her hatred of baths stems from. I probably used half a bottle of Dawn dish soap to get rid of as many fleas as I could see underneath her extremely thick and curly hair. I was hysterical. (My sister says all she remembers from that day is me screaming and crying an unreasonable amount.) She also loved attention and was attached to me immediately. I couldn't get anything done, and my only moments of quiet were when my mom would watch her for me so I could sleep or shower. I could not believe what I had gotten myself into. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't a bad dog--she was house-trained in under two weeks, she only ever chewed up one thing (my phone charger wire), and she was a fluffy ball of happiness. Still, the crate training (she hated the crate with a passion), her stubborn attitude, and the realization that I no longer could be selfish with my time were the two things that really hit me hard.

(She'll eat anything. Here she found a "wite-out" bottle at the dog park and definitely tried to eat it. She never grew out of that puppy phase... I'm still constantly trying to stop her from swallowing random objects.)

It took almost a year for me to accept that she was mine and this was my new life. Things got easier after that, and my heart started swelling with love every time she would cuddle up against me or when she learned a new trick. Now we are the best of friends and even though she drives me crazy sometimes, I love her with my whole heart. Our favorite things to do are taking trips to Lowe's to practice training and going to the dog park so she can sniff everything. She's smart when she wants to be, silly constantly, and is sometimes the only thing that can make me smile. She is also obsessed with my little brother and has helped teach him how to be gentle and kind to animals.

Should I have gotten a dog at the age of 21? Definitely not. I don't recommend it. In fact, I strongly discourage it. But Yumi has helped me realize that I need to take responsibility for my actions and decisions and make the most of them. She's helped me focus on the positive and not take life too seriously. She reminds me not to worry so much about the bad parts of life. Even if she limits my life socially quite often, and even if I lose sleep sometimes because she gets sick or refuses to sleep herself, I love her and I've finally figured out how to allow the good to outweigh the bad. I only hope I am returning the favor often enough by giving her the dog equivalent of this--lots of treats and attention.

_________

Author's Note: I saw some pet prompts on the biographical writing prompts page and I knew I wanted to write about Yumi. She's basically all I talk about anyways, so why not write her origin story? It turned into something more than just a story about her and made me realize how much she really means to me. The length is longer than I expected, but still counts as a microfiction. I think any longer would have been too much and any shorter would have been lacking in necessary emotion and detail. 

Image information: All images are personal images of Yumi, taken by me from 2018-2020. 

Ramayana Microfictions

Story 1: His arrogance led to his downfall.

Story 2: Sita slept fitfully, dreaming of the man she yearned for. She watched as the sun rose, and tears fell from her face as she realized it would be another day without him.

______

Author's Note: For the first one, I chose a 6-word microfiction to re-tell Ravana's story. I found it really interesting that he thought so little of humans that he didn't even bother to ask to be invincible against them. Even though there is obviously more depth to it, this fatal flaw of his can be summarized fairly well in six words.

For the second microfiction, I chose a two-sentence story about Sita longing for Rama after seeing him from her balcony. I also wrote my week 3 story about this, and while description definitely helps the story, keeping it short is almost more emotional.

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image information: Sunrise from Pixnio.

Biography: The Abandoned Mobile Home

As a child, I was extremely interested in any kind of adventure. Pair that with having two very curious siblings and you get a recipe for disaster. Well, maybe not disaster, but definitely danger. Seriously, I don't know how we didn't get severely injured or kidnapped.

One of my earliest childhood memories is when I would venture into my neighborhood's woods with my siblings. We would trudge up the hill and were blissfully ignorant of the ominous signs around us that definitely indicated kids should not be alone in that area. In those woods, though, sat an abandoned mobile home. Plants had grown around and inside it, peaking through gaps in the flooring. Broken plates, book pages, and miscellaneous objects were strewn across the floor. We had to be extremely careful about where we stepped to avoid shards of glass and sticky residue from who-knows-what. We figured the place was haunted, but my older brother would always act brave and promised to protect us if anything happened. Looking back, I can't believe I thought a 10-year-old would be able to keep us safe from strangers and hazards... But at the time it gave me the courage I needed to explore freely.

After years of exploring the woods and the mobile home, one day we went back for another adventure and the mobile home was gone. We can only assume it was removed from our neighborhood because hooligan kids (a.k.a. me and my siblings) would stupidly explore the extremely dangerous, decrepit, and hazardous trailer. While it was probably for the best, it still makes me sad that it's no longer there. It almost makes the memory feel like a dream since I have no proof. Still, this childhood memory will remain as one of my favorites for life.

(This isn't the mobile home, but it is eerily similar. Source: Mobile Home from Pixabay.)

_____

Author's Note: I chose this topic because it was nice to be able to reminisce on my childhood before life was too serious. It's a good reminder that life can be as fun as you make it, no matter where you are. You just have to seek out adventure sometimes, or make your own. I chose to write it the way I did because it needed to have a nostalgic feeling while also being informative. I want the reader to know how important this memory is to me, and I want them to feel like they were there with us. The length just came naturally--it was as short/long as it needed to be to get my point across. I didn't want it to be boring and excessive, but I also didn't want it to be so short that I wouldn't be able to be descriptive.

Famous Last Words: Week 3 Assignments

Overall, the assignments for week 3 went well. They definitely took me longer than expected. I was hoping to be more ahead by now, but life got in the way. I am finding it more difficult to get through a book (The Ramayana) than the short stories we read in Myth and Folklore, but taking notes definitely helps. I just do not have enough of an attention span to keep up with the book. There are so many details that I feel like I have to remember or else my re-telling won't make sense or will be too inaccurate. I am definitely overthinking it, though, so that is something I am going to work on.

I really enjoyed the story I got to write this week. It took me a while to decide on it, but once I did, the writing came really easily. I am definitely getting better about not being a perfectionist, and knowing that I can go back at any time and edit the story really helps. My best strategy for writing currently is to just jump in and refuse to edit until I at least type a few sentences.

My other courses are going well so far, although we are only two weeks into the semester. Things are definitely starting to pick up--the number of deadlines and quizzes I have over the next two weeks is already stressing me out. This course provides the creative relief I need when my other classes are just too much.

Over the next week, I'm hoping to buckle down and get organized. Every semester I end up spending the first two weeks dropping and adding courses because somehow, no matter how much I plan when enrolling, something changes and I have to change my schedule. Now that everything is solidified, I can actually start putting due dates in my calendar and create a study schedule.

To finish, here's a picture I took this week of my dog, Yumi. :)

(Personal image of Yumi)

Feedback Strategies: Navigating Language

How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk - This article gives four steps to help make criticism sound constructive, which can be really difficult. I am not the most eloquent with words, so giving criticism is difficult for me. You have to choose the right words to find the line between harsh and encouraging, which I struggle with. The tips in this article are really helpful because they give a straightforward approach to providing constructive feedback. One of the tips I appreciated was that you should ask if the person even wants feedback. If they asked for feedback in the first place, your words are going to sound a lot less condescending to start with. 

What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow? - I love what this article is hoping to accomplish. We really need to make sure we are speaking to kids kindly and correctly, especially when they are so sensitive to words. My favorite tip from this article was harnessing the power of "yet." This is not only a great tool for kids--it works for anyone. We should encourage others and ourselves to recognize that we aren't going to be perfect at something on the first go. We are constantly learning, and just because we haven't gotten it yet doesn't mean we never will.

Learn from your mistakes image from Growth Mindset Memes blog

When it comes to feedback, we need to first and foremost be kind to each other. Recognizing that other people can be extremely sensitive and defensive is important. We should learn how to properly navigate language to make sure we are providing constructive criticism that won't cause harm. Though it can be difficult, it's a lifelong skill that can be extremely useful to have. I personally definitely need to work on my feedback-giving skills, as I tend to end up sounding harsher than intended. I hope this semester I can work on that so that I can actually help people improve their writing.

Topic Research: Borgin and Burkes

For my storybook topic, I am going to use the antique shop Borgin and Burkes from Harry Potter. This shop has a reputation for selling dark and shady objects, but it also sells old, strange, and powerful magical objects. Those objects would be from Indian Epic stories. They would tell the story of the person who sought after or owned it. The customer (Tom Riddle, the Malfoys, Bellatrix, etc.) would come in either seeking that specific object or they would look around and it would catch their attention. The shop owners--Burke (who hired Tom Riddle) and Borgin (who seemed to solely operate the shop after 1992)--would tell the story of the item through answering the customer's questions. Also, just for fun, I'll keep a list of all the objects I come across while reading Indian epics so that I can include them as background details/description while customers are looking around.

• Story 1: Ashwatthama's jewel - According to that Wikipedia page, "Ashvatthama is born with a gem on his forehead which gives him power over all living beings lower than humans; it protects him from hunger, thirst, and fatigue." I believe we will read about this when we get to the Mahabharata, so I would use that as my story source (here is the public domain version). This jewel would be a perfect item for Tom Riddle to encounter while working in Borgin and Burkes. He could ask Burke questions about it but try not to seem too eager so that Burke wouldn't be suspicious. 

• Story 2: Cintamani Stone - This stone fulfills wishes, and its a great candidate for an object in the shop. I think I would use Lucius Malfoy for this one, and Borgin would explain the stone's history to him. I found this reading guide that mentions the stone, but the actual book is 450 pages... so I'm not sure about that. I was having a really difficult time finding a succinct story about the stone, but I'll keep searching because it's definitely an object worth reading and writing about. 

• Story 3: Brahmastra - Reading K of this version of the Ramayana mentions the brahmastra. This would be an ideal weapon that a Death Eater would seek out for Voldemort. I would definitely have Borgin be overly cautious and weary about selling it, seeing as it is so destructive. 

In my research, I also found the Syamantaka Jewel (reading guide here), which could make for a fun story. Also, for my own reference, I think I'll find this page useful in the future (I'm especially interested in astras).

____

Image information: Entrance to Borgin and Burkes antique shop. "Borgin & Burkes" by HarshLight is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Week 3 Story: Sita's Despair

No matter how hard she tried, Sita could not stop thinking about the man who had caught her eye. In all of the years that she had spent on that balcony watching people walk below her, she had never been so captivated. Images of him replayed over and over in her mind: his strong gait, which had paused as he turned to look at her; his kind eyes, which had trapped hers momentarily; his beautiful smile, which had grown more radiant in the moments their eyes had locked. She sighed with frustration, realizing she was failing miserably at forgetting about him.

Her maids came and went, trying to console her but to no avail. The days passed in tears. What was the point in doing anything if she couldn't have him?

When she learned that a man had been chosen for her to marry, her stomach dropped. Her dread was unmatched. Her new husband would only serve as a constant reminder of what she could never have. She felt hopeless and empty.

On the day of the wedding, she felt numb. As her maids dressed her and complimented her beauty, Sita could only smile faintly. From inside the castle, she heard children outside laughing and people dancing to music. She opened her curtains slightly and peered out into the streets. Colorful decorations were hung on every building and there was not a single unhappy face amongst the crowd.

How could anyone be happy on a day like this? she wondered. How could there be a celebration when she felt so wretchedly?

She tried to perk up, knowing that she would have to accept her marriage eventually. Why ruin a day that is supposed to be one of the best of her life?

Walking through the crowds, she tried to quell her sadness and put on a brave face. As she approached the altar, though, she stopped in shock.

Could it be? she thought, for at that moment her eyes locked for the second time with the man she had shed so many tears over. Rama grinned at her, as radiant and beautiful as ever. Sita returned the smile with one of her own, an unfamiliar expression in the past weeks but one she would never forget.

_______

Author's Note: In Narayan's Ramayana, there is a part where Sita and Rama see each other momentarily, fall in love without even talking, and then expect to never see each other ever again. They both grow extremely depressed about this, but then it turns out that Rama succeeded in performing the task that was required to be able to marry Sita (the task was lifting, bending, and stringing Shiva's bow). I decided to re-write this because I wanted to focus on Sita's emotions in the situation. I also wanted to re-write it because I felt like the original omitted a lot of personal reflections that Sita was probably dealing with, and I felt that it was important to address them. Also, from the original story I couldn't figure out exactly when it was revealed to Sita that it was actually Rama she was going to marry, so I just assumed it was the moment of the wedding.

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image Information: Sita and Rama from Flickr

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part B

Some of my favorite parts from part B:

• I loved the below lines because they're really unexpected. It's not something you see often in stories where there two people are respecting each other so well. Bharatha and Rama are arguing that the other should be king:

In a world where we are accustomed to rivalries over possession, authority, and borders, and people clashing over the issue, “Ours,” or “Mine, not yours,” it is rather strange to find two people debating whose the kingdom is not, and asserting: “Yours, not mine.”

• Time after time, Rama shows his good heart. Even after Kamavalli tries to seduce him over and over, he still says no. No matter what she offers him, he refuses. I love that his character is so golden and good, and that each tempting thing he encounters magnifies this. 
• Mareecha (Ravana's uncle) seems to be the wise Uncle Iroh (from A:TLA) kind of character. He has had to deal with Rama before and he knows that Rama can't be beat. So he tells Ravana to stay away from him, but Ravana refuses to accept this and convinces Mareecha to help him capture Rama (using the reasoning that Rama mutilated his sister so they should both want revenge). 
• Currently I'm thinking I could re-write one of these parts of the story. I'm really enjoying the story and characters, but the writing just feels dull. It could use some modernization and added color and creativity. 
• Mareecha lures Rama out of his cottage by taking the form of a golden deer that Sita wanted him to catch. When Sita is left alone, Ravana comes out to talk to her. 

~

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image Information: Bharata and Rama, with Lakshmana, Sita, and Hanuman (print by Raja Ravi Varma)

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part A

Some things I really liked about the Ramayana:

• I love that King Dasaratha is a good, kind king who is loved by his people. The text says he "ruled with compassion and courage."
• I love a good fatal flaw. Ravana asked for divine protection against gods, supernatural beings, and other non-human things, but he overlooked the thought that a human could ever beat him. So he never asked for protection against humans (or monkeys, which is what the text states Ravana will be defeated by). His arrogance could lead to his downfall, and a story is so perfectly born out of that!
• King Dasaratha was very reluctant to allow Viswamithra to take Rama, but finally agreed. It was obvious how painful this was for Dasaratha. 
• Sita and Rama. It was really fun how they were in love in a past life, and their reincarnated selves found each other again. I love that idea! I do think it drags on, so it could be a good writing exercise to re-write this one. 

~

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image Information: Sita and Rama from Flickr

Tech Tip: Twine

At first using Twine was extremely frustrating, but I guess that's just how getting used to anything is. Now that I've got the hang of it, I don't hate it as much (haha). I do love online interactive things, so getting to make one was a really interesting process. I don't think I'll want to write a Twine story for this class, but I might change my mind over time!

Some uses for Twine could be games we played as kids--you could create virtual versions of games like MASH, a paper fortune teller, etc. I think using Twines for very basic stories and games is a great use of the technology!

Tech Tip: Google Data

I had no idea I could (mostly) take control of my Google data until now. I hadn't even heard of My Activity before. I'm assuming they still keep tabs on us somehow, but knowing I have a little bit of control is reassuring. Our lives basically revolve around search engines nowadays, so it is important that we fully understand what we are signing up for when we use it. I personally just try not to think too hard about how my data is being used, though, so I know very little about it.

I do use a lot of Google services. Google search (of course), Gmail, Scholar, Blogger (another obvious one), and so many more that I'm probably not even aware belongs to Google. When I want to learn about topics like online privacy, I Google the topic (ha ha......the irony). Usually sites like Reddit have good information about the topic, but I've also seen major news companies discussing it.

Tech Tip: My Library

In My Library, I have added ABI/INFORM, EBSCO Collection, and Google Scholar. I use all three of these resources every single time I write a paper, so having them all in one place is so handy. It's so nice to be able to click on the links and immediately be taken to the page so I can start researching. I don't even have to worry about logging in to each individual site since it all goes through OU's login page. Super convenient!

My Library from OU's Libraries website

Famous Last Words: A New Semester

I know it is only two days into the semester, but since I finished the week 2 assignments, I thought it would be good to do a famous last words post. I love the idea of this because it is basically a journal entry to reflect!

I am pretty happy with how the work in this class is going so far. I got about as far ahead as I could, so now I can slow down if I need to. Also, I really enjoyed the reading this week. Even though it was just the introduction reading, it was a perfect foundation to help me get into the material. It gave a good preview of the kind of content we will be dealing with, and it definitely helped get my creativity flowing. I noticed a lot of the same writing elements in the India stories as I've seen in stories from other cultures. That is one thing I love about stories--no matter what story you are reading, there is going to be a pattern you have probably seen before or will see again. It is so exciting to see how the author will make the story unique even though they are using age-old writing tools, symbolism, etc.

As for my other classes, I am feeling very overwhelmed already. The reading for those courses is definitely not as fun as the reading for this one... I am starting to wish I had chosen a more creative major. Though Community Health is interesting, I am beginning to realize I have other interests I would rather pursue. Great timing (that's sarcasm), seeing as I'm graduating in December 2020 and need to rush to figure everything out by then.

On that topic, I'm actually looking around to see if any publishing companies will give me experience in any form. I'm taking a mental break from the pre-nursing track and am going to see if this publishing trail will lead me anywhere. I am very interested in the world of publishing currently, and I would love to be a part of the process that helps bring creative writing to life. So that is what I will be spending the next few weeks on (outside of school).

Anyways, I'm super excited to see everyone's storybooks! I'm so impressed by the creativity of the storybooks from previous semesters, and I'm sure that trend will continue!

~

Image info: The demon city of Lanka. The flying horse by W. Robinson. An image I liked from this week's reading!

Tech Tip: Google Define

I love that Google can be used as a dictionary. It makes defining words so easy. I still think learning how to use a dictionary is extremely important (my little brother is constantly fighting the urge to just "ask Alexa" what a word means rather than looking it up himself), but Google makes things so much faster. I definitely find myself constantly going to Google to define terms as I'm reading.

Here's a word I looked up: lackadaisical.

Tech Tip: Talking Owl

For this tech tip, I created an animated owl from fodey.com. I added in an owl joke from this website! I've never made something like this or used a similar website before but it's definitely fun!

Tech Tip: Kindle Highlights

I highlight passages all the time on my Kindle. I've always found it so frustrating to have to go back to the book and sift through all my highlights to find the one I'm looking for. I have an extremely old Kindle that doesn't have a touch screen so this makes it even more difficult. But this tech tip made me realize I don't have to do that! I had no idea there was an entire notebook online I could access with all of my highlights! I cannot believe I've been doing it the hard way all of these years... Here's a recent passage I've highlighted. Of course it's from Harry Potter.

"Yellow highlight | Page: 83
Harry did not really listen. A warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sunlight; a tight obstruction in his chest seemed to be dissolving. He knew that Ron and Hermione were more shocked than they were letting on, but the mere fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing words of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them."

Tech Tip: Animated Gif

I used gifmaker.me to make this gif of my dog, Yumi. I like the idea of using a gif maker to create a sort-of slideshow, rather than just a moving image!

~~~

Image info: Personal images of Yumi, 2019-2020

Tech Tip: Word Cloud

I used wordart.com, which proved to be really simple and fun. Instead of using an outside source, I just typed in a bunch of words of things that are important to me or make me happy. Here it is!

Tech Tip: Canvas Gradebook

The Canvas system is easily the best system I've ever used for academics. It is so easy to navigate, and I love the features in the grade book where you can see what-if scores. I also really love how you can see the highest and lowest scores in the class so that I know where I need to improve. My first semester at OU, professors were switching over from D2L. I remember only one of my courses used D2L and it was the most difficult course to understand. Canvas just makes everything simple and it's so user-friendly. Especially for this course, where I'm constantly trying to calculate how many points I need for the rest of the semester to finish when I want to, Canvas is so helpful.

Tech Tip: Browser Typing

This tool is definitely something I will be using from now on. I usually use Google Docs for my writing. It can be distracting to have a bunch of ads or tool bars in your way when all you want to do is type. All you need sometimes is a blank canvas, and anything else just distracts. There are certain websites made for this exact problem, and I used to use them all the time. But now I can just use the bookmarked blank page and type on there!

Topic Brainstorm

(I hope these aren't too vague! Since I don't know anything about Indian epics yet, I had a hard time being descriptive about how exactly I would apply the ideas. I'm just hoping I'll figure it out along the way.)

Idea 1: Harry Potter - I'm extremely tempted to do another Harry Potter storybook, where I take HP characters and apply Indian Epic plots/motifs to them. I just had so much fun with it last semester. I still have so many ideas, and my HP obsession is still as strong as ever. If I choose this idea, I might do a Parvati or Padma story this time to reflect the content of the class. Something from The Sons of Rama: Luv and Kush — The Invincible Twins could be applied to them. It could be really interesting to write a backstory for them based on that story. Another idea is that I could use the pensieve for all of the stories, or I could do something with Filch's files of past students and the chaos they've caused.

Idea 2: Museum or Pawn Shop - I had a super fun time with this story I wrote last semester, where I created a museum and put objects from the story on display to tell the story. I'm interested in the idea of using objects/memorabilia from Indian Epic stories and creating a virtual museum with them. I would tell each object's story on a "display card." Similarly, I could instead do a pawn shop where a character or a file tells a story through an item that has been sold to the shop. For example, there might be an object someone was desperate to get rid of. One story, for instance, could come from the jewels in Vasantasena, A Dancer and Her Most Precious Jewel. The display card, museum curator, merchant, etc. (whoever the storyteller is) would tell the story of Vasantasena through them. This gem would also be really interesting to write about here!

Idea 3: Standing trial in the afterlife - I would take a character and describe their story/stories through them defending themselves in an afterlife trial. They would try to get into heaven by telling a judge all the good things they had done and defending themselves for all of their bad actions. The judge would then decide if they were worthy of heaven. I'm not exactly sure if I could do this one since I'm sure many of the beings in Indian Epics are immortal or reincarnated, but it seems like a fun idea. I'm really interested in the afterlife and how people's lives are going to be measured, and I feel like writing about a normal court doesn't have enough of a consequence (compared to writing about a court in the afterlife, where the consequence is either eternal happiness or pain).

A story for this one could be from any character who has led a particularly bad life, or someone who has made a horrible mistake. The story of Krishna and Shishupala: He Was Forgiven a Hundred Times could be a candidate for this one.

Idea 4: Psychic reading / Fortune teller - For this one, characters would come in to the shop of a psychic or fortune teller (I'll have to do research to figure out what the difference is between those two...) and ask to have their future told. The psychic/fortune teller would tell the character's story through predictions and various psychic techniques (palm reading, crystal ball, tea leaves, etc.). The character would give their various reactions (anger, frustration, glee, etc.) throughout the reading, and the predictions would sometimes be very vague and nondescript. I'm interested in this idea because of the psychic characters in one of my favorite series The Raven Cycle, as well as Trelawney from Harry Potter (will I ever stop mentioning Harry Potter? Probably not, haha). Their ways seem so ludicrous but can actually lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. Also, psychic stuff is just fun. Subhadra: Beloved Sister of Krishna and Balarama could be used here. Krishna could seek out the psychic to solve the dilemma mentioned in the summary.

Psychic Shop image from Joel Kramer on flickr

Week 2 Story: The Timid But Reasonable Rabbit

Once upon a time, a rabbit woke up to a raucous noise unlike any he had ever heard before. Seeing as he had just vividly dreamt a nightmare wherein the ground split apart and the world gradually fell to pieces, he believed his dream to have been a vision that was now reality.

This piece of land must be where the end of the world is starting, he thought. He was so startled that he began to rapidly hop away from where the noise had come from.

A deer saw him and asked what he was doing.

Without stopping, the rabbit said, "The world is falling apart!"

The deer thought this silly at first but then decided he didn't have anything better to do, so he followed. The rabbit hopped and hopped, passing many other animals along the way. One by one, they asked what he was running from and decided it might be safer to join rather than doubt him.

The rabbit came to a grinding halt when a lion stood in its path.

"What is going on?" the lion asked. "Why is everyone running?"

The rabbit, adrenaline and fear driving him, said undoubtedly, "The world is falling apart back there!"

The lion rolled his eyes and looked at the other animals. "And why is it that you all believe this to be true?"

The other animals all said, "The rabbit told us!"

The lion looked back at the rabbit. "How are you sure of this?"

"If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself near the coconut tree," the rabbit said plainly. "I'm getting out of here."

The rabbit hopped away with half of the stampede following him still. The other half of the animals now had their doubts and stood around, watching the lion.

"I will go look, and then you will all see that it is careless to follow someone just because everyone else is." The lion then journeyed to the coconut tree.

But the lion never returned, for the moment he neared the coconut tree he fell deep into the fissure that had formed in the ground. The animals who waited for him ran yet again when the earth began to shake and the ground began to split open all around them.

~~~

Author's Note: I really liked the meaning of the original story (not doing something just because everyone else is doing it), but I also think that a lot of times the crowd is right, and it's better to follow them just to be safe. I decided to change the ending to fit this idea because I felt the rabbit deserved some sympathy. I do think it is important to do your own research and investigate things before following a crowd, but sometimes that's just not realistic in the situation. My ending is kind of dark...but at least it gets the point across!

Bibliography: Story source: Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Image Information:  "Steaming fissure" by John of Wirral is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Feedback Thoughts: Rejection and Self-Doubt

Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it - This article mentioned that a recent study showed that the part of our brain that responds to physical pain is the same part of the brain that responds to rejection. This has to do with our ancestors and how rejection from tribes could result in death. This makes so much sense considering how terrible the feeling of rejection is. It makes me realize that those of us who respond to rejection so poorly are not weak--we are just reacting instinctually. The article goes on to advise on ways to deal with rejection. One of my favorite tips is to "have zero tolerance for self-criticism." There really is no point in berating yourself--all it does it make you feel bad about yourself. Instead, we should work to compliment ourselves on what we did right, and learn from what we did wrong. 

Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work - One of my favorite tips from this article was to "treat your work like an experiment." If you have the mindset that your work has to be extremely successful and perfect the first time, that's way too much pressure and can set you up for failure. But if you think of your work as an experiment, you know that you can re-do it whenever you want if you mess-up. There is no striving for perfection, and the end result will potentially be better than anything you would've made with feelings of distress and pressure.

One of the most positive feedback experiences I've had was in the myth and folklore course I took last semester. I never felt attacked or rejected, and I constantly felt like I was improving. Everyone who gave me advice was kind about it and never made me feel bad about things I needed to change in my writing. 

The most negative feedback experiences I've had have been the ones where I am just handed a grade without any comments. I have no idea what I need to fix for future writing, so improvement is impossible. Feedback that has helped me grow in other aspects of my life has been the kind that is thoughtful and respectful. If anyone harshly suggests I do something, I am unlikely to change anything. I'm too stubborn to listen to anyone who speaks to me in a condescending way, so their feedback is always useless. Conversely, if a person speaks to me respectfully and kindly, I am much more inclined to listen to them. I do desire to constantly improve, and I take feedback very seriously if someone is kind about it. 

Feedback image from growth mindset memes blog

Tech Tip: HTML Link

I never understood how people were putting links in their comments on sites like blogger, but now this tech tip has taught me!

I have edited HTML before on Tumblr, but it wasn't that tech-y. I mostly just did it to make tiny adjustments to a pre-made layout.

Tech Tip: Typing Test

I feel like my typing speed in constantly changing, depending on how much time I've been spending typing. Last time I did a test, my speed was around 90 WPM. This time it was 116.33 WPM:

Results from keyhero.com typing test

This test was so short, though, that I decided to take another one. Here are the results from that:

Results from typingtest.com typing test

So I got 99 WPM with that one. I think I prefer the test from typingtest.com because it allows me to customize the test. I chose to do the one minute test where you type sentences (as opposed to words or just letters). 

Typing is really important, especially for those of us in online courses. I'm lucky enough to have started typing games in second grade, so I learned the skill from an early age. Not being able to type quickly can be frustrating because it takes so much longer to finish assignments. 

Tech Tip: Creative Commons Browser

In my opinion, the most tedious part about making posts last semester was finding images because you have to make sure they're okay to use (i.e. no copyright issues). I saw this tech tip for a creative commons browser extension and was intrigued immediately. It should make searching for and downloading images so much easier!

I just added the extension and searched for the first thing that came to my mind: an image of a dog. Here's what that looked like: 

I downloaded the second image and copied the attribution super easily! I will definitely be using this tech tip this semester. 

"A cute Dog 4" by Chen Vision is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Growth Mindset Cats: Change and Creativity

Despite what this growth mindset cat image says, I do fear the winds of change. I've never been good at accepting change when it happens, and it really slows things down for me. This image is a good reminder that change usually will happen whether you want it to or not, and I'm going to have to accept it at some point, so why not sooner rather than later?

People often underestimate or don't value creativity. This cat image below points out something so important that many people ignore--creativity is necessary for everything. Creative problem solving is used in almost every aspect of life, whether we realize it or not. To get to the moon, people had to be extremely imaginative and count every idea possible. This is a really great reminder that creativity isn't just for writers and artists, and exercising that part of your brain is beneficial to anyone.

Image Information

• Winds of change from Growth Mindset Memes blog
• Moon image from Growth Mindset Memes blog

Tech Tip: Favicon

My favorite tech tip last semester was the favicon--I loved seeing the little plant show up in the tab for my blog. This semester I chose a mountain (this one in particular) to reflect my love of nature and hiking. Something about mountains just make me happy so now every time I open my blog I'll feel a little happier. :)

Here's the super blurry version of it from the favicon.cc website!

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit - I really loved this story and the meaning behind it (which was that you shouldn't believe everything you hear, and just because everyone else is doing something doesn't mean you should too). It reminds me of the Telephone game I played as a kid. I loved the succession of it, and how the reader has a perspective that the characters don't. From the very beginning, the reader knows the earth is not actually breaking up and yet they just have to wait out the characters to figure it out.

The Monkey who Gathered Lotuses - I enjoyed this story because there was not a single moment in it where I knew what would happen. I couldn't tell if the ending would take the son or the father's side. I do think the beginning part of it drags on a bit, but the rest of it was really captivating. I like the twist where the ogre actually ends up helping the son. That aids in making the reader really understand how clever the boy is.

~~~

Bibliography:

• Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt.
• Tayodhamma Jataka in The Jataka: Volume 1 translated by Robert Chalmers.

Image Information:
Illustration by Ellsworth Young

Week 2 Reading Overview

My Ramayana for Week 3: I am choosing to read Narayan's Ramayana (reading guide here for my reference) because I prefer to read it in book form. Also, I prefer more readable literature. Otherwise I'll be re-reading sentences for hours and still not know what they say.

Comic books:

1. Savitri - I love stories about women who are defiant and refuse to let other people decide their future, so naturally I felt attracted to this comic book. I'm also interested in the end of the summary, where it says she has to face the God of Death. I'd really like to know what that will entail. 
2. Andhaka - According to the Amazon summary, this comic book is about Andhaka, whose story "traces the journey through fire that a soul must make before attaining liberation." If I understand it correctly, this is a transformation story of a man/being who learns how to be good. I absolutely love a transformation story (like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, or what Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter could have been), so this would be right up my alley. 
3. Aruni and Uttanka - The Amazon summary says this one is about a student/disciple who is trained more arduously by his teacher than the others because he has greater ability. I love this idea of a singled-out student/disciple who is obviously going to do great things but will have to face harsher challenges first, even if he/she doesn't understand why.

Videos:

1. Rama and the Ramayana: Crash Course World Mythology #27 - I'm very drawn to anything that will simplify unfamiliar topics, so obviously I was drawn to the Crash Course video for Rama. I know absolutely nothing about Indian epics (or Indian culture, for that matter), so I'm feeling kind of lost already. But I watched a few minutes of this video and it's definitely a good foundation for understanding the general subject matter of this course. 
2. Sacred Trees - Epified - I really love this idea of giving trees and nature so much meaning. The video talks about different types of sacred trees and what they are known for. For example, one tree helps to grant wishes. I am a huge fan of magical objects and stuff like this so it would be really fun to read more about these trees!

(Savitri and Satyavan from the Indian Epics Image blog)

I chose the above image based on the first comic book I mentioned. It's an image of Savitri, Satyavan, and (I'm assuming) the God of Death. I don't know much about the story but hopefully if I read it this semester then I'll learn more!

Time Strategies

For this assignment, I read Time Management Tips Just for Creatives by Amanda Oliver and Eat the Frog First Thing in the Morning by Thomas Oppong. 

In her article, Oliver gives various tips for managing time. My favorite is number one--"manage your energy, not just your time." This means that you should pay attention to how much energy you're putting into your tasks. For example, if you're putting a ton of energy into a low-value task, you just wasted energy that you needed for a high-value task. This is such a perfect tip that I have never heard before. Now that I think about it, most of my problems with time management revolve around the fact that I spend way too much time on stuff that doesn't really matter, and then I have nothing left in me to work hard on the high-value tasks. I'm definitely going to keep this in mind this semester. 

In his article, Oppong discusses tackling the task you least want to do and how you should do it first, before anything else in the morning. I found his tip of dividing your to-do list really helpful. Sometimes a to-do list can seem really overwhelming (like the image below--very in-your-face and alarming) and actually de-motivates me. His clear categories for dividing the list makes the tasks seem a lot easier to tackle. 

(Bulletin board from Wikimedia Commons)

I think my biggest time challenge will be allotting the right amount of energy to each task (as Oliver mentions in her article). I always try to put 110% into every little (and big) assignment, which leaves me incredibly burnt out, and it's just not healthy. I'm working hard on not worrying about everything being perfect, and I'm getting better, but I still have a ways to go. 

My time management strategy is usually to plan out my tasks and go back and forth from one difficult task to one easy task. When I'm feeling unmotivated, I either allow myself to take a break and re-visit the task later, or tell myself I'll only work on one minute of the task. More often than not, it is just the starting that I am dreading. That one minute turns into an entire assignment done. 

Thoughts on Technology Tools

The most helpful tool for me last semester was the word count extension. I ended up using it for other classes, too, and I have yet to delete it because it has been so useful. I also made a bookmarks folder for all of the Myth-Folklore course resources last semester, and I have already started one for this course. I referenced both of these tools weekly and am glad they were recommended to me!

I'm also glad I chose Blogger as my website platform because it has been so easy to use. Although I'm not a fan of the themes available, it's overall a lot easier to navigate than most other platforms. I haven't had any trouble with it and it seems that it'll stay that way.

That's pretty much it for my thoughts on the tech tools... I prefer to keep it simple. Otherwise I get so caught up in and confused by the technology that I forget about the importance of the content and writing.

(Patrick Technology image from BadBooksGoodTimes)

Thoughts on Assignments

I feel like I had a pretty good schedule by the end of this course last semester. At first I tried to plan everything out and work on the assignments on specific days, but then I realized I was happy enough to do the work in my free time so I finished most of it on Monday and Tuesday. I did leave a couple things for Friday, since I only had one class that day. I think that will end up being my schedule again, but I never really know until I start. I'm most excited to write stories again, though!

For this semester, I'm hoping to do 2-3 extra credit posts a week. I didn't get a very good head start on that last semester, and I now see how much better it would have been to do that. I'm really looking forward to the two new extra credit assignments. They seem really fun! Ever since I read Hemingway's six-word-story, I've been interested in microfictions. This extra credit assignment will be the push I need to finally write my own. Aside from that, I'll probably do some more tech tips and growth mindset posts. Also, I realized I never did the Back-Up and Review extra credit post because I always forgot to by the end of the week. Hopefully I'll remember to do a couple of those this semester.

(Goal image from growthmindsetmemes blog)

Growth Mindset: Ungrading

(Note: Since I already responded to the original prompt last semester on my other blog, I've chosen to do the returning-students prompt.)

My experience last semester in this class was a really positive one, and a lot of that is attributed to the fact that I knew exactly what grade I would get. I put in the work, and the outcome was what I worked hard for. It was such a good feeling knowing that my effort wouldn't be going to waste. (The amount of times I've dedicated a ridiculous amount of hours to a course but then don't end up with an A has really negatively affected me.) I think a lot of professors look down upon or fear giving out A's so "easily" because it might mean students won't work as hard. For me, it only pushed me harder because it meant I was able to actually focus on enjoying the process of writing and learning. There was no anxiety about getting anything less than I deserved. While the concept of ungrading might not work for a lot of classes, it definitely works for this one.

Grading has always felt kind of cheap to me. As Laura mentioned, it's extremely arbitrary. I've always wondered--aren't teachers there to help you learn? Not score you like you're in a competition and they're the judge? I remember in 9th grade, I got a 98% on an essay, but there was no feedback to indicate why it wasn't a 100%. I asked my teacher if he had any feedback so that I could improve and he said it was a great paper, and he had no comments. This really frustrated me because if there is room for improvement, I want to know. I obviously wasn't upset about the grade, but I was upset that I didn't get feedback. It just felt like I didn't actually learn anything.

The idea of ungrading is a really wonderful one, in my opinion. It gives students a responsibility. It builds trust and shows students that they are just as important in the process of their work as the teacher is. Grading has negatively impacted the self-esteem of so many people I know, and if we can change the system then I absolutely think we should. I do think every teacher should consider their class individually and decide the best grading (or, rather, ungrading) technique for their situation, because this system where the student picks the grade might not work for every subject. Still, how the teacher chooses to assign value to an individual can make an entire world of difference in how the student performs in the class.

If you can't tell, I'm a bit too passionate about the education system and could talk about it excessively. I'm really happy to see that people are looking into changing it, and I hope ungrading will one day be the norm.

(Feedback cat image from GrowthMindsetMemes blog)

Introduction to a Story Lover

Hello! My name is Brooke and I am a Community Health major. I am a senior and will graduate in Fall 2020. I am really excited about this course because I took Laura's Myth and Folklore course last semester and it was easily the best college course I have ever taken. It helped me get back into writing and made me realize that college classes can actually be fun. I learned about so many different stories in it, too!

Some things about me: I really enjoy reading, and recently my favorite series has been Harry Potter. I love it so much that I actually based my storybook last semester on it. I also love The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater and The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. I am trying to read 104 books this year so if anyone has any recommendations then I would love to hear them!

Some of my favorite shows are The Office, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Gravity Falls. If you can't tell, I really love comedy and cartoons. Both of those kinds of shows have brought me a lot of joy in the past, and I never seemed to outgrow cartoons like some people do. Aside from spending time reading and watching those shows, a lot of my time is spent taking care of my almost 2-year-old toy poodle, Yumi.

(Personal image of my dog Yumi, 2019)

I am currently pre-nursing, and I only have one more class to fulfill my prerequisites for nursing school, but I am not sure if that is where I will end up. My ultimate goal in life is to work for a publishing company like Penguin Random House or Bloomsbury, or create an animated/cartoon show. I'd also love to write a book at some point, and/or train service dogs. Whatever ends up happening, though, I just hope I'm helping others.

Good luck to everyone!

Storybook Favorites

Tales of the River Ganges: For this storybook, I really liked the design. Although it's simple, it's really easy to navigate and read through. The white background of the text boxes contrast really well with the off-white background. This is something that is super important to me when I'm reading things online--it needs to be easy to read and not distracting. I also loved how visual it was. The writing was extremely vivid and I could picture exactly what was intended. It made the story easy to follow.

Ganesha's Enchanted Journals: I absolutely love this storybook and the creativity of it! It's such a wonderful idea to tell stories through journal entries and customer interactions. I like the idea of one character writing in the journal and then another character commentating on that writing. I would love to do something like this. I love the store idea, too. It makes me want to possibly do something with a pawn shop. I also love that it speaks from a character's perspective. My storybook last semester was in third person because I typically prefer third person writing. In this case, though, I might have to make an exception. I've found that the first person storybooks are so much fun.

Diary from the Enchanted Journals storybook (originally from my-diary.org)

Karma: The Good Place: I absolutely adore The Good Place, so this storybook caught my eye immediately. The introduction does a great job of summarizing the show without being too overbearing. The idea of telling the story through a script and the characters' afterlife ordeal is a great one. I also really like all of the media added in. It helps to break up the text and make the experience more real. It feels like I'm actually watching it rather than just reading it.