Indian Epics

Reading A 1. The first Jataka is similar to the earlier one we read about a crocodile wanting to eat a monkey's heart. One difference is that in this story, it is a crocodile mother and son instead of a wife and husband. As in the first story, the monkey tricks the crocodile. 2. This is a retelling of when the turtle tricks the king and his court to be thrown into the water. 3. The third Jataka is about two merchants. One is fair and another is greedy. The needy merchant tires to swindle an old women for her golden bowl, but his efforts are thwarted by his own arrogance and the honesty of another merchant. 4. This is another retelling of the Jataka tale about the turtle who is carried by the geese, but plummets to his death because he cannot keep his mouth shut. 5. This is a story of an ox and his owner that teaches the value of treating one another with respect. 6. In this tale, a band of travelers discard of their water because they think they are nearly out of the desert. ...

Recently, I have been struggling to finish all of my work for this class on time. Largely, this is due to the fact that my schedule is so flexible this semester that I have been procrastinating horribly. This is a good opportunity to review my schedule. In the future: I should try to have Reading A and my storybook written on Monday. I hate taking reading notes, so lately I have been skipping Reading B. On Wednesday, I should focus on writing/editing my project story and doing the extra credit necessary to make up for skipping Reading B. On Friday, I need to do blog commenting and project feedback. Hopefully this new schedule will help me stay on track. Losing track of time

Meme I like this meme because it shows the value of teamwork.  Growth Mindset Meme I like this meme because it is about the idea that patience and taking time to gain valuable experience is necessary before you can get your "dream job".  Growth Mindset Meme I like this meme because it shows that the more experiences you gain, the more your perspective evolves and allows you to gain new insights.

For this week's story lab I explored the blog, Advice to Writers. The homepage opens to a quote from TS Eliot. Immediately intrigued, I know I am going to like this blog. The quote is actually a joke and I'm left feeling disappointed. I decide to jump to an quote entitled, "Writing is Hard Work, Not Magic." This quote is attributed to Suze Orman and is about defining the motivation behind why you are writing. I like that. Someday I want to be an author. Before I write my novel, whatever it will be about, I need to decide the message and meaning behind the intent of the book. Neil Postman poses the question, "What Could Be Stranger than Writing?" Anthropologists call literary works a conversation that is both simultaneously held with no one and with everyone. I think that that is very poetic. "Words Are to Be Taken Seriously," declares a quote in large red type. Toni Cade Bambara explains that words set things in motion and conjure images and ...

There is a tyrant king names Kansa and a prophecy to destroy him The 8th child of the king's sister and his best friend will kill the tyrant king So Kansa casts the two into the dungeons of his palace and kills all of their children Their child, Krishna, is a version of Vishnu The father of Krishna sneaks out and replaces Krishna with a cowherd's daughter The cowherds rejoice that their daughter has now become a son (this is sexist) The king knew he had been foiled and sent out messengers to kill all newborn babies He sends demons Krishna kills the demon sent to kill him with one touch Krishna kills another demon Krishna kills another demon, this one took the form of a hurricane Krishna is a mischievous child so his father ties a long rope around him to keep track of him He accidentally tears down two trees, releasing the spirits trapped in their trunks Krishna is loved by all Krishna comes across a cave that has swallowed all of the cows and his friends ...

If you asked Yudi, the night was still young. Rhythmic, thumping music filled the room around him. It was carried along with the hushed and hurried voices of the other players. He sat at a grandiose oak table covered in a rich green velvet. At his table were six other men dressed in their best suits and ties. A few puffed on cigars; others swirled their glasses of scotch. All of them eyed Yudi. "I'll meet that bet." Yudi sneered as he met each of the other players' gazes. "And I'll raise you $1000." The table erupted. Three of the players slammed down their hands and yelled at Yudi. "You're bluffing. You have to be kidding." A chorus of disbelief broke out. Finally, a slender and haughty young man raised his scotch glass and simply declared, "Enough." The table fell silent once more. This man was Dura and he was the fiercest poker player that had every set foot in the lounge. Dura and Yudi glared at each other across the ta...

To me, a genius is someone who asks the right questions, works hard, acknowledges their weaknesses and works to overcome them. They're creative, kind, and self-aware. Here is a graphic I made on Photoshop:

The first story is very clear and easy to understand Duryodhana is jealous of the Pandavas I didn't realize Draupadi has emerged from a sacrificial fire Story varies slightly from the first version I read Story of Hidimbi is always told differently Draupadi becomes the wife of all of the Pandavas Arjuna is exiled and goes on many adventures Bhima kills Jarasandha in the wrestling match by tearing him in half and then frees the captive kings. Yudhishthira is fond of gambling, but unskilled, while Shakuni is a skilled gambler. Yudhishthira will not be able to refuse a challenge to play.  King Dhritarashtra grants Draupadi a boon. She asks that he free Yudhishthira. He grants her another boon, and she asks for the freedom of Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. Dhritarashtra also returns all that Yudhishthira lost in the gambling match, which outrages Duryodhana Again, Yudhishthira cannot refuse, and again he loses, so the Pandavas must go into exile in the forest. Did no...

1. So far I am proud of my writing for this class. I really enjoy this outlet to be creative and grow in my writing abilities. I do not have a great weekly schedule right now because I just started a new job and its thrown my whole schedule out of whack. I've been using the Growth Mindset extra credit options and the Learning by H.E.A.R.T extra credit options. Not only have they been a great way to make up points. but I've learned a lot and even found a new blog I like: Writers Write. I really enjoy creating and tailoring both my blog and my project website. 2. For the second half of the semester (are we really half-way through?) I want to be more organized and motivated. I love this. Web Source.

1. Overall, I would say the feedback I am receiving has been both positive and helpful. I prefer the blog comments because they are more conversational. They are a great way to hear how other students in the class share the same interests as you. 2. I think I have been giving great feedback... but I'm biased. 3. As tedious as blog commenting is, it is very cool to see the wide array of personalities in this class. 4. Looking forward, I need to continue to try to provide helpful and positive feedback. Web Source

Overall, this class has been going well. I have found the reading more challenging this semester. I think it is a combination of both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata being so long and the public versions so disjointed. I have enjoyed writing stories about these characters. This semester, I've taken more advantage of the extra credit opportunities. So far, I really like my project. It is so fun to tell a story in a way it has never been done. I've enjoyed being creative with the use of GIFs as the background of my stories. I think my biggest accomplishment was my story Sita Sings Pop. It was really fun to write and came out really well (at least in my {very biased} opinion). I also really enjoyed the video that inspired this story, Sita Sings the Blues. I hate taking reading notes. In the future, I just need to keep track of due dates and not fall behind. Image from the Mahabharata. Wikipedia .

I'm excited for this challenge! Over the next week, I'm going to document one thing that makes me happy each day. I write in my agenda every day. So I think this will be the best way to keep track of small happy things each day! Next Thursday, I'll come back to this blog post and write about each day of the week! Friday- I worked at LOFT. A birthday party of older women came in and they were so sweet and fun to help shop! Saturday- I went to one of my favorite brunch places, Neighborhood Jam. They have great food and they make an  incredible  London Fog. The use a lavender syrup and a lemon peel to top it all off. It's a fantastic drink that makes me very happy. Sunday- Sundays are my favorite days. I go to the early service at Victory Family church. Then I make myself some sunny-side up eggs and toast on sourdough. And then I usually study the rest of the day. Monday- I had work again and then had a really productive day! Productivity makes me happy. Tuesday- I h...

I wanted to learn some more about Growth Mindset, specifically motivation! Motivation has been something I've been struggling with now that I'm a senior. I've come down with a bad case of senioritis. The article I read was " How to turn on the part of your brain that controls motivation " There is a cluster of neurons that influence motivation in the middle of the brain in a region called the ventral tegmental area You can use an fMRI to see the activity in your brain The fMRI showed that 'pumping yourself up' lighted up the area in the brain Ultimately this article wasn't very helpful. I was hoping it would have the secret to motivation, but it just had an interesting experiment. A Brain. Web Source

Urvashi, Urva for short, knew that she was beautiful. She was made to be! She was a divine creation, born of the sea and crafted by the gods. Her skin was that of the softest clouds. Her hair sparkled like sun rays. She had eyes that rivaled the beauty of lotus flowers. Her beauty was unparalleled to any woman on earth... ... but in Swarga, Indra's celestial city, she looked exactly like the hundreds of other aspara women mass produced in the Heavenly Brides Inc. factory. Asparas were Swarga's number one export. They were practically the entire basis for the thriving economy of the city. Heroes, gods, and gandharvas from across the heavens made their way to Swarga to claim their faultless brides. Urva's model was the latest and most desired. Urva spent her days prancing around the city, flaunting her looks and trying to attract the attention of potential suitors. She was quite good at pursing her lips and widening her eyes to fain interest as her prospective husbands r...