Famous Last Words: Week 13

Your reading for this week.
I didn't do a reading but I watched the videos Pattanaik. Week 2 Videos. I watched both parts of the videos and I think they are so interesting. The main things that I learned was what each god and goddess stand for. It also explained what they are known for. I thought it was a really good addition to the reading because it gave me more information about the gods and goddesses than the epics did. I think my reading diary worked out well. I focused on what I found to be the most interesting.

Your best writing for this week.
I did my writing at my house, mostly on my couch. (I love having a laptop). I didn't write anything of interest for this class. I didn't do the storytelling for this week due to lack of writing topic. I just couldn't figure out which story I wanted to retell and how I wanted to do it so I skipped it. I do think that this class is helping me with my writing in other classes. It just gives me more confidence in my writing which helps me in my other classes.

Your other classes.
My other classes are going quite well. It is getting close to finals time so I am getting a little overwhelmed, especially since I am graduating in a couple weeks. I am finding I am so close to the finish line but so many things to do beforehand. Finals, papers, group presentation, etc. So many things left to do!

Outside of school.
It was Thanksgiving this week! I got to eat at my family's house and then I went Christmas shopping after with my sisters and mother. It was a good week overall. I'm just a little slow moving with the school stuff. Just ready for the holidays! I love Thanksgiving.

Turkey. Source: Cafepress

Tech Tip: Pinterest Research

For this week's tech tip, Pinterest Search and Pin Pages, I searched for more pins to add to my pinterest. Since it has been icy for the past couple of days, I have had to find activities to entertain my children. So I began by searching Children. This gave me many options so I clicked on activities. This also gave me many options so I chose indoor. This showed me exactly the items that I was looking for.

There are so many indoor activities for children to do to keep them entertained on days like these.


Kids Activities Blog

 

This blog had so many cool things for kids to do. I will definitely keep these in mind for the next rainy day.

Reading Feedback: Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos

Reading Review- Pattanaik. Week 2 Videos.

How and why did you choose your reading selection? Are you happy with the choice?
I chose these videos because I had already watched the week 1 videos and wanted to hear the rest of it.

What part of the reading made the biggest impression on you and why?

I just really enjoyed watching these. In the readings for class, I only got a small sense of the gods and goddesses and I liked how this went into more detail about what they represent and what the different pictures of them mean.

 

Was there anything in the reading you did not understand? Did you do any research on your own to find answers to your questions?

I felt like I was able to understand everything in the video. It did a good job of explaining everything.

 

Did the reading come with a Reading Guide? If so, was the Reading Guide helpful? If there was not a Reading Guide, would it help to have one?

The reading guide for these were very helpful. It let me focus on the video and helped me to be able to find the information that I needed for the reading diaries.

 

How much time did you spend on the reading? (The goal is for the A/B together to take about 3 hours; it's the equivalent of going to class.)

I spend a little over an hour with the videos.

 

What specific format did you use? (Some options are available in multiple formats, e.g. print book or audio book.)

I used my laptop to view the videos.

 

Vishnu. Source: Wikipedia

 

Week 13 Reading Diary B: Pattanaik. Week 2 Videos

For this week, I decided to watch Pattanaik. Week 2 Videos. Here are the things that I found to be interesting in these videos.

Vishnu's Secret Part 2:

"If Ram is about laws and appropriate conduct, Krishna is about love and affection. While Ram focuses on discipline and the head, Krishna focuses more on affection and the heart."
I feel like a lot of these are talking about the gods that are opposites of each other. Just as Shiva is the opposite of Vishnu, Ram and Krishna are the opposite of each other too. I notice that a lot with these epics. A god will represent something but there always seems to be another god that represents the opposite. It is as if everything in life has a purpose and a god that represents it.

Brahma's Secret Part 1:

"...creation happens for a reason, and Brahma forgets that reason, which is why he is declared unworthy of worship."'
I think that it is sad that even though Brahma is considered responsible for creation, that he is deemed unworthy anyways. It appears that he has no idea who he is and keeps chasing different parts.

"As a human being one is blessed with the ability to reflect on existence and think about its meaning. This reflection leads to self-discovery."
I found this quote to be quite interesting. I never thought that human's curiosity would be considered a blessing, but I guess it does make sense.

Brahma's Secret Part 2:

One image shows Vishnu rescuing an elephant. The elephant represents man who believes that the purpose of life is to gain fame, wealth and power. Vishnu is rescuing man from this incorrect way of thinking and from the pain and misery that this thinking causes.

Screenshot that I took from the video. It shows Vishnu rescuing an elephant from an alligator.

Week 13 Reading Diary A: Pattanaik. Week 2 Videos

For this week, I decided to watch Pattanaik. Week 2 Videos. Here are the things that I found to be interesting in these videos.

Devi's Secret: Desire and Destiny Create Life:

I felt bad for the goddess Kanyakumari. She was supposed to marry Shiva but the rooster crowed and caused Shiva to mistake the time and he returned home. She was so upset. I can't imagine being all prepared for your wedding day, only to have the groom not show up. That would be devastating! I find it so interesting, though, that the different colors of the sea and sands in India are multicolored because of her.

"As a bride, she is love; as a warrior, she is power"
This quote about Durga is awesome. It shows that she doesn't have to fit into one category but that she is able to be both love and power.

Vishnu's Secret: Detached Engagement Brings Order:

The differences of Vishnu and Shiva are described in great detail. It appears that in most aspects, they are complete opposite. Shiva stays still with eyes closed while Vishnu is shown with eyes open and looks as though he is participating in the world. Shiva is shown in darkness while Vishnu is shown in light.

Screenshot taken by me showing Shiva and Vishnu side by side.

Famous Last Words: Week 12

Your reading for this week.
For my reading diaries this week, I watched week 1 of the video that was emailed to us, Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos . I watched both parts for this week and I really enjoyed it. I learned so much about the gods and goddesses that I didn't know before. It helped me to understand more about the Indian epics. I am happy with my reading diary strategy. I mainly write what stuck out the most to me and parts that I liked. There were many quotes that I really enjoyed from this reading, so I put some of those in my blog post.

Your best writing for this week.
I was actually not that fond of my writing for this week. I just felt like I couldn't get the words right and so I am a little disappointed in it. I tried something different with my storytelling post and I am still not too confident that it turned out okay.

Other people's writing.
I can't think of the specific people's writing that I liked but I do love how everyone in the class seems to have a unique style of writing. Its really cool to see all the different ways that people can change the same story. I think everyone's writing is improving so much as we are ending this class and its cool to see how far everyone has come since you can read their very first story and then compare it to now.

Your other classes.
My other classes are going pretty good. The main connections that I am finding are that the more that I write in this class, the more my writing is improving in my other classes. The feedback is so helpful to let me know where my weaknesses and strengths are and this helps me with my other classes.

Outside of school.
I feel like there is not much of my life that exists outside of school right now. With the semester only having a few weeks left, I am noticing that school is taking up a huge portion of my time.

Clock for those of us who are always late. Source: Etsy

Week 12 Storytelling: The Elephant Head Child

Pam was lonely. She had wanted a child for so long but her husband, Steven, never wanted children. She begged and begged for him to have a baby with her but his answer was always the same.

"I think that I was made to be a mother," Pam told Steven. She knew what his answer would be but she needed to continue to try.

"You know that I don't want children, Pam," Steven answered her. "We have discussed this before. The answer is still no."

Devastated, Pam decided to take a walk. She continued to walk until she came across a baby. She couldn't believe it. This was finally her chance to become a mother. She didn't need Steven's permission.

She cradled the baby into her arms and walked him home. She was relieved when she saw that Steven's car wasn't in the driveway. She took the baby inside and rocked him to sleep.

Steven walked in on Pam in the rocking chair.

"What are you doing, honey?" He asked. He walked calmly to where Pam was sitting. He looked into her arms and realized that she was rocking a baby doll.

"I'm rocking our new baby." Pam replied, with a smile on her face.

Steven was so confused. What was Pam thinking? Did she seriously think that this joke would make him want to have a real baby. Angrily, he grabbed the doll from Pam and threw it across the room. Pam screamed when she saw the doll's head pop right off of the body. She began to cry hysterically.

It was at that moment that Steven realized just how sick his wife actually was. She genuinely thought that the baby was real and he knew that he needed to find a way to fix it. He grabbed his wife and walked her to the bedroom.

"I'm so sorry, Pam." he said. "I will fix the baby. I promise you that he is fine."

Pam laid down and closed her eyes. She knew that her baby was going to be okay. Steven would make sure of it. He was going to be such a good daddy.

Steven looked at the head of the doll. He had thrown it so hard that the head was unsalvageable. He went to the garage and found a stuffed elephant. He took the head of the elephant and attached it to the doll.

He laid the doll next to Pam. He would let her take care of the doll and he would continue to take care of her, no matter how sick she was. He could pretend that the doll was a baby. He would do it if it meant that Pam would be happy.

Ganesha. Source: Tumblr

Author's note: I based this story off of the birth of Ganesha from the video Ganesha's Secret. In the video, it describes how Ganesha was born. Parvati scrubbed a paste off of her body and used it to make a doll. She breathed life into the doll and it became her child, Vinayaka. Shiva, Parvati's husband, did not know that the boy was the child that Parvati created and he beheads the boy. After seeing how devastated Parvati was about the boy's death, Shiva attached an elephant head to the boy's body to bring him back to life. The boy with the elephant head was renamed Ganesha. I wanted to change the story to be a bit more modern and more realistic. Since it wouldn't be realistic for the elephant head boy to be real, I had Pam have a psychotic break and think that the doll that she found was a baby. I also wanted her husband to be supportive of this fact after he realizes that she thinks the doll is real so he fixes it and decides that he is going to let his wife continue to care for this doll as if it was a real child.

Reading Feedback: Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos

Reading review- Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos

How and why did you choose your reading selection? Are you happy with the choice?
I chose the videos because they were emailed to us and I really enjoy watching the videos. I feel like it gives me a break where I can just relax and watch.
What part of the reading made the biggest impression on you and why?
I think that the explanations of what the different gods and goddesses represent made the biggest impression. It is much more complex than I realized.

Was there anything in the reading you did not understand? Did you do any research on your own to find answers to your questions?
I feel like the videos were explained very well.

Did the reading come with a Reading Guide? If so, was the Reading Guide helpful? If there was not a Reading Guide, would it help to have one?
There was a reading guide for the videos that took notes over the video. This helped me because I could really pay attention to the videos and I could look at the notes to see the different quotes. This helped me to better structure my reading diaries.

How much time did you spend on the reading? (The goal is for the A/B together to take about 3 hours; it's the equivalent of going to class.)
Each portion of the videos was about an hour long so the total thing took me around 2 hours.

Screenshot of Shiva from the videos.

Week 12 Reading Diary B: Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos

For this week, I watched the videos that were emailed to us as the options for this week, Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos .

Ardhanari's Secret: God is Stillness Within, Goddess is Movement Around:

"The Upanishads, ancient Hindu scriptures dating to 500 BCE, constantly refer to these two truths: a truth which changes and a truth which does not change."

This quote caught my attention. It uses the examples of in movement, we seek stillness and in sound we seek silence. I think this is so true. We have the truth and then we have the truth that we wish to seek. I think this is so cool.

Ash represents permanence and snow represents is water that is still. These represent the unchanging truth. These are what are used in many of the paintings to represents this.

Shiva's Secret: Withdrawal Leads to Destruction:

Part 1
Shiva is the destroyer and our understanding would have us believe that all of this happens out of anger. Shiva is represented in the images as calm. The problem lies in our understanding. I have noticed that our understanding has a lot to do with the misinterpretation in the epics. We think of something as one thing when it can also represent something else.

Screenshot of Shiva from the video

Shiva destroys things by closing his eyes. He doesn't become an observer. I think this is so interesting. I love the contract

 

Part 2

 

Screenshot of Shiva carrying Sati's dead body.

 

 

Sati's death lead Shiva to destroy out of anger. This photo above shows how Shiva reacts to Sati's death which is unusual for him because he normally doesn't react to external stimulus.

The goddess causes Shiva to open his eyes. This just made me think of the fact that the gods can't exist with out the goddesses. They are the two sides that have to be present in order for things to happen. This reiterates what was said in the earlier videos.

Tech Tip: Pinterest Board

For this week's tech tip, I decided to make a Pinterest board for this class. I already have a Pinterest account so I am pretty familiar with how it works. I really enjoy Pinterest. There are so many different things that you can look at and it is also a great way to save websites and other things that you find interesting.

You can find my Pinterest board HERE.

Screenshot of my Pinterest Board. Pretty bare so far but I'll get there.

Week 12 Reading Diary A: Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos

For this week, I watched the videos that were emailed to us as the options for this week, Pattanaik. Week 1 Videos


Ganesha's Secret: People See God Differently:

The first thing that stuck out to me in this video was  the race between Ganesha and Karikeya. Kartikeya just went around their parents and said

 "You went around the world. I went around my world. Tell me, which world matters more?"

I think that this is an amazing perspective that I never would have thought of. They both traveled around what they believed to be the world, even though they both had a different conclusion of what that meant.

Another part of the video that caught my attention was the image at the end that showed Shiva holding Ganesha. After learning that Shiva, a hermit, didn't want children but his wife did, it is interesting to see the image of him holding a child. He was the one who originally killed the child that his wife created and then replaced the head because his wife was upset. This makes the picture stick out so much because it looks like they have a connection.


Narayan's Secret: What Dies Is Always Reborn:

The Hindus believe in rebirth. I think this is quite fascinating. It removes the sense of urgency in this life that other religions feel. I think the picture below is a great example of this belief. A person, according to the Hindus religion, does not have to be defined by one life because they live numerous ones. I find this so interesting.



Screenshot taken by me which shows the many lives that Hindus believe people live.

 

"Does our world exist when we are in a deep slumber?"
Obviously the actual world continues to exist for us. Our sleep does not affect time but this is an interesting question that I feel ties into the first video of what we consider to be 'our world'. If our world consists of other people, then it would still exist when we are sleeping. If we consider our world to be solely us, then it would not exist while we are sleeping. I found this quote to be quite fascinating to me.

Week 11 Reading Diary A: Dharma. Ramayana Week 1 Reading A

For this weeks reading, I read Week 1, Reading A of Dharma. Ramayana, I found the prologue to be of the most interest to me.

Prologue- What made this story so interesting to read was all the background information that it gave about Ravana. In the other epic, all we knew was that Ravana had been cursed so that he could not rape any woman. This prologue actually went into detail about how he came to have that curse. He attacked his nephew's wife and so his nephew put that curse on him because it was the only revenge that he could get against such a powerful rakshasa. I really enjoyed how it focused so much on Ravana. The other epics only told pieces of Ravana's story and this went into great detail. I was able to understand why Ravana was able to obtain such powers. It also showed that he had only wanted immunity from gods and didn't worry about humans because he was so cocky. This was the reason why he was undefeatable to the gods but a human was able to defeat him. It was so interesting to get that much background into his story.

Ravana mask.

Google Timer Tech Tip

I have never really thought about using a timer for task management. I think that it is a great idea though. I remember hearing that our attention spans are only good for about 30 minutes per subject and then you are supposed to take a break and then work on another subject. I think that the time would be perfect for this. I usually time myself but even just looking at the clock takes my concentration away from what I am doing. This timer would be a very helpful tool when it comes to task management.

I am taking a large course load so I usually have numerous subjects to work on and study everyday. I think that using the timer could help me to stay on task and really focus for a set amount of time. I really like the idea of a timer.

Quote. Source: sliptalk