Reflections

I loved this class. Before this semester, I knew virtually nothing about the Indian epics. I found this class to be so interesting and I loved learning about all the different gods and goddesses, especially since I knew nothing before.

The main thing that I learned from this class was how to tell a story. It was always fun to be able to rewrite the stories that we read to make them just the way we wanted. There were numerous times that I would just think "I hate that it ended that way" or "I think that should have gone differently" and then I was able to change the things that I didn't like.

I think that this class is so beneficial. I got to learn about something that is completely different than anything that I know. My major is psychology so there doesn't tend to be much room for complete creativity. I'm glad that I decided to take this class.

I have to say that the thing that I am most proud of would be my storybook. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope that others like it as much as I do. I feel like I worked really hard on it, so its nice that I finally added the last story. I still have one more round of editing the story, and then a final edit for my storybook, but so far I think its going really well.

Smiley faces on the moon. Source: tumblr

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