Review: Inspiring Quotes

I didn't really know about TinyBuddha.com until I saw the class announcements. Here's my favorite announcement post from this week.

"You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. Be kind to yourself."

Source: Learning by HEART.

Famous Last Words: Pain is Real

This week, I didn't write a story, but I planned for one. I think my story next week will be interesting since I'll have some time to think it through. Fingers crossed :)

One of my wisdom teeth started growing this week, and I am in serious pain. I guess there's a reason why we don't remember teething as a baby because, boy, it must have been a pretty traumatic experience. I wonder why it is that wisdom teeth cause such pain when growing in, yet other adult teeth don't cause any. Unfortunately, I won't get to take out my tooth or go to the dentist's office until Monday, so I have to wait another two days while being unable to eat or close my mouth. I think my teeth are also moving because they are definitely not in their correct relative positions. I just pray that I can get this over with and go back to eating yummy foods. The last time I went to the dentist office, I needed to get a cleaning and some fillings done, so they had to numb my mouth. Little did I know that it would make my smile all messed up. I went home afterwards and my dad kept laughing at me. A trip to the dentist's is always so fun.

I think I mentioned in another one of my FML posts that a lot of my classes are presentation-based this semester and how much I abhor presentations. However, I think I am improving and becoming less nervous when it comes to presentations. I'm not sure if it's because I'm becoming more confident at talking or if it's just because I'm more comfortable with my classmates. Either way, it's getting easier and better and I hope that it keeps continuing down that trajectory!

How I look after a visit to the dentist's office. 

Source: Relatably. 

Feedback Focus

Out of the three strategies, I think their usefulness to most to least is: Reading Out Loud, Copy-and-Delete, and then Use a Timer. I think reading out loud was great for me because it forced me to slow down to notice the author's style and little details. Most of the time, since college, I've grown accustomed to speed-reading, which makes me only pick out relevant information and miss out on the little minute aspects. At first, I thought copy and delete would have been the most useful to me, but I found that when I did that, it made me become more distracted and forget things when I moved onto the next paragraph. I have tried slowing down when I'm reading before and if I'm feeling really jovial, I'd try to read out loud, but not very often since I like doing things speedily. I think a good way of reading is to read everything and then try to summarize what you've been reading. My favorite story was "Zoology 1114." The author did a great job in making it easy to read and relatable because it was about an OU class that I have taken!

Screenshot of Bailey's Story. 

Screenshot by me.

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues Part B

Notes: 

• I found that it was rather interesting that they had an intermission in this! It made it kind of funny because something like this doesn't even need an intermission.
• In addition to that, the "actors" were just walking around chilling with each other.
• Going through this little movie, I didn't know that the little story in the background between Nina and Dave was based on the creator's own love story. 
• I guess that's why she made the ending so sad for Sita and Rama 
• For a man who claimed to love Sita so much, why did Rama want her to be banished 
• The animation of where Sita sleeps in the bed with Rama and it was snowing, it really shows that he was giving her the "cold shoulder"
• the animation really shows the jealous part of humanity really well whenever Rama was thinking that Sita had slept with Ravana and got pregnant so much so that he was making up his own reality 
• I guess Sita had been the one who had recounted the tale of Rama that made the Ramayana? 
• OMG THE TWIN'S PRAISE OF RAMA SONG IS SO CATCHY
• the argument between the narrators about Sita's unconditional love was hilarious too 
• because in reality, I feel like men and women see from different perspectives, which is shown really well here
• The ending where she was swallowed my Mother Earth was honestly kind of depressing
• made me lose faith in love
• maybe I should write a sad love story now

Picture of Rama crying because he lost Sita. 

Screenshot by me. Source: Sita Sings the Blues.

Learning Challenge: Happiness Jar Post

In order to develop my own happiness, I want to make my own "happiness jar" in blog form. For each day of the week, I would like to add one thing that has made me happy.

Feb. 8, 2017 Day 1: I am on an event committee for my sorority and today we had a meeting to plan for an event coming up in March. After the meeting had ended, all the members of the committee willingly stayed behind to have a really nice conversation and bond for an extra hour. I really liked it because I'm naturally a homebody and reluctant to go out unless I really have to, so it was nice to just chitchat about everything and nothing for a while. This sounds really sad, like I'm a hermit or something, but I'm really not... well not that much... I just enjoy little things like that.

Feb. 9, 2017 Day 2: I slept in an extra 1.5 hours this morning!

Happiness Jar directions image. 

Source: Learning by HEART.

Growth Mindset: Developing Your Brain

"You are the architect of your brain." Meme

Source: Growth Mindset Cats.

I came across this meme Laura made and I proceeded to read the post that came along with it. There was some really interesting concepts brought up by the images so I wanted to share them in this post. The brain is very flexible and how it works is largely unknown to researchers, yet we are still trying to uncover its secrets.

It seems that as we grow older, the synapses that are unused are lost. Thus, if we don't use some neurons of our brain, we lose the pathway that it sends information to! However, neurogenesis can happen up until we're 72 years old (WOW. Most people don't even survive that long.) You can always learn something new or restructure your brain. DON'T EVER GIVE UP.

Wikipedia Trails: from Chimera to Elysium

1. Chimera
• A hybrid creature in greek mythology 
• able to breathe fire and located in Asia Minor
• usually depicted as a lion with a goat head on its back and a tail that ends with a snake's head 
• is the sibling of Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra
2. Lernaean Hydra
• serpentine monster in greek and roman mythology 
• located in lake of Lerna, the entrance to the underworld 
• possessed many heads that would regenerate 
• had poisonous breath and blood that even the scent was fatal
3. Greek underworld
1. the place where souls go after death 
2. has a few main rivers
1. the styx, representing hatred
2. the archeron, representing pain
3. the lethe, representing forgetfulness
4. the phlegethon, representing fire
5. the cocytus of wailing
6. the Oceanus that encircles the world
4. Elysium
1. the place where souls that were related to gods and other heroes go to rest 
2. it was the place where the dead who were righteous, heroic, and chosen by the gods could remain after death to live a happy and blissed life
3. basically, paradise

Art of a hydra. 

Source: Animal-Dream.

Storytelling: Ravana's Past

When I was watching "Sita Sings the Blues" on YouTube, I noticed the narrators mentioned that the only thing that Ravana did wrong was to steal Sita. Even though that was his main fault, the story paints Ravana as a terrible person and readers have no sympathy towards him. In other aspects, he was a rather good rakshasa. Apparently, he even prayed to Shiva all the time too. I really want to write a story from his point of view so that the readers will sympathize with him more. I think this will give the story more background on Ravana and his motivations because the original story didn't give much of a backstory to him at all.

Idea: I want the setting to be in a counselor's office or something after the Ramayana ends, where he is said to become "pure of heart." Here, he will recount the reasons why he stole Sita and it will be for a reason that others can sympathize with. Maybe have it as how his current wife was an arranged marriage while he wanted to believe in true love instead? Or that instead of him lusting after Sita, he was enraptured by her talent in singing and wanted her to sing for him (for all of time)?

Research:

• Ravana was a half-Brahmin and half-demon
• His name means "one who screams" because he lets out blood-curdling screams when in agony
• He was a stupendous fighter and an expert in astrology
• He sought immortality and sought thousands of years of penance
• He acquired a boon from Lord Brahma in that no god or demon could ever kill him
• He is a devotee of Lord Shiva
• he cut one of his heads off every year to show his devotion to Shiva
• shiva later accepted his devotion when all except one of his heads was cut off

Sources: https://wiralfeed.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/facts-about-ravana/

Digital drawing of Ravana.

Source: WiralFeed Blogspot.

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues Part A

I really have to say, starting out, the artwork is marvelous. I like that the peacock became the record player. Oh.. that was the intro. Looks like the scene opens onto a modern couple with a very displeased cat.

I think the idea that the storytellers are similar the Muses from Hercules is very good. I like that, however, the information they present is confusing. Such as when they had to clarify how many wives the king had or what place Ravana ruled over. I also thought it was inaccurate that they portrayed Soorpanaka, but didn’t tell her whole story—that she was obsessed with Rama, which was why she tried to make Ravana take Sita. The part where she described Sita to Ravana was also hilarious. I also like how the narrators described Ravana as “not such a bad guy” and that all he did was steal Sita.

Another thing I liked was how the “modern” story mirrored the Ramayana in that the boyfriend was leaving the girl to go to India, like how Rama left Sita in search of the golden deer.

The storytelling does point out an inconsistency in the Ramayana in how Sita was supposed to be wearing simple clothes, so where did she get all the jewelry to throw down?

Something interesting I learned was that Hanuman was the reincarnation of Shiva, who was meant to help Rama/Vishnu.

This was such a funny and great rendition of the Ramayana so far! 

A closeup of Ravana's face. 

Screenshot by me. Source: Youtube.

Sita in "Blues" form 

Screenshot by me. Source: Youtube. 

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part B

Since I didn't get to finish part B of the Ramayana last week, I will do that today. 

When Lakshmana heard that Rama had been sent to exile, he was very mad. He swore to destroy anyone who gets in Rama's way or tries to take his crown. Rama chastises him for letting his anger get the best of him. A really good quote here, "sometimes a river runs dry, and then it cannot be said to be the fault of the river--it's dry because the heavens are dry" thus it is fate. Lakshmana in this scene shows that he really cherishes Rama and followed him into exile. Sita did the same. 

The sage Vasishtha told Rama is it all Kaiyeki's fault but Rama, being the good person, didn't want to hear anyone talk ill about his "mother." Dasaratha died after hearing that Rama and Sita had to walk to the forest. With Dasaratha dead, the country had no ruler for a long time. 

A letter was sent to Bharatha to return to the capital, but he was not made aware of his father's death or Rama's exile. Bharatha learned of what happened from his mother and grew to hate her for her actions. He went to find Rama to give him back his throne. LOL I thought it was funny that Bharatha took Rama's sandals and placed it on the throne and ruled as regent instead. I wonder what the significance of a pair of sandals was. 

It was kind of embarrassing to see Soorpanaka throw herself at Rama. At one point, Lakshmana chopped off her ears, nose, and breasts. Why breasts.. so gory. Then she ran to her brother for revenge, even though just a few moments before, she said she didn't support her brother and his evil tendencies. 

Image of Soorpanaka (left), Rama (middle), and Sita (right). 

Source: Link.