Learning Challenge: The Anti-library

Reading used to be one of my favorite pastimes. Any free time I had would be devoted to finishing up my books, but once college started, my days of reading for pleasure vanished quickly. Because of this, I haven't had time to put anything on my reading list or add any books to my library. The article discusses an interesting topic. When I first thought about it, seeing all the books I haven't read makes me feel less accomplished, but I guess it could motivate me to learn more. I can't even imagine what Eco's library must have looked like. I do like the idea of surrounding yourself with potential knowledge.

The possibilities are endless. Image: Pexels

Growth Mindset: Multiple Intelligences

I liked the illustration because it was simple, but it provided a lot of information in a small space. I would say I struggle with the intrapersonal intelligence the most. I'm not someone who likes to reflect on myself because I believe ignorance is bliss! I know it's not good, but I hate to look back. I prefer to just keep going, but I should work on this intelligence more. I think musical and interpersonal intelligence are probably two of my stronger ones. 

Another view of multiple intelligences. Image: Flickr

Reading Notes:The Monkey King, Part B

I was surprised that Sun Wu didn't bow to the Lord of the Heavens, but I'm glad he wasn't punished in the beginning. For his actions afterward, I have no excuse for him. It almost reminded me of Lucifer from the Bible, who also let pride get to his head. He thought he could be on the same level as God, like Sun Wu and the Lord of the Heavens. To be honest, I had almost forgotten about his many transformations until he began using them against the warriors. What an ending, I loved the twist about the pillar being Buddha's finger! I'm glad Sun Wu learned his lesson. It's probably been my most favorite story so far. I liked all the action.

He finally bested Sun Wu. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tech Tip: Word Count

This has definitely been my favorite new addition to my browser. I hated having to write a post in Word first and then transferring it over because I didn't know how many words it was. It seems like a minor issue, but it's so helpful to just hightlight a paragraph and see how many words I'd written. It works on any text regardless of if you've typed it in or not.

Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part A

I haven't read much from Japan yet, so I thought it would be interesting to read The Monkey King. I was a little confused as to why the ape was magially born from the stone. I also didn't believe he would go unnoticed among humans for NINE years just because he was wearing a fisherman's clothes. I liked that the saint knew he was out there, but why didn't he just knock instead of hoping someone would find him? I have no clue how he understood the "secret message" from the three blows to the head. Why wouldn't the saint simply tell him? I liked the specificity of "72" times for how much he could transform himself. It gives the idea that these dangers won't be easy to fight off. I like how the story quickly progeresses as opposed to dragging with the minute details.

The Stone Ape in 2-D. Image: Pixabay

Reading Notes: Southwestern and California, Extra Credit

I read a lot about Native American creation stories and the Coyote in this reading. I liked the idea of the eagle's feathers coming down and becoming trees. It's interesting to see how many different animals are involved in these stories. I like the variety! No one would think a spider could make the world, but it's one of the cooler stories for me. I was itching to know what was in the boxes at the beginning. Coyote's seen as a clever, cunning character, so I understand how he could make the earth and light. I like that these stories address a lot of aspects of the world coming to be and they have stories for it all. They believed in the Great Flood, like Christians, I believe. Even the course of the sun is addressed in one of the stories.

The sun goes where he pleases. Image: Flickr

Tech Tip: Canvas Calender

This is probably one of the best features about Canvas. You can see every upcoming assignment, quiz, or test in every class on one calendar. It's useful and helpful when trying to figure out what to first. I usually keep my agenda updated, but I sometimes use my Google calendar too. Syncing them together brings your entire life together, so it's pretty nice. The only issue is sometimes, professors won't put everything on Canvas until after the assignment, but other than that, it's great!

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part B

As I've said many many times before, I'm a huge Disney fan, so naturally, I was waiting to read the original "Aladdin". It was interesting to see all the various differences between the two versions. I liked that it was multiple parts because it allows more depth to the story. I thought the part about the father's grief over the son being lazy was a bit dramatic, but I overlooked that. I liked the evil magician and his brother, but I feel like their storylines were too quickly resolved. This great and powerful magician was taken down by a little bit of poison. It's not that it's unlikely; it just seems too neat and clean. There's no real sense of urgency throughout the story, so I missed that aspect. I did like the small details, like the unfinished window in the castle and the extra genie in the ring. I wish he had more powers, though. Character-wise, I think they did a good job with Aladdin, but I wanted the princess to have some more depth to her. I could be feeling this way because the Disney version emphasized Jasmine's emotions and beliefs so strongly. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I missed Abu, of course!

The moment Aladdin fell in love with his bride-to-be. Image: Un-Textbook

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part A

This week, I read Arabian Nights. First off, Scheherazade is one of the most clever and creative characters. I would not be able to tell that many stories in succession, let alone make them interesting. I was very surprised that the genie let him go, especially for an entire year! I feel like this is unlikely. I also feel like an alternative title could be "Story-ception". I don't know that my version will have characters with this much patience. They're all too trusting! I enjoyed the first part, but in all honesty, it was a little too confusing for me.I wish it would be one long story instead of a lot of little ones. It's slightly hard to follow and keep track of who's telling which story. I look forward to reading the rest, though, and finding out how it ends.

A story in a story in a story. Image: Un-Textbook

Reading Notes: The Voyages of Sindbad, Part B

What to say. I think "Luckiest Unlucky Person Ever" is the most appropriate title for Sindbad. His decision to stay home after 7 (yes, seven) terrifying, near-death experiences was a wise one. I liked that the author acknowledged the fact that he was not learning from these experiences. It's interesting to see the creativity of these stories, but they all seem to follow a pattern. Sindbad goes on an adventure, some evil befalls him, we think he may die, then he somehow gets saved and goes home with riches upon riches. It's funny how exasperated I became with him. I'm just glad he finally agreed to stay home and grow old with his family. The best part of the stories was definitely the creative detail. The author included so much imagery, it was like seeing everything in real life. Overall, it's an entertaining albeit slightly frustrating story!

He went down a dark river into the unknown and survived. Again. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Learning Challenge: Reading Out Loud

So this week, I tried reading out loud. Normally, I'm not a fan. I'm much faster if I just read in my head. However, I actually liked reading the stories. It forced me to read every single word and not skip anything. Since I'm a silly person, my favorite part, of course, was adding sound effects and appropriate sounding voices for all the characters. I don't think I can always read out loud since I usually do my reading in the library, but I'll definitely keep it in my mind!

Reading: It's not for everyone. Pixabay

Growth Mindset: Challenge: Exploring Random Growth Mindset Cats

So I decided to look through some adorable pictures of cats and pick some that made me laugh out loud. :)

Yes, he can. Growth Mindset Memes

First off, we have this daredevil. I know cats don't necessarily have the same expressions as humans, but I love the seriousness with this cat. He could be jumping into grass or a pool, for all we know, but he's doing it like a boss.

Maybe he can make it. Growth Mindset Memes

Next, we have this poor little squirrel who just wanted some lunch. Honestly, when I first saw this picture, I didn't even see the cats/ I was wondering why this was a cat meme.. I can't even tell how many there are.. poor mouse.

I hope he finished it. Growth Mindset Memes

Last, we have this ambitious little fellow. I'm going to be completely honest. If that bag had chocolate or cheesecake inside, this cat would literally be my spirit animal. Kudos to him for being motivated.

Wikipedia Trail: From Sindbad the Sailor to Peter and the Wolf

Since I read the story of Sindbad this week, I thought I would start out with some history on him. It's commonly known as part of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights" but it actually wasn't added until the 14th-century manuscript which I thought was crazy! The book had been going for over 1300 years, and it was still being rewritten and modified. As it is a popular tale, I found out that it was one of the aliases of Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo. I remembered liking this book when I was a child, but not so much that I actually remembered the reference, of course. It has such an interesting plotline; I would highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to read through some dense wording! Wikipedia said that the book is as much of a classic as the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. It has been interpreted and retold in so many different ways, some of which included an ogre or vampire took the place of the wolf. The theme of the wolf has been adopted in a few stories including the Russian tale, Peter and the Wolf. It's actually a musical composition, which surprised me, about a boy who rescues his grandfather from a wolf. It's the most popular of Sergei Prokofiev, the author.

A coloring book cover from 1947. Image: Wikipedia

Reading Notes: Voyages of Sindbad, Part A

Voyages of Sindbad taken from The Arabian Nights Storybook
I know I'm only halfway through, but I feel like this should be titled "Why Sindbad and Islands Don't Mix" or something along those lines. No matter how many islands this guy goes to, he still wants to travel the world! I'm trying to decide if I should try to include every story but a little shortened, or stick to one and make it different. I think the more realistic option would be to focus on one voyage. My favorite, by far, was the trip to the valley with the large diamonds and big birds. Even though I was slightly annoyed at Sindbad, I think he was really clever in that scene. I could never have guessed about the large hunks of meat being thrown down, but it's smart. I like that it's all told from Sindbad's point of view. It's comically dramatic, of course, but without a doubt, entertaining.

An eagle larger than an elephant? Yeah, I would be scared too. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Learning Challenge: Pomodoro Timer

So I didn't have an actual Pomodoro timer, but I have an app called Tide that allows me to study for 25 minutes and automatically take a 5-minute break. I like this method a lot because I'm not struggling to stay focused for like an hour. With a break, I keep my mind fresh and not too overwhelmed.

What an ideal Pomodoro timer looks like. Image: Flickr

Comment Wall

My Storybook: Why Redbirds aren't Yellow
It's still in progress, of course, but I hope to make it's fun and interesting way to learn about Native American culture and how they believe animals got certain characteristics.  One of the main stories I want to focus on is "Why is the Redbird red?".

I know, it's a cardinal, but we're going to pretend it's an unnamed redbird. Image: Pixabay

Tech Tip: Canvas Dashboard

I like this feature of Canvas because I can see all my classes in one spot. I also like that I can change their names. Seeing "Sociology" is a lot easier than the course name plus the course number and the section number. THe colora also help to brighten up an otherwise sad page.

Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

Canvas notifications are very useful. I used to have then turned off, but I realized how helpful they were when I was about to forget something. I no longer miss emails from my professors and get a notifcation every time. Sometimes, they're a little annoying because they can get excessive, but they are helpful.

Reading Notes: Homer's Illiad, Part A

Feedback Strategies

I read Be a Mirror and found it had some very good points. I almost always give feedback starting with "I think" or "I believe". I liked the article focusing on how we should do everything to keep the attention on their style and not pleasing us. Feedback has always been hard for me. I feel like I'm not qualified to give someone feedback on something I myself am not familiar with. It's challenging, for sure. How do I know if they need to add more or what if their style is just different than mine? One thing I really liked about the article was how it empasized focusing on what is on the page and not on what is missing. If you're a mirror, you can't show something that isn't seen. I also read Presence, not Praise which was a fascinating read. I thought the study was very interesting. Since I don't like to critique, I usually stick to praise. I always feel bad saying things that might make the writer feel bad. I liked how it said to identify the unique things as opposed to praising it all without really looking at it. I will definitely try to use some of these tips when I'm critiquing in the future.

Be a mirror. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Topic Research: Why Animals are the Way They Are

So, one of my ideas was to a project about creation stories, but then I realized that the ones about animals are even more interesting. I think it would be cool to look into Native-Amerian stories about how animals came to be with their distinctive features and characteristics. Here are a few that I would like to build upon. Sacred Texts is a great site to find some of these stories.
1. How the Redbird Got His Color. This story says the redbird became red because of a deal he made with a brown bird who wanted to change his color. It would be cool to expand upon the story and add more details, like why the brown bird was so unhappy with his color or why he would trust an animal who could eat him.

 How did this bird come upon the color red? Image: Flickr

2. Why the Bear Has a Short Tail. I like this story for the wittiness of the fox. He tricks the bear into freezing his tail off (literally) and because of that, all future bears were doomed to have a short tail. Unlike the first story, this one has more dialogue and is longer. I would want to develop the characters more, maybe give the fox and bear a backstory so his trickery has more meaning.
3.Why the Mole Lives Underground. In this story, the mole lives underground because he was hiding from people who were angry with him. He helps a man who is in love with a woman who does not return his feelings. The man had tried several ways to win her love but was unsuccessful. I would make the mole friends with either the man or woman so he has a personal connection to both of them. Either he works for the woman and wants her to find someone so she'll be happier or he's friends with the man and wishes to fulfill his wishes.

Topic Brainstorm

1. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned how much I liked fables, and I used one of Aesop's for my post. I think I would enjoy working with those. Specifically, I like the creation stories. I was in a Native American Studies class last year, and we spent a lot of time on the stories people told to illustrate how the earth came to be. It's fascinating to see the similarities and differences in creation stories as you look at different cultures. If I went with this idea, I would like to research these stories and see how they show a common ending in different ways. The Four Creations is one of many examples I could use.

The Pillars of Creation. Image: Wikipedia

2. A big part of my life is my heritage, which stems from India. I've read a few stories from India, including the Mahabharata in high school, but it would be cool to delve more into the legends and fairy tales that the country has. I used an Indian fairy tale for my Storytelling post, and I liked it a lot. I'm not sure if I would focus on one specific aspect yet or be more general, but I know I want to draw from a variety of stories. The UnTextbook has a ton of stories that would be helpful.

3. Growing up, I heard a lot of nursery rhymes as I'm sure a lot of us did. So I really liked the Nursery Rhymes unit in the UnTextbook. I would like to read them all and try to recreate some of the ones that aren't as well known. It would also be a challenge to keep the plot of the story, but try to find new words to rhyme and go with each other. If I do this one, I know I would have fun with this one. Sometimes, these rhymes don't make sense, so it'd also be cool to try to rewrite them in a more understandable way.

4. Another big part of my life is my faith. I'm Christian, so I was drawn to the Bible Women unit. It's interesting to see how many women are in the Bible, because we only hear about a few, like Esther or Ruth. I would like to research women like the Witch of Endor and Susannah, whose names are less-known, but still played a vital role in the Bible. It's important to remember them and their stories.

Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part B

Cupid and Psyche Notes:
I thought Venus's character was very interesting in the first part of this part. She is absolutely furious that her own son would betray her. Again, the descriptive words are used well. Ine one line, it reads that Psyche "drenched the goddess's feet with a flood of tears". I wonder how the story might be different if Venus hadn't become so upset and allowed her son to be happy with Psyche. The loyalty between Hera and Venus is apparently very strong. Again, another thing I might change in my story. The ant part of the story definitely reminded me of Cinderella and was a nice touch in an otherwise heavy scene. I liked that the animals, plants, and even gods were willing to help her. I want to keep those characters to give Psyche some friends in Venus's palace.
The instructions given by the turret for her final mission are a bit on the long side. I would shorten it, if I were to keep that in.
We finally see how the story ties in with the main character, which I like a lot. Sadly, the rest of the story was in another book, but I did like the allusion and lesson the girl learned from the old woman's story.

A happy ending. Image: Wikipedia