Reading Diary A [Narayan's Ramayana]

Lord Rama and Sita

I read R. K. Narayan's The Ramayana.

I feel like most people are going to say that they loved Rama going to string the bow for Sita, but I do not care. It was my favorite part of the pages I read. Even though it seemed impossible for Rama to succeed in stringing the bow, he decided to do it anyway. He was so successful that he actually broke Shiva's bow by touching the two ends together.

How could a girl not love the guy who manages this for her.

Even then, Sita was not aware that the feat had been accomplished. She had to be told. I think this says a lot. Sita was not languishing by the bow waiting on someone to string it for her, Although, it could easily be pointed out that she was tortured by her memory of Rama on the street. Ah, but that is beside my point of remembering this story.

The other thing I noticed was how the text is dramatic. Maybe there was something that did not translate easily, but I realized many of the character were ready to take drastic measures.

For instance, when Sita is told that there is a man who passed the test, she stands up and states that if it is not the man on the road, she will kill herself.

However, it is Rama, so we do not see if she would actually carry through on this.

It was an interesting fifty pages and I am looking forward to how the story plays out.

  

Week 1 Curation : Preparation

Preparation. Organization. Scheduling.

If you want a successful semester, these words become the three pillars of your mindset.ion

In order to prepare for this class, I have been gathering useful tools for building up my resources before we really hit the heart of the semester.

Since I am now a junior, I have edited and refined my information gathering skills.

Pinterest is the backbone which I supplement with posts and websites from my daily reading. Posts and websites are gathered into a folder I keep on my computer's favorites bar. This way it stays in front of my face as I work on my computer. When I am on Pinterest, I build a specific board that I save things to or I just download it to my phone.

Pinterest can change the way you do college!

Technology is ever-evolving. I think adapting study methods with new technology is essential if students in this generation wish to succeed.

My Thoughts About Growth Mindset

First of all, I love TEDtalks.  I think most people don't think about the benefit of pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. There is so much to be learned from the many minds that are featured on that website.

Second, Carol Dweck is brilliant. She has identified one of the greatest issues that is present in this generation. We have built a world of entitlement. Everyone deserves everything that they ever desired. So, when a student does not get an A, their world is over.

Then again, there are the type A perfectionists that are distraught over an imperfect grade. I know, because I am one of them. I passed classes with ease in high school. I had a 4.0 and I took pride in my grades.

Once I got to college, I discovered that it wasn't going to be easy anymore. This was the world of growth and new opportunities. Over this past year, I really learned the benefits of the Growth Mindset. I could take an easy class and protect my GPA. Or I could take the classes I was actually interested in and risk a lower grade point average.

In short, I am a big advocate of the Growth Mindset, even though I didn't know it until now.

German Proverb

Storybook Favorites: Inspiration

The past storybooks are all unique and very creative. It was very helpful to go through the list and look for inspiration for my upcoming project. I chose three of my favorites.

•  Lord Rama: The Greatest OU Football Player

I chose this Storybook to read because the "football" in the title grabbed my attention. I grew up watching football with my dad. Also, I go to a university with one of the - if not THE - best football programs of the country. I thought this was a very clever tactic to relate the story to local college students.

The layout and use of the OU colors made this easy to read. I enjoyed the accounts of each football game. I also liked the pictures of OU's campus.

 

•  Rama vs Sita

This Storybook also made my favorites list because of the style. I love a great crime show and this Storybook could be made into a good series. The two posts about the vote and her choice would have made a spectacular season finale.

My favorite part about this project was the author's note after Sita's choice was revealed. It was mentioned that Sita was going to be with the widows. This was a great ending because she would be comfortable with them and be there to brighten their lives.

• Saili's Beauty Parlor

This was my favorite Storybook out of the selection I read. I think I related best to this one because I love the atmosphere of a beauty parlor. I do not know how well a guy would like this one, but the stories stayed in my head because it was such a creative idea.

I appreciated the pictures of the different type of traditional beauty in the Indian culture. I almost felt like I was there in the parlor. The style of writing invited me to pull up a seat and listen to the conversations.

How the author imagined Princess Sita

Overview of Indian Epics

I was a homeschooler. From the last part of first grade to my high school graduation, I was taught by my mom. Because my mom loves books and wanted to instill a love of reading in her kids, we did several classes in literature throughout the years. Every year, we had a list of books that she wanted us to read. This exposure to books throughout my childhood nurtured a love for literature. I even read War and Peace on my own time. To this day, it is still one of my favorite stories.

I have been exposed to some epic literature. I remember reading Gilgamesh and Quo Vadis. My family also thrived on epic movies. My brothers did not let me leave the house until I had watched all of the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies.

However, I do not have a lot of experience with the Indian culture. When I read Marco Polo, it did pique my interest in this country. This is why I chose Indian Epics as a class for my college career. While I have only recently been out of the country, I want to travel more extensively in the future. I like to know about the places before I go. A few years ago, my grandpa went to India and told me about it. After our conversation, it was added to my bucket list of places to see.

Burning of Khandava Forest

I chose this picture because I love the detail. I cannot begin to imagine the painstaking work the artist had to do to create this. It shows a lot of love and dedication to his work. We should appreciate his art because it is a masterful way to depict this scene.

Introduction: The Most Common Conversation in College

At the beginning of every semester, there is a typical conversation that college students can basically recite in their sleep.

1. What is your name?
2. Where are you from?
3. What year are you?
4. What is your major?
5. What is a fun fact about yourself?

To keep in the spirit of a good ol' college introduction, I will answer these famous five questions.

1. What is your name?

My name is Alesha Thompson.

2. Where are you from?

I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. I lived in the "Entertainment Capital" until I was ten. My parents decided that it was time to make it out of there before the city grew to trap us. We then moved across the country to Eudora, Mississippi.

This was the time I learned the true meaning of culture shock. Going from one of the biggest cities in the country to the smallest gathering of houses in the humid, mosquito-infested woods of the south was a big change.

Mississippi Woods (thanks to an invasive vine called kudzu)

We stayed in Eudora for a nice long time of...two years. My parents had us sit down and we all agreed to move out of Mississippi.

My dad got a job that allowed us to live in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Yes, I had gone from city to south to college town.

3. & 4. What year are you and what is your major?

I am in my junior year. Currently, I am majoring in Health and Exercise Science. I added a minor in Management of Information Systems. We will see how that plays out in the next two semesters! My dad is great with computers and he passed along his skills to his kids.

5. What is a fun fact about yourself?

I recently adopted a puppy. The place said she was a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever. However, I am beginning to wonder if she has some Rottweiler or Husky somewhere in that mix. Her name is Lola and she is three months old. When she is not busy exploring or taunting the neighbor's dogs, she demands her (multiple) daily doses of attention.

I hope this answered some of your questions about me!

Week 1 Storytelling: The Mice, The Cat, & The Plan

"Attention! Can I get everyone's attention?" Timothy, the colony leader, called through the his megaphone, which happened to be a leaf from the nearby pecan tree rolled into a cone shape.

The mice at this particular colony meeting quieted down and turned towards Timothy.

"Thank you," Timothy smiled, "I have called everyone here today to talk about a very important topic."

Timothy really hated to bring up this topic, but it had to be done. He worried what it might do to Don, the colony's oldest resident, who had also fought in the Great Mice and Cats War of 2008. Summoning up all of his leadership ability and the most courage his five inch frame could muster, he plowed onwards with his speech.

 "You are all probably aware the Miller family has adopted a new... well, a new cat."

 Small gasps and frightened nods could be seen in the audience.

The Big Bad Cat

 Timothy continued, "I think we need to do something about him. He has learned he can taunt us by sleeping right outside of our hole. We are living in fear at all moments! What suggestions do you have to help us vanquish the cat?"

 Suddenly there was an excited murmur of mouse voices. Timothy knew that this had been a constant worry on all of their minds. He counted on the fact that at least some of the mice had already been thinking of solutions.

 Robert, the mouse in charge of colony food stores, raised his paw. "Well, what if we slipped some sleeping medicine into the cat's food?" Robert always came up with plans related to food.

 There were immediate groans.

 "No, Bob, the cat already sleeps enough!" "He'll wake up eventually and we will be back to square one." “Wow, Robert, just wow.”

 "Well, what if we were to open the door and lure the cat outside into the great outdoors?” Winnie, the colony’s school teacher, suggested.

 There was a moment while the colony considered this plan. Mice scratched their heads as they considered every aspect of this idea.

 “The cat can just ask the humans to be let back inside. This is not the long-term solution we are needing,” someone in the back stated.

 Timothy noticed a little paw that just barely made it past the shoulders of the older mice. “Yes, Junior? Do you have an idea?”

 The tiny mouse stepped forward and cleared his throat. “I think I have an idea. What if we just put a bell on the cat’s neck? Then we would always hear when the cat is around and we wouldn’t have to be afraid of the cat sneaking up on us.”

All mice sat stunned by the idea and then cheered simultaneously. Timothy was amazed they had not thought of such a brilliant idea before today. He thought of a life without constant fear of the cat. Junior was beaming.

Suddenly, Timothy heard a mouse clearing his throat. Don, the Great War veteran, shuffled to the front and held out his paw for the megaphone. Timothy did not know what else to do, but he handed Don the megaphone.

"That is a great plan, Junior. Quite a nice plan, indeed. But I have to ask, who is going to put the bell on the cat's neck?"

Suddenly there were many excuses as mice began to make their exits from the meeting.

Don sighed and turned to Timothy to say,

"It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it."

Author's Note: This is based one the Aesop's Fable called "Belling the Cat". My story follows the same plot, but I wanted to add more details to better paint the picture for readers to imagine a group of mice scheming to stop the cat. The original story can be found in The Aesop for Children by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919).

One Of My Favorite Places

It is almost impossible for me to pick just one place that I could call my favorite. I have been to several states and other countries. One of my top favorites would be the Grand Canyon. A group of friends and I camped out there last Labor Day weekend.  

The immensity of the canyon and the way the sunset glowed through the rocks was breathtaking. It really put all of my problems into perspective. How could I stress about a class when I was literally just a speck on a rock out there? Whenever I feel overwhelmed about life, I remember what it was like to watch the sunset that September night in Arizona.

Grand Canyon, Arizona

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Baby Pic of Lola