Famous Last Words: Snow Days

I enjoyed reading the Mahabharata this week! I ended up reading both parts of week 6 and 7 readings all at once. I didn’t want to stop reading because so many scenes were intense and there was just so much happening. I also liked how you could see similarities to the Ramayana at some points. I wrote an essay this week for my Native American Music class and I enjoyed doing research on the different sacred games that were played and what they represented and then writing about them in my essay. I ended up not writing a story this week for this class because I couldn’t pick out a favorite scene that I wanted to rewrite or think of a way to change a scene. I absolutely loved reading the stories that people have been adding to their portfolio or storybooks. I find it so intriguing to see all of the creative things that people came up with that I had never thought of doing. My favorite one that I read was a storybook that mixed high school musical with the Ramayana. I found it very relatable and easy to understand because everyone was put into everyday terms and situations that we have been through. I want to change how I normally write stories because I usually go with the same theme of changing the ending or writing from a character’s point of view. I will try to explore different writing styles next week! I was thankful at first to have snow days this week until I realized that I still had to turn in assignments through canvas instead of in person and all of my labs got pushed back a week so my timeline feels off. I am constantly confused of what needs to be due when now.

Enjoying the snow: Surf

Famous Last Words: Chinese New Years!

I liked that the readings this week were also about the Ramayana but from a different perspective. I liked reading it from someone else’s point of view because they provided details that I hadn’t thought about or that I didn’t see before when I was reading the first version I read. I also saw how one story could be interpreted so many ways. I did have time to do both portions of the reading and the part I remember the most was the scene between Kaikeyi and Manthara because I previously wrote my story from Manthara’s perspective because I felt like she was misunderstood since she never told Kaikeyi what to do with the two boons in the first version I read. However, in the second version I read, Manthar was truly evil and she did tell Kaikeyi to banish Rama for 14 years. For my future readings, I will probably do research behind the background and see if there are other versions as well that I could read before I write my story to avoid a misguided story with a very narrow scope. I loved the stories I read from other people, I also found people who wrote stories focusing on one character’s point of view. My other classes are stressful as always but I can always depend on this class to de-stress. I really like reading others’ stories in this class and taking the time to sit down and just type away my stress on a page. I hope to get ahead for next week and stay on top of my material so that I can finish the class early. I am excited for this weekend because it is Chinese New Years so my family has a huge celebration so I am looking forward to all of the food and bonding time with my family.

New Year: Metro

Famous Last Words: First Round of Midterms Over

I loved finishing up the Ramayana this week. The first two parts from the previous week set up the scene well but introductions are usually not as interesting. The last two parts had a lot more action with fight scenes as well as heroic scenes where Rama saves Sita. One of the scenes that stood out to me the most was when Sita stepped into the fire to prove her innocence after Rama saved her from Ravana. I was also enraged when I read about Rama exiling Sita because rumors were rampant through the kingdom about Sita’s unfaithfulness while she was in Ravana’s captive. I honestly didn’t have time to read the stories or write a story this week, I ended up working ahead so I completed the assignments the weekend before. It’s always enjoyable to read others’ writings because there’s so many creative ways to retell the stories. I liked the ones where it focused on one person’s perspective to really see the emotions and thoughts of that person. I also liked the stories that were told in a more modern setting because it made the story easier to read because one of the things I struggled with in the readings was stumbling over the words I didn’t know and having to look up what the words meant or who the characters were which broke my flow of reading so then it took a while to get back into the flow of what I was reading. This week has been one of the most stressful weeks I have had in a while because I had so many exams on one day so I fell behind in my other classes. I will make sure to be back on track next week for this class and hopefully explore a new writing style! 

Surviving Midterms: Memes

Famous Last Words: Only 3 Weeks in and I'm Already Stressed

I loved that the readings this week connected episode by episode rather than being separate stories. I read both parts all at once because I did not want to stop reading. I really enjoy the story of the Ramayana because there are a lot of romantic and heroic scenes which I live for such as when Rama fell in love with Sita at first sight. I ended up waiting till the day the reading was due to actually read it which made me feel like a slacker. I never let the deadlines define when I complete the assignments. I normally always finish the assignments a week before or at least the weekend before. One of my favorite scenes was when Sita persistently demanded that she accompany Rama on his exile. Her devotion and love for him is astounding. I did try a new writing style this week by writing from the perspective of the villain. I tried to sympathize with the villain and see how things could be seen from their point of view. I enjoyed the different path I took this week with storytelling. It was interesting reading others’ stories this week because I happened to read two different stories that were based on the same original story so I got to see how that one original story could be reinterpreted in so many ways. In the human physiology class that I am a TA for, the professor always says to bring growth mindset to each class and she shares articles about growth mindset on the main canvas page so I always think about this class when I see anything about growth mindset because I was first introduced to growth mindset when I took mythology and folklore. I am dreading my multitude of exams next Friday so I plan on doing all of the assignments this weekend that are due next week. 

The Struggle: YouTube

Famous Last Words: Starting off the Semester

I loved all of the stories that I read this week and had trouble picking a favorite to use as a base to retell my story. I had time to do both portions and ended up finishing a week before the deadline. I remember the story about the cunning crane and the crab the most because I really like stories where the trickster gets tricked. I focused on those kinds of stories last semester in Mythology and Folklore. I enjoyed the writing I did in this class the most this week. I also wrote an essay for my Native American Music class but the creative writing I do in this class is more enjoyable. I did use a new writing style where I changed the characters in the story which I have never done before. I did not read any stories written by others this week but I read almost all of the introductions and I am excited to get to know others through the types of stories that they will write. My other classes have already become a little overwhelming and stressful because I am taking a lot of my upperdivision microbiology courses and I am glad that I have this class as a stress reliever. I really enjoy reading about growth mindset in this class because it helps give me motivation to get through my difficult classes. There aren’t really any connections between this class and my other classes because I mainly take science classes. I hope to stay on top of the reading and storytelling for this class as well as work ahead in the class whenever I can so that the workload doesn’t get piled on all at once. I also hope to maintain composure and not stress out too much over my other classes because stress is horrible for your health.

It's only the beginning: Snap Leadership