Extra Reading: Ganesha's Secret

Ganesha's Secret

The video explains the different components of Hinduism but focuses on the end on Ganesha. Ganesha is a key figure in Hinduism that stands for the union between two opposites. Ganesha came about after Poverty sculpted a child that came to life but Shiva didn't recognize the child as his own because he did not even want children. Shiva ended up beheading the child and Poverty expressed great grief so they attached an elephant head back on to bring the child back to life which brought about Ganesha. 

Ganesha: Patheos

Video Source: Ganesha's Secret 

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

Review: Feedback

I enjoyed this video of Epic Rap Battles of History between Zeus and Thor. They are always very interesting to listen to but I feel like I don't have enough creativity to turn a story into a rap without it being super cheesy. The graphic made me laugh because I wasn't expecting the dad to give an actual lesson. 

Feedback: Lunarboon

Week 4 Story: Rama and Sita's Happy Ending

     Rama was finally able to rescue Sita with the help of Hanuman but the obstacles did not end there. Rama could not look at Sita the same way after all that time had passed while Sita was held in Ravana’s captive. He constantly imagined what was happening while she was away and he could not bring it in himself to take her back the way she was. Sita was outraged at the accusations against her faithfulness because she was devoted to her one and only true love, Rama. Sita stepped in fire because she would rather die than be separated from Rama for something that she didn’t even do. As soon as Sita stepped in the fire, she was saved by Agni, the fire god, who convinced Rama of Sita’s innocence. Rama admits that he knew all along that Sita was innocent. He was hurting while acting as if Sita had committed a wrong against him because he knew that she only loved him but he was afraid that people would spread terrible rumors about Sita if he didn’t prove her innocence so he had to play the part. 

     Rama was crowned as the king after Bharata had saved his place at the throne with the golden sandals. Rama was a fair and just king but also a loving husband to Sita. There was laughter and joy in the air as people enviously admired how perfect Rama and Sita were together. Parents told children stories of the great adventures Rama and Sita went through together during Rama’s exile and how far they have come to finally be able to achieve happiness. After some time, Sita gave birth to two beautiful twins named Lava and Kusha. They had Rama’s eyes and Sita’s hair. The twins grew up learning how to fight and helped defend the kingdom.   

Sita with her children: Ram

Author's  Note: Rumors are rampant about Sita's unfaithfulness to Rama due to her imprisonment at Ravana's. Rama decides to send Sita to exile where she stays with Valmiki and has two sons named Lava and Kusha. Rama still has guilt about killing Rama so he sends a horse for sacrifice but the horse is captured by the twins so Lavashmana leads an army to retrieve the horse but ends up getting killed by the twins. Rama then personally goes with his own army and meets his children for the first time but the twins do not know who their father is. I wanted to change story at this point because I felt so bad for Sita. It wasn't enough that Rama made Sita walk through fire to prove her loyalty to Rama but he has to exile her even after all of that? I changed the story by getting rid of the terrible rumors about Sita and instead replacing them with chit chat of how happy an envious they are that Rama and Sita, the power couple, are finally reunited. I especially want to take out the exile because if the exile never happened, Lakshmana would still be alive too!

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, web source

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part D

Valmiki's Hermitage

Characters in the Scene: 

Lakshmana
Rama
Lava
Kusha
Sita

Plot:
Rumors are rampant about Sita's unfaithfulness to Rama due to her imprisonment at Ravana's. Rama decides to send Sita to exile where she stays with Valmiki and has two sons named Lava and Kusha. Rama still has guilt about killing Rama so he sends a horse for sacrifice but the horse is captured by the twins so Lavashmana leads an army to retrieve the horse but ends up getting killed by the twins. Rama then personally goes with his own army and meets his children for the first time but the twins do not know who their father is.

Setting: At Rama's palace and then at Valmiki's hermitage

Story Idea: It wasn't enough that Rama made Sita walk through fire to prove her loyalty to Rama but he has to exile her even after all of that? I want to change the story by getting rid of the rumors and instead have people talk about how happy they are that Rama and Sita, the power couple, are finally reunited. I especially want to take out the exile because if the exile never happened, Lakshmana would still be alive too! However, I want to keep the part where she has the two kids!

Sita with her children: Ram

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, web source

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part C

Hanuman and Sita

Characters in the Scene: 

Hanuman
Sita

Plot:
Hanuman finally finds Sita and convinces her that he was sent by Rama to save her by showing her Rama's ring and sympathizing with Sita. Hanuman offers to take Sita back to where Rama is but she refuses to touch any male figure unless it is Rama.

Setting: Ravana's Palace

Story Idea: I was upset that Hanuman didn't tell Rama all he had seen when he found Sita. I could change the story to where Hanuman tells Rama about the fact that Sita didn't go back with Rama because she did not want to be disloyal to Rama by touching another male figure and that she even withstood the death threats from Ravana in order to remain loyal to Rama. 

Hanuman and Sita: Quora

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, web source

Learning Challenge: Read an Article

I read Get Off The Couch Baby Boomers, Or You May Not Be Able To Later and learned that prolonged sitting can lead to immobility in the future. It was surprising because in the study conducted, the participants ranged from ages 50 to 71 which is not too old. That is still middle aged adults with a long life ahead of them but not being able to move due to prolonged sitting. I have never thought about how long I actually sit in a day because all I do is sit in classes all day and then I go home to sit and study or do homework the rest of the night. If I have free time during the breaks, I also just sit and binge watch for hours without moving. I will definitely try to remember to get up and jog or move around every hour to avoid sitting for too long.

Couch Potato: Uncyclomedia Commons

Growth Mindset: Making a Motto

Whenever I don't do so well on a test or something goes wrong, I mope and my mistakes consume my every thought to the point where I don't want to do anything else other than think about how I should have done better. This motto constantly reminds me that I can't keep harping on the past and that I need to learn from my mistakes in order to move on. It won't help me to stay sad about something in the past that can't be changed. 

Motto: Canva

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

I added a weather widget to my blog following these instructions.

Weather: Clipart