Reading Evaluation

To start off, some of my favorite readings were the children stories. I also love the Sita Sings the Blues. First off it was really weird and I like that and it was just really fun. Out of the two Epics, I would have to say the Ramayana was my favorite. Sure I hated the ending but I was more interested in the story as a whole.

The reading diaries at the beginning of the semester were a lot easier to write in my opinion. Mainly because the stories were completely new. If you started reading other things about the same thing they became a little redundant to me.

I think the balance was completely fair with the reading, writing, and commenting. I would normally do all the commenting last so it would sometimes seem like a lot but in the end it really wasn't that bad!

Reflections

One of the biggest things I took away from this course would be the use of commas! I haven't had a class using grammar in about six years and when I did I didn't pay attention. I wish I would have paid a little more attention.

It was really cool doing the projects. It was a little breath of fresh air and I really loved reading other peoples stories. I haven't been able to read for pleasure since I got to college so it is a little fun being able to fulfill that in a small way.

I also loved being able to do some creative writing! I am typically not a huge writer but sometimes I feel like I can make some pretty cool and suspenseful stories. The series about Frank and Ava were really fun to write and definitely a break from my stressful course work!  

Tech Tip: Design Templates

I just made my blog black and blue using the tech tip: design templates!

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

I added the weather widget to the my blog!

Portfolio Index

The first story is called "Frank and Ava." A modern-day and darker version of Ravana kidnapping Sita.

From Pinterest

My second story is called "The Dating Game." It is a story about Ava representing Draupadi in a dating game.

Dating Game from: Tunblr

The third story is called "The Dating Game Part 2." This concludes the dating portion of the story between Frank and Ava. 

ABC's The Dating Game

The final story in my portfolio is called "The Date." Find out how the story of Frank and Ava ends! 

From DreamsTime

Week 14, Reading Diary: The last one!

For the very last reading I read Part B of the Legends of India by Washburn Hopkins. I was actually a little excited about this reading. Mainly because I jumped ahead and did the project feedback last night and one of the stories were about Arjuna and Ulupi. This section talks about Ulupi so yay for connections! It is a little odd how Arjuna, already married just falls in love at first sight. After being in a very serious relationship, I couldn’t imagine loving more than one person. I do really like the rhyming but it is a little hard to understand what is going on.  Like for the Ulupi part, I wasn’t sure if Ulupi was coming unseen or not. Really fun read for the last one!

Arjuna and Ulupi

Week 14: Reading Diary, Something Something Fiery

For the Tuesday Reading of Week 14, I read part A of Legendsof India by Washburn Hopkins. This book is written in verse focusing on Arjuna in the Mahabharata. I chose anther version of the Mahabharata again to get the full story. For me it is a little hard to grasp the whole story in the first sitting, even in TV shows and movies. One of my favorite things about this reading would have to be the rhyming of the verse. It was actually fun to read out loud. Some of the words are different, like it calls the Pandavas the Pandus. Also the character list was a little funny. I really enjoyed this read. I did like the way it talked about Draupadi’s swaraymara and Arjuna having a thing for her in the beginning. Honestly that would really suck, sharing a wife with your brother. I mean think about it!!

Legends of India

Week 13 Storytelling: Two boys and a Hawk

 A flock of birds were happy as could be. It was a bright summer day with sun warming each feather. The wind was blowing the same direction they were flying which gave them that extra boost. They were flying over the beautiful rolling planes of Oklahoma. Nothing could be more perfect.

Two of the children birds were feeling mischievous. One would fly up and bump the other and play tag. They would also bug the other members of the flock.

“James!” yelled the other child.

“What Mark?” James asked.

“Look down there! Look at the awesome trees! We should go down there!”

James said with caution, “Oh I don’t know, Mark. It looks pretty far away and my mom said to stay with the others.”

“James, we won’t even be gone for very long. You mother won’t even notice. She is too busy talking to my mom.” Mark pressured.

James looked over at it mom and saw she was in a deep conversation with Mark’s mother. James then looked over at the trees.

“They are really cool trees and my mom won’t even notice. What could it hurt?” James thought to himself.

Oklahoma Trees

“Okay fine Mark, I’ll go with you but we have to hurry back.” James answered.

“Woo!” Yelled Mark as he started flying towards the trees. James followed as fast as he could. James did not want to be gone too long.

As the trees got closer they did become more and more beautiful. Mark was gliding through the air excitedly and then landed on a branch. James perched right beside him. The trees were huge and green. A truly beautiful sight.

“Well hello there, boys” a strange voice came from below them. Suddenly a huge hawk flew up from a branch below them and landed right beside them. The boys were frozen in fear.

“You two look lost. Why don’t you come over with me and I’ll help you find your little flock.” The hawk said with a sly voice.

“We aren’t lost” said Mark, “In fact we were just taking a break from flying. We will be on our way now.”

The hawk didn’t like Mark’s answer and looked as though he was about to pounce on the boys. The boys saw this in his eyes and flew away as fast as they could. Sure enough the hawk was right behind them.

With out the boys even noticing, all of the male bird from the flock were flying straight toward the hawk and in one mighty push, rammed into the hawk. The hawk flew away and the boys were saved.

Author’s note

For this week  I read part A of “The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India.”  and noticed a theme of other characters being saved by their own kind. So I incorporated that theme into my story this week.

Week 14, Famous Last Words: Failure, Fun, Firewater

Alas! Just when my stress levels are at an all-time high, more stress comes alone. I have this lovely and delightful class called, Embedded Real Time Systems. If you don’t know what that it is, it’s okay…neither do I. In this class we have a weekly project where we have to program something on our hovercraft. Now, the group I am in has one…complicated member. He is a good guy but has his quirks. This week he didn’t meet with us, and he was in charge of the code that was due yesterday which is still not turned in. Yay.

Thankfully, the professor is super awesome and is working with us and I believe if we get it in as soon as possible I don’t think we will get a huge penalty. I wouldn’t care that much, but I have a C in that class and I hope to God I don’t fail another class. I sort of pay for my own schooling and who has two thumbs and can’t afford thousand dollars of debit? This girl (points at self).

Honestly though. All this…failure is really getting to me. I mean it has before, it comes with an engineering degree unless you are super smart. But think about it. I spend most of my time doing homework and studying. I keep telling my friends I can’t hang out with them until they eventually stop asking. Then I not only get the lowest test scores, don’t understand my homework so it feels like I fail in my classes and in my personal life. Not to mention I never sleep enough. So that triangle where you have to pick only two options is crap.

College Life

Now that my reader and I are depressed, let’s lighten the mood. So this weekend I discovered something AMAZING. My boyfriend, Matt, has had a Nintendo 64 this whole time!!! Apparently a cord was broken so he didn’t play it but the day after I talked to him about it, he brought home a new cord, Mario Kart, and a 6 pack of beer. Best night I have had in a while. 

Reading Diary, Week 13: Dishonesty is the Worst Quality

For this reading diary I read part A of “The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India.” I again came across more stories that seemed to line up in plot. One example is “The Hypocritical Cat” I believe in the Jataka Tales, the animal that stayed back and ate the rats was an injured wolf and not a cat like in this version. I think my favorite story from this bunch would have to be “The Dishonest Friend.” One reason is like how it talks to the reader. Like: “Was not that a mean trick to serve a friend?” and “You must not suppose this man was quite such a fool as he seemed. You will soon see why he did not make a fuss about his plough.” It makes the story quite humorous. I also thought it was funny when the man that had is plough stolen talked to the judge about it and the friend had to give it back. 

The Boy Taken by the Hawk

Week 13 Reading Diary, Extra Credit: Twenty Jataka Tales and a random horse

Ocean of Stories

For this reading I read the second half of the Twenty Jataka Tales. Since I have already commented on how much I like the morals the stories give. I want to talk about a few that I really liked. I really liked the “Goblin Town” It was just very different from most of the others. First off most of them seem to have animals as the characters. This one didn’t. Another thing was it was sort of random. I mean there are random elements in the rest of them but a freaking flying horse was just like, “Oh hey guys, hop on my back and I’ll save you.” Pretty random. Another thing is that it didn't all turn out happy. Of course it ended with, "and they lived happily ever after" Like almost all of them but actually all the guys that didn't believe there were goblins all died. 

Famous Last Words, Week 13: Failure is Success so they say

It looks like I am starting to use the Famous Last Words assignment as a venting system. I have another project in flight mechanics coming up on Monday and I am scared shitless. The last project took about 25 hours to get half way though and I made a 44 on it. We also have a test the following week. I am hiding in my house this weekend to try and get as much work done as possible from next week but I feel like it won’t matter.

I am so torn with this class. I don’t want to blow off another class in order to get the project done or study endless hours for the class if I am going to fail. But I also don’t want to miss the opportunity to not waste about ten thousand stupid dollars to be in school another year because I gave. I also think me being in school another year would actually really help Matt and I’s life and relationship. I don’t know. This is stressing me out so much and it is hard to just give it to God and not feel stressed out but it is coming at me like a brick wall.

What Next

In other news every single one of my classes is a letter grade lower than it should be. Which is going to kill my GPA if it ends up like it. OH! And if I fail I could possibly lose scholarships. Most scholarships I have are based on a GPA requirement and if I get blow that…bye bye money. Guess who pays for their own school. This over worked and apparently stupid girl.

Darn, I was going to use this assignment to complain about my hovercraft class. I guess that will have to wait till next time. 

Week 12, Reading Diary Extra Credit: Twenty Jataka Tales

Banyan Deer

This week I read the Twenty Jataka Tales. I had read the other Jataka Tales before reading this one. One huge complaint about this version is that it is very hard to read. I would have too zoom in quite a bit and even then it was still blurry and hard to read. I did notice that some of the stories were almost the same. For example “The Monkey Bridge” I remember reading that from the last time. If face a lot of it sounded familiar. I really like that the theme of at least the first few stories was a chief of a group of animals saving their followers. It is a really great moral to have in the stories. 

Storytelling Week 9: The Dating Game Part 2

“Now that you all have heard the rules we will begin our questions with our first contestant, Mike. Once Mike answers the question Alex will go, then Will, Josh, and finally Sam,” Ryan explained.

“Is everyone ready?!” Ryan exclaimed.

The crowd cheered. Ava could hardly sit still in the love seat.

“Then let us begin the game! The first question is: what is your best quality?” Ryan started.

Mike spoke up. “My best quality would have to be my work ethic. I grew up on a ranch out in the country and learned what it means to take care of myself and of my family.”

Alex went next. “That would be my humor. I love making others around me laugh. After all, laughter is the best medicine for anything!”

“Those qualities are cute, boys. I believe mine would be my charming good looks. Hear that, Ava?” Will boasted.

Ava rolled her eyes and the crowd cheered and hollered. Apparently he wasn’t lying.

Josh started when the crowd died down. “Mine would be my patience. I have learned that the best things come to those who wait.”

Sam went last. “I’d say my honesty. You see, I am rather blunt and I don’t like to talk much.”

Ryan cautioned Sam. “That might not always be a good thing, Sam! Now on to our next question. What is your idea of a romantic date?”

*                              *                             *

Ava stared at her sheet of names. The game had come to an end and it was time for her to make a choice. She could hear the intercession and rustle of the audience in the background and tried to focus. Mike was a hard-working cowboy. He had grown up on a ranch where he had acquired his work ethic. He had a deep voice that Ava loved. Alex was hilarious. Every time he spoke Ava ended up laughing at his corny jokes. Will was just annoying and was way too cocky for her. Ava felt like if they went on a date it would be all about him. Josh was a kind-hearted man. He was always so genuine and gave his heart to the questions, unlike some others. Sam had a funny dry humor. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was blunt. His answers were straight to the point. Ava thought about each and after a while had finally came to a decision.

“Ryan, I have made my decision,” Ava said.

“Everyone,” Ryan announced, “Ava has chosen a winner! Can I have a drum roll please?”

A boom of thunder came from the crowd as they started the drum roll.

“My choice is...Mike!” Ava declared.

The crowd burst into applaud and cheered at her choice. Mike then stood up and walked out from behind the curtain. He was a good-looking man. He had short blonde hair and baby blue eyes. He was wearing a red plaid shirt with dark blue jeans and cowboy boots. He was in very good shape and his smile was breathtaking.

Ava smiled to herself  because he was perfect. Who knew she would find this gem on a dating show?

          

ABC's The Dating Game

*                             *                             *

While Frank's parents were sleeping, Frank snuck into their closet and found the family safe. After a few minutes he was able to unlock the safe. Frank smiled. "More than enough money to get me to New York."

Author's Note:

The previous two stories in my portfolio are about Frank and Ava. The latest was “The Dating Game” which featured Ava on a dating show with five contestants. This story is a continuation of “The Dating Game.” In the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata, the character of Draupadi finds herself in a swayamvara contest and the winner would have Draupadi as his wife. Arjuna ends up winning the swayamvara contest because he was able to shoot the fish in the eye. After taking Draupadi to their mother, Kunti, she mistakenly told the Pandavas to share what they had brought, not knowing it was a bride. Thus the Pandavas had to share Draupadi and she had to marry all five. In my story, winning the contest is only done by answering the questions the best. In Ava's mind that was Mike.

There were two reasons I chose to do a game show to represent Draupadi’s situation. The first is show Draupadi having five husbands through the five contestants. The second is to represent the swayamvara in a modern-day setting. A swayamvara was a practice in India of choosing a husband from a list of different suitors by a woman. Having the swayamvara be shown as a dating game was the best way I thought to represent it. There was an actual show in the late 60’s called “The Dating Game” which was played exactly like I had it in my story. The only difference was that in the TV show there were three contestants instead of five.

Week 12, Famous Last Words

Looking at this extra credit option I saw that we could talk about an outside class and life outside of school (whatever that is). Well, I have just the class to talk about. I am currently failing a class called Flight Mechanics. Which should be noted that if I fail this class I will be here another year…woot. This could be good or bad. If I do pass I stick with my original plan and take a couple of summer classes and then trudge on to my senior year with a shaky knowledge in a very fundamental class. If I fail, I wouldn’t have to take summer classes so that’s a plus. I would also be able to pick up a minor in business which would be good for both my personal and professional life. Another good thing would be that Matt needs to get supervised after he graduates in order to continue his profession in Social Work. If I am here another year then he could use that time to get supervised and then maybe get his supervision transferred.

GBAA

As you can see I have put in a lot more thought into what happens if I fail. That is because I am not very optimistic about passing. I have been in this position before but I knew exactly where I stood and what I needed to get on the future exams and the final. At the moment I am completely in the dark of where I stand. I only know that I am below the average and that I made the lowest test score last time. In my other class I also knew what exactly I needed to do to improve my scores. This time around I can study for countless hours and it won’t matter a bit.

I am sure whatever happens is what is meant to be. Still sucks 

Week 12 Storytelling: Predator and Prey

Once upon a time there was a fox who lived in the woods and a rabbit who lived in a whole. One day the fox was hunting and saw his prey, a small rabbit. As the fox got closer he hear the rabbit laugh. The fox’s ears perked up. It was the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard.  The fox had suddenly lost his appetite and wanted nothing more than to hear the rabbits laugh again. The fox got closer to the rabbit. The rabbit saw the fox and started to run away.

“Wait!” cried the fox.

The rabbit kept running. The fox chased after her.

“Please, I am not going to hurt you!” called the fox.

The rabbit slowed down. For some reason she believed the fox.

Panting, the fox look at the rabbit. She had beautiful white hair and long ears that shot up into the sky. His heart stared racing, “Hi. Umm I am really sorry. I heard you laugh and…and it was mesmerizing. My name is Fenn.”

The rabbit let out a small chuckle. “Hello, my name is Talia.”

Fenn started to get really nervous. He didn’t know what to do next and he didn’t want the conversation to end. Fenn heard something in the distance. It was his family hunting.

“Talia! You must go! Others are coming. Can I please see you again? If I can meet me at the north end of the lake tomorrow at dusk. Please you must go now!”

Talia bumped Fenn’s pawn with her nose and hopped away.

*             *             *

Dusk came and Fenn was pacing back and forth waiting for Talia to arrive. He was so scared she wouldn’t show up. Finally he heard rustling at the edge of the trees.

“Talia?” Fenn asked.

“I am here Fenn!”

Fenn ran over and sniffed her to say hello.

“So Fenn, what are we doing here?” asked Talia.

“Well, I thought we could play around the lake,” Fenn replied.

Fenn and Talia then spent the rest of the day playing around the lake. They played tag, hide and go seek, they splashed around in the water, and so much more. The day ended to quickly for them and soon it was time to go home. Talia scratched her nose from nerves, “So Fenn, will I see you again?”

FrozenBunny

“Of course, Lets meet here tomorrow!” replied Fenn.

“Okay!” Talia replied with a smile.

As the days went on the two started to fall in love. It would be tricky telling this to their families since one was the predator and one was the prey. 

Author's Note

Since I have been writing pretty suspenseful stories I figured I'd lighten up the mood of my blog. Last week I read Babbitt. More Jataka Tales. Instead of an epic or a spin off of an epic these tales are children stories about Buddhism. Most of the stories were based on animal characters so I did that here in my story. 

Storytelling Week 11: The End of Frank

With a confident smile on his face Frank quietly whispers, “There is a door that leads to the back ally through the kitchen and to the left. As soon as I say to, go as quickly as you can to the ally. If you try to run or talk to anyone, I will shoot you. Do I make myself clear?”

Whimpering, Ava nodded her head.

“Go,” Frank demanded.

Trembling with tears in her eyes Ava stood up and started making her way toward the kitchen. Frank was right behind her, smiling. Once Ava got to the kitchen she stopped and looked back. Wishing Mike was there but only saw the emo boy. She turned back around and headed toward the back door.

When they were both out in the ally Ava turned to Frank and asked, “Why?”

“Because you don’t deserve this life. You have always had everything handed to you and everyone just adores you. You deserve to be as ugly and worthless as I am.”

“Franks, you aren’t ugly and worthless. Why do think that? Frank listen to me, you had a rough childhood and I am sorry for that. Hurting me isn’t going to change that. You are this far away from home already. Why not go further? You have the chance to start over.” Ava tried to reason with Frank.

*             *             *

Mike walked out of the bathroom nervous as can be. Ava was so beautiful and he wasn’t sure how she felt given how they met. Mike straightened his tie and walked back to the table. When the table came into sight he panicked. Ava wasn’t there! Mike wondered if it was him. Mike saw a waiter come up to the table.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Did you the woman sitting here go anywhere?”

“I saw her go to the back with another gentleman,” replied the waiter.

Concerned, Mike headed to the back toward the kitchen. Once in the kitchen he asked a cook if they had seen Ava. One cook told him she went out back with another gentleman.

Mike walked out the back door to the sight of Ava being shaken by an emo kid. The boy was yelling at her and Ava was crying. The boy suddenly stopped and pulled out a gun from his jacket and pointed it at her.

Mike didn’t hesitate. He rushed quietly to the boy and took the gun at the same time he elbowed the boy in the face. The boy staggered back yelling obscenities at him. Angry filled the boy’s eyes and he rushed at Mike. Mike shoved him back on the ground.

“I will never stop” The boy cried. “I will not stop until you get what you deserve!”

Ava was now weeping even harder. At that instant Mike made a decision. This boy was an obvious threat to Ava and will be as long as he was alive. Mike took a deep breath. Raised up the gun and shot the boy. 

Getty Images

Author's Note

This story concludes the ongoing story about Frank and Ava. The other story with them include: “Frank and Ava”, “The Dating Game Part 1”, “The Dating Game Part 2”, and “The Date”.