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Monday, February 29, 2016
Week 7: Growth Mindset
I found this really nice blog that had a lot of growth mindset memes I have not seen before. All the pictures are from this source. Check it out!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Week 6 Storytelling:The Pandu Pandas
Rama: Welcome back ladies and gents to another rendition
of Inside the Locker room. I’m your host, Rama and this week, we jet to India
to get an in depth look into the explosive history of the legendary basketball
team, The Pandu Pandas!
Narrator: Once upon a time, there was a band of
brothers who had tremendous skill in the sport of basketball. They were under
the leadership of Drona, a man known for his many achievements inside and outside
the court. When Drona decided to retire his high tops, he decided that he
wanted to couch the next generation of extraordinary athletes.
Coach Drona: I was great friends with their father. I
came to visit him one day and the boys were just messing around, shooting hoops
in the driveway. That was when I saw the brothers playing an unbelievably long
game of Horse. I must have stood there in amazement for two hours and not one
of them had even gotten an H. Their raw talent was unbelievable and it was in
that moment, I knew I wanted to train them for the big leagues.
Rama: Five years later, when all the brothers
were of age, they won their first IBA (India Basketball Association) tournament
and they dominated for a very long time.
Draupadi: I am their manager and I have been working
with the men for a very long time now. We actually have a running joke that
they consider me their work wife and that they are my only clients because it
isn’t easy having five husbands. They are just as good in character as they are
in basketball. They always take the time to hang out with fans and do charity
work…unlike others in the sport.
Rama: The Pandu Pandas were quickly becoming the
team to beat. This very much angered an old protege of Drona, named Duryodhana.
As the Pandas became more and more popular with the fans, Duryodhana gained
more and more resentful towards them. Although he was very talented, even he
could not compete with the dynamic talent of the five brother team. Wanting to
prove to Coach Drona that he was, infact, the best basketball player in all of
India, Duryodhana assembled his own team called the Anga Charioteers, and
challenged the Pandas to a tournament.
Duryodhana: Before the Pandas, I was the crowd favorite. I guess the novelty of having a team of
brothers became more important to Drona and suddenly all of his time and
resources went to them. But I knew, I was the more talented basketball player
and I fought for my right to be back on top. I was not going to be benched by
those men anymore.
Rama: Wanting to ensure their defeat,
Duryodhana searched high and low to look for a new rookie for his new team.
Hearing so much about a student from the University of India, Duryodhana went
to go visit Karna. To his surprise, Karna stood at seven feet two inches, which
by far surpassed Duryodhana’s stature. If he didn’t know better, Duryodhana
would have mistaken him for the Panda’s best player Arjuna. Feeling quite
confident with his new rookie, Duryodhana decided to step up the stakes at the
tournament and make a bet: who ever lost, would have to retire from the game
for thirteen years.
Karna: Duryodhana and I figured that if the
Pandas lost, they would lose their agility brought on by youth and will return
to the court as older opponents who lacked practice in their years of
retirement.
Rama: It was finally the day of the tournament
and all of India was tuning in to either go to the arena, or watch it on TV.
Although the men were confident in their game, nothing prepared them for the
newbie Karna, who stood eye to eye with Arjuna. The game continued on with very
little leads until it became a tie in the fourth quarter. The game actually
went into overtime five different times. However, when Yudhishthira went to
shoot what was supposed to be the game winning three point shot at the sound of
the buzzer, he missed and the Charioteers were declared the victors. They were
not gracious winners and taunted the Pandas about losing the bet. Basketball
was not the same for thirteen years…
Random Citizen 1: I miss the Pandas a lot. They actually
gave back to their community.
Random Citizen 2: My little boy once asked Karna for an
autograph and he pushed him out of
his way. HE PUSHED MY LITTLE BOY!
Random Citizen 3: The Pandas were fun to watch. When they
were on the court, they moved in such fluid motion, you could have sworn they
were one person playing five positions.
Random Citizen 4: My son was born the year of their forced
retirement. He turns thirteen this year and I hope he can finally have a real
hero to look up to.
Rama: Alright folks, all of India has been waiting for the return
of the Pandas. Some are convinced that they will not play the same as before but
they don’t call it a comeback for nothing…
After the
commercial break we catch up with the brothers. Stay tuned!
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| Twins Nakula and Sahadeva, Yudhishthira, and Bhima. Not pictured: Arjuna Source |
Author’s Note: I thought it would make for an interesting read to make the story have a basketball theme when I read that Pandu had five tall sons. A team of five men plays on the court at a time so I thought it would be fun. I didn’t really stray much from the original story. In Richard Wilson’s story, The Pandu brothers were actually cousins of Duryodhana. Duryodhana’s father was the rightful King to the kingdom but since he was blind, the Pandu brothers’ father became King. This became the reason for Duryodhana’s resentment towards the brothers. I wanted to keep his jealousy and the brother’s exile. Also in the original story, Draupadi was the wife of all of the men. I didn’t think it was appropriate for her to be married to all of them in this story but I did want to regard her as the team’s “work wife”. This story was originally intended to be in story form however, due to some great feedback in the comments, I decided to write the Pandu Pandas in show format similar to “Behind the Music” but sports related.
This story is based on The Five Tall Sons of Pandu by Richard Wilson.
Week 6 Reading Diary A: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu
The bow must be a very powerful weapon in Indian culture for this is the second epic where it signifies power. Being the oldest of a hundred sons must be hard for Duryodhana. I can understand why he doesn't like his cousins very much. When Karna gets crowned King for his superior skills, everyone mocks him for he is not a son of a former King. I admire Duryodhana for defending Karna and for not having a sense of entitlement. It is kind of ridiculous that all of the brothers share the Princess, especially when Aruja was the only one to string the bow. It is also ridiculous that Karna did not win when he did it first. It is interesting that the Duryodhana's father, the Pandava's uncle, took pity on them and instead of them becoming slaves, allows them to live in exile in the forest. I read somewhere that the forest in Indian epics represents magical forces so if it is anything like Ramayana, they are in for an interesting journey. His treatment of Draupadi makes me not like Duryodhana as much. Luckily he doesn't try to capture her for himself but allows her to be with her husbands. Duryodhana's need for saving tells me the only reason he hates the Pandava for probably the wrong reasons. Coupled with his father's mercy, it is most likely out of jealousy. I wonder how he will act once they are able to reclaim their kingdom.
Story: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu by Richard Wilson
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| Source |
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Thoughts About Comments
I think comments are very useful to either get to know each other's writings or to give constructive criticism to help the author with their writing. My favorite type of comments is when someone gives me feedback on how to make a story even better. Taking their input into consideration allows me and all the authors in this class to take their audiences into consideration, which is really cool. I like how I have never really encountered anyone "destroy" a story. Everyone, for the most part, has come from a place of encouragement, which is really nice.
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Sunday, February 14, 2016
Week Four Extra Reading Diary: Babbit B
The Wise and Foolish Merchant:
The Elephant Girly Face:
The Ox Who Envied the Pig:
Why the Owl is not King of the Birds:
Stories by Ellen C. Babbit for Jakata Tales. Read Here
- Oh that demon sure is manipulative.
- "The wise man knew that man was a demon because he cast no shadow." The first man should have really ought to know that. Guess that is why he was the foolish merchant.
- You really shouldn't believe everything someone says no matter how good it may sound.
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| The Demon made it look like there was plenty of water Source |
- I wish it was were that easy to train an animal.
- Seriously, I would tell my cats that knocking over the canned food won't open it. Or that paper towels were not scratch posts. Sadly, they do not listen.
- It is nice that they got to the issue instead of taking care of Girly Face though. Good for the King.
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| "It is wrong to hurt anyone. It is wrong to kill. everyone should be gentle and good." Source |
- How morbid. Thankfully, the Little Red had Big Red to tell him the truth.
- Poor pig, probably didn't see it coming.
- I kind of love this quote,-"His food was good while it lasted, but it did not last long".
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| The pig was the guest of honor at the wedding Source |
- I for one have never notice owls to look so sour.
- I guess it would kind of make sense for them to be enemies since the crows are active at day and owls at night.
- I wonder if they chose the turtle dove to be king because it it pretty. Scratch that. They kind of look like a pigeon.
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| "IF that's the cross look he wears when he is happy, how will he look when he is angry?" Source |
Stories by Ellen C. Babbit for Jakata Tales. Read Here
Friday, February 12, 2016
Week 4 Storytelling: A Lifetime with the Blues
In all of Ayodhya, there was only one place where the loners
and outcasts can go without being ridiculed by the rest of the population.
Bedoul Night Club was located in the heart of the mysterious forest and was
the ideal safe haven for all the misfits of the Kingdom. It is rumored that the
owner, Ravana, built the place for his unrequited love. Every night he tries to
make his move on the beautiful girl but to no avail for her heart belonged to
another fellow. If it wasn’t all so pathetic, some would actually admire his
adamant persistence.
It was not hard
to fall in love with Sita. Her beauty was unlike any of the other maidens and
her talent was fantastic, particularly when she tried to sing away the blues.
The male inhabitants of the club often daydreamed about being the one she chose
to fall head over heels for. It is not easy getting over your first love,
especially when he was the Kingdom’s golden boy, the only heir to the Maharaja.
When they were little, Sita, Rama, and Ravana were the best
of friends. Since Sita’s mother and father were servants and Ravana's mother a maid, they
all lived within the castle. However, when Sita’s budding beauty caught the
attention of Rama, Ravana felt more like the third wheel than the three amigos.Oh how he longed to be Sita’s mate! As the years passed by with his dream girl
on another’s arm, his dull bitterness turned into outright resentment.
Ravana’s mother, Manthara, took notice of her only son’s
anguish and hatched up a plan to break the couple up. For weeks she examined
the pair to find holes in their seemingly unbreakable bond. Finally, she
realized that the only person Sita loved more than Rama was her mother,
Kaikeyi. She spoke cruel things to Kaikeyi’s ears, hoping that her unknowing
friend would get her daughter to leave the future king.
Rama’s bad. He will make your daughter mad. He is the worst in all the
land. He will beat and he will cheat. Tell Sita to cut him loose while she
still can.
At first
Kaikeyi did not listen to the hateful gossip Manthara had spread. However,
Manthara tried and tried. Every day it was another scheme. She even paid one woman to flirt with Rama in front of Sita hoping to get to the young woman’s
insecurities. But the ever faithful Rama's love was unwavering. Instead, he told his brother Lakshmana about the beautiful Urmila and the pair got married right away. This went on for about a year before Manthara even thought about
giving up. Unfortunately, she found her weak spot once Kaikeyi became ill, and
her reservations about the treatment of her daughter became the only thing she
could think about. After all, how could such a powerful future king be so in love with a women born with such simple means? So on Kaikeyi’s death bed, her sole wish was for Sita to
never marry or be with Rama. Upon hearing the news from his mother, Ravana
covered up his mother's tracks in the matter by pledging his false loyalty to Rama by
telling him that he would forever take care of his Sita. Now she sings the blues
every night, going through life without her one true love.
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| Source |
Author's
Note: I watched Sita Sings the Blues for this week’s reading diary. I absolutely loved the
parts where Sita sang about her adventures and inspired me to write this story.
In between the ninety minute short animated movie, two storylines intertwine: the
relationships between Rama and Sita and Nina and Dave. Though I could not
exactly figure out how to incorporate Nina, Dave, or either of the cats, I did
want to play off the sort of heartbreak and turmoil of the loss of love.
I Googled the term misfit in Hindu and that is how I got the term Bedaul. I
felt that it was appropriate for Ravana to name the club after that because he
could not find his place in the real world of Ayodhya and in a sense created
his own version of reality in the forest. Though I wanted to change the epic up a bit, I still wanted to portray Ravana as the villain keeping Sita hostage. The
italicized text played off the song Rama’s twin boys sing at the end of
the movie. Sita is forced to live the rest of her life singing the blues
because she cannot be with Rama. I wanted to do something different this week so I changed up the backgrounds of the characters. In the original story, Sita was the daughter of a King, Kaikeyi was the second wife of Rama's father, and Manthara was a servant who absolutely detested Rama.
This story is based on Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley.
This story is based on Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Reading Diary B: Sita Sings the Blues
We start off with heartbreak. Poor Nina. Best part: "They joined the mile high club on the pushpaka." Priceless. I like that one of the narrators points out Rama's doubt of Sita's purity. Even though she went through the fire, he was so concerned with his own virtue which only made him even more doubtful. So he abandons her while she is pregnant. That scene was kind of heartbreaking. Especially when she was as huge as the world and he was stepping on her back. Lame move Rama, you lost major cool points on that one. Speaking of lame moves, Dave still sucks. He was balding anyways. I hate how Rama said that Sita can come back to the kingdom if she proves herself yet again. I mean...couldn't she have done that before she banished her? In front of everybody and he could have saved everyone all this time and trouble. It was weird seeing Sita go back into Mother Nature's womb. But seriously, what happened to Lexi the cat?
Reading Diary A: Sita Sings the Blues
I chose to watch the video Sita Sings the Blues this week because I love animated films based on readings. On one of my tech tips I even posted another Ramayana video from YouTube. I liked that in the beginning, Lakshmi (with her four arms) rises from the sea. I almost forgot that Sita was an avatar of hers. It was interesting watching two story lines unfold: the saga of Rama and the life of Nina and Dave (and the cat of course). I don't know why but the narrators who told the story of Rama were hilarious. It reminds me of that show where the four monsters in the audience ridicules the movie they are watching (what is the name? I can't remember!). "Nasa? Must be true then". Oh my gosh Rama's reaction to Sita going is missing is too much. I could not stop laughing. I like that the video pointed out that Hanuman is an avatar for Vishnu and his sole purpose for being born is to help Rama through his travels and the defeat of the Rakshamas. The narrators asked the question,"why was Rama so cold to Sita after being reunited?" Which was what all of us were asking when we got to the end of the story. Also, what is up with Dave?! Relationships are so frustrating sometimes. They ended where Rama and Sita go back to the kingdom so I am assuming part B is about Sita's exile.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Week 14 Tech Tip: Google Website
I decided to do a portfolio for my project but I created a google site. Check it out here
Week 11 Tech Tip: Google Timer
I have never used the Google timer before but it would be cool to use if say, you are taking a test online and you need to time yourself. My favorite time trick is to keep a shower playlist. I keep a playlist of five songs so I know exactly how long I have been in the shower, If any of the songs repeat, I know I have been in there for too long.
Week 10 Tech Tip: Reverse Image Search
I chose to do a reverse image search of this picture:
From the search I found that it is a Ravana mask. The reverse image search always makes me laugh because it makes me think of Catfish.
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| Original Source |
Week 7 Tech Tip: First Tweet
I really, really, really tried to avoid getting a twitter account. However, if it is for a grade, why not?!
Tweet Tweet
Tweet Tweet
Week 3 Review
I may have a problem with adding too many comas in my writing. I would say I'm more of a Walken but unfortunately, it can get to Shatner level! I thought this was pretty funny.
Portfolio Spring 2016
The Pandu Pandas
A team of brothers dominate the basketball court. However, jelousy and egos collide, forcing them into retirement.
A Lifetime with the Blues
The mother of Sita asks her daughter to not marry or be with Rama as her last dying wish. However, was it out of worry or manipulation brought on by others?
Urmila's Fourteen-Year Slumber
With Lakshmana gone to help Sita and Rama in the forest, it is up to Urmila to make sure that she gets enough sleep for the both of them.
A team of brothers dominate the basketball court. However, jelousy and egos collide, forcing them into retirement.
A Lifetime with the Blues
The mother of Sita asks her daughter to not marry or be with Rama as her last dying wish. However, was it out of worry or manipulation brought on by others?
Urmila's Fourteen-Year Slumber
With Lakshmana gone to help Sita and Rama in the forest, it is up to Urmila to make sure that she gets enough sleep for the both of them.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Reading Diary D: PDE Ramayana
- The switching of character narrative (Rama to Ravana) after each chapter was interesting. It was like the build up to the ultimate end and we also get to see what hell Sita is going through.
- Kumbharkana-Ravana's HUGE brother who pretty much rocked the socks off Sugriva's army. However, Rama decapitated him with flaming arrows.
- Ravana really should have given Sita up. His ego was basically his downfall.
- I was a little scared at first when it read that Kumbharkana defeated Hanuman. I read it as he killed him.
- Rama and Sita's bond is so strong. It was have been terrible seeing each other die even if they were illusions.
- I am not going to lie, I was expecting a way better battle scene between Rama and Ravana with that kind of build up. (Possible story telling?)
- Rama is a little
overbearingover dramatic. A fire test? - She passes, he becomes King,
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| Source |
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| And they lived happily ever after...but not really |
- People still wanted to talk about Sita's virtue and Rama sent Sita into exile. Love story? I am over it by this point.
Readings from Ramayana
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