Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part A

Thakata’s Story: I enjoyed this part of the book as well since it dealt with demons. I started being interested in demons while watching my favorite show, Supernatural (10/10 would recommend). Back to the point, I found it interesting the way that the book incorporated the story behind how Thakata became well, Thakata. It goes along the lines of “do harm, and harm will come to you”. 

(The fight between the demon Thakata and Rama, Image Source)

Mahabali’s Story: This story intrigued me a lot. I loved how it took an interesting turn when Viswamithra transformed from a tiny dwarf to an almighty being. I really like how the story incorporated a modern-day saying of “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

Ahayla’s Story: This story was a mix between humor and despair. I really enjoyed the punishment of being covered with the female organ (as sadistic as that sounds). I would love to try and incorporate a humorous feel into my story. On the other hand, this story also offers a sad side to it as well. It speaks of the sin of cheating and its consequences which is still and ongoing problem in today’s society.

The Wedding/ Two Promises Revived: Rama has now been able to successfully accomplish the “impossible” task set by Sita’s father. Now that they are nearing the wedding day, there is a lot of pressure going around. Rama’s mentor, Dasharatha, becomes aware that he is aging and not like he used to be. Due to that he decides to make Rama his successor. He also tries to make sure that everything about Rama and Sita’s wedding goes smoothly. I enjoy reading about the care and affection he has for Rama (I will definitely try to emphasize relationship that in my storytelling).

So far, I have really enjoyed how the book is set up. It was a very easy and pleasant read. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A

Wikipedia Trail: From Bangtan Boys to Black Friday

(BTS Performing at the Korean Convention in Paras, France. Image source )

I started with a Korean pop (kpop) group called Bangtan Boys (BTS) who connected with their fans by making YouTube videos, from there I found out that the people who founded YouTube were former PayPal employees, finally I learned that due to Black Friday, PayPal broke their record for the most mobile engagement.

Week 1 Review

(A Humorous Meme with an Important Message: Image source)

This is my first online course. Judging from how it is set up so far, I have to say that if I ever take any more online courses that they will have a lot to live up to. I really enjoy how Laura set up the course in a way that is easy to follow. I can see how she genuinely enjoys teaching the course through how much effort she has put into setting up the course. I chose this adorable meme because it is true. Different people require different forms of instruction and Laura has done a great job of catering to as many as she can.

My Growth Mindset

As a student who has experienced our education system, I have become aware of many things. I have seen instructors who aren’t enthusiastic about teaching, I have seen students who lose their determination to do well, I have seen our education becoming less and less important, etc. I have found myself losing interest to learn. Sometimes, I simply feel as if I’m just going through the motions of life without much direction or reason. It’s like you work hard to achieve something that you don’t truly want but you do it anyways because it’s the most conventional thing to do. Before this course, I had never heard of Carol Dweck or the growth mindset before. After watching some of her videos, I found myself really thinking. I would like to believe that I have a potential growth mindset. I say this because I know that with the determination to do so, I would be able to succeed but I find myself being quite unmotivated most of the time.

(A Meme representation of one of  Carol Dweck's Mindset Quotes: This image is from a blog.) 

While I have been at OU, I have seen so many people who I would have never imagined to excel in a course that I had thought I would. This discouraged me. At first I didn’t understand because, to put it blatantly, they just looked like they cared more about partying and drinking than their education. I soon realized the error in my views. I came to understand that unless you truly know the person, you shouldn’t assume their lives for them. That is why one of my personal goals for this semester is to stop trying to compare myself to everyone else. I am my own unique self and I was given the opportunity to be the first one in my family to go to college and further my education and therefore I should work hard to expand my knowledge.

Starting the Semester Right

Many people often have the same idea when it comes to starting the semester right. Tips include: staying organized, planning ahead, getting involved, etc. Personally, I agree with all of these tips, however, there is one crucial piece of the puzzle that must be met in order to succeed: having determination. From personal experience, I have found myself performing all of the steps necessary to do well in the course but still not succeeding at a level of which I would have liked to. I simply just went through the actions as if they were an assembly line without much thought or determination. I believe that having a determined mindset is a quality that will carry you far in life. You can try as much as you can to do well in a course but without the determination to do so, without the desire to want that outcome, you’re simply just not going to do well. We must actually want to truly succeed in order to do so. To have a determined mind means that you want what’s at the end of that tunnel, it means that you are going to do whatever it takes in order to get there. Also being determined won’t make everything you do seem like a chore, but rather it will treat it as a part of your journey to the destination you wish to reach.

(The Stairway to Success: Image source.)

So there it is, the greatest tip that I could give anyone who wishes to succeed in not only the beginning of their semester, but also their life. Remember that it’s okay to lose hope sometimes. Very few people are able to maintain that determination but that’s okay. You always have the option of giving up but with the power of determination, you can choose to get back up and try again.

Reading Options

I have chosen to go with Narayan's Ramayana. Over content that I am just learning about for the first time, I would prefer for it to be as easy as possible to comprehend. I like how this version offers a more modern style of writing that would make it easier for me to understand what I am reading. I also prefer to have an actual copy of the print when I am reading. 

As for something that intrigues me, I am really curious as to why many of the people in the Indian epics have multiple body parts. It could be their face, their arms, or even their breast; I would just like to learn more about the significance of it all. This image really sparked my curiosity due to the fact that each of the arms of this character (I apologize if my wording is disrespectful, I am just unsure of how to address these people).

(Illustration from the book Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists:Ramayana Written by Sister Nevedita)

This shall be my first course where I study epic literature. I don't have much outside influence when it comes to Indian history. A lot of the Indian culture I see comes from my parents. They sometimes like to watch Vietnamese dubbed versions of Indian shows/dramas (sounds weird right? it is). Although it is odd hearing a viet person speak over the Indian actor, I try to overlook that and pay attention to the different aspects of the drama such as their style of clothing, their food, and the way they carry themselves.

Storybook Favorites

(Ravana the Demon King. Image source: Karma)

The Diary of Karma. Before even opening this project to read, I had a feeling that I would enjoy this method of writing. The title of the story, being “The Diary of Karma”, indicated at it being told in a first person type of manner. I chose this story because I wanted to experience the story from the point of view of the main characters. The topic of karma is one I believe many are familiar with. It goes along the lines of “do harm, and harm will come to you”. The introduction grabs my attention by asking questions therefore engaging me. I enjoy the physical layout of this story. The background gives off an old paper vibe which ties into the diary theme.


CSI: Indian Epics. One of my favorite genre of shows include crime and detective-based ones. I get a thrill from watching the plot unfold which was why I was intrigued with this story. This story is written in a way so that you are the detective. It helps to create the ambiance of the story. I enjoyed the physical layout of the story. It’s made to look like notebook paper which I found to be a nice touch. The stories are formatted to look like a detective’s report and it really helps to tie in the theme.


Fairytale Case Files: India. The title of this story also caught my attention because it fell under the crime and detective category. The physical layout of this story gives off a much more ominous feel to it due to the dark colors. The introduction really made me interested in continuing the story since it was very informative. This story is a bit different from the last in that each story isn’t formatted to look like a detective’s report. Much of the story is made up of the dialogue between the two main characters and it helps the story to flow more smoothly as opposed to just having reports.

Introduction to a Girl Who's Not Really Sure

Let's start with a short introduction to who I am as a student. I am in my second year of college studying to obtain a degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry, pre-med with a minor in biology. I didn't always want a chemistry major though. After finishing high school, I felt out of place. Most of the people around me loved chemistry while I just did it because I had to. I felt as if I should try and like it but no matter how hard I tried, at the time I couldn’t imagine myself studying chemistry. I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do. Due to that, I started my freshman year of college with an undecided major. After taking the Intro to Zoology course for non-majors, I found myself falling in love with biology which was odd to me since I was always more of a math oriented type of gal. So I decided to declare my major as Biology. However that plan fell through quickly after taking the second biology course. I came to once again realize that I enjoy things that are concrete, hence why my favorite subject was always math. So with that being said, I gave chemistry a shot. To my surprise I loved it. I found myself actually clicking with the concepts and eagerly looking forward to learning more. I actually did well in my courses and I truly felt as if this was what I wanted to study. So that was the short, yet not so short, introduction of how I chose the major that I have today.

  (Chemistry Equipment: Flickr Images)

Now for an introduction of who I am as a person. I lived in Edmond for the majority of my life but moved to the Moore public school district halfway through my freshman year of high school. We moved so that I could be closer to OU.

I often times think about what I want to be in the future and although I have an idea of what I would want, I’m not sure if I have the determination to follow through with it. I would love to be a pediatrician. I am very fond of children and I would like for my job to lie within the medical field so I felt as if that was my best option. That is my practical goal. Moving along the more impractical side, I would love to be a person who makes YouTube videos. I really enjoy watching and doing makeup and if I could be reassured that I would do well in that career, I would most definitely take the chance. Maybe in the future when I’m at the point where I am stable, I will try to pursue that as a hobby. 

(The Path to my Success: Pexel Images)

In my free time, I love to play with my dog, Tigger. He's a 5 year old Siberian husky. He always knows how to cheer me up whenever I'm feeling down. I love him so much and I couldn't imagine life without him. I also love to watch Korean dramas aka k dramas. I can literally sit there for over 7 hours just watching them. I watched my first one in senior year of high school and the amount of dramas I've watched has skyrocketed. I highly recommend them if you're really into cute romance. It'll take awhile to get used to reading subtitles while watching the drama but trust me, it's worth it.  

(Tigger staring intensely at a piece of trash. Personal photo)

Moving onto summer break:

Most of the time I'll start my semester off with saying that this summer wasn't long enough, but that wasn't the case this time. I felt as if I spent my summer wisely and although summer could always be longer, I wasn't regretful of what I didn't do. This summer I once again volunteered at St. Anthony’s hospital with my brother. There I helped in the pathology department where I got to see all sorts of interesting things not limited to: a finger, a dead body, and an eighty pound leg (yes just the leg alone). In the afternoons I would help in the “Joyful Beginnings”  department which was where the newborn babies were located. Our family also took a camping trip this summer in Wichita Mountains. Although I would have preferred going when it was much cooler, it was still a memorable experience for my family and I. 

(The Great Outdoors: Pixabay Images)

Story: Revenge's Reality

A simple mistake in a simple surgery led to the demise of the grandma of a young girl in high school. The surgeon did not see the fault in his mistake and did not bother to apologize for the girl’s loss. With great determination the girl vowed to make him pay and apologize for the pain that he had caused her. She thought the best way to attack him was to first become a surgeon, that way she could attack him with a voice.

 (A Justice Balance)

Over the course of the next 13 years she was able to become a successful surgeon. She began to plan out her revenge.

“I’ll make you suffer for what you did by always staying close as a constant reminder and I’ll watch you fall apart.”

However, it didn’t go as she had planned. No matter how much she pursued this goal of hers, it just seemed as if luck wasn’t on her side. The people around her whom she love began to become collateral damage. Although she didn’t want to dishonor her grandma, she felt as if the best she could do in her situation was to step back. She began to accept the fact that she might never receive the apology she so hoped for.

Then, things started to take a different turn. The very person who treated her sick grandmother now needed treatment. At first she was set on not agreeing to perform the surgery. As time went by, she began to once again remember who she really was, a doctor. She set their differences aside and became determined to save him as that was her duty as a doctor. She succeeded in her task and received something from the person that she could have never imagined,

“Thank you”.

Although she didn’t get the apology she had worked so hard to obtain, in the end she had gained something much bigger, sincerity.

The scars which you hold on so tightly to may be the very thing that’s stopping you from obtaining what you truly strive for.

Author's Note: In the original fable, the author spoke of how "Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten". It starts out with the son of a countryman being bit by a serpent. unfortunately the son died so the father set out to seek revenge on behalf of his son. He cut off the tail of the serpent. However that seemed to cause him more trouble than it was worth. The serpent began to cause harm to the father therefore causing him a detrimental loss. The father tried reconciling with the serpent but it was of no use. I took the theme of revenge from the story and incorporated it into my own story. I wanted to demonstrate how revenge isn't always the path that will lead us to happiness like we think it will. I wanted to demonstrate the reality of revenge, hence the name. 

Bibliography. "The  Man and The Serpent",  from The fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs. Web Source. 

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

My Favorite Place: Vietnam.

Ca Mau, Vietnam. I was born in Ca Mau on August 8th, 1997. My parents moved to America when I was only 6 months old. Even though I don't get to visit very often, the memories I have made there are ones I will never forget. The beautiful scenery and busy lifestyle are what leave me yearning for more.

(Ca Mau City Center

Web Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Housing. Here in Vietnam, there are a lot of people. In order to make the most of the space they have, the houses there are built up instead of out. Whenever we visited Vietnam, we would occasionally visit my mom's cousin. He lived in a 5 story house where the 1st story held his family's jewelry store, the 2nd story was where his family made the jewelry, the 3rd story was where they dined, the 4th story was where they slept, and finally the 5th story was where they did laundry. Here is an image of how houses are typically built in Vietnam.

  (A Skinny House in Vietnam

Photo taken by Joaquin Uy: Flickr Images)

Food. Of course, I couldn't forget about the food! My favorite thing about Vietnam is the variety of food that they offer and how easy it is to obtain that food. You could just take a few steps out of your house and would be pleased to find the abundance of on-the-go food vendors that offer delicious street food. One of my favorites is a dish called Bot Chien. It is fried flour cake that is served with eggs and a sweet soy sauce. 

(A Street Vendor Frying up Some Delicious Bot Chien.

Photo taken by Reuben Strayer: Flickr)

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Hi everyone! My name is Linh and I hope to do well in the course!

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