Reading Notes Part A - The Red Bud Tree

The Red-Bud Tree

Main Characters
Princes
Red-Bud Tree

Plot
In the forest there laid a wonderful tree called the Red-Bud Tree. There lived 4 princes who wanted to be the first to lay eyes on the tree. The eldest prince asked the chariot driver to take him to the forest where the Red-Bud Tree was. He saw a black and bare tree. Later in the spring, the next son went to the tree and saw the beautiful red buds. The third son went to visit the tree and saw that it was covered in green leaves. The youngest prince was taken to the tree and saw that it was covered with little bean pods. When the princes discussed the seemingly different tree, the king resolved their confusion. He said, "My sons, you have all four seen the same tree, but each of you saw it at a different time of year."

Setting
In the forest

Story Idea
A possible story idea that I would have is to use the original concept but possibly use different characters. Another story idea would be to have the tree be a person. This could be a take and insight on people with multiple personalities disorder. There could be four different personalities for the four different seasons. The person could be met by a person as four different times of the year, perhaps various holidays.

(Four seasons tree - image source)

Bibliography. "The Red-Bud Tree" by Ellen C. Babbitt in More Jatakas Tales. Web Source. 

Review Week 10

As week 10 comes to a close, I am closer to finishing the class! I am very excited!! I am a little sad that it might mean that my portfolio does not get finished, but I think I will try to finish the portfolio even after I am finished with the class. I would like for it to be finished because it deserves to be. I am glad that the stress of finishing the class and the stories will be over though. I am ready to be able to use my time to focus more on my other classes and really utilizing the growth mindset.

My favorite video in the daily announcements is:

Video Source

I think it important to improve one's confidence if it is not already high. Confidence can help a person face challenges in a more effective manner. I like that the video mentioned how confidence stemmed from DNA, environment, and choices we make. The video said to boost confidence is 1. Picturing success, 2. Believing in your ability to improve, and 3. Practice failure. It exemplifies the idea of Growth Mindset. 

My favorite picture from the daily announcements is:

Stretching - Image Source

I have always wanted to take up yoga. Today I stretched more than I normally do which is nothing. I would like to make it a habit to stretch every day. I notice in the morning that I am less limber than in the afternoon. I wonder how people can do yoga at 4 am, but I think they are on to something. The people who do yoga have a more relaxed mindset that I would like to achieve someday. Perhaps what I am trying to achieve is Nirvana?

Growth Mindset: The Sleeper

One thing I knew is everyone is an individual. However, a thing I learned is that it is time to start perceiving people that way. It is easy to judge someone by their actions but it is difficult to understand their actions without the context. One thing I am curious about is, how many times have I judged someone without knowing them? It is probably too many that I would be ashamed. I would like to take this curiosity and interact with people more. I don't want to just talk to people, but I want to get to know them more. I want to try and understand, why might someone do this or why might someone do that? Humans are complex creatures. It is time for more people to realize that there is more than one path and there is more reasons why than the answer, "just because"

Individuality - Image Source

Bibliography. Video: The Sleeper. Web Source.

Growth Mindset: The Interview

I knew that growth mindset is an integral part of the people who are successful rather than those who had fixed mindsets. I try to obtain a growth mindset more and more with each challenge I face. I think it is important to have a growth mindset as soon as possible.
I learned that those who are praised by their intelligence are less likely to develop a growth mindset. Those kids do not want a challenge. They are more likely to give up. I have seen that on occasion. I have a friend who is smart but in the end, he decided that college was not for him. I wonder now if it was because he had a fixed mindset.
I am curious of the growth mindset. I hope to explore this concept more by applying myself in my studies with the idea that I can do it and that it just takes time to understand the material. I think the growth mindset provides a framework of self motivation and self confidence that I can succeed. The results will be my GPA at the end of the semester.

(Growth vs Fixed mindset - Image Source)

Bibliography. Sal Khan interviewing Carol Dweck. Web Source. 

Learning Challenge: Prolonged Sitting

GET OFF THE COUCH BABY BOOMERS, OR YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO LATER

I knew that inactivity could lead to many diseases. One new thing I learned is the amount of sitting that was calculated in a day. It all adds up. An 8 hour day combined with an hour commute in a day amounted to 10 hours. If you calculate the amount of sitting while eating and enjoying activities, it could be 13 hours of sitting. Only 11 hours remain in the day which 9 hours are presumably used for sleep. Therefore there are 2 hours left to move around. I also learned that because of television, it has created more people to be glued to the chair. I am a victim of Netflix. I stay seated while I watch Netflix. A thing I am curious to explore is to move while watching Netflix. I noticed that the article did not say to stop the activity completely but to integrate physical activity about every 30 minutes. It is important to move at least 1 to 2 minutes just to keep the blood flow moving. Sometimes, I will watch Netflix while I am on the treadmill. I would like to act on my curiosity by only watching Netflix when I am on the treadmill or doing some sort of activity.

(Couch potato - Image Source)

Bibliography. "Get Off the Couch Baby Boomers, or you may not be able to later." by Patti Neighmond. Web Source. 

Learning Challenge: Happiness Jar

My plan to obtain happiness this week was to be happier with myself. I find it easy to focus on the negativities in life or in myself. This picture not only represents a smiley face but it represents someone creating their own happiness. Instead of focusing on the negativities, I focused on the positivities. I realize that the person who encourages me the most and the person who holds me back that most is Myself. This week, I focused on the small accomplishments. I am happy with this week, but I know I can do better. I want to challenge myself to be a better Chelsea tomorrow and the days to come. I challenge myself to laugh more, smile more, study more, exercise more, and be happy. 

(Smiley face - Image Source)

Reading Notes Part A - Ganesha: The Remover of All Obstacles

Ganesha: The Remover of All Obstacles

Main Characters:
Ganesha
Gana
Shiva
Parvati

Plot:
One day, Parvati wanted privacy in her own home. She told Nandi, Shiva's attendant, to make sure no one walked into the house. As Shiva approached the house, Nandi did not stop him because that was his master. Parvati was shocked when she saw Shiva walk into her room. Parvati decided to create her own attendant, a youthful boy who she called her son. She commanded her son to not allow anyone in, which he did his job very well. He did his job so well that he scared off Devas and Ganas. It required Vishnu and Shiva to decapitate him. Parvati was very angry when she heard of the news. She sent her henchmen to kill all the Devas and Ganas. Shiva told his Ganas to obtain the head of the first creature they saw and attach it to the boy's body. The Ganas ran into a single tusk elephant and brought the boy back to life. Shiva gave him an honorable status and Parvati was happy once again.

Setting:
Mount Kaisala

Story Idea:
My story idea would be to tell the story in a movie script. I think there is a lot of opportunities for dialogue and action to portray in the story. I think it would be easy to convey the message without all the filler words that take away from it. I would like to name the youth, Nesha, before he became Ganesha. I would have assumed that his mother gave him a name rather than leaving him nameless. I would like to explore Parvati's side of the story as well. It seems like she is a very powerful person who only uses her powers when she feel the need. I wonder where and when she became so powerful. I believe it is a background story I would like to make up some time.

(Ganesha - Image Source)

Author's Note: Retrieved from the Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Vol 509, Ganesha: The Remover of all Obstacles

Reading Notes Part B - Karttikeya: A Son of Shiva

Karttikeya: A Son of Shiva

Main Characters:
Karttikeya
Shiva
Parvati
Asuras

Plot:
In this story, Karttikeya is conceived to defeat the Asuras who were wrecking havoc in the kingdoms. Karttikeya was born from six sparks that came off of Shiva. The sparks were brought to Ganga by Vayu and Agni. Ganga carried them to the Sharavana (a forest of reeds) where the sparks turned into 6 babies. Once the babies were born, Parvati stepped closer. Then, the babies merged into one with six heads. Karttikeya took down each ruling Asuras, which amounted to three in total. He first took Taraka. He took Simhamukha second. Finally he took Surapadman. Surapadman became Karttikeya's vehicle, which was a peacock, and an emblem, which was a flag post.

Setting:
Mount Kaisala
Udaya Mountain
The Kingdom of Asuras

Story Idea:
My story idea of this would be to tell the story in the point of view of Karttikeya. I would want to focus on mental age of him. He seemed like he was a kid when he was going to war with all the Asura. I would like to explore his mentality and how he dealt with the pressure of the responsibility he help before he was conceived.

(Karttikeya - Image Source)

Author's Note: Retrieved from the Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Vol 529, Karttikeya: A son of Shiva

Growth Mindset: Purpose

The one thing that the graphic confirmed that I knew already was the continuum of purpose is self awareness. It is important to be self aware to know what your purpose is. It is important to explore for personal reasons on what your purpose is. 

One new thing that I learned that I did not know before was conformity. I did not think conforming would be a part of purpose. I understand now that being in individual is important but conforming to the rules and guidelines is important to follow your purpose. Before becoming self aware, a step to understanding what your purpose is to conform and utilize your time to decide what your purpose is. It sounds like it is limbo for those who do not know what they want to do.

The one thing that I am curious to explore is the making a difference portion. I would like to make a difference with whatever purpose I decide to pursue. I want to lead a meaningful life. In order to act on that curiosity, I am beginning to take the steps towards what I believe is my purpose in life which is to help others. I plan on being a pharmacist. I would like to help others health wise and be a listening health care provider.

(Continuum of Purpose - Image Source)

Reading Notes: Tales of Shiva - Shiva the Fisherman Part A

Tales of Shiva - Shiva the Fisherman

Main Characters
Shiva
Parvati
Nandi

Plot
Shiva was telling a story to a bored Parvati. No matter how hard she tried, she could not become interested. Seeing the disinterest, Shiva casted her away to become a fisherwoman in the Paravar tribe. Shiva immediately realized and regretted his mistake. Meanwhile, Parvati grew into a beautiful, clever, and strong fisherwoman. Nandi, Shiva's servant, knew the distress of his master. He became a menacing shark where the Paravars where. Nandi tore the nets and boats to pieces. The chief offered Parvati's hand in marriage as a reward to capture the shark. Many young fishermen tried, but none succeeded. The villagers and Parvati prayed to the divine Gods. Shiva heard Parvati's prayer and went to the village. Shiva was able to capture Nandi since he surrendered himself. Shiva wed Parvati. Nandi assumed his true form as an ox and carried the couple to their rightful home.

Setting
Kailasa and Paravar village

Story Idea
A story idea I had was to tell the story in Parvati's point of view. From the moment she was bored with the story and then her life as she grew up. I would want to focus on the events where she transitions from a fisherwoman to Shiva's wife. I wonder if she regained all her memories or would Shiva have to retell her what happened.

(Shiva and Parvati on Nandi - Image Source)

Bibliography. Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Vol 549, Tales of Shiva: The Mighty Lord of Kailasa.

Week 10 Storytelling: The Water Sprite and the Prince

The Water Sprite and the Prince

There lived a beautiful fairy in the forest of Diac. Her name was Erabella. The King Fairy, her father, gave her very own pond when she turned 21. She was excited to have her own pond to live at and watch. Her father told her that anyone who approaches her pond would have to answer the question, “Who are the Good Fairies?” If the person answered the question wrong, Erabella would have complete power over them. Erabella was a kind fairy who did not do harm to those who got the question wrong. She merely gave them a single conch shell necklace for them to wear. When she needed them, she would call them and they would hear from the necklace.

One spring dewy day, Erabella heard commotion from the South winds. She went over to explore the area. She saw three handsome men. They obviously looked like brothers. One man in particular caught her eye. He looked like he was the oldest brother. He stood tall but had kind eyes. She asked the South wind where they traveled from.

The South wind replied, “The three men who traveled to the Diac Forest come from the kingdom of Conrad. The winds tell me that they are the princes who ran away from home until their father dies.”

Erabella spent days daydreaming of the oldest prince. Until one day, the youngest prince came to her pond to fetch water for their encampment.

Erabella asked him, “Who are the Good Fairies?”

The youngest replied, “Why, it is beautiful fairies like you.”

Erabella said as she handed him a conch shell necklace, “That was not the correct answer. What is your name?”

He said, “My name is Eric, the Sun Prince.”

Erabella showed him her cave and told him to wait there until further notice.

The oldest and middle started to worry where their youngest brother was. The oldest brother decided to grab his sword and head to the pond.

Erabella asked him, “Who are the Good Fairies?”

The oldest replied,

“The pure in heart who fear to sin,

The good, kindly in word and deed.”

Erabella said, “That is the correct answer. Where did you learn that?”

The oldest replied, “Since I was interested in mythology as a child, I learned it from an ancient book.”

Erabella told the oldest that he was free to go.

The oldest hesitated and said, “Water Fairy, my name is Henry, Prince of the Stars. My youngest brother must have stumbled across here, have you seen him?”

Erabella said, “Yes, he is sitting in my cave. You may have him back under one condition.”

Henry waited.

“I would like to marry you and be your Queen, your equal.”

In response, Henry said, “When is the wedding?”

(Water Sprite Fairy - Image Source)

Bibliography. Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. The Baldwin Project. Web source.

Author's Note: When the third prince was born, the king offered to uphold any promise the queen had. When the third son turned 21, the queen asked the king to give the kingdom to the third son. The king refused. The king said that it was the oldest and then the second son's by right. Afraid that the queen would harm the older sons, the king told the sons to go to the forest and live until he died. The youngest prince, seeing that his brothers were leaving, left with them too. The sun prince went to a pond owned by a water sprite. If the person goes to the pond and answers the question "What are the good fairies like?" correctly, they will not be in the sprite's power. The youngest prince answered wrong and the sprite carried him to his cave. The oldest king answered correctly and they lived happily ever after according to plan. In this story, I wanted the water sprite to be the main character.