Poster Tech Tip: AutoMotivator

For this Tech Tip, I chose to make an AutoMotivator poster out of a quote that I recently came across and have been reminding myself of lately:

This was fun to make and turned out so well! The image is from Wigflip's AutoMotivator generator and the quote is by an unknown author.

Brainstorming Storybook Styles

Topic: My Storybook will be about turtles as well as the idea of karma! Kurma is actually the turtle avatar of Vishnu, so I really liked the idea that my professor Dr. Laura Gibbs gave me of a storybook about "Kurma and Karma". I would like to incorporate the Indian tale about karma, The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking. I had not made the connection of Rama and Sita in the movie A Little Princess until looking at the books for class site but now the movie makes a lot more sense to me! I would like to incorporate this story into my storybook because A Little Princess is most definitely a story about karma where the good are rewarded in the end and the bad are punished. My professor mentioned that karma is a theme in every story because every action has a consequence, which means that my storytelling style is going to be especially important.

Bibliography:
1. The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking by Ellen C. Babbitt
2. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Possible Styles: 

Under The Sea: I really liked this idea of creating a story set beneath sea level. People are always fascinated by this seemingly infinite and mysterious place, so a storybook here could be fun for me to create. A turtle would also fit well in this environment especially because sea turtles are known for living SO long and also associated with being extremely wise, probably because of their old age.

Sea Turtles are so cool - makes me excited for this project! Image Source: Pixabay

Wisdom Tale: Given this wise character of the turtle, I think a wisdom tale would be a perfect way to tell my storybook. Although the turtle in The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking wasn't so wise, I could that a wise turtle would make more sense than this chatty turtle.

Story of a Name: Telling a story about how Kurma got his name would be perfect! I could explain the concept of Karma in a story of how the turtle Kurma got his name. 

Characters Grown Old: I could also tell my storybook as a reflection of someone looking back on their life. I was thinking that it could be Kurma or even Kurma's parents reflecting on how he got his name. 

At this point, I think that I could incorporate all four of these ideas into my Storybook together. Also, I am actually really glad that we took the time to think about styles for our storybook. I am now feeling a lot more confident about this assignment.

Learning Challenge: Deserted Island Books

1. The Bible: A necessity for me and also a book that I don't think I could ever study enough.

2. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: I am one of those people who has trouble reading the same book twice but Harry Potter never gets old to me.

3. Switch On Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf: This self-help book is revolutionary. I think it would be a valuable read for anyone. Dr. Leaf explains how you can make real changes by simply changing your mindset.

4. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller: A go-to book for me when I need some inspiration.

5. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: A fascinating biography.

6. American Sniper by Chris Kyle: Although I normally wouldn't like a book about war, this book is very moving.

7. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: Long and complex but such a beautiful book.

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: I just love this book and also the movie.

9. The Giver by Lois Lowry: I am a sucker for sci fi or anything that can capture my imagination, and this book really sparks a lot of thought!

10. Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham: Just a very honest memoir that left me laughing out loud!

Books. Source: Wikipedia

Tech Tip: Embed SoundCloud

This week I decided to embed a song from SoundCloud into my blog. I love music because it is so powerful and can change the mood, at least mine, quickly. I listen to almost all genres of music and am always looking for new music, so please share! Here is a song I have had on repeat all week:

Storytelling for Week 3: The Great Banyan Tree

First up on the divine’s agenda was Solomon. 

Solomon spent much of his days meditating, preparing himself for the judgment he would face in the afterlife. Finally, it was time for Solomon to say goodbye to his family. Solomon could feel death approaching like an old friend. It was comfortable, and he wasn’t scared. Upon his arrival, Solomon was greeted by a divine being of obvious enlightenment who he assumed to be God. In a blindingly white room, the two individuals were accompanied only by a great banyan tree. 

Banyan Tree. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Breaking the silence, Solomon asked, “How many deaths must I die until I reach enlightenment?” 

“As many deaths as there are leaves in that tree,” the divine responded. 

Solomon couldn’t believe this answer! He begrudgingly complained, “I am never going to reach enlightenment. I wasted away an entire life meditating and this is what I get in return!” 

And back to Earth Solomon was sent to be reborn. 

Next up on the divine’s agenda was Tiny. 

Tiny was always content. He enjoyed the small things in life. For example, Tiny had to work very hard for much of his life, but even after a long day, Tiny would skip home merrily to greet his wife and children with a smile. Tiny hadn’t expected to meet death so early, yet he wasn’t scared of it either. Upon his arrival, Tiny was greeted by the divine and the great banyan tree in the same white room as Solomon and all of the other mortals who had passed through death. 

Tiny curiously asked, “How many lives must I live until I reach enlightenment?” 

“As many lives as there are leaves in that tree,” the divine responded. 

Tiny’s face lit up in delight. 

The divine inquired, “Tiny, why does this answer give you so much relief?” 

Tiny responded, “Because there are only so many leaves in that tree, which means I am well on my way!” 

With this, Tiny reached his enlightenment!

Author’s Note: I heard this story in my yoga teacher’s training a few weeks ago, and really loved it! The story itself is very old and has been passed down by word of mouth so I am not sure of the original source. When I heard the prompt “Trial in the Afterlife” for this week’s storytelling post, I instantly thought of this story and wanted to create an adaptation. I like this story because I think it’s meant to encourage gratefulness. If we are grateful and content rather than searching for something, we can live much more fulfilling lives whether we believe in the afterlife and reincarnation or not. 

Bibliography: I found a blogger's version of this story, which I referred to, called The Bodhisattva and the Two Aspirants by Doug O'Brien posted on June 25, 2014.

Week 3 Reading Diary: The Ramayana Part C

I really enjoyed the character of the monkey-king in Sugriva and Hanuman, especially because the human characters are still present rather than a story based entirely on animal characters. Likewise, I found the details in King Sugriva about the high officials of the monkey kingdom, or the mahamatras, and the vanars very interesting; maybe because it reminded me of a favorite scene from The Wizard of Oz. 

Flying Monkeys. Source: Wikimedia Commons

I love the depiction of Rama in Sugriva and Vali, which reads “To his foes resistless Rama is a lightning from above, To his friends a tree of shelter, soul of tenderness and love, Dearer than his love of glory is his love to heal and bless…” I can see where some readers have a problem with Rama’s controversial tactics of guerrilla warfare in Vali’s Death; many people don’t find the strategies of guerrilla warfare fair or honest. Especially with Rama’s saint-like portrayal, these sneaky tactics don’t exactly match up with his character. I was so surprised by Rama’s display of impatience in The Rainy Season! I feel like this is so out of character for him, and especially after his display of unfair combat, I feel like this change in character is leading up to something important. I like the idea of having to wait until a rainy season is over; I think it creates a really beautiful picture. I would like to learn more about this rainy season specific to India and how it affects life there.

Brainstorming Project Topics

1. Yoga: I am currently pursuing my yoga teacher training certification and with this comes intense studying of the subject, which originated in India. I have already seen a lot of overlapping of ideas between yoga and our literature in Epics of India. Dr. Laura Gibbs also suggested that I look at a previous student’s project, IE:Yoga Studios: Pose Origins Workshop. The project is laid out so that the viewer feels as if he or she is actually present in a yoga class, which I found very interesting! I was so impressed by how well the author explained some very complicated ideas; I know how hard it can be to break down such complex ideas, but this author didn’t seem to struggle at all with this.

2. Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues: I am very interested in watching Nina Paley’s contemporary animated film, Sita Sings the Blues. I think that I might be able to come up with a project around her beautiful animations. I would love to research more about her art and learn just how Indian culture really influences her work, specifically in Sita Sings the Blues.  I am also interested in how Nina Paley got involved in such an original idea for a cartoon. She is obviously very talented, having been written about in the New York Times.

3. Animals characters: I really enjoyed our Week 1 StoryRetelling Assignment, where we were asked to incorporate animals into our new story. I took this opportunity to play with a symbolic animal, the deer. I think I am drawn to this idea because animals are universally symbolic, defying culture or geography. I would like to learn more about their meaning. For example, a turtle might be an interesting animal to focus on. I would also like to learn which animals are specifically important to the people of India.

4. Karma is another topic that I might want to pursue in my project. I think I could incorporate this idea with another one like animal characters, for example. Karma is something I have always been a believer in. I would love to create a beautiful project around this idea that what comes around goes around. I would also like to learn more about how this idea affects the culture and literature of India. I do believe that every action has a consequence, like the butterfly effect. This butterfly effect could be an interesting starting point for a project!

Butterfly. Source: Flickr