Brainstorming Storybook Topics

Possible Topic - Yama: Yama is the god of time. He's actually present in several ancient Indian religions, but in Hinduism, he is the son of Brahma. He is also the god of death, something very closely connection to time in Hinduism. I was primarily interested in him because I love the idea of using time as a literary device. I particularly like the idea of a fish out of water story, with a character traveling to a different time. Also, the ideas of death and reincarnation could give a story like that an interesting twist.

Research so far: For this topic, I'll have to do a lot of research into the Hindu concepts of time, death, and jiva (the soul). Other gods are apparently referred to as gods of time, but in Hinduism, time is relative, and Yama seems to be most associated with human time. I also just sometimes associated with Dharma, which could be useful, but I'll have to see how prevalent this is. I did some reading on his Wikipedia page, and I also found an article on time that discuss him briefly. The Wikipedia page also had a pretty good picture of him:

Yama (Imra) standing on a buffalo
Courtesy of Wikipedia

 

 

Possible Topic - Krishna: Krishna is one of the avatars of Vishnu. He's extremely popular, and one of the most powerful of Vishnu's avatars. I'm particularly interested in his exploits and pranks as a child and his participation in the Kurukshetra War as a young man. I think the idea of a mischievous childlike god could make for an interesting story, and from descriptions of Krishna's abilities as a brilliant tactician, I thought it might be interesting to take a closer look at some of his tactics.

Research so far: Krishna's Wikipedia page has a ton of information. I focused mostly on the sections of his life mentioned above and depictions of his appearance. As I said before, he's very popular, and there is an abundance of info on his exploits.  He's done so many things that it's hard to nail down a particular area that I want to focus on. But, I think I'll have a better idea after reading the Mahabharata. Likewise, I can read the first part of the Harivamsa to learn more about his childhood.

Possible Topic - Rakshasas: I think that the demons of Hinduism have some of the most interesting imagery. Likewise, the stories involving are often grandiose. I've found their powers to be very interesting and sometimes completely unexpected, like when Ravana walks outside and turns off the weather in the Ramayan. I would like to do a storybook that involved several of the demons. So far I've been toying around with the idea of exploring the punishments of defeated rakshasas, or looking into the stories of the good rakshasas.

Research so far: Of course, I've read about some of them through the Ramayana, and I looked little deeper into Maricha's background while I was brainstorming for my last story. I've been reading over the the Rakashasa page. In particular, I looked into the Wikipedia pages on Vibhishana, Prahlada, and Hiranyaksha. I thought Prahlada's resilience, and the various trials he went though were quite interesting. I also looked at the Wikipedia page on Naraka which has some brief summaries of the 28 hells.

Possible Topic - Brahma: Brahma the god of creation and one third of the trimurti. He is actually the least popular of the three. I thought he was an interesting character to look into, coming into my attention mostly from the boons he granted. It seems like most demons get their powers/semi-immortality through boons from Brahma in particular. I thought it might be interesting to explore the idea of boons. I also enjoy creation myths, and thought it might be cool to explore the creation of the universe.

Research so far: I wanted to look into the trimurti, and I found Brahma to be particularly interesting, probably because I'm an engineer. On that note, Vishwakarma is the god of engineers, and from what I can tell they reference the same entity, but there isn't a whole of  material on them, particularly Brahma. I've looked on both of the Wikipeda pages (linked above), and I've also seen Brahma referenced in most of the Rakashasa pages I looked at.

Picture of Brahma, the god of creation
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Week 2 Storytelling: The First Ramayana

"Why has Master Rama forsaken us? He leaves us behind even though we have served him so faithfully for all these years..."

"Don't be so dramatic. You know that King Dasaratha order the young prince to leave behind Ayodhya to live in the forest for the next fourteen years. Besides, Rama will have no use for servants such as ourselves while living the life of an ascetic. It is our duty to serve Bharata faithfully while he rules in Rama's stead and to prepare for Rama's return."
 
Although the latter spoke words of reassurance, he too was already missing their master. They had been apart for a matter of mere minutes, but a feeling uneasiness fell over him as he gazed back at the prince. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that future events in the forest would change Rama for the rest of his life and not necessarily for the better.

"I suppose you are right, as always brother. Our master gave his word that he would serve this penance, and one as honorable as the young master would never go back on his word. As he said himself, 'A word given is like an arrow, it goes forward. You cannot recall it midway.'"

As the pair traveled back to the palace, they each reminisced on their time with the prince. They had been with him for many a year, having come into his service shortly after Rama travels with the great sage Viswamithra, but each could remember when they met him as though it was yesterday.

"Remember when we met the young master?" said the former, " We were sold to him in Mithila, and though anyone else would have looked upon us as simple belongings, objects to be used and tossed aside, he immediately treated with such kindness and care. I knew immediately that he was different, that he would make for a wonderful master."

"Ah, yes," stated the latter, " Even then, Rama had become well known for his strength, kindness, and unflinching honor. Do you recall the story of how he defeated the the terrifying Thataka and her demonic sons?"

"Oh, that was a wonderful story. When the young master met Thataka in the desert. Though most mortals would have cowered in terror, he swiftly struck her down and freed the region from her awful reign. Then, during Viswamithra's yajna, her sons attacked in order to exact revenge, but our master was ready. With one arrow he struck down Subachu and with the other he send Mareecha flying all the way to the ocean."

"What a wonderful story indeed! The prince's feats seem to become greater with each of your tellings. Don't misunderstand me, he is a great warrior who demonstrated immeasurable power in his defeat of the demons, but I distinctly remember that Mareecha fled into the forest after Rama's arrow narrowly missed his head."

"Don't be silly! No one knows the young master better than myself, and I know that he would never miss a shot," exclaimed the former. In response to the latter's seeming apprehension of this sudden boasting, he continued, "You don't be believe that I know him best? I can prove it. Do you remember when the young master first laid eyes on the princess? He gazed upon her for only a moment, and to the passerby he would have seemed unaffected by her beauty. But, I knew better. Our master shifted slightly from his normally rigid posture and set back slightly onto his heels. It was the closest I have ever seen him come to being knocked off his feet. It was love at first site."

"I remember that as well. The princess did always have a strong affect on the princess. He seemed to spend every night gazing at the window thinking of her, right up to their wedding."

"The wedding! We had to prepare for the journey home at the time, but I wish we could have been in attendance. I heard that the entire population of Ayodhya came to see it..."

Even as they entered into the palace, into the throne room, the pair continued to recall their many experiences with their Master, as well as the stories they heard along the way. As they were placed upon the throne, each secretly hoped that these memories would last them as they began the long wait for Rama's return.

Bharata asking Rama for his footwear
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Author's Note:
This story was a lot of fun to do. I came up with the idea while searching through some of the other story telling styles. The premise is for the story is that Rama's sandals, which were taken from him by his brother Bharata at the start of his exile from Ayodhya in order to symbolize his eventual return to the throne, are recalling some of his various exploits while they are being taken back to the palace of Ayodhya, including his defeat of the demon Thataka and her sons and Rama's wedding. I didn't make many changes to these stories. In fact, the disagreement about Mareecha, between the two, comes from the fact that that story has been told in both ways, and there isn't a definitive version. Of course, I made up the part about Rama buying the shoes, and the story is very colored by the sandals' perception.
 I chose the title 'The First Ramayana' because Ramayana roughly translates to "exploits of Rama," and the story is a recounting of his most prestigious exploits. In my mind, the two sandals would continue to discuss all the stories of Rama up to that point while they wait on his return. The characterization of the two sandals was an interesting challenge given I only had a few lines of dialogue to build them upon, but I really wanted to try to make them distinctive characters. Likewise, I enjoyed the challenge of hinting at their true nature while never revealing that they are sandals.


Bibliography:
Narayan, R. K. (2006-08-29). The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics) (p. 16). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. link

Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Narayan's Ramayana

Reading:
The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R. K. Narayan

After going through the whole story of Rama leaving the city and trying to get away from all of the people, I think it might be interesting to look at the story from the viewpoint of a commoner standing in the crowd.

The battle between Rama and Kara's army was really glazed over, but it sounded like a pretty big deal. It could make an interesting story. It would also be a good place to expand on the very vague info supplied about Rama's asthras.

There are some pretty powerful gods serving under Ravana. It could make for a pretty interesting story to discuss how they came to work for him. On that same note, it could be pretty interesting to look at how the moon came to fear Ravana. The sudden weather changes might also make for an interesting story from another perspective.

Jatayu is an interesting character. There isn't much info given on him, but he early life, maybe how he met Dasaratha, could make for an good story. On wikipedia, I read an interesting summary of how his brother lost his wings while protecting Jatayu from the sun's heat.

Looking at the whole of the reading so far, it could be interesting to look at all of the interactions between Marica and Rama, maybe even tell the entire story of Marica's life as a demon. I think that his conversion from a terrible demon to an ascetic (kind of) would make for an interesting internal struggle. Maybe I could do a sort of demon mafia story:

Godfather mafia quote
from Destructoid.com

Week 2 Reading Diary: Narayan's Ramayana

Reading:
The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R. K. Narayan

The story of Rishya Sringa reminds me of the first episode of Dragonball, when Goku meets a girl, Bulma, for the first time.

The fights Rama has with demons seem very anti-climatic. Thataka and her sons are given a pretty long backstory only to be taken out almost in a single hit. Although, after reading the introduction, this might just be from Narayan's writing style, worth looking into.

The story narration seems to have a lot of very sudden events, from Rama's point of view, either preceding or following a flashback with an explanation. There is also a huge of amount of hyperbole. Everything is thousands of years old or taller than the clouds.

I think the story of how Rama very quickly goes from being crowned to being exiled is interesting. It seems like the King tried to be a little devious, and almost, immediately his chickens came home to roost.

I think this quote goes well with the King's story, I also like how this is a form of foreshadowing for the flashback, about the King shooting a young man, that comes later.
"A word given is like an arrow, it goes forward. You cannot recall it midway. . ." -- Rama

I really liked the imagery of Vishnu embodying a small man to trick Mahabali into giving up his lands. It's also a very classic God in the guise of a beggar story. Odysseus pulled a similar trick, and I think I remember a story about a ruler/god/prophet trying to enter a palace as a beggar.

Kooni reminds me of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Her outside seems to reflect her inner personality. She is like the devil on Kaikeyi's shoulder. If Kaikeyi is the trickster of the story, then she is the trickster's trickster.

Reading the first part of Rama's journey reminded me of a quote by Lao Tzu:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu
made at Cheezburger.com

 

 

 

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

I just added a weather widget to my blog! It seemed like a great time to do it. Since February is right around the corner, I figure that we're about due for another freak blizzard. The widget itself is pretty basic, but the actual site is extremely thorough with every graph, figure, or data point you'd possibly want. If you want to get one for yourself, you can learn how here.

Learning Challenges: H.E.A.R.T. with a capital T

I think learning by H.E.A.R.T. is a wonderful idea. Each of these areas is something that I've had to learn to try and take care of since I've come to college. I would also definitely say that time, to me, is the most important. When I came to OU my freshman year. I was taking 17 hours with a part-time job, and on top of that, I had almost no time management skills. That led to me having to make the classic choice: give up one, life, grades, or sleep. I chose to give up on sleep, and it didn't work very well. My lack of sleep basically led to me falling completely behind in the five other areas. Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend it. Through that, I learned the hard way how to manage my time, and I think it left me with what I would say is one of the most important principles of time management. Before you try to manage your time, make sure you actually have enough time. If I had known that coming in to college, it would have saved me a lot of headaches (and caffeine).

time management meme
Courtesy of weknowmemes.com

More recently though, I've been working on my ability to pay attention. Being a full-time student has worn on me, and it's been getting harder to focus in class and at work. The struggle is real. I did see the gorilla though! Anyways, it's definitely something I want to work on, and maybe this will be able to help me out.

Growth Mindset

Growth mindset is very interesting idea. Although, I wouldn't call the premise behind it new. I've never heard of this specific research before, but I've known that challenge is the key to learning for a long time, and I think society as a whole quite familiar with the idea. I remember when I enter my elementary school's "gifted and talented" program, my mom talked about having a similar program in her school when she was my age. They had different names, but the premise was the same. They were there to help provide more challenge to students who weren't being challenge enough in their regular classes. That being said, for myself at least, the program didn't really succeed. Most of what we spent our time doing was less challenging than our regular schoolwork. I think that's the real challenge of growth mindset. I think it's less about what needs to happen and more of how we approach it.

---

From my own experience, I can definitely see the benefits of a growth mindset. When I came in my freshman year, I joined one the competitive robotics teams, particularly one for freshman and sophomore level students. I was one of the most experienced people on the team because of my time in FRC, so I volunteered to be the captain. I hadn't had much leadership experience up to that point, but I wanted to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone, and I failed miserably. I didn't communicate properly, I took my own experience for granted, and I tried to do everything myself. It was great. Don't get me wrong. I was terrified at the time. I hadn't failed so completely at something in a very long time, but in just a few months, I learned more about leadership than I could have imagined, all because I decided to challenge myself to do something just a little beyond my capabilities.

This cartoon from the RSA video reminded my of that experience:

Jack Welch quote
Taken from RSA Animate video

Storybook Favorites

One of the first storybooks I looked at was CSI: Indian Epics, and I have always enjoyed crime dramas, so the title caught my eye. The project had a wonderful kind of hard-boiled style. From the introduction, we're left to assume that the protagonist has died, and all the information the reader has is a diary that they left. It followed a character who was looking to solve the murder of his grandfather, Bhishma. Along the way, he examines the deaths of Drona and Karna. In the end, he uses information from all three deaths to piece together what happened. The whole thing was written in the style of a detective's diary with detailed reports covering each incident. I think the introduction itself was a good example telling a story with limited information. The whole thing leaves the reader a little lost and confused but still able to follow along, which to me, is ideally how this kind of story should feel. I particularly enjoyed the storytelling style. Each of the stories was told almost in reverse using details from the "crime scene" to pull together what had happened.

classic hard-boiled detective
I pulled this from an interesting article on derivative works

The next storybook that caught my eye was Onboard the Spaceship Pushpaka.This project had a really interesting premise. It looked at four planets named after animal avatars of Vishnu. They had me at space and interstellar travel, but there's also an interesting story wrapping the whole premise. The story follows a young crew member of the Pushpaka named Milo as he gets to know the rest of the crew during a voyage through space. The legends behind each of the avatars are recanted by the Pushpaka's captain. Although the Pushpaka and it's crew are mostly a means to tell the legends, they are actually quite interesting characters, and they end up having a compelling story of their own.

The third project I found interesting was Player One vs. MAYA. This storybook is presented in the "choose your own adventure" style where the reader takes on the role of one of the main characters and makes choices affecting the outcome of the story. The reader takes on the role of Rama during his adventures within the Ramayana in parts one and two. Then, in part three, they take the role of Uttanka as he meets Krishna and is granted immortality. The main twist to the stories is that Maya is the narrator, and he has changed the stories slightly from their original versions. Although I'm not particularly familiar with the original stories yet, I thought this was a wonderful idea, and it made for an interesting and fun adventure.

Overview

I just finished up my initial look at the course materials, and I think I'm going to start off with Narayan's Ramayana. Overall, I found the language to be a lot more natural and easier to follow, but I think the main reason I chose his version was the presentation. The PDE version had tons of information and was well organized, but there was so much to it that it felt a little bloated. I think after I have become somewhat familiar with the stories, the PDE version will be more appealing, but for my introduction, I wanted to go more with the very natural flow and convenience that the novelized version offers.

I'm actually particularly excited to take a look at the graphic novels. I always enjoy seeing modern artists renditions of classic mythology. I'm purposely avoiding looking too deeply into them yet, though. I want to get my own visualization of the stories through the text alone, so that I can see how it compares with the contemporary art.

As far as my background goes, I have little to no knowledge of Indian mythology. The only exposure I've had to it is through literature references in books like the Life of Pi and hearing some of my Indian friends talk different figures from time to time.

I haven't taken any classes in mythology or religion. Although, I have studied some mythology for social studies and literature classes in high school. That mostly consisted of Greco-Roman and Native American myths. When, I think about mythology, my first thoughts usually go to creation myths like "How the Possum Lost It's Tale," and as far as epics go, the trials of Heracles and the Odyssey are pretty much the first things that come to mind. Also, I have actually meditated before. It was part of the yoga routine I used to do.

Krishna holds up Mt. Govardhan
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Even after looking through the various other pictures on the images sites. This first one of Krishna still strikes out to me. Krishna seems like such an amazing character. Whether he's holding up a mountain like above or containing the entire universe within his mouth, he always seems to be doing something both ridiculous and amazing.

Introduction to a Computer Engineer

Code Monkeys
Courtesy of Flickr

Hey everyone, my name is Bill, and I'm a junior at OU. I am majoring in Computer Engineering. I decided to become a computer engineer because I've always had a passion for creating things as well as emerging technologies. I grew up in Ada, OK. (It's that town that Blake Shelton and Jeremy Shockey came from.) I attended kindergarten through high school at Latta schools. The best description I can give of my high school is that I had a graduating class of 56, and that was biggest class in years. When I was in high school, I discovered my passion for engineering through the FIRST robotics competition. I was on team 2352 Metal Mayhem.

I'm a complete computer nerd. I love everything about computers. I starting learning how to program when I was 12, and I built my first custom computer when I was 14. In my free time, I like to play video games, watch movies, draw, and work on robotics and electronics projects. I've also done some judo, practiced guitar and piano (poorly), painted, cooked, programmed, and done some welding/metalworking as well as some old school blacksmithing. I'm basically a jack of all hobbies and most definitely a master of none.

I'm currently the President of OU Robotics Club as well as the IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Student Chapter. I'm also an officer in Engineer's Club and Sooner Competitive Robotics. I've been heavily involved in student orgs since my freshman. I'm really passionate about these and the other organizations at OU because to me, organizations represent one of the most important parts of the college experience through the opportunities and extracurricular activities that they offer. Helping my fellow students find these opportunities is a huge thing for me because, coming from a very small high school, I know what it's like to not have those kinds of opportunities presented to you.

I'm currently working as an undergraduate TA for the College of Engineering. This semester, I'll be a TA for the Circuits for Non-Majors classes.

My favorite food is free food, and chocolate pie. Speaking of which, I can make a from-scratch chocolate pie that's better than grandma's (trust me, she told me so.). My favorite color is iridescent. Some of my favorite books include The Hobbit, The Life of Pi, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the C Programming Book. I like listening to music from the 90's and watching really good movies like the The Phantom Menace, Battlefield Earth, and the Constantine movie with Keanu Reeves.

Week 1 Storytelling: The Lazy Musician

Once upon a time, there were four brothers. They spent their childhood on their family's farm. When the day came for them to find a job of their own, each brother set out on a different path. The first brother had enjoyed his work on the farm as a child, so he decided to get a farm of his own. The second had a passion for woodworking, and thus, set out to become a carpenter. The third wanted more excitement in his life, so he enlisted a soldier so that he might serve his country. Lastly, the fourth brother was unsure what he wanted to do. He disliked working on the farm as a child, he had no strong passions, and he had no desire to endanger himself. Finally, he decided to become a musician.

"It should be easy," thought the fourth, "All I'll have to do is play some music for a few hours whenever I need money."

 Upon hearing of their brother's decision to become a musician, the elder three were perplexed.

"You have never played an instrument before," said the first.

"Being a musician takes a lot of practice," allowed the second, "You shouldn't take it lightly."

"Don't worry, I can handle it," replied the fourth.

"Fine, but don't come crying to us if it doesn't work out," said the third.

And so, each of the brothers went their own way.

---

About a week later, the musician met up with the soldier.

"Let's go drinking tonight," suggested the musician.

"I can't. I have training early tomorrow," said the soldier.

"Alright, if you must," replied the musician, and he went drinking on his own.

Soldier
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The next week, the musician approached the farmer.

"Brother, there is a great movie on at the theater. We should go watch it," proposed the musician.

"Not now," replied the farmer, "I have to get my fields seeded for the growing season."

"Fine, have it your way" the musician responded, and he went to the movies on his own.

A Farmer with produce
Courtesy of Flickr

The third week, the musician visited the carpenter.

 "Let's go fishing!" exclaimed the musician, "I haven't spent time with you or our other brothers in weeks."

"Maybe another time," stated the carpenter, "I have a customer who wants a custom dresser made as soon as possible."

"Alright then," sighed the musician, and he went fishing on his own.

Carpenter
Courtesy of Flickr

On the fourth week, the musician's landlord requested his rent. After paying his landlord, the musician realized that he was completely broke. Between drinking, the movies, and his rent, the musician had spent all the money his parents had given him to make his start, and in that time, he hadn't practiced at all. He sat down and began playing to see how good he was. From the horrible screeching noises coming out of his instrument, the musician knew that he had much work to do if he wanted to play for money in time to pay his next month's rent.

Just as the musician was getting ready to practice. He heard a knock on the door. His three older brothers had come to visit him.

"Come on!" they yelled, " Let's go!"

"I've finished my basic training, the farmer has sown his fields, and the carpenter has sold an expensive piece, so we're going to the pub to celebrate!" exclaimed the soldier.

"I can't," the musician rebuffed, "I've spent the last few weeks having fun, but now I have to practice if I want to pay my rent."

"Very well, let this be a lesson to you," replied the farmer, and the three brothers went to celebrate while the musician practiced on his own.

---

Author's Note:
My story is based off of one of Aesop's fables. In the original story, a grasshopper wastes his summer playing music instead of storing food for the winter and ends up starving. He then asks a group of ants for some of the food they have stored up, and they scoff at him for procrastinating. I felt this story had a very appropriate moral for the start of a new semester. In my version, I tried to modernize the tale a little and focus more on the laziness and procrastination of the musician.

Bibliography:
The story is based on the fable "The Ants and the Grasshopper" from Aesop for Children (1919)

Brace Yourselves
Source

My Favorite Place: Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

When I was in high school and junior high, I had a lot of opportunities to travel across the U.S. I went everywhere from Salt Lake City to Cocoa Beach, but probably my favorite and definitely one of the most beautiful places that I ever visited was Carlsbad Caverns. I went there with my parents when I was about 12 or 13, and it was an amazing experience. Very few pictures do the utter scale of the caves justice. Huge caverns are like the one pictured below are littered across the main sections, and when you walk into one, it feels like having an entire football stadium inverted and planted on top of you. That being said, the most amazing thing I saw, when I was there, was nothing.

Cavern at Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Taken by Dschwen at Wikimedia Commons

We went down into one of side caves so far that the light from the surface couldn't reach us, and everyone turned off their flashlights. It was the first time I ever experienced true, pitch black. I almost couldn't tell if my eyes where open or closed. And, after a while, my eyes starting seeing weird colors to make up for the darkness, like when you look into a bright light for too long. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. If you ever visit Carlsbad, I couldn't recommend the experience more.

Comment Wall

Welcome to the comment wall! It's, well, a wall of comments. Feel free to post your own. However, there are some rules. Don't comment while driving, don't pester the younger comments, and whatever you do, don't feed them after midnight.


Here's a music video for the song Shine by Collective Soul. I actually have a pretty eclectic music taste, but I wanted to post this song because of the vibe that the melody gives off. I find it calming, yet motivational and uplifting. It's one of my favorite songs to listen to on my morning runs.

This is only a test...

http://www.memegen.com/meme/frrwev