Thursday, January 30, 2020

Extra Credit Reading Notes

Odyssey: The Cyclops Defeated: The Land of the Cyclopes by Tony Kline

Maybe create a multi-part story out of this for next week. Because this story does have approximately five parts, but each can be read alone. I am going to focus on the Land of the Cyclopes section for this extra credit reading portion. 

- Descriptions of the land first, no characters are described at the being
- no character dialogue
- scene is being set, provide details so the reader feels part of the setting
- describes the island of the Cyclopes, but we don't know the narrator yet
- there is some mystery in this beginning portion 
- at the end the narrator tells that they have reached the cave and spend the night there
- found is sought and ate 
- the narrator says they say smoke and heard voices from the neighboring land which stirred them to sail to the neighboring island 
- what they say was the Cyclops, but they described it as "There a giant spent the night, one that grazed his herds far off, alone, and keeping clear of others, lived in lawless solitude. He was born a monster and a wonder, not like any ordinary human, but like some wooded peak of the high mountains, that stands there isolated to our gaze."

Roman Mosaic of Cyclops

Feedback Strategies


Well, We Are Working On Becoming Better Writers

In a post by Gravity Goldberg titled, "Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters A Growth Mindset," she talks of very useful strategies on providing feedback. I honestly wish my previous teachers had used this approach as I was learning to become a better, stronger writer. I have always felt that my writing was never good, no matter how many hours I spent writing, revising, and proofreading, and having others revise, I was never able to include everything that the teachers' wanted. I really liked how she was emphasizing the idea of learning the habits and writing styles of students and building on what is there. Showing how writers can improve with what they have instead of trying to get them to do something that is not there, which I completely agree with. She does say you can't change what you can't see in a mirror, power to people who think like that, my papers would probably have had much better grades if my teachers thought that way. Overall, I loved this article and I definitely will be taking from her to provide feedback on what is there and focus more on what the writer has done.

My other article I read was an article by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman titled, "Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?" In this article they discussed about how managers felt when they needed to provide feedback to others in their team. They found that colleagues value and put a great deal of emphasis on receiving positive feedback. So much so that it might effect the relationship with one another more than negative feedback does. Additionally, they found that giving back only negative feedback decreased the leader's effectiveness in the eyes of others. A couple of pieces that stood out to me that I will definitely be applying to when I give feedback are: "Some employees have described this as, “Quick to criticize and slow to praise.” Giving positive feedback is really quite simple. It’s OK if it’s brief – it just needs to be specific, rather than a general remark of “good job,” and ideally occurs soon after the praise-worthy incident. Our findings suggest that if you want to be seen as a good feedback-giver, you should proactively develop the skill of giving praise as well as criticism." Overall, this article was a great read as far as describing that there needs to be a balance between negative feedback and praise and that not everything is viewed from one perspective.


Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part B

Iliad: The Rousing of Achilles by Alfred J. Church

- Powerful descriptions
- capitalize word to emphasize a point 
- Body is being dragged away by the enemy...Ajax comes forward and shield the body: "Greater Ajax came forward, and put his big shield before it. As a lioness stands before its cubs and will not suffer the hunter to take them, so did Ajax stand before the body of Patroclus and defend it from the Trojans. And Hector drew back when he saw him."
- Hector is essentially told he didn't fight like a man and that due to his inability to fight, others will not assist them in battle 
- Zeus is watching from above, we get a bit of the story from his perspective
- Achilles still doesn't know that Patroclus is dead and the war is being fought harder over his body
- Achilles weeps and his mother, Thetis, comes from the depth of the sea and asks why he is crying
     - goes back to Zeus earlier remark that once he has nodded his head that the good or bad cannot be changed and now Achilles suffers 
      - Achilles answered: "All that you asked from Zeus, and that he promised to do, he has done: but what is the good? The man whom I loved above all others is dead, and Hector has my arms, for Patroclus was wearing them. As for me, I do not wish to live except to avenge myself upon him."


Pulled from the story "The Rousing of Achilles"

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part A

Homer's Iliad, Retold by A. J. Church

- I liked the dialogue and then the inserting short pieces of information to set the next scene. 
- add details to explain relationships in the beginning so you don't have to explain the relationships over and over again
- in initial encounter with King Agamennon is what sets the whole stage for this story
- emphasizes who has the power
- explains essentially how desperate they are through their actions i.e. splitting the spoils (women) among the men
-  every time Achilles is about to do something/feeling powerful emotions the goddesses make an appearance, but just as quickly disappear. 
     - I need to include the original connection on how the gods/goddesses know of Achilles
- use of descriptors is very important, help with the visualization 
- setting remains as one area, but you are very easily able to Achilles tent area near the water. 
- there are multiple aspects to the story but the main focus should remain on the temperaments of each (King A and Achilles)
- Need to progress Ulysses trip back to Olympus with the priest's daughter. For this story I need to include his background information, define the role he plays, and if he is headed somewhere make sure to end the story properly

Still figuring out this notes thing... But I am going to stick close to the storyline here and mirror my story on the event that occurred, but with a bit more of an explanation of the characters in the story. 

Pulled from the short story "The Quarrel"

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Tech Tip: Google Timer

Hey all!

Let's be honest we are here to learn some life skills that will be useful later on post graduation. Lots of teachers will teach us stuff that will become irrelevant after college, but Professor Gibbs is giving us resources that will be incredibly useful in the workforce.

How do I manage my time, by keeping an agenda/planner/calendar...I typically have my phone calendar synced with canvas, which is also synced with my laptop calendar. I like having the physical planner because it helps me to visually mark off items and tackle items on my to-do list. The electronic calendars help reinforce due dates and sometimes might even cause a me to have a freak out moment thinking I forgot to turn something in lol. I'm going to give this timer a try and see if it'll help me stay on track of time instead of getting distracted easily.

Happy Tuesday all!

Here's a picture of my niece and I!

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Tech Tip: Browser Tune-Up

Tuned up my browser today! I did not realize that google chrome had a feature where you could install a spell check and word counter. Let me tell you this has been a game changer!

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Well, Let's Get Crackin'...Topic Brainstorm

Hey all! There are so many interesting topics out there that it is getting really hard to narrow, which ones I really am more interested in. I love learning more about the Greeks, which makes this class more enjoyable! As I had mentioned in my intro I love learning, I truly believe no matter how old you get or how many years in school you spend there is always more to learn. As you'll see I am a big greek mythology fan and so the theme for this post is greek mythology! I am truly so excited for this project!!

The Greek Titans: This is an area that I am not particularly familiar with because most of my readings concentrated on the time involving Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. This does focus on the time before Zeus and the Olympians came to power and the ruling deities of Greece were the Titans. I would like to learn who was included in this group of Titan, how they were formed, what role did they play in the society, and how were they perceived by the Greeks. I love to learn the backgrounds first and then create fully detailed stories. I don't think I would want to model off of a sample story for this specific category. There is so much to learn about the Titans and I want the others to learn about Titans by retelling the original stories about them in a shorter form. More on the liens of taking a long story and revising it a bit and retelling it in my own words. I am not sure if I am making sense, but it would essentially be like a short synopsis. Although, I do know that I would like to focus on Cronus and Rhea.

The Greek Underworld: Through my readings of Greek mythology I know that Hades is the god of the underworld. Hades is known to have a fierce wrath and show no mercy. He has a gatekeeper and sends people out to bring those who have died down into the underworld. He is also one of three brothers, his other two bothers control the sky and sea. I would like to learn what led to Hades ruling the underworld domain and not one of the other two and if he had any children. I would like to tell stories that are set in modern times that still encompass and display Hades importance and role in the underworld functionings. I want to write short stories about an occurrence and tie that back to Hades role in what happens with that person. I am not very clear as to how I would start this, but I think even a few short stories from Hades perspective might be interesting.

Greek Heroines: This is not an area that I am particularly familiar with, so I thought it would be interesting to explore this area of the Greeks. I really do not have any previous knowledge in the area of Greek Heroines, so it will truly be a learning experience. If I pursue this topic I would like to know what their origins were (i.e. parents, the city they were born in, who they married, any children) and focus the stories on what made them the heroines rather than just another average Greek. I would like to have the stories in a first-person view and be descriptive of the challenges they faced and connect two or three heroines in some way. For example, I might do a first-person narrative of Penelope and her struggles during her wait for Odysseus

Gods and Goddesses of Olympus: Ask me what I do not know about the Greek gods and goddesses! I started first reading about them in 6th grade and to this day they are still my favorite summer reads. I love how there are so many of them and each plays a crucial role on earth. They remind of the Hindu gods and goddesses, there are so many of them it gets confusing to remember which role(s) each one plays. I want to specifically focus on Aphrodite, Athena, and Zeus for this project. They all serve different roles, but a human embodies all three typically. I would like this project to be more of like a storybook where the gods and goddesses are introduced through bedtime stories. There is something that happens/an event that occurs that would lead to gods/goddesses to come into the story and the reader through the story learns the power the god/goddesses yield. 

Athena Parthenos Reconstruction
Athena Parthenos Reconstruction

Feedback Thoughts

In "Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it," Guy Winch does a phenomenal job on explaining ways that can help prevent people from hurting their psychology. I have personally seen how detrimental rejection can be, and I know that I never what to go through what some of my friends have had to go through. The causes varied, but when you think of the end result, all of them were the same. Sometimes the confidence a person has in themselves is lost and they are afraid to try something new in the future. I hope that we all understand the difference between hurting someone emotionally and providing someone constructive feedback. Growing up I have had numerous teachers who would take two or three class periods to make sure we knew and understood that there was a difference between constructive feedback and feedback that does nothing, but hurt a person. Winch makes a great point on the fact that even though we may face a rejection whether it be minor or major, we should not go and do something to make that feeling worse, but human nature says otherwise. Rejection from people can hurt, but we I have found that if I think of the better things I have in life that rejection seems minute in comparison. Growing up cliques existed everywhere, which let me tell you was the most annoying thing ever, but instead of feeling like I was being left out, I choose to look at the friends I already had. Like, Winch had said we should focus on what we have and think about those who we make happy, and that is exactly what my 8 year old self had learned of from her parents. I have to say though had that not have been the case I know that I would never have been as close to my group of elementary school friends. 

In "A fixed mindset could be holding you back — here's how to change it," by Anna Kelsey-Sugg and Ann Arnold. In this article, the authors talk about how the words of contant praise are actually causing children to develop a fixed mindset. These children who develop the fixed mindset aren't as open to feedback and believe that their amount of intelligence and abilities will not be able to change. Comparatively, people with the growth mindset will understand that knowledge and abilities can be improved upon and will be able to bounce back from a possible negative feedback. They then talk about the individuals who have a growth mindset advance and adapt to changes in their worklife better than those with a fixed mindset. The example about the doctors is what stood out the most to me, because it is true, that we are not perfect. We will make mistakes, but what matters is that we learn from those mistakes. The article was short, but conveyed some very powerful messages. When I think of fixed mindset and growth mindset, I think in terms of people who will lead the way to new discoveries and opportunities compared to the followers. With the pace that the world is moving at being able to adapt and learn from mistakes is crucial to move forward otherwise you will be left behind. You may have read this article and might even think that there isn't a big correlation between a fixed mindset and being held back, but there is. Why do we hesitate to make career moves sometimes or change degree tracks? Sometimes it is because we are so wired to one thing that we do not want to expose ourselves to the possibility of failure by making such a transition. 

I look forward to getting many comments. Happy Saturday y'all!

Microfiction: The Unknown Hotel Resident

The doorbell rang, but nobody came.

She walks the halls at night and sometimes during the day, eats breakfast with everyone and patiently waits for them to return home. She sees everyone and feels their emotions, but why do you roam the halls ask the others. 


Author's Note: So, in writing these two microfictions I imagined a girl who had died in a room of some unknown hotel. Even though, they carted her body away and buried her, her spirit still roams the hotel. She longs to have a conversation with the people and have them ask her questions. I want the reader to imagine and feel her loneliness and longing to have people with her. I immediately thought of this kind of microfiction, because growing up it was my worst nightmare. As you probably know from my introduction my parents own hotels and growing up we actually stayed in the manager's apartment for quite a while. So back then I was very easily spooked out by ghosts and living in the hotel at the time, I put the two together and the product was my microfiction. 










Thursday, January 23, 2020

Reading Notes: Metamorphosis: Pygmalion




Metamorphosis: Pygmalion

Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).

What I liked: - The overview at the beginning is key to having the reader understand what they are about to portray to the reader
- The intro is short, but provides the reader with a foundation
      - Have in the intro key items that pertain to the story that may not be familiar to the reader
      - Brief history lesson, but not to in depth
- This is a short read but captures many elements
       - Capture the audience immediately with the introduction/background information
       - I like the slight comparisons throughout the story
       - Reasons are stated before the action, for example look at paragraph one where he talks about the daughter of Propoetus and then that serves as his reason to create the girl of Ivory
       - The Venus festival was a good way to bring Venus into the story
             - When writing the story: bring elements in, such that the reader is not confused by the sudden information
                   - Make sure there is a logical flow in the story
- Lots and lots of descriptive imagery - big fan, helps the readers visualize what is going on and actually feel as if they are right in the story seeing everything from their own eyes.
- Need to add links to words that may not be common to most readers
- There are details, but not as many to overpower the story in one area
      - Make sure to be careful when including details that they are spread out in the story


Things I did not like as much:
- If there is a god/goddess, don't just have them grant the wish/prayer of the main character
      - There needs to be some kind of explanation as to what were his/her actions that made them so fond of the main character

Otherwise the story was short but captured a range of topics... I tend to add much more fluff/unnecessary content in my stories, so a goal with this story assignment coming up is to keep the story short but meaningful.



City of Paphos Mentioned in the Story



Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Week 2 Reading Overview



Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4.

Week 3: Homer's Iliad

Week 4: Homer's Odyssey

Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6.

Week 5: Jataka Tales

Week 6: Ramayana

Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.]

Week 7: South Africa

Week 9: The Monkey King

Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11.

Week 10: California/Southwest

Week 11: British North America

Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13.

Week 12: Alice in Wonderland

Week 13: Nursery Rhymes

Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15.

Week 14: Librivox

Week 15: Crane


I am honestly very excited about the units of week 12 through 15, both weeks are related. I am a very big fan of Greek mythology. I have to credit Rick Riordan for getting me attached to that kind of reading. I have always been a murder/mystery type of person, but once I discovered Rick Riordan's books I was hooked. I was actually surprised by the variety of readings within each unit. I was not expecting as many different options, so that is definitely a plus and exciting. I wanted to mention that before this class I haven't actually taken the time to read content similar to that found in the Native American Unit or the Asian units. I should expand my reading selections, but often it is very easy to stick to the type of reading that you're the most familiar with. I don't think there is any topic I can think of at this moment that I would like to read that's not in the UNTextbook.



I chose this image, because when I came across it while browsing through the stories I instantly loved the black and white of the image. There really isn't much in the image, but you use your imagination to envision and fill in the blackness with color. 

Happy Tuesday All!

Friday, January 17, 2020

Time Strategies

Hello Everybody!

I am here today to write a little about my thoughts on time management. The funny thing is earlier this week I actually attended a time management workshop for my business major and we discussed many of the topics I read about for this class. Two of my favorites were
The Myth of Too Busy by Tim Grahl and
The Psychology of Checklists by Lauren Marchese

This is my second semester taking 21 hours and while some of you may think I am crazy, I am ready to tackle this semester. After coming to OU, this is only the second time I actually spent money on a physical planner, but I new if I wanted to succeed in my classes I was going to have to plan out my whole semester this first week. Sure it took about four hours, but now I have a plan and a schedule to work off of. I have a feeling this semester this planner of mine is going to be my life saver. After attending the time management workshop, I realized that having a planner and writing out your full semester schedule helps you get a better understanding of your semester and lets you know if you have room for other time commitments.

There are numerous time management strategies, but figuring out which ones work the best for you is up to you. I know it has taken me years, but I think I have a good plan for now. Time management strategies are important and when people ask me how I am able to do everything that I do, I always tell them that I have learned to manage my time and prioritize my list to ensure I am somewhat ahead, which later provides me flexibility in my schedule.

The article titled, "The Myth of Too Busy," could not have stated the importance of prioritizing better. We have to learn to say NO to things even if we don't want to. People tend to stress themselves out more when they spread themselves too thin, life should be enjoyed not lived in constant stress. I did not realize it until college, but prioritizing helps so much and it prevents procrastination at times.

Similar to the "Psychology of Checklists" article in the workshop we focused a lot on how important it is to set realistic goals, we should set a big goal and then set smaller goals that we think will help us reach that big goal. I completely agree with the suggestion of rewarding yourself after you have completed your checklist. Having a motivator will make the tasks seem much easier and that dread that usually accompanies a task list is not there.

Both these articles covered topics from my workshop and conveyed the same message that prioritizing and having a checklist with a reward are strategies to help make someone successful. I know I have always had some form of calendar to keep me on track of due dates and work deadlines. The articles really did not cover anything that I had not already heard before, but is was nice to see that many people have similar ideas on time management strategies. I know I am definitely in for a tough semester, but I know I will be able to stick through with my schedule.

If you need some helpful time management suggestions take a look at the two articles I have linked above!

Live on from yours truly,
Mansi Patel

Stress overload Curtesy of WellMind

What's In? Technology!

The technology landscape will all make more sense next week as you get into a more regular work routine; for this week, please write up a quick blog post about your first impressions here. Are you already familiar with some of these technology tools? How is this online environment like/unlike what you have experienced in other classes? Are there any web skills that you really want to work on this semester?

Being as active as I was in high school, I was able to gain a lot of experience learning how to navigate around websites like Weebly, Wix, Google Drive, WordPress, and some more. I love learning the ins and outs of websites, I may not be a tech whiz, but I can figure out things! Although I have to say I am excited to create some cool graphics! I am not the one to typically create memes, but now I will for this blog:)

This online environment is very different from all my other classes primarily, because of the flexibility of the assignments and the blogging. Do not consider that a bad thing, this is actually the best way I think a professor can teach students to be independent and responsible for their assignments and essentially the end grade that they get.

From last time I was able to pick up and learn about Cheezburger and Automotivator. I also added the spellcheck and word count extensions to my chrome browser. I never even thought to install these extensions until I read about it. I wish I would have known about it earlier, but now I have it in my toolbox.

Happy weekend y'all!

Reading Assignments are in the near future;) 

Yay Assignments, Every Student''s Nightmare;)

Hummm...
Thinking back to the time I took Epics of India with Professor Gibbs, the class was fairly manageable and by doing the extra credit I was able to finish the class two weeks earlier. I hope to do a lot more of the extra credit options like Growth Mindset, HEART, and extra commenting! Oh I would also like to try some extra reading as well as microfictions.

I know last time when I worked ahead on the weekly assignments it worked to my advantage, because the weeks I had class tests I was able to focus on those and not worry about the online assignments. There was a week when I fell behind but was easily able to catch back up and be ahead without worrying. I have waited for 4 semesters now to take the Myth and Folklore class and can't wait to start on next week's assignments.

Thanks for continuing to read y'all! I am probably sounding really boring right now, but I promise to start spicing things up starting next week!

I just had a cookie so why not 

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Growth Mindset


Before today I had came across Carol Dweck's TED talks only once and that was when I was talking the Epics of India class. I have to say she is great. I enjoy listening to the different perspectives that come about through this TED Talks and what Carol has to say I could not agree more. I was surprised at how much our thoughts matched about modern education. I see myself as a person very close to the center of the growth-fixed mindset in my school work leaning a little more towards the fixed mindset primarily due to the how high the stakes are for me if I want to get into Dental school. Especially now that the admission stardards and rising grades are becoming increasingly important to pursue a health profession. Outside of academics I am almost to the growth side, because I enjoy life and love having challenges that I can overcome and be stronger afterwards. We live to learn and as Gandhi said, "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

Ever since starting OU, the ride has been very enlightening to me of my personal attributes and school in general. My first semester at OU I realized that if I wanted to hang out with friends, go out to family dinners, while maintaining my grades I would have to work hard and could not leave room for procrastination. I figured out that the Biz was more distracting for me than studying at home or another place on campus. Finding a good place to study without being easily distracted was a challenge for me, but luckily I discovered the basement of Dale Hall and the center for student success within the Price College, which has been my study spot since my second week at OU. Needless to say I enjoy challenges, hence my interest in Biology.

I am actually very excited to learn about the growth mindset this semester! I have always believed that a person can never stop learning and as a school nerd new information is like candy to me. With this topic so relevant to today's education it make this even better and I Professor Gibbs has some more interesting information relating to growth mindset!

It is actually pretty scary that I am feeling like I can conquer anything at the moment. Even with so many hours this semester with labs and classes and in the mix I feel like a whole new person this semester and I have a feeling that is, because my trip to India. I mean who doesn't agree with me when I say a good vacation can make you feel like you brand new person. If I had to pick a class that I was most worried about this semester then it would probably be the labs, but otherwise I am ready for my semester.

Hope you all have a great day and don't forget...















Introduction to a Future Dentist or CEO, Who Knows?

Me, mom, dad, and the not so little brother

Hey all! I hope everyone is loving the first week back to classes, I know I am loving every minute! Well let me tell you some of my quirks and just about myself. 

I am very academically driven and always give my 110% on anything I do. My belief is that work while you work, study while you study, and always put your heart into what you are doing, if your heart is not in the task then it really is not worth anything. I am a social bee and love every minute of my time spent interacting with others. I grew up in a household where we have always valued the feelings of people above all else and believed that community service should always being on the calendar. Servitude is near and dear to my heart and any free time I have I can be found in the soup kitchen, food pantry, or tutoring in schools. 

Okay, so let's get to what you all are probably really wanting to know, what is this girl majoring in if she is still deciding between become a CEO or a dentist. Well, I added accounting and finance in addition to my biology major. So in about 3.5 months, I'll be coming fresh out of OU with three degrees and I am in the process of applying to MBA school. I still plan to take the DAT over the summer, but first thing first is to take the GMAT.  Wondering why accounting and finance of all things, well you could say that business runs in my blood. I love the thrill that I get while crunching numbers and when things balance out and when I sign checks. Biology is a challenge and I enjoy the fact that I have to work hard to get my grades in my science classes. I am biased and tend to like my business majors a tad bit more just because there are so many more opportunities to be involved in the Price College of Business.

My best class I took last semester was my accounting class, because it was my easiest class. With all the ups and downs of last semester my biggest accomplishment is that I survived molecular biology and biochemistry and made the grades that I wanted. What better way to end a tough semester than a trip to the place that makes you happy, for me that is India. For me it was a much needed trip that let me clear my head from school stress and feel like I could take in fresh air. I've gone to India about 19 times now and it never gets old. Some of my most favorite places are in India as you probably saw in my earlier post this week!

Favorites?  That's always tough, but what can I say I have always been a Harry Potter fan from day 1. Would you all believe me if I told I actually listen more to Hindi songs and watch more Hindi movies than English ones? My all time favorite movie is Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and love listening to Yeh Ladka Hai Allah. Just because my career dreams are all over the place I am still living it up like a college student, eating anything and everything and not being able to pick a favorite. I love food and all things related. My passion for cooking food stems from my parents who are the stars of our kitchen at home. When we cook we love to dance and sing and make sure we laugh a lot and make some very tasty food items. My mom makes about 99% of her dishes from scratch so when the time comes to make something from a box my brother and I know to put in a little effort and make a better tasting dish from scratch. 

With school, volunteering, and work, my gym is my place to decompress from the long day. I started Cross Fit about two years ago and have loved every day of it. In addition whenever some time free time comes I love to cook, dance with my little cousins, and watch movies. 

Thanks for reading! I know that was a lot, but in a nutshell I am a busybody and enjoy working in whatever form it may be. I love life and enjoy every moment of it!

Favorite Storybook

Reading Through Other People's Work Feels Like Story Time

My first storybook I came across that interested me was Nursery Rhymes: Connecting the Dots. When I was looking through the stories I was truly intrigued. With a heritage that is deeply rooted in India, nursery rhymes were not a staple of my childhood. I had Indian lullabies sung to me so this storybook's concept was really interesting to me. I loved the fact that on the first page the writer provided a short introduction to each short story so you can easily choose a story to start on. At the end of each story the author also includes the nursery rhyme that the story was based on and that was great. The introductions did a great job of explaining the topics and peaking the reader's interest. I did read through two of the stories and honestly I enjoyed reading through them. The easy layout does help in maintaining the reader's attention. The overall physical layout of the pages was clean and very easy to navigate. 

The second storybook I came across was Aladdin Adventures. I have loved anything and everything related to Aladdin for as long as I can remember. So when I came across this title it peaked my interest as to what kinds of stories I would find. And I was happy to find some really good writing and was not disappointed. It was a different layout than the other storybook. There were the titles of the storybooks at the top, but not short introductions on the first page, which would have been easier to see which story I would like to start off reading. The introduction was good, but I think my style is very different compared to this writer, but the introduction flows well with the rest of the storybook. The layout of the introduction was easy to follow. As for using the design, I don't think I will use this particular design. 

The third storybook I came across is Seeking Love. I loved this intro! It was short and fun. I would like to use something like this, that immediately captures the audience's attention and keeps the reader wanting to read on. It is a different take than the type of literature I normally read so I think that is another reason to why this introduction made me want to continue on with the story. I know as a reader I prefer certain genres so this type of writing is different and maybe I might try it. I love to experiment so maybe I might with my blog. The design of the introduction was very easy to follow and great overall. 

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Oklahoma City, Ayodhya, and Mumbai...My Favorite Places


Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Growing up in Norman with Oklahoma City just 30 minutes away never made me want to move to a bigger city like Dallas. My one stop shop for everything and anything from shopping to food to entertainment, OKC has it all!


Ayodhya, Utter Pradesh. The birthplace of Ram, an Indian God, is city of peace and serenity with   cold temperatures year round and an army of monkeys. Ayodhya is an important religious site in the Hindu religion and one of the most beautiful cities at night. 



Mumbai, Maharashtra. One of the most populated cities of India, it is the tourist destination. Some of its best features are the Gandhi Museum, Supreme Court of India, and Bandra-Worli Sea Link. 

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