Clara's Blog

In King Dasharatha, we are introduced to Dashartha, the king of Koshala. Despite Dashartha's success, he was filled with sorrow since none of his three wives, Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, had given him a son. Dasharatha decides to perform a horse sacrificed to the gods, so he would be given a son. The gods came and promised Dasharatha four sons. In Rama: Avatar of Vishnu, we discover all three of the wives have sons. Kaushalya with Rama, Kaikeyi with Bharata, and Sumitra with Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Rama is actually the god Vishnu as a human avatar on earth to defeat Ravana. Once they have grown, Vishvamitra leads Rama and Lakshmana to defeat two rakshasas, Maricha and Subahu. Eventually, Rama meets Sita, daughter of Janaka. Janaka, King of Mithila, holds a challenge for men who want to win Sita. Rama wins the challenge and wins Sita as his bride. In Parashurama, Rama is given the bow of Vishnu by Parashurama. Rama marries Sita and all of his brothers marry women from Jan...

I have backed up my blog and checked on my grades to make sure I didn't miss any assignments. My favorite graphic for this week was this mindset cat. Mindset cat Source:  cheezburger I enjoyed this graphic because of the attached articles and information about neuroplasticity. After reading about the brain for the graphic, I became interested in the video over the neurobiology of storytelling. The video was called  Future of Storytelling by Paul Zak. The video talked about the human reaction to stories they hear by the chemicals released in the brain.

I feel like before this week I forgot how busy I become during the semester. I feel like I don't have much time outside of school and other activities. This was the first week of assignments since syllabus week doesn't consist of much homework, so hopefully this next week I'll be better adjusted to my new schedule. I felt off schedule all week because we didn't have class Monday, which meant I didn't do anything Monday. I'm also trying to get ahead in all my classes now so I don't fall behind later, which makes things a bit more hectic in the beginning of the semester. My biggest adjustment with my classes and time management is the different coursework than I'm used to having. I'm usually enrolled in more math and science based classes, but this semester I have more reading and writing classes. Reading and writing assignments usually take me longer, so I find myself dedicating more time to homework than I usually do. I have started to enjoy writing ...

I started my Wikipedia Trail with  Meiosis because that's one of the topics were learning about for my biology class. Simplified, meiosis is a process that that exchanges genes between to the pair chromosome given by each parents which produces genetically unique recombinant chromosome. This causes us to be genetically distinct and look different from our parents. The second article I went to was about sea urchins . I clicked this link because everything else in the previous article was science based, and I wanted to read something other than science. I also thought it was interested that meiosis was first discovered in sea urchin eggs. The third article I was linked to was about the  abyssal zone . I was drawn to this link because this layer of the ocean remains in perpetual darkness. Since this layer is dark, plants cant grow, so it can be a death trap for many organisms. The last article I clicked was the  Deepsea Challenger , which was the submarine designed to...

For this weeks learning challenge I read  "10 proven ways teachers can improve their sleep" by Sarah Marsh. Even though I'm not a teacher, I wanted to read this article because I struggle with insomnia which makes it hard for me to wake up and maintain focus during the day. This article confirmed that my worst sleep habit, using my phone or laptop until I get tired, is actually keeping me awake. This article also me about some of my habits have been hurting my sleep schedule, the biggest one being the time I exercise. I typically work out at night, probably a few hours before bed, because I have early classes and usually work/study until the evening. The article states that there should be roughly six hours between exercise and bedtime to allow the body to cool down. Also, the temperature of your feet can cause a bad night of sleep if they're too cold. I'm mostly curious about the 90-minute rule, that claims it should be easiest to wake up every 90 minutes after ...

For this week, I read the Growth Mindset article "The Emotional Weight of Being Graded, for Better or Worse" by Linda Flanagan. This article confirmed that it isn't uncommon to lose interest in a subject when the main focus is grades. I always felt like subjects became less interesting when my only goal was to get an A in the class instead of genuinely learning the subject. Before reading the article, I didn't know that many teachers were moving towards replacing grading and testing with other types of assessments. Since this is the first self-graded class I've taken, I'm curious to see how my own interest in this course will change throughout the semester compared to my interests in other courses. Already, the coursework for this class has become more enjoyable than my other classes because I don't feel as stressed for assignments. I'm also wondering if this grading system was applied to every course, if the students would continue to learn or if the...

For this Tech Tip, I decided to try out the DuckDuckGo browser. Before this assignment, I had never heard of this browser before. I really like this alternative because it doesn't track and sell my personal information. The advertisements on my browsers have never bothered me too much, but I'd prefer to prevent them if possible. I didn't use the Google browser too often before because my default browser was Bing, and I've been too lazy to try it. I enjoyed DuckDuckGo after trying it out though, and I changed it to my new default browser. The DuckDuckGo Duck  Source:  Wikipedia

Goblin City from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W.H.D Rouse Characters: She-goblins -shapeshifters -wanted husbands -ate new sailor husbands Sailors -married goblins -eaten by new wives :( Captain -noticed shapeshifting wives -terrified Fairy -kind -hated goblins -magic horse Notes: The characters in this story weren't given very distinct roles, but rather lumped together as a group. The goblins eating their husband reminded me of black widow spiders who usually eat their mate. The fairy was very important character since she saved all the sailors, but was very vaguely described. Did she have a previous experience with the goblins to make her dislike them? Where did she get her magic horse? Also, why were the sailors so easily persuaded into marriage? The plot of this story had many unique twists and parts. (The Flying Horse Source:  W. Robinson )

The first article about feedback that I read was  "Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work" by John Spencer. I was drawn to this article because I typically feel like writing and creative work isn't my strong point, so I usually don't feel confident and the work I do. Almost of all tips Spencer listed are things I've had problems with in the past. I think the two tips that will help me the most are the first two, which advised me not to compare myself to others and to abandon perfectionism. Despite knowing that writing isn't my strongest skill, I always find myself comparing my writing to others, which causes me to feel self-doubt about my work. On of this, I'm a perfectionist and struggle to turn in assignments if they aren't perfect or don't meet my standard. I think adopting all seven of Spencer's tips, especially the two I mentioned, will help me improve my creative work. The second article I read was "Silence the Critical Vo...

To start the topic brainstorm, I browsed through the project topics listening. The first topic that stuck out to me was The Gods/Devas topic. This topic grabbed my attention because I've had an interest in Greek mythology, and a video from this week described the parallels between Indian and Greek mythology. I'm more drawn to this topic because it will allow me to learn about many of Hindu deities, instead of focusing on one. After researching the Hindu deities on Wikipedia, I saw there was plenty of material and information that I will be able to use for my project.  The second topic I was drawn to was  Karma . I've always believed in the spiritual principle of karma that good intentions bring good fortune and bad intentions bring bad fortune. While I have a basic understanding of karma, there us a lot to the theory and principle that I didn't know. After some research, I learned that the definition of karma is very diverse in Hinduism. Karma is also a theme t...

Once, in a tropical rainforest, a Sloth was comfortably hanging in a tree as he usually spends his days. He spent every day, all day in trees sleeping and slowly eating, but rarely went down to the forest ground in fear of predators. Sloth had become very wise because he had spent many years hanging in the trees, observing the rainforest and the animals that inhabited it. Other animals despised Sloth for his wisdom, especially the Tiger’s wife. Tiger’s wife demanded her husband, Tiger, to find Sloth and bring him back to her so she can eat his heart. This seemed like a daunting task for Tiger, since the Sloth lived so high in the trees, but she refused to take no for an answer. Tiger knew exactly where needed to go to find Sloth, since Sloth doesn’t move too often. Tiger approached Sloth and said, “Sloth, don’t you ever get tired of staying in the same tree day after day?” Sloth replied, “Sometimes, but I am too slow to travel across the rainforest and it can be dangerou...

The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart , Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock Characters: Brahmadatta -King of Benares Bodhisatta  -Buddha -Monkey -quick wit Crocodile -foolish -outsmarted by monkey -sad and miserable -sorrowful Crododile's mate -desired to eat the heart of the king of monkeys Summary: The plot of the story begins with the Crocodile's mate wanting to eat the heart of Bodhisatta. The Crocodile offers to carry the Monkey across the river, but tries to drown the Monkey once the Monkey trusts the Crocodile. The Monkey outsmarts the Crocodile by convincing him he keeps his heart in a tree. The Crocodile believes him, and when the Crocodile takes him to the tree. the Monkey is able to escape. The Crocodile returns to his home feeling sad and foolish. Plot: To me, the most important event was the Monkey escaping the Crocodile. I thought it was ironic that the Crocodile was able to fool the Monkey into trusting him in the beginni...

I've decided to read the Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana. I chose this version because I like that the stories are told in different styles and authors. I also like the ability to listen while I read because it will help me maintain focus while I read. Lastly, the online version is free and easily accessible, which is always a benefit. The first comic I'm interested in is  Hanuman: The Epitome of Devotion and Courage . I became interested in this character after watching the "Rock on Hanuman" video, so I specifically looked for a comic involving him. I'm looking forward to learning more about him and his abilities. The second comic I'm interested in is  Saraswati: Stories of the Goddess of Wisdom. This comic grabbed my attention because I've always had an interest in any stories involving gods or goddesses. I also liked that this comic book contains several different stories about Saraswati and how she became the goddess of wisdom. Th e first video ...

Time management is my biggest weakness when it comes to school work. I find myself week after week struggling to find the motivation to get ahead of school or begin projects in a timely manner. I have noticed, however, that I can usually maintain steady work progress once I start a project or assignment. Jory Mackay talks about this in  "The Important Habit of Just Starting" , saying that once we get over the difficulty of beginning a project, we focus more on finishing the task than continuing to avoid it. Mackay recommends using a commitment device that prevents you from falling back into negative behaviors, which I think could help me from getting distracted. Another one of problems is underestimating the time I need to adequately study or finish an assignment. In  "Realistic Study Plans" , Amanda Collins gives advise on how to create realistic and achievable study goals. She breaks up the project into chunks and gives each section an adequate amount of time to ...

Aside from the spellcheck and the word count tool, all the technology we will be using in this class is unfamiliar to me. I've never done anything in my classes using a blog, the closest thing I've experienced is just doing discussion posts in canvas. I'm looking forward to learning new technology like image editing and website publishing for this class since these skills wouldn't be taught to me in other courses. Even during this first week, I've learned a significant amount about blogging and the tools we will be using throughout this semester.                                                                              Blogging

After reading through the core assignments that will be due each week I'm mostly intrigued by the stories since they seem interesting to read. I'm also excited for the storytelling assignments. My major is very math and science based, so I've never had to use creativity or storytelling for any of my school work. I think the storytelling could be a challenge for me in beginning, but I've always wanted to improve my creative writing. I also appreciate the amount of feedback that will be given throughout the semester so I can improve by learning from others. I plan on taking advantage on all of the extra credit options, but after watching the growth mindset videos I'm specifically interested in exploring the Growth Mindset topics and the H.E.A.R.T resources.                                                              Wikimedia Commo...

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset (Flickr) Before this assignment I had never heard of Carol Dweck or a growth mindset. I like to think I'm someone who enjoys taking on challenges, but it can be easy to become overwhelmed by them. The second video, "Make Challenge the New Comfort Zone" reminded me of something a previous cheer coach used to tell us. He told us that our routine should never become easier because we should always be pushing ourselves harder. He would also focus more on the effort put into the performance than the outcome of the performance. I've tried to carry that mindset into college, but it can be difficult. Whenever I perform poorly on an exam, it's easy to complain the material was too difficult or that I'm not capable of being successful in the class. I have to remind myself that some subjects might require more effort from me than it does from my peers to be successful. My biggest challenge since being at OU is time management and I'm int...

Hi everyone, my name is Clara Pianalto. I'm a junior and a Biochemistry Pre-med major here at OU. My favorite thing about my major is working in labs, which is funny because this was my least favorite thing about my major for awhile, but over the years I've grown to love the experiments. My friends and I began having so much fun during lab that we would constantly take pictures of our experiments and reactions. A picture of one the reactions from lab.  I originally only chose this major because someone said it will benefit me when taking the MCAT for medical school. Luckily, I realized I genuinely enjoy chemistry and science classes through my major. My long term goal is to get accepted into a medical school and become a doctor. Outside of school, I'm involved in a couple of organizations on campus. I'm a member of Greek life and also involved in Relay for Life, an organization on campus that raises money and awareness for the American Cancer Society. I joined Re...

Many of the past Storybooks grabbed my attention while I was browsing. There were many different writing styles and story-telling methods by the students. Real Housewives of Ramayana I began selecting storybooks for this projects by titles that caught my eye. As someone who loves to binge-watch the "The Real Housewives" reality shows, this title immediately caught my attention. The author writes from the point of view of the host, Andy Cohen, and introduces the housewives. The drama revolves around the five housewives Trijata, Kaikeyi, Surpankha, Ahalya, and Sita.The author mimics the concept and drama from the "The Real Housewives" with Ahalya being used as the antagonist of the story. The writing style of this author was creative and entertaining, while still being informative about the Storybook. ( Ahalya from Wikimedia Commons) The Untold Tale of Mandodari I selected this Storybook because I thought it would have a different writing style than the fir...

New York City  I've been able to visit New York City two separate times and have had completely different experiences both times. The first time I visited was during the holidays with my mother and the city was decorated beautifully for Christmas. We saw shows on Broadway and went site seeing, getting a full experience of the city. My second trip was with a close friend from Connecticut. Since she had always gone into the city as she was growing up, she knew all the best places to go. My second visit felt more authentic compared to my first trip when I was mainly touring the city. On both visits I fell in love with the diversity and fast-pace of New York City.                                      (Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City )

Just a test post. Hopefully everything worked!