Reading Diary A: Public Domain Ramayana

Sugriva and Hanuman. 

• Sugriva: Monkey king now in exile 
• Hanuman: Monkey-God; Ramas most devoted follower 
• Vali: Sugriva's brother; exiled Sugriva and stole his wife
• Hanuman teams up with Sugriva, tries to recruit Rama and Lakshama who are having the same issues (exiled). 

Sugriva's Story

• Sugriva=Shane (kinda)
• Vali=Rick (kinda)
• After hearing story Rama wants to stick up for Sugriva by fighting Vali

Sugriva and Vali 

• Kishkindha=royal town where Vali rules
• Tara=Vali's wife; tries to convince Vali not to fight 
• Dramatic showdown between Vali and Sugriva
• lots of vehement back and forth between Vali and Tara

Vali's Death

• Rama sneak attacks Vali and kills him with an arrow (dishonorable) 

King Sugriva 

• mahamatras=high officials of the monkey kingdom 
• Even Sugriva is sad about his brother's death. 
• takes the throne, but with tears in his eyes

The Rainy Season

• Rama is banned from city and has to wait out rainy season
• laments his undying love her his wife he was forced away from

The Armies

• Angad= son of Vali 
• Sugriva is enjoying the benefits of being king and puts of his promise to Rama of finding Sita
• finally sends out group of bears/apes to search  

Sampati 

• Sampati=old, wise vulture 
• Figure out that Sita was taken across the sea in the south by Ravana

Sampati and Jatayu 

• Sampati and his brother race and Jatayu falls, as Sampati tries to save him his wings are burnt by the sun and ruined. Wishing he was dead, a saint then tells him he will get his wings back once he helps a person who is much nobler than him (Rama?)

Hanuman's Leap 

• Jambavan=leader of the bears allied with the monkeys in the search
• Hanuman has magical powers? Turns huge to cross the sea to rescue Sita?

Hanuman in Lanka 

• Hanuman finds Ravan but not Sita. 
• Find it strange he didn't try to kill Ravana

The Ashoka Grove

• Ashoka Grove= where Hanuman finds Sita
• surrounded by she-devil monsters

Sita and Ravana 

• Sita refuses to give up Rama for Ravana and is threatened with torture from the she-devil monsters 

Hanuman and Sita 

Hanuman Captured 

• Hanuman fights of a ton of Ravana's minions
• Finally is captured by Indrajit, Ravana's son

Hanuman and Ravana 

• Discovering why Hanuman was there, Ravan lights his tail on fire

The Burning of Lanka 

• Hanuman gets super powers again and burns the majority of Lanka without managing to kill Sita 

The Burning of Lanka: Public Domain Ramayana

The March on Lanka 

• Rama and his crew of monkeys and bears prepare to attack Lanka and retrieve Sita 

Ravana's Court 

• Ravana and his subjects/advisers are awaiting the fight with Rama with readiness 

Vibhishana 

• Vibhishana=Ravana's younger brother
• Urges Ravana to release Sita and avoid the battle with Rama 
• Ravana accuses Vibhishana of being jealous and wishing ill against him
• Banishes his brother 
• Vibhishana joins forces with Rava

Week 1 Curation

I have been an avid proponent of bookmarks since I got my laptop freshman year. I quickly realized how helpful it was to have sites that I frequented saved as a bookmark. However, I had never realized that you could create folders within the bookmarks. This helped me a lot because I had several bookmarks saved for my online classes and my scuba course that cluttered up my favorites bar and looked a bit overwhelming. I have all of my bookmarks in order of priority/frequency of use. For example, I probably don't need a bookmark for Facebook, but I go there often so I threw it on the end of my favorites bar for simplicity's sake.

Snapshot of my Bookmarks (Personal Photo)

 I am familiar with Pintrest and Twitter,  but I never use these for curation purposes. I use to have a twitter account, but I found myself constantly following mindless/irrelevant accounts that only served to waste my time so I deleted my account after a while. However, I do use the social media forum of Instagram to keep track of things such as sales on retail, movie releases, and other happenings. While I don't rely on this too heavily, it can be convenient from time to time.

Overall I think  I do a sufficient job of keeping all of my online information organized. I used to be an extremely unorganized person, but college has forced to keep everything in order. This is especially true for online information because I have taken at least one online course almost every semester. I am sure that many people would consider my online organizational skills to be sub-par, however it has proven beneficial for me so I am content with my current system.

Growth Mindset

This is the first time I have heard of Carol Dweck and the  Growth Mindset approach to learning. I think this is a great message that, as you said, can be applied universally to learning. Sadly, I think I am lacking in this Growth Mindset approach to my school work. Especially being so close to the finish line, it has become increasingly difficult for me to go above and beyond in my studies. However, my time here at OU has led me to realize that I can find interest in nearly any subject. I have taken multiple classes that I went into with a preconceived notion that it is "pointless" or "boring", but I always find myself learning something new from the course. Whether that be directly related to the course material or not, I have grown intellectually from every single course I have taken. This has caused me to have more of an open mind with my learning, giving everything the benefit of the doubt before I shut myself off from it. I think this concept will be something that I will carry with me throughout my last semester of college and life in general. As I said in my introduction, I am planning on moving to the Caribbean upon graduation and I will have to master a number of new skills I currently know nothing about, such as marine mechanics, air compressors, captaining a boat and the laws of the sea, and the complex workings of entrepreneurship . This can, at times, seem like a daunting task. However, with the Growth Mindset approach, these "struggles" of life turn into a sort of game or challenge that provides an endless source motivation and optimism. This approach is outlined perfectly with this meme. 

Life is a Journey of learning : Growth Mindset Memes Blog 

Storybook Favorites

The first storybook that caught my attention was Karma: It’s not just for breakfast anymore. The title is simple and straightforward, which I like. I have covered this topic briefly in my readings on Buddhism, but it is something that I would like to know more about. Also, I think this is a topic that can be universally applied to how people conduct themselves in day to day life. The introduction, just like the title, is simple and straightforward. Consisting of a short quote and a single image, the introduction gets straight to the point of the storybook. In this case, less is more, which is what initially caught my attention. Keeping with the trend, the layout is very simple. The home page that you are directed to contains the links to the various stories, which are located at the top of the page and very easy to navigate. Each story contains images that contain hints of irony or humor, which I think is helpful for making the stories stick in one’s memory.

Another storybook that caught my attention was The Adventures of Hanuman. This is an entirely new subject for me. As the title says, the storybook is a telling of Hanuman’s life, starting from his background through his various adventures and exploits. The introduction does a very good job of catching the reader’s attention. The storybook is presented as a bedtime story given by a man to his grandson. The story is the only way the grandson is able to settle down enough to sleep because he loves listening to them so much, which leads the reader to assume the stories are very interesting. The layout of the page is very easy to navigate. It is rudimentary with clearly marked titles to various parts of the story, making it very easy to make your way through the story. This layout is something that I think would be useful when I am designing my own project. 

Hanuman: Wiki Commons

The third storybook that caught my attention was Fireside Stories: Epic Himalayan Adventures. I enjoy camping and making fires, so this title seemed very intriguing. As for Epic Himalayan Adventures, I have little to zero knowledge on the subject. The storybook is true to its title, setting the stage at the base of a revered mountain. It is arranged as a series of stories given to foreign exchange students wishing to expand on their knowledge of the Hindu religion. The introduction gives a detailed description of the campsite and surrounding area, allowing the readers to imagine themselves in that environment. Additionally, the stories are told by various characters who are important to the Hindu religion. These details create an atmosphere that really lets the reader connect with and truly understand the importance of these stories. The layout is interesting as well. The background is an image of the night sky filled with stars, which helps create the atmosphere of the storybook. I think this is a simple step that could be easily adapted to my own project.

Overview: Epics of India

Although I have never taken a class on any topic relative to epics, or anything heavily emphasizing literature at all for that matter, I find it to be a very interesting topic and I think I will enjoy learning about it. I am a huge fan of stories such as The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones series, so I am looking forward to broadening my horizon in this area.

I have never really studied any sort of mythology either, but I randomly found interest in Buddhism a year or two ago. I have read a book explaining the Buddhist religion as well a few books written by the Dalai Lama. This sparked my interest enough to try out meditation and some practices of Ayurveda, but nothing serious. 

This past summer I took a class on 20th century India and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. We touched on characters such as Gandhi, Tilak, and Jinnah, and dove into the ideas behind Swaraj and The Quit India Movement. It was really interesting, I had no idea that 20th century India was such a tumultuous time.

Gandhi and his spinning wheel-Late 1920's: Wiki Commons 

Introduction

Salutations everyone! 

My name is Kurtis Kunz, I’m 22 years old and I am in my ninth semester here at the University of Oklahoma. I am working towards a degree in International Studies, although I studied International Business for my first two years. I am set to graduate this December. 

I was born and raised in Oklahoma City and attended Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School. While my mom's side of the family all hails from OKC, my paternal side of the family is French. My dad and his family were all born and raised in Cannes, France. My dad joined the French Navy at age 16 before working as a scuba diver for the international resort chain Club Med. This job landed him in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, where he has lived and worked since 1988. 

I have been lucky enough to be able to visit him during my time off from school since I was 5. These visits introduced me to the sport of scuba diving, which is one of my favorite things to do in this world. After graduation I plan on moving to Turks and Caicos to work in the family business. I am currently working towards my PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor to expedite this process. 

Personal Photo of me scuba diving in Turks and Caicos 

While I plan on living in Turks for the immediate future, I find it hard to believe that I will not return to Oklahoma one day.

I have two younger sisters; one a sophomore here at OU and one a freshman at Bishop McGuinness. I really enjoy travel. I spent 7 weeks in Europe at the beginning of the summer visiting my grandmother and doing a 4 week study abroad course in Cannes. I hope to visit the majority of countries in Europe. I am working on learning French, though I am far from fluent. I am taking 18 hours this semester while working part time so it will be a busy semester, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Week 1 Storytelling: The Ants and the Grasshopper

It was the Monday after the OU v. Texas “Red River Rivalry Game”. A group of freshman students were in their dorm reviewing a midterm study guide they had been preparing throughout the first half of the semester. While these students were solidifying the last few minute details of the material, the “popular kid” of their hall burst into the door in a panic over the next days’ exam.

Since the beginning of the semester, the students of Macro Economics knew there would be an exam the Tuesday following the big game. On the first day of the semester, the professor warned everyone that there are always students who flunk the midterm every fall due to the big game.

Still sporting the remnants of his red face paint from the game, the procrastinator entered the dorm room of the studious pupils and begged them to let him copy the work they had complied for the midterm study guide.

This being the first time that this student had given them the time of day, the students were appalled. “Are you serious?!” objected the study bugs, “You knew we were going to have this exam since the first day of class! Why didn’t you make your own study guide?”

The rivalry reveler, spending the majority of his semester on campus corner with his new friends, tried to defend himself. “I know, I know, the test just kind of snuck up on me. There are just too many new friends and too much fun to be had freshman year of college, I couldn’t help myself!”

The studious pupils all chuckled at this lame excuse.

“Well that’s all fine and dandy, bud. Maybe you should go find one of those new friends you made to help you learn all of this material before tomorrow”. Then they shut the door and returned to their review as the procrastinator went back to his dorm room with no hope of passing the exam.

The Ants and the Grasshopper: Wikimedia Commons 

Author’s Note. This story is based on “The Ants and the Grasshopper”, a popular title found amongst Aesop’s Fables. The story can be found in The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter (1919). In the story, a colony of hard working ants are gathering and storing food in preparation for winter when they are approached by a hungry grasshopper. The grasshopper, who has spent his warm months leisurely playing music instead of preparing for winter, begs the ants to give him some of their food. The ants, who have being breaking their backs for months preparing for winter, deny the grasshopper food and advise him to dance, being the leisure lover that he is.

In my story, the ants are represented by the group of students in the dorm reviewing their study guide they have worked hard on for weeks. “Winter” is represented by the midterm exam the students will soon be taking. The grasshopper is represented by the student who had spent all of his semester partying instead of dedicating time to work on school and prepare for the midterm. The hard work of the group of students will be rewarded with a passing grade on the midterm, while the “grasshopper” student will be punished for his “full-time play” with a failing grade.

 As you can probably decipher from the story, the fable demonstrates the importance of acknowledging the appropriate time to work verse the appropriate time to play. While play might seem like the easiest and most desirable, there are times in life that require a person to invest dedicate themselves to hard work to ensure their well being in the future. 

My Favorite Places: Turks and Caicos Islands & Cannes, France.

I couldn't narrow it down to one single place, so I am calling it a tie.

Turks and Caicos Islands. The Turks and Caicos Islands are a group of small islands in the Caribbean that are situated off the southeast coast of Cuba, just north of Haiti. My dad has lived here since the 80's so I  spent a lot of time snorkeling and scuba diving in the waters around the islands growing up. It is absolutely beautiful. It has been voted among one of the best beaches in the world.

(Grace Bay Beach- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands : Flickr)

Cannes, France. My family on my father's side are all from Cannes so I have had the pleasure of going over there to visit during summer vacations. I was there this summer for 7 weeks studying abroad and that was my third trip over there. There is a great beach, lots of history, and an annual international film festival held at the beginning of every summer. I describe it as the "L.A. of Europe", there is always something to do. 

(Panorama View of Cannes: Flickr)

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Hanuman Watches Lanka Burn: Wiki Commons 

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