Week 3 Story: Banishment of Mario

Author's Note: I got my inspiration from three short stories in the Ramayana. In these stories Rama, the good and righteous son is banished. His father wanted him to become king but one of the king's three wives reminded him of a favor he owed her and she wanted her son to be king and for Rama to be sent into exile for 14 years. In my story I changed it from being the wife of the King to being the brother of the future king who would betray him and sentence him to exile. I changed the story of how they favor was earned. The characters in my story are of the Mario World and it fits perfectly with the Ramayana because they are brothers in those stories as well. In exile they go into a jungle that is dangerous and since this is the Mario World, they go into the pipes and underground. 

(Mario Underground. Source: Protipoftheday)

Through the underground pipe system they went. The path was dim with just enough light to see in front of them. It was also very silent. The other thing they heard was their own footsteps and the occasional drip of water from a pipe. Although, the situation was not the best the three characters still made the best of it.

Mario and his brother Luigi, and Mario's wife, Princess Peach were in exile. Mario's younger brother Wario took the throne that Mario was destined for. Their father, Grand Plumber, was tired of running the kingdom and needed time to relax. He saw his young Mario progress from a small plumber to a big plumber. He knew Mario would be a great ruler and the people in the kingdom already loved him but when Wario found out he plotted to get rid of his brother. 

(Wario, Mario's brother. Source: Pixabay)

Wario knew his brother was noble and honorable and knew it would be hard to make his father not give Mario the thrown. Therefore, Wario went to thinking about how to convince Mario to leave. Mario had everything he needed here, so why would he leave? Then a light bulb hit him. When they were children Wario saved Mario's life when he almost died from a Koopa, an evil flying turtle. After the incident, Mario vowed that should Wario ever need or request anything Mario would honor it. 

Now it was the day before Mario was to be crown King. Mario very excited for the next day but secretly Wario was even more excited. Wario went up to Mario and reminded him of the good ol' days. They shared memories together and laughed. Then Wario brought up the story of saving his brothers life. Mario thanked his brother for saving his life and reminded him that he would do anything for him because of that. Wario grinned. "My dear brother, would I be able to use my request today?", Wario asked shyly. "Of course, what is it?" said his brother. Wario became serious and said, "I would like you to step down from becoming king and give me thing kingdom". Mario was shocked, "brother why? I earned this. Father gave it to me. Why?"he asked. Wario ignored his brother and asked if he would honor his request or would he lose his honor and deny Wario the kingdom? Mario saddened simply said, "It is yours". As Wario was about to exit to celebrate he said one last thing to his brother, "As your new king, I banish you into exile for thirteen years. Do not return until then. I expect you gone by tomorrow". 

One would think Mario would fight his brother or call his father but instead he honored his new king's request. Mario was leaving the city when his wife stopped him. Mario tried to tell her to stay where she would be safe but she did not care, she wanted to be with her lover. Mario's closest brother, Luigi, also said he would go. He did not want to be apart of this new kingdom and wanted to be with his brother and to protect him and his wife. So off they went. They took The Pipe down and never looked back. 

(The Pipe. Source: Wikimedia)

Bibliography:

1.  Rama is Banished. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie 
2.  Exile. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie 
3. Manthara and Kaikeyi. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading Notes: Online: Public Domain Edition Ramayana, Section B

(Rama ready for battle. Source: Wikimedia)

In this section I noticed that the story is told in the form of third person. The narrator is never part of the story. It is interesting to see how they narrator also switches the way the write the story or let the characters speak. In some instances the characters are given speech bubbles or parentheses so you know exactly what they say and in other instances the narrator simply sums up what they say. 

When the author ends the story they tend to do one of two things. They either have an ending to the story or leave almost a cliffhanger where it keeps you wanting to read more. I think it does depend on where you are at in the scheme of things. Sometimes you need to have a nice finish and other times it is better to keep going. There does need to be some time of conclusion though. 

The intro does a really good job of either summarizing what just happened in the previous story. They  connect the previous story with the one they are going to tell currently which I will have to keep in mind when I am writing my story. 

I found it kind of funny how the author let the demon speak and explain himself before the fight. In Viradha, the demon tells Rama who he is and what he will do to him. To me, this seems added just to enhance the dramatic purposes of the story. In real life, I do not think we would take time to announce who we are and what we planned on doing to our enemy. If we knew they were our enemy then I think the battle would just occur. That being said, I was intrigued on how detailed the author put into the demons speech and I was able to visualize this scene better. So maybe I should not just discard the idea of letting the enemies talk before the fight. 

Bibliography: The Ramayana by Manmatha Nath Dutt


I also like how some characters come back or pop up in the story. In Khara, the demon popped up again and tried to destroy Rama again. I think I would include this in my stories if possible because it makes the story more interesting. For example, I forgot about this demon, so it was nice to be like oh yeah he's back like he said and see what happens. In this opening scene the author did not really connect it but went straight into what was happening right now. They really set the scene and were descriptive with what it was like. This allowed me as an audience member to picture where this was at. Then the author introduced the characters and what was happening. This really enhanced the story. 

Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading Notes: Online: Public Domain Edition Ramayana, Section A

(Rama and Laksmana versus demons. Source: Wikimedia)

I really enjoyed reading this story in the Ramayana because of the scene that takes place. It started off with the two main characters, the sons of the king going into this forest which seems to be dangerous. They go and face this female demon. It is interesting that out of all the types of weapon Rama chooses a bow and arrow. I also thought it made the story or fight scene more interesting when after she was injured, the demon then turned invisible and still had quite a bit of power. After slaying the demon Rama received a reward but it was special weapons and spirits. These gave him special powers for when he fought another demon.
Bibliography:
Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)  Link: Blogspot
Rama Wins Sita:

I loved this one because he won the challenge and was able to be with the love of his life. It was interesting how the author formatted this story though. It was first in paragraphs and then shifted to short stanzas or couplets. 

Bibliography: Wikipedia Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)  Blogspot

Parashurama: I found this one fascinating simply because it involved another avatar of the same god. I was confused at first on how the god could have multiple versions of himself and have them interact with each other without really knowing each other or recognizing that this was an avatar of himself. But it makes the story interesting so I will keep this in mind when writing stories. I did also like how someone cared about the tradition or sacredness of the bow and came to see who broke it. So then,   he also gave Rama and even bigger challenge and gave him a gift in amazement of Rama. 

Bibliography:

Divine Archer by F. J. Gould (1911)  Link: Blogspot

Overall, I learned a lot about these characters and who they were and what they are known for. I think now I have gained some knowledge on how to write a good story/epic. 

Topic Brainstorm

(Reincarnation. Source: Wikipedia)

1. Reincarnation
I am pretty interested in reincarnation. I have always heard of this but never quite understood what it meant exactly and why or how they came to believe this. I know that the soul of the person is just reborn or put in another substance which could be an animal, person, or thing. I really want to learn more about this and see how it could be used in story telling. Like if a story has a war and the person died what would happen if they came back, how would they live their live knowing what happened in the previous life. Would they repeat how they lived before or changed? Also, how their new body would affect them and their abilities and strengths and weaknesses.
My first source was Wikipedia. Reading about reincarnation.


2. Love Stories
I really enjoy love stories. They truly are about the heart and the will of the person. I would want to learn more about why these two characters would want to be together and see to what extent would they go to be with one another. I think separating the two characters and seeing at what event if any would they not want to be together. I think love stories on TV sometimes miss the point. They have a happy ending but what happens after. It would also be an interesting take on a story of what happens after the two characters get together. Was it just pure emotion and once the "honeymoon" phase departs will they still be together or will they move on? To me love is more than just an emotion it is about sacrificing for the other person and choosing to be with them. For example if you are upset with your significant other you still love them but you aren't "feeling in love" or the emotion of "being in love" or "love".  I learned about Rama and Sita and would be interested in exploring this relationship.
Source: Wikipedia

(Love Couple. Source: Pexels)

3. Animals
In the real and natural world animals just act on instinct and pattern to some extent. We do know they can think and learn but again to some extent. But in the non-natural world, like in storybooks they can do anything. Learning how to bring an animal to life so that they can act and talk and think like a human would be interesting. In this story made humans acted like how animals do or the animals can talk like we can but cannot understand humans or maybe animals become superior to humans. There are a range of stories that can be created from this. Also just seeing how the different animals interact. Are they still friendly with one another or more violent? Would they still eat and act the same how we see them in real life or would they be making and cooking food?
I took a look at Monkey stories which is a comic book to see how the author brings these monkeys to life and characterizes them.
Source: Blogspot



4. Immortals
This also caught my attention when I saw the title. As a person of faith to be immortal here on earth is not what I would desire. I do not want to live forever. It made me think of Wolverine from the Marvel comics. It would be good and bad to live and see everything. But it would be worse to live somewhere, make friends and see them die or have to move because you do not ever age and do not want people to know you live forever else you would be subjected to tests. That would be interesting too? If this character was caught and they analyzed what made them live forever and looking at the ethics at this. Is it right to take away their freedom and in hopes of being able to cure people and save everyone? I wonder why they have people who live forever and what they actually do.
I looked at Wikipedia to find be my initial source.

Feedback Thoughts

Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work
Link: SpencerAuthor.

This first tip was really great, don't compare yourself to others. I think this is way to easy to do sometimes as students, especially as a pre-med student. It is always what is your gpa, what MCAT score did you get, what are you doing, oh this person is doing this and that, should I be doing that, how can I be better than them, etc. This is the wrong mindset. For my first two years of college this was my mindset. It wasn't until I rediscovered my faith that I realized this was dumb. I am enough and I can still shine even though I am not doing what that person is doing. When I compared myself to others, as stated in the article, I either was arrogant or felt defeated or like less. The other big thing is learning to trust and believe in yourself. You are capable of doing so much and sometimes we hold ourselves back because we are afraid or just tell ourselves we can't. But when you believe in yourself and trust yourself and aren't afraid to make mistakes.




Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it. Link: Ideas

A study was done which showed that physical pain is lit up or is activated when we feel rejected. The article continued to say that this is probably because of our internal hard-drive from when we were hunter and gatherers. If you were rejected from the tribe or group, that pretty much was a death sentence because it would be very hard for you to find food and shelter alone. In today's society the result is not as heavy or lethal. However, it hurts still. We are social being and we desire to be connected. We desire to be known, loved, and cared for. I think for me, that was what I always desired and still do. But through my faith, I am better able to handle this rejection because I know that there is always one person who will love and care for me and be there for me; my God. So even though the world is tough and we want to fit in, I no longer want to fit in. I was made to be me, who God created me to be. Therefore, when the world rejects me I know my God is saying "it is okay. Remember, the world first rejected me". So I trust that even though I am rejected, God has a plan for me and I will continue to follow Him.


I think the most helpful feedback has always been constructive criticism. If someone tells me I did good or bad that doesn't really do much for me. It may make me feel a certain way but isn't useful. If someone were to say I really liked how you did xyz or I think if you did xyz it would of been better. That is more useful since I know what part exactly was good and where I can improve on. It is specific and not disrespectful. I remember in grade school someone telling me your project is terrible just start over. That was really hurtful. Not only did they not like my project but had nothing good to say about it or did not even help me fix it or advise me where to improve on. To conclude, if life is tough for you and people are not helpful, don't ever give up. Keep trying. Even if it takes hundreds of times, try, try, try again.

Are you ready for the challenge (whatever it might be)?

(Cat who does not give up. Source: Builder)

Tech Tip: Canvas Profile

For this Tech Tip I learned that if I wanted to I could edit my name on Canvas and put a nickname instead. I decided to leave my name since this is what I go by and prefer to be called. I also added a picture to my profile. I put a picture of me with a stethoscope. I chose this because I wanted to show people that I am interested in medicine and it is one of my favorite pictures because it shows what I love doing. Under my bio, I decided to go with a short little bio simply stating what I was studying here at OU. I think this way people could connect with me if they have a similar major.

Week 2 Stories: Mario and Bowser

Once upon a time in a kingdom far far away, lived a king. This king was not noble, not kind, not mighty. He ruled people by fear. King Bowser, was fierce. He had a shell with spikes, sharp teeth, and a nasty roar. 

(Bowser the King. Source: Flickr)

In a land not to far away from the kingdom lived a town of Toadettes. These poor defensively creatures lived in a land with no resources. They were on their last days of survival. One day Bowser was walking along and saw the town. He saw them as an easy target. He knew he could convince them to come to his kingdom where he would then eat them. Bowser walked into town and the Toad people ran, except one. Bowser with his nicest voice introduced himself as king of kingdom rich in resources. The little Toadette was fascinated, he wanted to go to this kingdom. Bowser, with a grin on his face, said he would take him there. The only problem was he could only take one at a time because they had to cross a mighty river and he could only carry one Toadette this way. The people said they would let the little Toadette go with King Bowser and let him see what he thought of the kingdom that Bowser described.

So off they went. Little Toadette and Bowser. After crossing the river, they were at the entrance of the kingdom. Bowser rang a bell and all the townspeople were out of sight because they were frightened by Bowser. He did this so that the Little Toadette would think this place was empty and could fit the entire town. Little Toadette was amazed of the big kingdom and stuffed his face in the food that Bowser provide. They then embarked back to the town where Little Toadette was from. He told the people about how much room there was and that they should go and he thanked Bowser for everything. Bowser gave a sly smile. 

He then proceeded to take Little Toadette back to the kingdom. As soon as Little Toadette saw the kingdom, Bowser ate him. Bowser went back and forth. Eating each Toadette one by one. After several trips they were all gone. 

Bowser made one last trip back to the town to make sure he did not miss anyone. As he was about to leave he heard a scream. "WHAT HAPPENED HERE? TOADETTE? WHERE ARE THEY?" a voice shouted. Bowser starting to giggle a bit and was looking where the voice came from. He noticed a small person, rather round, in a plumber outfit. Bowser asked, "Who are you?". The plumber stated, "I am Mario. Who are you and where is the town?". Bowser replied, " I am Bowser, King of the kingdom not too far from here. I took the people to my kingdom so that they will never go hungry." Mario, a bit skeptical asked if Bowser would take him and show him. Bowser agreed and knew he would have another snack soon. 

As they approached the kingdom, Mario got a bad feeling in his stomach. He jumped up on Bowser. Bowser not sure what was going on stopped but then continued forward because he was almost about to eat again. When they got to the gates Bowser threw Mario into the air, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth wide. Mario quickly threw a fireball into his mouth. Bowser began to choke as Mario threw more and more fireballs. When Bowser fell down, Mario jumped on top of him and gave the last blow. "You could not fool me and you will no longer fool anyone else", Mario said as he entered into his new kingdom. 

(Mario. Source: Flickr)

Author's Note: This story about Mario and Bowser is an adaption from the Cunning Crane and the Crab. When I was thinking of a story I could write that had characters similar to this I immediately thought of Mario. Bowser was the Crane who thought they knew everything and could get their way by tricking innocent people. The innocent people are Toadettes who don't really have any powers or strengths. This makes them very similar to the fish that are hopeful and helpless. Mario of course had to be the crab because of how clever he is and how he defeats the enemy. 

Bibliography: The Cunning Crane and the Crab from "The Giant Crab", and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse.

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I have downloaded the Canvas app and have had it since last semester. I have the app on my iPhone. The app is very helpful, especially when I do not have my laptop or my laptop is dead. It is pretty easy to access class files and review notes and posted review questions. I have had no problems with it so far. In order to avoid problems and crashes I update it as soon as a new version is available. The app also allows me to see my grades, classwork, assignments, etc. It is almost like using the desktop version. If you don't have the app, you should get it!

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

(Rabbit. Source: Pixabay)

The first story that I was interested by was The Foolish, Timid Rabbit. It starts off with the rabbit taking a nap and thinking that what would he do if the world starting breaking up. As soon as he thought of it a coconut fell behind him and to him that was the sign that the world was starting to break up so he ran. The rabbit did not think about what was going on, he just took action. He warned all the animals until the lion took charge. This lion was wise and wanted to see where this nonsense all started and was able to trace it back to the first rabbit. After, examining the situation the lion was able to determine that the world was not breaking up and restored the peace. It ends saying without the lion, these animals might still be running. To me this is very true in today's day and age. A lot of people will take action without thinking. Then they will share it with everyone else and people seeing home passionate they are will join them without really knowing why. It is not until someone wise who will take the time to see what is going on and examine the situation that maybe there is no real reason for doing that thing. Maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe not. The point is to think before you act. This is why I liked this story because of the listen behind it as well.


Bibliography: The Foolish, Timid Rabbit, Ellen C. Babbitt.



The second story I found fascinating was about the Monkey. A crocodile pair, husband and wife, lived together in a swamp. The wife wanted to eat the monkey's heart one day and ordered her husband to get it for her. When the monkey is on the bank of swamp, the crocodile tries to convince the monkey about better fruit on the other side. The crocodile is deceive the monkey. The monkey, not knowing any better and trusting the crocodile, believes him and rides on the crocodile's back. Then he is starting to drown because the crocodile takes him under. The monkey is very clever though. He asks a very important question, why or what for. When the crocodile explains to him he develops a very smart answer of saying his heart is not inside him but in the trees else it would break when the swing. The crocodile believes him and says he will not kill him if he bring him his heart. So  he lets him go and the monkey is free. I also liked this moral of the story. Even though you are in a tough situation, you can fight your way out of it or outwit your opponent. The monkey fighting for survival came up with a plan and was able to save himself. This story is also about wit and common sense.


Bibliography: The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart, Marie L. Shedlock.

Week 2 reading overview

After learning about the two different stories, I have decided to go with the Ramayana Public Domain Edition. I choose this one because it had lots of illustrations which I enjoy so that I can help visualize what is going on. I also really liked that this one was free and it had an audio which is narrated by our very own professor. Another pro was that it has lots of notes and is written by many authors. I like that because if it were one author and I did not enjoy their style of writing I would be stuck but this provides many different perspectives and styles which is great!

The first comic book I choose was Parashurama . This comic book is specifically about the sixth incarnation of vishnu. Incarnation in story books is always pretty interesting, so I wanted to see how the story would be played out especially since it was not the first time the character was incarnated. The front of the book was also very fascinating and looked really cool which helped persuade me to click and learn more. The second comic book I found is called the Sons of Rama. The subtitle was the "invincible twins". Although I do not have a twin, I have always thought my little brother was my twin. Growing up, him and I did everything together and people would always mistake us for twins. After clicking on it, these twins are maybe teens. They seem like children and they embark on this journey together. Pretty invincible to me, if they survive. The last comic was just something that sounded way out there. It is called Monkey Stories. The synopsis basically said the story of the monkeys who live in a mango grove and what happens when humans find mango fruit there. To me this may be like a folktale that parents tell children to teach them something. The subtitle is about wile and wisdom, which seems to prove my point.

As a student who is going into medicine and a person who is religious, there were two videos that stood out to me. The first was the Stages of Life. It talked about profession of a child to adulthood. This connects to medicine because it gives me a perspective about how a different culture analyzes progression and development. The other video about The Four Aims of Life is also interesting. I think a lot of times the world or people are searching for what is the meaning of life or what we should be seeking. This video talked about a perspective and had four aims of life. It reminded me a bit of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The four aims of life video did not necessarily give an order but stated this is what we seek as humans. But, they did start at Maslow's first need and they progressed forward to the last one.

(Hanuman. Source: Blogspot)

This image really made me stop at just observe. There seems to be so much going on in this image. This creature is dressed in all gold, so it must be wealthy or maybe a god. It is looking down on these people who are way smaller than it and they don't seem to have emotion. The beast or god seems to be angry, especially with its mouth open and big sharp teeth. I also found it fascinating, that after typing the name of the painting or possible god, that it is very similar to human. 

Time Strategies

(Time Management. Source: Maxpixel)

The two articles that I selected were "How to Beat Procrastination" and "11 Ways Unsuccessful People Mismanage Their Time". Out of all the titles, these two stuck out to me. Although I do not procrastinate a lot, at least I think, I thought it would be useful to learn some skills on how to handle it when I do see myself start to procrastinate. In the article I really liked how they said to commit publicly, which basically is so others can keep you accountable. Something else that I have already used in life, not really for procrastination, is asking why. Some of these could be "why am I doing this?" or "Why is this hard to do?". In the other article about how unsuccessful people use their time, I loved how it was just pointing out quickly and efficiently what these people do and how to fix it. The article included that these people should plan their time, which I already do, but then under another tip they added that the unsuccessful people do not plan "fun time". This really struck me because yeah this is just as important as work because else you can easily get burned out and not want to stick to the schedule you created because it is difficult and not fun. 

Using the tips I learned from these articles will help me become more effect and successful. Right now,  I use a printout weekly schedule which goes hour by hour. I start by filling in my classes, clubs, sleep, and meal times. Then I add study time and breaks throughout the day. I do leave some blank so in case something pops up I can address that without breaking my schedule. This has helped me a lot. Some people think making a detailed can cause you to stress out because then if you don't stick to it then you are frustrated. To me, it doesn't because if I stick to it then I am doing good. If I don't stick to it I ask why. Maybe this week I had projects or errands or an emergency so I was behind, well then I can't get upset because I needed these done and they are not a consistent thing. But, if I am always behind because I scheduled too much fun time or not enough study time or whatever, then I would simply adjust the schedule so I can stick to one. So this is how I will manage this class. I also take a break between each section that I do. I could power through everything or today's assignments but they wouldn't be as well done and I wouldn't be as relaxed if I would of simply taken a 10min break. That is my "reward" or "treat" to help motivate me. 

Technology: Class Uses

When I first found out that this class would require me to get and write a blog I was kind of unsure about this. I had never gotten a blog, written a post, or really read people's blog posts. However, after using it this first week I realized it is not that bad and that I can do this! On top of this I never knew I would be creating a website with my stories on it either. It is all so new to me.

The things I do know are editing, bookmarking, and graphic creation. In high school, I took a few classes about computers and graphics. One of them was an animation class, so we had to use various software's to first create/edit images and then other software's to help make them come to life and move. So hopefully I still remember how to do this and will be able to apply it to this class.

The class wiki is also something new to me. I usually can find all my class information on canvas and was surprised that there was not a lot in canvas for this class. Then I realized all the information is on that website. I kind of like it, it helps break up pieces of the class so it is not a lot of information at once. Then once you finish, you can just continue forward.

Looking forward to learning more technology tips and uses!

( Technology Uses. Source: Pxhere)

Assignment: First Impressions

To me, this class is unlike any other I have taken. I do find this way very creative and unique and personal. I like the idea that you can work ahead and choose to do things that you like more and substitute the stuff you may not like with extra credit. This also allows us students to be flexible, since some weeks will be tough with classes or life and we may not have time to work on an assignment, we can make it up with extra credit.

My favorite extra credit assignments are the Tech Tips and the Wikipedia trails. Technology is so fascinating because there is so much that you can do with it. To be able to able to learn useful tips for this class and for the future would be great! Also, Wikipedia trails is fun! I did this with my younger brothers when I was in middle school. We would just start on a page and see how long it would take us to get to a preselected topic or item. Example: Starting on Civil War and getting to iPhone.

I am pretty interested in learning about the Indian culture and their stories. I also am excited about being able to draw inspiration from these stories and then create our own stories to share with the class. As I stated in the 3 favorite storybooks assignment, my favorite was the looney tunes. It was really creative and I hope to be able to do the same when the time comes to create a story. The drawback is that, at times I am not creative. But, I will have examples to look at and can ask for help when needed! This class is very fun and engaging. I can't wait to learn more!

(Happy Student. Source: Pixabay)

Growth Mindset or Fixed Mindset?

(Growth Mindset. Source: Flickr)

Before I began watching the videos the term "Growth Mindset" sounded familiar but I did not remember where I had herd this. After doing my own research into Growth Mindset it clicked. As I mentioned in my last post, I am a pre-med student. Last spring when I was studying for the MCAT, which covers a wide rang of topics, the term appeared in the psychology portion. They were comparing the two of Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset. However, I do not ever remember hearing or reading about Carol Dwerk. 

I think it is so easy to get stuck on the Fixed-Mindset path because it takes no effort, literally. If you can't do it, you give up. You don't seek a challenge. You stay at where you are at. To me, this is not a place where I want to be. If I am staying still it is almost as if I am going backwards since I am capable of more and I am neglecting that. I think as my schooling has progressed I have become more and more on the Growth mindset path. I will not only accept a challenge but I will seek one. I have come to realize that this is how I actually grow and will learn more when I do this. 

I think the biggest thing for me is trying to be motivated to do things that I do not find interesting or am not passionate about. However, for stuff that I am interested in, it is really easy for me to accept challenges for this. I would be pretty interested in learning more about the growth mindset as I have a very limited knowledge on it. 

For this semester, my goal is to have a 4.0 this semester and to graduate. I also want to learn about multiple ways of learning that way I can find out which works the best for me and be more successful. The class I am least looking forward to is Pchem II because I do not find physics all that interesting but at least it is related to chemistry. I also am kind of worried about this class because I have had him for Pchem I and his tests were difficult and I did not do well in the class. The class I am looking forward to is this class and my Senior Project class.

(The Mind. Source: Twitter)

Introduction to Joshua the pre-med student

Hey everyone, it is Joshua! As you can tell from the title I am a pre-med student (and hopefully it does not stay that way) here at the University of Oklahoma. I am majoring in Biochemistry, yes I know it may not be every ones cup of tea but I find it very fascinating.

I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico but after a couple of years moved to Washington and since then my family and I have moved every three years. The reason being my dad is in the military. Through this experience I have had many opportunities to travel all around the world which has been amazing. However, with that I must also restart my life in a sense every three years. This means new location, new house, new school, new friends, etc. It also means saying goodbye to all the old friends and being away from extended family which is tough.

(New Mexico Landscape. Source: Wikimedia)

But back to my life as a student. I am finally a senior and this is my last semester here at OU. I have taken all the prerequisite classes and taken the MCAT as well. With interviews coming up and acceptance/rejection letters coming out soon, this is a very stressful and nerve-racking time. On top of all this, I am a president of an honor society here at OU. It is in the works of being rebuilt as most of the leadership left last spring including the advisor. But it is a process. I am confident with the new leadership and our new advisor that this honor society will be restored to its original glory.

(MCAT. Source: Wikimedia)

As said earlier, this is my last semester. It is sad to think that my last OU football game as a student is gone, my last homecoming, my last Big Event, my last set of classes as an undergraduate, etc. My time here has come and gone. It still feels as if I just started. Although, this chapter in my life is coming to an end, I will never forget the memories I have had here and will forever be a Sooner.

(University of Oklahoma. Source: Wikimedia)

Boomer Sooner!


Update: Joshua the Medical Student. I found out that I was accepted to medical school at the University of Incarnate Word!

My 3 Storybook Favorites

Looney Tunes Goes to India

This one really caught my eye. Growing up I always loved to watch Looney Tunes. The title easily  told me what this would be about and is why I clicked on it. If you had never seen Looney Tunes it might not be as interesting but I really enjoyed how the writer made a story of the Tunes going to India. Since I knew the characters it was easy to see why the writer made them these certain roles. Reading the stories was very entertaining, especially with the way the writer wrote the lines. I could totally see how Bugs would say the certain things or just how Yosemite Sam would act. The layout was perfect I thought, it gave a back story (or intro) and then proceeded to tell stories of their adventure in India based on Indian epics. The author made these characters come to life in their own story.

(Looney Tunes. Source: Flickr)

Diary of a Wanderer in India

This one made me a bit confused at first, only because I thought they were trying to do a spin of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. However, I still enjoyed this one once I understood what it was meant to be. As a world traveler,  I really liked this perspective of telling a epic from a diary. When I go traveling, I do like writing down what I saw that day and the total experience so this reminded me of that. The style of the text almost seems as if it was chosen because it seems like handwriting even though it is text. This adds more character to the story as well as the inclusion of the dates at the top of each story.  The way the table of contents is set up on the left is better for this kind of blog. For the Tunes it was at the top and for that kind of story I think that method is preferred.



Epic Couples

From the title I didn't know really how the author would set up the story or background, I just knew it would be about epic couples. Once I started reading, it was really interesting. The author developed a great back story and was intriguing. The intro gave me a sneak peak about the stories I would be reading about which I really enjoyed. The author said this was a book of short love stories. The way this was written was similar to that of a book while the other storybooks were different in their layout. This might have made this one harder to read or to stay focused because it was a lot of text, I might have added more pictures or tried to break it up a bit somehow. I also liked how for the most part each story or intro had a picture before going into the writing. This made it captivating and the image was able to remain with you as you read the story instead of waiting til the end to have a visual image.

(Love story. Source: Pixabay)

Palau... My Favorite Place

Relaxing. Peaceful. Getaway. 

What more could you ask for than a trip to Palau? 

Located in the Pacific, this tiny island has lots to offer. Take a day trip to see where Survivor was filmed, go swim with the Jellyfish at Jellyfish Lake, go scuba-diving with huge manta rays, learn to open a coconut, or experience the culture of the natives. 

The island life is amazing! 

(The islands of Palau: Source. wikimedia)

The beaches so clean with soft white sand. The ocean full of many shades of blue that you did not know existed. Beneath the surface are massive amounts of vibrant fish and coral. Back at the surface is the jungle which has the greenest green you will ever see. A day at the peach is paradise. Reading a good book, taking a break to snorkel, or cracking a coconut and enjoying the view. This is my favorite place in the whole world. The island life is the life for me!

(A day at the beach in Palau:

Source. Pixabay)

Testing

Hey everyone, it is Joshua! This is just a test to make sure this works! Stay tuned for more!