Pope's Posts

Down the long, dark corridor we walk. I waited patiently for her to begin to talk.  All the hidden history spewed from her mouth, and my throat closed up as though I were suffering from a drought. Louder and louder my heart would thump just as the shadows chasing across the walls made me jump. It's like my life began to unfold. What else is there that has to be told? Further and further I dragged my feet on. In this windowless corridor, I couldn't tell if it was dusk or dawn. Time felt as though it had paused. I've been dragged into this new dimension to continue some sort of cause. On and on about my parents' life the rakshasi explains, and the tears star falling down like the spring time rains. Click and clack we reach the end of the hall as I stop and stare at the birch bark door so high and tall. A future awaits behind these doors. As soon as I pull the handles, I can't turn back anymore. ...

I've stared at this screen several times trying to figure out the best template for my blog. There were so may ideas going through my mind as to what I wanted see on my blog. The plethora of templates that I had envisioned matched the number of customized template options that blogger has built in. I have changed the presentation of my blog at least three times. One time, I completely re-built my site and forgot to hit the "apply changes button." I was distraught and gave up on site decorating for a couple of hours. Now, I am satisfied with the presentation of my blog. I wanted a template and display that was cohesive with the content of my stories, the course, as well as my own preferences for a webpage. I wanted the webpage to reflect me. The technicalities and gadgets that are involved in the tinkering of colors, fonts, and images can be quite taxing on an individual. I'm pretty tech savvy; however, I did face a few setbacks with assigning colors to different asp...

Actor dressed as Ravana. Commons Wikimedia This week I decide to read The Lord of Lanka: The Rise and Fall of A Demon. The story talked about Ravan's siege in the Land of Lanka. Unlike the Ramayana, this comic goes into detail about the demon king who kidnapped Sita and how he rose to power. The story begins with an explanation of Ravana came to be a demon. Because Ravana's parent's conceived at an improper time, therefore their children were deemed to be wicked and born as rakshasas. I saw this portion of my story was an opportunity to further illustrate how my character in last week's story planning post came to be. Furthermore, when Ravana's mother Kaikesi found out that her son was going to be wicked, she was distraught. Her husband counteracted her grief with a word from the gods that "the youngest however will be a noble one." The youngest song was Kubera. As all of Kaikesi's sons became of age they acted arrogantly. Even in their arrogance,...

Ashoka Grove was a beautiful resting ground in the middle of a dark, evil-ridden forest. The flowers ranged from pink, puffy ashoka blossoms, orange lotuses, to beautiful Malobar daffodils, orchids, and magnolias. The aroma was overwhelming and enchanting. It was a scene so serene. The crisp, warm spring breeze would blow and pick up the swirling pool of petals collecting on the ground  in a whirlpool and sweep them up into the air. The whistle of the wind was a harmonious sound to the ears of the grove's visitors; it is a sound so hypnotizing and enticing that the visitors go numb to the razor-sharp teeth of the rakshasas that are sinking into the veins of their warm, fleshy necks and limbs. For years, Ashoka Grove was a hot attraction. Thousands of visitors would venture across the world to experience such a magnificent wonder of Mother Nature. People from all walks of life could be seen lying down in the mounds of petals on the ground trying to make a "flower angel....

Rakshasas stories in the corridor. Down the long, dark corridor we walk. I waited patiently for her to begin to talk.  All the hidden history spewed from her mouth, and my throat closed up as though I were suffering from a drought Louder and louder my heart would thump just as the shadows chasing across the walls made me jump. It's like my life began to unfold. What else is there that has to be told? Further and further I dragged my feet on In this windowless corridor, I couldn't tell if it was dusk or dawn. Time felt as though it had paused I've been dragged into this new dimension to continue some sort of cause On and on about my parents' life the rakshasi explains And the tears star falling down like the spring time rains Click and clack we reach the end of the hall as I stop and stare at the birch bark door so high and tall. A future awaits behind these doors As soon as I pull the handles, I can't turn back anymore. There's ...

The Danava King Part B of the gleanings consisted of five different stories; however, I decided to focus on one story in particular. This story illustrated how the good versus evil spectrum in both the celestial and earthly realm were out of kilter. Why were things out of kilter? A demon king, Bali had come to reign over the earth and almost all of the heavens. Most demons were vicious and wicked; however, Bali was wicked in a seductive and enticing manner. Bali drew people to him by granting and honoring favors. He possessed so much power and adoration by the people and even the most powerful gods and goddesses that he exhausted his time posing as a charitable and kind king. I want to utilized this aspect in my storytelling this week. I like the idea of plot twist and shocking the reader, for I was really surprised to find out that the Danava king was good. Many men and women worshiped Bali over the usual gods. His reign was so powerful, yet concerning, that the great Godk, the Prese...

The reading notes for Part A were split into four different stories. I decided to take notes on each section. Battles of Gods and Demons The story is set around the Creation and balance of the universe under the direction of the Trinity. I liked this idea, as it reminded me of the holy trinity in the bible, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Some Christian based religions don't recognize the three. This chapter presented the preface of the story. It set the tone that the story was going to be about good versus evil, Devas versus Danavas. The story talks about how the war between the demons and gods began. It started with the sharing of ambrosia, an immortalising liquid to be given to both demons and gods to preserve them; however, the demons did not receive their predetermined portion.  I got the idea to continue my story, My Life's A Charm. from this chapter. It talked about the gods living in peace until a certain demon was born and built up the a...

My title, Le bonheur est la clé de succès translates to happiness is the key to success. I chose this title because it encompasses happiness, a subject under the learning by Heart challenge. Also, I really love this quote. Most people measure their happiness by their success; however, when you have more positive outlook and exciting mannerism you're more likely to be successful. Your happiness is also influenced by how you monitor and balance your health. When you feel better physiologically, your personality shines brighter. In the article, Keep Things Simple for a A Health, Long Life , the author, John Schumann illustrates that are not shortcuts to health and happy living. Wellness is maintained by getting enough sleep, moving, eating well, interacting socially, and reflecting on the positive moments in your life. I can attest to the fact that reflecting on the positive aspects in your life and being a part of jovial environments increases your level of happiness. It gives you th...

Kamadeva. Wikimedia Commons I commenced my Wikipedia trail by searching Vahana. This was inspired by  Vahana Therapy: Ganesh's Guide to Happiness,  a storybook featured on the announcements page. Vahana is the animal or vehicle that a deity rides when they appear in epics. Kartikeya's vahan was a peacock. Kartikeya's defeat of one of his enemies on a peacock led me to the next story, Tarkasura.  Tarakasura, a demon that comes from the epic Kumarasambhava, battled the gods until heaven nearly collapsed. This demon destroyed Kamadeva. Clicking on the hyperlinked name Kamadeva gave me the description that this Indian Epic character was the Hindu god of human love. Kamadeva immediately reminded me of the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. There's a catch the Greek goddess of love was a female and the Indian god, Kamadeva is a male. Kamadeva resembles more of the modern day Cupid. Kamadeva is most often depicted in Puranas. I clicked on Puranas as my final article. This a...

Infographic by Marek Bennet There seems to be an ongoing debate on whether or not you can improve your level of intelligence. Some people think that a person is genetically wired as intellectual, while others think that intellect is learned and acquired as life progresses. After reviewing several articles and taking part in conversation, there appears to be a consensus that you simply cannot improve your intelligence; however, I disagree. I believe this misconception comes from the fact that everyone has different learning strategies. Each individual's cognitive learning process reacts and formulates at unique speeds depending on certain activities. It is because of this biological makeup that we have thousands of professions in this world. Everyone is intellectually and cognitively stronger in one aspect of their being than others. This is why some professionals, basketball players or physicians, hire accountants to regulate their money. The mathematical sequence of numbers cl...

I decided to complete the Tech Tip concerning custom embedding and YouTube embedding into your blog. I found this to be a great tool as I plan on using a YouTube video in one of my future story posts. I inserted a video of me singing One Night Only from the Broadway musical, Dreamgirls. I hope you enjoy my talent!

A Thousand Ways. Creative Commons I believe that the dimensions of growth are subjective to each are of your life. Each person's existence and well-being is comprised of several interconnected parts, which means that the strengths and weakness we posses can either balance us out or cause turmoil. We can eliminate a state of turmoil and complacency by focusing on the areas that need the greatest amount of improvement. After reviewing my previous growth mindset post and reviewing the chart, I noticed that I had to figure out which categories in my life in which I would apply the growth mindset scale. In regards to this course. I noticed that I needed to improve on pushing myself further in my story writing, moving my mindset about not being "good" at creative writing, spending enough time practicing, and creating my own schedule. I feel like formulating discipline and confidence in these areas can transcend into other aspects of my life. Although I may not have gotte...

Sincerely, Sara The quote above has the most applicable connotation when it comes to describing and summarizing my creative writing and reading experience thus far. All of the stories that have been presented in this course have been interesting; however, the storytelling aspect is a work in progress. I'm wanting to believe Anne Lamott's ideology behind good writing. My posts in this class are evidence of the "need to start somewhere." Initially, I struggled coming up with storytelling, and I admit that I still have struggles. I'm not sure if this issue is accredited to my note taking strategies during reading or if I'm just accustomed to writing prompts. In a way, the Indian Epics are prompts; however, when I'm creating a new story, I strive to greatly alter the story so that I don't look as though I am plagiarizing or depending on the original story line for story completion. After reading the stories of my peers, I've felt as though some of...

I really like the note taking style I adopted for Part C, so I will utilize this same strategy on Part D. Pandavas Depart Bhima and Duhshasana: This scene was very violent and reminded me of one of my favorite shows, The Originals.  This episode illustrated the combat and war between the Pandava Army, Karna, and Duhsasana. Chariots were crossing the battle field left and right slicing and blowing down the warriors fighting with Karna and Duhshasana. Bhima seizes Duhshasana and dismembers him. He decapitates his foe and drinks his blood. This act is very vile, which lead me to think about the aforementioned show. The Originals  a has a character named Klaus, who is one of the original vampires of the town. He's one of a kind because he's a hybrid, vampire and werewolf. With that being said, when Klaus goes to war to keep peace in his town he drinks the blood of his victims. I'm thinking that I really want to utilize this story for my portfolio possibly.