Week 3 Reading Diary B

• I think there was a significance of jewelry in the story. I thought it was symbolic how Sita was able to have Rama's ring when Hanuman appeared in front of her. I remember reading about Sita throwing her jewelry because she wanted to leave a mark so that Rama can come save her. I thought it was interesting for the two characters to use similar way to find each other. 
• My favorite scene from the reading was the fight between Rama and Ravana. The whole chapter was filled with so many details. I thought it was interesting how they had a battle circling the globe. Also, because Ravana had many heads, no matter how many times Rama cut his head, he would grow it back. the Image of Ravana helped me understand more how he looked like. Although Ravana was insensible to pain, I thought it was amazing how Rama was able to win the battle. To defeat Ravana, Rama had to change the tactics several times.

Image Source Rama slays Ravana

• Once again, Sita's character fascinated me. After Rama defeated Ravana, Sita comes back to Rama. When Sita came back, Rama wasn't excited to see Sita because Rama believe that Ravana had touched her. Because of this accuse and doubt, Sita jumps into the fire to prove that she was pure, clean, and untouched. This  action was too extreme for me to understand because throwing yourself into a fire is something I will never do. Sita's action described what kind of person she was and that she loved Rama very much.

Week 3 Reading Diary A

• I really enjoyed reading the book for this week. There were a lot of drama and action involved in this week's reading 
• I thought is was smart for Sita to throw her jewelry down. In the book, it quotes that Sugreeva said " long ago we saw Ravana carrying off Sita in the skies. we were attracted by her screams as as we looked up , she bundled her jewelry and threw it down. Perhaps to indicate the way she passed." When Rama heard this, he teared up and was determined to find Sita. This indicates the  true love between Rama and Sita. This was my favorite part of the reading because I think it was very wise of Sita to leave marks of her path so that someone could rescue her. 

Image source  Sita and Ravana

• I enjoyed reading the story of Dundubi. The visual image of the story was fascinating to me. When I visualized what was going on the story of Dundubi and Vali, it was fascinating I thought it was amazing how Dundubi and Vali fought for a whole year without a break. This story showed how strong and fierce Vali was.
• Following up with the battle with Dundubi and Vali, Sugriva fights Vali. Although in the previous story, its showed how strong Vali was, the battle with Sugriva was different. With Rama's help, Sugriva was able to defeat Vali. When I was reading this, I thought it was not fair for Rama to assist Sugriva in the battle. Although Rama just helped, I thought it was slightly unfair for Vali because it was 2 people against one. 

Indian Epics Topics Brainstorm

1. Possible topic: Love stories - Orpheus and Eurydice
This topic seemed very interesting to me. I enjoy reading love story and this one was pretty good. I think its interesting how it associated the Greek Gods in the context. Also, I would like to learn more about the Greek mythology. Although its not Indian epic, I like the storyline.

Research so far: For this project, I will get to know more about Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus was a legendary musician in Greek mythology. Orpheus was known for his charming personality. I think its interesting that Eurydice was daughter of Apollo, who was God of music. According to some findings, they said that Orpheus was son of Apollo to. Although Orpheus and Eurydice is not from Indian background, I think it will be interesting doing a storybook about them

2. Possible Topic: Kaikeyi
The character of Kaikeyi was interesting to me. She also appeared in our reading and she stood out to me. Through the reading, I know that she became evil to keep what she had. She feared that she would loose everything once Rama gained the throne. Doing a research over the women Kaikeyi give me a better idea of where she is from and how she became so evil at the end.

Research so far: I know that there were three total Queens who were married to Kind Dasaratha. Interestingly enough, all three queens each had sons. Kaikeyi had a son name Bharatha. Because Rama was  going to claim the throne, Kaikeyi became scared that she was gonna loose her spot and state. I can search for her background and what kind of family she was from. I can also do some research over her parents and sibling. Maybe using her character, I can write an edited version of the storybook.

3.Possible topic: Ganesha -images
 The image of Ganesha seemed interesting to me. I've seen many photos of elephant with a lot of arms and always wondered the story behind it. It also seems like Ganesha appears quiet often in Indian epics. I want to know more about the different images. I know that elephants are highly respected in the Indian culture and I think Ganesha has to do with the fact that they are respected.

Research so far :After doing some research, I found out that Ganesha is one of the Gods in Hindu. He is known as God of wisdom, knowledge, and new beginning. I also found out that he is a big part of Indian art. He is in many paintings and sculptures. I would like to explore all sorts of arts which has Ganesha.

Ganesha

4.Possible topic: Vishnu - images
The image of Vishnu seemed pretty familiar too. I love the blue skin tone and the lotus flowers which appears often in his paintings. I think having many arms signify something because I see it often in many images of Indian God. Looking through many images, I think he is God of water because there are many images that are underwater.  By learning more about Vishnu, I will have a better idea of one of the Indian Gods. Because many Gods appear in Indian epics, I think it will be nice to know more about them

Research so far: There are many pictures and sculptures of Vishnu. After doing some research, I found out that Vishnu has some influence on Buddhism too. I think this is interesting because there is a cultural mash up in Hinduism and Buddhism. On Wikipedia, it mentions that it has five forms and have thousands of different names.

 Image source : Vishnu

Week 2 Reading Diary B

• While reading the part B, I thought it was interesting how the women who appeared in the stories are evil. 
• The episode of Rama's exile was my favorite. I think it is amazing how he was loved by everybody. Everybody was telling him to not leave and hated the evil women.
• When Lakshmana was so eager to kill the women, Rama calmed him down.
• On page 51, Rama quotes "Sometimes a river runs dry, and then it cannot be said to be the fault of the river - it's dry because the heavens are dry. so also, our father's change of mind, or the apparent hardheartedness of Kaikeyi,... some higher powers have decreed them." These words sounded like wise word. Because sometimes in life, we have to take the road that we do not want to, but I believe there is a higher God who leads my life.Also, if something was destined, no one can stop it. There are many times when I blame myself for a lot of things that happen in my life, but not I believe that somethings are not under my control.

Bharatha and Rama

Bharata and Rama; note also the sandals on the throne; by Raja Ravi Varma

• I found that Rama's sandal was a random object to represent his throne. When Bharatha came to see Rama, Rama insisted Baharatha to rule the land for fourteen year. Bharatha promised Rama that he will not rule the world for more than fourteen years. I thought it was very unique for Bharatha to take his sandal as a symbolic object for Rama.

The second part of the book seemed pretty dramatic, but I really enjoyed reading the stories. 

Week 2 Reading Diary A

• " A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted. Every human being, when the time comes, has to depart and seek his fulfillment in his own way." (PG. 9)
• I like this quote because I think it is so true. I believe that when people reach a certain age,they have to move out of their parent's shadow and become independent. I have never left my parent's house because my parents wanted me to stay with them, but I believe I need to leave and become more independent.

Image Source: Vishnu Wikipedia (Bali)

• I enjoyed the scene where Mahabali offered the three strides of land to Vishnu. The whole scene was very unusual. The first step measured out the entire Earth, the second step was the heavens, and the last step was very unexpected. "Vishnu raised his foot, placed it on Mahabali's head, and pressed him down to the netherworld which he disposed the tormentor of the worlds." I found this scene very dramatic and interesting. (pg.15)
• The ceremony of "Horse Sacrifice" seemed very interesting to me. I believe that the horse ceremony described the culture of India a little better. It says" anyone attempts to hold up the horse, it is taken as a challenge and causes a war." when I read this, I knew that the horse sacrifice ritual was very serious.(pg.17) 
• I wondered if the appearance of Ahalya was significant. She appeared from a stone that was half buried and was transformed into a beautiful women.Also, the story of Ahalya and Indra reminded me of the story of King David and Bathsheba from the Bible. Indra and King David both loved the women so much for their beauty that they lie to the women's husband to make love with the women. (pg.20)

Week 1 Overview

After reading the overview of the class and the textbook, I find the book The Mahabharata by Narayan fascinating. I want to know about the different types of epic in India and are ready to learn. I like how there is a story to everything and the Indian epics sounds like it consists of a lot of events and characters. I want to compare the two different Ramayana book and find similarities and dissimilarities.

This is my first time taking anything that is related to India. To be honest, I have never had a connection with anything Indian other than the Indian bangles and the Hannah tattoos. This is my first epics class and I am pretty excited for it. Because I am not a huge reader, I haven't read any  epics before. I have never been to India before but I've heard that India is an exciting place to visit.
I do not have any southeast Asian in my family, but I am from the East Asia. Because this class is my first epics class, I am excited to learn about anything. Because this class is far from my own major, it will be interesting taking a class which will provide me culture backgrounds and epics. 

 Indra on his vehicle (vahana),
the celestial elephant Airavata.

Indra Deva

I chose this image because I heard elephant has a big symbolic meaning in India. Because majority of Indians are Hindus, they worship some animals and I know that the elephants are considered sacred. 

Week 1 Storybook Favorites

One story I read was How Shesha Holds the World. I just picked a story that was listed in the website and found that I enjoyed this story. I liked how the introduction described the audience of the story. I like this story because it involves kids listening to the story and children's imagination is always fascinating to see. I loved the content of the story which living virtuously is better than having a corrupted life. I think its awesome how the author switched around the story a little bit so that the content will be easier to understand. 

The next storybook I read was Sweet dreams are made of these: Karma. I chose this storybook because I thought it was adorable how the mother switched the story a little to make it kid friendly. The introduction did a good job of explaining the main idea of the story. I loved the moral of the story because good thing do happen to good people. The author reminded me to look back at my life and think how I should react to certain situations. The author kept the original content, but made it easier for the kid to understand. I thought it was pretty silly how Hanuman thought the Sun was a mango. This story was a cute story.

The last storybook I read was Kamaveda lovetherapy:Rama and Sita. The setting of the story was very unique. The author kept the characters and the details the same, but switch the storytelling into a therapy session. I am very interested in love stories, so this story was interesting to me. The introduction did a good job of giving an overview of the story. The layout of the story was unique and I really enjoyed reading the story. Most of the stories are told as a traditional narrative format, but this story switched the story to a therapy session which made it more interesting. Out of the three favorites, this one was my favorite!

I liked all of the three stories! They were all interesting with different story lines.

Here is a picture of Rama and Sita

Week 1 Storytelling: HERCULES AND THE WAGONER

HERCULES AND THE WAGONER

A Farmer was driving his wagon along a miry country road after a heavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill when one of the wheels sank to the hub in a rut.

The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it but without making the least effort to get it out of the rut. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly on Hercules to come to his aid. Then, it is said, Hercules really did appear, saying:

"Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses. Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and whining about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself."

And when the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, the wagon moved very readily, and soon the Farmer was riding along in great content and with a good lesson learned.

( Hercules and the wagoner)

Once upon a time, there was a truck driver name Travis and he had to drive his truck across the states to deliver corns. Travis was driving his truck along a miry country road after a heavy snow. There has been a heavy snow for the past months in the land of Everland so it was hard for people to drive around. The driver could hardly speed in the road through all the snow and the ice, and at last came to a standstill when one tires of the wheel slipped and the truck ran into the side of the road . Travis panicked and did not know what to do. 

Thankfully, he didn't get injured. The truck driver climbed down from his seat and stood beside the truck looking at it, but without making the least effort to get it out of the rut.Travis felt hopeless about his life and there was no one to help him other than his God. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly on God to come to his aid. Because Travis's Truck slipped quiet often, he felt like he just had bad luck. After couple hours, God really did appear, saying:

"What are you doing? Are you just going to sit here in the cold and not do anything about the situaiton? Were you just waiting for me? There is one thing I have to tell you and you should probably take it seriously. I will not help unless you make the effort to help yourself!"

When Travis heard this, he looked back and opened his eyes to the situation in a different perspective. He decided that he should always have hope and just believe. 

And when Travis called the towing company, the towing company got his car out from the rut. It was a miracle! He grew a loving heart for his job and was determined to not take things for granted. Because of God's eye-opening speech, Travis the truck driver was driving along in great content and with a good lesson learned. Travis was able to deliver the products  and returned back home safely. This incident thought Travis that he needs to help himself and the heavens only help those who try hard themselves. 

Self help is the best help.

Heaven helps those who help themselves.

Author's Note: This story is based on the fable "Hercules and the wagoner," which I quoted at the beginning of this post. This fable comes from The Æsop for Children, which is the famous collection of stories. I chose this study to write because it teaches us a life lesson that a person cannot only rely on the higher being. In the fable "Hercules and the wagoner", the story teaches us some life lesson. In the story, there was a farmer who was driving the wagon, and one of the wheels fell into the mud. Hercules appears and he helps out the farmer. God also teaches him that nothing will be done to someone who does not help themselves.I have made some changes such as changing the name off the character to make it easier for the readers. I have also added some more details such as corn and switched the wagon driver to truck driver so that the fable can be related to current times. The story teaches the reader that through hard times, you have to do something about the situation and not sit around. Even though God might come and help, there will be a no difference if the person going through the situation does not make any change. 

Bibliography
"Hercules and the wagoner" by Aesop, from Aesop for children (2006). Web Source: The Æsop for Children

Introduction, Week 1

Hello! My name is Jae O and I am a Psychology/Pre-nursing  major at OU. I plan to go to the nursing school after graduation and become a nurse in the future. Currently, I am enrolled in many classes because I need to graduate in the Spring! I am so glad that I will be graduating college in four years. I am in Human Physiology, Psychology capstone, women's gender studies, world music, and industrial organization psychology. Some of theses classes are requirements and some of them are just for elective. The class that is going to be most challenging will be Human physiology. Hopefully, I will be able to finish strong.

 I am also a Barista and barista trainer at Starbucks.

I enjoy working at Starbucks and the best part is that workers get free coffee! I love working for a company who is innovative. Starbucks takes up a big part of life because I work about 25-30 hours per week. 

For hobbies, I do a lot of things. I love listening and jamming out on my favorite music. I play the bass guitar and piano, so I love playing instruments too. I also love going on food adventures. I enjoy trying new food and going to local restaurants. There are so many kinds of food out there that I've never even tried before and my goal is to find a place to eat in Oklahoma. So far, my favorite place is waffle champion in OKC. They serve liege waffles, which is a authentic Belgium waffles. They serve waffles with bacon,egg, or any fruits. Another unique place is a cafe called all about cha. This cafe serves many different kind of tea and also offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are two different locations in metro and I love studying at all about cha. Below is a selfie of me at all about cha.

I don't really read books other than the bible. I enjoy watching movies and my favorite type of genre is romance and romantic comedy. I don't really have a favorite movie because I have so many!

Well... this is pretty much it for me! :)

My favorite place.. Dubai

                                          Burj Khalifa, Dubai, Source: flicker

Dubai is a City in United Arab Emirates and it is well-known for the city's architecture. I've actually never been there, but the pictures says it all. In the picture, the tower is called Burj Khalifa and it is currently the tallest tower in the world.

It''s me

my blog!