Class Improvements

Overall, I enjoyed this course and found it clear and informative when following the directions in accordance to all of the assignments. I had fun getting the opportunity to express my creativity while improving my writing and revising skills. I am not sure if this is something that can be improved but I definitely had some overwhelming moments during some assignments because of the number of tabs opened. I know this seems like a pesky complaint, but it may take away the confusion for some students who get mixed up with all the open tabs and where everything is on each tab. 

The class improvement of incorporating writing tutorial videos that Laura suggested really caught my eye since I am such a visual learner. I think that would very beneficial and helpful for almost all students, especially visual learners who may be struggling with some concepts or revisions that need to be corrected. Other than that, I am really glad that I received the opportunity to be in a stress-free class that kept my interest throughout the semester!

Reading Notes: Puss and Boots, Part B

For week 14, the source of my reading notes is based on the two-part story The Master Cat, or Puss and Boots. I’ve always liked the confidence and skill the character Puss portrayed. He was always a few steps ahead of the game and had a charm about him that had a possessive pull so that his prey would be somewhat hypnotized. Based on my previous knowledge of the cat Puss in the movies Shrek I was shocked to see that this cat ended up eating the ogre in the story rather than working with him in the movie. In the story, Puss’ intention all along was to woo the king and his princess so that he could gain more wealth and power. This gave me the idea to create a storyline so that Puss’ actual intention is to steal the princess’ crown so that he could sell it and run away with all of the riches.

His malicious plan is to gain the princess’ interest and claim her heart so that she will take him home back to the castle. Once there, he pretends to be a regular domestic house-cat so that he goes unnoticed when trying to sneak around the castle and find the best moment to rob the royal family and disappear with the wind. Little does he know that the royal family also has a guard dog that roams around the castle making sure there is no activity of any mischievous behavior.

The presence of this guard dog evokes a bit of a challenge for Puss being that he did not already know that there would be a dog, let alone a guard dog, in the castle. In result, the dog does began to catch on to Puss’ rebellious plan and in doing so attempts to stop him and kicking him out of the castle. With Puss’ set of skills and the guard dog’s strong experience it is a brawl between the two animals to see who will leave empty handed.

Puss and Boots 

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Bibliography: This story is part of the Lang's European Fairy Tales I unit. Story source: The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1889). 

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Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm, Part B

For week 13, my second half of my reading notes are based on the Brothers Grimm story Snow White. Being that I would like to keep my story a bit on the darker side of the spectrum I chose to include another antagonist from Snow White. For those of you who have seen the movie Snow White, I assume that you remember the evil queen that seeks out all of the beauty and power across the land. This being so, I decided to incorporate the destructive wicked queen into my story as one of the main characters working along side the antagonist Barkins Bittern from Tim Burton’s movie Corpse Bride. In relation to the setting, I still plan on keeping the Law and Order feel to it except that now there might be more drama and dialogue between each of the perpetrators rather than the investigation itself.

Both the queen from Snow White and Barkins Bittern will combine their villainous desires and construct a plan so that they both get what they want in the end. For instance, since Barkins Bittern wants to rob as many brides as possible and murder them before reporting him to the police and the queen wants Snow White dead so that she regains the title of ‘fairest of us all’ they decide to come together in order for the crime to be harder for the police to follow.

They devise a plan where Barkins will first woo over Snow White then propose to her in a secluded meadow. However, little does she know the queen carefully dipped the engagement ring in a deadly, but odorless and transparent chemical. This chemical, in hopes of the queen, will provoke her death so that Snow White is no longer fairest of them all.

On the other spectrum of the story, before Snow White is lured into the secluded meadow and is still dating Barkins the seven dwarfs can’t help but repeatedly warn her that Barkins seems like a bad guy for her who has the wrong intentions. Snow White being too distracted with these romantic feelings refuses to acknowledge their concern and consider that they may be right. Will the seven dwarfs catch on to the queen and Barkins’ malevolent plan before it is too late? Or, will both villains get away with murder and continue on their malicious behaviors?

The Evil Queen staring into the magic looking-glass from the film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

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Bibliography: This story is part of the Brothers Grimm (Crane) unit. Story source: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm, Part A

For week 13, my first half of my reading notes comes from the Robber Bridegroom story in the Brother's Grimm (Crane) unit. This story was a bit darker and twisted than I anticipated. It kept my interest from start to finish, however, the title gave me a somewhat similar but peculiar route of the story. I have been in the Tim Burton mood lately because of me watching a few of his movies recently. So I figured I would write my story based on his sort of theme and signature aesthetic.

For those of you who know the Tim Burton movie "Corpse Bride" I pictured the villain in the movie that married a woman (Emily) in order to steal jewels from her family, which lead him to murder her and hide her death. Furthermore, I plan to write his sort of in depth perspective of his profession as if he is more of a wanted criminal that is being investigated for relating murders.

I think this is a good idea and might be fun to write about since I would structure it to be more like a "Law & Order" episode. I would go through a couple crimes and discuss the scene and have dialogue between each agent while trying to figure out who the killer is. There would be a pattern revealed over time which will give away evidence of who committed these murders. There may be a twist or clues you may not catch at first but in the end your mind will be blown.

The main antagonist Barkins Bittern of Tim Burton's movie, "Corpse Bride." 

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Bibliography: This story is part of the Brothers Grimm (Crane) unit. Story source: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

I really enjoyed doing this tech tip! If you have a little time set aside or even a study break I highly recommend doing this. It was fun and relaxing for me to find templates, fonts, colors, and backgrounds that express myself and things that I found appealing to the eye. Mind you, it was easy for me to get distracted so make sure you don't get too far off track when designing your blog. Designing your blog may also encourage you to make more posts and add more to it so that it flourishes the way hope it is portrayed to be. However, be careful with how much color and detail you may want to incorporate; your blog can look busy really fast, which may become hard to focus on or read through. 

Here is a random cute personal picture of my cat Oliver :-)

Tech Tip: Pintrest Board

I have only used Pinterest for a little while now. It hasn't been too long but long enough for me to have fifteen boards now! The board that I created for this tech tip is titled Portfolio - Medical. Since I am a student going into the medical field I find it interesting and very intriguing to find new things about the human body. I will most likely pin items about the brain, physiology, medical techniques, and more nerdy things. I am excited about it hope you find an interest in the board, let alone my profile!

An image from my Medical board that  I pinned 

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Link to my Pinterest profile

Reading Notes: Looking-Glass: Tweedledum And Tweedledee, Part B

For my reading notes I decided to go with a story I was more familiar with which is Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. I always enjoyed the movie “Alice and Wonderland” because of it’s illusionary imagery and creativity throughout the stories. What provoked the idea of what I was going to write about was acknowledged in Chapter IV. Tweedledum And Tweedledee. Some of you may remember from my introduction that I am a twin so these two silly and obnoxiously playful characters grasped my interest from the start.

These twins are the best at distracting and drawing one away (including themselves) from the task at hand. That being so, I thought it might be fun to take on the story from their perspective where the origin of their talent will be revealed. Where did the hobbies such as reciting poetry, singing songs, dancing, and multiplication come from? Well, my outline consists of the early years of the twins and where their skills were introduced to the world. Furthermore, there will be a point in the story where the Tweedles perform in their elementary school talent show. This is where they start their career and pursue acting and stand-up comedy together. The twin’s background and competitive drive will dig up feelings just under the surface such as their sibling rivalry that may cause them to split up their duo, which is unheard-of across the world. Singing, dancing, and everything else did not go as smoothly when they split up. Luckily, after they attempt to do work individually they realize that performing isn’t the same without each other.

Tweedledum & Tweedledee gif 

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Bibliography: This story is part of the Looking-Glass unit. Story source: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (1871).

Tech Tip: Canvas Moblie App

I downloaded the Canvas app on my iPhone and iPad to make a more efficient and quicker way of accessing my course information. I mainly use the Canvas app on my iPad throughout the week while I am on campus. I use it to refer back to slides while taking notes in class, it is a quick way for me to retrieve my professor via the inbox tab, and access announcements shared each day. I didn't have any difficulties while uploading the app, however, the only difficulty I face is bouncing back and forth between Canvas and D2L. I like the set up of the gradebook but I like that D2L's gradebook has a larger screen so that you can see more grades rather than continuously scrolling down while using Canvas' gradebook. The layout of the app is clean and easy to understand.

I also have to admit that I like that a panda represents Canvas

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Reading Notes: Nursery Rhymes: Love and Matrimony, Part B

For week 11, my reading notes will be discussing the nursery rhyme “Nursery Rhymes: Love and Matrimony”. The specific nursery rhyme I read and chose to write about is one that speaks of a man who tries to get this women to ‘walk abroad with him and talk with him’. With each attempt he tries to woo her and get her to accept his bargain of trade in order for him to get her to walk with him (be his companion). I thought it was a realistic rhyme that emphasized shallow, greedy people. He offers keys, luxurious, gold, and silver and it seems to be almost impossible for him to convince her to accompany him.

I figured this could be a fun cute story written about two kids at recess in elementary school. A young boy who continuously tries to get this girl's attention and bends over backwards for her just to receive some sort of reaction from her. It seems innocent (like the rhyme I will be basing it on) but will be able to get the point across of not relying on a one-sided relationship. The lesson will address these kinds of toxic relationships and how in long run they are not even close to a positive, mutualistic behavior. After the unmeasurable attempts the young boy gives up and realizes that it wasn’t him that was the problem. So later on, he finds another more friendlier classmate to play and hang out with during the rest of the recesses that year.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Nursery Rhymes unit. Story source: The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).

School Children 

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Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B

For the second half of the reading notes I chose to continue to just use the characters from the source and create my story from there. This time, I chose to take character from the story, “The Dog-Husband”, where the man who is seeking to find his lover on the dating game show will be.

Being that the man is now half of an animal too, there is more of a similarity between each contestant. So by ramping up the challenge, during the game show there will be physical tasks or obstacles that each contestant will be performing so that their strengths and weaknesses are revealed.
The man-dog is not only looking for a wife but also a companion who can assimilate to each other’s lifestyles properly and without conflicts. Throughout the dating show the man-dog will soon find out which contestant suits him best. Through the physical challenge and the mental challenge (blind interview).

However, it is not only the man-dog who needs to approve his companion. Both, the fox-woman and bear-woman will decided whether they can see themselves being with this man-dog and if there will be a happily ever after. Maybe the characteristics of a dog and fox won't match up or vice versa. Perhaps a bear and a dog would not work out in the long run.

I still think that writing a dating game show will limit the story in details but could be a fun quick read. I think it would be a clever idea to have an animal dating game show and decided whether which animals match up best depending on that animal’s traits.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Native American Marriage Tales unit . Story source: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).

I found a picture of this cute, nerdy dog, which I would assume the man would look like when transformed into his animal-self.

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Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A

For The first part of my reading notes, I chose to take the two main characters from the stories, “The Fox-Woman”, and “The Bear-Woman”. I thought it would be funny and somewhat clever in a light-hearted way to create a story based on a dating show. 

Both women will keep the personality given to them in the original stories that I read. I will add in details about each woman here and there to fill in the gaps, but they will remain as themselves. 

The man who is on the look out for the mystery woman of his dreams decides to take a different perspective when seeking out the woman of his liking. He begins explaining his past relationships and emphasizes the empty, yet unknown feeling that he is supposedly venturing out to find. 

I plan on making it silly and dramatic like most reality dating shows, which is why I think it might be fun to write and perceived as funny too. I think it might be more of a friendly read instead of having raunchy and sleazy comments made by each contestant. Considering that both women are part animal each of their own characteristics will come into account while this man is escorting these women on their dates. 

Here and there, tension might rise through jealousy and envious behavior following up with verbal actions towards each woman’s traits. For example, the women-bear would insult the woman-fox for being so sly and mischievous in the relationship when she should really be open and expressive to him. Or the fox-woman could judge the bear-woman for being too aggressive and controlling in the relationship. Each characteristics will coincide with the type of animal they are portraying. 

If anything, I will just make the setting short and sweet by making presenting this story as a dating game show. That might be easier to write and read! 

Bibliography: This story is part of the Native American Marriage Tales unit. Story source: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).

The Dating Game Logo

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Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part B

For the second part of week nine's reading notes I chose to take a character and his hunting characteristic from the story, "Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton". Atdlarneq, who is a strong knowledgeable hunter with a keen eye would fit perfectly with the plot I am constructing. His use in my story would be him being a hunting companion of the bear whom has grown up and currently resides near the icy shore.

Atdlarneq would mentor the bear into becoming a responsible and correct hunter. Yes, a bear's hunting instinct would be automatically forth coming, however, having a hunter such as Atdlarneq help guide one's hunting skills is a privilege.

Once the threat of the giant dog formulates across town and the bear has to leave his home Atdlarneq promises the bear's mom his safety by keeping him out of town in his home near the shore. This is where Atdlarneq will maintiain the bear's health and prepare him for the fight against the giant dog. Atdlarneq doesn't want the bear to have to leave the mainland forever, he only wants the bear to have the freedom he deserves.

The fight comes around shortly after their preparation and is known to be a good fight that lasted hours. I haven’t really formulated the details of the fight yet, however, Atdlarneq might play a role in it or near the end.

The bear, who will most likely survive, will remain near the shore and possibly visit his home in the mainland here and there once the moon has risen. His town will slowly learn to accept his gentle presence and possibly create a life of mutual existence between humans and polar bears.

Happy polar bear

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Biblioogrpahy: This story is part of the Eskimo Folk Tales unit. Story source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part A

My reading notes for week 9 include stories from the Native American book, “Eskimo Folk Tales”. This book grabbed my interest while reading its description which entails the Inuit culture, spiritual adventures, its ghost stories, man-eaters and more. Fictional stories that are written about zombies, spirits, and life after death intrigue me to an unexplainable fancy. Based on that liking of mine, I had the idea to take pieces from the stories, “The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son”, and the “Giant Dog”.

Both of these stories have an interesting similarity. “The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son” had more of a genuine, but sad plot while the other story, “Giant Dog” had a more aggressive tone with the dog being so vicious. The bear and dog are taken under the wing by a human character involved in their individual stories. The only difference in the story is the way each animal was grown up to be. Being that they both have a human companion to turn to I was able to imagine a story of the bear being the protagonist while the dog would be portrayed as the antagonist.

I didn’t expect to change much from the story with the bear since I liked the come up that the bear went through. I liked the idea of him connecting with the civilians and them being able to experience the bear growing up into a mature one. The one thing I would change in this story is that the town would have a split opinion about the bear living under the roof with humans. Some civilians would stand with the bear considering him a fellow friend. Others will remain threatened and outraged that such thing would be allowed even if the bear is well trained and adapted.

From there, I plan on bringing in the characters of the “Giant Dog”. The dog would remain aggressive and known as a ruthless man-eater while his human companion stands aside knowing what dangers his dog is capable of. Once the man hears about the bear’s gentle presence around other civilians he refuses to see it another way and sets out to have his dog kill the bear. In doing so, word gets around during the man and the giant dog’s travel so that the mother of the bear can prepare the bear’s leave in order to maintain safety.

Furthermore, a brawl is forthcoming and knowing who walks away alive, either the bear or giant dog, is to be continued.

Picture of a polar bear and guard dog 

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Bibliography: This story is part of the Eskimo Folk Tales unit . Story source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Week 8 Growth Mindset

I think a strength of mine in this class and in my life is my organization. I have always had a drive to keep everything organized and in order. This relieves my stress and the possibility of feeling behind when working in my other classes along with this one. Maintaining a blog and writing stories seems like a good way to better my organizational skills when it comes to structuring and creating my stories.

I feel as if I suffer when it comes to punctuation and grammar. I definitely have gotten better over time by practicing my writing for each post/story. I even get some feedback from my sister constantly correcting my every grammatical error which can be frustrating but helpful. I have discussed the importance of critical feedback before in this class and still stand behind it. People's comments and suggestion help me better my writing each week. I imagine myself continuously bettering my organization skills and writing through practice and patience within this course for the duration of the semester.

Strength Meme

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Week 8 Reflections

In the past, I have chosen a fair share of both good and bad stories. Overall, I have learned to give myself more time so that I can skim through multiple stories and choose one that caught my interest the most. The Classical stories have been favorite because they are more familiar and easier to read. I do like challenging myself so occasionally I have found entertaining Asian stories. While reading through these stories I definitely keep in mind that I am writing my stories based on them. I take in the information given and try to produce something based on that story while reading. I takes a bit longer to do so since I stop and think about what resources I could use but it makes it easier when it comes to creating details in my story.

Majority of the stories I have written since the beginning of this semester seem somewhat good to me, considering I normally do not write. There has been a couple stories that were more difficult to write so I am sure it can be recognized as a reader at times. As a writer, I have realize that I get ahead of myself when writing and make mistakes, especially when it comes to punctuation and grammar. However, when I have a problem with my writing it is nice to know that I can look through my comments and other feedback that suggests ways on helping me become a better writer.
I actually really like the idea of the storybook and like my theme especially! In the beginning I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the whole assignment but through some feedback I now am comfortable with what I will be writing in the future. I do hope to find time to go in and edit my website so I can make the theme be more pronounced to the audience.
I think that having multiple revision options will better my writing and my stories. It will give me a deadline to go back in and edit my stories to make them easier to read and more enjoyable. I think throughout these revisions I will be able to practice my writing and make it better for others to interpret and perceive the information efficiently and accurately.

When reading other people’s stories I love when someone’s imagery goes above and beyond. I admire when a writer can be creative when setting the tone and scene for a story so that the aesthetic of the story is understood. I think using dialogue in a story can be risky and tedious. When I see someone include dialogue poorly in their story it is sometimes hard to follow and can be irritating. I see almost everyone as a better writer than me so my compliments are generally always affirming instead of critical. I know that can be nice, but I think I could speak up more by increasing the balance of positive and negative feedback left in my comments.

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Kitty punctuation meme

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Reading Notes: Buddha, Part B

For part B to week seven’s reading notes, I have chosen again from the Asian story that is part of The Monkey King unit, Sun Wu King: Buddha. I thought it was a suspenseful story that I could possibly incorporate as an obstacle my main character faces throughout his travels. During the second half of my story I plan on my main character running into a powerful guy who is portrayed as a villain trying to slow him or her down.

The setting would be taken place somewhere with more difficult terrain (maybe a jungle). Moreover, the main character will then hit a point in the story of struggle and questions himself on whether he can keep going or not. The tone will most likely represent a more anxious setting where he faces a hard time to overcome and continue on with his goal.

While dealing with these problems my plot will include interactions with other characters that might help him or her wiggle out of their obstacle. I liked the idea of briefly adding a character like Buddha (who tames the villain in the story) who simmers out the tension and tone that is emitted from said villain. This character who represent Buddha could be an idol of the main character or the last person that they just so happen to be looking for to complete their mid-life crisis achievement.

I really liked that I found a suspenseful part to incorporate into my story because without it I was afraid I would be dealing with boring dialogue or boring details. This could possibly be a part in the story where I could include an overall meaning to propose and tie it all together. This piece of my story would help make my story more interesting and announce the purpose of the plot and conclude it properly.

Buddha cat

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Bibliography: This story is part of the The Monkey King unit. Story source: "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Tale, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).