Portfolio Guide

Welcome to my portfolio! Here I will compile a few Storytelling tales that I have recreated. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Story 1: The story of Ahalya told by Indra.
Story 2: The bedtime story: Monkey Kong
Story 3: Sita Captured by Ravana
Story 4: Dhritarashtra Gets Revenge
Story 5: Milk to Salt

Online Education Review

This was my very first online class! I was always nervous that it was too much of me learning on my own with no direction from the professor. However, I think this class is set up awesomely! Professor Gibbs has directions for everything! Maybe even too many directions. However, when I didn't understand something all the information was so beneficial. I am a pretty social person so I do not want to lose the concept of the traditional learning style, lecture. This generation is in grave danger of being totally isolated and hidden behind our computers or phones. There is nothing better than human connection. Hands on teacher to student interaction is still my favorite way to learn. It is much more beneficial to met classmates in person rather then just commenting on each other's walls. However, that is just my personal opinion. This online class was a great experience for me!

(My man: Droseph taken by me)

Gen Ed Review

As for general education in achieving my degree, I was not too sure I would ever enjoy anything other then Science. I am slightly a fanatic of the study of the body. However, I have been pleasantly surprised! I really enjoy learning about different cultures rather than the typical American culture. It has made me feel like I could have intelligent conversations on a wide range of conversations! It has also taught me that different topics are fun. Not intimidating. It's okay if you have no idea what is going on in some of these classes. That is the point, broaden your horizons. 

(The grand kitty: Tiger, taken by my dad)

College Writing Review

As my major is Health and Exercise Science, I haven't taken a lot of writing intensive courses such as this one. I generally take a lot about Science and Health of a body. I think that my writing skills have greatly improved with this courses as frustrating as it was at times. It will help to be able to write well in my field because there is a lot of research which in turn brings a lot of reports to describe one's writing. However, it was very different to spend so much of my time writing this semester. I am used to science courses taking up most of my time, but this semester wasn't that way for me. It was a good variation. 

(My pride and joy taken by me)

Famous Last Words for Week 12

Well week was so hectic, but it looks like it is going to wind down until finals. Oh joy! This week I submitted my final story for my portfolio. In order to get an A all I have to do this week are the reviews. Yay! I know that by finishing this class earlier it will help me to stay focused on all my other classes this semester. Finish strong guys!

So, this week I wrote about the churning of the ocean. I think that it is one of my best stories yet. If you get a chance, take a look at it. You won't be disappointed! It's ironic that towards the end I seemed to be getting the hang of this story telling process and my stories began to improve as time went on. That's what I think I can really thank this class for is improving my writing skills greatly! 

This week, both of my parents came to town. I went to the spring game with my dad to scout out how our football team is going to be next year. I think our offense looks like we have some more gunners this year, and I trust coach Mike to make the defense what it needs to be. In the Big 12 it more important to not let the other team make big plays on you and to ot course get the team off the field so our offense can score. Of course, our offense needs to be able to put the points on the board in order to keep up with these dynamic Big 12 offenses. I can't wait for fall football! But first, summer!

Then, I went to a wine and palette with my mom. Us girls really enjoyed ourselves! My mom was even talking about making that her hobby like I have golf. It was pretty cute and special for me.

Good luck this week guys! And I hope you all are as close to finishing this class as I am! GET As!

(Carmi the first week I got her! Taken by me)

Storytelling for Week 12: Savitri saves Satyavan

Savitri went into the forest in search of a man to become her husband because the one's she was being presented were unworthy. As she was wondering in the forest she came across Satyavan. He was the son of a blind man in exile.

As Savitri was approaching Satyavan, Yama, the Death god, came to her and told her that Satyavan only had one more year to live. He questioned if she still wanted to go through with this, but Savitri didn't care. Savitri was love struck. It was love at first sight!

Savitri walked up to Satyavan and said, "Hi I am Savitri. I was sent here to become your wife. Do you accept."

Taken off guard, Satyavan told her that he would have to contemplate the idea first as he had just met her. See, Satyavan wasn't sure if she was an illusion sent by demons or a real woman.

Finally, Satyavan was able to see Savitri's real colors, and the two married.

After one year, Satyavan's time was up, and Yama came to take him away. Savitri was completely devastated about losing her soul mate and decided to follow Yama.

As no one was ever brave enough to follow the Death god to where ever it is he goes with everyone's souls, Yama decided to grant Savitri wishes except she was not allowed to ask for Satyavan back. So, Savitri asked for several things for her beloved blind father in law until, finally, Yama told Savitri to ask for something for herself. However, all she wanted was kids from her husband to that Satyavan's legacy could live on forever. To the surprise of Savitri, Yama said he would grant her Satyavan if she would share her days with him. Therefore, without hesitation Savitri gave them to Satyavan and the couple returned home.

At last, Satvayan woke up after Yama returned his soul to his body, and he felt like the whole thing was a dream. He ran to Savitri and began telling her what happened.

Satyavan said that he was visited by Yama, and he knew immediately it was his time to go. Then, all he saw was the brightest white light and a grand staircase. So, he traveled up the stairs and saw all of his deceased friends and relatives. They all sat around a grand table and drank wine while reminiscing. Satyavan then realized how much he had missed these people, but on earth he had found the sweetest wife, Savitri. He wished he was back with her. That is when he awoke from the sleep and was relieved to see Savitri in the distance. He had no idea what had really happened. 

(Image Source: Savitri and Satyavan by Raja Ravi Varma and A.K. Joshi & co.Bombay) 

Author's Note: I wrote this story about Savitri sacrificing her time on earth for her husband because I found it to be very admirable. Savitri struggled her whole life to find a husband, and when she finally did the man didn't have much longer to live. However, she valued his remaining time and married him anyways. I think this shows the precious act of true love. However, I imagined Satyavan's experience to be much different as Yama had already taken his soul away. Satyavan was already in heaven. He was seeing people that already deceased without being aware of the sacrifice his wife was making on his behalf.  I also found it very peculiar that Yama was so generous with Savitri. Savitri must have been a very courageous woman. She didn't even accept all of the men that wanted to make her their wife in her town. She went out into the forest in hopes of finding exactly what she was looking for. What a brave woman! This picture is a perfect depiction of Savitri protecting her husband from the Death god. This shows the value of a good woman. She provides protection and purpose to Satyavan's life, and he knows it as seen in my creation of his dream.

Bibliography:

• Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.

Reading Diary B: 12 years in the forest

Arjuna rejects Urvashi because she looks like his mother, Kunti

• Urvashi curses Arjuna to a life as a eunuch for one year
• Indra, his father, orders that Arjuna learn music and dance
• Indra also tells Arjuna that his year as a eunuch is his disguise for his 13th year in exile
• Indra also teaches Arjuna how to use his divine weapon

(Image Source: Urvashi curses Arjuna by Ramanarayanadatta astri)

Yudhistira has a dream about ruining a deer

• Bhima tells the story of Mankanaka [dangers of eating grass instead of deer]
• Mankanaka only ate grass, cut himseld, and bled grass juice
• Mankanaka was so happy about it he started a dance party throughout the whole world
• The gods worried the dancing would ruin the world, Shiva comes to stop it

Rishyashringa was born

• Vibhandaka saw Urvashi and ejaculated in the lake and a deer drank it
• Rishyashringa was the son of that deer and Vibhandaka
• Rishyashringa had never seen another human except his dad, Vibhandaka
• He was the only person left with a pure heart to save the country of Agna from a drought
• Shanta persuaded Rishyashringa to come to Agna with her charm and good looks
• Vibhandaka thought the creature was a rakshasa (demon)
• Rikyashringa went with Shanta to Agna
• It rained at last!
• Rikyashringa married Shanta

The Pandavas leave the forest and come to Mount Kailasa

• Yudhistira falls and disturbs the silence of Rishava's mountain and the mountain attacks
• Draupadi ask Bhima to build her a house made of white lotus
• Bhima sets out to find them for his lady when he runs into a monkey blocking his path, HANUMAN
• Bhima cannot move Hanuman's tail and Hanuman tells Bhima that the white lotuses are at the lotus lake
• Manibhadra , lord of yakshas, tells Lord of Treasure, Vaishravana that Bhima is outside their palace
• Bhima blows Vaishravana's armor away easily. Vaishravana allows Bhima to take the lotuses

Matali returns Arjuna to his brothers

• Arjuna brings heavenly weapons along with ornaments and jewels for Draupadi

In the 12th year the Pandavas live near Dhritarashtra

• Duryodhana tries to build a pleasure house near the Pandavas but the Gandharvas don't let him
• Duryodhana is caught in the Gandharvas iron net 
• Arjuna and Bhima rescue Duryodhana 
• Duryodhana is embarrassed and decides to starve to death  
• Kali encourages him to continue to the fight against the Pandavas where he will be honored

Jayadratha, Duryodhana's brother in law, tries to steal Draupadi

• Arjuna and Bhima chase down Jayadratha but Yudhistira tells them to spare his life at Draupadi's request

Savitri

• Krishna and Vyasa visit the Pandavas
• Draupadi asks Vyasa to tell a love story
• Savitri set out to find the man she wanted to be her husband because the others were lames
• Savitri found Satyavan, son to a blind man in exile 
• Savitri decides to marry him even though she knows he only has one year to live
• When Yama, The Death god, came to get Satyavan, Savitri asked if she could follow him
• Savitri got a gift from Yama for her courage but she could not wish for Satyavan's live back
• Savitri asked for him to cure her blind father in law
• Yama feels generous and offers another gift, Savitri asks him to restore her father in laws's kingdom
• Savitri then asks if her fathe in law could have 100 sons 
• Finally Yama told her to ask for something that was actually for her
• Savitri asks to be given 100 sons from her husband, Satyavan
• Savitri had to sacrifice half of her days in order to get her husband back and she willingly accepted
• Satyavan was restored

Reading Diary A: Yudhistira gets the Pandavas Exiled

Yudhistira accepts Duryodhana's challenge to play dice

• When the Pandavas arrive Duryodhana tells Yudhistira that he is going to be playing Shakuni instead
• Yudhistira loses all his material things and begins losing his brothers and himself
• He last bets off his wife, Draupadi, and loses her too
• Duryodhana summons her to begin work as a kitchen maid
• Duhshahana begins by stripping her clothing but Krishna protects her by always placing a new robe where the last one was stripped
• Dhritarashtra learns of this and crushes the dice
• Dhritarashtra gives Draupadi wishes in return for her treatment
• Draupadi gets her husbands and all of their things back
• Shakuni challenges Yudhistira to one last challenge and Yudhistira loses again 
• The Pandavas and Draupadi are exiled

Arjuna goes off in the forest away from the Pandavas to learn more

• Arjuna runs into Indra, his dad 
• He shoots the same deer as Shiva 
• Then, he is taken to Indra's palace in the heavens
• Indrani 
• Indra sends for Urvashi who has been madly in love with Arjuna since before this life

Vyasa begins telling Yudhistira about Nala who has had more misfortune than Yudhistira

• Nala, a king, wanted Damayanti, a princess, as his wife
• Nala caught a swan and told it to tell Damayanti about Nala
• The swan did and Damayanti fell in love with Nala before seeing him
• Damayanti was having a swayamvara and Indra, Agni, Varuna, and Yama were coming to try to win the princess too
• The gods told Nala to go to Damayanti and tell her to pick a god as her husband
• The gods disguised themselves as Nala but Damayanti figured out which one was Nala and still chose him
• Kali wanted her and became jealous and wanted to destroy their happiness
• Pushkara challenged Nala to a game of dice under Kali's request
• Kali possessed Nala and Nala lost everything
• Damayanti and Nala left the kingdom with just one robe
• Nala tried to catch some birds and lost his robe
• Nala wanted Damayanti to return to her father's kingdom so he left her in his sleep taking half of her robe to cover himself
• However, Damayanti looked for Nala instead of returning home
• The ascetics told her to go home to her father but she followed a caravan to Chedi
• The kingdom of Chedi made fun of her for her half robe and Sudeva covered her 
• Sudeva then finally convinced her to return home to wait for Nala 

Karkotoka helps Nala

• Nala rescued Karkotoka from a forest fire
• Karkotoka bit him putting poison into his blood turning him into an ugly man, named Vahuka
• He became Rituparna's charioteer because he could make his horses fast
• Parnada realized Vahuka was the king, Nala
• Pranada goes to tell Damayanti that he found Nala
• Sudeva goes to Rituparna to invite him to her "swayamvara"
• Damayanti knew Rituparna would make Vahuka drive him so Nala would come to her too
•  Vahuka asks Rituparna how to successfully gamble and Vahuka teaches Rituparna how to drive his horses so fast
•  Nala's new knowledge of gambling drove Kali out 
• Rituparna arrived to Damayanti to learn that the swayamvara was a hoax
• Damayanti sends her maidservant, Keshini, to speak to the charioteer, Vahuka
• Keshini realizes Vahuka is Nala and tells him to go to Damayanti
• Nala turns back into his original form and goes to Damayanti
• Nala and Damayanti return home and Pushkara challenges Nala to another dice game
• This time Damayanti was Pushkara's prize
• Nala wins and wins his kingdom back

Vyasa then teaches Yudhistira the knowledge of gambling dice

(Image Source: Nala and Damayanti by Ramanarayanadatta astri)

Famous Last Words for Week 11

Happy Easter y'all! 

(Personal picture at my aunts house of her Easter flowers)

I hope everyone has had a great day with their families celebrating the true meaning of this day! Even death couldn't conquer our Lord! :) I know I have been really enjoying it, and it isn't even over yet! 

Anyways, this week has been crazy ad I am so glad it is over and I lived! This week I just have two tests on the same day, and then, I can start preparing for finals. Yippee skipee. Not. 

I really enjoyed writing my story this week so if you get a chance to read it then please do! If not it will be in my portfolio soon anyways.

So, this weekend, a few friends and I went to see Furious 7. It was great. However, I kept waiting to see how they got rid of Paul Walker and they never did. I'm not bummed about it though. It did make the movie more suspenseful though! I felt retarded once it ended and that didn't happen.

Another thing that happened this weekend was Wisconsin beating Kentucky. I watched that too and it was insane. I loved watching my bracket blow up. Not. 

Something I really enjoyed about this week was the weather. I was able to go outside and play with my precious Carmi several times. I went on several runs, and even had time to go out to the lake where my friend lives and ride fourwheelers. It was a really great week. It is crazy how much stuff you can get done when you are being productive and not sitting on your booty. I had a lot of stress this week, but I did a really great job balancing that out with some time to relax and have some fun. I am ready for summer because this semester is on crack all the way until the end for me now. Just gotta take it one week at a time. That's what I keep telling myself or I would pull my hair out.

Anyways, I hope everyone is having a less stressful time then I am! Have a great week! I almost have an A in this class and I hope everyone else is getting to that point as well. Good luck!

Storytelling for Week 11: Milk to Salt

Before the ocean was made of salt, it provided the earth with the creamiest, most refreshing potion known as milk. This potion was worthy of drinking, and so, people would come from all over the land to see and taste this magnificent beverage. It smelled sweet, and looked like a soft blanket of snow like you would see at the top of the mountains where no one has ever walked before. The people had never tasted anything like it! The desire for more made them come back day after day. 

One day, Narayana, an incarnated version of Vishnu, came to the milk sea and shouted to the gods, "Churn the ocean! Unearth the nectar of immorality for me!"

And so, the gods began. They placed the mountain Mandara in the middle. Mandara is the snow mountain, and it is far taller then the sea's depths. Therefore, the milk and snow on the part of the mountain that was visible blended together seamlessly. It was hard to tell the two landscapes apart from one another. However, no one nearby saw this spectacle as the sound of the commotion had pierced their ears, and everyone was hunched over with their fingers in their ears for protection. 

Then abruptly, the great serpent, Sesha, wrapped himself around the mountain and stretched the length of the mountain so that he could be used to churn the ocean. At this moment, Sesha looked like an octopus stretched out to be used in a grand tug-a-war match, good versus evil! Holding onto Sesha's tail were the Asuras which are the unusual-looking, immoral gods. Grabbing onto Sesha's neck were the devas who are the mortal gods including Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. Each side took turns pulling back and forth causing the mountain to spin in opposite directions, and of course, messing up the perfect snow on the mountain and throwing boulders into the, now, bubbling milk.

(Image Source: Churning the Milk Sea)

At this, glorious creatures began emerging from the frothing ocean. First, the crescent Moon appeared. Then, to list some of the most notable creatures, Indra's white elephant, Airavata, Surabhi, the white cow who grants wishes, and finally Dhanwantari, the physician robed in white carrying a cup full of amrita, which was the essence of life. 

Narayana screeched with excitement, "At last! I will live forever! This treasure is mine." He had now begun doing his happy dance like a little school girl. Narayana, or Vishnu, was so excited! He proclaimed again, "Thank you, gods. Thank you!"

In the meantime, with all the commotion in the sea from the churning, the sea shot poison up into the air turning the milk into salt water. Milk is a drink that sustains life, and salt water is a drink that destroys it. This was devastating to the people watching.

While the gods were busy elsewhere, the poison shot up into the sky and was going to land all over the worlds. This would instantaneously kill anything that came in contact with it. Miraculously, out of nowhere, Shiva, The Lord of the Mountains and Songs, came flying in to gather all the poison into his mouth in order to swallow it. With this, Shiva saved the worlds. He was a hero!

Unfortunately, the poison was lodged in his airways and his face turned blue. He grabbed the crescent moon that had just emerged from the milk sea and placed it in his hair. With this, Narayana became a woman named Mohini. The cresent moon became a hair jewel for her, and Mohini seduced and confused the asuras who were trying to steal the cup full of amrita. Thankfully though, Mohini succeeded at bringing the devas the armita before the asuras could took it for themselves.       

Author's note: I wrote this tale because I like the significance of the churning of the ocean in Hindu mythology. Also, while writing, I felt like I was able to better understand the events that were happening which helped me to realize why this tale would hold that kind of importance. The beauty of the white milky sea was important in this tale because it is sacrificed in order to bring Vishnu amrita, the essence of life. It is interesting to me that the "dark" gods are pulling against the "mortal" gods like tug-a-war in order to bring Vishnu what he wants. This is very symbolic about the meaning of asking for amrita. When the milk sea began to bring out the glorious creatures, I only named the white creatures that appeared to emphasize the significance of the color white in the story such as, the milk, the elephant, the cow, and the robe. White symbolizes purity so I thought it held a lot of meaning in this tale as the sea was once pure, but now it has been used as a sacrifice and turned into salt water. However, salt is still white. How ironic! I chose this picture because it helps to vividly visualize the event of churning the ocean along with the creatures that surfaced from the ocean during the scene as well. 

Bibliography:  

• Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata