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I switched to Russian language for google!

Week 9: Famous Last Words

Well shoot! I was so determined to get ahead this week and then I had a family emergency that took me out of the state and I didn't have access to the internet... I guess these things happen sometimes so I'm not too worried but I'm really really REALLY glad there's so much extra credit opportunities in this class right now!

This week I start volunteering more with my internship. I am looking forward to spending more time working with the kiddos I get to see each week. I am nervous about being placed in a new area though!

Unfortunately my time with my photography studio has come to an end. It just became progressively harder to work and keep up with school, family, social life, and trying to prepare for the GRE and getting experience needed to apply for graduate schools and programs. I loved the experience I got with the company and I appreciate every moment I spent over the last year with them! It is definitely not the end of my photography journey but for now it's time to finish this last year with a bang in school. =) (Smiley face is so smiley.)

I've been wanting to get back into reading more. This class has gotten me used to reading so many fun stories that I've been looking into new books to buy. I love fantasy and romance genres, so if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know! I would love the suggestions and I will definitely check all of them out. I recently finished The Grisha Trilogy and I loved it so much.

Well, I hope I am able to catch up like I hoped! I appreciate seeing my family this last week and I am glad everything turned out okay. Midterms were alright as well so I can't complain about much! I hope everyone else is having a good semester and is able to keep up.

Reading is love.

(Image Information: "I <2 2 Read" by Kate Ter Haar (2013). Source: Flickr.)

Week 8: Famous Last Words

Last week I mentioned I was hoping to get ahead in my classes, but of course, procrastination is at it's finest for me this week! I have midterms coming up this week in my other classes, so I have to write a 10 page paper tomorrow (yuck) for my capstone. It shouldn't be too hard but I hope I can find the motivation to knock it out of the park early on! It's about psychology topics, so I think it will be pretty easy for me to do. Psychology is my major after all, and I do love the topics that come with it.

Have I mentioned how ready I am for the semester to be over! I am definitely looking forward to Christmas break already! I say that every semester though, because I always look forward to breaks haha. School gets so hectic and I am working at the same time, it gets to be overwhelming.

The good news is that I have been able to relax a little bit. I am getting back into the gym and I hope I can get a good routine in, because I really miss some weightlifting! Eventually I want to get back into figure skating but right now I feel like I just don't have the time. Maybe next semester. 

Hitting the Gym!

(Image information: "Hardcore Stormies Hit The Gym" by W_Minshull. Source: Flickr.)

My storybook is coming along nicely, I think. Each week I am pleased with it and I am looking forward to writing my next story. I have already found an image I want to use, so the creativity is already happening! It is always nice when it comes to you naturally. Writer's block can be a hard thing to overcome. I read a lot of people's blogs and think wow, they have an awesome story and writing. I wonder what they do to overcome any block they have. Do you have any tips?

All in all, I'm feeling good about school and work. I'm just ready to sleep for days!

Week 8: Google Translate

Google translate is not a very good program as far as perfect translation goes. It does, however, give us a rough idea of what the translation means, but I think meanings can be misused or mistranslated and that is bad in a real life setting. As a Russian minor, google translate was an awful choice to ever use when trying to be perfect but it did help when I was having a hard time getting the overall idea of a story or writing. It doesn't always make sense.

This is the translation of Aesop's Fables in Italian,

The classic fairy tales of Aesop and Phaedrus
The fable is a short story so characteristic of Western culture than to the east; acting in it mostly animal characters, behind which is easy to identify as many types of human behavior. Through the pleasantness of the narrative of the fable pursues an aim gnomic, suggesting a way of life in the name of prudence, diligence, awareness of his own limitations.
In the Western tradition the story is inextricably linked to the name of Aesop, enigmatic character who lived between the seventh and sixth centuries. B.C. which is attributed to the codification of the genre, as well as its self-affirmation in the literary landscape. The large corpus of stories attributed to this legendary figure was later revised and enlarged by later authors (Phaedrus, I sec.d. C; Babrio, II century AD.; Aviano, IV century AD.); grammarians and rhetoricians use it also for the teaching of basic language skills and the rudiments of compositional practice.
The iconographic tradition connesa the name of Aesop proceeds, both in ancient as in the modern world, along two parallel tracks: on one hand we are confronted with exhibits focusing on the character of the writer of fables and anecdotes of his life, all in the name of a 'irreverent wisdom; with the other evidence relating to fables. The latter know more luck in the context of the Middle Ages, who appreciate the character imaginative, allegorical and uplifting; are the subject of renewed interest, finally, in the Renaissance world, when, in addition to the drastic selection of stories survivors during the middle ages, the road becomes progressively recover the original footage in the Greek language.

Week 8: Reading Diary Assessment

I think for me, the reading diary posts help me keep my focus during the stories. By taking notes for each story, I can really assess the plot and the characters rather than reading through them and forgetting. At the beginning of the semester, I would take too many notes and did not focus on my favorites but once I started doing that, I was really able to start enjoying doing the reading diaries. However, this is not my favorite part of the course so I often end up doing the half-reading option when I have really busy weeks. The half-reading option is a great way to be able to still get the most out of the course when I feel overwhelmed.

I try to keep my diary posts focused on the main points of the plot and which characters stand out to me. The details that really astonish me or leave a lasting impression are very important for me to note too because that helps me remember the stories. I tend to record my thoughts about the story in a personal way. In the future, I am considering noting my favorite quotes and phrases in my diaries as well because that will also help me remember.

I do not add images because I do not believe it would add to the diaries. Adding images would not help me recall my entries!

A few things I am going to try from now on is keeping ahead on my diary readings and being sure to choose a unit that grabs my interest more. I do not often look back on my diaries either so I want to be start doing that as well, but I believe I remember the stories pretty good without looking back too simply because recording my thoughts makes it easier to. These strategies would be helpful in my other classes too because looking back refreshes my memory. Reviewing information over and over helps recall it faster!

Overall, the reading diaries are helpful for me. I would have a much harder time remembering the stories without them, so I am going to stick to my current style of writing but try to review more!

Week 7 Famous Last Words

Wow! So this semester has been going by so fast and before I knew it, I was behind! I am going to be going into hyper mode this week to get ahead again. I am definitely hoping to get at least one week ahead in this class so I can keep up without panicking. I guess that is one downfall to being a procrastinator!

I have to say that I love the storybook ideas for this class. I am super happy with my topic selection, the princesses and sad endings. I know that most people long for happy endings but I am good at writing those not so happy ones, so I stuck to my strengths. In fact the recent story I added to my storybook, The Poetess Princess, was by far one of my favorite writings for this semester... It just came to me and that is the best way to write, when you really feel the inspiration and the motivation!

Storybooks.

(Image Information: Books by Chris (2008). Web Source: Flickr.)

Unfortunately I really need to learn to not use so many commas. I think I go overboard with them! Everyone has been very kind in their comments and that has made me very happy that people are interested in my storybook, so I am hoping to brush up my skills so I can please everyone with emotional stories! Hopefully I can find more princess stories that will allow me to be creative, because I am very picky with which stories I choose so I end up spending a lot of time going through them. Maybe that is where I get my inspiration from though, because I always end up picking a story that touches my heart and allows me to come up with twists!

So far I have read a lot of very interesting storybooks from other students and I am really excited to read more. It is a fun project and I hope everyone is enjoying it because not a lot of classes at OU let us be this open and creative!

Week 7 Storytelling: The Poetess Princess

Her life seemed like a fairytale. She was the beautiful child of Prince Toyonari Fujiwara and Princess Murasaki, two loving, kind people who treated their daughter with great affection and respect. What more could a little girl ask for? Everything was wonderful for little Princess Hase-Hime, until that time came to a fleeting stop when she was only five years of age and her mother fell ill, her time cut short in this world.

Hase-Hime was left with her mother’s dying wishes to become a strong, obedient girl. When her father remarried a noble woman, Princess Terute, and took her and her son into their home, Princess Murasaki’s request would be put to the test, for Princess Terute was an evil woman with a heart of cruelty and jealousy for the little girl that was not hers.

“Hase-Hime, after dinner you will finish your chores. Clean the dishes, mop the floors, do the laundry, and go to bed afterwards. You will have more to do tomorrow,” Princess Terute smugly commanded.

Confused, Hase-Hime responded, “But Stepmother, I already mopped the floors.”

“Well do it again and do not call me Stepmother! You are no child of mine.”

And so Hase-Hime obeyed, mopping the floors a second time, cleaning the dishes, doing the laundry, and retiring to bed. In her bedroom far from the halls of her parents and sibling, she dabbled in poetry and music. It was a comfort to her to be able to record her prayers and ideas in the arts and she excelled at it quickly from a young age. When her Stepmother forgot her existence on busy days, Hase-Hime spent hours practicing with her Father on the koto, a Japanese harp, and in perfecting her poetic verses. By the time she was twelve, she was a master in both and word of her grand performances reached even the most royal of places, the Emperor in the Palace.

To be requested to play before him was a dream for little Hase-Hime, but it was a dream none-the-less and often remained so. Princess Terute had dreams of her own and far more power to carry them out. Escorted by her Stepmother to the Palace, Hase-Hime fell in awe at the splendor of the architecture and the pure essence of the noble realm. Musicians played in the courtyards, royal children frolicked in the gardens, and the sun overhead twinkled down on everything in a way she had never imagined possible.

They were lead to the audience chamber where the Emperor sat idly on his throne. Princess Terute bowed deeply to him and following her example, Hase-Hime complied.

“I have brought her, your Highness. She is a fine musician and poetess and will be an excellent addition to your entertainment,” Princess Terute said.

“And what say her father? He has agreed to her release to my command?” The Emperor inquired, much to Hase-Hime’s surprise.

“Of course, Majesty. The paperwork is all here.”

After the exchange of paperwork, Princess Terute gave her stepchild one final glance with victory gleaming in her eyes. Without so much as a smile, she turned and departed from the audience chamber, leaving Hase-Hime stranded before the will of the Emperor. Her dream was shattered, the realization of what this all meant dawning upon her as she was led away to a new home in the highest tower in the farthest corner of the Palace.

There, Hase-Hime performed her arts for many years. She perfected her harp playing and although she was never allowed to play for an audience herself, she wrote songs for the courtyard musicians to play in order to honor the Emperor. Her poetry was read far and wide, epics that would forever be remembered even past her time, but it was not for her to read, only hers to write. The Emperor had seized her talents for his own, selfish use, but she had grown to be an obedient, strong girl as her mother had wished.

Her family did not visit. They did not write. Hase-Hime often wondered about her father, whether he was safe and happy. In another world, perhaps her mother would have lived and they could have all lived together as a happy family. Perhaps her poetry and her music would have been hers alone, to give to the world, to create happiness in people’s lives. But it was not another world she lived in, for Hase-Hime was born to this world full of greed and cruelty and she was a slave to the master of her chains. She was born a beautiful flower, but envied and put in a glass case.

On the nights she felt alone and sad with tears in her eyes, void of hope, she would sit at the single window of her small room and look up at the stars, so bright in the open night sky. She would do as her mother often did and whisper a prayer to them, longing for their protection.

“Please save me,” she prayed softly.

Thus, the constellation of Princess Hase-Hime was formed, forever imprinted in the night sky.

The Hase-Hime Constellation.

(Image Information: "Golden Time" by Jinterwas. Web Source: Flickr.)

Author’s Note: In the original of The Story of PrincessHase, Hase-Hime does lose her mother and her father remarries an evil woman who treats her poorly. But Hase-Hime is a kind and wonderful girl, excelling in poetry and music, so she bares her stepmothers cruelty with respect. After she excels in the arts, the story ends with the Emperor summoning her to the Palace to play. I changed the ending of the story in order to put this in my storybook, where the princess does not have a happy ending.

Bibliography: “The Story of Princess Hase.” Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908). Web Source: Here.

Week 7 Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki)

Here are my notes for the Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) unit.

The Goblin of Adachigahara: The introduction captured because of the rumor of the cannibal goblin haunting the place! A priest gets lost and he ends up at the haunted cottage where an old woman lives. She bids him welcome and tells him to stay for the night because the night is cold! He ends up staying...

The Goblin of Adachigahara (cont.): The priest thinks he has met a wonderful kind soul who has served him dinner. She tells him not to look in the back room and of course he looks, where he finds the bones of people and blood! The old woman turns into her demon self and chases after him but he escapes. Good for him. So the rumors were true.

The Ogre of Rashomon: This one is about a rumor of an ogre cannibal. I see a trend here. General Raiko is known for slaying ogres and so he and his band of five knights are told of the ogre at the Gate of Rashomon. Watanabe tries to lure it out.

The Ogre of Rashomon (cont.): He, of course, confronts the ogre. The ogre is huge and breathed fire but Watanabe is not frightened. He ends up fighting the ogre back and the ogre escapes. He brings the arm back to his comrades to prove the ogre existed. One day an old woman shows up at his door step.

The Ogre of Rashomon (end): The old woman claims to be his old nurse, wanting to see the ogre's arm. He denies her request at first but she talks him into it. Of course the old woman transforms into the ogre and takes his arm back. He escapes once again and never bothers Kyoto again.

The Story of Princess Hase: A royal couple finally has a daughter, but the mother falls ill when she is only five years old. Her mother tells her to be an amazing daughter and grow up to be a good girl. Her father marries a new woman who is mean and cruel to Hase. Hase, however, is too kind and never caused a problem. She was smart, good at music, poetry, and more and so the Emperor asked her to come perform for him.

The Story of Princess Hase (cont): The Emperor had Hase and her stepmother perform, but her stepmother, Terute, failed to do very good. She ended up being replaced and therefor she became very angry and jealous. Eventually, jealous of the fondness her husband had for Hase and not her own son, she tries to poison Hase but ends up killing her own boy. Go figure. Hase ends up well on her way to becoming a poetess!

The Story of Princess Hase (cont. again): Her notoriety rises as she becomes the most gifted poetess ever. She was revered as a miracle worker and commanded to offer poems in prayer to heal sickness and more for the Emperor. She did as she was told and he recovered, so she was praised and given a royal position of Lieutenant-General Princess. The jealous stepmother orders her servant to take Hase to the wild and abandon her, but the servant ends up taking care of her in the wild instead.

The Story of Princess Hase (end): Back home, Hase's father was lied to and told she ran away. During a hunt one day, he stumbles upon the cottage in the wild and finds Hase-Hime. They return home and the stepmother ran away for fear of punishment of her wickedness. Hase lives a happy life after that.