Learning Challenge: Time

Guess what everyone? It's Week # 11, and there's now only 5 weeks left of this semester.

I am excited that this semester is almost coming to a close. I've been looking forward to it since it began. LOL!!

Starting this week, I've started to work one week ahead, so in this week (starting on Wednesday), I'll be working on Week 12's work. I feel like it will work really well, and it will help me to stay on top of homework, so that I don't forget any assignments. I've also started taking Sundays off so that my mind gets some rest from homework and so that I can complete other things that I want to do.

"It's almost the end of the semester. [sic] Hallelujah!!!!!!" I feel like the two people in the picture too!

Source: (Google Images)

Growth Mindset: Taking The First Step

The hardest part about anything in life, whether it be a homework assignment or something big, is to start. To start is the hardest part of anything.

Today, I am going to write about a meme that really resonated with me. The meme, as you can see below, says "Start climbing! That is how you develop your abilities."

The more you try different things by getting out of your comfort zone, the more abilities and skills you'll have. You can find your passion that way too!

I remember when I started doing the bank reconciliations at my workplace. At first, it was really hard, but as I did it more and more, I was getting more comfortable with it.

"Start climbing! That is how you develop your abilities."

Source: (Laura's Blog)

Tech Tip: Using the Google Timer

This week's tech tip is all about using the Google Timer. It's quite easy.

In Google, all you do is type in "timer". It'll give you a place where you can put in the number of hours and minutes. You type in the numbers you want and click start. The timer starts and it goes off when the time is done.

Here's an example of the Google Timer.

Source: (Google Images)

Reading Notes: Arni's The Missing Queen, Ch 4 - 6

For this week's extra credit reading, I continued reading The Missing Queen and read chapters four, five, and six.

The journalist's name is still not revealed, but nonetheless, I am still captivated by the book. I am really loving the new twist given to the Ramayana, although sometimes I do get lost in the book (as to who's who).

Chapters 4 through 6 consisted of the journalist being ousted from his job and a couple of people came to his for some odd reason. The journalist's former boss gave his interview to a rival channel to portray on their channel.

I am truly captivated by this new remake of the Ramayana. It sure does have me wanting to read until the end!

Click here for a reading guide to Arni's The Missing Queen.

Lord Rama and Mother Sita. Can you imagine them in modern day clothing?

Source: (Google Images)

Reading Notes: Kapur's Ganesha Goes To Lunch, Part A

Last semester, during Weeks 9 - 14, when we had the free reading, I chose several books to read, but I couldn't get through all of them, so I decided for all of Weeks 9 - 14 I would stick to one book. I'm sure that this one book has plenty to read, learn, and write from, so I chose to read Kamla K Kapur's Ganesha Goes To Lunch.

Today's reading consists of reading Stories of Vishnu Introduction and On the Track of Love.

Stories of Vishnu Introduction
This introduction does exactly that: it introduces the readers to the three main gods of Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Lord Shiva). It tells of how the Brahma and Vishnu were created and how they took birth. But mostly, this was an introduction to Lord Vishnu.

On the Track of Love
This story was about true devotion to God. In this story, Narada thought he was the greatest devotee of Vishnu and could not stand knowing that there is another devotee greater than him. Lord Vishnu sends Narada to South India to another devotee's house that He claims is a larger devotee than Narada. Narada goes there and sees that the devotee prays to Lord Vishnu for barely two minutes. Later, Vishnu gives Narada gives a bowl of oil and tells him to circumambulate the city and come back without spilling a drop. The whole time, Narada concentrates on not spilling a drop instead of focusing on Vishnu. When he gets back, Vishnu explains to him that the other devotee remembers to remember even top of his daily duties, and Narada could not think of him during the time of his circumambulation.

Click here for a reading guide to Kapur's Ganesha Goes To Lunch.

Lord Vishnu resting on SheshNag.

Source: (Google Images)

Learning Challenge: Taking a Break

I have a class this semester that talks a lot about balance and how important it is. At the beginning of Week 8, I decided I couldn't take anymore homework. I was losing the time to work on other projects that I wanted to do. Week 9 was technically spring break, and I was going to continue to work on homework, but I didn't. I just took a complete break.

This week, as I'm working on my homework right now, I feel very refreshed and I feel like I can continue pressing through school and do well in the end. Yay me!

"almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...including you." I took a break, and I now feel like I can continue working.

Source: (Google Images)

Growth Mindset: Defeat as the First Step to Something Better

For this week's growth mindset post, I'm going to write about a meme. This meme states that defeat is the first step to something better. I will agree with that statement; however, defeat can be hurtful, and it can cause us to want to give up, but we have to keep pushing and be persistent in order to obtain success.

Here's the meme I'm talking about.

"Defeat: the first step to something better."

Source: (Laura's Blog)

Tech Tip: Canvas Calendar

The calendar in Canvas is helpful, but it's not the greatest thing in the world. The main page of Canvas shows a calendar and all the due dates are listed for all your class assignments. It also puts a check mark next to the ones that you've completed.

You can import the Canvas calendar to your own calendar too. That's a plus point of it.

Canvas's dashboard. The calendar is the list under "To Do".

Source: (Google Images)

Reading Notes: Arni's The Missing Queen, Ch 1 - 3

This week, for the extra credit reading, I started reading Samhita Arni's The Missing Queen. When I started reading it, I was quite surprised at how well the book is written.

The Ramayana has truly been given a new twist in this book. At one point, Rama and Sita entered Ayodhya in a Cadillac, and I remember my first thought was: "Whatttttt? Rama and Sita in a Cadillac?". Now that's a plot twist like no other.

There is a journalist who is taking the interview of Rama and Kaikeyi and asking the same question: what happened to Sita? The boss of the journalist is not pleased with the journalist (whose name is still unknown to the readers at this point) because that is not something the readers of a newspaper would want to read about. But nonetheless, the journalist wants to publish the truth, not the bent truth. I'm excited to read the next portion of the book, in hopes of finding the journalist's name and to see whether the journalist gets to publish what he/she wants.

Click here for a reading guide to Samhita Arni's The Missing Queen.

The cover of The Missing Queen

Source: (Google Images)

Week 8 Growth Mindset

I can definitely say that I have the Growth Mindset for sure. I have almost all of the qualities on the right column. When you quit improving, you quit learning, and learning is very essential to becoming better day by day.

I know what my priorities are, and I won't let anything get in my way. Moreover, I know what I want from life and what I want to do with my life. There are people who doubt that, but I don't really care because I do know what I'm doing and what I want to do eventually.

My biggest plus point is that I know what my weaknesses are, I'm not afraid to confess what they are, and I am willing to change them in to strengths.

I take pride in who I am and what I want to do.

This is for all the folks who doubt my capabilities. I'm going to work hard right now, and let my success doing the talking. I always say that success is the best revenge for those who doubt you.

Source: (Google Images)

Week 8 Reflections

Reading
I have been making good choices about the reading. I have had the time to read, but I try to complete as early as possible because reading is my least favorite thing to do unless I'm reading for pleasure, not for class. I have my own little study nook, so I don't have an issue with finding a place to read or do homework.

I have reading from the terms of a writer, therefore making it quite easy to do the writing later on. The reading notes help in that department too because the writing idea is written down, so even if I do forget it, I can just look at the notes to remind myself of where I am and what I need to do next.

I pretty much have my semester planned as far as what I am going to read and when, so I really don't have an issue deciding what I need to do. I just can't believe the semester is already half way over!

Writing
I have been enjoying writing about my favorite show in this class. I also love the fact that I get to share my culture with everyone, and that everyone respects who I am and where I come from.

Connecting
I have not been connecting with other students because I make up that work with extra credit.

"You will get there, but only if you keep going." Quitting never gets you anywhere. You just have to keep going.

Source: (Google Images)

Growth Mindset: Getting Outside My Comfort Zone

I used to not get out of my comfort zone. I just stayed wherever I was comfortable. As life went on, especially during my college years, I realized that in order to grow and become better than who I was yesterday, I had to get out of my comfort zone.

I really started exploring myself and doing things I did not do before. This has helped me to boost my confidence, experience, and knowledge in a lot of different aspects of life.

People who used to say that I'm not confident or don't have a lot of self-esteem now say that I am one of the most confident people they have seen. I know for a fact that many of my former teachers are very proud of the person I've become.

Now for a quote!

"If you want something you've never had, then you've got to do something you've never done."

Source: (Google Images)

Tech Tip: Downloading Canvas App

Downloading the canvas app on an iPhone is quite easy.

All you need to do is go to the app store and search "canvas". It should be the first one by Intrastructure. Double tap on "GET" and it should ask you for your Touch ID, if your phone is capable. After you give it your touch ID, it should be downloaded.

***Side Note: OU started using Canvas last semester. I struggled with using Canvas last semester, but it's so much easier this semester.***

The canvas app looks like this.

Source: (Google Images)