Legendary Myths

Story 1 || 2 sentences: The elephant, massive as he was, barely noticed when he squashed the home of the rabbit, flattening his little children. Avenging the deaths of his children, the rabbit set ablaze the ears of the elephant, burning the hinges so the elephant couldn't lift them up anymore. Story 2 || 25 words: Avenging the deaths of his children who perished at the foot of the large elephant, the rabbit set fire to the ears of the elephant. Female African Bush Elephant - Courtesy of Wikipedia Author's Note: For this set of microfictions, I decided to write my own renditions of the story of Why the Elephant Has Floppy Ears. The original story tells of how the rabbit had children in a small den in the woods. However, the massive elephant unknowingly stepped upon his home, squashing the children of the rabbit. So, the rabbit desired to avenge their lives and set out planning his vengeance. He set the ears of the elephant on fire, destroying the hinges so that th...

I lived in a time where divine beings and mystical creatures still roamed the earth. I've seen mortal men partake in quests against sacred creatures and end in either conquest or vanquish. Yet, upon the vanquish of my own ruling Empress with the lost of the Jewel of Heart's Desire, she took out her anguish upon my love. I am but a simple fisher-maid. Yet, my heart yearns for that of the Prime Minister, Takeuchi. It pained me greatly to see him to such turmoil. I felt his sadness and disgrace from afar, as I dared not approach him. Yet, I desired to be wed to him, but I knew this could not be. It just so happened that one night while I was dwelling there by the shore, I saw a figure off in the distance. I realized who this silhouette belonged to the moment I cast my eyes upon it, for I have watched Takeuchi from afar for what seemed like an eternity. Quickly, I scurried towards the cliff upon which my love traversed, hiding in the shadows as I went. I watched as Takeuchi n...

Out of the reading stories for this section, I was most fascinated by The Quest of the Jewel. This story illustrates the disgrace, anger, love, and sacrifice of characters in their quest for this sacred jewel. The story begins with Takechi, the Prime Minister, retiring from court due to the severe punishment from the Empress. Set on self-destruction, he ventures to the summit of a cliff. He thought to be alone, but he was followed by a fisher-maid by the name of Tamatori. Tamatori had long had an affinity towards Takechi, loving him in secret. She approaches Takechi, begging him not to follow through on his resolve but to no avail. Only by the discovery of the Jewel of Heart's Desire looming in the depths of the jade-green ocean atop a coral pagoda did Takechi take pause, for the lost of this Jewel had brought him great sorrow. So, Tamatori set out to swim toward the palace of Benten, the daughter of the Dragon. She swam through the emerald water, passing schools of fish, unt...

For this reading section, I was most interested in the story of The Miraculous Mirror. This story explores the rivalry between brother and sister, and illustrates the inner feelings of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. The story begins with Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, sitting at her loom high in the heavens. All was peaceful and quiet, for Amaterasu was weaving with her hand-maidens in the midst of the night. Suddenly, her brother, Susa-no-wo, the Dragon of Hell, hurtled down towards Amaterasu in the Hall of the Gods with a crash of thunder. Frightened by her brother, Amaterasu fled from the heavens and down to earth. She took shelter in a dark cavern by the sea, safe from the rage of her ill-tempered brother. However, when Amaterasu fled from the heavens, she took the light of the Sun with her, casting the Isles of the Dragon-fly on Earth into darkness and gloom. The people of the Isles mourned the loss of the light and sought her return. They prayed for the light to return, and fashi...

For this post, I used the following article: The Important Habit of Just Starting This article confirmed that procrastination prohibits us from being productive everyday. Often, people procrastinate because they have a fear of starting a large project and become paralyzed in the process.  As discussed in the article, time management can only go so far if it is truly a matter of finding time to work on projects. Psychological effects prevent us from starting projects and hurt our productivity levels. This article taught me that procrastination is not simply putting off things until a later date. The article states that procrastination is also purposefully putting aside important work that will have negative consequences in the future. Like many others, I have also succumbed to procrastination amidst my engineering studies here at the University of Oklahoma. Procrastination greatly impacts my productivity, stress, and even motivation. Even knowing that higher stress levels and les...

For this post, I used the following article: The Difference Between Praise and Feedback This article confirmed to me that praise is a reward for accomplishing a certain task. Praising someone helps them to realize that what they have accomplished is worthwhile or good. I have already had personal experience with praising by telling someone "good job" or something along those lines. However, this article taught me more about process praise and how it encourages a growth mindset. Praising the process and not the end result teaches others that they can accomplish the same achievements through effort and perseverance. I am curious to continue learning more about process praise. I never fully realized what a difference praising someone's process made rather than praising their accomplishment. I plan to act on this curiosity by beginning to praise others based on their thought process rather than their results. By doing so, I am enabling them to continue to work through the...

Currently, I am allocating all of my available free time towards working ahead in this class since my other classes do not have assignments published yet. As classes begin to kick into gear, the Canvas Calendar will undoubtedly begin to be useful to ensure that I complete all the assignments for a given week. Previously, for my other classes, the Canvas Calendar has provided me with important dates to keep track, such as assignment due dates and meetings with instructors. I also like how you can toggle the listings for different classes or personal events to customize what you want to view at any particular time. As is the case with most online courses, time management will play a key role into being successful in this class. I will need to be sure I closely monitor the Canvas Calendar so I do not miss any important assignment due dates. I will try to keep working ahead so that I can prioritize my time better towards my other engineering classes, especially my Capstone class. Overall, ...