Tech Tip: Blog Profile

Hey everyone! This week I decided to see if I wanted to keep my name and profile visible to anyone who comes to visit my blog. Ultimately I decided to keep that information visible because it is something I worked hard for and enjoyed doing. It's also basic information, basically stuff anyone could find these days. I want people to be able to put a name to the stories they read.
I don't really give my online identity too much thought. I just try to be me and not share too much information. I will definitely be more wary of what I post and what I write when it comes time to apply to dental school, but it won't be much of a change.

Reading Notes: My Lord Bag of Rice (Extra Credit)

Bag of Rice - by Laura Turner; Flickr

I enjoyed reading this story because it reminded me of those superhero comics and television series that everyone watches. I really liked how the story involved some magic, especially how the Dragon King could disguise himself as an actual dragon whenever he wanted. I found it funny that a dragon would be scared of a centipede but after reading a little more, it looks as if the centipede wasn't your average critter. I enjoyed the exaggerated version of it though. I think this could be a good starting point for my next story because there's a lot to work with. My story could be about a fearless warrior like Hidesato or it could be a twist on the original from the centipede's point of view. There's so many directions I could go with this!

I think I definitely want this story set in modern times though. I think it would make it much easier to relate to for the readers if the same concept of the original story was just applied to modern circumstances. For example, instead of Hidesato saving a dragon from a centipede, I could write about a man or woman saving a deer from a lion or a civilian from a murderer. The possibilities are endless! I like the idea of a civilian being saved from a murdered more than the other because it adds excitement and intensity to the story!

One thing I really thought was a nice element to the story was how grateful the Dragon King was afterwards. The gifts Hidesato was given all seem so marvelous and useful. Who wouldn't want a magic cooking pot and unlimited rice and sowing material? In my story maybe I could make the gifts a little more practical but also super handy. Great read overall and plenty of information for me to use for a future story of my own!

Bibliography: Yei Theodora Ozaki's Japanese Fairy Tales: My Lord Bag of Rice

Week 7 Storytelling: The Cony Who Got into Bad Company

Bad Company 

Picture by: Rakel Franco

Source: Flickr

Bananas were the biggest treasure to the kingdom. They provided food for all the seasons including the terrible thunderstorm that strikes every year. Roger and Pete, the two most unliked monkeys in the jungle had the most bananas piled up for just them too. Little did the jungle know, they stole all these bananas, along with other fruits from all the other trees when the entire jungle was asleep.

There was a gorilla in the jungle that was about to be the new big dog in the kingdom. Everyone liked Gary. He looked scary, but had the kindest heart. Gary had a giant tree that made unlimited amounts of bananas. He shared his unlimited amount of food with all the other monkeys. Roger and Pete heard about Gary through a mutual friend, and decided to go visit Gary and check out this tree for themselves.

They reached Gary’s tree, and Gary kindly introduced himself, and gave Roger and Pete a banana. Roger and Pete had never eaten such a yummy banana. They were so surprised they asked for another one. Pete suggested Gary come join them for a feast during the weekend. Gary was super excited for this feast. He knew Roger and Pete were some of the most well known people in the entire jungle, but he didn’t know the reason why.

Gary showed up to the feast in his finest suit. He had a wonderful time. He talked to everyone, ate bananas, peaches, grapefruits, kiwis, grapes, strawberries, and oranges! He wondered where all this food came from. Roger and Pete told Gary that if he hung around them enough, he too would have the most delicious meals.

Gary, Roger, and Pete started to do everything together. They would climb trees, go on runs, and eat! One day, it was late and Gary decided to stay the night with Roger and Pete. Roger and Pete had other plans that Gary was unaware of. They told him they were going to go for a walk in the jungle at night, and Gary must join them because he’s never seen the jungle when its silent. They packed their bags and started the journey.

Roger and Pete started their mischievous plans at the Kelly’s tree. They took the bananas when Gary wasn’t looking and placed them in Gary’s bag. Gary kept on walking and talking, and didn’t even realize when either Roger or Pete would climb and tree and steal bananas. Gary started to notice his bag getting heavier eventually.

Mr. Kelly woke up and noticed some of his bananas were missing! He noticed some animals on a walk, and decided to go after them! Roger looked back and saw that Mr. Kelly was after them! He signaled to Pete with his tail that someone’s on to them! They continued to walk, but Mr. Kelly was one step ahead of them and climbed the biggest vine to where they were, and jumped down in front of them.

He took their bags and found all his bananas in Gary’s a bag. Gary was confused and immediately told Mr. Kelly he didn’t take his bananas, but Mr. Kelly knew he was friends with Roger and Pete—the biggest thieves in town. Gary lost his tree, and all his bananas because he was hanging out with wrong people.

Bibliography: Tibetan Folk Tales, "The Cony Who Got into Bad Company" by Albert Shelton

Author's Note:

“If you are without kindness, you will meet no kindness in return.” Tibetan Proverb. This was the moral behind this short story. The phrase caught my attention, and I interpreted it as if one is associated with someone without kindness, then he/she is also not kind. The end lesson in this story was that the people you surround yourself really do matter more than people think. The cony associating himself with the rats because he just wanted friends portrayed this concept. The rats were known to be thieves. I had monkeys and a gorilla in my story show the consequences of being friends with the wrong group of people. I also included bananas as the prize being stolen. I feel the original story does a very well job in making people think about the people they are around, and if they’re worth the consequences. I think this is a good lesson to teach at a young age because then people grow to choose friends, wisely. In other words, surround yourself with people that bring out the best in you. I hope my story makes you think about the people in your lives as you read about two deceiving monkeys and one kind gorilla.

Note: The updated version is available at my portfolio!

Week 7 Reading Notes:Tibetan Folk Tales (B)

How the Rabbit Killed the Lion

First thing I noticed about the short story was the detail and imagery used to describe everything happening. It really made the story come together and impress. Again, I notice the trend of some trickery going on, no doubt for entertainment purposes, as well as some long, winding sentences to coax the reader into reading more. I do enjoy the writing style and tone of the author.

The Story of the Three Hunters

This story was a little dark in my opinion! It's interesting how the wives just decided to hate the sister on whim. It didn't seem like they had any reason to besides the fact that they just might not like her living there with them. I wasn't sure if the soul of the sister transferring to the bird was supposed to be a hint at reincarnation but it certainly seemed like it was. From what I remember (I may be very wrong), this region does believe in the idea of reincarnation. If so, it would make sense! There was a lot of killing involved in this story so I don't think I'll include much of that in my story for this week. I like writing happier, more enjoyable stories because I think it reflects on who I am as a person.


How the Raven Saved the Hunter

 I liked the message that I got from this story. In his greed, the man neglected to understand why the raven kept knocking the water out of his hand. It's not until after he kills the raven that he begins to suspect something is wrong. Sure enough, he finds that the water is toxic and that he killed the raven for no reason at all.

A flying raven; Wikipedia

 Bibliography

Tibetan Folk Tales by Albert Shelton

Week 7 Reading Notes: Tibetan Folk Tales (A)

The Tiger and the Frog

I found this story to be quite entertaining from the beginning. It was humorous that the tiger was so easily fooled and frightened by a boastful frog. It goes to show that looks can be deceiving and not everyone is who they seem! Something I didn't fully understand was the part about the tiger and fox tying their tails together...maybe I'm missing the point while reading it or it's meant to be taken figuratively? Regardless, I like the playful nature of this story and hope to implement something similar in my story this week. Maybe instead of using animals in my story, use actual people and see how that turns out. Or I could stick to what seems like a theme in this unit and write with animals as the main focus.

Frog vs. Tiger; UN-Textbook

The Cony Who Got into Bad Company

I liked the writing style of this story the most. The way it opened up with a long, winding sentence really caught my eye and drew me into the story. What was really nice about this story was that it taught a lesson to the reader, a moral if you will. That's something that I feel is difficult but also something that I want to improve upon and try this week!

The Story of the Donkey and the Rock

My favorite story yet! I wasn't expecting this twist at all but I sure did enjoy it. The author gets you to expect one things but something completely different ends up happening. I found the irony in the story to be refreshing and got a nice kick out of it. I noticed again that this story also starts off with a longer-than-usual sentence that helps get the reader's attention. A moment that I found was particularly important was the fact that all those people showed up to watch a ridiculous trial. What were they expecting?!

Bibliography

Tibetan Folk Tales by Albert Shelton