Famous Last Words: Week 6

This week has been so extremely hectic! I'm so glad to be done with it, to be honest. I've had so much pile up on me in terms of school work and other projects. Work doesn't help much either. I've been a zombie. Needless to say I hardly sleep at all, but it was way worse this week. But on a brighter note, I got my first Biz Cal I exam back, and we all know that's the class I dread the most. I made a B, and I'm very proud of that. Last time I took the class my first exam grade was really pathetic. I have high hopes for the rest of the semester and this had added a little sunshine to my rain cloud that's been following me around! I've been trying to be way more positive and I find that it's been really helping! Not just in that class, but in my other courses as well. We finally finished reading the Mahabharata and I'm sad to say I missed part of the reading on Monday but make sure to finish up completely anyway by Wednesday just in time for the storytelling assignment. I think the story I wrote this week was my best simply because my initial idea to cross over into the world of Harry Potter actually came to life in this writing and I had so much fun with it! I'm getting better at working ahead and hope to get ahead this week as well before my work week starts back up. Fingers crossed! 

In other news, I was saddened to hear that there was another shooting, and this time at Umpqua Community College. That kind of stuff really gets to me and it's even more depressing that events like this are becoming more frequent!

Also, recently the Pope visited U.S soil, and I was very happy yet sad that there was no way that I could have traveled to the east coast to see him! Oh well, maybe one day. 

Literally my face when  my exam was being handed back!
Image Source: Wikipedia

Week 6 Review

India Comic Book: Mahabharata: The Great Epic of India.
Image Source: Blogspot

In this week's announcements, I found this particular post interesting because, I knew we had comics in the library that we could reserve but, I didn't know that there was once that summarized the entire Muhabharata! I need to check it out!

Reading Feedback: Week 6

Overall, I found the Mahabharata to be very enjoyable. I slightly preferred the content of the Ramayana but, but were very interesting reads. It was kind of hard to keep track of all the characters, since there was so many different brothers, and just characters in general. I chose Narayan's version of the Mahabharata, since I enjoyed his version of the Ramayana as well and I found it easy to understand. It was because of this that I opted to actually go and pay for the book instead of utilizing the free version, which I'm sure is just as good. I just had a great experience with Narayan's Ramayana and felt this would be just as easy to follow. I actually didn't purchase the actual hard copy of it, instead I opted to download it to my tablet. I found this to be a much more convenient way for me to read it and without the need to carry extra books. It also helped for me to read at night which is when I do the majority of my work/reading. I enjoyed having this option. There was a reading guide for this particular book and I found that extremely helpful as well.

Bhishma forcing Krishna to take up the wheel of a chariot despite the oath
that he would not pick up arms in the war
Image Source: Ritsin

Week 6 Storyteling: Padma and the Black Lake

By the time Padma had woken up it seemed as though everyone had already gone to the Great Hall for breakfast. This was strange because her sister Parvarti, usually waited for her so they could go down together. The Patil twins were inseparable, but today something seemed off, and Padma could not seem to put her finger on it. As usual, she got dressed in her muggle clothes since it was a Hogsmead weekend and walked down to the Gryffindor Common Room. There was one lone figure seated in front of the fireplace, and from the bushy silhouette of hair, it could only be Hermione, up doing homework on a Saturday morning. Padma mentally rolled her eyes and with a small smile she approached Hermione to ask if she was not going to go to the Hogsmead trip.

"I intend to, but while Harry and Ron decide to sleep their lives away in the meantime I am getting ahead on my Potions essay. I fully expect Ronald to ask to look at mine anyway, so might as well get ahead while I can. Can't have these boys failing everything! I do wish they were a bit more dedicated. But, I'm the crazy one, right?" Hermione said, shaking her head. 

After that brief encounter, Padma walked down the staircase to the Great Hall and could not help feeling that something was not as it should be. As she entered the Great Hall she was waved down by her sister. She took a seat, and asked where Luna and Ginny were. "Oh, they finished breakfast already and said they would meet us by the lake.Luna said she wanted to visit the Giant Squid before we headed into Hogsmead and I decided to stay and wait for you of course!" 

The pair made their way out to the grounds towards the lake and saw a couple figures down by the Black Lake. Not only that, but the lake seemed to be emitting a strange glow. Near the shore, there seemed to be a glowing object, causing light to dance on the waves as they lazily grazed the shore.  As they got closer they saw Luna and Ginny both on the ground, not moving. The glowing orb in the waters was almost hypnotizing, and Parvati seemed to forget her friends were unconscious on the ground next to her and ran to see what was in the cold waters. Before her fingers were submerged in the gentle water, a voice could be heard resounding from the waves. "Do not touch my lake! Not before answering me this riddle! I roam the woods of Hogwarts school. And my coat is a glowing white, but don't you dare drink my magical blood, or you will be cursed for the rest of your miserable life. What magical creature am I?"

Parvarti, mesmerized by the white orb at the bottom of the shore, paid no mind, almost in a trance-like state, and went to reach for waters. As soon as her fingertips made contact with the lake, she fell back, unconscious, before the scream could leave Padma's lips. Padma hurried over to her sister, panic and dread rushing through her body. Again she heard the eerie voice coming from the lake,

"Do not touch my waters! Or you will meet the same fate as your comrades. But, if you answer my riddle they will awaken from their slumber. Again, I roam the woods of Hogwarts school, and my coat is a glowing white, but don't you dare drink my magical blood, or you will be cursed for life. What creature am I? And do not keep me waiting lest I lose my patience and strike you down."

Her heart was almost about to pound straight out of her chest as she racked her brain. Padma was hit at once with memory of last week's lecture in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Thank Merlin for Professor Lupin! 

"Unicorn!" she yelled.

And with that, the white light in the lake disappeared, and she heard the girls next to her start to stir...

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"Padma! Wake up! We are going to Hogsmead, but I swear to you if we don't make it to breakfast I will give you something to cry about!" 

Parvarti was bustling around the dormitory trying to get ready while in a daze, Padma could not believe the dream she just had. It felt so real...

Exasperated Parvarti yelled, "Oy! What's gotten into you? Come on now, you have to get up!"

"I really should stop reading all of the books Mum sends us before bed...it gives me strange dreams", Padma said with a sigh. 

Loch Shiel, from scenes of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
Image Source: Wikiepedia

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Author's Note: 

So I decided to kind of incorporate a small amount of the wizarding world of Harry Potter into this week's storytelling. I'm still going to find ways to do this for my final project but, I had a lot of fun writing this! I just knew the Pandavas' encounter with the mysterious voice in the lake would kind of be fun to use since the Black Lake located on the Hogwarts grounds is known to have a slew of mystery behind it and even more weird creatures in it. Who knows?! It could have been a mermaid or even the giant squid! In the original story it was Yudhishthira's father in disguise, but here this strange being a magical creature that dwells in the lake. I decided to make it interesting by having one of the twins dream about this part of the Mahabharata. It would be cool if their parent's were to send them traditional Indian epics to read just to help cure their homesickness and to keep a part of their culture alive since they were away for a majority of the year at school. Of course they would have grown up hearing these tales I would assume. It would make sense, considering the Harry Potter stories are set primarily in the United Kingdom and there is a large Indian population.

I am reading Narayan's Mahabharata. 

Bibliography:

Narayan, R. K. The Mahabarata. London: Mandarin, 1978. 88-92. Print.

Reading Diary A: Week 6

I am reading Narayan's Mahabharata!
Reading Guide


I plan on finishing this epic within a day or so, but so far I do really like how it is progressing.


As I stated last week, I found it really surprising that Yudhishthira lost control and ended up losing everything!
Even his own wife, that was the one thing I thought would be essentially untouchable.

• Following a second dice game, Yudhishthira loses again and is forced to go into exile in the forest, for twelve years with the last year in a city but they must be incognito.
• If not they will be subjected to another twelve year exile.
• Everyone is so frustrated and yearning for the time to fly by. Yudhishthira is visited by Krishna and assures him that his enemies will be slain.
• Essentially Draupadi goes off on Yudhishthira for allowing her and his brothers to go through such humiliation
• Arjuna receives divine weapons, after being told a mantra given to Yudhishthira by Krishna to aid in their ventures.
• Arjuna is cursed by Urvashi while visiting Indra, for avoiding her advances, to live as a eunuch among women. Which ended up being a blessing when they went into the city to live incognito.
• Each brother and Draupadi assumes a different identity to live in a city unnoticed 
• Their cousins are of course scouring the land trying to use spies to find them. 
• Every brother except Yudhishthira dies after not heeding the word of the voice of a lake they encounter.
• Ends up being a test by the god of Justice

Arjuna
Image Source: Wikipedia

Thoughts About Comments!

I feel like any kind of comment is a good thing, right? But the comments I like the best are those that have constructive criticism within them. Something that will truly help my story telling and writing for the better.  Both positive and negative feedback help in many ways. I know we don't like hearing the negatives but, I feel like we can learn from it and keep these comments in mind when we try to write. Now, not saying plain old mean comments, but those that point out our flaws so we don't repeat them. I feel like I speak very honestly in my comments, but maybe I should be more constructive with them

Reading Diary B: Narayan's Mahabharata

Narayan's Mahabharata Reading Guide


I have continued this week's reading of the Mahabharata!

Some notes from the reading:

• Draupadi was wed to the five brothers, after their mother mistakenly tells them to share whatever they have acquired that day. Not knowing what they were referring to.
• Vyasa, after being called for advice, tells her father the King that in a previous life she also essentially had five husbands, who would come into one being at the end. Her past self was promised five husbands in this lifetime by Shiva
• Duryodhana, after heading his son's pleas to get rid of his cousins, the Pandavas, is mortified to find out that they are indeed still alive. He hopes to fix things by sending this gifts in an attempt to have them on his side as well. 
• He sends for them to come back to Hastinapura, and gives them a part of his kingdom to run in attempt to make amends.
• The land that is given to them to rule is actually a desert barren land
• In this land, they build a prosperous city.
• Ajuna is exiled for twelve years because he stumbled upon his brother and Draupadi in intimacy.
• After visiting his cousin's kingdom, Duryodhana becomes green with envy
• In attempt to extract revenge, Duryodhana wants to challenge them to a game of dice, in a great hall built solely to try to outdo their's in their kingdom
• Yudhishthira loses everything, after losing his judgement he finally stakes everything and everyone of value to him, with the final bet being Draupadi.
• In an attempt to humiliate her, Duryodhana makes her undress and she pleads for them to spare her from exposure
• She pleads with Krishna to assist her and every time her garment is pulled off another shows up in it's place, again and again.

Celestial stripping of Draupadi's sari
Image Source: Flickr