Tech Tip: Text to Voice

This week, I decided to add the Text to Voice widget to my browser. I am a HUGE fan of audio books, so I figured this would be great to try out. One thing I dislike about it is that I still am a Safari user, but I don't mind. I think I should make the switch over to Chrome anyway! I have always had it on my laptop, but only use it for widgets that require it such as this one.

Reading Notes: Krishna Comes - Episodes 11 to 20

I found episode 11 to be very interesting. Growing up with a Christian mom and Jewish dad, my view of the creator of the earth is someone that would give up their life for us and that wants the best from us. Brahma on the other hand finds is humorous that Krishna is sharing food with those below him. I thought it was great that Krishna noticed that he was being tricked and decided to play right back by turning himself into the missing cows and friends. I find it amazing that his body could withstand this for a whole year. I also found it interesting that it was "just a few moments" to the gods, which was equivalent to a year for normal humans. I think that I could retell this story and make everyone that was stolen come back with anger. Instead of trying to get them back, Krishna simply replaced them with himself. I think this could easily have happened and would be a great way to change up the story a bit. Maybe even Krishna could feel some sort of physical pain from living as so many for so long. 

(Photo from Flickr.)

Reading Notes: Krishna Comes - An Introduction

This week, I am excited to try out some videos as my reading. I am watching Krishna Comes.

In the introduction, I was a little confused at the beginning who the enemies were that were trying to keep Krishna from being born and then from growing up. I thought it was amazing that, even though such enemies were always after him, he continues to help those in need and stay close to his loved ones. I was shocked that no one else knew that he was not a part of their world. I was a little confused by this, but I think the other readings will clarify.

In Episode 1 - Kamsa, we learn that Krishna was the birth of the Pandavas. We also learn that the king, Kamsa, is one of the evil figures and he is told that his cousin's 8th child will slay him. I find it so interesting that no one even would have taken a second thought at having 8 children. I was shocked when Kamsa thought about killing his own cousin right then and there. Instead, he let them live and put them in prison. I am not sure which would be worse -- going to prison for something out of your control or being killed. Either way, their lives were taken from them. I can't imagine the cruelty of all that Kamsa did to his own cousin. He killed every single child they birthed right in front of them in horrific ways. I'm not sure why they continued having children after seeing the first one smashed against the prison wall.

I think that I may retell this story and have the cousin forced to birth until her eighth child. In my opinion, this would make more sense then someone giving birth and watching each child get murdered by someone of the same blood.

(Photo from WikiMedia)

Week 8: Comments and Feedback

Overall, I feel like that quality of the comments that I have received have been amazing. I really appreciate all of the feedback and the fact that many provide solutions and suggestions to help me improve my writing. I think that those comments are the most useful to me since they point out something I can do better and get me on the way to making the change.

I feel as though my quality of feedback has been good, but not great. I need to focus more on really providing feedback on the writing instead of just pointing out all of the bits I thought were amazing. So many people in this course are so very talented, so I struggle with finding mistakes of any sort. I think I could be more useful by providing suggestions. 

I definitely feel like I am getting to know people through comments. I am happy with my introduction post and think that it allows people the opportunity to know me a little better. I do wish that we could reply back and forth through comments like FaceBook or something.

(cheezburger)

I chose this picture because I really appreciate the feedback I get. It helps me see how my writing can improve through little adjustments along the way. Without feedback, it's sometimes hard to know where to start with improvement. Just having a simple suggestion gets my wheels turning on what I can tweak.

Week 8: Reading and Writing

Overall, I think that the reading assignments have been going really well for me. Some of the Ramayana readings definitely were a little harder to dissect than other, but overall I am really enjoying the readings. As far as my writing goes, I feel as though I could use some improvement. I always ready other people's stories and they seem so creative and flow very well. I always have issues making my stories flow. Since I have only read Ramayana, this is my favorite. Within the series of readings, I think that my favorites are the time in between Sita being kidnapped and saved. I definitely think that my notes have been helping with my writings. I write mini summaries and key points that stand out to me for each story and then elaborate on my favorites that I think may turn into my own story. I really enjoy listening to the readings so far and hope to do so far the remainder of the semester. 

As far as my project goes, it is definitely a work in progress. I can't quite tell if I am happy with it yet as I feel like it needs one more story first since I am a little behind. I am definitely glad I chose to do a portfolio this semester. 

I think that my biggest accomplishment in my writing for this class is the time it has taken me to complete each writing I do. Last semester in Mythology and Folklore, I would write about 500-600 words of a story and then decide I didn't like where it was heading and would start completely over. I usually did that at least once, maybe twice, per story. This added so much time and it really didn't make the writings any better. This semester, I have been trying my best to just go with the flow and do a bit more organizing in my head before getting to work. 

(Photo from WikiMedia).

This is my favorite image because it shows Rama's beautiful blue color. I also love all of the jewels and details on the picture. It really reminds me of the last half of the semester I spent learning more and more about Ramayana.

Looking forward, I hope to do my readings and notes all in the same sitting. There were a few times where I took a long break in between and kind of forgot where I left off and I had to do some backtracking. Other than that, I am just excited to see what else I get to read! 

Learning Challenge: Yesterday You Said Tomorrow

I love this quote. I think that this along with the other tips I have learned through extra credit assignments will get me through my busy week. I just have to think of my future self anytime I feel my motivation going. I need to remember that it is one going to get harder to get the assignment done and that's it's better now than putting it off.

(Photo from Flickr.)

Tech Tip: Word Count

I decided to try the word count tech tip out for this time. I chose that one because I use it for so many classes and always copy and paster my work into word. I feel like this will save me just a tiny bit of time. I sometimes have trouble going over the word count and sometimes am under. I am awful at guess how long my papers are, so this is definitely necessary for me.