Famous Last Words: Week 6

Well, this week started out pretty relaxing and the weekend got a little crazy. School hit harder than I thought it would and a lot of people came to ask me for help this weekend which took some time I wasn’t expecting to give (but very happy to help). I foresee that this upcoming week is also going to take the crazy train.

For this class, I feel like I am doing a little better about managing my time. There were still a few days I waited to do the assignment, but I am getting stuff done on time right now. I plan to get ahead tonight on this week’s assignments.

I’ve been meeting lots of new people, which is one of my favorite things to do. I’ve been hanging out with this chick who I supervise and know we are going to be really good friends. Her name is Christina (see image below). We basically have spent all the weekends together this semester having adventures. Sort of sad we haven’t hung out before this semester, but she is a gem

A personal selfie of Christina and me hanging out being funny.

I also went dancing at Cowboys with my friend Indy and some of her friends. Cowboys is always fun. I LOVE two stepping…although I am pretty tall so I get a lot of shorter guys who ask me or no guys to ask me to dance. Which is fine! There is plenty of line dancing and fun to be had.

Indy and I at cowboys (a personal photo).

Totally getting philosophical here, but have you ever considered how amazing human beings can be? If you just look at a minute section of your life and see all of the activities you have ever handled or balanced. Or all of the negative things life throws at you, but you still just bounce right back up and keep going? I guess I try really hard not to focus on the negative, but I’ve noticed that this past year has thrown me a ton of curve balls. Like a ridiculous amount that hasn’t happened before, but I am so proud at how strong I am. I’ve really handled things well and it’s just cool to look back and see that.

Week 6 Extra Reading Diary Bengal Fairy Tales Second Half

From the Un-Textbook: Folktales of Bengal

Thoughts and Favorite Unit:

The Ghost-Brahman

A Ghostly Wife

The Story of a Brahmadaitya

The Ghost who was Afraid of being Bagged

• The four stories above were all ghostly. I'm not a huge fan of horror (I guess they weren't really horror, but I'm a wimp and almost anything can creep me out)

The Bald Wife

• I think it is funny to imagine what a women would look like with two tufts of hair on her head.
• Wouldn't it be great if I could swim in some water and my hair would magically grow (and maybe thicken too).

Ruby Ring. Source: Wikimedia

The Origin of Rubies

• I immediately like this one....probably because it has a queen in it.
• I am noticing how melodramatic these stories and characters are. The princess threatens to kill herself if she is not given another ruby. She will be such a drama queen when she gets older (see what I did there). Haha. It's okay if you don't laugh. It was royally corny.
• The prince and queen causally turn into a lad and mother. I found this a little confusing and interesting. Maybe it was done so not to confuse the king and princess?
• Kind of gross that the rubies were blood droplets from the beautiful lady's head that was severed from her body.

Storytelling Week 6: The Mouse Queen

Author’s Note

The Origin of Opium is a fable from the Folk-Tales of Bengal. It describes a story about a small mouse who is always wishing for more and a kind Rishi who grants her wishes. At first, the mouse is the only companion the Rishi has and so the Rishi gives the mouse a special power to speak. The mouse wishes to be turned into a cat for self-protection and her wish is granted. The little mouse, now cat, continually wishes to be changed into something new. From a cat, she is turned into a dog, then an ape, a boar, an elephant, and finally a beautiful girl who may charm young princes. Eventually, the girl captivates a king and becomes his queen. Unfortunately, she falls into a well and dies, taking her original mouse form. The prince has the well filled with soil to allow a poppy tree to grow and therefore the drug opium.

I chose to work the story backwards and made a few changes along the way. The biggest change is the elimination of opium from my story. The creation of opium was the final topic of the original story (the mouse constantly wishes to be changed into something better which parallels to how an opium addict feels). Since my story directly changes the queen into a mouse and removes all of the other animal transformations, the character isn’t constantly wishing for more. Therefore, I found it unrealistic to keep opium in my story and instead allowed a willow tree to grow from the well. Willow trees can symbolize sadness, which is how I feel this story ended.

A well with a plant growing out of it. Source: Wikimedia

Queen Postomani quietly sobbed herself to sleep. Every morning, she woke up with red, puffy eyes and unhappy thoughts bouncing around in her mind.

You see, before her reign, Postomani was a beautiful maid and lived an honest life. And while Queen Postomani was still quite beautiful, she grew ugly on the inside...........

One day, Postomani was performing her daily chores when a stranger knocked on the door.

She answered, “Hello. What may I do for you today, good sir?”

“I was hoping that I might rest in your home for the day. That is, if it isn’t too much trouble,” the fellow responded.

“Please, come in. May I get you anything?” Postomani graciously waved the handsome man inside.

“A seat will be plenty. What is your name? Pardon me for my straightforwardness, but I must know because your beauty is so abundant,” said the man.

Postomani was quiet. She knew this man was of wealth and power by the way he carried himself. And she, a lowly maid in comparison. Yet, she desired more. It didn’t help that this man was astoundingly attractive.

“Well, your father must have been royal. You’re too striking to be otherwise!” the man exclaimed.

‘Yes! My father was a king, but a tiger ate him. And my mother died giving birth to me,” Postomani lied.

As soon as the words parted from her mouth, she regretted them. It was as if her filter completely disappeared!

“You will fall in love with the palace. Come with me. Be my queen!” the king requested.

Postomani wed the king and followed him to the palace. As every day passed by, the lie grew larger inside of her and made her inner beauty wither.

She could take the pain no longer. Postomani ran into the forest to the Rishi and asked for a wish.

“Oh, dear Rishi. Please grant me one wish!” Postomani wept.

“Child, what is it? What bothers you so harshly?” the Rishi comforted.

“Please. I have let poison seep from my lips. To the king, of all people! I deceived him and I need to pay for my injustice. I wish to be turned into a mouse. So small and lonely that I may not harm another,” Postomani pleaded.

The Rishi, who was kind and understanding, granted the queen’s desire. He allowed her to live in his shack and they kept each other company.

Many years passed by and Postomani occasionally found herself missing the palace. One day, she decided to visit the king. She ventured through the forest and reached its edge to find the vast, royal garden.  

If only I could find a higher spot so that I might peer into the king’s window.

That’s when Postomani saw the well.

Perfect!

She hopped onto the well and climbed to the top. She could just barely see into the window as she reached the ledge. Postomani stood on her two hind legs and strained her neck in attempt to get a glimpse of the king. Her paw slipped and she tumbled down into the deep well to find her death lying at the bottom.

Ten years later, the king strolled through the garden and stumbled upon an interesting growth.

What an unusual sight to see! A willow tree sprouting from a well.

Willow tree. Source: Wikimedia

Bibliography

“The Origin of Opium” by Rev. Lal Behari Day, from Folk-Tales of Bengal (1912). Web Source: Internet Archive

Week 6 Reading Diary A: Bengal Fairy Tales First Half

From the Un-Textbook: Folktales of Bengal

Thoughts and Favorite Unit:

• The Evil Eye of Sani
• I found it interesting what evil was bestowed upon Sribatsa and how the good came to him (gold dung from a cow).
• This story reminds me that in order to get something you want, you must work hard and earn it. Sort of like in a company where you have to work your way up the ladder.

• The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled
• Maybe the seven queens weren't the ones barren..maybe they couldn't bare a child because of him. Humph.
• This story is weird..not my favorite one.

• The Origin of Opium
• This story reminds me of the children's book If you give a Mouse a Cookie
• The mouse is given speech by the Rishi and from there the mouse continues to ask to be turned into some sort of animal. He discovers that each animal has to worry about something 
• Definitely a story of Karma (the mouse ends up dying)
• I think the title to this story is very fitting since the mouse always wishing to be turned into something better parallels with drugs making the abuser always wanting more.
• This is probably my favorite story of the three.

Cute mouse searching for some luck (maybe not so lucky though). Source: Pixabay

Tech Tip: Cheezburger Quotemaker

Sometimes I think I am really funny..