Sunday, August 30, 2015

Create and Curate

         

                I really enjoy using Pinterest. Sometimes I even feel like it is a better version of Google images just because you can save and organize it.  I have so many boards and I I also like that you can link it to your Facebook account so you can see what others are pinning as well.
                I have also always used my bookmarks as well, especially when I want to go to a site's specific page and the URL is rather long. I may not have always know that it was called curation but I have been doing this since Earthlink (Throwback!).
                One social media outlet I have not used but am super interested in using is Instagram. However, I feel like too many accounts would be hard to keep up with and the internet is already one big giant black hole.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Growth Mindset


       I love this Pinterest post I found. I think it is a very good example on retraining your brain from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. I like the idea of learning from your mistakes and embracing challenges instead of feeling a sense of gratification from solving easy problems. I have not heard of Carol Dweck prior to the course however, listening to her speech has made me in agreeance with her. 
       When I graduated High School, I did not put any effort in my classes. I did homework before class started and I did the bare minimum. Somehow, I still made pretty decent grades, which should really say something about our public educational system. Unfortunately, my grade school career did not properly prepare me for the rigorous workload during my freshman year. I barely made all D's and I gave up on school altogether after my first semester. My failures swallowed me whole and like the students in Dweck's study, I ran away from difficulty. 
       After a string on meaningless jobs, I realized that living paycheck to paycheck was not how I wanted to live. I knew that college was the only way I would be able to have an actual career, something I was passionate about. I took a pretty decent amount of maturing to have this revelation, but when I did, it opened up the possibilities of getting to that growth mindset. I would definitely be more interested in this topic throughout the semester. After all, there is always room for improvement.


Personal photo of Jackson turned into a meme.








Storybook Favorites

   


     

         
           I love animals and ever since I got my kitten, I have a new found love and affection for them. So when I stumbled upon this picture on the Tale of the Traveling Cat, it automatically intrigued me. I really like the simplicity of the black and white layout and it was really easy to navigate. I also enjoyed that the author allowed Duke the cat to enjoy various destinations. He is officially the most well cultured cat.



          I instantly gravitated towards Law and Order: SSU just from name alone. Who doesn't love a strong female like Olivia Benson? I think the author did a really good job giving each agent a position it the department, their affiliation, story, and case file. Their writing fit in really well with the theme.

         Speaking of strong female leads, Piracy: Not just for Men focuses on the women who braved high waters and proved they were just as tough as the big boys. Because of the "Pirate's Code" and men being suspicious of having women on the ship, many of these ladies had to lead double lives, hiding their true identity from their fellow mates.. One was even in love with the captain of the ship.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Myth and Folklore UnTextbook

          You have no idea how happy I was to see that no textbooks were required for this class. I've already spent a ridiculous amount of money on books this semester and I still need a couple more. Regardless, it was refreshing to find many stories I am interested in reading on UnTextbook.

  • I am extremely interested in the Filipino tales genre. I even told my mother about it and she said she would love to read over some of them with me and compare and contrast it to the stories that she grew up with. I could not just choose one for this. 
  • When I was younger, my aunt gave me a book of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales. I never really got around to reading a lot of it but  I especially love that a couple of Disney movies are an adaptation from them. I am definitely interested in reading the original version of The Little Mermaid. 
  • I remember reading Dante's Inferno and the nine circles of Hell. It would be nice to get reacquainted with the book.
  • I was so happy when I found that the Brothers Grimm was on UnTextbook. I really am a big fan of Disney and I would love to read the original versions of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White in all it's dark and gritty glory. 

          I chose the picture because it is so iconic; this is the scene of Adam, Eve, and the Devil disguised as a snake. The devil has successfully convinced Eve to taste the forbidden fruit causing their eviction from the Garden of Eden. Many variations of this scene has been done and regardless of your end of the theology spectrum, you will most likely know what it is referring to. 








             Adam and Eve




Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Week 1 Storytelling: The Haunted Barn




The Haunted 


       When parents at Forman Elementary School described Evan Chambers, it was always with the tone of disapproval. Teachers despised him for he was the biggest prankster in the Fourth Grade, in the whole school, really. His biggest prank to date was convincing all the boys on the playground that the dilapidated Barn at Old Man Steven's property was haunted. It wasn't hard, the structure has seen better days for its exterior's paint had become dingy and the old wooden planks were falling apart. After its owner's health decreased over the years, he was not able to take care of it. It was so unsafe, no one has been in it for years; it really should have been condemned a long time ago. Nonetheless, Little Evan scared the boys so badly, Mrs. Jones had to make an official complaint that her twin boys were having nightmares. If only the adults knew that they were not alone. 

      In an attempt to step it up a notch, Evan decided to convince the boys to visit this haunted barn. As Timmy, Johnny, and Evan were walking home from school down Little Elm Road, the Barn came into view. "I bet you my lunch tomorrow, that you're too chicken to set foot in there," Evan said mischievously. The twins looked at each other wearily. Jimmy was the first to open his mouth, "Mama said that place ain't safe and if she ever found out we went in there she'd beat our bottoms red." A sly grin crept up Evan's face as he started flapping his arms and making chicken noises, "BAWK, BAWK, BAWK. The poor wittle babies are chickeeeeen!" 
         The boys went red in the face and huffed and puffed, as they pushed Evan aside determined to make their way to the barn, after all, they were NOT scared of anything. Evan waited for them to go a little way before stalking after them. The grass was pretty tall from the lack of maintenance, which worked to his advantage. He did not want the boys to hear or see him. Johnny and Timmy made their way to the half open barn doors. Timmy nodded at Johnny as a sign of continuing. Their was no going back, they had to prove their bravery once and for all. They slowly made their way inside. As they looked around, they realized that their was no scary monster waiting to eat there souls like Evan described, their were only old bales of Hay and random pieces of equipment. The boys exhaled in relief as they high five and cheered in excitement.
        It was then that the barn door closed and the sound of someone beating on the walls of the barn. "The monster, the monster! Run!" Jimmy ran to the door, followed by his brother and screamed for dear life all the way down the field. Evan came rushing in as the boys left, making sure he wouldn't be seen if they dared looked back. He cackled and cackled and cackled. He cackled so hard he tired himself out on a bale of Hay. "This is too easy," he said to no one in particular. 
        "Hoo," it was a noise coming from the back. Evan's necked whipped around faster than the speed of light. "Hoo, Hoo." He was scared stiff even though his whole body wanted to run. His eyes were focused on the back of the barn. The lack of windows made it some what dim in the corner. He sat up, deciding on whether or not it was safe to investigate. But unfortunately for Evan the monster made up his mind for him. A image came shooting out of the corner and Evan ran out after the twins. "The monster can fly! The monster can fly!" In all actuality, the monster was only nothing but a wise owl, upset by all the noise that disturbed his sleep. Poor little Evan was never the same again.    

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Authors Note: 
This story is based off of this nursery rhyme.
THERE was a little boy went into a barn,
And lay down on some hay;
An owl came out and flew about,
And the little boy ran away.


Monday, August 24, 2015

Introduction: Boomer Sooner 2015

      My name is Mary Tudtud. I'm from the Dallas area, specifically Plano. This is my first semester as a Sooner. I am a junior looking to get a Bachelors in biology. I would like to get into an accelerated nursing program after graduation however, as I explore more into my major, I am getting more interested in biological research. I am currently studying for my GRE on top of my studies, so we shall see what the future holds. I wanted to go to OU so I could experience something new. I have never lived so far from my family but it has made me stronger and more independent. My favorite person in the world is my mother. She is my biggest inspiration and supporter. Without her, I would not be the woman I am today.
      I have an incredibly spoiled dachshund named Jackson. Seriously, my dad cooks him fresh chicken and will buy him fried rice at our favorite restaurant just for him. I also have one kitten named Liam who has an affection for paper towels. He loves to tear them up and before writing this post I had to clean up a roll he demolished. Man, he's lucky he's so cute. 
Jackson's first day at his forever home, three years ago.


  He really hates paper products, though!

      During the Summer, I took a few online classes while trying to master the art of Call of Duty Exo Zombies. I also picked up the weird hobby of couponing. As a college student paying my way through school, it is always important to save money and it has helped my roommates and I tremendously.

Update:
      Unfortunately, Liam got out and after weeks of looking for him, he still hasn't made his way home. I miss him dearly and I hope he is OK.
      

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

My Favorite Places

Plantation Bay in Cebu, Philippines

Heaven on  Earth, Visit Here
        I went to visit my homeland a few years ago. The Plantation Bay Resort came highly recommended by multiple family members. Our room opened up to a balcony where you can actually jump into the ocean. HOW COOL IS THAT?! This location was not only breathtaking, I also had the luxury of catching up with loved ones here. This is by far one of my favorite places.




Sugar Ridge Resort in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Look at that view! Visit Here
          Sometimes, spur of the moment trips are the best destination. As was the case for me and a couple of my friends in 2012. What was supposed to be a late night drive turned into a four day trip in one of the most tranquil places I have ever been. After driving across Oklahoma, we decided to further our trip to Arkansas. We did not use our phones to find a cool place to explore. Instead we relied solely on word of mouth which lead us to the Sugar Ridge Resort in Eureka Springs. If you can brave driving up the cliffs of death to get here, that is. The best part, since no one reserved their best cabin, we were able to have it for two days at a very discounted price. This is going to sound so cheesy but sitting on that porch looking at that view with some of my closest friends, made me feel so infinite.




Las Vegas, Nevada

In front of the Bellagio
      Another spur of the moment road trip as my friends and I jokingly said in passing that we were going to Vegas. Well, one thing lead to another and we found our selves on the Texas border to New Mexico. Their was no going back from there. 20 hours later, we found ourselves in Sin City. I would go further in detail but you know what they say, "What happens here, stays here."

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