Comment ça va? Je vais bien, merci.
This is 'How are you? I am well, thanks' in the barely-pronounceable language of French. I took it for a semester, and boy, did I miss Spanish. But it is true that the culture is interesting and it was fun to look for connections for words in French to words in Spanish.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Week 2: Reading Diary -- Aesop Fables (Winter)
Aesop Fables (Winter)
Page 1
I actually liked both the stories on page 1. I thought The Wolf and the Kid was interesting because, even though the Kid got himself into trouble in the first place, he used his resourcefulness (or was it dumb luck?) to get out of his situation. As for The Tortoise and the Ducks, it shows that vanity comes with a price, as well as the fact that you must be aware of your surroundings. I also thought the backstory to the Tortoise's shell was interesting.
Page 2
I liked the The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox, because it showed that you should always be wary and if someone tries to trick you, watch out for and counter it. I thought The Eagle and the Jackdaw was funny, as the Jackdaw tries to copy the eagle and fails. It shows that one should never overestimate their abilities.
Page 3
The Oxen and the Wheels was a fable I'd never heard of before. But it's surprisingly true. You often see that people who are hardworking don't complain, while people who aren't complain over the littlest things. It's probably because they just want attention. The second fable that caught my eye was The Gnat and the Bull story. It's basic human nature to overestimate your own importance in someone's life.
Page 4
The one story I liked on this page was the Lion and the Ass. Even though the Lion could have gotten angry, he decides he's above the Ass's heckling. I think that takes lots of discipline to have that type of mindset.
Page 5
In the first story, The Owl and the Grasshopper, the Owl is smart. She both gets a snack and gets rid of the annoyance when the Grasshopper, taken in by flattery, decides to trust the Owl. In The Wolf and His Shadow, it's easy for the Wolf to give into his fantasies, which leads to his downfall. Another story about how vanity shouldn't overtake good judgment.
Page 6
As I read this the Ass and the Image, I knew what the Ass was going to think as he walked up the procession with the image on his back. It's pretty easy to believe (especially when we are prideful) that we instill awe in others. Another story I liked was The Two Goats. It shows how much pride can get in the way of common sense. The Lion and the Gnat interested me as well because of the twist in the story. After defeating the Lion with his bites, the Gnat eventually fell prey to a spider's web. I thought that The Leap at Rhodes had a good moral, being that if you have a skill, you have to show it rather than brag.
Page 9
The story I particularly liked was The Wolf and the Ass. The Ass was pretty clever to come up with such a plan that drew on the "logic" of the Wolf. If the Wolf had just eaten the Ass without worrying, it would have been smarter on his part.
Page 10
The Cat and the Monkey is another story about vanity. People will do things easily for someone else just to show off or satisfy their own ego at the expense of common sense. The Dogs and the Hides involved dogs with a really bad plan to eat animal skins. They thought they could drink up the entire river to get to the skins, and they found out the hard way not to try for unachievable goals.
Page 11
The one story I really liked here was The Fox and the Leopard, mostly because the moral was that beauty is within. The Leopard may, as the Fox readily admits, be more beautiful, but the Fox has a smarter head on his shoulders.
Page 12
The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse was a good example of how appearances can deceive; even if someone looks nice, doesn't mean they are. Another story about deceptive appearances was The Wolf and the Shepherd. Even though the Wolf didn't look like it mean any harm after being with the Shepherd for a while, the Shepherd still shouldn't have become complacent. The Crane and the Peacock is about utility; even though the wings of the Peacock are much more beautiful, the Crane still wins with its useful wings.
Page 14
I've read Mercury and the Woodsman as The Golden Axe when I was a child, and I like the message (if a little naive, in my opinion) that honesty will get you everywhere. The story of The Frog and the Mouse showed the Frog that Karmic law was going to get him in the end.
Page 15
In The Serpent and the Eagle, the Eagle saves the Man after the Man saves the Eagle. It's a story about repaying kindness, but technically the Man wouldn't have been in danger if he hadn't saved the Eagle. I thought the story of The Beetle and the Eagle was interesting. It shows that the strong sometimes have no respect for the weaker, and make enemies out of those who have cunning and revenge-bent minds.
Page 16
The Bat was clever in the story The Bat and the Weasel. He runs across two Weasels and each mistakes him for a Cat or a Mouse. Because of his ambiguous appearance, he works with the situation and escapes being eaten. I laughed when I read The Butterfly and the Rose, because it's true that you can't honestly complain about someone having a certain quality you have yourself.
Page 17
In The Eagle and the Kite, I thought that the moral given at the end -- that 'all's fair in love' -- was kind of funny but bad. The Kite lies in order to win the Eagle's love -- shouldn't there be a moral of how you can't have a relationship based on lies? When I read another story, The Animals and the Plague, I thought the moral rang true. When all the big animals are going on about their sins, they are forgiven, but when the Ass says his one, tiny sin, it gets the entire kingdom to sacrifice him to the gods to get rid of the plague. It's often times that the weaker get the brunt of the punishment or blame.
Page 19
In the Ass and His Shadow, it's ironic that the Owner and the Traveler get into a disagreement about the shade (the shadow of the Ass) and the Ass (and the shade) runs away. The Traveler and the Owner got so caught up in the small things they failed to see the bigger picture. In the Wolf, the Kid, and the Goat, it's good that the Kid took a second precaution rather than just letting the Wolf in, who happened to guess the password correctly. Otherwise the Kid would have been eaten.
Page 20
In the Wolves and the Sheep, the pack of wolves was smart in trying to eat the sheep. Rather than going on the offensive, they pretended to want to befriend the sheep. The sheep, being not so bright, decided to send the dogs, who were protecting them, away. It shows that you shouldn't be so quick to get new friends at the expense of old ones. In the Fighting Cocks and the Eagle, I thought it was ironic that the Cock who had beaten the other Cock in the fight won the battle but lost the war, since he was eaten by the Eagle after bragging and celebrating. It's another story about the dangers of pride.
Page 1
I actually liked both the stories on page 1. I thought The Wolf and the Kid was interesting because, even though the Kid got himself into trouble in the first place, he used his resourcefulness (or was it dumb luck?) to get out of his situation. As for The Tortoise and the Ducks, it shows that vanity comes with a price, as well as the fact that you must be aware of your surroundings. I also thought the backstory to the Tortoise's shell was interesting.
Page 2
I liked the The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox, because it showed that you should always be wary and if someone tries to trick you, watch out for and counter it. I thought The Eagle and the Jackdaw was funny, as the Jackdaw tries to copy the eagle and fails. It shows that one should never overestimate their abilities.
Page 3
The Oxen and the Wheels was a fable I'd never heard of before. But it's surprisingly true. You often see that people who are hardworking don't complain, while people who aren't complain over the littlest things. It's probably because they just want attention. The second fable that caught my eye was The Gnat and the Bull story. It's basic human nature to overestimate your own importance in someone's life.
Page 4
The one story I liked on this page was the Lion and the Ass. Even though the Lion could have gotten angry, he decides he's above the Ass's heckling. I think that takes lots of discipline to have that type of mindset.
Page 5
In the first story, The Owl and the Grasshopper, the Owl is smart. She both gets a snack and gets rid of the annoyance when the Grasshopper, taken in by flattery, decides to trust the Owl. In The Wolf and His Shadow, it's easy for the Wolf to give into his fantasies, which leads to his downfall. Another story about how vanity shouldn't overtake good judgment.
Page 6
As I read this the Ass and the Image, I knew what the Ass was going to think as he walked up the procession with the image on his back. It's pretty easy to believe (especially when we are prideful) that we instill awe in others. Another story I liked was The Two Goats. It shows how much pride can get in the way of common sense. The Lion and the Gnat interested me as well because of the twist in the story. After defeating the Lion with his bites, the Gnat eventually fell prey to a spider's web. I thought that The Leap at Rhodes had a good moral, being that if you have a skill, you have to show it rather than brag.
Page 9
The story I particularly liked was The Wolf and the Ass. The Ass was pretty clever to come up with such a plan that drew on the "logic" of the Wolf. If the Wolf had just eaten the Ass without worrying, it would have been smarter on his part.
Page 10
The Cat and the Monkey is another story about vanity. People will do things easily for someone else just to show off or satisfy their own ego at the expense of common sense. The Dogs and the Hides involved dogs with a really bad plan to eat animal skins. They thought they could drink up the entire river to get to the skins, and they found out the hard way not to try for unachievable goals.
Page 11
The one story I really liked here was The Fox and the Leopard, mostly because the moral was that beauty is within. The Leopard may, as the Fox readily admits, be more beautiful, but the Fox has a smarter head on his shoulders.
Page 12
The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse was a good example of how appearances can deceive; even if someone looks nice, doesn't mean they are. Another story about deceptive appearances was The Wolf and the Shepherd. Even though the Wolf didn't look like it mean any harm after being with the Shepherd for a while, the Shepherd still shouldn't have become complacent. The Crane and the Peacock is about utility; even though the wings of the Peacock are much more beautiful, the Crane still wins with its useful wings.
Page 14
I've read Mercury and the Woodsman as The Golden Axe when I was a child, and I like the message (if a little naive, in my opinion) that honesty will get you everywhere. The story of The Frog and the Mouse showed the Frog that Karmic law was going to get him in the end.
Page 15
In The Serpent and the Eagle, the Eagle saves the Man after the Man saves the Eagle. It's a story about repaying kindness, but technically the Man wouldn't have been in danger if he hadn't saved the Eagle. I thought the story of The Beetle and the Eagle was interesting. It shows that the strong sometimes have no respect for the weaker, and make enemies out of those who have cunning and revenge-bent minds.
Page 16
The Bat was clever in the story The Bat and the Weasel. He runs across two Weasels and each mistakes him for a Cat or a Mouse. Because of his ambiguous appearance, he works with the situation and escapes being eaten. I laughed when I read The Butterfly and the Rose, because it's true that you can't honestly complain about someone having a certain quality you have yourself.
Page 17
In The Eagle and the Kite, I thought that the moral given at the end -- that 'all's fair in love' -- was kind of funny but bad. The Kite lies in order to win the Eagle's love -- shouldn't there be a moral of how you can't have a relationship based on lies? When I read another story, The Animals and the Plague, I thought the moral rang true. When all the big animals are going on about their sins, they are forgiven, but when the Ass says his one, tiny sin, it gets the entire kingdom to sacrifice him to the gods to get rid of the plague. It's often times that the weaker get the brunt of the punishment or blame.
Page 19
In the Ass and His Shadow, it's ironic that the Owner and the Traveler get into a disagreement about the shade (the shadow of the Ass) and the Ass (and the shade) runs away. The Traveler and the Owner got so caught up in the small things they failed to see the bigger picture. In the Wolf, the Kid, and the Goat, it's good that the Kid took a second precaution rather than just letting the Wolf in, who happened to guess the password correctly. Otherwise the Kid would have been eaten.
Page 20
In the Wolves and the Sheep, the pack of wolves was smart in trying to eat the sheep. Rather than going on the offensive, they pretended to want to befriend the sheep. The sheep, being not so bright, decided to send the dogs, who were protecting them, away. It shows that you shouldn't be so quick to get new friends at the expense of old ones. In the Fighting Cocks and the Eagle, I thought it was ironic that the Cock who had beaten the other Cock in the fight won the battle but lost the war, since he was eaten by the Eagle after bragging and celebrating. It's another story about the dangers of pride.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Youtube Tech Tip (2)
For this tech tip, I decided to embed a YouTube video into my post.
And, for a little of the lovely Taylor Swift...
It's so beautiful.
And, for a little of the lovely Taylor Swift...
It's so beautiful.
Blogger Template Tech Tips (1)
I forgot to do a post for my first tech tip, which was the Blogger Template change. I changed the design from simple to picture and made the background sailboats rather than a storm.
Week 1: Storybook Favorites
Though I wasn't that impressed with the design of The Lost and Forgotten blog, I was intrigued by the title and more so by the introduction. What an interesting backstory! I loved that a collector gathered items he believed were in fairytales from all over the world. This storybook consisted of tales told by a collection of overlooked Japanese artifacts, which I thought was really unique as well. To top it all off, the author was an exceptional writer.
I would have overlooked Battle of the Heroes when I first read its first sub story, Siegfried, because I had no idea what was going on (since, like an idiot, I forgot to read the introduction). What stood out to me in my confusion was the clear, descriptive writing -- and that made me go back to introduction. I'm grateful I did, because not only is the writing awesome, but the idea behind the storybook is an ingenious way to tie the tales of the unrelated warriors together. The author decided to imagine an organization in the future that traveled back in time to gather the best of certain groups to create different TV shows.
I'm glad I stumbled upon Legendary Creatures Stand Up, which was well-written and funny. Creating an annual convention where all the mythical creatures meet up and talk about their experiences with humans is such a creative way to do a storybook, partly because it allowed the author to tell each creature's story in a TV-show atmosphere. This is the first storybook that I've seen approach each story from such an angle. With its hosts Ms. Britney Chupacabra and Mr. Rex Unicorn, different mythical creatures were interviewed about their interactions with humans. And the great thing about that is you get to see what it's like for the other side and how the many of the creatures view humans.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Week 1: Course Overview
Interesting Reading Units
Cupid and Psyche
I love magic, and it interested me to see the god Cupid as
one of the romantic leads in a love story, when he’s known as a creator of
many. And I can’t resist a good fairytale.
Turkish Fairy Tales
I think what I liked about this was that the stories were strange,
but in a new perspective sort of way. Who goes looking for Fear? But it shows
us important lessons about human nature.
Twenty-two Goblins
I think what compelled me to look at this unit was that it
shows the logic specific to a certain culture regarding societal values. Which
will the King pick to satisfy the Goblin? The tales say a lot about ancient
Indian culture.
Sun-Ku Wong
This reading unit interested me because of Sun-Ku Wong’s
connection to the Hindu god Hanuman, whose stories I grew up with. Plus, I’m
curious about Chinese mythology and culture.
Fairee Queen:
Britomart
I must admit that gender-bender characters do intrigue me
because of how they break the gender barrier, so this reading unit is perfect
to explore that. I also love comedy, especially when paired with fantasy.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Week 1: Favorite Places
Hawaii (specifically, the island of Oahu)
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Okay, this is completely the nerd talking in me, but if I had another favorite place to choose, it would definitely be the world of Avatar the Last Airbender. Although the entire world isn't explored by the show, what is revealed in detail is an interesting and complex society with a variety of cultures. To top it all off, this world contains fantastical qualities, in that some people can manipulate the elements and there are dragons.
Library (specifically the Abbey Library in St. Florian, Austria)
(Photo by Cristoph Seelbach)
And, last but not least, a library. Hey, the assignment said place. And what better place than the one with thousands of places inside it?
Saturday, August 16, 2014
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