Storybook Favorites

The first storybook that I looked at was Holiday Spirit. Right off the bat, I had an idea that the main topic would be about holidays. At first, I thought it would be just about Christmas but after reading the introduction I came to find out that it is about Christmas as well as Thanksgiving and Valentines day. I like how the introduction is formatted in such a way that in each of the three paragraphs, the writer gave background information on the particular holiday, and then explained how their story relates to the holiday. It also shows how they took the holiday stories and put a twist to it which interested me into wanting to read the writer's stories. The design of the storybook webpage is nice. It is easy to navigate and isn't confusing which I think is important. Above each story is a picture relating to each holiday. I think that gives the page an extra creative touch because it's always nice to have a visual image that automatically grabs your attention.

The second one I looked through was Gossips of the Glass House. I wasn't sure what to expect from the title, but I was intrigued to find out more about it. The introduction, to me, is really good. It is kind of both an introduction and a sort of prologue. Either way, it had me very interested to read the other stories. Not only that, but the layout of the website stands out to me. The color scheme is nice; it has soft colors and they all compliment one another. I also like the arrow pointer when you highlight a section in the sidebar. I can see myself doing something like that on my portfolio/storybook!

Lastly, I came across one called Happily Ever After? A Prince's Perspective. From the title, I figured the story would have a negative ending. I also thought that the story could be built off of a Disney princess movie. From the introduction, it is revealed that it's about Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel. However, it's not all like the original stories. The twist is that all of these couples turn out to be unhappy in their relationships. I'm curious to see how that turns out, especially since all of these stories are centered around there being a happy ending for the protagonists. I think one of my favorite aspects of the design is how on the very front page, there is a picture of an unhappy Snow White trying to take care of her and Prince Charming's children while he relaxes on a couch. It really gives more of a hint to what the stories will be about.

Snow White and Prince Charming
Source: ImNotObsessed

Week 1 Storytelling: The Downfall of the Conceited Jackdaw

Somewhere far away there was a wide open space of land, with two large trees that were set close to each other. In one tree an Eagle was calmly resting with her children in his nest. In the other tree, a Jackdaw was also in his nest. The Eagle and the Jackdaw never got a long as the Jackdaw always attempted to cause trouble with the Eagle. He would challenge him, pester him, and cause all sorts of mischief. Even though the Jackdaw was smaller than the Eagle, he had a huge attitude.

On one cloudy day, the Jackdaw flew the short distance to the Eagles' tree where he and his children were minding their own business.

"Hey! Are you up for a little fun today?" the Jackdaw eagerly asked the Eagle.

The Eagle took a deep sigh and said, "Not today, Jack, not today. I'm really not up for it."

"Oh, come on. It's just a fun little challenge. Hear me out. I'm betting you can't go over there and pick that lamb up. I bet you're too weak just like everyone thinks you are!" said the Jackdaw. "I, on the other hand know I could easily pick it up!"

"Jack, I don't care. I don't want to do your little challenge."

"Ha! If it's so little then why not do it? Is it because you're too weak? Are you afraid of some competition? Are you afraid I will show you up?"


Usually the Eagle wouldn't give in to the Jackdaws numerous antics and challenges, but today he was fed up and decided to go about things differently in order to hopefully make living where he did calmer for both him and his children.

"Fine," the Eagle exclaimed.

The Eagle flew over to the lamb and easily picked it up. Seeing this, the Jackdaw scoffed and said:

"Pfft, that's nothing. That's too easy! Let me show you how it's really done. Let me show what real strength looks like"

The Jackdaw spotted a ram nearby and believed he could pick it up. He flew over to the ram and attempted to lift it. He pulled and pulled, but ultimately failed. Not only that, but he was stuck!

The Eagle, laughing, swooped up the Jackdaw and flew back to his nest where his children sat waiting for their father's return. The children saw their father with the Jackdaw and grew curious.

"Did you teach him a lesson, father?" one of them inquired.

"I sure did, son, and I hope you all will learn something from this as well."

"Western Jackdaw"
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Authors Note:

"The Eagle and the Jackdaw" is a fable telling the story of a Jackdaw who believed he was much stronger than the Eagle. He saw how the Eagle was able to pick up a lamb and thought he could do better. Therefore, he tried to pick up a ram but couldn't. Instead, the Jackdaw got caught up in the wool of the ram and the Eagle clipped the Jackdaw's wing, took him back to the Eagle's nest, and made a mockery of him to his children. I decided to put more of a background to the story and give the characters more of a voice. The way I remade it, readers can see more of the Jackdaw's vanity and how he got himself into that mess and how the outcome came to be what it was.

Bibliography:

"The Eagle and the Jackdaw" by Asop, from The Asop for Children (2006). Web Source: The Project Gutenberg Ebook

Famous Last Words for Week 1

So far so good...

Yesterday was the first official day of classes here at the University of Oklahoma. I went to my Organic Chemistry II lecture, Fundamentals of Microbiology lecture, and my Microbiology lab. Those, along with my Organic Chemistry II and this class are all of the ones I'm taking this semester. My science classes that I attended yesterday didn't seem too terrible, yet, but I know as the semester continues on, it will get a little more stressful and intense in the classes. I don't think I will absolutely hate them but I know if I ever slack off, they will gladly provide me with a wake-up call! Any who, with these science classes I'm glad to have this Mythology and Folklore class to give me a good balance in my life. I personally think that it's extremely important to have a course you know you will enjoy and that will give you a break from the intense classes specific to your major and field of study. It keeps you sane and calmer. I believe that this will keep more at ease because it combines my love for reading and writing all while I am also focused on my science classes. I have a good feeling about the semester and I don't think that's a bad thing. I think it's great to have an optimistic outlook and believe everything will go well. I always prepare myself for the worst, but I try to focus on the good.

Aside from my classes, last Friday I went to the Involvement Fair on campus to support one of the clubs that I'm in: Circle K International which is a volunteering service club. Clubs also give a good balance and it is always great to get involved and become more well-rounded. It was nice to see a lot of the new freshmen and returning students interested in a lot of the many clubs that the University of Oklahoma has to offer so I'm ready to see what this year has in store in that aspect, as well!

Balance
Source: Commons.Wikimedia

Week 1 Review

I was scrolling and reading through today's announcements and, coincidentally, the very first post under the "..fun and exploration" section jumped out at me. It was the Happiness Jar idea. I'll include the link to the announcement where the post can be found here. The reason this automatically jumped out to me is because I was actually planning on having a memory jar for this college year. They're pretty similar so as soon as saw the post in the announcement it reminded me of the fun idea! I can't wait to get started on the memory jar, especially since this might be my last year of under grad before I (hopefully) get into Pharmacy School!

Happiness Jar Idea
Source: Online Course Announcements

UnTextbook Reading Choices

As I was looking through the UnTextbook (which is a really cool source), I found some readings that stood out to me.

My first choice would most certainly have to be the Nigeria Unit. This is my first choice because I'm Nigerian (both of my parents were born there) so I'm extremely interested to read from this unit. I always really enjoy learning more about my culture. I can't wait to get started on this reading and relate it to what I already know about the country!

Secondly, I think I might want to read is the Alice in Wonderland Unit. This reminds me a lot of my childhood! I loved this story growing up, along with the movies made. I'm sure this unit will be a great read.

Next, for my third choice, I chose the Decameron Unit. It's very intriguing to here multiple accounts from different people in stories so I also think this will be an engaging read. I also like learning about Medieval Europe, so I think this will give me a good chance to learn more about the culture.

Lastly, for my fourth UnTextbook reading choice, I believe I will read the Adam and Eve unit. I think this will be a thought-provoking one. I'm very curious to see how authors took the famous biblical story and put their own spin to it.

Oguta Lake
Source: Wikipedia

Above, I placed a picture of the Oguta Lake located in Nigeria. I decided to have this picture on this post because it relates to my first reading choice unit: Nigeria. Not only that, but it reminds me a lot of when I visited the country. When I was in Nigeria, me and my family saw part of the Niger river. Although different, the Oguta Lake picture just took me back to that time where I experienced the beauty of the culture.

Fall 2015 Introduction!

Hello all!

What better opportunity to introduce myself than in my introduction post? Well, my name is Christine and I'm a sophomore here at the University of Oklahoma. I'm pre-pharmacy and I'm taking this class along with Microbiology and Organic Chemistry II, both with lab. Science classes are, of course, the majority of my classes that I have and will be taking for the remainder of my academic career but I always like to balance the sciences out with another non-science class I know I would enjoy. I came across this class while making my schedule last spring and thought it would be a good fit for me! This leads me into one of my favorite hobbies: writing. I absolutely love writing and if I was doing a four-year degree here it would have definitely been my minor. I've loved reading and writing and how they both give are able to create and display worlds in which people could relate to and get lost in. Aside from becoming a Pharmacist, I aspire to someday write books and maybe even become an author! So, this is one reason I thought this class would be a good fit for me. It gives me the ability and push to write more everyday in order to both try to improve my writing and provide me with an outlet to express myself.

"Writing"
Source: Wikipedia

Besides class, I'm the youngest of four and I'm full Nigerian (my parents were both born there, I was born in OKC,OK). I've traveled to Nigeria once when I was younger and it was quite an experience! It was my first ever plane ride and we went through Tennessee and Amsterdam. I loved getting to see more of my extended family and learn more about myself, culturally. Speaking of, the culture there really is beautiful and everyone there seems so close. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. I also got to see part of the Niger river so that was cool too!

My family is also extremely important to me. I wouldn't be where, or who, I am without their unconditional love and support. They're always willing to help me out when I need it and they're definitely my rock. My sister, who's only a year and half older than me, is basically my best friend. I think us being so close in age has really helped us to become as close as we are now. She's always there to laugh and cry with me and I relate to her more than anyone else. She truly has helped to guide me in the right direction and she never fails to give me great advice.

(Personal photo: My sister Teresa and I) 

Something else about myself is that I also enjoy watching movies and television shows (my favorite genres are comedy, drama, romance and fantasy). Two of my all time favorite TV shows are The Office (U.S.) and Parks and Recreation. I love these shows because I know I can always count on them to give me a good laugh at any time.

Season Three Characters of The Office (U.S.) TV Show
Source: Wikipedia

Even though I haven't had time to do so, I love to sketch. I usually draw portraits, although I feel like it's been so long since I've done one. I would really like to get back into it and hopefully I will someday soon. It was a great way to relax and relieve stress. I always thought I might try to improve and do something with drawing but I think writing became more important to me along the way.

(Personal photo: Old portrait of Luke Wilson I drew for my friend)

I hope this introduction gave everyone the chance to know me a little bit better. I'm thrilled to learn more about you guys, too!

Favorite Places Thus Far...

"Enugu, Nigeria from the west"
Wikipedia

I haven't been to nearly as many places as I want to travel to yet, but of the small selection of places I have been to, my favorite would have to be the country Nigeria located in Africa. My parents grew up there so it already had a special place in my and my families hearts. I traveled there with my family in the winter of 2008 (which, even though it was winter here in America, it felt like summer over there). Going there for two weeks, although short, was definitely an experience. First off, it was my first every plane ride and it was close to 20 hours long! But, that's besides the point. Nigeria is a beautiful country and it's filled with so much rich culture. From the food, to the clothing, to the dancing, everything was so new to me but so exciting at the same time. It was very different from what I was used to since I grew up in America. However, it was so nice to get more connected with my roots, see more of my extended family, and make memories I would never forget.

"Westminster Bridge" in London, England
Wikipedia

Of the places I haven't been to, I really would love to visit the United Kingdom, specifically London, England. I've been intrigued with aspects such as the culture and architecture for a while. I know just hearing about it is not nearly an experience as seeing it in person so that's definitely on my travel bucket list. Hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later!