Famous Last Words: Recovering From Being Sick in College

 

Sick

Picture by Evan Amos

Source: Wikipedia

 

I would like to start off this post by saying, sanitize, sanitize, and sanitize…EVERYTHING. Everyone has been getting sick. Some have the flu, some have pneumonia, and some just have a really bad cold.

This week I got sick, and am still recovering, but doing MUCH better. Being sick in college is probably one of the hardest obstacles I’ve had to overcome. I fell behind in every class, had to move a test, and was very sick on Valentine’s Day. One thing I learned was that ramen is the best food to eat when you’re sick. Luckily, I was able to go to Tatsumaki Ramen on Valentine’s Day. I debated on not going because it was rainy and cold, and I didn’t want to get worse, but it was one of the best decisions my boyfriend and I made.

I don’t have a guide to keeping up with college while being sick. The best advice I can give to anyone that has the cold or the flu is REST. I think rest is the only reason I’m finally better. Don’t be so hard on yourself, and don’t continue to study or do homework if you’re body is telling you to stay in bed and sleep. Our bodies recover faster when they are at rest because the process of recovery isn’t disturbed. I know it’s very hard to even think about just sleeping with quizzes, tests, and homework that piles on, but do your body a favor and rest. Also, stay hydrated. This is also hard to do when water doesn’t even taste good when you’re sick. Personally, I prefer Canada Dry. It’s my go to when I’m not feeling well. However, the best option is water.

I hope this helps all those that are sick, or get sick in the future. Sanitize, rest, and drink water are my three “must do’s” when sick. On a side note, always carry tissues with you.

Reading Notes: Pattanaik's Calendar Art: Part A (Ganesha)

Ganesha

Picture by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra

Source: Wikipedia

 

I enjoyed watching this video because it explains Hinduism in simple terms—something that is very hard to do, and even all the videos, pictures, and books put together could not justify the complexity of this religion and even the culture. I like that this video starts off with a simple picture of different idols. When you take a closer look at the picture, the viewer sees all the different elements of the gods like Ganesha’s elephant head, the peacock, and even another god within the picture.

I feel like using a picture to tell a story relating to Ganesha’s task to travel the world is something I could use in my own story. However, I would like to include the journey in one picture. I guess this would kind of be like picture books we read as children where the pictures do the talking. A concept that I really liked from the video is the one that explains being incomplete without women, which is represented by a different god. I would like to keep this concept in my own story by adding a female character to Ganesha’s travel around his world. There are many meanings of the various gods I can utilize to tell a story of a journey. I think this video will keep me in check of all the meaningful values held in each god I decide to include.

I like that this video was slow and detailed because it allowed me to better understand what Ganesha, Shiva, Parvatri, and my favorite Sarawati, and more all stood for. I feel like knowing some more knowledge behind the actual gods will allow me to make my story more “realistic” with a twist. I look forward to finding a picture to fit my criteria, and telling a story from just one picture.

Bibliography: Devdutt Pattanaki's Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art

 

Reading Notes: Weapons for the Future, Part B

 

Arjuna 

Picture by: Ilussion

Source: Wikipedia 

I feel the character of Arjuna is very interesting because of the weapons he gets are symbolic to the development of his personality. I like how Arjuna is basically on an adventure while getting these weapons. Urvashi falls in love with him, he learns new dances, and he even deals with a curse cast on him—all things that happen throughout his journey. I think this concept of adventure and journey is something I could use in my own story to build my characters. I would also like to use weapons to represent a piece of Arjuna’s personality as he continues his trip.

Urvashi is character I would like to keep in my story because she reminds me of an evil twin sister in fairy-tales I used to love watching and reading. She is considered one of the prettiest, but she has a bad influence on people. I would like to use her character to represent human emotions in Arjuna such as feeling attraction towards something that may not be the best for them because lets face it, we’ve all had our moments where we give people benefit of the doubt.

Benefit of the doubt is the lesson I want to include in my own story through Arjuna’s character. I think the weapons will tie in really well with how this lesson is learned. I think this will be a fun story to portray because it will have a little bit of everything—bravery, love, mistakes, and action. I’m excited to put this story to work! I want my story to be a little different when it comes to his journey. Arjuna’s character in my story will have to go through many obstacles to gain a number of weapons that he will pass down to his future kids. I would like to use foreshadow in my story, as well. 

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana, Reading Guide B