My Learning Challenges: Time

I have a bit of a problem with time-management. I tend to think that things can be done in a shorter amount of time than they actually can be done. I know better than to leave packing to the last day, but I still do it anyway, because I think that since I've travelled home so many times, I am better at packing now. I am almost always wrong. Every time I go home, I bring back different things, which makes packing different every time, which takes time for me to fit things into my luggage. I do try to tell myself to start packing early, but somehow I always come up with excuses to put off packing (and unpacking).

source: theithacan

I've never had this problem with my studies, although it's come close several times. I've never pulled all-nighters before, mostly because I don't need it and won't function well on no sleep, and also because I don't think my body can physically handle it.

I did read somewhere that to be more productive, it's good to write a to-do list with allotted times for the different tasks. Even if it's just small tasks like getting coffee, it's still good to write down and cross off, since it would make you feel productive and want to do more things off the list. I've tried it once, and it worked up until the point I got stuck on homework and gave up the list. I might try it again some time, now that I think about it, and see if it would work.

I've also never been particular good at taking online classes since I tend to forget the deadlines or procrastinate then have to scramble to finish my work the night before. For this class though, I wrote all the assignments' due dates on the calendar, so hopefully that keeps me on track.

Growth Mindset

I've never actually heard about Carol Dweck before, but her talk and studies were definitely very interesting. I like the concept of "yet". It doesn't tell someone they can't do something, but that they're just not there yet, and that it's possible to get there. The Growth Mindset is definitely something that should be taught young, since it's a bit harder to teach a new mindset when people are older.

souce: edutopia

The biggest challenge in me trying to learn new things is myself most of the time. Somehow I get the idea that I won't be able to do it, or if I can, it won't be good enough. If it is something very necessary, for example something that is needed for class (like understanding how to write specs in Systems Analysis and Design Theory), I would push myself more than if it was just for fun (like knitting).

The growth mindset is definitely something I'd be interested in learning more about. I think it would be great if I learned about it sooner, and I think it would have improved my studies quite a bit. It's a useful concept. If I learned more about it, I might try to use it to help the children at Kumon with their math since they seem to give up at the first sign of struggle.

My personal learning goal is try to get another 4.0 GPA this semester. The classes I'm excited about are this class, of course (I've been trying to get in for the past 2 years), and Art Therapy. The classes I'm worried about (for obvious reasons) are MIS Field Project and the Business Capstone.

Storybook Favorites

Mermaid Tales of the World
The title itself was very intriguing and the introduction was definitely very interesting. Since mermaids are one of the mythical creatures that don't really vary in their forms, powers, and other aspects when told by different people, I think I'm familiar with the subject. The story involves different tales of well known mermaids from around the world, like the Little Mermaid in Denmark and a retelling of a Welsh story, which is clever. The introduction definitely made me want to read more of the story, since it's written as if it were a dying letter from a mermaid set on a mission by her father to inform humans of the 'real' mermaid tales. The page itself was well done, with the fonts being easy to read and the colors not contrasting each other.

Mermaid saving Prince (source: tumblr)

The Secret Life of Titans

Titans are thought to be the bad guys of the world, so the title was what made me click on it. The only way I'm familiar with Greek mythology was through reading Percy Jackson and one Ancient Greece class at OU that briefly mentioned the gods and goddesses. I actually started reading the first 'chapter' rather than the introduction, and it was definitely something. The gods are now in the modern world and working at different jobs, such as Atlas working as a war analyst. The author did a good job of tying in his history with what he is doing in the present. The layout of the page is nice, although the fonts for the sidebar and title are hard to read.

Greek Heroes: The Untold Tales

The introduction to the story was quite interesting, showing the character, Joed, picking up a scroll describing 4 different Greek heroes and their tales. I know a little about 3 of the 4 heroes mentioned, so it would be fun to read about them. The story itself is just a retelling of their accomplishments and what they're known for, in a more compact format. The site itself was good, with the colors not contrasting each other and the fonts are easy to read.

Overview: UnTextbook Choices

Week 2 Reading Choice
The unit I'd want to read most for Week 2 is Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales. I've looked up some and got the opportunity to read his version of the Little Mermaid, and it was definitely interesting. I got the chance to visit Denmark a couple of summers ago and got to see the actual mermaid statue, which was very cool. It would be interesting to read the stories about some Disney characters in a different, almost more realistic, version of the story.

Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark (personal photo)

Other Choices

Other units I'm interested in include: the Ramayana unit, Brother Grimm (Ashliman), Brother Grimm (Crane), Brother Grimm (Librivox), The Life of Buddha, and Cupid & Psyche.

Throughout school back in Thailand, there were always brief mentions of Ramayana in one of the subjects, and it always sounded interesting to me, even though I never got the chance to read it. It would be nice to know the story after years of just hearing snippets.

I am interested in all the Brother Grimm stories just because like Andersen, it's another take on the happily-ever-after fairy tales we always hear. These are more realistic, in that it's what most likely happened back in those days. I've read 1-2 sentence summaries of some of the stories on the internet, but it'd be interesting to read the whole story.

I learned about Buddha's life briefly in my senior year of high school, but it would still be nice to learn more about him. 

Cupid & Psyche just sounds like it would be a fun read, although I've never actually heard or read anything about it, the short description still sounds like it would be fun. 

Introduction to a Confused Senior

Hello, person reading! My name is Jasmine, and I'm a senior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Management Information Systems (MIS) and minoring in Accounting. I started out as an Accounting major, actually, but switched out after taking about 4 weeks of Income Tax (it sucked).

I was born in Malaysia, but I grew up in Thailand. Thailand has its ups and downs. The country itself is beautiful, but the traffic is absolutely TERRIBLE. It's a good thing we have public transportations like the subway and the skytrain, but even that gets crowded with the amount of people both living in the city and tourists. I may be biased on this too, but if you haven't had Thai food before, it is recommended. One of our dishes, a curry, actually, was once voted the most delicious dish in the world (if I remember correctly). It's called the Massaman Curry. It is usually chicken, with potato in it, and it is DELICIOUS.

I came to the States when I was 16 for my senior year of high school. I recently turned 21 (December 31st) and am graduating this semester. It doesn't seem real yet that I'm graduating, and I'm not sure either if I want to stay here or go home. Oh well. Things will work out in the end, I guess. I had 2 dogs back home, but one died early January due to a cobra bite. They're both Japanese Akitas and are absolutely adorable (to me, anyway).

Hachi (RIP) (personal photo)

Aki and I (personal photo)

Koh Sri Chung, about an hour drive + 40 minute boat ride away from Bangkok

The best class I took last semester was Business Data Analysis (MIS 3213) with Dr. Miranda. It was the best because not only was it fun, but we had a choice of either taking the final or working on a final project. I did the project, of course. My project was based off of the first Harry Potter book. It was done on Excel, and you could enter information to "receive" your Hogwarts acceptance letter, "shop" for supplies in Diagon Alley, take a quiz to get sorted into your House, and receive your class schedule. It was very fun to make and was a great success (if I do say so myself). My greatest accomplishment last semester was finally, FINALLY achieving a 4.0 GPA (just for the semester...)

My favorite books/movies are the Harry Potter ones, of course. I also enjoy rewatching Lord of the Rings, although I've never actually read the books. I absolutely love How to Train Your Dragon and I am very much looking forward to the third one, which I hope will be released soon. Big Hero 6 is also another favorite, obviously... Baymax is adorable. I recently just rewatched Sherlock (the BBC version), and it still amazes me how well done the series is. I can't wait for 2017 when the next season comes out. Another show I keep up with is Criminal Minds and Game of Thrones. I haven't actually read the Song of Ice and Fire series, but it's not for lack of trying. I always get to around page 150 of the first book and just give up thinking, "I've seen the series, I know what happens", but of course there's more in the books than there is in the series, so maybe I'll try again after graduation.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and their pets (source: tumblr)

I have travelled to 19 countries so far, and I hope to increase that number in the future. My favorite countries to go to are probably Japan and Italy. Japan because the people are so nice, everything is so convenient, and the food is great. Italy because everything is so historical and beautiful, the food, of course, and the amazing gelato. I hope to go to England one day to visit Warner Brother's Studio to take a tour of the various Harry Potter sets they have there.

Week 1 Storytelling: The Lion Beat the Unicorn

The lion and the unicorn

Were fighting for the crown;

The lion beat the unicorn

All round about the town.

Some gave them white bread,

And some gave them brown;

Some gave them plum-cake,

And sent them out of town.

At the 150th Annual International Triwizard Tournament, held this year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry up in Scotland, the three representatives from each school are down to their third and final task. The final task for the champions will be for them to enter a maze designed by Professor McGonagall, where they will encounter obstacles that will require their strength, wit, cleverness, and knowledge of spells. The maze itself is an ever-changing hedge, designed to test the champions on their memory. Should anyone choose to forfeit, they just have to send up blue sparks into the sky.

“The champions this year include: Helen Blackburn of Gryffindor House (whose symbol is a Lion) from Hogwarts, Estelle Bonnet from Beauxbaton Academy of Magic (whose symbol is a Unicorn), and Marko Popov from Durmstrang Institute (whose symbol is a double-headed Eagle). Since Helen Blackburn and Estelle Bonnet has accumulated the same amount of points from the previous tasks, they would get to enter the maze at the same time, then followed by Marko Popov,” said the Headmaster, once the spectators have quieted down. “At the sound of the cannon, the contestants may enter the maze,” declared Dumbledore, followed by the boom of a cannon less than a second later. 

Gryffindor's crest, a lion

Beauxbaton's mascot, a unicorn

Durmstrng's crest, a double-headed eagle

Cheers for each school can be heard from the stand as the champions enter the maze, the sound drowned out once the maze closed itself. Sparks and flashes of light can be seen from the spectator’s stand every once in awhile, showing that the champions are fighting obstacles, and maybe themselves, to get to the cup first. 

After a stressful few hours, Helena appears before the spectators with the glowing cup clutched in her hands, being portkeyed back from wherever the cup had been placed within the maze. The other champions were fetched from within the maze a few seconds later by professors, and the winner is crowned. The prize was gifted to the winner, with consolation prizes given to the other contestants. 

A few days after the excitement of the tournament has passed, the visiting schools travel back to their hometown, and the Hogwarts students get ready to board the Hogwarts Express to travel back to London for the summer.

Author's Note

I chose to use a nursery rhyme since it's short, meaning there was a lot of ways it can be interpreted. The rhyme mentioned a lion and a unicorn, fighting for a crown, in which the lion won in the end. Seeing "lion" and "crown" reminded me of Gryffindor house, and how they frequently won the House Cup. "Unicorn" was integrated into the story by being Beauxbaton's mascot, an all-girl (I'm assuming) wizarding school based in France.

Bibliography

The story is a rhyme called "The lion and the unicorn" from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).

My Favorite Places: Bangkok and Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Bangkok, Thailand
Since it's my hometown, I'm a bit biased. Sure, the traffic is horrible most of the days, all day, but that's just an opportunity for you to find new ways home and shortcuts you never knew about. The food is great as well. Whenever anyone asks what type of food I like, it's always Thai food. It's just so tasteful and there's such a variety and it just tastes so good. So alright, some of it is ridiculously spicy, but it's still great. 

Normal midday traffic in Bangkok (personal photo)

Noodles with fish and fishballs (personal photo)

Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Orlando FL
Like most everyone, Harry Potter was a part of my childhood. Walking into Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Orlando felt like walking into the books. Well, maybe the first book since it was all happy and fun without the threat of Voldemort (oops, I mean, You-Know-Who) and his Death Eaters terrorizing the places. The shops were amazing, the staff were amazing, the Hogwarts ride made me tear up a bit with all the characters standing at the end waving, and Butterbeer was AMAZING (it's just a sweet drink.. no actual beer in it of course). The Hogwart's Express was done very creatively and again, was so awesome. Everything about this part of Universal is just great.

Hogsmeade

Diagon Alley (personal photo)

Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross station (personal photo)

The dragon on Gringott's Bank (personal photo)

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (personal photo)