I know i can do it, but still need some motivation from people around.
Week 8 Progress
So far, i am very much enjoying this course. However, i feel like i need more time. Since i am a foreigner, it takes me much longer to to read, to understand and to write in English. I always spent around eight hours a week for reading and writing, but still didn't have time for extra credit. Plus, the workload this semester is so heavy. I feel a little bit stress when the exam week is approaching. I am waiting on some holiday events to spent more time for the project (which i am truly interesting in).
Week 8 Comments and Feedback
At the beginning of the course, most comments i received was just about the praise and the compliment on how well i got with the posts or stories. I was happy to hear that, but then one friend (anonymously) showing me i got some grammatical errors in the posts, i thanks her about that. This was a five star rating comment i got because i want to improve my writing. Then, when we talk about the "WWW" and "pretend" strategies, the comments got more and more helpful to me. It allows me to know what others really thinking about my stories and then i can make my stories more appeal to others.
On the other hand, the feedbacks i gave to other are also improved over time. First, i just gave some summary feedback (like how well the post is, how about the idea....). Now i do gave so many in-depth feedbacks for future understanding.
Leaving and receiving comments on blogs really help connecting me to others people. Since this is an online class, and i'm personally not good at remember the name, blogs provide much more information about my friends out there. Based on the way people writing the stories, one can say about the characteristics of the "author". Is he or she optimistic or pessimistic? Because, those storytelling are being told based on what the "author" wanted but actually not happen in the original version. It is really based on the perception of each person.
So far, i am satisfy with the project's introduction. However, i will make changes throughout the project for more appealing and corresponding to the development of the story.
This is the picture from the Feedback Cats. I like the picture because i'm really a fan of cat. Well! I am also like the quote. One of my professor back in Vietnam told me that "if i fail, i will try again and again and again and again... until success. But if you fail, what should you do?" It is always a big question to answer. "I may fail, but i am never a failure"
On the other hand, the feedbacks i gave to other are also improved over time. First, i just gave some summary feedback (like how well the post is, how about the idea....). Now i do gave so many in-depth feedbacks for future understanding.
Leaving and receiving comments on blogs really help connecting me to others people. Since this is an online class, and i'm personally not good at remember the name, blogs provide much more information about my friends out there. Based on the way people writing the stories, one can say about the characteristics of the "author". Is he or she optimistic or pessimistic? Because, those storytelling are being told based on what the "author" wanted but actually not happen in the original version. It is really based on the perception of each person.
So far, i am satisfy with the project's introduction. However, i will make changes throughout the project for more appealing and corresponding to the development of the story.
Week 8 Readings and Writing
I have never think i will create another blog by myself since my first blog was abandoned (actually, the first blog was created following the trend of Yahoo! blog, and may be just one or two blog posts on it). When i look at my new blog, i am very proud since it is a hundred percent English. (Yup, I know a lot of grammar mistakes here, but it is a big jump ^.^. I'll have revise them again and again). I have never read a story in English before just because i am so lazy to translate, rather than read the vietnamese version of it. This semester is a chance for me to learning english through stories. I am also surprised about those stories that i make up.
I would say that one of my favorite story is Adam and Eve Unit. I took me two days to finish the reading only. The story is written in ancient language style, ti made me hard to understand the words without actually translate them (English is hard, but ancient English is must harder). It is my favorite since it make me curious about Lilith.
What if the "touch time" are actually hidden opportunities for me to learn more? That's what i want to say for myself. This picture is inserted in Week 6 Story Lab. It's inspired me to try all my best for everything i want.
Tech Tip: Twine
After reading the story of Mouse-Bride (written by Laura), in which she used the very fun and interesting way to tell the story, I really wants to give Twine a try, and i did.
I planned on using Twine to create a simple story of "The Dream of One's Life" and then embedded to the blog post. Unfortunately, things didn't work well for the first time. Although i finished working on the Twine, but i couldn't embedded to the blog, no matter what i did follow the instructions or even used Google help. It's been two days just to find the way to embed to my blog, but i gave up (and still don't know what i did wrong) and do the simple "Twine play" instead.
Here is the structure of "The Dream of One's Life" using Twine. I did post the story itself as my storytelling week 7. Notice the circle of theo people's dream.
I planned on using Twine to create a simple story of "The Dream of One's Life" and then embedded to the blog post. Unfortunately, things didn't work well for the first time. Although i finished working on the Twine, but i couldn't embedded to the blog, no matter what i did follow the instructions or even used Google help. It's been two days just to find the way to embed to my blog, but i gave up (and still don't know what i did wrong) and do the simple "Twine play" instead.
Here is the structure of "The Dream of One's Life" using Twine. I did post the story itself as my storytelling week 7. Notice the circle of theo people's dream.
Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, Part B
Follow up part A, part B contains a selection of Laos Folk-Lore from Katherine Neville Fleeson.
In the story of The Wizard and the Beggar, the poor man insisted to the wizard, the dog and the buffalo along the road that he would not forget the merit of the person who helped him today. The wizard then gave him the "wishing jewel", so the poor man could have everything he wanted. However, because of his greedy, he and his neighbor intended to kill to wizard and took the "flying jewel", which enabled a person to fly. As a result, the wizard took back the wishing jewel flying away, leaving the two poor mans.
The Legend of the Rice explains why people today must gather the rice from the field. Long time ago, when the rice and every grain were larger, the rice ripen and fell from the stalks, rolled into the villages to the granaries. One day, a widow got mad the the rice because it ripen and rolled to the granaries, which were not ready for use yet. Then the rice swore from this day on, it would waited on the field for people to come and harvested if needed. The giant rice then broke into many thousand small grains.
The Blind Man, who pretends himself normal, deceived and married the girl. Although many things happened, the wife still didn't suspect the true. However, the father suspected through how he could't find a door to run in the fire, how he couldn't know he touched the ground when climbed out of the well. The father came and tested him by asked him to find the buffalo, but he couldn't. He then ran away. He associated with a palsied man, so one would be the eyes and one would be the feet. One day, suddenly a venom of a snake dropped to his eyes, and he restored his eyesight. Running to the home, his wife was so happy.
In the story of The Wizard and the Beggar, the poor man insisted to the wizard, the dog and the buffalo along the road that he would not forget the merit of the person who helped him today. The wizard then gave him the "wishing jewel", so the poor man could have everything he wanted. However, because of his greedy, he and his neighbor intended to kill to wizard and took the "flying jewel", which enabled a person to fly. As a result, the wizard took back the wishing jewel flying away, leaving the two poor mans.
The Legend of the Rice explains why people today must gather the rice from the field. Long time ago, when the rice and every grain were larger, the rice ripen and fell from the stalks, rolled into the villages to the granaries. One day, a widow got mad the the rice because it ripen and rolled to the granaries, which were not ready for use yet. Then the rice swore from this day on, it would waited on the field for people to come and harvested if needed. The giant rice then broke into many thousand small grains.
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| Rice Field |
The Blind Man, who pretends himself normal, deceived and married the girl. Although many things happened, the wife still didn't suspect the true. However, the father suspected through how he could't find a door to run in the fire, how he couldn't know he touched the ground when climbed out of the well. The father came and tested him by asked him to find the buffalo, but he couldn't. He then ran away. He associated with a palsied man, so one would be the eyes and one would be the feet. One day, suddenly a venom of a snake dropped to his eyes, and he restored his eyesight. Running to the home, his wife was so happy.
Week 7 Story: The Dream of One's Life
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| source: Cartoon |
The Dream of One's Life
Mr. D
Mr. D, a zemindar and also a richest person in the town, one day takes a walk around the riverside, which will soon be his property, admires of his wealthiness. He suddenly sees a farmer, who lies down in the grass field as his feather bed, crosses his legs and whistles with full of joys.
A zemindar fetches a sign, full of sorrow. He wishes he can have more time to enjoy like the farmer, Mr.R.
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Mr. R
He is a farmer, who has exposed to the sun and rain for the whole time, worrying about the crops. The harvest soon comes the reaping, but if it keeps sunny like the last several weeks, he will not have enough money from the harvest to pay for the landlord.
It is a beautiful day. The weather is so mild out. The forecast predicts that it will rain for the next two or three days. Despite of its good new, he still looks sorrow. He lies down and thinks: "I wish i can own a land, so i don't have to worry about paying the rental".
He looks far down to a small land along this riverside, whose owes by Mr. E.
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Mr. E
Receive an inheritance from his parent, Mr. E now is the owner of this small land. However, the land is useless for him, since he is a miner but his land doesn't contain any mineral. The land is left alone without pruning, digging and nourishing. Therefore, there weeds growing chin high in that place.
Mr. E, who just returned from works, drinks a sip of water with all the heavy breathing, sits down and thinks about his future. He gets tired of the manual labour. He really want to work in an office, dealing with the paper works like Mrs. A.
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Mrs. A
Mrs. A is a legal assistance in a small bank of the town. She has been working here for five years. Although she gets bored of being around the walls, putting pen to paper, and fingers to keyboard, she works really hard for promotion from her job.
Mrs. A stares off into space and certainlly looks to the office space of her boss, Mr. M. The room is empty. Mrs. A really wants to have a life living like her boss, who travels a lot on business and participates in many business parties.
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Mr.M
Mr. M is a manager of the bank. He's gonna be the branch manager when the new bank branch open in a few weeks. This time is touch for him. He has to go out a lot for business. He was sent on a risk management teaching courses in Belgium and just got back last day. Today he has to receive special guests from the parent company.
Mr. M goes back to the office after finishing the first meeting. He sits down the swivel chair, spins around and stops when confront the window thinking. He has another meeting at 1:00 pm and he should works overtime tonight so he can follow the schedule. But he misses his family.
e hadn't spent more than an hour a day with them for a while. His son misses him so much, too. He wishes he have more time. Then he thinks about Mr. S.
--------------------------------------------------------------------Mr. S
Although Mr. S is in his late fifty, he is an idle person. He always complains about every jobs that he took and keeps changing from a miner to a farmer to a worker. Recently, he quit the job at a bank because he got bored. Now he stays at home, playing with his children.
He has a lot of time so he wakes up late, plays until night and goes to bed late. His biological clock just doesn't want to work properly. 10:00 am, and he yawn drowsily with tiredness.
Although he is fun playing with the kids, but her wife seems to not happy. She worries about the uncertain future, how can she raises up the kids without his financial assistant.
He is thinking:"I wish i can win a lottery, become the richest people in the town like Mr. D, so he don't have to work or to worry about money anymore".
-------(And the circle just go around and around, never stop)-------
Author's Notes: This version is based on the idea of The Man in the Moon in Laos-Folklore Unit by Katherine Neville Fleeson (1899). In The Man in the Moon, the Blacksmith, who always complain of his life, wishes to change the others multiple times. God hears his wishes, turns him into the stone, stone-cutter, and the sun. God gets weary of his changing, then changes him one again into the Moon forever.
Take this idea, i converts a bit to account the dreams of every person. Since "the more you have, the more you want", a rich person want to have time to relax, poor people wishes to have more money. Busy people want to take a day off, while those unemployed really want to have a job.
Therefore, people all around the world have different sorrows, but all relates to others about their "dreams". Although i am not rich, but i have time to enjoy my favorite book, in which others may be a "dream".
Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, part A
This week, i am inspiring by the Folklore of Laos by Katherine Neville Fleeson. Reading through part A, i find very interesting with those stories, including The Mountain Spirits and the Stone Mortars, The Man in the Moon, and The Parrot and the Minor Bird.
In the Mountain Spirits and the Stone Mortars, the spirits, who lived in the mountain, wanted money. So they brought some mortars back into the town near them, and forced the residents to buy the mortars back although these mortars had no use to them. Because its big and useless, people in the town just left them scattered over the street.
The Man in the Moon is the story about an blacksmith, who always jealous someone or something are enjoying the life better than him, complains to God about this. First, he wishes he can become a stone, then a Stonecutter because a stone are being hurt by a stonecutter. He wishes to become a moon, then complains about its coldness. God transforms him into a sun forever.
In the Parrot and the Minor Bird, the Sao bird, which know the language of man, was punished by the owner because of speaking the true that the owner stole his neighbor's buffalo. The Sao bird therefore warned the Parrot and the Minor Bird not to speak other than the owner teaches. Therefore, nowadays, the Parrot and the Minor Bird just echoes the words of man.
In the Mountain Spirits and the Stone Mortars, the spirits, who lived in the mountain, wanted money. So they brought some mortars back into the town near them, and forced the residents to buy the mortars back although these mortars had no use to them. Because its big and useless, people in the town just left them scattered over the street.
The Man in the Moon is the story about an blacksmith, who always jealous someone or something are enjoying the life better than him, complains to God about this. First, he wishes he can become a stone, then a Stonecutter because a stone are being hurt by a stonecutter. He wishes to become a moon, then complains about its coldness. God transforms him into a sun forever.
In the Parrot and the Minor Bird, the Sao bird, which know the language of man, was punished by the owner because of speaking the true that the owner stole his neighbor's buffalo. The Sao bird therefore warned the Parrot and the Minor Bird not to speak other than the owner teaches. Therefore, nowadays, the Parrot and the Minor Bird just echoes the words of man.
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| The Mynahs bird. |
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