Famous Last Words: Week 9

So far, this has been one of the busiest semesters I have ever had. The seventeen credit hours are finally catching up to me...needless to say, I've been slacking a bit when it comes to this class. I'm still on track to get an A because I started off this course strong, but I need to make sure I keep up with ALL of the weekly assignments from here on out so I can finish the class before dead week if possible! That's my goal so I can focus on studying for my difficult courses when the time comes.

I’m enjoying the course as it goes on! I’m glad we finally started the Mahabharata because Arjuna is one of my favorite characters when it comes to Indian Epics. He’s pretty interesting to read about and I’m looking forward to finishing up the Mahabharata as we wrap up the course! As I mentioned earlier, my goal is to end the class a couple weeks early with an A so I can focus on studying for finals those last two weeks. I’ll have to pick up the slack these next few weeks if I want to get that done, but it should be manageable!

Other than class and working at CASP, I’ve been keeping up with The Walking Dead and I cannot wait for Season 5 of Game of Thrones to premiere next month! Those are probably my two favorite shows at the moment. I have also been keeping up with the Cricket World Cup as India advances to the semi-finals! I don’t follow cricket regularly but I always try and find time to support India when the World Cup rolls around because it’s such a big deal. We’re only two games away from winning the whole thing! Hopefully it ends up happening because that would be a huge accomplishment. People in India are ready to go nuts if we win the CWC!

CWC 2015; Web Source

Google Timer Tech Tip

I think the Google Timer would be a good way in managing the time you spend on the computer or for doing anything in general. The way I manage time is by blocking out certain times of the day where I just focus on school work. During those times, I put my phone on silent and put away anything that will distract me. Then I study in short intervals and take even shorter breaks in between so I don't get burnt out. This helps me control and take advantage of the time I have available.

Right now, I don't use a timer to manage my time. I just check the time on my phone or laptop and go from there to see how I'm doing.

Week 9 Reading Diary B:

In this section of Narayan’s Mahabharata, I found the game of dice to be an interesting read. I’m not even really sure how to play dice, but it seems like that game was the game to play back then. I found Duryodhana’s jealousy and hate towards the Pandavas to be quite comical actually. He’s like the annoying little villain who never gives up on getting rid of the protagonist. I don’t get why Yudhishthira doesn’t just quit the first game of dice when he realizes how bad he’s losing instead of losing all his possessions. I mean, he loses his wife, Draupadi, his clothes, and even his brothers! Luckily, Krishna comes to Draupadi’s rescue when Duryodhana forcefully tries to undress her. He somehow makes another sari appear on Sita when the original is removed.

Luckily, Dhritarashtra gives Draupadi three wishes that he vows to grant. She uses the first two wishes to set Yudhishthira free, as well as her other four husbands. She refuses to request a third wish so Dhritarashtra gives the Pandavas’ possessions back to them and lets them return to Indraprastha without any further trouble. I really don’t understand why he let them go so easy after the trouble of building the assembly hall and setting up the game of dice with the Pandavas. Although the second game of dice would go in Duryodhana’s favor as well, it’s weird that he let them go so easy. The second game of dice results in the Pandavas being exiled for thirteen years; twelve years in poverty and one in disguise.

The game of dice; Wikipedia

Week 9 Reading Diary A: Intro to the Mahabharata

The main thing that caught my attention in Narayan’s Mahabharata was the fact that there’s an abundance of new characters introduced very quickly. I was kind of overwhelmed trying to keep names associated with their characters but I think as I keep reading I’ll be able to sort it out and keep it straight in my head.

I was immediately curious at the beginning of the book when it was mentioned that Ganga would only marry Shantanu, the king of Hastinapura, if he never questioned her actions. That seemed very sketchy and odd to me because everyone questions everything. When Ganga starts throwing the babies in the river I was shocked and then curious to know her reasoning behind doing so. It’s surprising how it took Shantanu seven drowned babies to finally question Ganga’s motive behind doing do. Ganga then explains that she is actually the river Ganga reincarnated as a human to give birth to eight gods, called the Vasus. The Vasus are being punished by being reincarnated as humans for stealing a cow. Ganga explains that she is just returning the gods to the heavens by drowning the babies.

As the book goes on, character such as the Pandavas, are introduced. The Pandavas are the sons of Pandu, who eventually dies along with one of his wives. Pandu’s other wife, Kunti, is left to raise the five sons. The names of the five Pandavas are Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. I’m excited to finally be reading about Arjuna because I have always been intrigued by his character. The Pandavas all marry Draupadi, whom Arjuna wins over in a competition.

Draupadi and the Pandavas; Wikipedia