Famous Last Words: During Midterms

I think I have found a writing style that I like to use for my stories and people seem to enjoy them so I think that I will continue with that until I find something else that I like more. I might also like to use more of a modern language so that It is more relatable to people today that are reading it instead of having it in a language that they are not used to hearing. I don't really write for any classes other than this one and if I have to write papers so I guess I have to say that my best writing is for this class since I have not written papers for any classes yet, although I do have one due next week. I just kind of start writing and see how it goes, its easy to get with the flow once I have actually started writing instead of just thinking about doing it. I loved a story that I just read today, it completly changed the character of Sita and made her independant. She had her own views and wasn't just waiting for someone to do things for her. She was her own person and it was great reading about how she just dissed Rama and finally became independent. And the writing he used was modern which really helped people connect. I personally have not seen any connections between this class and my other classes but maybe later in the semester. I am trying to do things in advance for my classes so that during the week I have more time to study instead of just doing homework all the time, like I am now.  I did that earlier in the semester and it really did help so I am hoping to try and contiune that later on too.

Time Management Blog 2016

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues: Notes B

So rama makes sita prove herself with the fire right after the battle and then they go back to the castle where Rama is. She told him she was pregnant and then after the incident with the dhobi he realized that these people do not respect him. He understood that Sita must go in order for him to be respected by his people. So he kicks her out and she is exiled into the forest. She gives birth over there and her sons sing praise of rama. Even after everything that happened to her she still loves rama and believes in him unconditionally. On one part he wants to do justice with everyone but he does injustice with his own wife. He always doubted her but not once did he prove himself to her nor did she ever ask him.

Sita Sings the Blues Nina Paley 

Sita Returns to Mother Earth: Nina Paley

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues: Part A

I like how modern it is. They explain it in a very easy to understand manner and the language is how they would talk today which makes everyone interested in it. This version doesn’t talk about Lakshmana. So they light up Hanuman’s tail in an effort to humiliate him instead he burns down lanka. It seemed like it was a lot easier to kill Ravana. They gave it a modern twist, which I like and I think I might do that too since it makes it a lot easier for people to get an interest in it. They also had outsiders in the story that go through the confusion that a lot of people have. They skimmed through a lot of the details that were in the other version of the Ramayana.
Sita Sings the Blues, Nina Paley: Video

Sita Sings the Blues, Nina Paley

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

I decided to add a little weather widget onto my blog so now you can see the weather too in case you didn't know or were curious.

Here's the link in case you decided to get one too.
Weather

The Story of Kumbhakarna

This story starts out in Ravana's palace. He's pacing in the battle planning room. There are numerous maps lining the walls. There is an image of the battleground and where their troops are stationed with blue flags. They have red flags for the enemy troops. Ravana understands that in order for him to win against his enemy, he has to wake up Kumbhakarna. So he calls for a couple of his soldiers to come into the room to do a task for him.

Ravana: We need to wake up Kumbhakarna so he can help us in this battle. Soldiers, go wake him up right now. I don’t care how you do it. Just do it right now.

*The two soldiers leave and go to the room where Kumbhakarna is sleeping. It's not even a room but more of a huge hall because of his massive figure. He is against the wall on a bed. There are two women fanning him so that he does not get too hot. The soldiers start to devise a plan that could work.*

Ek-annk: I don’t know how we can wake him up. Ravana always orders us around and we have to do it without him telling us how to do it.

Marcha: How can we wake him up? He only wakes up once every six months because of Brahma.

Ek-annk: What do you mean? Why does he only wake up once every six months?

Marcha: Well, this happened a long time ago. From what I heard, Kumbhakarna was very powerful and strong. He would take advantage of that and terrorize the people. He ate them, tortured them, and just made their lives horrible. Seeing this Brahma decided that he would sleep for six months and then only wake up for one day.

Ek-annk: Hmmm! That makes sense now. Well, back to the problem at hand. We can try yelling right by him. Get everyone from the palace. The more people the better.

Marcha: Okay, let’s try it. I’ll gather everyone up.

Ek-annk: This isn’t working. We need to get something louder.

Marcha: We could try playing loud music right by both of his ears.

Ek-annk: It's worth a shot. Let’s bring drums and trumpets.

Marcha: It’s not working. We need to do something more extreme.

Ek-annk: He is huge and strong; we need to get elephants to go all over his body so that could wake him up.

Marcha: That will definitely work. He has to feel all that weight on his body and wake up. I will arrange for five or seven elephants that will wake him up.

Ek-annk: This is good. I will wait for you here and try to wake him up with noise while you go.

*Meanwhile Ravana is getting impatient and wondering why Kumbhakarna has not woken up yet. He is in the battle room, pacing the floor. He keeps trying to think of new tactics against Rama.*

Ravana: Soldiers! Why is my brother not awake yet? He needs to go to war.

Ek-annk: We are working on it, your Majesty. We have devised a plan that will surely not fail. He has to wake up after this and kill that Rama.

Ravana: Well, do it faster! He will still need to eat in order to regain his strength and then go fight. We do not have all day for this, and you guys have already spent two hours on this.

Ek-annk: Of course, your Majesty, we will get this done quickly.

*In the other room six great big elephants are trampling Kumbhakarna’s body in order to wake him up but it is not working.*

Ek-annk: Is it done yet? Has he finally woken up from his slumber?

Marcha: No, this is not working. Maybe we should give it some time before we try something else. Who knows, the elephants constantly roaming his body might wake up him.

*Fifteen minutes later*

Ek-annk: This is not going to work. We need to try something else. Think about it. What would wake you up if you were in deep sleep?

Marcha: We could try getting some women to try to get wake him up.

Ek-annk: That is a great idea. That will surely work.

*After some women caress him, Kumbhakarna finally wakes up from his sleep.*

Kumbhakarna: Why did you guys wake me up before I was supposed to? What is the meaning of this insolence?

*They explain everything that is going on while he is devouring food and drinking up a whole lake's worth of wine*

Ravana: Brother, you have finally woken up. Now you need to go fight and kill that Rama.


Author’s Note: I used the story of Kumbhakarna and how they wake him up but elaborated on it. I did not change the story in a big way. I just changed the language in more of a modern way and spend more time with the people trying to wake him up. Instead of just telling you guys what happened and moving on, I explained what I think happened in the story. In the actual story they say they wake him up, but they did not elaborate on the details at all which is why I decided to show the process. I wanted to show how they could have actually done it but in more of a script way but not in a story setting. I chose this image because it shows all these people trying to wake one man up, and in the different ways they try. I chose this story because I myself was curious about how they could have actually wake him up, so I thought other people would have been too. I kind of imagined how it would have happened and wrote it out with a play-by-play. In the original story of Kumbhakarna, when the time came to ask for a boon from Brahma, his tongue was tied by Saraswati, so instead of asking for the seat of Indra he asked for Nidra, which is the goddess of sleep. Ravana was mad because this was a curse and asked Brahma to take his boon back. Instead of that he changed it so that Kumbhakarna would sleep for six months and then be awake for one day.

Public Domain Edition: Ramayana by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)
Kumbhakarna: Wikipedia

The rakshasas wake Kumbhakarna

Reading Notes: Public Domain Ramayana Section D

Ravana’s army decided to wake up Kumbhakarna so that they could have his help in this great battle against rama. Brahma decided that he would wake up once every 6 months because he kept eating people and could not be beat even by indra. They had to get thousands of people that yelled, danced, and played instruments. Even elephants could not wake him up but then women came who woke him up. Once he woke up he found out what happened and what is going on he went into battle. He defeated Hanuman and Sugriva but then he went against rama, who ended up killing him.

Public Domain Ramayana: Ramayana

Kumbhakarna: Sleeper

Reading Notes Public Domain Ramayana: Section C

Ram goes to Sugriva and Hanuman where he learns about Sugriva’s story. Then the two decided to help each other out. This results in the battle between Sugriva and his brother Vali where rama helps Sugriva and kills Vali in the end. Sugriva is king and rama will now require his help to find sita but unfortunately it’s the month of Shravan and they have to wait of the rain to stop. Rama has to stay in the forest during his time because of his exile. So rama and Lakshmana stay in the wilderness waiting for the rainy season to be over. He wants to be happy but how can be without the love of his life, Sita. After the season is over, rama is frustrated with Sugriva’s lack of action in the search and sends Lakshmana to remind him in the palace. After Sugriva is threatened he send armies in all four directions to search for sita.

  Public Domain Ramayana Section C 

Hunuman: Lanka Burning