Avani's Blog

(A Blackboard Showing Gratitude  pxhere ) In this week's Learning by H.E.A.R.T. challenge, I choose to read an article in the Diigo Library. The article I choose was 6 Ways Gratitude Can Improve Your Life and Make You Happier by Victoria Brauer. As I have mentioned before, I struggle with managing my stress. So, I was interested in ways that could help me deal with this issue. Brauer's article did just that.  When I was reading her article, her articled confirmed something I knew already; I have many things to be grateful for. I am incredibly grateful for my family and friends. Without them, I don't know who I would be. By just being thankful, it can take away my some of my worries. Her article taught me something new as well. Gratitude can improve your sleep as it takes away some stress. Because of her tips, I want to end the day with being thankful with what I have. There is something good in everyday no matter how small it is. So, before going to sleep,...

The story that grabbed my attention was the Beauty and the Basilisk fairy tale. I heard about this fairy tale when I was really young, but I forgot how the story went. Reading the story may years later, I realized why I loved it. It was a great twist of The Beauty and the Beast. From this story, I learned a few things. The language and writing style of this story was easy to read and illustrative. I noticed that the author did not use complex language to tell the story, instead the author used descriptive language to make the story vivid and engaging. The length of this story was perfect for me. It was not too short or too long. The story provided a perfect amount of brevity, while giving ample information. For example, when introducing the characters of the story, he was brief regardless of when the character was introduced into the story. I personally struggle with writing unnecessary information. So, I am constantly revising and editing. Through the dialogue itself, the author was...

Here is my tentative plan for the semester! Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Ancient Rome - Cupid and Psyche Week 4: Later Legends - Women Saints Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Buddhism and Hinduism - Ramayana Week 6: Indian Folktales and Fairy Tales Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: China Folktales Week 9: Japanese Fairy Tales - Lang Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: Apache Tribe Week 11: Sioux Tribe Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Nursery Rhymes Week 13: English Fairy Tales Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Brothers Grimm - Librivox Week 15: Italian Fairy Tales Once I began exploring the readings, I realized that I interested in fairy tales and short stories. Learning about what stories children all over the w...

For this assignment, I read these two articles: Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work by John Spencer and Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head by Sabina Nawaz. When it comes to self-doubt, I am a master at it. I tend to question my work and am constantly editing it before I submit it. Even if I reach a goal, I compare myself to others. This is one of the main problems I struggle with. I try to focus on my own timeline, but I find myself following others' timelines. Furthermore, I am too hard on myself sometimes. Being self-critical makes me abandon new challenges and avoid new things. After reading these two articles, I realized a few things. I need to listen to the positives, embrace mistakes, and trust myself. Although I noted these things, it is difficult to practice them in the current school system. I need to have a certain GPA, test scores, and more in order to reach my goal of becoming a Physician Assistant; mistakes are setbacks in this case.  The one p...

Here are my four possible topics! Three of the four topics are related to Hinduism. I got inspiration from Laura when she commented on my post! Hanuman is the Hindu Monkey God and is known for being the Ramayana Hero. Lord Hanuman was incredibly devoted to Rama and proved his dedication though his selfless actions. I am interested in this topic, because I am Hindu. I want to learn more about my religion and this is a great outlet to do so. As there are an innumerable amount of gods in the Hindu religion, I only have a general idea about each god. Hanuman's mother, a heavenly nymph, was cursed and took on the form of a monkey until she gave birth to an embodiment of Lord Shiva. This is one of the reasons why Hanuman is a monkey god. Since there are many aspects to Hanuman, I would like to learn about his early life and his actions. The stories would focus on how Hanuman became a god, fetched the Sanjivani herb, and his punishment for eating the sun . I would retell these stories i...

The updated version of this story is here  on my portfolio! One day, a tired mother had to go to the farmer's market. Before the mother left, she asked her three daughters if they needed anything. Her two eldest daughters demanded many things ranging from shoes to an iron board. Although they were the eldest, they had no sense about how to spend money wisely. The youngest daughter, however, kept quiet as her voice could not be heard over her two older sisters. When the daughters left, the mother asked the youngest. "Rose, what shall I bring you from the market?" "Could you bring me three roses, please? It's okay if you can't find them." Being quite surprised at her small request, the mother was motivated to bring her not three but many roses for her daughter. Once the mother made her shopping list and put on her walking shoes on, she left quickly. As the market was a long journey, she left in the afternoon. Slowly, the mother was able...