Growth Mindset

"growth mindset brain"

This topic is very interesting. I am sure everyone can relate to her points in some way or another. There have been multiple times where I have felt challenged by something. However, I believe I am more of the growth mindset. Rather than viewing a challenge as a problem, I view it as an opportunity. In terms of being a musician, this relates in many aspects. If there is a difficult passage to play, most musicians will practice until they achieve the goal. It is a certain characteristic one must have in order to be a successful player. Giving up is not an option unless they want to be cast with the rest of  the musicians who do not play for a living. I am certainly interested in learning more about this topic. I believe it could assist in daily activities other than music. Improving oneself should be a desired opportunity rather than a feared challenge.  

Time Strategies

"photo of checklist items being marked"

~~

I read the article titled "Psychology of Checklists". I have always been a fan of checklists, especially since I came to college. Checklists give a sense of accomplishment every time a task is completed. This article explains that sense of accomplishment in great detail. Dopamine is the 'feel good' chemical in our brain that provides this feeling. The idea of creating a list with small, achievable, tasks to stay motivated is a great way to be productive. Rather than working for a large goal that requires a lot of patience and countless failed attempts, achieving smaller, possible, goals is a good way to prevent quitting the task at hand. I personally continue to use checklists to this day. I have found they prevent me from forgetting things I need to complete. Also, they provide me with a sense of accomplishment after the list is complete. Checklists are a very useful tool for anyone that hopes to stay organized and productive. 

Reading Options

Personally, I would prefer to read the public domain version of Ramayana. I believe the pre-recorded audio is something I would really enjoy. I can listen literally anywhere, whether it be in the car or falling asleep. It would be very beneficial. In addition, I am on my computer for a good chunk of the day and an online source of reading is the easiest way for me to complete my assignment. I also cannot complain that it is free! 

Other than eating at an Indian restaurant once in my life, I have never experienced Indian culture. In the image below, I recognize the name "Krishna". However, I am not entirely sure where I learned it. It could be because I am a musician and Krishna plays the flute in this image. An interesting topic I would be willing to learn more about is the music of India.I am sure the music has a vast amount of interesting styles and instruments. 

"Krishna playing his flute"

I have heard about the great stories and wonderful culture of Indian people and I am interested to learn more about it overall. 

Storybook Favorites

"Indra"

 In the story, Indra is an underappreciated god that has worked tirelessly for his people. In terms of personal experience, I can relate to Indra in a way. Of course, I do not believe of myself to be a God, however, I have felt underappreciated at some point in my life. I believe that is a feeling many people have faced at some point in their lifetime. The introduction definitely gives multiple examples of Indra's feelings. The writer keeps listing specific situations of times Indra has saved the world. Also, mentions how his subjects had no clue of his heroic actions, they simply reaped the benefits. Overall, the design of the page is very clean. It is very simple to navigate and the theme of the page fits the pictures in the story. I would consider replicating the theme choice in my own story. 

 ~~

"A Karmic Hero"

"Yama, the god of death"

The introduction does a wonderful job describing the plot of the story. A man finds himself in hell meeting with the god of death himself. His mission ironically is to perform good deeds to purify his soul. The title and introduction go hand and hand with the story. This story also has a nice theme. The page is well organized. The look of the page portrays the dark and gloomy setting of the story. The pictures go along perfectly as well. The dark, hell-like monsters on each image helps set the mood. I am mostly impressed with the descriptiveness of the writer. I personally would try to imitate their use of creative description. 

 ~~

"The Herculean Hanuman"

The introduction clearly represents the topic of the story. The Hanuman is worried about the current state of humans. All he wants to do is help, however, he feels helpless. I am sure everyone can relate to this in some way. The feeling of wanting to assist in something they cannot is a situation many people face. The design of the story is also relatively organized. Out of the three stories I chose, I enjoy the dialogue the most out of this one. It felt as if I was reading an actual conversation between two gods. The verbiage of the story helped immensely with this feeling. I would definitely consider writing dialogue with the character in mind. 

Introduction to an Aspiring Musician

Hi everyone! My name is Tyler Chargualaf and I am a senior music performance major at the University of Oklahoma. From a young age I was exposed to many styles of music. Jazz, Rock, and Classical, are a few styles to mention. I come from a family full of musicians.  All of my siblings play instruments, along with my father. Also, my mother was a choir member. I personally think the best thing about my major is the creativity that goes along with it. There are endless amounts of ways music can be interpreted and performed. It is its only language in a sense. The best classes I have taken during my time at OU have always involved music. For example, attending orchestra rehearsals throughout the week has been one of the greatest experiences. I get to learn from a conductor whose knowledge vastly surpasses mine. Also, I get to perform with high caliber musicians. After college I plan on continuing my music career in the military. Many people do not know, but the military offers some of the greatest jobs for musicians. Whether it be playing in a concert band, big band, or ceremonial service I would love to have music be my livelihood. 

"headshot of me junior year w/trumpet"

~~

On top of music, I also have a couple other hobbies that interest me. I love working on cars. My first car was a 1992 Honda Civic that was three different colors and banged up. The A/C did not work and it had no radio! My senior year of high school I installed a radio. Finally in my sophomore year of college I fixed the A/C! (YAY!) Eventually I started working on the body of the car and even pulled some dents out. Ever since then I have really enjoyed working on cars whether it be a simple oil change or replacing a radiator. I always had a good time doing the work. 

Now we can talk about food! I love Korean food. It could possibly be the best food I have ever had. Bulgogi, Kalbi, and Kimchi are some of my favorites. I think my girlfriend has some influence since she is Korean... but I still cannot get enough of it! 

There are a few things about me! 

Week 1 Story: The Power of Words

After school one day, a young boy ran as fast as he could to the playground. He had heard of a fight that was taking place between the two biggest kids in his class. He believed it to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and would not miss it for anything else in the world. Once he arrived he found a large group of his fellow students gathered chanting the fighters on. The boy was reluctant at first to join the group in their enthusiasm. Eventually, the boy caved and began chanting along with his fellow students, "Fight! Fight! Fight!". Halfway through the altercation the students were disbanded by the principals and teachers of the school. The students bolted in every direction in hopes to not get caught up in the trouble. The young boy was too entrapped in his own chanting that he did not notice the school faculty's presence. He was the last student still chanting until the principal yelled at the boy "Enough!". The boy, incredibly shocked, had become silent. The playground was so silent you could hear a pin drop. The principle said "You! To my office now!" The boy was incredibly scared and had no idea why he was being sentenced to the principal's office. However, he headed straight to the office, not even thinking about looking back. 

"Student sitting by the principle's office"

As the student sat in the office he began to ponder what he was in trouble for. "I was not even fighting! Why am I in the office? This is not fair! It should be the other kids, not me!". After 30 minutes of anxiously waiting in the office, the principal finally entered. The boy, cowering in his chair said, "What am I in trouble for?!". The principal then replied to the boy, "I know you were not physically fighting, but you encouraged it. Words encourage deeds and in this case..that is worse than fighting".

~~~

Author's note

The original fable I used was titled the "The Trumpeter taken Prisoner". This fable was about the trumpeter who sounds calls during war to inform troops. In the story, the trumpeter wanders too close to the enemy and is taken hostage. While he was prisoner, the trumpeter pleads for his life saying he does not cause harm to them because he is just a musician. However, the enemy sees it in a different light. The enemy state's "You may not fight yourself, but you encourage and guide other men to fight". This fable reminded me of childhood school fights and how they can influenced by a student's peers. 

Bibliography

The story is based on the fable "The Trumpeter taken Prisoner"in Aesop's Fables. 

Guam - My Favorite Place

"The Island of Guam"

http://www.iexplore.com/destinations/guam/travel-guides/australia-and-south-pacific/guam/overview

Guam has always been my home away from home. I was born here. However, my family had to move away while I was still very young. It took 17 years for us to make it back due to our life schedules and the cost of  travel. Once we arrived back on the island we were welcomed with open arms by everyone there. It is truly a different place in terms of kindness. I believe everyone should visit. The hospitality shown by the people on the island is like no other. It was a great visit and it made me proud of where I was from. I plan on visiting again this winter and I am positive it will prove itself to be my favorite place once again.