Week 11 Growth Mindset

This will be my final post! I can't believe I'll be done with this class after I post my last growth mindset challenge. This class has taught me so much in just a few weeks. I decided to make my last post about growth mindset because learning about growth mindset was my favorite activity each week. For this week's challenge, I browsed through the growth mindset quotes by Carol Dweck. I loved her one of her quotes so much that I made a quote poster out of it as shown below:

Quote by Carol Dweck. Source.

No one wants to fail. There is such a negative connotation when it comes to the word failure. It's almost synonymous to quitter and good-for-nothing. But is that what failure really means? It had me thinking. What is the definition of failure? According to Dictionary.com, the first definition of failure is the "lack of success." So if you failed, you didn't succeed. Nowhere in the definition did it say that you can NEVER succeed once you have failed. My failures don't define me unless I dwell in them. My biggest academic fear at the moment is being rejected from medical school. I need to remind myself that if I fail to get in, I have to face the problem, deal with it, and most importantly learn from it.

Week 10 Famous Last Words

It's been a nice week overall. Halloween was last night, but I had to work all day. That's fine since I went to a Halloween party the Thursday night before Halloween. It was quite a party! I met some new people who were really genuine and kind. Some of the costumes I saw were Batman, Snow White, a droog (Clockwork Orange), Minnie Mouse, a Dragon, a gift from God (that was pretty clever), villains from the purge (they made a scary entrance), a chick magnet, and more. My friend and I dressed up as Mario and Luigi which was really fun! Let me say finding clothes to match Mario is a piece of cake, but finding clothes for Luigi was tough! Green hats were impossible to find for cheap. I ended up dying a white hat to look green, and it came out decent.

Reba as Mario and me as Luigi for Halloween. Personal Photo.

I have two exams next week back to back. I have my pathogenic exam tomorrow morning then I have my colloquium exam. I'm more nervous about my colloquium exam because I didn't take great notes on two chapters. I have attended class which gives me a great foundation for notes though. So far I'm happy with my grades, but I'm still trying my best to maintain them.

On a different note, I had lunch with my older brother and his girlfriend. For those of you who don't know my older brother (and I'm sure no one does), he's a lone wolf. He keeps to himself, and he works all the time. He also maintains his personal life very private. I'm guessing he has been seeing this girl for a couple of years now, but I had no idea who she was. Honestly, I never asked. Then out of nowhere she's inside my house! My brother introduced me to her, but I already forgot her name. She's nice and witty. It's just so weird to see my brother to be so... human. He was actually nice to her! I do have a great relationship with my brother. We just avoid talking about relationships. It's just weird that he's opening up to me about it. In short, it makes me nervous of where this is all going.

Overall, I had an interesting week. I can't believe it's already November. This semester is almost over!

Week 10 Tech Tip: Blogger Template.

I probably should have done this tech tip towards the beginning of the semester, but I finally figured out how to change the background on my blog! Throughout the semester I've seen someone beautifully designed blogs with all sorts of colors, pictures, and high-tech customization. I kept thinking to myself WHOA! How did they do that? Well here I am browsing through the tech tip challenges when I noticed the blogger template assignment. It was right in front of me the entire time! I just changed the background of my blogs to one of the templates provided by blogger. Now my blog has a bunch of books in the background. Maybe it will make me look intelligent and knowledgeable of the world around me (not really). For those of you who haven't changed your blogger background and would like to, it's really easy! The instructions are easy to follow from the tech tip list. It took me a minute to change everything. Maybe in time I can learn how to customize my own template!

Learning everyday. Source.

Week 10 Reading Feeback: Shiva

I had to switch my reading schedule because I didn't understand the reading for Kali the Mother by Nivedita. It was a short poem that described an eerie scene with dark trees and howling winds. Someone in the poem was trying to summon Kali I presumed. Then the poem continues talking about death and terror. Then there was a line that reads "Thou 'Time' the All-Destroyer, Then come, O Mother, Come!" I became confused when I read this line because it appears that Kali the Mother is known as the All-Destroyer? What is she destroying? With all the confusion, I decided to read about Shiva.

I began to read Nivedita's Shiva, which was a more interesting read. The part that appealed to me the most was the conflict between Shiva's wife, Sati, and her father. Sati's father despised Shiva although Shiva was portrayed as a beloved gentleman. The love between Sati and Shiva reminds of the relationship between Rama and Sita. Also the names Sati and Sita confuses me sometimes. I like reading Nivedita's books. Her chapters are short and straightforward. Hopefully I can find more of her books to read!

Shiva and Sati. Source.

Week 10 Growth Mindset

For this week's post I read an interesting article called The Force of a Growth Mindset vs. The Dark Side of the Static Mindset. This article relates growth mindset to the best series ever: Star Wars. I wouldn't consider myself the biggest Star Wars fan, but I have watched all the movies more than once. My brothers and I are so pumped for the new Stars Wars movie that is coming out this December. I can't wait! Moving on, an educator who was also a Star Wars fanatic related the growth mindset philosophy to Star Wars. He also provided the two infographics below:

Yoda represents the growth mindset. Source: mrkremerscience.com

Darth Vader represents the static mindset. Source: mrkremerscience.com

For those of you who are not familiar with Star Wars (you must watch it), the green character is named Yoda. He was Luke Skywalker's apprentice. In order to teach Luke the Jedi ways, Yoda taught Luke to see the world from a different perspective. Instead of fearing challenges, Yoda told Luke to trust himself and of course the Force within. Darth Vader is the villain of the series. He represents the static mindset. In the movies, Darth Vader felt threatened by anyone who is more powerful. He also allowed his fears to consume him which lead him to the dark side.

It was interesting to think back to the movies and realize how each character's actions fit the growth mindset and static mindset perfectly. Yoda believed that any challenge could be conquered if you had faith in yourself. There was no fear in Yoda's character, only wisdom. On the other hand, Darth Vader lashed out on the Republic and took his feedback in a negative manner. It really made me think how a different way of thinking could have two completely different outcomes. In other words, the way I perceive myself and my efforts could make me a Yoda or a Darth Vader.

Week 10 Storytelling: Father and Daughter

Sati: You're so unbelievable! How could you not invite my husband and me to the sacrifice ceremony? Are we not worthy gods! Am I not a worthy daughter!

Daksha: You became worthless when you married Shiva.

Sati: How dare you!

Daksha: You should have been like your sisters who married decent men! Proud men! Instead, you worshiped a god who never deserved your praise. He's trash, Sati, and you're married to it.

Sati: It's incredible how your arrogance poisons your mind, father. I'll have you know that you are the only person that speaks ill of Shiva. Shiva is beloved by all! He is the bravest god and the most benevolent. Can't you see how well he treats me? I'm in love with him, father... Why can't you accept that?

Daksha: He only agreed to marry you because he knew that you were obsessed with him, Sati! He knew that he could take advantage of your devotion. Look at what he has done to our relationship! You claim that my mind is poisoned, but it is your mind, Sati, that has been poisoned by Shiva's words. He is turning you against me!

Sati: No, father, you are doing this to yourself! You have made every attempt to keep Shiva and me apart. You didn't invite him to my swayavara, yet he still became my husband. You are keeping us away from holy traditions, but we will be there!

Daksha: I refuse to allow you and your abomination ruin the ceremony! You cannot and will not attend. That is final, Sati!

Sati wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but she held her tongue. She let out a deep breath and paced back and forth until her head cleared. There had to be a way to reason with her father. She reminisced to the old days when her father praised Sati for her good behavior. Sati was the good child, the most innocent, and the most beloved by her father. That's why she was named Sati, existence and being of goodness. She looked at her father and spoke softly.

Sati: Father... This isn't about an invitation. This isn't about family differences. This is about you and me. Please just do it for me, Father. He's your son-in-law. He's my husband. Can't you try for me?

Daksha saw how his daughter pleaded for his understanding. Her eyes were becoming misty out of desperation. Daksha looked away.

Daksha: Sati, you were no longer a part of this family when you married the man that disrespected me. What we had before as father and daughter died on your wedding day. Leave my premises immediately. You are nothing and no one. The memory of you will solely be of your betrayal.

Sati began to bawl and stepped away from the stranger that she once called father.

Daksha: I'm ashamed of you, Sati.

Sati's cried out in pain as her heart shattered. She was dishonored and exiled from her family. Her father's words rang in her head over and over again: I'm ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you. She felt her chest become hot with a scorching pain, and smoke quickly filled the room. When the smoke cleared, Daksha saw his daughter drop dead at his feet with a burnt hole in her chest. Daksha rushed to his daughter's side and attempted to wake her up, but she was gone. At that moment, Shiva walked in.

Shiva: Sir, there was smoke coming from the room! Is Sati okay?

Sati's heart on fire. Source:

Author's note: I wrote about Daksha's and Sati's conflict over Shiva. In the original story, Daksha depsises Shiva because Shiva never paid homage to Sati. When Sati was of marrying age, she threw a wedding wreath into the crowd, and Shiva caught the wreath, making Shiva Sati's new husband. Daksha still hated Shiva, and he didn't invite the couple to a horse sacrifice ceremony that praised the gods. Sati confronted her father about his hatred towards Shiva, but Daksha refused to change his opinion. Sati became so enraged that her inner fury burned her alive, resulting in her death. I changed the story a bit with modern dialogue and made the argument more personal. Also, I made Daksha speak harsh words, but he did tell Sati he was ashamed of her in the original story. Shiva was never with Sati or Daksha at the time. I added him for dramatic effect, but he does end up finding out. The aftermath isn't pretty.

Bibliography: Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita (1907)

Week 10 Reading Diary B: Shiva

For part B, I read Nivedtia's other book that talks about Shiva. Shiva was described as the Great God that is holy and all powerful. He was benevolent and rarely angry (which is surprising to me because one of the first stories that I read about Shiva, he killed all the gods out of rage). Shiva accepted praise in the form of pure water and leaves or flowers. His purpose in the world was to rid ignorant souls and to shed light on Earth. Nivedita described Shiva as an omnipotent being that was protects those who are truly and sincerely devoted to Shiva. There are two concepts associated with Shiva, knowledge, and.insight or Jnanum.

Sita was described as the perfect wife for Shiva. Sati represents purity and goodness. The word Sati means being and existence, meaning in her being exists only goodness. The story went on about how Sati's father resented his daught and son-in-law (Shiva). Sati then died due to her anger towards her father. Shiva became depressed and angry with the gods once again. Interestingly, Sati was reborn as Uma. She became the daughter of a king who never resented her, instead he loved and accepted Uma. Uma still yearned for the Shiva's love and praised him.

The goddess Sati. Source: Deviant art.