Feedback Thoughts!

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When done correctly, given feedback can be incredibly useful to a person. It can help people to better their writing and correct their mistakes. I think that it is incredibly important to be tactful when giving criticism to others. You have to be very careful to not offend the other person, because creating tension among each other can be problematic. It can be extremely troubling if you are in the same workplace. The last thing you want is a band of angry co-workers conspiring against you! 

My favorite thing that I read from the given articles is the statement "Be a Mirror." This article mentioned that it was important to be a mirror when giving feedback. Be honest when telling people of their errors, but don't be rude!  If you are rude, you immediately become offensive without even trying. 

The Criticism Sandwich, Source: oldhatcreative.com

My favorite tactic to take criticism head on is the Criticism Sandwich tactic. It shows you exactly how to phrase criticism in a way that won't be rude or hurtful. When criticism is cushioned between two compliments, or even a few compliments, it makes it much easier to be able to take the criticism. This is the best way for the criticism to be taken as something that is helpful rather than something that is offensive. It allows for the criticism to be meshed into an overall positive comment so that it is tricked into not being negative at all! If you haven't given this method a try I highly recommend that you do! I am sure you won't regret it! Good luck to all those giving and receiving criticism! Remember criticism is almost always helpful when taken in a positive manner! 

The Act of Giving and Receiving, Source: www.pinterest.com

 

Growth Mindset

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Before watching the interviews provided in the material for this course, I had honestly never heard of Carol Dweck. I had always thought that it was better to be encouraging to other people rather than to be discouraging to them for not meeting a certain level. After going through so many different situations in my life I have learned that 99% of the time you just have to keep on going and never give up. So upon watching the various interviews of Carol Dweck I found that I agreed with her hypothesis completely, and I wasn't surprised by the results. They were simply exactly what I would have expected. 

When I was in school, I feel that I was in the growth group rate for some scenarios and in the fixed mindset rate for others. I worked really hard in school as well as in life on various relationships. There was a lot going on during that period of my life, so I had no option but to be of the growth group. I needed to overcome all of my challenges and come out stronger on the other side. I am proud to say that I accomplished my goal otherwise I wouldn't be here today, and I will continue to work hard to accomplish everything else that comes my way no matter what it ends up being! 

I think that the growth mindset should be applied no just to school but to all of your life's problems. Sometimes all you really need is just a little Dory inside your head telling you to "just keep swimming!" Encouragement truly does go a very long way when trying to get through not just challenges in school, but also getting through trying times in life. We all go through times when we doubt ourselves and doubt our decisions, but if we keep telling ourselves that we are working hard to reach our destination even though we have not yet reached it one day we will, it will make a difference. Most of the time when we say things over and over again to ourselves, especially if they are positive things in can influence our mind to then become positive and believe in the optimistic ideas that we have drilled into our minds. I challenge you to try this method out for yourselves to see how much it can help you! Let's strive for a growth mindset in all that we choose to do! 

An Example of a Growth Mindset, Source: Cheezburger

Time Strategies

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I have realized very quickly this semester that your work can pile up if you don't keep tabs on it. It has been just a few days into the semester so far and I have found that I am already beginning to get quite overwhelmed with my work load. I now know that it is very important to be able manage your time effectively and efficiently. If you fall behind even a little bit it can be a massive problem and can affect your grades negatively. It is best to create a schedule and adhere to it wholeheartedly.

For this semester I am learning that I will need a very strict schedule. I will have to make time for things that need to be done instead of finding time. Especially when it comes to this online course I will be doing my best to give it an hour of my time every day to make sure that I can work ahead and keep up with all of the necessary assignments. Personally, I also find that making lists work incredibly well for me! I enjoy the feeling of marking something off after I have accomplished it. I find a great satisfaction in feeling as though I have conquered something.

Time Management, Source: Subject Guides - LibGuides

For this class specifically I am going to try to work ahead and allot an hour a day to read and study for this class. I feel that this will allow for me to keep up with the work load and prevent me from falling behind!

Time management is an incredibly important skill to have in life. It will help you with deadlines at work, accomplishing your goals, and so much more. If you can figure out how to better manage your days now it will be so much easier for you in the future! Try to make this a goal, and set out time for everything that you feel is important! Good luck to all of you for the next semester.

Reading Options

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 For this semester it will be our job to choose a reading every single week. Unlike in the Indian Epics class we will have a new reading every single week rather than reading one long epic consecutively. Personally, when I choose a book to read the topic needs to interest me as well as the first few pages need to be able to grab my attention. I think that if a book isn't capable of grabbing your attention then it you shouldn't read it because it will feel more like a chore rather than you being able to enjoy it. I found three topics that truly interested me in readings, although two are variations of the same type of story.

The first topic that I found truly interesting was the love story of Cupid and Psyche. I am usually drawn to mythology and I also find that I enjoy these kinds of stories immensely. I found myself immediately gravitating towards this section of the options. Unfortunately, I found that I have actually read many of the given options before such as Metamorphosis, the Odyssey, etc., in previous literature classes. If this wasn't the case I would have chosen one of them, but I would much rather choose to read a new book rather than re-read one that I have already read before. 

Books!, Source: Online SAT / ACT Prep Blog by PrepScholar

The other two topics that I found to be interesting were the two Aesop fable options. I am huge fan of not just fables but Aesop as well! I am familiar with some of his work, but when I went through the list of options from both of the two units I found that I had not read most of the stories provided. I am really excited to read these fables and I believe that I will begin with this topic as my reading for the week. I am not sure which one between the two just yet, but I will do my best to decide as soon as possible. 

I am so excited to begin this new journey with so many new books and stories! I cannot wait to see what the semester brings! I am excited for this class and for reading more stories that will be memorable! Good luck to everyone for the rest of the semester! 

Storybook Favorites

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Last semester, I actually ended up doing a portfolio instead of doing a storybook. I found that I preferred the format as well as the project idea itself. I enjoy writing various stories and do not like to be constricted to just one specific topic. However, these past examples of storybooks are incredible! I think everyone did a wonderful job! Below is a list of my top three to share with all of you!

Storybook 1: "The Sherwood Investigators"

I am a big fan of detective stories, so I knew I had to read this story as soon as I saw it. I felt that this topic would be something that would keep my attention. I wasn't wrong! I love the story about Robin Hood! Especially how he took from the rich and gave to the poor. I did feel that the introduction was a little short, because it was very concise. I was honestly not too fond of the layout though. I found it to be quite simple and would have enjoyed a layout that had a lot more to do with the topic rather than something that was so simple.

Link for Storybook 1: https://sites.google.com/site/alecstorybook/introduction

Storybook 2: "Elephants in India"

For this storybook, I found that the title really caught my attention. It didn't give away too much. As soon as I read the introduction I fell in love. I have very fond stories of my father telling me bedtime stories when I was little to help put me to sleep. I think I am going to bookmark the link to see if I have time to go back and revisit this specific storybook. I loved the layout of this storybook unlike the other one. I found that it went very well with the theme of the storybook and wasn't too over the top either. It was a perfect in between, and I can easily say that this was my absolute favorite storybook out of all of them.

Link for Storybook 2: https://sites.google.com/site/elephantsinindia/introduction

Storybook 3: "Alice's Journey"

For this last and final storybook, the title was an immediate attention grabber! I found that I was incredibly intrigued by what the story concept was going to be. In recent times, social media has grown to be such an important part of our day to day lives that I couldn't wait to see how this aspect would be added to such a classic story. I found the tone of the introduction to be very interesting. It somehow managed to peak my interest but not go overboard and cause me to have too much information. I really enjoyed that an actual image of a Facebook post was added to the introduction. I really enjoyed this storybook as well. 
 
Link for Storybook 3: https://sites.google.com/site/kimberleybishopok/

Storybook, Source: Superpower Wiki - Wikia

All About Me! (An Introduction)

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TIME. Who would stop to think that this small little four letter word could mean everything to a person. It can make the difference of going from nothing to everything. We all run after time. We feel the need for it to stop, for it to move faster, or even complain that there isn't even enough to go around. You would think that having dealt with this trivial issue for so long we would have gotten used to the one simple fact that everyone seems to forget. Time doesn't ever stop for anyone. NEVER. It doesn't matter how many fallen eyelashes or shooting stars we put our faith in, We won't be able to make it slow down or stop for us. 

So, you can imagine that for a college student like myself, it became incredibly difficult for me to even fathom how summer went by so quickly! It seemed as though I closed my eyes and then opened them and it was time for school. Although it does help that I have been working incessantly for this one moment that other people tend to take for granted. This meant I was all too excited to begin my semester at the University of Oklahoma this last fall. I was even counting down the days, packing in advance, getting my books ready, and making various important lists for what I deemed fit. You name it, I had it prepared. The only thing that I forgot about was how hard it would be for me to move away from my family. We don't think about it until it happens I suppose, but with a family that is as close as mine, leaving them was incredibly difficult. 

Don't misunderstand. I definitely made the most of my summer, and I didn't spend it moping! From late night movies to family reunions everything was given ample time, however some how it still doesn't seem like enough. Long story short, in today's post I had began to type a lengthy introduction for you. That's when it hit me. I could give you all of the basics. I could tell you that I am a Public Relations major and a junior this year.That I am still obsessed with the series "Friends" and repeatedly watch the re-runs even though I can pretty much quote every single line.
 

Friends Quote from Pinterest 

Source: www.pinterest.com

 I could even tell you that I have always wanted a pet, but have never been able to get one since my mother seems to find an excuse for every animal that we suggest. But what good would any of this information do? Can you really be introduced to a person simply by knowing of them? So I decided I would share something a bit more with you. 

Ever since I was little I have been obsessed with books. I read them like normal kids eat candy, but the only difference was that I never got off my sugar rush. I would get so engrossed in reading a book that I would forget that I even had the need to eat, sleep, or even get up off of the couch. That's where the problem began! Books were my escape. I could open up a book about a psychopath murderer and be able to know exactly what his next move would be yet still be surprised when the inevitable happened. I could be a fearless rebel fighting for what I believed in even though no one would support me. So basically, I could be anyone or anything. Nothing anyone did could tear me away from my special little world. This would always make my Dad incredibly angry, because it directly affected my health. He would think of ways to get me to stop in the middle of my wonderful book for food, sleep, and conversation. (Who needs those right?) Unlike, most parents he couldn't say, "Get up and read a book! Stop wasting your time!" So, he would simply take my books and hide them. He would literally grab them out of my hand, walk into his room, lock the door, and then come back out book free! Although once I had completed my dinner he would do his best to keep the book from me for longer so that I would spend some time in the real world. It was a constant fight between the two of us! I loved my books, my fantasies, but I always loved my family more. Thankfully today I have found a balance between getting attached to a book and knowing when I need to put it down for a break. Like I said before books were my escape from the world. What is your escape?...

The Alley's Secret Story

Hello World!! 

There once was a little boy and a little girl 

Lived in an alley;

Says the little boy to the little girl,

"Shall I, Oh! Shall I?"

Says the little girl to the little boy, 

"What shall we do?"

Says the little boy to the little girl, 

"I will kiss you."

(traditional nursery rhyme)

~ ~ ~

"Don't forget eggs! We are all out, and make sure that none of them break this time Alyssa!" My mother's scream echoed as I raced out of the house and began down the alley outside our house. Why wasn't he here? He always met me here! He was never late! My heart began to race as I my mind began to create stories in my head. What if he was hurt?! What if something had gone terribly wrong?!

It had been 3 years since Allen and I had been dating, but we had kept it a secret from both of our families. We were the youngest in our families. He was the youngest of 4 siblings and I was the youngest of 5. It didn't matter how hard we tried or what we did we were always thought of as the little girl and the little boy. I suppose being the youngest did make you little, but it still made things much more difficult otherwise.

Why wasn't he here yet?! He had told me last night that he would be here by morning. "I'll be waiting for you outside," he had said with the adorable crooked grin of his. My mind kept wandering back to the night before when he had sneaked into my room. All he had told me was that he needed me to pray that he would be able to get what he needed. Why hadn't he felt the need to tell me anything else?! What made him think that would be enough information?! Then as usual he was gone as quickly as he came, but of course he had to be or he would wake Alex up. That would cause quite the frenzy. 

I closed my eyes and started to take a deep breath while counting to 10. I opened my eyes to find his crooked grin in front of me. I did my best to give him a glare but I knew I looked more like an excited little puppy more than anything else. I turned away from him and began walking the other way down the alley. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms. I turned my gaze towards the wall away from him just as I heard him say, "Shall I, Oh! Shall I?" I looked back at him just as he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and handed it to me. 

An animated Hershey's kiss

Source: www.candyindustry.com

My eyes welled up with tears as I opened the box and inside I found.... Wait, this couldn't be right! There was a small chocolate kiss inside the box. I glared at him and turned to walk away once again when he grabbed my hand and slid a ring on my finger. After 3 years, I had grown accustomed to Allen's gestures more than his words. He had a hard time expressing his feelings but his face would say it all. I looked into his hopeful eyes and smiled my while my eyes began brimming over with tears. He knew that nothing needed to be said more than he knew that my answer would be yes. However, I decided this time I would have some fun as well, so I retorted back, "What shall we do?" He looked surprised for a split second before he responded with, "I will kiss you."

Author's Note:

For this nursery rhyme, I thought it would be fun to change up the concept a little bit. Since the nursery rhyme didn't specify an age, but instead mentioned the word "little" I thought it would be fun to use that to my advantage. I'm not sure why, but when I first read the nursery rhyme I immediately imagined a proposal in the alley. The only part that was a bit challenging was getting the proposal to match to the nursery rhyme without changing it to much. I feel that once the nursery rhyme became something strangely different it would loose its authenticity causing it to loose its essence. I did my best to do full justice to the entire nursery rhyme, and I hope that you enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Bibliography:
This story is based on the nursery rhyme "A Little Boy and A Little Girl Lived in an Alley" in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang.

A Few of My Favorite Places

Hello World!!

Throughout your lifetime you travel to various places, but only a few, if any of them, have the capability to leave a mark on your heart. These place leave stamps of happiness, comfort, and even admiration on your heart. They leave you with peace and tranquility as well as huge cheesy my-pizza-is-here-grins on your face. They mean something to you and you would do anything to go back even if it's just for a day, an hour, a minute, even a second. They are your happy places! Take my word for it, if you find a place that you fall in love with, a place that finds it's way into your heart, never let it go. Hold onto it for dear life. Allow it to give you a reason to find your little ray of sunshine in this crazy mixed-up world. If you find anything that gives your heart warmth, keep it safe and don't forget to share it so that the world can be happy along with you! 

Here are a few of my favorite heart-warming places if you will!

1) Toronto, Canada:

 Beautiful skyscrapers, friendly people, delicious food, SNOW, and family! Who could ask for anything more? I went to Toronto for a family reunion last summer and have been dreaming about going back ever since. Their summers are equivalent to our springs and their winters are long and beautiful! I LOVE winter! The way the icicles hang off of trees and the whole city is covered in a soft, white blanket is such beautiful scenery. It also gives me a reason to make hot chocolate often! Can you imagine it?

Winter weather picture of Toronto, Canada 
Source: www.680news.com

How about now? :-)

2) New York City, New York:

New York Skyline at night Wallpaper
Source: wallpaperswide.com

New York is called "The Big Apple" for a reason. I went to this city for one weekend and fell in love! It was so different from the everyday life that I am used to here in simple old Oklahoma. The fast-paced life amazes me from the street vendors to delicious food and shows there is always something new. There is so much to explore! Since watching a Broadway show is on my bucket list going back is on my to-do list! I cannot wait! Hopefully, I will be able to head back to this beautiful city sometime soon, however only time will tell! 

3) Dallas, Texas: 

A photo of the Dallas night lights by a Texas electric company,
Source: www.smartchargeresidential.com

 I know that being a Sooner having Dallas as one of my favorite places goes against everything I've ever been taught, however Dallas is one of my favorite places for a simple reason: FAMILY. We know so many people in Dallas. Especially since we used to live there not to mention the amount of family that is still there it would be ridiculous not to include this place as one of my favorites! Family is very important to me which makes this city incredibly close to my heart.

Now that you have heard all about my favorite places, please do let me know of some of yours! In the meantime I hope that your heart stays happy and continues to sing! So, with that being said, until next time! 

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things!"
                                                                                                           - The Sound of Music

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Testing for new blog!! Have a great day everyone and good luck for the new semester! :)