Famous Last Words: Week 6

It is definitely getting to the point in the semester where my stress level is off the charts.  It doesn't help that I am a psycho and thought taking 19 hours would be ok.  I've done it before and was miserable, so I don't know why it would be better the second time around.  It's really only one class that is stressing me out.  It's my practicum that I have to take for my Broadcast and Electronic Media degree (I'm getting a dual degree with BEM and Film and Media Studies).  It's called Routes TV.  It's basically a short news documentary-esque assignment and it's the only assignment we have.  It is definitely more geared towards Broadcast Journalism majors which is a lot different than BEM - BEM is behind the scenes and technical stuff and Journalism is on the TV - a lot of people get that confused.  But anyways,  I hate interviewing people.  I'm awkward and weird, and I never know what kind of questions to ask.  Plus, I hate the sound of my voice and would prefer it not to be recorded haha.  I know once I just get over it and do it I'll be so relieved and can focus on my other classes, it's just hard to motivate myself when I'm so nervous haha.

I also just signed up for the GRE and am taking it in about three weeks, and haven't really started studying for it.  Oh yeah, I decided I want to go to grad school.  As if five and a half years in undergrad isn't enough, I guess three more years ought to do the trick.  There's just so much paperwork to do for the application to the school I want to go to.  I have to write  a paper, fix my resume and redesign it, get recommendation letters, make a creative portfolio of all the experience I don't have, and some other stuff I can't remember.

But if I can survive October, I think I can survive almost anything, or at least the rest of the semester.

Currently:

                                      Image information: betsyeseusbaloes.wordpress.com

Essay Week 6: Chinese Irony Tales

I really enjoyed reading the stories of the Chinese Fairy Tales unit this week.  The stories are definitely not what one would expect from fairy tales.  I know not everything is Disney-esque, but there is always a part of me that expects there to be a happy ending, or at least one that is not so sudden and ironic.

One of my favorite stories was The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck.  The female character really does have the worst luck ever.  She picks the beggar out of the crowd of princes and other good suitors to be her husband because she can see he has good luck.  Not long after getting married, the beggar husband decides he needs to go find his fortune.  He is gone for eighteen years and she almost starves to death.  He finally returns as an emperor and makes her empresses.  Eighteen days later, she dies. The story ends, "But her husband lived for many a long year." After reading the story and hoping that her luck has actually changed, this ending is really surprising.  It's so surprising it's funny because you expect there to be more but there isn't.

I also liked The Maiden Who Was Stolen Away for this reason.  The ending is sudden, but it's not as surprising.  One thing I am curious about is what happened to the ogre after the maiden's brother threw his ax at him and hit him the arm?  Did he sulk in the mountains? Or did he die?

                                                                  Image info: mythfolklore.blogspot.com

I think the information provided at the beginning of this unit in the overview was plenty.  I really enjoyed the Persian Fairy Tales from last week so I was fairly certain I would like these as well.  I was these kinds of stories when I signed up for this class, but I really like reading them!

Reading Diary Week 6: Chinese Fairy Tales

These are some of my favorite stories from the Chinese Fairy Tales unit.

Part A:

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck
I can already tell this unit is going to be interesting.  The endings are kind of like the ones from the Persian Fairy Tales - unexpected and definitely not happy.  I was happy that her beggar husband returned to her and praised her for her faithfulness.  You think her luck has finally changed and then 18 days later, she dies and lives for a long time.  It's very ironic to say the least.

The Cave of the Beasts
This one started out a bit crazy.  I was really surprised that the father just convinced his two younger daughters to go with him and just abandon them in the mountain.  It seems a bit harsh for eating wild duck eggs that he wasn't even going to share.  I was actually kind of surprised this story had a happy ending.

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies
I remember reading someone's storytelling post about why dogs and cats don't get along.  I thought it was going to be practically the same but this one is different.  In both, the cat tries to get the dog in trouble, but in the other the dog never retorts which I kind of like.

The Lady of the Moon
I really liked this story.  It was nice and peaceful.  One thing I am curious about is what happened to her husband Hou I?

Part B:

Fox-Fire
I really liked this story.  The young man swallows the elixir of life and has it for 30 years.  He can do all these magical things but when he turns 50 he decides not to use his skills anymore.  It's the story of retirement but in a unique way.

The Talking Silver Foxes
I liked that this one was sort of like a creation story.  Now I know why foxes are so stealthy.

The Flying Ogre
I don't know what I was expecting for this story, but this definitely wasn't it.  Even though it's weird and leaves unanswered questions, I kind of like the sudden endings.  It makes you appreciate the actual story and not have too much detail that you can't remember the story.