Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part B

Reading Notes over Ramayana, Part B: Bharata comes home to find that Dasharatha, his father, has died and that his mother made his father give him the kingdom. Bharata is furious at his mother for he knows that his older brother, Rama, is the rightful heir to thrown. Bharata finds out that Rama has been exiled and makes up his mind that he will bring Rama back to Ayodhya. However, before Bharata can go to the forest to find his brother, he must bury their father. After the burial, Bharata finds Rama in the jungle and begs him to come home. No matter how much Bharata begs Rama to come back home and reign as king, Rama says he has to obey the commands of their father and stay in exile for fourteen years. Rama tells Bharata to rule the kingdom and Bharata follows his older brother's command. Before going back to Ayodhya, since Rama cannot be in the kingdom in the flesh, Bharata takes a pair of Rama's sandals and sets them at the king's throne that Bharata promises to guard for Rama. Back in the jungle, Lakshmana, Rama, and Sita encounter Atri and his wife Anasuya. Sita is drawn to Anasuya with her tender mother's love and tells Anasuya her life story. As time goes on, one day Rama and Lakshmana finally encounter a woman named Shurpanakha, who is the sister of the evil King Ravana. Shurpanakha falls in love with Rama who does not reciprocate the same love for her. Rama suggests that she can have his brother, Lakshmana; however, he does not have any feelings for her either. With two rejections, Shurpanakha is furious and shows her true colors. She is so upset that she begs her brother, Khara, to destory Rama and Lakshmana. Khara and the two brothers fight a vigorous battle, but in the end Rama and Lakshmana defeat Khara. With the defeat of her brother, Shurpanakha goes to her most powerful brother Ravana and tells him about the death of Khara which was the doing of Rama and Lakshmana. Ravana is furious and devices a plan to fight the brothers. Rama decides to bring a man named Maricha into his plan of abducting Sita. Maricha is the only living son of Thataka, who Rama killed in the past. Maricha and Ravana team up and eventually abducts Sita through Maricha transforming into a beautiful golden deer. Ravana is mesmerized by the beauty and grace of Sita that he takes her to his kingdom. As Ravana and Sita fly away, the helpful and mighty Jatayu tries to save precious Sita. Jatayu is unsuccessful and is left to die. As Rama and Lakshmana returned to their hut and found Sita missing, they grieved and searched high and low for her. They find Jatayu who with his last moments of life helps the brothers in the direction of finding Sita. On their journey to find Sita, Rama and Lakshmana encounter an elderly woman named Shabari. Shabari has waited patiently for the arrival of the powerful Rama.

(503 Words)

Bibliography: Ramayana by M.Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder (link)

Ravana and Sita. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part A

Reading Notes for Ramayana, Part A: Dasharatha is king of the Koshala kingdom. He has three wives but no children to pass the kingdom to. In the need of a human who can defeat Ravana, the gods allow the god Vishnu to become Rama, Dasharatha's son. With special rice and sacrifice, the three wives of Dasharatha are granted children. Dasharatha's wife Kaushalya gives birth to Rama, Kaikeyi gives birth to the son Bharata, and Sumitra gives birth to two sons, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The four sons grow up and one day a sage by the name of Vishvamitra begs Dasharatha to give him Rama to help him battle demons. Dasharatha refuses in the beginning but finally agrees if Vishvamitra takes both Rama and one of his brothers, Lakshmana. Vishvamitra guides the brothers throughout their journey. Vishvamitra took on the role of being a father figure to Rama and Lakshmana during their time together. Vishvamitra told them stories and taught the boys about special astras and mantras. Of course the reason why Rama and Lakshmana were on this journey in the first place was to do battle with demons. Rama first goes into battle with a demon named Thataka and kills her. Rama then encounters the sons of Thataka who are furious at Rama for killing their mother. Rama eventually kills Thataka's sons. As Rama goes into battle with more demons and wins said battles, he falls in love with a beautiful woman named Sita along the way. To win Sita's hand in marriage, Rama successfully lifts, bends, and strings the bow of the god Shiva. As Rama wins the heart and hand of Sita, Dasharatha is brewing up a plan to name Rama as his successor. However, the royal servant Kooni gets in the way and forces Dasharatha to pass his kingdom to his other son, Bharata. Dasharatha has his hands tied up and crowns Bharata as the next king while throwing Rama into exile. Rama does not argue and simply obeys.

(326 Words)

Bibliography: Laura Gibbs; Reading Guide Part A and Part B: Narayan. Ramayana; link.

Ramayana. Source: Flickr

Topic Brainstorm

1. Vasantasena, A Dancer (link): I have never hear of this story before but the word "dancer" in the title of this link caught my eye because it was something that I could relate to being a dancer for about 14 years. This story is like a love story with many ups and downs, and even plot twists. As I read the description of what this story was about, I came across the words "Shakespearean comedy." Therefore, I immediately thought of romantic comedies and how I can put a modern spin on this story. I could potentially retell this story along the lines of the plots of One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl. The thought of writing a love story is intriguing and since I enjoy watching romantic/romantic comedies, it would be cool to write a similar story of my own. 

2. Uloopi: The Naga Princess who Fell in Love with Arjuna (link): This story caught my eye because of the word "Naga" because Naga is actually the city where my dad grew up in and so when I saw that word, I was surprised and intrigued. This story seems like a romantic action-packed story with the love of Uloopi for Arjuna and the battle of Arjuna and Babhruvahana, his son. I have never heard or read this story before this class. I want to know why Uloopi befriends Arjuna's new family and almost takes care of them even when he does not love her anymore. As a woman, was she sad, mad, or angry at what happened? To retell this story, I do not think I would change it too much. I would stick to the same plot but tell it in my own words.

3. Gandhari: A Mother Blinded by Love (link): As I was reading the Reading Guide for this story, the genuine love and sacrifice of Gandhari to her husband and her first born son was intriguing and compelling. I want to know what Gandhari thought about having 100 sons - yes that was a blessing, but was she ever scared? I also want to know what was going on through her mind as she had to wait two years for her kids to be born. Was Gandhari anxious during the two year period and that what did she feel when she realizes her first born son "brays like a donkey?" Then Gandhari experiences a war and then the death of all her sons. Retelling this story could be difficult because it may be difficult or inappropriate to add some lighter scenes since it is such a real and serious story.

4. Project Idea: Love Stories (link): Love is something that we have all experienced whether it was a romantic kind of love or a family/best friend kind of love. I would like to learn and read more about the love stories and the different varieties they posses. I believe the retelling of love stories is so broad that putting one's own spin on it would be easy to do. From a comedic route (How I Met Your Mother) to something as unique as online dating sites, retelling love stories could be so much fun. I think I can learn something about love from reading these epics that could be put to use in my own life.

Vasantasena. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Feedback Thoughts

14 Signs Your Perfectionism Has Gotten Out Of Control (link): Wow, this article truly hits close to home. Just by skimming through the article, I could easily relate to 11 of the 14 signs that were mentioned. I have always been eager to please others, especially those older than me, and I have always put others before. Now, I believe this is not to say that pleasing and putting others before me is bad, but it is all about the balance. My dad always tells me and my sister, "Too much of something is bad just as too little of something is not good as well." I sometimes forget to consider my own thoughts and needs in the pursue of pleasing others. I feel like I have been a perfectionist since first grade when I was first exposed to the importance of grades. Therefore, being a perfectionist for the past 14 years has become tiring and unhealthy. College has slowly but surely taught me the reality of it being okay to not be involved in everything and that it is okay to not be a straight A student. It is almost like choosing your battles. Since I have been such a perfectionist for the majority of my life, the tendencies of a perfectionist still hits close to home. However, I think it is about choosing my battles and becoming a perfectionist in some instances and not having to be one in other situations. One of the signs from this article that stood out to me was "you are a big procrastinator." Not until this article did it hit me that procrastination relates to perfectionism. I put things off until the last minute because of the fear of being judged and not being good enough. Also, procrastinating also gives perfectionists an excuse if their writing, project, assignment, timeliness, etc. is not good enough. The phrase "I did not have enough time to do my best so please do not judge me so harshly." can be used by perfectionists and I know I have been guilty of that. Overall, I believe that realization, action, and balance are key to become a controlled perfectionists that can efficiently and gracefully handle feedback.

6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success (link): I liked this article because it is straight to the point. It discusses the bad mental habits and then gives a solution on how to fix it. The habit that struck me the most was the habit of "catastrophizing the future." I am guilty of thinking of the worst possible solutions to scenarios before those scenarios even happen. I admit to exploring the negative answers to the "What if?" questions just to psych myself out. As human beings, this is part of human nature. However, the reaction to psyching ourselves is up to us. We can either move forward or go backwards. Overall, this article pinpoints the small things that affect our success and that it is up to how we train our minds so that it becomes an ally and not an enemy.

So. Much. Feedback! Flickr

Week 2 Story: The Tale of the Cunning Crocodile and the Wise Monkey

This story is now on my Portfolio website!

Story: Once upon a time, living in the waters of the Ganges river was a crocodile couple. Among the fig-trees planted in the bank of the river lived a great, mighty, and smart Monkey. The Monkey was well-to-do and powerful that one day an urge came over the female crocodile to devour the Monkey and his precious heart. Therefore, the female crocodile begged and pleaded to her husband that he retrieve the Monkey's heart for her. The Crocodile finally gave in to his wife's request and devised a plan on how to lure the Monkey into the Ganges river so his wife can enjoy the Monkey's heart. As the Crocodile was attempting to brainstorm a plan, he noticed that the Monkey would come to the bank of the Ganges to enjoy some refreshing water. When the Crocodile noticed this, the light bulb went off inside his head.

Therefore, on the next day, as the wise Monkey was enjoying the fresh water of the Ganges, the Crocodile drew near to him and said, "Monkey, why do you keep on eating these old and disgusting fruits when there are fresh and juicy mangoes and labujas waiting for you to be eaten just on the other side of the Ganges river?"

The Monkey responded, "The Ganges is far too dangerous for me to cross it. I cannot possibly swim across this river. How should I ever be able to get to the other side?"

A huge smile was seen on the Crocodile's face as he said, "Well, I can take you there!"

Intrigued by the Crocodile's kindness, the monkey climbed onto the Crocodile's back. However, halfway through the journey to cross the Ganges, the cunning Crocodile threw the Monkey off his back and drown him in the cold waters of the Ganges. 

The Monkey was horrified at what the Crocodile was doing to him and cried out, "Why are you doing this to me?"

With a devious laugh, the Crocodile responded, "You fool! You thought I was going to bring you the other side of the Ganges? Nonsense! I brought you to the depths of the Ganges so my dear wife can finally devour your precious heart."

The Monkey remained calm as he listened to the Crocodile's plan. Then the Monkey thinking on his feet said to the Crocodile, "Well if your wife wants my heart, we must swim back to the bank of the river. Something as precious and valuable as my heart is safely kept among the figs in the fig-trees."

The Crocodile was a bit confused at what the Monkey said. However, he was extremely desperate to fulfill his wife's desire that without thinking he said, I will take you back to the fig-trees if you promise me your heart. In return for your heart, I will not kill you." 

The Monkey nodded his head in agreement and the Crocodile brought him back to the fig-trees. The Monkey leaped off the Crocodile's scaly back and climbed to safety at the top of a fig-tree.

As the Monkey settled into branches of the fig tree, he chuckled and said to the Crocodile, "Oh how stupid you are! You actually believed that I kept my heart up here? Your stupid eagerness will never be a match for my wisdom!"

As the Monkey laughed, the Crocodile left feeling stupid and betrayed. The Monkey was wise and clever, and outwitted the cunning and devious Crocodile. As the Crocodile went home, empty-handed, the wife was desperate for a heart to eat that the Crocodile sacrificed himself and allowed his wife to eat his own precious heart. 

(608 Words)

Author's Note: The original story is about a female crocodile who conceives a longing for the mighty Monkey's heart that she ask her husband to get it for her. As the wife's request, he lures the Monkey into the water by telling him that there are yummy and delicious fruits on the other side of the river and that the he would take him there. Halfway through the river, the Crocodile begins to drown the Monkey, but the Monkey asks him what he is doing and the Crocodile spills his plans. The Monkey tricks the Crocodile by saying that his heart is actually in the fig-trees and that he he will get his heart for the Crocodile's wife if he brings him to the fig-trees. When the Monkey is in the fig-tree and away from harm, he tells the Crocodile that he is stupid and that he ended up tricking him. The Crocodile swims away ashamed and embarrassed. 

Bibliography: "The Monkey and The Crocodile" from Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock. Web Source 

The Cunning Crocodile and the Wise Monkey. Source: Flickr

Reading Notes: The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart

This story is about two witty animals; one is a crocodile and the other is a monkey. The store is about a female crocodile who wants to eat the heart of a strong monkey, who was a man named Bodhisatta but came back to life as a monkey. The female crocodile wanted to consume the heart of the monkey to the extent that her husband wanted to do anything to please her and giver her what she wants. However, since the monkey lived on dry land and not in the water with the crocodiles, the male crocodile had to create a plan to draw the monkey in so his wife could devour his heart. Therefore, the crocodile attempted to trick the monkey by tempting him with delicious and mouthwatering fruits that where on the other side of the river. The crocodile lured the monkey into his plan and got the monkey into deep blue waters. However, the monkey quickly realizes the crocodile's plan and reverses the scheming trick onto the crocodile. The monkey does this by saying that his heart is actually hanging on a fig-tree and trick the crocodile into bringing him to the fig-tree. In the end, the monkey out smarts the crocodile and is safe from harm as he sits on the fig-tree.


Bibliography: Marie L. Shedlock; The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart; Link

Crocodile. Source: Max Pixel

Reading Options

Narayan's Ramayana: This option from Weeks 3-4 caught my eye because of it is written by one single author, the fact that I can read a hardcopy of the story, and that there is a Reading Guide provided. For me personally, the fact that it is written by one author with one writing style helps me not have to worry about keeping up with different authors and their personal styles of writing. In addition, I would prefer to read the hardcopy of a book more often then an electronic copy just so my eyes will not have to stare at a screen for long periods of time. Lastly, having a Reading Guide will help me keep on task with my reading.

Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues: This option from Week 5 caught my eye because it was a free animated movie from YouTube! I think this is extremely cool, unique, and entertaining. Learning about this Indian Epic would be engaging and I think that is exciting. I watched a couple minutes of the video already and I was already intrigued.

Epified TV's Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution: This reading option sounded interesting because it is free on YouTube and it is spread out over three weeks. I already spend an unhealthy amount of hours watching YouTube videos so why not put my time to use and watch these videos?! The time frame was also interesting because it is spread out over three weeks, which could be good or bad depending on time and how our style of completing works look like.

Sita Sings the Blues. Nina Paley. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Time Strategies

The articles I read were The Important Habit of Just Starting (article link) by Jory Mackay and 3 Steps to Recapture Time (article link) by Joynicole Martinez, which had some useful tips in it! One tip was to "learn how to diet in a candy store," which pretty much means that we need to put in long and tedious hours of work with no promise of a reward. It is like remembering you are on a diet and not caving into the pressure of all the tempting candy around you in a candy store. The other useful tip is to "practice the art of no." I think this is such a practical tip for life and that we can only do so much and we have to know our boundaries. I believe my biggest time challenge is just following my schedule. I can have everything written down but if I do not put action behind it, in the end it does not matter. For Week 2, I will stick with the suggested schedule I made for myself last week. I want to try it out and if it does not work, I will adjust it. I believe working ahead is the key to manage this class. However, working ahead is difficult for me because truthfully I have always followed the deadlines. Now, I will attempt to work ahead and use deadlines as a last minute resort.

Just Do It! Source: Wikimedia Commons

Technology

To be completely honest, I have never heard of approximately 95% of the technology tools mentioned by Dr. Gibbs! I know that we are millennials and we are suppose to be tech savvy, but I more like an eighty-year-old grandma in a twenty-year-old body. I have had some experience with blogging as I used WordPress for my class when I was studying abroad in Arezzo, Italy. I also have heard of Tumblr and Pinterest because some of my best friends are obsessed with those sites. I also bookmark important websites for easy access, but I have never used Diigo or thought of using Pinterest so that could be interesting! I have never heard let alone used Class Wiki before this course, but so far it is simple and easy to access which is nice. I am also a huge fan of Google Docs so I am glad to hear that we will be using it in this class. The thought of me taking an online class truly scared me at first because I am not tech savvy whatsoever. I am intrigued in learning how to create and publish a website because I believe this is an extremely handy tool for our future for any occupation. Overall, technology has never really been my friend, but I am excited to become better friends with it as the semester goes. :) 

The Power of Technology. Source: Pixabay 

Assignments

The assignments I am intrigued by are the Storybook project/the Portfolio project and the Blog Comments. I know we get to pick which one we would like to do, but both sound interesting and intriguing. I am not really a creative person, therefore, I might be leaning towards doing the Portfolio project because it is something we can keep on developing and revising! I think blog comments assignment will be fun because it is a way to interact with my fellow classmates. Since we do not meet in person and get the chance to talk and get to know each other, blog commenting will be our way of doing so! As a pre-medicine student, when I read, I read textbooks about biology, chemistry, genetics, etc. In college I have never really had readings in which it does not involve the equations and practice problems. In this class, I am going to be actually reading books/short stories which is exciting and nerve-wracking as well. The Extra Commenting and Back-Up and Review extra credit assignments sound interesting! Being able to interact more with my classmates and getting extra credit for it sounds. In addition. the Back-Up and Review extra credit is something I already pretty much do so getting extra points for it sounds like an awesome idea. :)

Assignment time! Source: Free Great Picture

Thoughts on Growth Mindset

I have never heard of Carol Dweck before this assignment, but I am glad you introduce the class to her, Dr. Gibbs! I believe for the most part of my life, I have been exposed to a more "tyranny of now" kind of mindset instead of a "power of yet" mindset. I believe from elementary throughout high school teachers and parents alike praise us for that letter grade. They push us to do whatever it takes to get that A or that 1st place trophy. It is like the process does not mean as much as the end goal. Society almost makes us seek constant and consistent validation instead of an appreciation and understanding of the process. However, I believe I am slowly gaining a "power of yet" mindset because of college. I got my first ever B and C during my first semester of college. I was devastated, distraught, and even a bit depressed for a while because this was totally unlike me. However, over that Christmas break I evaluated everything and I realized that we have to fall in order to get back up. I had to make those grades in order to realize life for what it was and I began to enjoy the process more than the outcome. I enjoyed the Growth Mindset Challenges especially the Mindset Motto/Mantra and Mindset Acronym. Overall, I think I can be interested in learning more about the growth mindset and how I can apply that to this class, other classes, and life in general! 

Cat Meme for the Win. Dr. Laura Gibbs. Source: Growth Mindset Memes blog.

Introduction to Me...Nikole Vargas :)

Hello everyone! My name is Nikole Vargas and I am currently a twenty-year-old junior here at the University of Oklahoma! I was born to two wonderful, caring, and supportive parents in the breathtaking city of Manila, Philippines. Life was great and I was the center of my mom and dad's world, until my sister came along 15 months later. :P Fast forward approximately two years after my sister was born, my dad got a job offer to work in the United States and next thing I knew we were living in Ann Arbor, Michigan (go Wolverines)! Now, this is a tremendous and wonderful opportunity for my family, but boy were we not ready for winters in Michigan. Coming from the tropical islands of Philippines to the frigid below-zero winters that Ann Arbor had to offer us, we had a lot to adjust to here in Michigan. I spent most of my childhood in Michigan as my family and lived there for eight years. Growing up I was an active child as I was involved in tennis, ballet, swimming, ice skating, and a little bit of gymnastics. As I grew older and some of my interests stayed the same while others have changed, I ended up being involved in tennis, ballet, pointe, swimming, piano, and a bit of golf here in Oklahoma! My dad's company transferred him to Ada, Oklahoma, and we have been living here ever since. The jump from a big city like Ann Arbor to a small semi-rural town like Ada was quite a shock for me and my sister. I remember this one time my sister and I saw a cow for the first time ever in our backyard, that we were so shocked and giddy that we took a picture with it haha!! Fast forward the awkward middle school years and the memories of high school, I found myself as a freshman at the University of Oklahoma!

Here at The University of Oklahoma I am studying psychology/pre-medicine with a minor in chemistry. I believe the cool thing about psychology is that it is applicable to everyday life. When we hangout with our friends and family and when we meet someone new, psychology is something we see and use everyday. The best class I took last semester was the freshmen level class called Experiencing Music! It was such a fun and upbeat class that was a breather from all my hard science classes. I actually made some wonderful friends in that class and we still talk and hangout this semester! My biggest accomplishment last semester was getting all A's! I never made a grade below an A from elementary through high school, and college initially came as a shock to me; however, as I continue and grow in my college experience, I have finally been able to pull off all A's so that is really exciting for me. Over break, my family and I went to St. Louis, Missouri, and had a big reunion with our close family and friends!

When it comes to favorite books, movies, and TV shows, I have got to say that I love romantic comedies! Some of my favorite books include The Fault in Our Stars and Wuthering Heights. Some of my favorite movies and TV shows include Friends, Gossip Girl, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, and 10 Things I Hate About You. All extremely girly movies, I know, but they are just so dang good!! :)

The future is honestly kind of scary! Sometimes I forget I am a junior in college and that the real world is fast approaching. As a little girl, I remember looking up to my "big sisters/role models" who were in college and thinking that that was so far away, and next thing I knew I am them now. It is crazy how fast time goes by! As the real world approaches, my plan is to attend medical school (knock on wood) to hopefully one day become a pediatrician! I have always wanted to become a doctor and I love babies and children, and something about being trusted as a physician to take care of a family's bundle of joy just means the world to me. Therefore, cheers to about seven to eight years more years of school! :-) You can find me studying pretty much 24/7 at the Great Reading Room at the Biz!

I hope you all enjoy getting to know me and I cannot wait to get to know everyone as well! Here is to a wonderful semester! :)

My Favorite Place at OU - the Great Reading Room. Source: Wikipedia

Word Count: 760 words

My Storybook Favorites

My Storybook Favorites

Storybook #1: 

  Link - Gossip Girl Ayodhya

  Title - Gossip Girl: Ayodhya

  Paragraph - This Storybook immediately caught my eye because of the title! I have watched the TV show and I was obsessed with it in high school. I thought it was really cool and interesting to mesh together a popular TV show from our generation and Indian epics. It is extremely unique and different that I would have never thought of myself. The design and format of the Storybook was simple and not too overwhelming. The navigation of the site was easy to understand and I did not have a hard time navigating through it. I enjoyed the Introduction as it gave necessary background information and the present situation of Rama and Laskshmana. 

Storybook #2:

  Link - Hogwarts Storybook

  Title - Hogwarts: The Loyalty of Brothers

  Paragraph - The title of this Storybook was intriguing and made me want to click on it to investigate what it was about. I thought it was so cool to take something as popular and famous as the Harry Potter series and incorporate it with Indian epics. The navigation was easy to figure out. The author used this dark blue backdrop and I believed it helped set the "Hogwarts" mood. In my opinion, the author did such a wonderful job writing the Introduction that I truly could not stop reading it. The way she presented and described the four different houses was great and I loved how the author included a Buzzfeed quiz with the answer key!

Storybook #3:

  Link - The Ganges

  Title - Tales of the River Ganges

  Paragraph - I have heard about the Ganges river since elementary when I was taught about it in history and geography classes. The Introduction was wonderfully written because it was like a story itself. The way the Introduction flowed and the spacing format was a style I could see myself doing. The format was simple and font of the words was a nice size so I did not have to squint. Even if the Introduction itself was quite lengthy, it kept me wanting to read more. 

The Ganges river running through a city. Source: Tales of the River Ganges Storybook

Word Count: 310 words

Favorite Place - One of the Many!

When it came down to choosing a favorite place, I chose the city of Manila, Philippines, because it was the city that I was born in. Other cities that came to mind were Ann Arbor, Arezzo, and Clermont-Ferrand. I was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for about 11 years before moving to Oklahoma; therefore, I associate many wonderful childhood memories with the city of Ann Arbor. The cities of Arezzo, Italy and Clermont-Ferrand, France are significant to me because I was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad in those two cities, and learn more of who I am as a person and who I want to be. However, for now, I chose Manila, Philippines, as my favorite city to talk about because that is where my roots originate from!

Manila, Philippines: Manila is the capital of the beautiful country of the Philippines! It is the city where I was born and had my earliest memory of having a teacher named Ms. Twinkle in nursery school. From enormous modern skyscrapers to endless stores to shop, Manila has it all! My favorite aspect of the city is the breathtaking churches, some even dating back to the 1500s.

Binondo Church is oldest Catholic Church in the Philippines

(Binondo Church - Manila)

Test Post

Testing my new blog for my online Indian Epics class!