Tech Tip: Google Timer

The Google Timer is a really helpful tool to help people manage their time wisely. I typically use the timer on my phone, but the majority of the time I am working on my laptop, so using the Google Timer is a lot more convenient since it is on my laptop as well. I try to use a timer for when I am reading my textbooks for my other classes, so this timer can help me stay on track with my readings.

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales, Part A

("Amphibian frog green frog on wall" by Jon Sullivan)

Two Frogs

-Two frogs lived in japan

-Both of them wanted to see the other's city

-It was a long and tiring journey

-They ran into each other and found out that they were both traveling

-They wanted to go to the other's city

-Stood on each other's backs too look at the opposite's city, but they were actually looking at their own

The Stonecutter

-Once there was a stonecutter who got stone from the side of a big mountain

-He was really skilled, successful, and happy

-A spirit was said to be in the mountain

-The stonecutter kept wishing for things and they were granted by the mountain spirit

-He kept wishing for things and was never happy

-Eventually he wished to be a human again and learned to be satisfied with what he already had and not by other things or people

-He never wished for anything ever again

The Maiden with the Wooden Helmet

-Once there was a happy couple 

-They eventually lost everything but their daughter

-The mother and daughter kept up with the house but the father grew very sad and died

-The wife and daughter were miserable

-The daughter became more and more beautiful

-However, her mother thought it would be a bad thing so she made the daughter act like she did

-The mother grew ill

-Told the daughter it would be hard to survive being so pretty so she had to wear a helmet

-She did as she was told and the mother died

-She left that side of the country

-People called her Hatschihime

-She looked after a sick lady

-The son fell in love with her

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales from "The Violet Fairy Book" by Andrew Lang; link to reading online

Story: The Monkey King

(The Waterfall via Wikimedia Commons)

A long time ago, there was an island called the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. At the very center of this island was an actual mountain there was a high rock at the mountain’s peak. Inside the high rock was a very small seed that possessed the power of heaven, earth, sun, and moon. One day, the high rock split open, and a small stone egg fell out. After a few months, the egg eventually hatched and a stone ape was born.

            The stone ape learned how to adapt very quickly over time, for he was able to walk and leap. Wanting to prove his power, he shot two streams of golden light from his eyes up to the castles in heaven, scaring the Lord of the Heavens.

            The Lord of the Heavens wanted to know what had produced the streams of golden light, so he sent two of the gods to investigate. Once they had returned, the two gods told the Lord of the Heavens that he had nothing to worry about – it was just the stone ape who was showing off his power.

            Eventually, the stone ape befriended the other apes that lived on the island, but they always knew something was different about him, they just could not figure out exactly what it was.

            One day, the stone ape was playing with the other apes near the waterfall by the mountains and he slipped and crashed into one of the bigger rocks that was sticking out of the mountain. This accident easily would have killed any of the other apes, so this raised suspicion amongst them.

            “How did that not kill you?” asked one of the older apes. He walked towards the stone ape and touched his arm, which was stone cold. “You do not have flesh! Are you made out of stone?” he questioned.

            The stone ape nodded shamefully, afraid that the group of apes might guess his biggest secret.

            “He probably has a heart made out of stone, too,” said another ape. Taken aback, the stone ape quickly ran away into his cave, full of sadness. Even though he did not have a real heart, he still had emotions. The stone apes biggest fear was not being loved, for he so longed to feel loved by the apes that surrounded him. He had made it this far without having a real heart, so he could not understand why it was such an issue now.

            “Even though I have a heart made out of stone and my body is not actually flesh, I am still capable of kindness, love, and compassion. It has not been an issue until now, so please just accept me as I am,” said the stone ape.

            “You have so much more power than we do,” said the elder ape.

            “This may be true,” replied the stone ape. “But I have never used that power against you, and I never intend to.”

            The apes realized that even though the stone apes heart was made out of stone, he had never done anything wrong. Because of this, they all agreed to continue to live in peace, regardless of what their differences may be.

Author's Note: My story starts off the same way as the original story, but I took my story in a completely different direction. I wanted to go more in depth for the stone ape character, so that is the direction I took my story. 

Bibliography: "The Monkey King" from R. Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book; link to the reading online

Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part A

(The Waterfall via Wikimedia Commons)

-Island called the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits

-High rock

-there was a seed that basically had the power of the big bang?

-An ape hatched from a stone egg

-The ape grew up and came across a waterfall with the other apes

-competition to see who could face their way through the waterfall and the winner would be king

-Stone ape became the king

-300 hundred years passed

-The apes started sobbing about death

-Three beings were exempt from dead: the Buddhas, the blessed spirits and the gods

-The king was going to search for them, sailing through the Great Sea

-Came across a wood-chopper at work

-The master named him Sun Wu Kung

-The Master gave him a riddle to solve

-Sun Wu Kung wanted the Master to teach him grace and the way to eternal life

-He learned transforming arts and wanted to show it to his disciples

-This angered the Master so he treated Sun Wu Kung that if he did not keep his secret, he would lock his soul in hell

-Sun Wu Kung returned back home 

-The Devil-King of Chaos came

-Then the Dragon-King came

-Then the Dragon-Queen and her daughter came out

-To be continued....

Bibliography: "The Monkey King" from R. Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book; link to the reading online