Week 1: Famous last words

Famous Last words

My best writing this week was my favorite places blog. Not because of the information I provided but the experiences of creating my very first blog and looking back at it as a published blog. Being introduced to blogging for the first time has really given me confidence in posting future blogs for this class. I’m excited to see my progress and to looking back at it once the class is complete. I have not yet quite mastered the art of blogging but I’m sure I will see improvement and further creativity as the class progresses.

Even though it just the beginning of the semester most of my other classes are picking up quite quickly and the content is getting more and more difficult (hopefully it is not anything I won’t be able to conquer and excel in). As for this class, funny enough it is actually more interesting than I anticipated it to be. It has given me the opportunity to bring back the creativity in me and to unleash my imagination that we only think we have as a child. I realized this when I had to write a story based on a nursery rhyme (although at first it had me picking my brain). Nonetheless, I managed to come up with something. Again I believe as the semester progresses I will become more and more creative with my writing. Also looking at some of the other stories produced by former students when doing the story book favorite task really gave me an insight to the level of imagination this class requires. It just allows one to run away with their imagination and produce a dream like story something that cannot seize to exist in real life but we can bring it to life through our writing. 

                                             

                                                                           Thumbs up!

Week 1: Introduction Post and Blog Navigation

                    A little story about me

A little story about me: My name is Abdirahman Said, also known as Acce. I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and was raised in Seattle, Washington for most of my life. I moved to Oklahoma in January of 2013 for school. I am a petroleum engineer major my passion is to one day become a pioneer in my field of study, hence the move from Seattle. I am a student and also a family man. I enjoy spending time with my loved ones (family first, and friends). Unfortunately most of my family reside in Seattle as I am now here with my wife. Both of us have made huge transitions in our lives, her coming from London and myself Seattle. I enjoy going to the movies especially watching mythological tales and movies based in medieval era. My all-time favorite movie is 300 followed closely by gladiator.

I very much enjoy travelling around the world and exploring different cultures and just enjoying the scenery. In the past few years I have visited numerous countries within Europe England, Wales, and Holland, France. My family and I lived in the Middle East for a brief period of time then we decided to move to Germany where I went to school for about six years before coming over here to the states. Germany was a very agricultural place in comparison to Seattle. The living and lifestyle seemed much relaxed at the time than any other place I've been in the world. Not to forget, I was once a fluent German speaker but unfortunately I have lost my Dutch speaking skills from constantly speaking English.

During the summer I spent it interning with a drilling company. Opening up my eyes to where I want to specialize in. The oil industry is rather interesting and vast being on the outside you’d be surprised about the amount of work that goes into the extraction of oil. Which probably explains why Oklahoma has been experiencing the high numbers of earthquakes we've been having. Maybe it’s the earth’s way of telling us engineers and driller to leave it alone. 

                                                   

Pulling Pipe on the Derrick Floor preparing to trip into the hole. Photographer ,Joshua Doubek.  Date (unknown).Source: Wikipedia

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

The Italian Love Story :  This book is rather interesting as the title sounds far more interesting than the content of it, hence what drew me to it. You wouldn't think reading the title that it is actually based on how I met your mother. Its pretty cool how they used images from how I met your mother to portray different couples, shows great imagination.The lay out is pretty basic as it goes to explain each couples love story separately and you don't have numerous love stories going on at the same time. It is almost as if you are starting a new book each time you read about one of the other friends love story.To be honest the design also is very basic, making it an easy read. The link is provided below if you want to read it in more depth. https://sites.google.com/site/italianlovestory/robin-scherbatsky

Time Travel of King Arthur: I think this student showed outstanding imagination in the since that they have linked the present time using technology (a time machine) back into medieval times. Also the use of different text styles to go back and forth to educated the readers as to why the character in the story wanted to witness the pulling of the sword and its significance. This is something not usually seen in writing but rather in movies i.e when you see " five-years earlier" at the bottom of the screen. As for the layout of this story the design and font compliment the moment in time the writer was trying to portray. However they might have done a better job with the font sizing.The link is provided below if you want to read it in more depth. https://sites.google.com/site/italianlovestory/robin-scherbatsky

The Lost Books of the Bible: The title in the book pretty much explains what the content of this book will be based on. The wording of the title is sound very interesting as it almost creates a sense of mystery in the readers head. The introduction of this book is very thorough and detailed. The reading content of this story sounds rather authentic as it is pretty much a research being carried out day by day thus making the reader more interested in what further findings might be uncovered. However the design of it is very simple and basic. The link to this book is as follows: https://sites.google.com/site/lostbooksofthebible/chapter-4

                                              

Week 1 - Exploring the Un-Text Book.

Working full time and also being a family man. I have chosen the stories with the least amount of reading. Nonetheless, the stories I have chosen spark a genuine interest in me. So here are my choices.


Book of Adam and Eve from the biblical traditions: the beginning of man has always amazed me and has been a controversial topic This story is almost like a myth or a tale to someone who doesn't believe in Adam and Eve being the first of mankind. It also interests me as I did not know of a second wife Lilith. It would be interesting to read the growth of this story as different faiths have different understanding of this.

Noah and the Ark and Jewish fairy tales: I have also chosen these story as I see a link between Adam and Noah's story. Biblical stories interest me. I would like to explore further the connection and the beliefs between the characters of the christian faith and that of the Jewish.

Ovid I, and III Metamorphosis: I have chosen this story as I am not familiar with Greek mythology but the numerous gods and traditions of the Greeks way of life have always interested me. So it should be something interesting to read about. I also enjoy watching Greek mythology inspired movies i.e 300, Hercules so this should definitely be interesting to learn and write about.

Week 1- Story telling: Klien und Dunken

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water;

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

Far in Eastern Europe and a land towered a great break wall. Dividing a country and its people in two.  There lived a young boy by the name Prinz Jack. Prinz Jack resided in a far far away village called 'Klein und Dunkel'. Klein and dunkel meant small and dark in German this is where all the small and less fortunate people would be forced to live. Here they had no water and if they did it will be dirty with bad odor. Young Prinz Jack always wondered why he couldn't go beyond klein und dunken and why they had no water supply.

 

The great wall

Days after day Prinz Jack would wonder and glare at this great big wall. He always wondered what laid on the other side  One day Prinz Jack set out to conquer his thoughts and took his friend Jill with him. Jill was also among the villagers of Klein und dunkel. "Here i'll grab this end of the ladder you take the other" Prinz Jack told Jill.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea we could get in trouble or even worse what if we hurt ourselves" Jill said worriedly. So the two young boys set out to explore this great wall that stood brick upon brick layer upon layer dividing one kingdom from another.

Checking their surrounding the two children made sure to see that there was no one guarding what they were about to do. Jill anchored the ladder and held the bucket for Jack for when he located the water source. Meanwhile Prinz Jack climbed the wall dressed in what was to him royal attire for his debut on the wall, as all the villagers would thank him in great gratitude for bringing clean water.

Whilst Jill stood guard and held the ladder Prinz Jack climbed. Eventually Prinz got the the top " WOOOW...so much land and endless streams of water. I can't believe all those years we lived in the dark yet so much light resides on this side" Prinz said in absolute amazement. "there is enough buckets of water to feed the entire world". Minutes passed, and Prinz Jack had not come down yet " its getting close to the hour, the kings men will be passing soon and you know what happens to our kind if we are caught here". Jill said in a panic.

" Im not going anywhere!" Prinz Jack replied in awe.

Prinz Jack's broken crown. Ilustrated by Corinne Cortinas,July 16 2006. Source google images.

Jill in a hurry climbed the ladder as he had seen the kings men approach on their horses. Prinz Jack and mable both were afraid to be caught and the consequences that will entail. It meant they will be taken away from his family and friends in Klien und Dunken and will be assigned to chimney service. This is where they took all the kids that were caught out of bounds. Prinz Jack and Jill tried to climb down in a hurry but instead took a great big fall and Prinz Jack broke his card board crown after Jill had tumbled over him.

                                                      

                                         

Jack and Jill tumbling ,illustrated by William Wallace Denslow Source Wikipedia.

Authors Note: This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill". My source being The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897). I enjoyed this nursery rhyme growing up as along with twinkle twinkle little star it was on of the first taught in school. I think there is an underlying message to this rhyme as the characters are of the opposite sex. My point being that in pre-k we tend to be friends with members of our own gender but this rhyme actually conveys a playful adventurous relationship between Jack and Jill. This taught me that the we can all be friends no matter what our gender, race, preferences or part of the world we may reside in, hence why i chose the separation of the wall in Germany (the Berlin wall) to be of significance in this story as oppose to the hill jack and Jill go up in the original rhyme.

YouTube Tech Tip

Beautiful Nature (BBC Planet earth wildlife)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMh7Zrf4Svg

Week 1: Favorite Places.

I have chosen London,UK and Seattle, WA as my two favorite places, not because they are exotic locations with sun, sea, and sand but because of the sentimental value they have to me. These two places couldn't be so similar yet so different at the same time.  In the sense that both are very rainy cities but the culture and lifestyle couldn't be more different.

London - I've visited London three times in the past four years not only for the love I have for the city but because I found true love in this city. To be honest it is a small, condensed, over populated city but within it lies centuries and centuries of ancient history. The British culture is rather interesting very different to what I am used to here in america.  London beauty comes out at night (as displayed in the picture below). It is the perfect place to just go for a stroll at night along the embankment of the river Thames. This was my wife and I's favorite thing to do after a night of dinner and a movie.

London Eye Twilight April 2006, Photographer (unknown), Source Wikipedia.

London:Big Ben, phone box and the house of parliament, Photographer :wiki+spam@eindruckschinderdomain.de (2006) Source: Wikipedia

Seattle, WA - This is the place that I was raised, the place where I learned everything I know today. the landscape of this city is breath taking. With the view of Mount Rainier  down the hill from omy mothers house. It is almost very mountainous with all the hills, and not to forget the pacific ocean on alki beach where we would sit and have family picnics, go for a swim, or start a bonfire. Seattle is everything you see in the picture below -Nature meets city. 

Downtown Seattle from Queen Anne Hill, Photographer Hedwig (2007) Source Wikipedia