Author: srira11440@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

Mrs. Midas Reflection

srira11440@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg Language and Literature 0 Comment

I think today after Mr. Watson read the full poem to us I was able to piece it together better. From the very last stanza it was quite hard to see his true obsession with gold but we could get a better sense of his love and greed when we read the whole poem. Furthermore, we could see more of the dynamic between the couple and how it transitioned.

Something I did not pick up on which I found interesting was the possibility of the allusion to domestic violence. Although I picked up on the theme of her fear and her entrapment, I never connected it to an everyday situation. When she put the chair against the door and talked about how he had to leave, it emphasised how unsafe she felt in her own home. His dominance spread everywhere and you can see that in how he touched forks and spoons to show his influence upon all aspects of the house, which could like to him being in control and putting her in dangerous situations.

Another link I made was how the tone was conversational in order to take a well known story and make it something more personal. This can also be seen in how instead of calling her Queen Midas, she is Mrs. Midas which allows people to relate because “Midas” could be replaced with the names of so many women who have been in the same situation.

I also noticed a motif of “walking” and “caravan” and “footprints” which shows a constant journey of moving. I think it shows her growth and how far she has come from the situation she was once in. The idea of a “river” and “woods” shows all the places she has gone to in order to get away from her old life.

The story also talks a lot about shallow love. We see the materialistic value in how he turns even twigs and pears into gold. The extent of it is illustrated when he becomes delirious and too involved in his wish which is enhanced by the way she describes thair potential baby as “amber’ and an “ore”. We can also see the shallow love on her part. Nothing stops her from being with him, but she miss “his touch”. His hands are all she misses which depicts how it is the physical side of their love that she is concerned most about.

The feeling of emptiness is the main theme that I see because she even dreams of having a child that never comes. When she says what gets her now is the “idiocy or greed”, it presents that the relationship has left her broken.

srira11440@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg Culturama 0 Comment

As of right now I am one week away from my Culturama show and we have been rehearsing to the best of our ability. We met on a weekend to practice the dance and set the light queues (which you can see under the evidence section). I am feeling far more comfortable with the place we are in right now and I think that the dance is slowly coming together. I feel like we need to polish the steps more and add a lot more grace to them, while making our transitions more smooth. All in all I am feeling like we have enough time to sort everything out together and get ready for the final performance!

Evidence:

Culturama Progress

srira11440@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg Culturama 0 Comment

Learning Outcome: LO1-Identify their own strengths and develop areas for growth // LO5-Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.

My progress in culturama has been going quite well. Last session we were able to do a whole run through where we linked the individual dances through transitions. This was very important because sometimes we forget that our coordination as a team will be very evident on stage, and how we move and organise ourselves backstage will affect our entrance which is also the first impression we give the audience.

I am in 3 out of the 4 dances which means I have a lot of planning and remembering to do pertaining to which position I must stand in for what dance. It also makes a difference where I exit off the stage because that then decides where I enter from. Only me and 6 other people are doing 3/4 dances (everyone else does 2/4) which means it is up to us to be ultra aware of transitional details.

In regards to my previous dance experience, I can transfer skills because the Iranian dance is very precise and controlled much like classical South Indian dance. It has been really great to engage in a more traditional slower dance type, because it contrasts quite well to the dance I am doing outside of school. Doing two very different dances helps me as a dancer holistically.

We have a dress rehearsal coming up the week after and I will not lie I am quite nervous because I do not feel ready for a dress rehearsal. We have been through a lot of the steps but the formations on stage (which are complex in this dance due to spins and such) are critical. I am hoping that over the next two weeks we are able to string all the dances together and have more practices so that we get comfortable with the steps.

Culturama has also been a great way for me to get some time away from focusing on school. I love getting a break at lunch where I do something productive but more so in the arts field. I have not been able to pursue a dance class outside school, but doing Culturama makes me feel like I am not losing touch with dance. I notice my positivity and efficiency increasing in the day, after we rehearse at lunch.

Evidence (I am in the white jumper):

Continuing Body Pump

srira11440@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg Bodypump 0 Comment

Learning Outcome: LO4-Show commitment and perseverance in CAS experiences. Students can articulate the stages from conceiving an idea to executing a plan for a CAS experience or series of CAS experiences.

I have still been going to body pump and it has been great for me. Because it happens on a Thursday after school, I find it quite nice that after a school day I take some time out to focus on physical fitness. I notice that when I do body pump I do not pay attention to what is happening in school around me, which means when I do go home and start work, I give 100% of my attention and I am far more productive.

Body pump has also currently inspired me to make my lifestyle healthier holistically. I find it quite pointless that I take part in body pump but do not eat the healthiest. I am trying to change my diet to be healthier, by not reducing quantity but increasing quality. I have started eating more protein and vegetables while decreasing carbs.

As can be seen by the first photo (top left), a body pump video is projected on the screen. Body pump was a concept designed by Les Mills, the people in the video projected are Les Mills professionals. It is quite nice to follow along with trained professionals because they give us tips along the way in regards to form and technique to make sure we make the most of the time when we are exercising. You can see me following the videos in the (bottom left and right) photo.

Another great thing about body pump so far is that I get to do it with friends, as can be seen in the second (top right) photo. It is a very supportive environment because watching others persevere makes me push myself. Last week, there was an exercise I struggled to do, and one of my friends gave me advice on an easier modified version I could do that works out the same muscle. Having others around with the same goal of overall health means we can help each other out along the way!

Evidence:

 

Self Reads – My Experiments With Truth

srira11440@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg Self Reads 0 Comment

‘My Experiments With Truth’ by M.K Gandhi is a book I have been wanting to read for a long time. As an Indian myself, Gandhi’s story holds a very special place in my heart. More so, I aspire to be a lawyer when I’m older and his story goes to show that foundation in law can carry a person to very far places, literally and emotionally. Mahatma Gandhi has revolutionised the way in which humans interact with each other. His strong hold of Ahimsa (non violence) in all he did, showed that the most powerful person need not be the most violent, just the most determined and clear. This paved the pathway for modern day diplomacy, where countries talk and engage rather than destroy.

I have read around 60 pages of the book and so far I have loved the style of his writing. You can see the strong foundation of English (thanks to his work in law). Each emotion and atmosphere is described with precision, giving me an accurate insight into his thinking and experiences. The pace of his writing is very balanced. There are some moments which he dwells on a lot, key points to the story, but he moves quickly through the transitional points which keeps the reader clued in but not bored by what is not important. The book is not split into paragraphs but more so learnings and experiences. This structure helps me see the connection between each part of his life and recognise what the learning in each section is.

The concept of truth runs very deeply in the book. A lot of authors may keep their theme quite subdued, making subtle references to it and leaving the reader to piece the rest together. Gandhi points out each instance where the truth plays a role in his life and writes critically the importance of it in regards to that particular instance. I love how all the stories are so tightly linked by what he learns about the Truth because I find it very applicable to reflect on similar events in my life and how the truth has played a role in that. Each story told finds a way tow eave the truth into it, and it is not always about lying, it even looks at truth in regards to how we present ourselves and our identity, concepts we are studying right now.

Gandhi brings light to a lot of problems in his life. He reflects a lot on his child marriage, which occured when he was only 13. He sheds light upon issues of lust and toxic masculinity, which most men would never have the guts to admit. His behaviour towards his wife, one filled with jealousy and control, is something he repents greatly. This represents a bigger problem that occurs in India. He even links it to the way in which the law does not even protect wives and their wellbeing. Gandhi blends all aspects of his life: law, travel, relationships and truth, into one book. I think it shows how many layers there can be to a person and how hard it is to separate things in your life.

As of now, these are merely my first impressions of what I have read.