SECOND BLOG REFLECTION: Online Community

How do you feel that you have benefited from the online community in this course?

In SKDV 10 I have benefited from an online community by reading and participating in the discussions and realizing that many students have the same fears and hesitations about taking online classes that I do. I believe over half of the class were concerned about balancing their education, personal and career.

SKDV 10: Blog Assignment

How realistic do you think it will be for you to adhere to a schedule in order to devote the time necessary to complete the required work in your online courses?   What measures will you take to ensure that this happens?


I do well with managing my schedule when I get into a consistent schedule. I am currently devoting one hour per night to online class homework and reading. After I get home from work I eat dinner with my wife. We cleanup the kitchen and usually go on a walk or do some yard work. After the walk or yard work is when I do homework.

To make sure I stay on schedule I have committed to my wife to stick to my study schedule. By committing to her she holds me accountable. Having someone else holding me accountable really helps me stick to my schedule.

New Blog

Hey. I am off to a new adventure with my girlfriend Jasmine this time. We started a new blog together at: jasmineandbrian.blogspot.com. Thanks for following my blog!

Ordination

My month as a monk was amazing. I find it hard to put in words how much I enjoyed and learned while I was a monk. The best I can do is to say I have never been more comfortable with silence or inactivity than when I was a monk. I did not feel the need to have to do something.

Here are some pictures from my ordination ceremony. I have to thank P Nid and here family for doing so much for me in order to make this happen. I hope her family and my own receive all of the merit that they deserve. 

I will post more pictures soon.

I'm back in the states

Hey everyone I'm back in Sacramento. I will update my blog with monk pictures in the next couple of days. It feels great to be back home with family, friends and native English speakers!

First Night at the Temple

So I moved into the temple last night. I slept great. Living conditions at the temple are simple, but very more than enough. I will be very comfortable.

Today was my last day at school. The kids here are pretty amazing. This morning at the assembly the kids took up a collection of money to help pay for my ordination. They wanted to make merit and to be involved. I really appreciated this gesture.

I won't be able to write again until April. I'll talk to everyone in April and I'll be heading back to Sacramento on April 9th.

It's getting closer...

I'm getting more and more nervous about becoming a monk. I'm excited, but nervous. Sometimes I think, "What am I doing? A monk? Really?" But just a few nerves. I've been practicing my chanting and am getting all of the words right now, but I have to work on controlling my breathing. It is amazing to watch how long a monk can chant while only taking one breathe. Everything else is going well. I will try to update my blog at least one more time before I ordain. When I become a monk no more computers.