QUESTION 9

POEM

Stress dwells in my stomach.

I feel the tranquility of my surroundings.

A feeling of relaxation washes over me.

The sound of nothing but birds along with ships,

With swishes of the tide washing over rocks,

My mind is soothed.

My troubles are flowing away with the water.

I ponder my unnecessary stress as it slowly melts,

Into the basin of reality.

Now my unexplained duress has seemingly morphed,

Like the paint on a canvas.

This life is born anew.

This life is mine.

QUESTION 9

QUESTION 8

QUESTION 8

PURPOSE OF A PARK

Generally, parks are known as a place for peace and quiet and to be surrounded by the serenity of nature. Parks are not only used as calm and serene areas of land. They are quite often the site of sports events such as baseball, soccer, and even sports such as cricket and football. Parks are not as nature oriented as they once were, but national parks are usually pretty scenic. In my opinion, I think parks are more popular today because so much of our nature has been destroyed for construction purposes. I think a lot of parks are used as a compromise for the amount of nature which is destroyed by the human race. As abstract as that comment may seem, I think there is truth to it on some level. I guess I have a pretty simple opinion of parks, I enjoy them. I enjoy being able to sit on a bench and not worry and just relax and absorb the calmness around me. The serenity of some parks is so dominating that it makes me feel as if I never want to leave the exact spot that I have chosen. Before this assignment, I really didn't have any personal opinions of parks. Yet I have suddenly become very interested in the subtle features of each park which makes it unique. Whenever I happen to stroll through a quiet park now, it almost seems like a reflex to start pondering life and my future.

QUESTION 6/7

QUESTION 6/7

Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test
and don't ask why.

It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs
and still frames in your mind.

Hang it on a shelf
In good health and good time.

Tattoos of memories
and dead skin on trial.

For what it's worth,
it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

(music break)

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

EXPLANATION

  I chose this song because it reflects my interpretation of the deeper meaning of my bench. The inscription on my bench seems to reflect the message of this song. The song is sending me the message to enjoy life and take what it gives you and to simply make the best of it. The second verse basically says that sometimes time and life push you down a certain path you may not want to take but you must persevere and try to enjoy life and make the best of the situation at hand. One should be able to look back on their life with satisfaction and feel accomplished knowing you did everything in your power to make the best of each day. This almost perfectly ties in with my personal philosophy on life and its deeper meaning.

QUESTION 5

QUESTION 5

JOURNAL TO THE PARK

          I got up at 10am on a Sunday morning, and I decided to take a break from studying and do something active for the day. My leg was feeling a lot better than usual so I decided that it was time to attempt going for a run. I also realized that this was a great opportunity to find a park bench and kill two birds with one stone. I left my house and began jogging down the street. Later, I passed Waterfront Park and as I looked out beyond the field, I saw numerous benches sitting there in the winter breeze. So I decided that I when I had ran far enough I would come back and choose a bench. So the time continued to go by, and I kept running. I went down

Marine Drive

and passed Red Robin then I decided that it was about time to turn back. I ran along the shore line until I saw a group of benches. There were a total of eighteen benches weaving along the sea wall. I then read the inscriptions on each bench. I know that I wanted to pick out a unique bench since there were so many in one vicinity. I sat down on a bench and liked the view so I was almost ready to choose this bench, but then I read the inscription:

I put all my faith in the lord Jesus Christ.

I died a Christian.

          I figured that this was not the best choice for me as it did not properly reflect my philosophy on life. I’m not a Christian so I decided that this bench did not represent me. I then chose my bench after thirty minutes of indecision. The bench I eventually chose read:

In Memory of A. Edwin Jackson

Life's Work Well Done

1912-1917

          I sat there for about thirty minutes, and watched a kid feed sea gulls, as a cargo ship passed by. The guy beside me was playing Angry Birds on his iPad. After observing the Vancouver skyline for a good thirty minutes, my leg was stiff so I decided to start my run home. I had to go to the bathroom so I stopped off at McDonalds. As I was about to enter the restroom, an employee stopped me and said that unless I was going to purchase something, I could not use the bathroom. I then ran home.

QUESTION 4

QUESTION 4

            If I were to dedicate a bench to someone close to me, my locations would vary. It really depends on the type of person I am dedicating it to. If I am dedicating it to a quiet peaceful person, I would probably place it in a scenic area like a park or on the beach. For an energetic person, I would put the bench in the middle of busy areas such as beside a busy street or outside a school. My inscription choices would once again also vary dependent on the person I am dedicating the bench to. For people who were extremely out-going I would write something pertaining to their philosophy on life as it is probably deeper than someone who is closed off from society and shy. For a sentimental person, I would write something with a deeper meaning than what is perceived as the message on the inscription. It would be something which at first glance could be interpreted as an everyday message but somehow pertains to something special that person and I shared at some point in our lives. All this still depends on the type of person I dedicate the bench to and what kind of relationship we had.

QUESTION 3 BENCH ASSIGNMENT

QUESTION 3

          If a bench were dedicated to me, I would want it to be located somewhere the person who dedicated the bench and I had shared some special moment. If it was at a bus stop, so be it. If it was by the water or in a quiet park that would be fine too. I think that I would want the inscription to read:

Preet Gandhi

Lived Life To The Fullest

   Something as simple as that would be more than enough for me. A simple message, for a simple person. I don't know if I would want some sad, dramatic line about my life because it would just make whoever read the inscription on my bench gloomy or sad. I want my bench to be a point of relaxation and happiness. Of course, the bench will most likely have something written on it which is important to the person who dedicates it to me. If I had one choice of location though, I would choose a bench in peaceful area, with a scenic view along with some sort of nature around me. Or maybe even around some area where there are sports events taking place. On the sideline of a soccer field would be fine with me even though its not that peaceful, its an energetic setting and its something I’m used to.

Question 2. Bench Assignment



As I sit on my bench, I see the skyline of Vancouver quite vividly. The tall buildings downtown dominate my view. I see cargo ships moving slowly across the inlet, destined for the shipping yard across the water. As I gaze out across the Inlet, there are cranes and cargo boxes stacked high beside the Seabus terminal. Meanwhile, on our side of the water, a flock of seagulls has suddenly formed around me. There must be at least thirty birds! An old man is playing games on his iPad on the bench adjacent to me. I started to wonder whether the purchasing of an iPad is really worth it or not. Then I saw the reason for the copious amount of birds. There is a young boy along with his parents throwing bread to the sea gulls. This is simply exciting the wild birds as they chase the pieces of bread. At that point I actually realized that I was quite hungry. I suddenly craved McDonalds, but I had stopped at the bench at the end of my run so I knew it would negate any cardio workout that I had attained. I also wanted to have some water, but the fountain was closed. It was after sitting for a few minutes looking out over the water that I suddenly started to ponder my existence. Are my goals in life attainable? Will I be someone who wears a suit to work everyday and works downtown or will I take a different career path? Where will I go to school next year? Do I have the grades to even get accepted anywhere? Suddenly I just wanted to go home and finish all my homework and forget about the academic struggles I went through all year. I wanted my torn muscle in my leg to heal as fast as possible and salvage the little basketball I had left in high school. I started to feel quite sad to be honest.

Park Bench Assignment

Visit a park, choose a bench, explain your choice, and describe your bench.

I visited Waterfront Park in search of the perfect bench to do my assignment on. There were many benches around, eighteen to be exact, so I tried to decide which bench to choose based upon the inscription on the bench. The view that went along with sitting on the bench was quite important in choosing this bench. My bench is facing the Burrard Inlet, I enjoy the scenic view and it enhances the beauty of this bench. On the back rest of the bench, the message that is written is:

In Memory of A. Edwin Jackson

Life's Work Well Done

1912-1917

          The bench is on a diagonal angle, I felt choosing any run of the mill bench would just not symbolize me as well as this one does. I felt as if the message on this bench really spoke to me. I would like to know that I lived my life to the fullest and worked hard through out my life by the time I pass away.