Wednesday, January 23, 2008


English 12
Term Assignment
Sitting on a Story Blog

By Annesley Riddell


1. Today it is a beautiful, hot and sunny day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Right by my condo is an exquisite park with views in all directions; this is the park I chose to write my blog on. There are about four different benches with completely different view and a few picnic tables. One bench faces the deep green, exotic rainforest/jungle which is climbing up the mountains to the bright, clear blue sky. Another bench is facing the water, looking down the slope of the hill, down to the beach and condos. One bench is looking at basically nothing, and the last bench is looking at down town Puerto Vallarta.
The park is half way up the hill, which keeps extending upward to the mountains. Being in the middle is great because it allows you to see almost everything. The layout, not the scenery, reminds me of if you were in an apartment building in central Lonsdale. One view is of the water, and the others are of the mountains, the city and whatever else there is to look at. That is why I chose that to be the park I write about, because there are so many different options.
My choice for which bench I wanted to use was definitely the one with the view of the water, extending to infinity. I love this view so much, it is absolutely breathtaking. I know there are thousands of beautiful views in the world, but I’m not sure you could get more beautiful then this one. To me, out of all four of the benches, this is the one I was drawn to, although they are all quite spectacular.
The benches in Mexico are quite a bit different than those in Vancouver. They are not made out of wood. It is a rectangular cement block with three strips of metal attached to the back lengthwise, to rest your back on. Not exactly as comfortable as in Vancouver, but I can’t complain. The view makes up for how uncomfortable my bottom feels. There are pigeons walking around by my feet.

2. While sitting on this bench it seems like I can see to infinity, like the view never ends. From here I can see all the big, white condos leading down to the beach. The sun is shining off the white paint, making the condos look like they are glowing; they are so bright they are hard to look at. There are pools on most of the condo’s rooftops, so there are people tanning and swimming up there. It is too far away to see them up close, but I can tell they are having an awesome time experiencing Mexico. I love the atmosphere here, everyone is so friendly and happy all the time, I think that is partly to do with how exotic and amazing the scenery is here.
The white sand beach stretches for miles along the coast, all the way to the tip of the land where I can’t see clearly anymore. Beautiful, white sand covered with the big array of colors from the umbrellas that cover the beach. There are luscious green palm trees and palapas everywhere. Palapas are sort of like umbrellas that you lie under and eat under, but they are made of wood and straw. In my opinion they make the beach look that much prettier, they make you feel even farther away from home and more like your on vacation.
The jungle reaches all the way down to the ocean on both sides of the beach. Many people are crowded under palapas enjoying the hot sun, while the huge waves crash in front of them. When I look out to the water, it is absolutely breathtaking. I can see sailboats and fishing boats out in the middle of nowhere. Out in the vast ocean view, I can see groups of islands, which is where the snorkeling is amazing. There are huge birds just gliding around the sky, they look somewhat like eagles but much bigger. My little brother thinks they are pterodactyls. Way up in the sky there are people parasailing probably petrified, and down below there are people bouncing away on banana boats. Everywhere I look there is something else going on.
I think Mexico, especially Puerto Vallarta, is such an amazing place to be, the people are so friendly and the scenery is impeccable. This view is like it’s out of a picture or painting, it is unbelievable, like something you see on a postcard. I feel blessed to be here and the fact that I’ve been able to come more than once is great. I want to be able to come here many more times, and hopefully sit here on this bench with my own kids one day. The park is very quiet and peaceful, I can sit here and work on my tan, while thinking and looking out into the beautiful colors of the sunset.

3. If a bench were dedicated to me I would want it to be somewhere looking at the water, like this view is but I would like it to be in my home city, Vancouver, where I am growing up. Right on top of Grouse Mountain would be perfect, it is my favorite view in all of Vancouver because it is a view of all of Vancouver. I love the ocean so much and I love the snow as well. Vancouver us just the perfect city in the world, it has everything from snowboarding on mountains, to swimming at the beach, it is great. Up on the mountain you can be free, just think about whatever you desire. The time is your own; release all of your stress and frustrations with life.
I would like the bench to say:
“Here, let your mind be of all worries.” –Annesley Riddell
I wouldn’t really want it to say anything specifically about me, just about how people should make time for themselves. People spend so much time focusing on other people, and helping their families, that they neglect focusing on themselves and what they really need. It is hard to show love to others without loving yourself first. A bench is a good place to reflect on life. Life can be very stressful, full of decisions to make, bills to pay and it can affect your mood and the person you become in a negative way. Everyone should take the time out of their busy lives to enjoy peace and quiet and have time to themselves to stay focused and have a clear mind, so they can live a healthy and enjoyable life.

4. If I dedicated a bench I would dedicate one to my cousin Jordana Flemming, because she was an amazing person whose life was cut short. I would put the bench anywhere in Whistler because it was her favorite place to be and we had amazing memories with each other there. Whistler is such a great place and it is filled with amazing people. She, like me, loved the snow, she love to snowboard and ski and just play around in the snow. Our favorite place to go back then was the Old Spaghetti Factory in Whistler Village. I would like the bench to be in the middle of town somewhere where it is surrounded with people having fun in life and enjoying the beautiful city.
Jordana was such an easy going, fun person. She deserved the best there was to offer. For the inscription, I would take a quote from the song Beautiful, By Christina Aguilara. Some people might find that odd, but the words are perfect for my cousin, she would understand. The inscription would say:
“You are beautiful, no matter what they say, words can’t bring us down…
You are beautiful, in every single way; no, words won’t bring us down.
No matter what they say, the sun will always shine…” Dedicated to J.F.
This is the perfect song because people everywhere should believe that they themselves are beautiful, inside and out and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. All over the world, people feel not worthy and doubt themselves, due to the hurtful, non-sense words of others. The only reason people put other people down is because they are self-conscious about themselves, even though it may not seem like it most of the time. The people being put down should realize the fact that the people say these things are the ones with the real problems, they are probably just jealous.

5. I woke up very early due to my brothers playing with their toys. You wouldn’t believe how loud they could make a few action figures.
“Bang”…”Crash”…”AAAAAAhhhhhAAhhhhh…I’m faallllinnnggggg…PPPSSSHHH.” I had basically given up on sleeping by that point, but I tried to squeeze in a few more minutes. Put the two of them together doing Superman impressions and their voices get quite loud for two little boys. I finally decided that sleeping was out of the question, my effort was bound to fail anyway. I unwillingly pulled myself out of bed. You would think that sleeping twelve hours every night, lying on the beach drifting in and out of sleep, and then having a nap before dinner every day, I wouldn’t be as tired as I was. Vacationing can be tiring. I decided today would be a good day to work on my English project, so I showered, put on some clothes, and went down to the front desk of the condo to ask where the nearest park was.
As I walked down the dirty, cobblestone streets the air was hot on my skin, but it was still nice and fresh because of the breeze from the ocean. People were all hard at work. Mexicans have a different kind of work ethic than we Canadians do, or maybe that’s just me. They love their work, they sometimes work seven days a week just because they like to. I learned that because I became good friends with the employees at the restaurant my family and I go to here almost every day. I on the other hand would hate working seven days a week and I most certainly would not do it for fun.
The walk didn’t take too long, just about fifteen minutes. There were birds with colors I wasn’t used to seeing birds have, except in the zoo. They were flying around as I reached the middle of the hill, where the park was located. Everything was very, very green, almost too green. Vancouver is also extremely green, so I expected to be used to it, but it was a different kind of green, more tropical and exotic. It was beautiful. I was in a rainforest looking out in all directions. The park wasn’t very big, but it was very quiet and peaceful. I chose the bench on which I was to write about and sat down to think.
The view was extraordinary. I have been quite worried lately, always thinking. Constantly writing down things, “to do” lists. It is my grad year and I have to apply to college. The courses I want to get into are very competitive and only a small fraction of the people who want the course get in. So along with applying to college I have to get my grades up or I don’t even see the point. I don’t feel like applying until my marks are where I want them to be, but if I wait that long my time will be up and I won’t get in. There are so many decisions I am suppose to make and the time I have to make them seems to be disappearing faster than I’d like it too.
On top of the college issues, I have to come up with the money to pay for my future grad trips coming up soon and come up with the spending money as well, and I’m already past the due date for the money. The fact that I just took a month off of work for Christmas and my vacation does not help at all. I am also in debt, which sucks. I didn’t realize how hard it is to pay someone back. I thought I would be done by August, and as you probably know, it’s January. Besides the fact that I’m having a great time, I miss my friends and especially my boyfriend. Once finished working on my project, I decided to take some time to reflect. I seem to have a lot on my mind so sitting on a bench and just letting my mind wonder is probably a good thing.
I just need to relax. Being a student in grade twelve and having two steady jobs, and trying to fit in sports, dance, homework, friends, boyfriend, and family gets to be more than I can handle sometimes. I have learned to take time out for myself and just sit relax, read a book. I am reading this one series, and they are the most amazing books I have ever read in my life. I can’t even put them down. I have never really had that much interest in reading, but I realize that is only because I have never taken the time to read a book just for me. It was always a book I am forced to read in school. I brought my book with me; I’m on the second one. After watching the view for a while, I sat and read my book.
I finally folded the page to mark where I was, and closed the book. I stopped reading at a part where I could bear waiting until I got back to the condo to start again. Honestly, it has taken over my life. By the time I looked up it was almost dark. I realized I should probably head back before my Mom started being the paranoid person she is, and coming up with these erratic scenarios in her head of what has happened to me. They would probably be worse because we were in a different country, known to be very dangerous in some parts.
I headed down the path, a little nervous, because my one huge fear in life is spiders. I was scared enough down in my condo by the beach, where there are not suppose to be any. But I was up in the jungle area where they were supposed to be. The big ones too, like tarantulas. Yuck. I hurried out of the path. I was happy to be on the cobblestone road again. I tripped a view times. It’s funny to watch old people on these roads, they trip a lot. Not that I think it is funny to see people get hurt or anything. I took my time walking back to the condo, just took in the atmosphere of Mexico. I was enjoying myself and I wasn’t worrying about money problems or school future plans either.
When I got back to the condo, I reflected upon my day. The bench was a great thing. I had time for myself and I was able to think and sort things out. I felt a lot better and didn’t feel as much pressure because I had figured out how I was going to handle these unwanted situations. I felt clear minded and better suited to go out and have a fun night with my family.

6. Bench

Sky so blue
Extending view
A place to think
No city stink
Fresh moist air
Breeze through my hair
Time… a lot
No train of thought
Breathe deep
Night fall creeps
Beautiful day
Want to stay
Animals wake
Silence breaks
Noise… I clench
My day on the bench

By: Amanda Sparks

This poem was the closest poem to the bench I was on. All the other poems I read were not really about the bench and the park; they were all about people they were seeing. When I go to a bench I like to not pay attention to the other people around me; that time is for me. In this poem it talks about exactly how I feel when I am on a park bench looking out into the view. I pay close attention to what is around me. I listen for animals and insects and the different sounds they make. This poem is very simple and that is my explanation of what it should be like in a park. Simple, just let everything else go. Pretend there is nothing bothering you and day dream about interesting things, or look back and reflect on your past memories and your exciting future.

7. Basically, my philosophy of life is to try not to dwell on the bad things and focus on the good. Something you may be dreading will be over eventually and there will be a weight lifted off your shoulders. My philosophy is for everyone to be the best person they can be. This can be harder for some people than others. As I have said before I believe that everyone should take time to reflect, if you religious, maybe even pray. Make up strategies on how you are going to deal with the problems to come in life and learn from your mistakes.
This relates to my poem because the person in the poem is doing exactly that. From what I can gather she is sitting in a park away from regular city life and experiencing nature. She is thinking and realizing how beautiful the world is and she is not thinking about bad things or even thinking much at all. She is letting her mind wander, which is a good thing to do. People take things for granted such as life and where they live and how blessed they are. If people don’t really think deep and realize how much they love things, they stop remembering how beautiful these things are and how much they mean to them. Many people take Vancouver for granted; they don’t appreciate its beauty because they see it every day. But if they really think about it becomes as if it now means more to than before and you appreciate its existence, whatever it is.

8. In my opinion, there are many purposes to a park depending on what kind of park it is. Parks with playgrounds hold the purpose of being a fun place to go with your children. Children can let loose and vent all of their energy before returning home. It is a place where they can potentially meet new friends and learn how to be social with other children and share.
The grassy parts of the playground parks are to go to have picnics, play sports, relax, play with your dog, and in the winter you can toboggan, if there is a hill. Parks are for so many purposes, it’s hard to count. Then there are the kind of parks that don’t have a playground, they are just vast, green areas with a few benches placed strategically around. These parks are more for relaxation, a place to go to breathe fresh air and clear your mind. To take you dog or do basically anything you please, remove yourself from the loud, busy city for a while. A time to be by yourself or with some people you love.
Some parks have paths to walk or hike for exercise or just pleasure. The world is full of stress, deadlines, decisions, and craziness and there never seems to be enough time to do anything. Parks serve different purposes but the main one they share is giving people a place to relax and have fun outside of their busy schedules.

9. Grad poem


This is not goodbye

The first day of high school I was scared because it was new,
Elementary days went so slow, I thought that this would too.
People say that this is just the beginning, not the end,
The people I met here will forever be my friends.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been in school for almost 13 years,
I know this will be sad, I know there will be tears.
Thanks to all the people who did all they could to help me through,
Cheers to starting a new chapter in our lives, to starting off new.

Bench poem


Fiesta

My mind is full of decisions to be made, it’s been running non-stop.
There’s a park way up on the hill, somewhere near the top.

The silence here is almost deafening,
The deep, green covers everything.

It is so beautiful up here; it is somewhat like a dream,
I’ve had this dream before but I’m not sure what it means.

The silence here is almost deafening,
The deep, green covers everything.

Looking out upon the view, my worries seem to fade,
Most people look at me and think I’ve got it made.

The silence here is almost deafening,
The deep, green covers everything.

But what people don’t see is the internal stress,
My life is not what it seems, it’s somewhat a mess.

The silence here is almost deafening,
The deep, green covers everything.

But up here everything is perfect; my mind is nice and clear,
Just let everything go, it’ll help, I might just shed a tear.

The silence here is almost deafening,
The deep, green covers everything.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

1.The Province
Thursday, December 13th, 2007
Court reduces sentence for 18-year-old driver


By Mike Sadava


Chad Kobelka, was a young man who received a 10 1/2 year sentence for a high speed car chase with police ending in serious injuries for a family he hit in a car. He had stolen his uncles truck and when being chased by police, he fled. During the chase he sideswiped a jeep and rammed a police car when they tried to stop him. In the end, he t-boned a car with two adults, who suffered serious injuries. The woman was 5 months pregnant with the unborn baby. The baby suffered "brain-stem injuries that will leave her helpless for her entire life." Kobelka was charged with the "evading police causing bodily harm and sentenced to eight years, with another two years consecutive for assault with a weapon causing bodily harm, and six months consecutive for vehicle theft, bringing the total to 101/2 years." They then decided to take off two years, when his age was considered and the fact that he showed remorse.
*I am not sure how I feel about this case. I am turning eighteen in two weeks and I would never do something like that, I know better and if I did do it I would know exactly what I was doing at the time I decided to flee from the police. I agree with the idea of stricter penalties and sentencing for people who create police chases and especially for people who injure innocent victims in the process. I do understand that this man probably was scared because he has stolen his unless truck, which was a stupid thing to do in the first place, but it would have been much easier and saved him 8 years in prison and the rest of his life with guilt, if he had just stopped and pulled over in the first place. I guess in this case I would understand taking the two years off his sentencing because 8 years is still a very long time. He will have to live the rest of his life knowing he made that families life extremely difficult and left the baby with brain damage that will effect her for the rest of her life. The eight years he will serve will not take back what he has done to the family. I do think though, that this young man has a lot to deal with and the fact that he has to live with that guilt is punishment enough. I do not believe he intended to hurt anyone and I highly doubt he will do anything like that again.

2.The Province

Thursday, December 13th, 2007
Cops crack global drug-trade ring


By Andy Ivens





Yong Long "Sam" Ye is now accused of heading "the biggest criminal conspiracy in B.C. history -- a $168-million enterprise with tentacles reaching into eight countries on three continents involving tonnes of drugs." Ye is 40 years old and first caught the eye of the police when he was charged with two counts each of extortion and trafficking in 2003. He is now in a Vancouver jail and he is facing 16 counts, including conspiracy, trafficking and money laundering. He apparently uses Vancouver's hot real-estate market to finance drug shipments. "Nine luxury homes worth $6 million that were bought by Ye were seized under proceeds-of-crime legislation as part of Project E-Paragon," said police at a news conference on Wednesday. A source also said, "Ye would renovate the homes and secure large mortgages on them to finance myriad drug shipments." The cocaine was shipped from Los Angelas to Vancouver, "methamphetamines went from Vancouver to Australia in specially constructed suitcases and boxes, and heroin came into Canada from India and Pakistan. Money was funnelled back to Vancouver through 38 bank accounts in China controlled by Ye," said police. 36 people have already been charged and about 70 more are going to get charged in the near future.

I do not understand why people get into this business. Obviously money is a plus, but the consequences of getting caught are not worth it. All I have to say to people who traffic drugs is get a real job, you're cheating. All they are doing is adding and contributing to the growing problem of drug abuse in Vancouver and the rest of the world. I do not understand how it is possible for these people to live when they know in the back of their minds that they are killing people and ruining families and lives. Drugs are a huge epidemic in all of the world. If you cut off their source for how they get them, then they can't get them and it wouldn't ruin their lives. So, why don't people stop trafficking drugs, it is un-necessary and against the law. I have no respect for anyone in this business what so ever and believe that what they are doing is negatively effecting our community.

The amount of drugs that were seized in this drug bust was extremely high: "640 kilograms of cocaine; 111 kg of methamphetamines and 83 kilos of MDMA; 26 units of heroin; 1,202 kg of ephedrine or MDP2P; 7,832 pounds of marijuana bud; charges anticipated for more than 100 people internationally; over $2,100,000 cash seized from various locations; 17 guns (mostly handguns, some prohibited weapons); nine real-estate properties worth $6,000,000; Six high-end vehicles worth $300,000; seizures in eight countries (Canada, U.S., Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, India). That is definitely one big drug bust and thank God they are getting what they deserve.






3.The Province

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
Dad charged in daughter's death

By Chris Wattie


A Mississauga cab driver has been charged with the murder of his sixteen year old daughter. He strangled her after she refused to wear her hijab. The police were contacted early Monday morning by a man saying he has killed his daughter. Aqsa Parvez had run away from home earlier this week because of conflicts we was having with her family over traditional Muslim garb, including the hijab. When talking with a friend she confessed that, "she was scared of her father: He was always controlling her." She apparently wasn't allowed to do anything and she was never allowed to go out. On the Monday morning she refused to wear her hijab and she got into a fight with her father about it. In the end it resulted in him strangling his daughter till the point where he thought she was dea. Whem paramedics arrived on the scene, they found a faint heartbeat but when she was taken to the hospital she was soon pronounced dead.
I have never understood religion very well. I was brought up in a family that doesn't have any specific religion, we just believe in what we believe. This does not mean I do not believe in God, it just means I do not go to church and that I do not call myself or obey any certain religion. I absolutely respect what others believe in and I normally think very highly of the Muslim religion, considering they take in many different cultures and are very open to people converting. The only problem for me about the Muslim religion is their beliefs are very strong, sometimes too strong in some circumstances, such as this one. When people believe in something so strongly, they might get out of hand especially when someone else is trying to disobey their beliefs.
In this situation, I believe that the father should have never even put his hands on his daughter, under no circumstances. They live in Canada, which is a place of freedom. I do understand that he would get angry because he has brought his family up in the Muslim tradition, but just because she did not want to wear her hijab does not mean she does not favor the Muslim lifestyle. The fact that he did not let her go out or anything is absurd, if I were her I would have run away too. People learn by going out in the world, especially teenagers. She did not have the life she deserved and her life was cut short due to an angry father who probably regrets what he has done greatly. All of this could have been avoided, you should never let a religion or a conflict in beliefs ever get in the way of your actions and should never be a reason to harm anyone.
4.Pantagraph.com News

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

Lights slowly come back on after storm


By Murray Evans



In Oklahoma City, lights came back on for some lucky people as utility crews panic and struggle to repair power lines effected by the ice storm. The blackout effected millions of people across the "nations mid-section". There are tree limbs and fallen down trees everywhere, in roads, on houses just everywhere. Ice up to 1 1/2 inches thick has glazed much of the central Plains and Midwest this week. There has been 27 deaths reported due to the storm so far. The storm developed last week and since then "about 468,000 homes and business still had no power Wednesday in Oklahoma, suffering its worst power outage on record." Other areas around Oklahoma were affected as well and some are still out of power. Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma officials have declared a state of emergency.
This is another terrible, natural disaster and people need to bind together to help out the ones in need. People have had to pack up there belongings and move into shelters for the time being. It seems that a huge chunk of the United States has had some pretty horrific storms lately including the one in Washington, which caused that devastating flood. I do believe that these weird weather patterns and worsening storm in the last few years does have to do with global warming, which is a whole other issue I will not get into right now. In Vancouver last year, we had some wind storms which I thought were terrible because we don't really get that very often, but they were nothing compared to the severity of storms that other regions are getting. I couldn't imagine being in a storm like those, I was so scared when we had our own little storms. I can only hope that the worst is over for them because they are expecting another storm this Friday. I hope utility crews can get the power up and running for everyone and hope that no one else loses their life due to these storms.





5.CTV Online, Latest News

Saturday, December 8th, 2007
Cement truck driver charged in crash that killed 5

By News Staff
My feelings after reading this article was utter astonishment. This so called "accident" is absolutely horrific. It is heart-wrenching to even think about. On Friday, December 7th, a cement truck driver driving erratically ran a red light and t-boned a family of five in Calgary. The truck hit with such force that the car was pushed under the truck and carried 300 meters until they came to a stop. The family was killed instantly, a mother, 33, and a father, 41, and their three children ages six, nine and sixteen months. The driver had been speeding, which lead to a man calling in a complaint about his driving. While the man was behind the truck, on the phone with a complaint the truck driver hit the car. The operator listening to the man heard the crash in the background and he screamed and said, "oh my God! He has just gone through a red light and he has just hit a car, T-boned a car. Call 911. I have to hang up." The driver of the cement truck has been charged with refusing to take a breath sample, and five counts of dangerous operation of motor vehicle causing death. They are not sure whether or not alcohol was a factor at this time.
*This is absolutely horrible, it is hard to imagine what the friends and family are feeling right now. It was said that weather had nothing to do with it, it was a dry clear night and the roads were not icy, which means that this never should have happened and could have been totally prevented. A family of five could have had their lives spared if the cement driver had decided to drive more carefully. If alcohol is proven to be a factor, this man should be charged with five counts of second-degree murder. This just proves how horrific accidents can be when people drink and drive, although if alcohol is a factor I would definitely not call this an accident. Speed was the biggest factor in this crash. We have speed limits for a reason and under no circumstances should they be not used, especially in an area such as South Calgary were many people live, it is not a highway, it is an intersection. I am sure the cement truck driver did not intentionally crash into the car, but he was speeding and possibly drinking and that is no excuse and he should be punished accordingly for his actions that night.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

6.North Shore News

Friday, December 7th, 2007
Crime boss dressed as janitor to escape


By Joanna Habdank


It is very unlikely that something like this would ever happen in real life, but evidently it does. On November 14th at 11:44pm, Omid Tahvili walked out of a maximum-security prison and no one stopped him. He was dressed as the jail janitor and the weird part doesn't end there. It wasn't noticed that Tahvili was missing until 8:20pm the next day. Prison inmates are to be checked on at least four times a day and the guards are supposed to see some form of movement or see the inmates skin.
*Prison Guard Edwin Tince is now being tried for helping escape Tahvivi. There is a video tape showing the two of them as Tahvili left the jail. I thought you only see stuff like this on Prison Break. It is astonishing to me that someone "who has worked as a correction officer for then years" would let one bad decision ruin his life. Unless Tince was the guard apparently "checking" on Tahvili, I do not see how it would be possible for his absence to go un-noticed. It seems fishy to me. I believe that Tahvili should turn himself in and be chaged with fleeing the jail and that tince should be charged with suspicion of helping him escape out of the jail. I believe the prison should work on harsher rules when checking on inmates, they should have to say something and be seen at the same time, at least four times a day.