Hey everybody, my name is Abhay. For me, a thousand shades means I don’t know exactly who I am but that I kind of like not knowing because each day is spent finding out more about myself and how I was hand-crafted into what I am now. In all my past years I haven’t been as vocal about my heritage and ethnicity as I would like to be. So to start off, here is my name in Hindi – अभय परमार.
∗Side Note: For some reason I can’t upload my original images, so none of the one’s below are gonna be the one’s seen during the presentation but will be based on the same idea =(
Rugby is an amazing sport, and I’m sure you have all heard of it. Although it is a pretty intense sport, it’s honestly so much fun, and everybody on that field is like a brother to you – even if they are on the other team.
This image is of a two-sided coin, which in a sense explains who I am. And no, I don’t mean I’m two-faced but rather that I have multiple sides to who I am, which I feel adds a lot of depth to a person.
Acting has always been a passion for me as I love to get up on stage and bring to life this whole other character which I am given to pleasure to act out as. It’s a truly memorable experience, and I’m hoping to carry forward this passion in some way.
This image represents how I like uncertainty in my life – the idea of not necessarily knowing where I’m going, as long as I get some sense of direction. Its what makes life so much more enjoyable and so much more meaningful.
I love Hindi movies! They are what shaped my childhood and inspired me to go into acting. There are many actors who I idolize and admire for their impeccable skills in the performing arts, which is what motivated me to emulate them.
I know that a few days ago we talked about how bad ideals are, but I feel like ideals are necessary to make life magical. They are what give us hope that tomorrow will be better than today, and I am willing to sacrifice the logic of realism for it.
To me, music is a really powerful and potent tool. It gets us farther than words could ever take us because it is meant for the soul. It is so spiritually healing to listen to music, which is perhaps why I joined choir.
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Martial arts, more specifically Shotokan Karate, has always held a special place in my heart. I’ve been doing it for five years, and it teaches so much more than just fighting – such as discipline and honour.
This image really shows how I believe more so in the idea of destiny rather than fate. I believe that our lives are predetermined; however, I still believe we have control over how we wish to change it. Destiny to me is truth while fate is more of something I hope there to exist.
For some weird reason, I’ve always loved Italy and have wanted to check it out along with the rest of Europe. It seems like an amazing country, and I can’t wait for the day that I get to hang out with the Italians.
- https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12265608
- https://www.cointalk.com/threads/two-headed-two-faced-coins-of-old-pile-on-thread.286124/
- https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/whatson/artsandculture/theatreandshows/pages/theatreandshows.aspx
- https://afremov.com/long-sail-palette-knife-oil-painting-on-canvas-by-leonid-afremov-size-16-x20.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ae_Dil_Hai_Mushkil
- https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/505509092/bandera-house-house-with-white-picket?ref=landingpage_similar_listing_bot-5
- https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7624345/russ-success-interview
- https://www.mmamania.com/2016/2/3/10907048/ufc-rookie-hit-with-potential-usada-drug-test-violation-prior-to-octagon-debut-mma
- https://www.fearlessmotivation.com/2015/07/06/we-are-all-in-the-gutter-but-some-of-us-are-looking-at-the-stars/
- http://www.hotellestar.it/index.php?p=escursioni&l=en
*Abhay:
Warning: this comment is going to hyperfixate on one part of the presentation because no one is marking me and I can do what I want.
Your slide about ideals is something that I think everyone needs to hear. As much as we are science people, it is important to recognize that it is ok to have faith in goodness and look on the bright side. That picture of the house with the lovely little flowerbeds reminds me that being a romantic instead of a realist is good from time to time.
Thank you for helping me out in the Victor-has-redeeming-qualities camp. I can’t wait to work with you and hear more of your ideas this year, and I hope that you get to hang with the Italians some day (we are a pretty fun group if I do say so myself).
Love,
Maria
Hey Maria,
Ignore the late reply, but I totally agree as it is always crucial to recognize that holding ideals is not wrong, and, in fact, it only becomes a problem when people let these ideals control them. Ideals give me a sense of hope, and I feel that hope is necessary to make us feel optimistic in our lives.
Better late than never! Thank you for working with me this year, I’ve been so lucky to be a part of this 4-person 30AP trainwreck. 🙂
Dear Abhay,
Wow! Your writing is inspiring! You ensure that every picture has a deeper meaning than just the surface which is really difficult and I admire that. I really liked the beginning because you explain your featured image and – just between you and I – I stole that idea from you as I look up to your work quite a bit.
Something to work on may be to lengthen each description just a little, I understand that you’re following the pechakucha style, but I feel that just a sentence or two more for each would be beneficial to get a stronger message about each picture. An example is the image about Hindi movies, you could name your favourite actor and maybe just a reason you like him.
All in all, your work is amazing and even that small flaw is easily fixable. I look forward to reading more of your work and using them as exemplars for myself.
Sincerely,
Zain
Zain,
Thank you for commenting on my Pechakucha a few months ago, I am replying to it now. I’m glad that you appreciated the depth of the images I chose, and I do realize that the descriptions weren’t as long as they should’ve been – thought the short Pechakucha style would work for the blog, but I agree with what you’re saying.
Sincerely,
Abhay
Dear Abhay,
I still remember in grade 10 creative writing when you introduced yourself as the young intellect; your growths and changes are impeccable! Honestly, it was a privilege to have known you and to be inspired by your writing on multiple occasions. Though I was not there for your presentation, I loved every aspect of this little piece and I’m looking forward to seeing what other brilliant things you come up with in the year!
Say hi to everyone for me!
With love,
Hefseeba
HEFSEEBA!!!!!! Xoxo
(cue same reaction as Mrs. Hunnisett) HEFSEEBA!!! Thank you so much for this, and you were always an inspiration for me ever since Creative Writing and into AP. We all miss you so much, and I hope that uni is going great for you as well.
Dear Abhay;
Your images here are quite imaginative; I love how you chose more obscure pictures that need an explanation to understand. I see we have lots of things in common, especially the bit about Italy. I, too, would love to hang out with the Italians—there’s not many of my people here in Calgary. Anyway, you are a well-rounded man, and I am looking forward to working with you further during the semester during both AP and Creative Writing.
My critique would be the length of your explanations. Now, I can say little on this, as my own descriptions are not exactly lengthy, but maybe just a couple more sentences would have really given each image a fuller description. Other than that, I have nothing more to say; this post—and the presentation—were both very well done.
Sincerely,
Tony
Tony,
I am replying to you now because that is just how I am. I’m glad to see that we do have many things in common, and now that the semester has almost come to a close, I can say with certainty how great it was to get to work with you in both Creative Writing and AP.
Sincerely,
Abhay