Monthly Archives: March 2014

My Favorite Apps

In the modern world, apps (applications) are very important. Apps are self-contained software that can complete certain tasks. Safari on iPad allows you to search the internet. Flappy Bird on iPhone allows you to play an addicting flapping game. The AP Mobile app allows you to stay in touch with the latest AP news. All these apps can modify your phone or tablet to make it what you want. I have apps on my iPad to help me complete tasks. These are my favorite apps (not necessarily the most useful ones):

1. Super Stickman Golf 2 (SSG2)- This is a really popular game at my school. Now, I usually don’t like participating in sports (other than soccer and skiing), but this is different because it’s virtual. Even then, I don’t like virtual golf, but this is such a stretch from the real game of golf, I love to play it. You have to accurately hit the ball with a certain amount of power and shoot it at a specific angle to get it the hole in the least number of hits.

ssg2

 

 

 

 

 

 

As shown in the picture above, there is a lot more than sand traps, out of bounds, and and water hazards. There are lasers, acid, and blades to penalize your score too. Your character can look different based on the level you are. There are seven power-ups to your ball that can be unlocked. Each power-up gives your ball a special ability. In addition to all this, your characters can wear hats that give special perks on each course. If you look carefully at my character, you will see that I am wearing goggles. The goggles protect me from acid, and I cannot get penalized  for touching it. There are so many more aspects to this game, like multiplayer, that I probably would take up an entire screen explaining it. I love this game, and it is my favorite app.

2. Flappy Golf- This game was released a few days ago, and this is a really fun variant on Super Stickman Golf 2. Most of the courses are the same, but instead of shooting the ball with a golf club, you have to flap it into the hole in the least number of of flaps. There are no power-ups, hats, or different characters, but it’s really addicting. This game is like a combination of Flappy Bird and Super Stickman Golf 2 .

3. Google Search- This app allows me to search google with the tap of a finger. I open the app and tap the microphone button. I speak in to the device and I can get search results instantly (provided I have Wi-Fi)! Searching the internet just got so much easier. If I don’t know the definition of a word, I can type the word preceded by “define.” I can even entertain myself by searching “atari breakout” and tapping on “Images.” I then get to play Google’s version of Atari Breakout: Image Breakout. I have to destroy the images with a small ball. With Google search, I have the entire internet waiting for the tap of my fingers.

4. Calendar- This app allows me to see all my homework in case I forget. I just have to sync it to my Google Calendar and all my assignments appear on this app. It is very handy. I don’t even need to write down my assignments in class because I know that I can open this app and find them. This app is very useful, but it is not very fun unless you find checking your assignments fun.

5. Gmail- This app is a really useful app. You can check your mail on the go. When I am visiting relatives and I have a question for my teacher, I can just email him or her through this app. The moment I get internet connectivity, Bam! The message will be sent.

In conclusion, apps are important in the modern world, and life just wouldn’t be the same without them. Apps allow you to complete many tasks. From playing games to ending emails, apps can be very fun and convenient. Apps are awesome!

 

Image source: screenshot from my iPad

Panera Bread

I live in the capital city if Texas, Austin. My favorite place there is a small café chain called Panera Bread. I love their food. Panera Bread is my favorite place to go to in Austin.

When I go to Panera Bread, the aroma of fresh soup fills my nose. I always order broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl with potato chips on the side. Background music quietly plays while people are eating. Quiet conversations can be heard across the café. This is my favorite place.

I love Panera Bread because it is fairly quiet inside. They have freshly baked pastries that are mouthwatering. Their foods taste delicious. The broccoli cheddar is a creamy and cheesy soup with hints of broccoli. The chips are salty and crispy. Their food makes up for anything bad in my day.

Panera Bread is full of delectable meals and pastries. It is my favorite place in Austin.

The Prison of My Mind

Cavern

 

Part One: Return to the Lair

An old and wrinkled figure opens a secret door in the depths of an abandoned opera house. He has not been here in over 80 years, but he plans on making one last visit. It was here that murders were plotted, kidnappings were committed, and a love was lost. This old and wrinkly man was in the center of it. This man is me.

Wooden stairs seem to infinitely extend into the depths below. I walk down them. They creak in protest. Deeper and deeper I go into the hollow cavern that surrounds me.  It gets darker and darker. Colder and colder. Slime oozes from the walls. Stalactites hang low. Stalagmites as sharp as knives grow from the ground. They look as if they want to impale some unfortunate passerby. Unlit candles line the walls. Rats scurry. Bats flutter overhead. The creaking wooden steps gradually become limestone step embedded in the cave. I continue my decent.

It gets darker and darker. Colder and colder. Deeper and deeper. 

I walk further down. The cruel light that I have known for so long is extinguished. Welcoming dark envelopes me. I walk further down. I reach a hallway. One dull throne is at the end. An organ is next to it. Dust shrouds the organ from view. Cobwebs with spiders run along the corners. I take a seat on the throne. My bony fingers run over intricate carvings on the arm rest. It was expensive for sure. A simple reminder of the wealth I had before I lost everything. Because of Raoul. But now I am back. One last time after 80 years. I will reclaim what was mine and return this cavern to what it was: not a cavern for the bats and rats, but a lair for me.

Part Two: The Lair’s Return

Just as I am about to get off the throne, ominous music begins spreading around the cavern. It fills every corner, nook, and cranny. The organ seems to be playing along with invisible instruments. “There must be invisible instruments,” I think. How else can one explain the sound of violin when it is not visible?

I smile. The lair was waiting for me. It was waiting for me to return. Instead of getting off the throne to start fixing the lair, the lair starts repairing itself for me. I relax on my throne and allow the repairing to begin.

(Play this while reading the rest of the post.)

The dust slides off the organ. The cobwebs disappear. The bats stop fluttering. Rats stop scurrying. Slime stops oozing. The candles light up. The throne I sit on becomes shiny.

A dining table appears. A lake is created in the cold and dark depths of my lair. A single boat is floating aimlessly on it. An ornate bed materializes. A Punjab lasso hanged on a hook. The cavern becomes what is used to be: a lair for me. I am the Phantom.

 

Photo Credit: morguefile.com