Review of Candy Crush by Ananya Swaminathan

Review of “Candy Crush”

“Candy Crush” is one of the most popular games available on phones, Apple gadgets, and Facebook.  As I find it an enjoyable game, I play it often; however, it is not without its faults.

The objective of “Candy Crush” is to clear the jelly from the board, bring down all the ingredients, or score a certain number of points, all within a given number of moves.

On the plus side, “Candy Crush” has a good balance of moderate and difficult levels, which make it challenging but not too frustrating. Additionally, the game requires some planning to create power-ups, which makes it more fun than if the power-ups were randomly generated. However, (even though players usually need a strategy to win), “Candy Crush” is relaxing rather than stressful. It’s a good pastime for those who have 5-10 minutes to spare.

On the downside, “Candy Crush” can get boring after a while. Even though the individual levels vary, the general idea remains the same, which can be tiresome to gamers who seek large amounts of variation. Furthermore, the game focuses on the repetitive task of making three, four, or five of a candy in a row. Some may find this tedious. Overall, however, “Candy Crush” is an enjoyable game, albeit unoriginal (much of it has the same idea as “Bejeweled”); it’s fun to play with others or individually when you have a few minutes to spare.

~Ananya Swaminathan

Today by Shruti R. Patel

Today

There is no tomorrow,

It’s only an excuse,

There is only today,

The time we cannot lose.

Why wait for tomorrow?

Do it today,

You will have more time that way.

One who leaves it to tomorrow

Later weeps in sorrow when left behind.

He alone will be the one,

For help he will find hardly one.

So work if you have time.

It is in no way a crime.

When today your work is done,

Next day you will find yourself

Ahead of everyone!

My advice to you: Today is the day. Don’t procrastinate.

~ Shruti R. Patel

Freshmen tips from Shruti R. Patel

How to Survive Freshman Year in High School

Dear middle school graduates,

I have a lot of advice for future freshmen. First of all, enjoy your time in high school. There are various opportunities for students and numerous clubs to spend your time in something you are interested in. There are so many sports you could get involved in as well. Don’t hesitate to participate in extracurricular activities and social school events such as the school dance or the Homecoming game. Do something that will make your time worthwhile. Teams at the high school are like one big family. Sports give you opportunities to make lifelong friends and learn to work as a team. For those of you who love music, join the marching band because they are incredibly talented! You can also choose to audition for one of the school musicals; they always turn out to be amazing and very entertaining. There’s something for everybody at the high school; you just have to figure out what fits your interests best. When it comes to academics in the high school, you always need to try your best and do what is expected from you. Don’t think that freshman year doesn’t count towards anything. College looks at all four years of high school and freshman year also counts towards your overall GPA. If you don’t do well freshman year, you may not meet the GPA requirements to be a part of National Honors Society or you may not be able to get into your dream school. Always work hard because in the end, you won’t regret it. Another thing is to form a good rapport with your teachers. They are always willing to help if you are struggling and they will prepare you for the road ahead. So respect your teachers; they’re there to make you succeed. Don’t let high school flash before your eyes. Participate in spirit week, powder puff, go to black and gold night, and above all, have fun! Volunteer in your community! The more you volunteer, the better you feel about yourself and the better of a chance you have to make it into National Honors Society. Study hard, be a good person, get involved, and make the most of what you have. Don’t just sit there and watch time fly by; stay active. Good luck to all of you; I know you all will be great!

From,

Shruti R. Patel

Inspirational Quotes by Shruti R. Patel

Inspirational Quotes

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”  -Martin Luther King Jr.

It is essential to speak up for the things that matter. We should never crush our inner feelings. If we crush our inner voice, our life crumbles. It becomes useless. In order to live life appropriately, it is necessary that we stand up for ourselves and for the issues that affect our lives. We must fight for what we believe in.

“Accentuate the positive; eliminate the negative.”  -Johnny Mercer

Give importance to the positive thoughts and get rid of the negative thoughts that roar in your mind. When we are trapped in a bad situation, we must focus on the positive. If we accentuate the positive, we can get peace of mind and eventually, a peaceful life. Having a positive attitude all the time is the formula for creating a happy life, away from pessimistic thoughts. Always think optimistically whenever you are faced with a setback or whenever you fail to reach a goal. When your plans backfire, do not get discouraged. Thinking positively will provide you the energy to try again. Positive attitude is an important ingredient for success.

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”  -Kahlil Gibran

Of course, true beauty is within. If a person has a kind heart, he will be loved by everyone. What matters is what lies within the heart and soul. True beauty is shown when a person treats others lovingly with kindness, respect, and understanding, sharing the light in the heart to others. Don’t judge a book by its cover. If your heart is glowing, other people can see your true beauty. True beauty resides within a person’s heart, not in the face.

“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it’s a matter of choice.”  -William Jennings Bryan

Destiny depends on our efforts and actions. To reach our destiny, we must work with courage, dignity, and determination, moving ourselves forward in life toward success. You must set your own course in life and make appropriate decisions. We must make choices and take steps in order to achieve our goals. Our life and our destiny is determined by the decisions we take as individuals. We should have faith and hope and we should work with our best ability to reach our destiny. Remember that future depends on the type of choices you make and those decisions will ultimately shape your life. Be wise and make good choices!

~ Shruti R. Patel

World Cup Final by Akshay Shah

The World Cup Final

I think the 2014 world cup final didn’t go too good. This is because my team, Argentina, lost. I was very disappointed, Argentina scored a goal in the first half but it wasn’t counted because one player was offsides. After that play, the game was pretty much Germany in my opinion. The game was forced to go to extra time,this is because the goalies on each team were playing awesome.

In the extra time the game started out really slow, none of the teams even coming close to scoring a goal. Then Germany stepped up their game, causing a clever goal,stunning the Argentinian  crowd completely. I was hoping for the game to go to penalty kicks, but it didn’t happen. Argentina got a perfect opportunity at the end. Lionel Messi was decided to take the last free kick of the game. But somehow Messi missed it, the ball just sailed right over the center of the net and landed in the crowd. The cheering from the German side had already began.This meant that Germany had won the world cup.

Akshay Shah

7th grade

Looking Back: FIFA World Cup 2014 by Aditya Venkatesh

Looking Back: FIFA World Cup 2014
By Aditya Venkatesh

So another FIFA World Cup has gone by, and this one was quite a shocker. The defending champions went out in the group stage, and the tiny, unknown Costa Rica took down Italy and Uruguay! If this world cup is your first time watching soccer (or futbol, as the rest of the world says), then you should know that this was a treat. Usually, there are not this many goals in the group stages… and a 7-1 scoreline in the Brazil-Germany game! In a semi-final! 8 goals are not common in any game, let alone in a semi-final against the home team. It was also a great world cup for Team USA. The spirit was great, and we made it out of the group of death! However, if we are completely honest, we have to admit that USA should have done a lot better. We won 1 game, tied 1, and lost 2. That’s not how you win world cups. And USA did not beat a single powerful European team. They tied Portugal and lost to both Germany and Belgium. If you want to win a world cup, you have to beat the European giants. Still, you have to admit that USA put up a great fight, and that is something to be proud of; for the first time, European countries actually recognized USA as a major threat. So GO USA!!!

            At the end of the tournament, though, you have to admit that the best team won. Germany won all their games convincingly, including a 4-0 victory over Portugal and 7-1 routing of Brazil. Even in the games they won by just 1 goal, Germany dominated possession and was steadily chipping away at their opponent’s defense and stamina. In fact, Germany was the only team who didn’t advance because of penalty kicks. Personally, though, I think that the runners up, Argentina, are not the second best team. I think that title goes to France, who unfortunately met and lost to Germany in the quarterfinals. France had a great tournament, and they showed a great recovery run after getting out in the group stages last tournament. Benzema and Giroud were fierce and dangerous in the box, and 22 year old Pogba showed great promise. Watch out for this France team: they’ll be back stronger in 4 years. 

            Player of the tournament: Messi. Do you agree? In my opinion, it should be Arjen Robben, not Messi. Though Messi scored late goals that helped Argentina win, he was not as dynamic and exciting to watch as Robben. I do agree with the title of best goalkeeper going to Manuel Neuer. After he came out of the box like 20 times against Algeria, that award was confirmed: Neuer is a heck of a goalie, AND he plays the role of a defender! It’s a 2 in 1!

            I’m really going to miss the world cup, and I’ll miss rushing to the basement every day after school and looking for ESPN on my TV. For all the soccer fans out there, it’s going to be a long, long wait before the next world cup. 4 years is a long time, but, in the meantime, the annual UEFA Champions League and the Euro Cup in 2 years are something to look forward to. I guess I’ll finish of by thanking Brazil for hosting an amazing world cup; it’s a journey that I will never, ever forget.       

Troubles, a poem by Shruti R. Patel

Troubles

In this world, there are lots of troubles,

To conquer them, one must try,

In life they are sure to come by,

One who tries is sure to win the best,

One who loses heart never wins his part,

Troubles are good in a sense,

They tell you who your enemies are and who your friends,

A friend is one who comes to your help,

An enemy is one who stays away, laughing at you,

Troubles are part of life.

They are bound to come.

Troubles educate us more, helping us face our stages of life.

In life, adversities come and go. To face them, one must stay bold, ready to fight and tackle challenges. Don’t give up! Determination will find a way, despite difficulties and obstacles.

~ Shruti R. Patel

My Thoughts by Shruti R. Patel

My Thoughts

“He who falls today may rise tomorrow.”

If we fail to do something today, we may learn from our mistakes and improve ourselves tomorrow. Failures are stepping stones to success; failures act like an experience. By making mistakes, we learn something worthwhile and gain more knowledge. We get the chance to go up in the game of life and climb up the ladder to success. This way, if we keep striving for our goals, we can rise ahead in our lives. When we feel defeated, it gives us an opportunity to learn something new from it. We need to have patience, determination, and dedication to be successful in life. Success is the result of the effort we put into something. Forget today’s failures. Instead, think about the success that may come tomorrow through hard work. Try to find joy in overcoming obstacles. The more fear we face, our courage and confidence grows, helping us to progress in our lives. Try again if you fail, without giving up on your dream.

 “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” 

Make the best of a given situation. Make something good out of a bad experience. If something undesirable happens, try to find a way to make something pleasant or positive come from it. Obtain a good result from a bad circumstance. When life gives you thorns, turn them into something good to create a better life for yourself. There are many discouragements and frustrations in life, but trying to find the best out of it is the key. Life is filled with happiness and sadness. Be happy even when you are sad. Smile even though the day is bitter. The bumps in life make us who we are today. Life is not perfect; it is unfair at times. However, just going along without getting scars is useless and worthless. The difficulties and hardships in life help us grow and become a better person in life. Try to see good even in harsh situations.

 “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.”  -Nikki Giovannie

Mistakes are keys towards success. There is nothing wrong in committing a mistake; it shows that we are trying with enthusiasm to learn and grow. Mistakes are just errors which eventually lead us towards the path of success. They are stepping stones to learning. Without making mistakes, we would not be able to gain experience of life. Mistakes are opportunities for us to learn something, improve ourselves, and acquire wisdom. Life is challenging. Mistakes give us feedback and through that, we achieve knowledge and understand life. Do not be embarrassed by your mistakes. Mistakes help us climb the staircase of life. Life is all about living, learning, and growing through mistakes.

~ Shruti R. Patel

A True Friend by Shruti R. Patel

A True Friend A-Z           ~ by Shruti R. Patel

“Friends are the flowers in the garden of life.”

Who’s a true friend? A “true friend” is the one who…

Admires you the way you are, no matter how you look or act,

Believes in you truly, without judging you,

Cares for you dearly and looks out for you, having respect for you,

Discusses your emotions and diminishes your fears,

Encourages you to reach for the stars and achieve your goals in life to become successful,

Feels proud for your accomplishments, instead of feeling jealous,

Generously forgives all your mistakes with a big heart, no matter what,

Honestly tells you the truth, although it may be unpleasant,

Inspires you and intimately pushes you to go forward in life,

Just stays with you forever, even when you are grieving,

Knows everything about you, including your inner-most feelings,

Loves you unconditionally from the bottom of the heart,

Makes you feel cheerful, filling your life with joy and happiness,

Nurtures you with positive thoughts, always giving you good advices,

Openly accepts your weaknesses and ignores your flaws,

Provides solace and lends a helping hand, always supporting you in times of despair,

Quietly listens to your feelings, never getting tired of listening to you,

Readily makes sacrifices for you and raises your spirit,

Stays with you forever, standing up for you and defending you,

Tries to put your life back together, lightening up your gloomy days,

Understands you, your moods, and your troubles,

Values your thoughts, your ideas, and your opinions,

Wipes out the tears falling from your eyes, giving you hope, courage, and confidence,

X’pects nothing in return, except for your loyalty in friendship,

Yearns for you and your love,

Zeroes out your sorrows and worries, taking away your frown and bringing a smile on your face.    

So, always appreciate your friends!!!