In the beginning of the school year, I had expected 7th grade to be pretty much the same as 6th grade. And I was right, for the most part. The classes weren’t that hard (well, school has been relatively easy for me), I sat with the same people at lunch, I took most of the same classes…the only difference was the homework load.

Not that the homework was hard, which it certainly wasn’t. The work was just longer, more repetitive, and just overall mind-numbing. By October, I couldn’t even remember what it was like to actually have time to do other things. After school, my life was just a endless cycle of homework, piano, and cello. Eventually, I figured out how to work efficiently, completing my homework as quickly as possible, yet still having accurate answers. Slowly, I began to have more free time to watch Netflix, play basketball, walk my dog…etc.

As the year comes to a close, I realize that despite many things, this has been a good year. I have some advice to offer to next year’s seventh graders, or just students in general: when you are studying, have a schedule. For example, do algebra homework for thirty minutes and then take a short break. Only concentrate on one subject, and then when you are done, switch subjects. This helped me a lot. Good luck everyone~

       The whole auditorium is pitch black, except for the stage, illuminated by a single spotlight. I can feel my hands trembling as I lift them up to the piano keys. As you might have guessed it already, my greatest fear is performing.
        Whether it be speech, piano, or cello, I just cannot stand being in front of an audience. Hundreds of people watching my every move. Hundreds of people who might see me mess up and fail terribly. Not matter how much I prepare, there is still the slightest chance that I will forget the notes, that I will stumble over my words, and that kind of terrifies me. Although I understand that mistakes help everyone learn, and that everyone messes up (in my case, a whole lot), I can’t help hoping that my performance will be flawless, even though it obviously won’t.
        I may not be afraid of blood-thirsty insects, but put me in front of an audience and tell me to perform, and I will be frozen to the spot.

O Doctor! my Doctor! Our journey has begun;
I hear the TARDIS in my yard; now it’s off see the sun,
Off to new times, we’ll stop more crimes, reality we’re saving,
We’ll go rescue all those in need, then you they will be thanking
But O hearts! hearts! hearts!
O the man who has two hearts,
Down on Earth, they do not know
How you’ve played your part.

O Doctor! my Doctor! you’ve lost another one,
Misfortune strikes you once again; you’ve lost a companion,
The season ends, I’ll wait for you, and there you are at Christmas
We continue, I find the couch, I watch you in pajamas
No Doctor! dear friend!
You must regenerate!
Though I won’t know this face of yours,
Your deeds will still be great.

My Doctor is a Time Lord; he travels time and space,
My hero always wins the day; he’ll watch the human race,
Daleks and Cybermen beware- his skill is quite symphonic,
He’s not a myth, Doctor John Smith, whose screwdriver is sonic
But please, my friends, forget him not;
It’s a fantastic show,
Allons-y, as he would say,
And Geronimo!

~By ‘Ranebuggy’ on TeenInk

I like this poem because it describes the Doctor perfectly. The poem not only talks about his loneliness and broken heartedness after losing his companions, but also his brilliance and quick-wittedness when saving the universe once again. The poem also describes him physically, with his two hearts and regeneration abilities.

          I still remember being holed up in my room, and playing Pokemon Diamond on my coral pink Nintendo DS Lite, for hours upon hours. Trying to catch legendary and rare Pokemon, defeating gym leaders and earring badges, filling up my Pokedex… My DS was definitely a large part of my childhood.     

          I used to constantly play on my DS, 24/7. I played whenever I had even the tiniest bit of free time, even on the short car ride to my friend’s house (who, thankfully, was just as obsessed with Pokemon as I was.) The pixelated images, the colorful, imaginary creatures, I was just so drawn to the game. Whenever I played, I was completely oblivious to my surroundings, ignoring everything (including my parents, who were probably starting to regret buying the device for me.)

          Although I long since grown out of this ‘Pokemon-phase’, rarely, when I have absolutely nothing to do, I crack open my DS, and revisit my favorite childhood toy.

 Photo Credit: Alex Eylar via Compfight

Some of my five favorite apps on the iPhone or iPad are Netflix, SketchbookX, Calendar (just the application that comes with the device), Pinterest, and 2048/

1. Netflix~ Netflix has a wide variety of TV shows and movies. It even has older episodes of TV shows, like the classic Doctor Who (which, unfortunately, I have not gotten to watching yet), but it also has newer movies. There are endless amounts of titles and you will never run out of titles to watch, although it probably will distract you from homework and doing things that are actually productive. You can watch on an Apple device, tablet, Wii, or on TV. To top it off, it’s only $7.99 a month for unlimited streaming. Get it~! You certainly won’t regret it.

2. SketchBook Express~ This app is the best drawing app for the iPad offered on the app store. It has many different brushes and tools that you can use. You can also figure out how to use the app easily. SketchBook Express is the mobile version of Sketchbook for the computer. This app is great for things from drawing for a school project to just doodling.

3. Calendar~ This app is especially helpful for school. You can it with your teachers’ Google calendar (if they have one), so you know what homework is due. The calendar app helps me stay organized and stay informed about upcoming tests and other important events.

4. Tumblr~ Tumblr is just amazing. Although I do not post things myself, I do follow multiple other blogs. I can always count on Tumblr to supply me with hundreds and hundreds of Doctor Who and Sherlock gifs. I also like reading funny posts on many different topics on my dashboard.

5. 2048~If you like number games, you are sure to enjoy 2048. The game is simple and easy to understand, yet challenging at the same time. Many of the games I get from the app store, I end up deleting after awhile, but this game can hold my attention for a long time.

And yep. Those are my five favorite apps~! I hope that you will download them and find them as useful/fun as I do.

There are a bunch of great places in Austin. It just really depends what you’re looking for. If you’re wanting to spend some time outdoors, Zilker Park is great. Hamilton Pool is a nice place to go during the unbearable summer. But overall, my favorite place in Austin is the Hill Country Galleria.

From the delicious coal-fired pizza at Tony C’s to the steaming fajitas at Iron Cactus, there is a wide variety of restaurants that are sure to satisfy your taste buds. At most restaurants, you can sit outside, if the weather is nice, and enjoy the music playing at the amphitheater-like area in the center of the galleria. After you eat, head to Amy’s Ice Cream or Yogurt Planet to enjoy a cold treat.

In addition to the multitude of restaurants, there are also many shops at the Hill Country Galleria. It’s not only clothes; there is also Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bath and Body Works. Or if you’re like me, and would really rather not go shopping, there’s always Barnes and Nobles. I would prefer reading to clothes shopping any day.

If none of these things appeal to you, there’s always the cinema. Everyone enjoys a good movie. What’s a better way to spend a nice day outside than to stay inside a dark room with a large screen for a couple hours? But really, the movie theater is great, and much better than staying home by yourself watching a movie on Netflix.

The Hill Country Galleria is a great place to go if you’re wanting to spend some money, hang out with your friends, or just have a fun time.

The lair of the Phantom is abandoned, not even the Phantom himself lives there now.

The lair is a dark and hollow cavern. Water drips down the walls and ceiling of the lair, slowly forming stalactites. In the middle of the lair is deep, murky, black lake. The water bubbles, with steam slowly emerging from it. On the shore of the lake lies an old wooden canoe. The sides are worn from years of rowing.

Everywhere there are candles, just floating around in the air—almost as if by magic. Oh them are tiny, flickering, orange flames, barely giving off any light. A huge pipe organ, not unlike the ones in churches, is against the wall of the cave. On it lays a single sheet of unfinished music—no doubt the Phantom’s doing.

It is quite obvious that no one has been to the lair in a while. Giant cobwebs line the tops of walls and dust is gathered in corners. Somewhere, a music box in the distance begins to play.

Masquerade! Paper faces on parade.
Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you.

The melody and lyrics are cheerful, yet so, so sad.

Photo Credit: Alesa Dam via Compfight

I just finished the first episode of Sherlock, A Study in Pink, and let me just say, the show is AMAZING. Sherlock is absolutely brilliant. I don’t know how he does it. John Watson was pretty cool too. Benedict Cumberbatch is an excellent actor and the plot is very intriguing. The episode is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study of Scarlet ,but the script is written by Steven Moffat (who wrote many Doctor Who episodes as well.)
Everything about that show is just so clever, even the antagonist(s). Sherlock is definitely my second favorite show now, after Doctor Who.

Some people like English, or science, or social studies. For me, math is my favorite subject.

In math, the answer is either right or wrong. There is no gray area, unlike subjects like writing. I don’t know. It just sort of assures me to know that there is a definite correct answer. 

I also like math because there are so many different categories and subcategories. There’s algebra, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, statistics, and the list just goes on and on! You never stop learning, and it’s all so interesting. There are terms you may have never even heard of. For example, do you know what a happy number is? It’s a number that when you replace it with the sum of it’s digits squared, and you keep on repeating that process, the number eventually equals one. I know it doesn’t really make sense, but learn more here.

Although I do like other subjects (mainly science), math is definitely my favorite, and it always will be.