Freerice.com

http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1762

    This time, I would like to introduce Freerice.com to you. As you click on the link, you will enter a website with a heading on the top saying “for each answer you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme to help end hunger.” The title attracts me. Freerice.com is a non-profit website that not only provides free online education but also helps the poor by 
giving them free rice. Each time you get an English question correct, the organization will donate 10 grains of rice to feed starving people. You might wonder, “How do they do it?” It is possible because of the generous sponsors who put advertisement on the site. Hence, they created the educational game. Though the game might not be fun, it is worthy to spend time playing. From another point of view, you improve your English vocabulary and in the mean time you help to end the hunger around the world! What’s better than that?

A Must Play!!! >> INCREDIBOX

This week, I want to recommend “Incredibox” to you! This website is really really awesome! As I mentioned in the title, Incredibox is a must play! What’s Incredibox? It is an online music creator. Internet users call it “the best remixing tool to arrange music online.” Here, you can form your own band with 7 members in it and arrange them to do remixing. It is really easy to use and definitely fun to play with.

First of all, you will see a naked member. Then drag an icon below to the “dude” and he will start beat boxing, singing, or whistling. There are a lot of sound effects below to compose a wide range of combinations for your band to perform. You can use up to 7 members in total.

Click on the earphone icon below the dude and you can hear a solo. Click it again to return to the "altogether" version. 

On the left up corner on the screen, you can see two icons, respectively for removing all sounds and recording your composition. I just could not stop clicking on each sound effect! Based on my experience, I think the music created by “effects-1, beats-1, melodies-1, chorus-1, voices-1, voices-2, and beats-4” in sequence is fantastic. 

 Feeling bored? Then you must click on the link and launch your own band!!

http://www.incredibox.com/christmas-en/#/application

Get News, Learn English, Together!

I recently found myself not catching up on the latest news. I put the blame on the dorm not having a TV since TV was where I used to get news from. There are still for sure a lot of alternatives, such as going to the student canteen to watch the TV news there, or reading newspaper in the common room, etc. Nevertheless, I am just not in the mood of getting up “early” in the morning, walking downstairs to the common room with my pajamas, and flicking through the newspaper. Nor do I want to spend time sitting in the student canteen watching TV news instead of chatting with my friends! Recently, I found this app though. “聽英文學英語” helps me to overcome the problem! You can get the latest news every day and moreover enhance English listening and reading simultaneously. While you are receiving the news, you can also increase your English ability. What’s better than that?

The app divided English learning into three parts. When you click on it, you can see three sections, including “VOA Special English”, “VOA Standard English”, and “PBS English Program” in level sequence from top to bottom. From the slowest speaking and easiest reading VOA Special English to the fastest speaking and hardest reading PBS English Program it was designed. Spend some time using your smart phone doing something significant! What are you waiting for? Download 聽英文學英語 immediately! 

Online Shopping

It has been getting cooler and cooler day by day in Taipei these days. Besides craving for hot pots, finding myself to sleep more, I’m eager to buy new winter clothes. Shopping online is definitely a perfect choice. My roommates and I have the impulse to do some shopping, and we have been spending our time browsing through some websites that sell clothes, coat, jacket, boot, etc. These are websites from yahoo auction. I think they are really great, and I just could not take my eyes off the models and their clothes.

http://tw.user.bid.yahoo.com/tw/booth/Y8811362116

This website, “SweeSA”, is fantastic. The clothes are in Korean style. Here, you can find models beautiful and elegant. So it will be a good choice looking through SweeSA if you want to dress yourself in a lady-like style. Another website below is “Imagine Girl”. It is also in Korean style. What it is different from SweeSA is that models here are dressed in a cute, fresh and energetic way. Besides, there are more discounts here. It is a perfect option if you want to buy new clothes but do not want to spend too much money.

http://tw.user.bid.yahoo.com/tw/booth/Y6862822083

Still using PPS?

        Speaking of Internet TV, most people think of PPS right away; in the contrary, few people know this one. This week, I want to recommend a very useful website to you: Funshion! I used to use PPS, but recently not many movies and TV series can be found using PPS. Funshion is a good replacement. 

http://www.funshion.com/?ta=1&z=z1

        Here are several advantages of Funshion. First, you can watch movies fluently and with high quality. Movies lags decreased my desire to watch a movie, however, I use Funshion to date and I never get lags. Besides, you can still get a high quality vision even when you zoom to the screen size. Second, there are various categories, including movies, dramas, variety shows, animations…etc. And it is updated every day. Most of the time you can get some really new ones! Last but not least, after you download it, there will be a watch list. With it, you can stop watching and close Funshion whenever you want. Next time, you can directly start on where you stop last time. 

      This website is really helpful in killing time. Go and download Funshion! You won’t regret!!

Free App--Subway Surfers

Nowadays, almost everybody owns a smart phone. The phrase “Smartphone addicts” (or in Chinese-English translation: the “head down generations”) appears to describe the people who increasingly use their smart phones and they just could not stop. Why is it so hard to turn it off? I don’t admit myself as a smart phone addict, but I do think that smart phone is a really useful gadget to kill time. This week, I want to recommend a “free” app to you: Subway Surfers!

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiloo.subwaysurf)

Subway Surfers is a world famous chase game. In the game, the main characters, Jake and his friends, are street graffiti writers, and they infuriate the grumpy inspector. You need to help Jake and his friends to run as fast as you can to escape from the inspector and his Pit-bull dog. By the way, be careful of the oncoming trains, too. You may crash if you are not aware of the trains. The game is really easy to play, and it is free!! Don’t hesitate. Just download the app right away! :)

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiloo.subwaysurf)

I think the game is really fun because it’s not just a monotonous chase. You’ll get extra tools like skateboard to slide faster, spring boots to jump higher, rockets to fly in the sky to get free bonus coins, and others. There are a lot of fun things in the game for you to discover!

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiloo.subwaysurf)

You Tube -- The Prison Rabbit

This week, I want to recommend an animation series to you: Usavich. Are you familiar with it? Then let me put it in other words: The Prison Rabbit. I bet most of you must have heard it before. This is the short film series that I watched on and on recently, and I could not stop laughing. For those who have never heard of it or watched it before, you must give it a try. The movie is really “hilarious”. J 

(Click the Picture to view a larger one)

It is about two imprisoned rabbits: one wears a prison uniform in red stripes, named Kirenenko, and another dressed in green stripes is Putin. The First season mainly revolves in their life in prison with some absurd daily occurrence. (Definitely funny) Each episode does not include a lot of dialogues or speech, but you can obviously know the plot simply from the sounds in the film and the rabbits’ expression. Either you have seen it or not, go and search it in YouTube! Just sit down, type “監獄兔” in the search box, and be ready to burst out laughing!!