QuizUp: The app that will light up your brains.

Last month, I kept on looking for applications I can use with my phone. An application I will enjoy for the long-term. Then as I browse through the Google Play Store, I found the app that will change my life forever. I'm here to tell you more about the applications and the experiences I had playing it over the last month.

Photo ©Plain Vanilla Games

QuizUp is an app developed by Plain Vanilla Games. It was first launched last year on the App Store for iOS users. It was only last March when they released the application on the Google Play Store for Android users. QuizUp is an application to test your knowledge on a range of different topics. From topics about Geography, Sports, Nature, Science, Business, Music, TV, Arts, Games, and a range of other topics that add up as the days go by. Recently, they added a FIFA World Cup category with topics about the event and the nations participating in it.

Each game of QuizUp is composed of 7 questions worth a total of 160 points. The first six questions are worth 20 points each. While the last question has double points where a player can get a maximum of 40 points. It's also a game of speed as players are given 10 seconds to answer. A second lost would mean a point off the score (2 points on the last question). There is also a finish bonus of 40 points if you finish all 7 questions and a win bonus of 100 points in you win the match. In case of a draw, the victory bonus is halved to 50 points. Yes, draws happen and count with your records. No victory bonus is given in losses.

For a person like me who grew fond of quiz bee competitions over the past couple of years. Having been tested under time pressure a countless number of times. This app is a perfect fit for me and something I enjoy playing on a daily basis. Over the last month, I played a range of different topics. I won most of my games, but also drawn or lost a couple. It was just yesterday, when I reached a total of 1000 levels played on QuizUp. Here are some photos of my experience with the app:

 Yes, I played a couple of rounds in German.

As of writing, I lead in three categories in the Philippines.

Passed the 1,000 level mark yesterday.

Photos ©Karl Carandang

So for those who love to test their brains on a host of different topics. QuizUp is the application for you. It is available on the Google Play Store for Android and App Store for iOS.

My brain is being teased every single day!

K-Smoove

Foreign Languages. Time to brush up.

Deutsch 

Hallo! Guten morgen!

Herzlich Wilkommen!

Wie gehts? Es ist super!

Ich heiβe Karl.

Ich bin siebzehn Jahre alt.

Ich komme von den Philippinen aus Quezon City.
Ich liebe Basketball spielen und im Internet surfen.

Danke schön!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Tschüs!

français

Bonjour!

Je m'appelle Karl.

Comment allez-vous? Très bien, merci.

Je suis phlippin.

J'ai dix-sept ans.

J'habite aux Philippines à Quezon City.

Merci beaucoup!

Au revoir!

These are some of the words I can remember in the two languages that I have learned during my studies at the University of Santo Tomas, German (Deutsch) and French (français). As part of my studies in Travel Management, I have to learn foreign languages. So it is very important for me to learn a new language especially when I go to work after I graduate.

I have finished my German language studies after three semesters starting in my first year at the university and I have learned a lot from the German language and culture. I was able to apply the lessons in my own life, and I owe it a lot to our DaF-Lehrer (German language professor) Herr Wil Josue for giving us the opportunity to learn the language in an interactive way. I hope to pursue further German studies soon.

Right now, I am taking up French, and had just finished Elementary French which are the basics of the language. Learning French is a challenge since you don't say most of the words as is, there are accents to be followed whenever saying words in French and of course the nasal way the language is spoken. Despite those challenges, I still have two more semesters to take up the language and improve on my skills with the language. I just need to give time to practice and learn.

Yet despite having learned a lot, I still need to brush up on my foreign languages so that my speaking and writing won't rust in the long-term. Despite having learned two languages, I still want to pursue learning other languages like Nihonggo, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, among others. for a multilingual person is a bonus in my field of work in the future. 

I can say that learning a new language is something to be proud of. It will be good if I write a blog here in another language. However, in my opinion there is nothing better than speaking in my mother tongue. I'm a proud Filipino and I am happy to speak and express myself in both Filipino and English.

"To have another language is to possess a second soul." - Charlemagne

"A different language is a different vision of life." - Federico Fellini  

K-Smoove