CoCoPPa App Review

In a world where iPhones are as common as cars, the iPhone case seems to be the only personalized aspect of this must-have device. But not anymore! Now the icons can also be personalized with the CoCoPPa App, a Japanese kawaii-themed app that lets the user create and set individualized icons for various apps from Facebook to Blackboard.

Despite the cuteness overload, there are some setbacks to using these icons:

1) You don't delete the original app from your phone. These icons depend on the links the original apps have, and therefore deleting the original app would only leave a useless icon. I ended up tucking all the original app icons away on the very last page of my iPhone menu so that the aesthetically pleasing ones would stay at the frontline :)

2) These icons don't show notifications! Game and social media apps typically have a little red number at the top corner of the original app icon when something new comes up. Because you still have the old icons, those notifications show up on the original rather than these replacement icons.

3) These icons only work for apps downloaded from the app store. Original apps that come with an iPhone such as Camera, Contacts, Music, etc. cannot be replaced with a styled icon, so the inconsistent use of the original icons and the personalized ones might look awkward when mixed together on a single menu page.

So is the app worth it? If you think about it, this app really is extraneous. What's the point of this app if the original icon still exists, but is only hidden away? All this extra work is only to provide some originality. Personally, I think the wow-factor of showing your friends the unique icons is worth it. Plus, the extra personalization couldn't hurt in making sure the phone you pick up off the counter is yours.

3/5 STAR RATING

WonderWorks

We went to a magical place called WonderWorks. It's a mini theme-park that can be best described as a pseudo-science museum and a laser tag/rope climbing adventure... thing... place.

Overall the experience was wonderful. There was plenty to do and much to see from hurricane stimulations to a bed a nails to optical illusions! Anyways I'm much too tired to really give a full review about this place, but trust me when I give it a 5/5!

A "Casual" Afternoon

I believe that an important part of going to college is trying new experiences. Spending four years cooped up in a dorm room every weekend is no way to enrich your life. So, a major goal of this semester for both Jillian and I is to try something new (and fun!) every weekend.

Despite spending a whole semester at Syracuse last year, most of the time was invested in getting to know the school and its people. We didn't try exploring the city of Syracuse (that seemed a world away from us) because taking a bus to get anywhere seemed like a hassle. After much internet research about "Things to do in Syracuse," we walked a mile off of campus to the Syracuse Stage where we watched a play called Two Trains Running!

The experience of attending this play seemed much different than that I had before. With my family, attending plays meant driving an hour to Los Angeles to watch big name musicals like The Lion King or Les Miserables for birthdays or company Christmas parties. They were never local productions chosen on a whim.

Watching a play in a casual environment was quite amusing... mostly because the people who went to plays at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon were old white folk, despite the play's black history/Civil Rights Movement theme. We were one of a few young people there by choice (no parents). It was also amusing to see how attending a theatrical production is a social event for a community. During the intermission, I walked around the lobby to stretch my legs, and I overheard people introducing people they know to their friends. For the older folks, attending these plays was means of getting to meet others!

To be honest, Two Trains Running was okay. While I loved portions of the dialogue and appreciated the historical background, the pacing was a bit slow at parts, and the play itself was very dialogue heavy. One has to pay careful attention to what characters are saying in order to understand the whole story. There were many subplots, but I could not identify one main plot line for the entire production. On a more positive note, the acting was phenomenal! The actors were invested into their roles the entire production and showed emotion effortlessly.

3/5 STAR RATING

Which Wich: Superior Sandwiches

Fun environment; tasty sandwiches! 

Today I visited an old friend I had not seen since summer. While I went abroad for school, she stayed local, and hence introduced me to the new local treasure-- a deli called "Which Wich: Superior Sandwiches."

Even if you did not find the word play "Which Wich"  humorous, I sure did! In this lighthearted environment, customers not only check the specific ingredients they want in their sandwiches, but also decorate the back of the sandwich bag in whatever fun design they please. As my friend and I took these cheesy camera-phone pictures of our sandwich bag, an employee encouraged us to add it to the mural.

I looked up to find a sea of paper bags hanging off clothespins for all the world to see. From doodles of Adventure Time characters to shameless self-promotion on YouTube to declarations of love,  the Which Wich mural was quite a sight to see. In a world favoring science and discovery with each passing day, the wall proves that imagination, emotion, and creativity though art can bring together a community. I noticed people of all types-- families, teenagers, and businessmen-- walking through the Which Wich doorway to pick up a sandwich bag. Whether they decided to doodle or not, all stared at the mural with wide eyes.

As important as it is to have an interesting environment, the sandwich itself must live up to the deli's name: "Which Wich: Superior Sandwiches." And trust me, my sandwich was pretty darn good... but of course, it does depend on how well you know sandwiches. The thing about Which Wich is that you choose every single ingredient that goes into your sandwich. Unlike Quiznos or Subway that happen to have already named sandwich combinations in case you are not sure of what you want, you build your sandwich from the ground up at Which Wich. Ingredients are fresh, sauces are plentiful, and the toast is fantastic, but with the wrong combination, your Which Wich sandwich could be a disaster!

I suppose the power to choose every ingredient in a sandwich also comes with great responsibility. But hey, it's just a sandwich. :)

4/5 STAR RATING