Wing Hub reviewed

I am not one to say no to an invitation offering chicken wings and beer. So, last night when my boyfriend suggested we try Wing Hub in Metrowalk, he didn't get any objections from me.

I think the joint just opened recently. It's really clean. Being a Sunday night, most of the patrons were with their family and kids. They have a bathroom and two immaculately white sinks (this is very convenient since they are, after all, a chicken wing joint). The staff was patient as we decided on what to order, and they stayed attentive during our one and a half hour stay.

We ordered three pieces of Buffalo wings, three more pieces of wings in their Taiwanese sauce and the Big Box Trio Burger.





The Buffalo wings tasted more like chicken with a slightly sweet, mildly spicy barbecue sauce. I was not impressed. The Taiwanese sauce was described to have a "sweet nutty flavor of peanut with ginger and honey". It was hard to imagine the taste and it's just as hard to describe but we found it pleasantly interesting. The Black Box Trio Burger was a serving of three mini burgers - one beef, one chicken and one lamb. Nothing significant or extraordinary.





The wings were huge. And we couldn't finish ours. We ended up having the last piece of each flavor doggy bagged. Their take out box is nice but I don't understand why they charged us (the customer) for the box. Almost made me not want to leave a tip.





I see our family coming back to Wing Hub. Mostly because it's convenient. It's one of the few well lit, family oriented restaurants in the area. Our family frequents Metrowalk - we buy our entertainment at the bazaars on the second floor, I enjoy dancing with my one year old to the tunes of the live music on Sundays (courtesy of a literally old school band), and we appreciate their free parking facility.

Have you tried Wing Hub? What did you order and how was it?

Wreck This App

I prefer order over chaos. I like things to be neat rather than messy. But sometimes its so stressful to keep everything organized that I just want to intentionally be destructive.

So, I downloaded Wreck This App with an iTunes gift card that I purchased from E-Regalo.

Yeah, there are a lot of doodling apps. And yes, several are even for free. But, its not like your finger will suddenly have a life of its own and start doodling. And if you're like me, you wouldn't know where to start. Wreck This App comes with pages of different instructions so you don't have to think. You just do.

Wreck This App is a pretty good outlet for my negative energy and destructive desires. It helps me loosen up and relax. It would be an exaggeration to say it helps keep me sane but it does serve as a decent stress reliever.

Download Wreck This App here.
I purchased it for $4.99.

Disclaimer: Although I prefer order and neatness, forces beyond my control often keep my home looking like it was just hit by a hurricane.

Chuck E. Cheese's

Our recent visit to the US included two trips to Chuck E. Cheese's. I enjoy playing and Monch doesn't complain. (I like to think he enjoys watching me play.)

When we came home, I wanted to take the Chuck E. Cheese's experience with me. I turned to the App store and, WOOHOO!!! Several apps!

You can choose the basketball app, the air hockey app, or the alley roller app for $0.99 each. OR you can get the Chuck E. Cheese's Party Games full version for $2.99 like I did. And you have the Chuck E. Cheese's experience in the palm of your hand.

First, you make a pizza. You get tokens for making pizzas. You then use your tokens at spiny wheel to unlock arcade games or get tickets. You can play the unlocked arcade games using your remaining tokens. You win tickets for the games you play. You can use these tickets to pick a prize at the redemption shop. Your prizes will be displayed in my room. If you run out of tokens, just go back and make more pizzas.

The full version has ten arcade games:
• Air Hockey
• Basketball
• Alley Roller
• Matching Game
• Sliding Puzzle
• Moto Racer
• Mr. Munch's Target Practice
• Smash A Munch
• Birthday Party Prep
• Water Gun Game

The redemption shop has a wide variety of prizes you can choose. The bigger prizes cost more tickets, of course.

This may be an app that will be on my iPod for some time. I'm hoping to get all the items in the redemption shop. And the best part is that Monch sometimes plays with me.

Download the full version Chuck E. Cheese's app here.
I purchased it for $2.99.

The Prayer Network

Recently, two of my friends had miscarriages. They both requested prayers. I prayed that they have the strength during these trying times.

That's when I searched for an app where you could post your prayer and people could pray for you. I found several. But, I warmed up to the concept of The Prayer Network, connecting people Soul-cially.

I encountered a problem at first. The app would crash each time I tried to post my prayer. I emailed them about my problem. I got a response in less than 24 hours and now I'm able to post my prayers.

There are 5 major sections in the app:
Share This is the first thing you see when you launch the app. You type in your prayer here.

Prayers In the Global tab you see all the prayers posted. If you activated your location, you can opt to filter the prayers to Local so you will see prayers posted by those in close proximity to you. After tapping on a prayer, you can read the full prayer and pray for the person. After praying for them, let them know by tapping the 'pray for' button. You can also leave some words of encouragement through 'comment' and you'll be given an option to follow that person.

Journal lists the prayers you've posted (My prayers), and those you've prayed for (I've prayed for). If you've opted to follow anyone, you can see them under I'm following.

The last two sections are Invite and Settings. You can invite friends to join the network using email or facebook. And settings are, well, settings.

So, be it that you have a special request, or you want to share your faith, or you want to be a good Samaritan of sorts, or you just want to give Him thanks and praises, give The Prayer Network a chance.

Download The Prayer Network here.

Reader's Digest Jokes and Funny True Stories

I've been reading Reader's Digest since I could remember reading. Somehow, there was always a copy at home. I admit the articles were to heavy for me so I started with the comedy anecdotes like Laughter the Best Medicine and All In A Days Work.

Up till now, those sections are still my favorite reads in Reader's Digest. I'll even go through the whole magazine checking for funny anecdotes after the articles.

The humor has always been wholesome, witty, smart... And at times laugh out loud funny.

So it was a pleasant surprise to see that they had an app. Reader's Digest Jokes and Funny True Stories is definitely a break from a stressful day - whether it be deadlines or a pile of dishes.

Download Reader's Digest Jokes and Funny True Stories here.

Bubble Ball Developed By 14 Year Old

The other day, my son's uncle mentioned that the number one app in the App Store was developed by a 14 year old. I did a little research. Bubble Ball was the #1 free app for a time AND it was developed by 14 year old Robert Nay.

The object of the game is to get the bubble to the flag. But is anything really ever just that simple? You've got to know where to place your wooden and metal pieces as well as your power ups. There are 32 levels in the game and none are locked. Honestly, some levels have me stuck.

See how you fare, download Bubble Ball for free here.

Retro Camera (for Android) and Retro Camera Plus (for iPhone and iPod Touch 4th gen)

I recently got an Android phone. I've had my eyes on the Retro Camera Plus app but it required a camera. It turns out, the same app is available in the Android Market as Retro Camera. It features five old school cameras that you can chose from. Your pictures will look like you used the chosen camera to capture the shot. I downloaded it and had a picture taking frenzy.

For comparison, I took pictures of my sleeping son using the different camera choices and settings.
Xolaroid 2000

The Barbl (colored only)

The Pinhole Camera

The Little Orange Box 

The FudgeCan

Try Retro Camera and let me know if you enjoy it as much as I do.
This app is free with ad support at the time of posting.

Bamboo Tubes

If you like pipe puzzle games, you'll enjoy Bamboo Tubes. As with all pipe puzzle games, you have to connect the pipes and make sure everything is plugged.

Why I would have purchased the full version:
• The free version of Bamboo Tubes has five levels in each level pack. Completion of a level pack unlocks the next. Since I got a sample of each level pack, I had an idea of what I was gonna get. It frustrates me when I try out an app, like it and purchase it then it turns out to be not what I expected.
• I love the aesthetics. All the pipe puzzle games alike - metal pipes or tubes in various shapes and sizes. Bamboo Tubes? It uses bamboo tubes in a sort of Zen garden setting. Of course, if you prefer the cliche, you have that skin option in the paid version.

Why I didn't purchase the full version? I got stuck on level 5. If I do pass level 5, I probably will purchase the full version.

This wad a pleasant way to while away time.

Download Bamboo Tubes here.

Front Runner

This app's graphics caught my attention. It's an outer space game with spaceships, alien villains, and a clarinet?

You have to finish the story to unlock survival mode. To finish the story, you have to beat the three villains - Red Ivan, Electric Twins, Dizzy.

There are seven levels each before fighting the villain. When you beat a villain, you acquire their weapon or skill and can upgrade it as you play on. In the case of Dizzy and Daisy, once you beat Dizzy, you get Daisy's loyalty.

Don't forget to pick up the notes. These are what you'll use to upgrade you weapons.

It's a pretty easy game but it's fun. And you can play and defeat the villains over and over. Personally, I'm aiming for 5 stars on every level of every story.

In survival mode, you just keep playing till you run out of energy - or in my case, till the game crashes. I've reported it and am hoping for an update soon. I still play the survival mode to collect notes for my upgrades.

Download Front Runner here.

Leap Frog

I've developed a fascination for frogs. I think it started when I took a picture of my son and he had a froggy look. So I looked around for frog apps.

I found Leap Frog. You have a frog leap from rocks to logs to lily pads and even beavers (at least I think it's a beaver). As you go further, the landing spots get smaller. Catching a dragonfly gives the frog an extra life. And if the frog falls into the water that's a loss of life - although, as my boyfriend pointed out, that doesn't make sense because frogs are amphibians. But it's just a game so let's not over analyze.

Despite, or maybe inspite, of its simplicity, I keep finding myself playing this game. I think I'm hooked!

Download Frog Leap here.

Choctales

I'm a chocaholic and I love dessert. That's why I tried Choctales.

With chocolate dessert on one side, the object of the game is to balance out a weighing scale using fluff balls. A fluff ball will increase then decrease in size until you lift your finger.

Lite version has 10 levels. Those 10 levels were pretty easy to pass so I don't think I'll pay 99 cents for the paid version which only offers 20 additional levels.

I'll satisfy my craving with a chocolates cupcake instead.

Download Choctales Lite here.

All-in-1 Logic Gamebox

I usually steer clear of all-in-1 apps but the idea of logic games and the easy on the eyes graphics caught my attention.

It's not really all-in-1 but it does have eight games - seven completely free and one available as an in app purchase for 99 cents.

Paratroopers
You have to open all the troopers' parachutes in time for them to have a safe landing. It sounds easy, but trust me, some levels were extremely challenging. There are 84 levels in this game. I enjoyed this the most!

Telescope
You extend and retract telescopes in a grid to push and pull the ball and get it into the hole. I'm still working on this but I'm almost done. There are 112 puzzles ranging from easy to hard.

Labyrinth
Starting with a green block, try to pass each block without passing any block twice. The blocks turn red when you pass them so you know where you've been. There are 112 puzzles.

Parking lot
Move the cars out of the way so that the red race car can exit the puzzle. This game is exactly like Unblock Me. There are 112 puzzles in the easy level. I have yet to unlock medium, hard and expert.

Liquid measure
Fill test tubes, petri dishes and flasks with the appropriate amount of liquid by connecting the tubes. You may think it's like Toobz, but it isn't. There are 84 puzzles.

Flip it
You have to flip the squares so only the light sides show. The catch? When you flip one square, it also flips the squares beside, above and below it. There are 112 puzzles.

Arithmetic
Determine the mathematical action (add, subtract, multiply, divide) to make the equation correct. The challenging part is that the equations don't always follow the rule of thumb that a mathematical equation should be solved in the multiply-divide-add-subtract order. There are three levels (easy, medium, hard), completing one unlocks the next.

Round Round
Since I was enjoying the games, I decided to go ahead and purchase the eighth game. It's the only game that's not free. All-in-1 Logic Gamebox Lite does not give you the option to purchase this game. The object of this game is to match button colors by turning a wheel. I did not enjoy this game as much as the others, but hopefully my 99 cents will help fund updates and more levels for the other games.

I'm no longer as prejudiced toward all-in-1 apps. I liked the variety of games. I appreciate the ranges in difficulty, it's neither too easy that it's boring nor too hard that it's just not worth the time and effort.

Download All-in-1 Logic Gamebox.

NikeWomen Training Club

I'm no health buff. My idea of exercise is walking around the mall for a couple of hours. But, I think it's time for me to pay more attention to my health. Being a mother to a demanding seven month old, I don't have time to hit the gym or enroll in any form of formal training.

It seems I'm not the only one because Nike has come up with the NikeWomen Training Club app. It takes a while to download but it's worth the wait. Videos of how to execute the different exercises in a workout are available with the app. So, even without an internet connection, you can still workout.

There are four workout types:
Get Lean
Cardio drills to slim down
Get Toned
Uses weights to add definition
Get Strong
Uses weights to build strength
Get Focused
15 minute work outs targeted at specific areas

Each workout has three levels of difficulty - beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Other features of this app are:
You can track your progress.
There are rewards which are workout milestones.
You can choose your workout music from your library.

I've only tried a 15 minute beginner workout. I did sweat it out. And my tummy/abs area definitely felt the work out.

New year... Possibly a healthier year...
Happy healthy new year everyone!

Download NikeWomen Training Club app for free.

Glee Karaoke

I've never watched a single full episode of Glee before but I love to sing (even if I can't hit a single note). So when my boyfriend suggested I try the Glee Karaoke app, I did.

As with any karaoke, the lyrics change color when you're supposed to sing. What makes Glee Karaoke different is that at the bottom of the screen are lines that indicate what notes you're suppose to hit. The green lines indicate the lead vocal and if there are blue lines, that indicates the notes for the harmony. What amuses me most, is that you have the option to turn on the harmony so that when the song calls for it the app will take your voice and adjust it so you do your own harmony.


There are three ways to enjoy the app:

Play the game
There are tasks that you have to accomplish to level up. Sadly, some of the instructions to level up are truncated, so you'll have to guess what the task is.

Some of these tasks will require you to get a certain number of starbursts in a song. Starbursts are a kind of scoring system. The more notes you hit, the more starbursts you'll get. This becomes a real challenge for tone deaf people like me.

Just sing
Choose any song from your library and give it your best shot. You can also choose a song from your iPod but it won't have lyrics nor the line to guide you on what note you're suppose to hit.

Sing with others
There is the World of Glee Karaoke singers. Here, you can listen to other singers and if you like it you can give them a gleek, which is a form of kudos. You also have the option to Join the song by singing along and adding your voice to the song.


The app comes with the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and a free song of your choice. There are a lot of songs to choose from and new songs are added weekly. Here's how you can add songs to your Glee Karaoke library:
1. Purchase songs
2. Redeem song credits given for leveling up.
3. Joining other singers from World

All songs are recorded so you can listen to yourself after. You can also share these recordings via email or by posting them on Facebook or Twitter. Each time you share or post a song, it automatically uploads to World. This became an issue for me because there were some random recordings that posted to world and there was no way to delete it on the app. If you wanna delete your broadcast, this is what you do:
1. Login to http://glee.smule.com/user/login using your Glee handle and password
2. Go to http://glee.smule.com/myglee to view, delete, broadcast or unbroadcast your performances.

What would make this app perfect?
1. Free song each time we level up
2. Free song weekly
3. Use starbursts to level up instead of tasks.
4. Be able to manage World from the app.
5. Fix the glitch so that it doesn't crash on my 2nd gen iPod Touch.

Bottom line? The Glee app is not just for Glee fans, but for karaoke lovers, too.

Keeping in touch this Christmas

Christmas is that time of the year when we get together with friends and family. For those who cannot be with us this season, we find comfort in hearing their voice and talking to them.

All you need is a pair of earphones with a built in mic and you can use your iPod Touch with any of the various available calling apps in the App Store.

I have heard good reviews on some, and others are highly recommended, but as of this writing, these are the only ones that I have used extensively enough to comfortably and confidently recommend*:
1. Yahoo! messenger
With the last update, you can now use the Y!m app to call other Y!m users. All you need is your Yahoo! login. This is perfect for those who don't wanna have a lot of instant messaging apps cluttering your device. The connection is the same quality you'd get if you were using Yahoo! messenger on your pc.

2. Skype
If you want to place a pc to pc call, you can always count on Skype. With your Skype login, that same reliability is available on your device.

3. Friend Caller
This app allows you to call a home or mobile phone from your device. The connection is fast and clear. Although promoted and advertised to let you place calls for free, you can probably make one short free call with the credit you get when you sign up. If you want more than that, you'll have to purchase call credits** or earn free credits by downloading and opening any of the apps from their list.

I hope these apps can bridge the distance as it does for me and my loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

*The performance of these apps are affected by outside factors, eg. internet traffic and bandwidth.
**I'm not absolutely sure but I don't think there are hidden charges because I purchased a $5 credit back in September and I still have over $2 left.

Tap Tap Revenge 4

Have you guys seen the Tap Tap Revenge 4 app? I downloaded it today. It says it works best with 3rd and 4th generation devices, but it works on my 2nd gen device.

In my afternoon of playing around with TTR4, it has crashed on me four or five times. And it's frustrating because it takes a while to load. (I checked and this isn't a problem just with my 2nd gen device.)

The graphics are much finer than in Tap Tap Revenge 3. And as far as graphics go, TTR4 is way better.

After playing a track, you will see who likes the track and you have the option to like it, too.

If you're hesitant to upgrade to TTR4 because you hold your TTR3 tracks dear, worry not! You can transfer those your purchased and unlocked tracks from TRR3 to TTR4. Just go to 'Options' then choose either 'Restore purchased tracks' or 'Restore all unlocked tracks'.

There's also a selection of free downloads, including:
Linkin Park's Waiting For The End
Train's Shake Up Christmas
Kid Cudi and Kanye West's Erase Me

And of course, don't forget that every Thursday there's a new free track available for download.

TTR4 is hooked up with Game Center.

As of now, I'll be keeping this app, hoping for an update soon.

Download Tap Tap Revenge 4.

Christmas!!

With Christmas less than a week away, the true countdown begins. Which got me to exploring Christmas!!, an app I downloaded some time ago. And I wish I paid closer attention to it then.

Christmas!! has several functions.

The first function is a countdown of how many sleeps till Chritmas.

The second function is an advent calendar (starting Dec. 1 and ending Dec. 25) and each day you unlock a toy, a game, a joke, a carol, a wallpaper, a Christmas fun fact or any combination of.

The third function is a gift list. Make sure you don't forget anyone!

Download Christmas!!

Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift

I've never tried Cut the Rope before. The cute graphics gave me the impression that it would appeal to the young ones. So, when I came across Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift in my search for interesting holiday apps, I thought, "Why not? After all, Christmas is a time when we can be kids again."

The object of the game is to get the candy to Om Nom (the green character), by cutting the ropes that are holding it in place. Sounds easy enough? Don't be fooled by Om Nom's cuteness!

There are stars that you have to get along the way, bubbles that will make the candy rise, stocking portals where the candy will go in one and out the other... These are just a few of the challenges you have to face and use to your advantage.

I'm having so much fun with this app, I'll probably get Cut the Rope when I'm done.

If you've activated your Game Center account, you'll automatically be on the leaderboard with 9 achievements to complete.

Download Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift.

Coca-Cola Snow Globe

This cute app leaves a lot to be desired... If it doesn't crash first.

This is how it works:

First, you put in a wish.

Second, you put in your name. You can even link it to your facebook account.

Third, you choose a snow globe. There are three options - a scene in the park, a warm living room with a fireplace, and the third looks like a small cozy bar.

Fourth, you choose the characters by pasting pictures from your picture gallery onto bodies. This is where the app crashes.

If you're lucky that the app doesn't crash, you get to preview the snow globe. If you turn your iPod on it's side, you get a view your snow globe from inside. And it's really cute!

The last step says it posts to the Coke site.

I said earlier that it leaves a lot to be desired (aside from the obvious). Here are some of my wishes for the app:

1. I wish it would post the snow globe and wish to facebook. I mean, it asked to connect and get access to my Facebook account, but didn't do anything. Kindda freaked me out so I removed it from my Facebook.

2. I wish it would be more specific where the snow globe is uploaded on the Coke site. It said it would be uploaded to www.coke.com but I could not find it on that site.

3. I wish we could save a screen shot of the snow globe.

Without updates, this app is a waste of time. If you wanna judge for yourself you can download the app here.

Elf Ur Face

This is a fun app. I just got the free version and had a barrel of laughs!





Just choose one of your pictures and go crazy.





When you're happy with your photo, you have the following options:
1. save it to your gallery
2. email it directly from the app
3. upload it directly to Facebook and/or Twitter






Brooklyn Packet Co. has another free Christmas app. It's Xmas Booth Free. It's almost the same app, with only a few different stickers to decorate photos.

Download Elf Ur Face