Anish Pamula

AP English 12

10/39/08

Most of my life I lived shut off from the rest of the world. I wondered  sometimes if some scarlet letter was placed on me with out my knowledge. Doors seemed to not only be shut but slammed against me. I grew up with little friends and was forced to spend much of my time with my parents.  But through this miserable child hood I gained some valuable lessons and skills. My childhood was filled with my parents restricting me where ever I went. I was bound to the grounds of the apartment we resided in. I was barely allowed to visit the houses of my few friends. These years I simply didn't know how isolated my state was. Although I lived in the center of a small city, I was trapped in my own world.

This isolation had one outlet, the library. The wonder of books sparked my imagination, but books weren't enough for me. Even as I read many of the classics and conglomeration of contemporary novels, I wished I could I interact with the characters depicted in their pages.

A pillar of slime rose over a misty plateau and let out a blood curling roar. A small force was assembled to fight it led by a humanoid bear figure. A great battle ensued and the slime was defeated. It was this strange dream that changed my life. I sought another way out of my bleak world by creating fantasy worlds. I talked to my friends about one of my fantasy worlds and they liked the idea. We would on occasion talk about it but I was always a bit hampered and wished they could what was in my head, my true vision for my worlds. This was when I realized my one true career path. I would make these worlds real for others to see and interact with, I would design video games. I started keeping a journal of my ideas for future reference. This has helped me focused my imaginative mind.

Over the years my mind has changed and the many I have written the scripts (the dialogue and action not the computer language) for many games, but one thing remained a thirst for knowledge, to learn and improve my programming skills. I wondered sometimes as a child where I would go to after high school. It was only in my freshman year I realized the fabulous University of California system even existed. I see no other place to learn the Computer Science than at the University of California.

Prompt 2



I see the black and white pieces arranged in two need rows, soon to spread in a seemingly chaotic disorder. I enjoy the thrill I get every time I gain a victory in the brutal checkered white battle field. The game of Chess has taught me so much and is an important part of me.

My skill at chess is my proudest accomplishment, a slow building of the many victories and defeats I have had over the years. It gave me the calm, quick thinking warrior side of me that gives me the ability to pull through the many hard ships I've faced.



This game has shown me how to remain calm and collected in even the tensest situations. This skill, which has proven invaluable in programming, makes me the placid person that I am now even in the face of certain defeat. This ability has given me the level-headedness to make rational decisions based on the consequences and final outcome instead of making decisions based on emotions.



A greater strategy is vital in life and is also vital in chess. In both one needs a broad yet, clear and focused strategy. Chess has taught me goals that are too broad or too focused are futile. This has made my mind organized so I can realize my goals and take the necessary steps to take accomplish them Chess has also taught me the importance of sacrifices and the importance of the greater good. Chess has also shown me the importance of  sacrifices to advance your greater agenda. This has helped me focus my mind and cut off the unnecessary parts of my life. This has made me a punctual person and also a very focused in my goals.

The final thing chess has thought me I learned after I gained much of my skill in chess. It was warm summer day in the park and I was here looking for an unofficial tournament my friend invited me to. And so I sat down after a short search to play a simple game. The chaotic battle erupted on the checkered battlefield and I had decided overconfidently to not give my hundred percent efforts.  As the dust cleared I saw the battle had ended in my opponents favor. I learned the two most important lessons that day I learned how important it is to learn for my mistakes any to always give your full and honest effort. These is the most important lessons chess has thought me. These teachings the game of chess have influenced my outlook on life these lessons have shaped me and made who I am today.