Well you've gotta figure out why you said no, first of all.
After you've done that, you can talk to him and explain the whole situation. If you really want to go out with him, make him understand why you said no, but make sure he knows that you really do like him. Nobody likes being rejected, I understand why he would be upset, still.
You've just gotta get him to forgive you. If you're friends with his sister, you can probably get her to help you a little bit, but make sure you talk to him yourself first. If nothing comes of that, THEN you can ask his sister for help.
Talking to him is the best advice I can give you.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

That depends on if you really want to do it or not. If you're uncomfortable with it and you don't want to, then tell him you're just not ready to do that yet.
If you are, and you're just afraid you're bad, then here's something you can say that'll fix it:
"Show me what you like."
Have him help you. Here's a hint, also - assuming he's circumcised - hold the base of his penis with your left hand, and use your right hand to do all the work (if you're right handed. If you're left handed, switch it up). You want to use lube or lotion or something, too. Otherwise it might hurt a bit. >.<
You can ask him while you're going up and down with your right hand, "You like that baby?" and watch his reactions. If he hesitates, or you feel really lost, just ask for help ("show me how you want it", or something).
Good luck!
-Siren =)

The first thing you need to realize is that food is NOT your enemy. Food is the fuel that keeps you going and keeps you alive. You need all the food groups. Don't cut any out.
You know why you can't stay on these diets? They're probably not healthy. All these fad diets like South Beach and Atkins are really, really bad for you. They're damaging. (I've tried them...trust me, they're bad.)
I read the stuff on your link.
Be careful. Thoughts like "I don't care what it takes, I will get the body I want" are what made me anorexic. I was slowly killing myself for almost a year before I realized what trouble I was in - I got to the point where I got depressed if I ate, so I didn't. I was working out excessively at the time, too. Then, I realized that I needed to eat SOMETHING so I tried and it made me sick. It was the worst hell I've ever been through, physically and emotionally, to fix myself.
You don't want to wind up like that.
All that "thinspiration" shit is negative reinforcement, and very, very bad for your mind. Sure you MIGHT wind up skinny, but you'd probably also wind up in a mental institution or a hospital if anyone realizes what's going on in your head and with your body.
Bulimia and anorexia are horrible psychological problems that manifest themselves in physical problems. They stem from extreme self-hatred, which I'm sensing from you, based on the way you said you have the body of a whale. I'm sure you don't...
You're not broken.
You can still help yourself.
As I said, the first thing you need to realize is that food is your friend - but the RIGHT kind of food. Veggies and dip instead of chips. Fruit instead of junk food. Low fat milk, lots of protein...and this is all something you can stick with for the rest of your life. If you can get past the two weeks or so where you crave junk food, you don't crave it anymore. You wanna keep your calorie count between 1200 and 2000. NO LOWER THAN 1000!
If you drop below that, your body goes into starvation mode and will start storing what you put into it as fat.
I also highly reccomend starting a workout program...these two go hand in hand, working out and dieting.
PLUS - the working out will make you feel better. Exercise gives you endorphins, which are "happy" chemicals in your mind. You don't have to do a lot. Even walking around your neighborhood will help. Get a parent, or a friend to walk with you. It's more fun that way. =)
Also try eating something small every three hours. It'll help speed up your metabolism, which is what you want to happen.
This is not a "diet". It is a way of life. If you really want to change, don't just change for a week, or a month, or even a day. Treat your body better. Instead of making yourself depressed and hating what's there, love your body. Pamper it, and love what will happen if you do.
Would you iron your hair?
No?
You shampoo and condition it so it's soft and pretty, right?
Well, do the same thing with your body. Research. Learn about what makes you healthy, and give it a shot. Instead of just reading our advice, make sense of it all. Learn what happens when you eat things, and WHY it does. Your body will thank you for it and reward you by turning into the image you have in your mind.
All my life I had this image of my "perfect body," and it took a near-death experience to realize that all I was doing was hurting myself by wanting so badly to be something different, instead of treating myself better and seeing what I could turn into.
I love my body, and I love my mind.
I really hope you can learn to do the same.
-Siren =)

I'm risking a low rating by saying this, but you asked an opinion question.
If you didn't want others' opinions, then you shouldn't have asked the question.
The other columnists here are right in the sense that personality is more attractive than clothing. The clothes don't make the man, my man. The man makes the clothes. It doesn't matter what the hell clothes you're wearing. If you're cute, you're cute, and you'll attract her anyway. If you're ugly as hell I can see why you'd need to peacock.

What are you trying to hide by covering yourself up with all these designs and flashy clothes?

But, if you know this girl well and she really likes all that paraphernalia covering a guy up, go for it, by all means.
But seriously, if you're going to impress her, impress her with who you are. Don't cover yourself up and try to distract her by wearing bright colors (or colors she likes, maybe? I noticed a lot of pinks and purples, unless those are colors YOU like.)

Anyway, to sum it up
1) Don't ask for opinions and then rate them down. Opinions can't be wrong or right, unless it's something like "my opinion is the sky is orange," which happens to be wrong...but that sentence doesn't make much sense anyway.
2) Clothing is a bullsh*t way to hide yourself. Flaunt your personality and your looks - don't try to distract the other person. They should like you for you, not what you wear. If she didn't like you before, chances are wearing different clothes isn't gonna change that.
Think before you jump into things. Seriously.
-Siren =)

Well it's up to you. If you're sure that you don't want to risk ruining your friendship, the only thing you can do is try to get over him. Find someone new to focus your attention on.
Or, if you don't think you can do that, your only choice is really to risk your friendship. Tell him you like him and see what he does. Girls are very rarely forward like that, it might surprise him in a good way.
"um, it's tara" Doesn't seem genuine to me. My theories are, either he didn't want you to think it was you because HE doesn't want to jeapordize your friendship, so he came up with a way to stop that from happening (telling you it was someone else). Or he was really hesitant about saying it because he knows you like him and didn't want to hurt you.
I'm guessing it'd more likely be the first, judging by the "um", and the details you gave me about your friendship with him.
My advice is to muster up a whole lot of courage and tell him how you feel about him. You may be pleasantly surprised. Or, if he's a perceptive kind of guy, he might already know, and my second theory is more accurate.
What do your instincts tell you? You said sometimes you've felt that he liked you. What made you think that? Does it make sense to you that he would like you, given that knowledge. Girls' instincts are very good...you should learn to listen to them. I guarantee they'll be right more than they aren't.
Good luck, let me know how it pans out!
-Siren =)

I'm glad you gave me all that information. I prefer long, detailed questions to short, confusing ones.
*Promiscuous =)
My thought is honestly that he just hasn't had a chance to get back to you yet. How long has it been since you sent him that last message?
I would wait a little to see if he does get back to you. He might just have been out, or working. I mean, I don't check my myspace or facebook every day, even when I'm waiting for someone to talk to me (but that's me).
If he doesn't respond within a week, I'd send another message, something casual along the lines of "Hey stranger, haven't heard from you in awhile. Just wondering what you're up to, I'm just sitting here kinda bored...hit me back, my screen name's [insert screen name here]."
I doubt he'd think anything of the fact that you sent him your sn twice, (if it's been a week or longer you probably forgot you did it...right? *winkwinknudgenudge*
Anyway, good luck, let me know how it pans out. Don't freak, it'll happen if it's meant to.
-Siren =)

Just so you know, I've been a vocal performance major for two years in college, and studying voice pretty much my whole life. I DO know what I'm talking about when I say yes, that's unusual. You and I are a lot alike. I had that range (literally, those notes) when I was your age, then changed my technique and lost quite a bit of it, but now it's back to the almost four octaves.
Most adults have somewhere between 2.5 and 3 octaves.
Though, since you're 14, those top notes you have might be in whistletone, which is the female equivalent to a male falsetto. Are you supporting those notes correctly, or do you find yourself using less air, less support, etc? Just curious. Let me know in feedback.
Anyway, yes, you and I are unique singers. Embrace your range, and make sure that your teacher recognizes it. (I assume you have a voice teacher). One of mine didn't acknowledge my crazy range, and as a result I...well let's say I gave a less-than-par performance.
Hope this was helpful - feel free to drop any vocal questions in my inbox!
-Siren =)

Okay, nothing "quick and easy" is healthy. Just so you know.
Your best bet would be to up your protein intake (meat, cheese, dairy (low or nonfat dairy/cheese)) and lower your complex carb intake (starches like breads, potatoes, pasta, etc. Anything with flour in it). Make sure you eat some of that, but try to make it earlier in the day so you can burn it off by the end.
Lay off the junk food and soda. You don't want anything with high fructose corn syrup in it.
Aim for about 1500 calories a day doing all that, and start an exercise regimen. Even just walking around your neighborhood to start is a good idea. Exercise is key to weight loss.
DON'T take pills to lose weight, and DON'T try any of these fad diets (Atkins, South Beach). They work, but you can gain the weight back easily because your body forgets how to use the carbs that you'll eventually put into it.
Eat something small every 3-4 hours to help speed up your metabolism. Green tea is good for that, too. Make sure you drink lots of water.
Just so you know, also, any sort of deprivation diet isn't good. Good diets balance every food group (including refined sugars, but that has to be in major moderation) so your body learns how to use all of it to its advantage.
This is what I do, and it works for losing weight. It's a little bit slow going, but it's permanent, and it's something you can keep up for a long time, which is what you should be looking for. If you're unhappy with your body, don't "diet," change your lifestyle.
Be kind to your body.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

If you have sensitive skin, scented shave gel or soap can cause irritation.
If you like dry shaving, try an electric razor. Those are better for your skin - dry shaving can cause razor burn and damage your skin.
I usually shave in the shower, but if I don't have time and need smooth legs, what I do is go into the bathroom and just splash water on my legs and run my razor over them. No soap, just water. You wanna make sure you use lotion after you shave all the time. Look into Eucerin or Lubriderm if you have sensitive skin. Those are unscented and they work decently well.
You might also try shaving WITH the grain, and then against it. If you don't shave every day, going against the grain probably hurts, especially dry. Also, make sure you're not using a dull razor, as those can help cause razorburn too. If you're using a disposable razor, make sure you change it after every 5 or 6 shave.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

I answered a question very similar to this a couple days ago, so I'm going to tell you exactly what I told her:

No.
Don't. Buy. Diet pills. EVER, no matter what age you are. They're extremely unsafe and unhealthy and they can make you jittery and screw up your emotions.
If you really want to lose weight, start eating a healthier diet, and work out. It's slow going, but it's much safer, and MUCH more permanent than the effects of pills.
Supplement pills and diet pills are very expensive - this is why it's better to do it the old fashioned way - hard work. =P

If you want details as to how to lose weight a HEALTHY way, feel free to drop one in my inbox...I know how you feel, but don't resort to what I did (the diet pills/fat burners). They make you feel horrible. Be kind to your body: fix your diet and start working out. If you're that desperate to lose weight, you NEED to try a workout regimen. If that's the only thing you're not doing, you've got nothing to lose by trying it.
Take my advice. I've been where you are.
Also, 121 might be a perfectly reasonable weight for you, depending on your height. Next time, please let us know how tall you are.
If you're between 5'2" and 5'4", 121 is a great weight.
Keep in mind that you're fourteen - you're still growing, and you can still lose weight easily. Your body is very impressionable.
Do you like biking? It's summer. Take bike rides around your neighborhood. Just being a little active helps kick your metabolism into gear and will help you lose weight.
Let me know if you want more exercise ideas, but I can almost guarantee that everyone here will tell you not to take diet pills, that exercise is the answer.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

[Edit]: Thanks for adding your height. You don't need to lose weight at all. For every inch over 5' you add 5 pounds to find your ideal weight starting at 5'0" = 100 pounds. Based on that, you could actually be 4 pounds heavier and absolutely fine.

The answer to your questions depends a LOT on your age. If you're in your early teen years, your voice is probably growing/changing. Girls' voices change too, but not as dramatically as guys' do. Most girls go through a period where their voice is breathy and the vocal folds don't quite come together. Once the growth period is over it fixes itself.
If you stopped singing for a month or two, it could also have a major impact on your voice. Your technique probably changed - it's the effect of not working out for a month. When you get back to it, everything's really weird at first. You remember how to do it, but your muscles don't want to.
Most of singing is muscle memory. You have voice lessons to train your muscles to move a certain way (or NOT move a certain way, depending on which muscles where). Your muscles are stupid. They forget simple tasks, and it takes a little while to whip them back into shape. If you go back to practicing every day and warming up WELL, your voice should go back to normal within a month.
You should start taking voice lessons again if you can. Your teacher can help you.
Be nice to your voice - drink tea with honey, drink room temperature water when you're warming up, make sure you're hydrated.
If your voice doesn't go back to the way it was in a month, get checked out by an ENT - Ear, Nose and Throat doctor and make sure you don't have nodules on your vocal chords. (Those can be caused by like, viruses, singing with bad technique, etc...)
But in the meantime, try to get back into it. Start a workout routine with your voice, lol
Good luck. Lemme know if you need any other voice help, I went to college for vocal performance. (Doing an English major now, but that's what I went for!)
-Siren =)

Hahaha, a couple things to do to turn name-calling around:
* I know you are, but what am I? (childish, yes, but it makes them laugh.)
* Who's more retarded? The retard, or the guy flirting with her? (Call him out on flirting with you and see what he does. It's all a game.)
* It takes one to know one! (Another way of saying what you said. He should laugh. If he can dish out names, he should be able to take the comebacks.)
* That may be, but at least I know how to flirt ;) (That one's just cute.)
Hope I gave you a couple ideas. All's fair in love and war, so have fun!
-Siren =)

I highly reccomend Garnier Fructisse (the one for dry/damaged hair).
I straighten my hair every day too, and my hair is poofy and frizzy without it as well. I understand, lol.
Garnier Fructisse products work very well. Look for anything moisturizing on the bottle of whichever shampoo you use. They have shine stuff you can put on your hair so it looks less damaged...You might consider a wet/dry straightener if you don't already have one. You don't have to use it on your hair when it's wet (I never do), but somehow it helps get rid of the dry feeling straightening can sometimes give your hair.
You can also take a bit of conditioner (leave in or not) - like, a pea size, after you're done straightening, rub it between your hands and smooth your hair with it. That helps too.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

Everyone is right about the "you'll know it when you feel it" aspect of it, but I can try to throw a few descriptive sentences at you...
For me, at least, being in love felt like a total loss of control. I felt like I was drowning in my emotions, and it seriously freaked me out. I'd never felt that way in my life, and I didn't know how to handle it. When he kissed me, my knees went weak, my world disappeared. He's the only guy I've ever actually dreamed about marrying. It was so vivid I woke up and looked at my hand to see if there was a ring on it, lol.
Love is when your emotions grow so strong your brain becomes the prisoner of your heart.
Real love doesn't go away, ever. It's what drives people to marry, to want to spend their whole lives together. Love is a connection that runs so deep words can't describe it. It is, simply, an emotion.
It's hard to describe the feeling, exactly, but you're in love with someone, you can feel it in their touch, and it's like nothing else in this world.
Being a writer makes it a little easier to try to describe love, but even then I don't know how to put what I felt - and still feel - into words.
Hope this was sort of what you were looking for.
-Siren =)

I think you've got losing your virginity and being pregnant mixed up...
As far as I know, nothing happened to my body when I lost my virginity, aside from the fact that I was sore for awhile and had broken my hymen.
The only thing that can happen is that you can wind up a little looser down there, but it's something you can control by doing exercises...so that's not necessarily a side effect either.
Really, nothing happens to you when you lose your virginity.
Just make sure you're with someone you trust and use a condom (at least), even if you're on birth control.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

The major is Musical Theatre, and Juilliard is actually NOT a good school for that. It's good for dance and instrumental majors, but that's about it.
Columbia, Sarah Lawrence (I believe), Eastern, and Centreal Michigan universities are all good for musical theatre. Oakland University (also Michigan) is pretty good, but the department plays favorites...(that's my school. I left the music program there, but I was doing vocal performance, not theatre.)
Columbia would be good for musical theatre and journalism both - but you've gotta realize that double majoring is a LOT of work. Any type of music major takes a lot of classes - each class is worth like two credits. I was taking 7 or 8 classes a semester...it's a little nuts.
Do a lot of research before you decide on your major.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

A few things you need to know about fat burners:
1) They can really mess with your emotions, and they can make you jittery and feel like crap.
2) They DO work, but it's not permanent. Anything that makes you lose weight fast will not stick. You'll gain a couple pounds back.
3) If you MUST take a fat burner, I know for a fact that Lipo 6 works. It's really expensive though - any good one will be at least $40 and up for a bottle of 90 pills, or something.
I really, really discourage the use of these, simply because they're not good for you. You'd be much better off retraining your body - working out, speeding up your metabolism by adjusting your diet and the frequency at which you take in calories (every 3-4 hours is best, and very healthy, and WORKS, trust me.)
Please reconsider taking pills to lose weight. Adjust your diet and work out, and you WILL see results.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

Lol no, sweetie, that's perfectly normal. Trust me...but if you two are having unprotected sex, I really hope you know for a fact that neither of you have STDs. If you were both virgins, great!
But no, there's nothing wrong with you.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

No.
Don't. Buy. Diet pills. EVER, no matter what age you are. They're extremely unsafe and unhealthy and they can make you jittery and screw up your emotions.
If you really want to lose weight, start eating a healthier diet, and work out. It's slow going, but it's much safer, and MUCH more permanent than the effects of pills.
Supplement pills and diet pills are very expensive - this is why it's better to do it the old fashioned way - hard work. =P
But, you really don't need to lose weight. You're perfectly healthy for your age and height. So, if you want to do anything, start a workout regimen and alter your diet (if it's unhealthy). PLEASE don't damage your body.
Good luck!
-Siren =)

I'm surprised someone as cocky as you seem to be is actually asking for advice. Congratulations.
Anyway, you made her uncomfortable. Talking about what happened will probably just make it worse. I strongly suggest you abandon the idea of any future with her, and pretend it never happened.
Teacher/student relationships NEED to have a wall in the middle. She's too old for you, dude. You're 17, she's probably at least 22 if she's student teaching, and if she's your actual teacher, she's probably even older. Not to say "she's an old woman" or that big age differences don't work, but there IS a limit to that, you know?
It shouldn't be awkward tomorrow unless one of you makes it that way. Don't mention it. Don't suggest anything, don't flirt with her, if you have been.
I'm guessing she has enough common sense to know to ignore your advance.
I'd feel awkward, I think, if I was rejected by my crush and I had to see them every day, but personally I would push it out of my mind and pretend the rejection never happened.
Good luck
-Siren =)

I'm a laid-back 26 year old with a Psychology BA, starting my MA program, and working my way into the field as quickly as I can. It took me an extra Bachelor's degree (in vocal performance and creative writing) to figure it out, but I was put on this Earth to help, to heal, and to love.

I have made the decision to dedicate my life and career to helping others. I am here to do just that.

I've been a member since 2004, and since I signed up, I've gone through quite a lot and learned quite a lot from it. I'm here to give guidance where I had none; no one should have to go through the difficulties I went through alone.

Feel free to visit my website/blog, if you want to read my experience with domestic violence and my thoughts on it.

***While I do tend to answer mental health and other health-related or medicine-related questions, I am by NO MEANS a licensed physician or practitioner of any sort. Any and all advice I give for these questions is from my own experience or studies.***

If you need to get a hold of me quickly, my screen name on AIM is SirenCytherea. Just let me know you found me here.

I'm a strong believer in the idea that there are no stupid questions except the ones left unasked, so, please, keep an open mind, heart, and mouth.

Siren

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