It's totally natural to want to experiment when you're a teenager. You're feeling out what your sexuality really is, because guess what? There's proof that you can't control it. Even though you feel it is wrong, you MAY be gay because it is natural and uncontrollable.

If you are exclusively attracted to females, then you would be considered to be a lesbian. If you are attracted to both males and females, you would be considered bisexual.

I know it's your religion, but please don't hate yourself for feeling this way. It is natural and there's nothing wrong with it. I actually know a baptist who grew up with a preacher for a father who is a lesbian, and it took her 10 years of soul searching to be able to forgive herself and realize that God made her that way even though she'd been raised her whole life to think it was wrong and dirty.

In a serious relationship, there tends to be a shift in friendships. Rather than each maintaining a separate list of friends, you tend to have shared friends. Also, you'll find have a lot more in common with other couples rather than singles.

Look, I've been there. Most of the couples that my fiance and I are friends with are people he knew before I did. It's awkward having to meet two new people who all know each other. Have some faith in your boyfriend, though. He wouldn't make you go out with two people he doesn't think you'll like.

Let him know you're nervous about meeting these people. He'll be there to reassure you throughout. He won't be able to help if you don't tell him!

You're right: adding her on Facebook would come across as completely creepy and would ruin your chances in a heartbeat.

Your best bet is to talk to her in person. Hit up the restaurant a few times. You can sometimes request specific servers by saying that you've had fantastic service with them before. At the end of your meal, AFTER you've paid and tipped (no girl wants to feel like you're basing her tip on whether she'll go out with you or not) just say something like "I know it's your job to be nice, but you seem like an awesome person. Would you like to go get coffee some time?"

The situation will differ between families.

I went to a wedding recently where the bride's family was divorced. The parents both sat in the same pew, but with others between them.

I would suggest that you speak to both parents separately. Ask them if they would prefer different seating. You'd be surprised by how accommodating most will be: they're adults, so they should really be able to hold their tongues for one day.

Also, it would probably mean a whole lot to the significant others of the family if they were seated with the parents. First off, it's no fun being stuck in a corner at a wedding where you don't really know anyone, and secondly, it's really nice to put them on par with the actual parents. Just a thought.

A computer ovulation test won't necessarily calculate when you will ovulate.

The 'test' just figures out when your cycle starts, then counts from there. It's generally assumed that you will ovulate on day 14 of your 28 day cycle. So yes, every computer test will give you the same result.

Here's the catch: not every woman has a 28 day cycle, and not every woman ovulates precisely halfway through.

There are a few ways to detect your actual ovulation. You can get ovulation kits from the drug store, where you do a pee test every day to detect it. You can also use temperatures, where you take your temperature every day, chart it and you can see where your ovulation is (because your temp spikes when you ovulate). You can also use your cervical mucus to get an idea of when you're ovulating. I'm unclear on the details, never having tried to conceive, but your doctor can help you further with that.

If none of your real-life friends are really willing to support you through this, have you considered an online support group?

Right now I'm trying to lose weight, and I'm using a website called MyFitnessPal. SparkPeople is also a great site. Both have calorie counters to help you keep track of how many calories you've eaten that day and burned in exercise, forums to help support you in your journey and calculators to help determine what you should be taking in. I find it really helps to have that huge support group every time I have a moment of weakness.

This site has some awesome vintage reproduction dresses, and it's a reasonable price.

http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/eveningdress.html

And this site has some gorgeous, real vintage dresses:

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Unless he cheated on you with your sister, broke up with you on your birthday or kicked your dog, there's no reason why you can't say hi to him and be civil. You dated, for goodness' sake. You were extremely close friends for a while. Now that you're broken up, you're going to each pretend like the other doesn't exist? That's kind of silly. He just wants to keep the friend aspect of the relationship without the romantic aspect. I've got the same dynamic with my first ex. He's a really sweet guy, but we just weren't cut out for each other in the long run. So now we're really good friends.

As for why he hasn't done anything about regretting breaking up with you, could it be because you're giving him the cold shoulder? I know that I'm not exactly moved to roses and candlelight dinners when someone won't give me the time of day or see my side of things reasonably. Be nice to him and maybe he will try something.

It's actually very common.

You can try wearing slimmer tampons, and make sure it's in as far as it can go. If it's too close to the opening, it can apply pressure to your urethra and make it hard to pee.

In any case, it's usually easier to just take it out and put in a new one because it's hard to keep the string clean and dry.

I take it you're talking about your face?

First off, if you can, you need to stop wearing foundation. That stuff dries your skin out like crazy.

The best thing is to keep it simple. I have sensitive facial skin, so I wear minimal makeup. I use a gentle exfoliant right after showering in the morning and make sure to rinse it all off. That makes helps to remove the dead skin that gives you a rough look. Then I use a facial moisturizer. A regular moisturizer can really mess with your skin.

How often do you see news stories about the middle classes of foreign countries? Never? That's because they're really not interesting. Nobody wants to hear about the people just like them in other countries. "50 000 average guys went to work and then went home" is hardly news. "50 000 children died of starvation" is.

That said, I actually have seen a few news stories about the middle classes in parts of Africa. I also have seen plenty of articles in National Geographic about groups in Africa who aren't starving and living in mud huts. You're just looking in the wrong place.

Also, that blog post makes light of the fact that life expectancy is under 60 in a world where people in my country live to an average of 80. That's 20+ years of life that people in Africa do not get to enjoy because of imbalance in the world. By bringing awareness to the fact that in Angola the life expectancy is 38, we can try to help raise that number through aid programs. So instead of being cranky that we're not illuminating the best of the best, maybe you should be glad we're illuminating the worst, who tend to be shoveled under the carpet in embarrassment, because it gives them a chance at a better life.

Your best bet is to talk to your landlord. Explain your situation to him. Maybe you can work out a half Monday, half Thursday thing.

Most landlords would prefer to be reasonable and give you a little leeway than to have to go through all the fuss of applying to the board to get a notice to send you an order to pay or move. It's a lot of hassle for them, and then they'd just have to find a new tenant. So keeping you is preferable. Just make sure you don't miss a payment again!

Props to you for sticking together through tough times! If anything, that makes your relationship more solid and more likely to last the distance, because you have practice in dealing with the hard stuff.

My fiance and I have been together for 4 years now. We met right before my mental illness became a lot worse. I treated him terribly at times, but he understood, even if other people didn't. His family, our friends, everyone thought he should dump me and run, but he didn't, and we're together and happy now.

So don't be worried about what other people think. In the end it's only what you guys think that matters. If someone has an issue with the rocky start, you can tell them that if you guys can make it through that together, you can make it through anything.

Experiences are always the best. Does your girlfriend like wine or beer? A winery or brewery tour is an awesome way to spend time together. Wineries also often have restaurants on premise with food tailored to their wines. Yum!

You can also play tourist in your area for a day. Find local attractions and spend the day wandering around.

One of the most romantic things my fiance ever did for me was to build a huge snow fort, make a roof and floor for it out of sleeping bags, build a wine cooler in it and light a few candles. It was awesome!

If you want to get her a present, every year for Christmas my fiance and I make each other things. That's always nice, because it means so much more to me than just going out and buying stuff.

In addition to Razhie's excellent answer, I'd like to add the following:

Plan B is not meant to be taken as birth control. It's incredibly tough on the body. My friend had to take it, and she was stuck with awful cramps and extremely heavy bleeding. It basically causes you to get your period all at once. She was in agony for a few days.

What it's meant for is, well, a plan b! If you're using a condom and it breaks, or if you have a really stupid drunk night like my friend did and wake up in some guy's bed not knowing what happened, you can take it to reduce your chances of getting pregnant. It's not for regular use, and could cause some real damage if you do misuse it.

If your husband breaks up the marriage because you were raped, then he is not a good person to spend the rest of your life with.

A good husband will understand that you have had a rough past, and that you want to experience sex as a loving, consensual act. He wouldn't hold someone else's lack of control against you.

Then again, cultural boundaries could make it an issue. If that is the problem, then don't worry: he won't be able to tell unless you tell him. The usual way of telling if a woman is a virgin or not doesn't really work: her hymen could be broken riding a bicycle, riding a horse or other ways.

Nobody is going to tell you how to kill yourself.

There is no hole too big to dig yourself out of. I've been there. I have now failed out of school on 5 separate occasions. I've been in serious debt. I've tried to kill myself.

It's not worth it. The pain you cause to others for the sake of escaping your own troubles... it's selfish and it's hostile.

Do yourself a favour. Call a suicide hotline in your area, or go to the nearest emergency room and tell them you're having suicidal thoughts. They can help keep you safe. Then, when you're over the worst of it, find a counselor. It worked wonders for me. You can get over this. You have not exhausted every option.

Good luck.

No, your husband won't be able to tell. Not all women bleed when they lose their virginity.

However, you really should be honest with him. To lie about such a big thing is really getting off on the wrong foot in your relationship. You'll be spending the rest of your life with him. He needs to be able to trust you, and the best way for that to happen is for you to be honest with him.

If you regret it, go ahead and tell him that. Tell him you wish your first was him... just don't lie.

You absolutely need to take in more than 200 calories. At a minimum you should be taking in 1200 calories! Any less and your metabolism will disappear, and you won't be able to get the nutrients you need. You'll get used to living off of 200 calories, and the moment you start eating normally again you'll gain back all the weight and more, really fast. I should know: I've done a million stupid starvation diets and it got me to where I am now. Also, no matter how many vitamin pills you take, you won't be able to absorb any of them without enough food. You'll end up very sick this way. You'll also end up flabby because your body will use your muscle to make up for your protein deficiency.

Remember: you didn't gain the weight overnight, so you won't lose it overnight. You can't do crazy crash diets, because the moment you go back to eating the way you did before, you'll gain it all back.

I'm trying to lose weight right now, and I'm actually seeing quite a bit of success. My magical trick? Diet, exercise, water consumption.

Diet:

Eat 1200-1400 calories a day. That should be enough for you to lose about a pound a week. That's healthy weight loss. Make sure that you're eating lean proteins, keeping salt intake low and eating lots of fruits and veggies. Skip the low fat yogourt drinks because they're probably packed with sugar! The hard part is that this is your life forever. Don't think of this as a diet. Think of it as a healthy lifestyle change.

Exercise:

Make sure it's something you can maintain. If you're comfortable running 4 km a day 5 days a week, go for it! Even if you're just walking, it's something. Make sure you eat a little extra when you exercise: just a piece of fruit is enough.

Water:

I cannot stress this enough. Ditch the diet sodas. Stop drinking juice. The only things you should be drinking are water and tea (with no sugar or water added). You need to take in at least 8 cups of water a day. I'm aiming for 12 or so. And you know what? It works, and fast. I lost 5 lbs within the first 2 days of starting to drink water regularly. It keeps you from bloating, and it helps to flush your system out. It also keeps you from eating when you're not really hungry.

Don't expect it to happen overnight. I'm looking at a long journey... at least a year! You might find that it would help to join an online community. I have an account on MyFitnessPal, which is a site that helps you to set goals, log calories and exercise, and has forums for support. It's free, too! Spark People is also great.

Good luck!

Are you asking our advice on the moral consequences of filtering loam in water? No? You're asking us to do your homework?

Sorry, no can do. Google away, my friend.

My Personal Forum

My name is Amanda and I'm 26 years old. I'm currently studying electrical engineering. Armed with a fairly odd sense of humour and a sunny outlook on life, I'll take on just about anything. I'm also cussedly stubborn, which has its ups and downs. Things get tough sometimes, and I've never been one to run from it.

In my last 8 years with Advicenators, I've gone from honours student to failing out of university (and getting back on top again!), from single to married, from tenant to homeowner.

Until lately, I have been struggling with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and OCD, which had basically ruined my life and taken just about everything from me. I'm thankful every day for every experience I've had because of this ordeal, because it's helped to make me who I am today. Things like that really make you appreciate what you do have. Now that I'm back in work and school and starting to become myself again, I couldn't be happier. I credit Advicenators with saving my life back when I was a teenager, which is a big part of why I'm still here.

I won't necessarily give you the answers you want to hear, but I'll always be honest and do my best to help.

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