NinjaNeer's advice column

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Q: What brand of eyeglasses are really popular right now with teenagers? And brands that aren't ridiculously high please. I'm going to get a pair for my cousin for christmas. She really wants new glasses but her parents only pay for them once every two years.

If physical appearance helps, she has sort of a diamond shaped face, black curly hair and light bron eyes, and sort of a golden brown skin tone. She's really pretty.

She's 15. She's artistic, she draws and she's an amazing singer and actress.

Can anyone help me?

I would suggest that you bring her with you to pick them out. As a person who has worn glasses for the last 10 years of my life, I can tell you that it's really hard to find glasses that will fit your face size, shape, and just generally look good... so picking them out for her might be a bad idea.

Q: Hi, I am a 16 year old girl and I am going on a flight to British Columbia for two weeks. I am from Ontario so its going to take 7 hours to get there and since we are not on a non-stop flight its going to be more like 9 hours. I was wondering what sorts of things I should bring on the flight so I'm not bored and hungry and uncomfortable. Thanks.

I did that flight to and from work this summer :D

My MP3 player saved my life, seriously. I made a great playlist before leaving, and it kept me occupied for hours.

Bring a book or two, if you can handle reading in a plane.

I always bring some snacky foods with me. Just make sure it's in a sealed package, and no liquids! They'll give you free pop and juice anyhow.

I think that Air Canada is giving out free headphones now, so the in-flight movie (gruesome as it may be) is always an option. They actually have a system on some planes where you can choose your own movie or TV show!

Other than that, my favourite thing to do on the plane is sleep. Fold down your tray, put a sweater down on it, and pass out for as long as you can!

Q: sorry i had to capitalize for their grossness.

HOW DO I GET RID OF THEM?? our house gets them all year.. mostly in the winter but i dont want them anymore! this morning there were three that ran under my feet while i was on the computer and i was so grossed i had to go to another! its cause my computer is in the basement where rats/mice and other bugs come. woopee. are there any special sprays or traps for centipedes/millipedes? if you hae an answer i'll be so freaking grateful cause i couldnt hit those centipedes/millipedes that went under my feet but those looked kinda big.. wtf do they eat anyways to survive.

Yuck... we get those too.

Apparently, if you have a drain in your basement floor, try pouring Borax down. I've never tried, but I was told it works.

Q: f/13

last week my friend had to go to the doctor and she said that the doctor told her to take her pants of (underwear too)..........well any way i have to go next week also nd wat if he tells me to take my pnts of also...i noe hes a doctor but i still wouldn't feel comfortable doing that so if he tells me to what shouuld i do?

should i say no?

help!!!!!

Is your friend sexually active? That's the most likely reason for her pants needing to be removed for an examination.

You don't need to have a gynecological exam until you're either 18 or sexually active.

However, I do think I was about your age when I had my first breast exam, so that could happen.

Q: browsing through few sites i found, in girls, aerola shapes differs in every girls....does it indicate fertility in females? why do they vary? Does that have anything to do her sex drive? or it keeps growing if she is sexually activ?

It's different for everyone. It's not an indicator of sexual activity or libido or fertility.

Just like every part of every person's body is different, so are areolas!

Q: ...probably going to be pretty long...

I am 23, Female, almost nearing my mid-20s. I had sex only once, with the wrong person (unfortunately), when I was 19. A lot has changed since then. I have dated a couple of guys, but it has never gotten to the point where I even considered sleeping with them, or even doing anything sexual, as in below the belt (I had nothing against them feeling me up or sucking on my breasts). I haven't been in a long term relationship; it's never gotten to a point with a guy where I am comfortable enough to have sex. I feel like your typical guy, always thinking about sex, as in almost every night. I masturbate every now and then, I'd say a 2-4 times a week. I don't know. I have no trouble attracting guys...I don't mean to sound conceited, cause I'm not. If i talk to a guy, I never really take things further with them..mainly cause they're not my type, or it never goes past a few dates. I haven't even met a guy I'm interested in for almost 8 months. I'm 23 and don't even know what a real relationship is like. The only time I have orgasm is when i masturbate. I want to know what it's like to have sex with someone I like. I'm 23, and not saving myself for marriage. Quite the contrary...
It's better than sleeping around, but come on, in 2 years i'll be 25. I guess any advice on one or more of the following would be great:
a) How do you feel about my situation?
b) What can I do to meet more like-minded guys, not just airheads or assholes?
c) Let's say I meet a guy I really like, how would I even go about having sex, when it's been incredibly long time since I even had sex (and let's face it, I was 19, and it lasted for 5 minutes, and it sucked).
Thanks for reading through my rant, and for any advice :)

First of all, I think you're handling things in a terrific fashion. I have a lot of friends who, in their search for 'that special someone', sleep with every guy in sight. Not good. Why bother having sex with a bunch of filler guys?

My suggestions for meeting great guys include NOT picking up guys at bars or parties, and joining an activity. The worst relationships (or non-relationships) I've had were with guys I met at bars. If you think about it, it makes sense: the only thing you have in common is enjoying the same party place, which isn't a great basis for a relationship. Also, don't get caught up in the "let's just stay friends" trap. It's actually better to be friends with a guy before you date him. That way you know you get along, you know what he's like.

As for how to go about having sex after a dry spell, when you're with the right guy it'll come naturally.

Q: 15/f

my boobs are 36C and i just want to know if you think they'll get any bigger? my mom wears a D.

Quite possible... you've still got some years to grow. I think I reached my full size at about 17 years old. You'll also get bigger if you decide to have children.

Q: How do I get rid of fat???

Does anyone know if the southe beach diet works????????????????????

The South Beach diet worked wonders for me. I managed to lose 10 pounds in just over a week. It also really got me thinking about what I'm eating, and how much of it. It's a life-altering diet in that you can't really look at rice, bread and pasta the same way after.

Q: just a strange thought a guy wearing underwear is understanble as his manhood gets excited seeing erotic...y do women wear panties n bras?? How would their body react when they get excited(i have heard tits become hard n sharp)

Women wear bras to support their breasts and keep them from moving excessively.

Underwear is primarily for keeping your pants clean, as far as I can tell.

Sorry, nothing exciting.

Q: 13/f
I am so tight on money right now. I am going to put up a babysitting flyer next week, but I need other stuff too. I have no neighbors, since I live in the middle of nowhere, and my parents won't give me money/pay me for stuff, since they like to spend as much money as they can on gifts, not on gifts that I'm going to buy them. I want to get my mom Burberry perfume, which is like $45, and my younger sister a pair of fuzzy slippers. I have a chart here, and I need answers for the blanks:
Age Gift Price Gender
25 ? ? M
47 Burberry perfume 45 F
26 ? ? F
26 ? ? F
34 ? ? M
48 ? ? M
10 fuzzy slippers 8 F
Thanks in advance. I need to know the gift, the price, how to earn the money, and where to get it. I know it's a lot, but all advice is appreciated!

What I'm doing for presents for females (and some males) I know is making scarves.

Knitting isn't too hard (I taught myself from a book in an afternoon) and if you use big wool and big needles, you can make a scarf in about an hour and a half, two hours. Each one should cost you about 6-7$ for wool, and that's it!

Q: my parents are getting devorced. my dad may move 2 hours away and my mom may move out of my school system. if i had to choose between my mom && my dad, i would choose my dad. hes way more relaxed, and i get along with him better. my mom and i fight all day every day and she honestly loosing it. is it possible i could declare emancipation? im 15 (almost 16 on december 8th) and a female. i dont have a job. i go to high school, im a cheerleading. if i did declare emancipation, and got it, i would probably live with my friend whos a boy, we would probably get an apartment. what should i do? should i declare emancipation or is there not point. would i get it or no? anything you can do to help would be great.
thank you.

Before you go looking for emancipation, have you really thought about what that entails?

Living on your own is no picnic, I can assure you. I've been living on my own and supporting myself as a university student for 3 years.

So, you don't have a job? That's the first thing you'll want to think about doing. Let's see what expenses you'll have to cover:

Rent: A typical apartment in my town costs about 600$ a month for one bedroom.

Food: Groceries will run you about 30-35$ a week, if you're conservative. That's 120$ a month.

Transportation: How are you planning on getting around? Do you have a car? Take the bus? Both of those cost money.

So, you've got a minimum of 420$ a month in fixed costs, not to mention clothes, entertainment and any other extras that may pop up. So we'll say you need 500$ a month, since as a teenager your entertainment expenses are fairly high.

At federal minimum wage (I'm assuming you're American) you'll be making $5.85 an hour. That means you'll have to work 85.5 hours a month, or 21 hours a week just to make ends meet. Doesn't leave much time for cheerleading or fun, does it?

And, don't forget about school. Are you going to post-secondary? Who's going to pay for that? So I guess you'll need a second part-time job to try and earn some money for that, too, because student loans don't cover everything.

Living by yourself might seem like the easiest solution, but my suggestion is to accept the change and move in with your dad. Moving isn't the end of the world in high school, it just seems that way.

Hope I gave you a new perspective!

Q: ok so most of my friends are guys and lately a couple of people have started to call me a slut and stuff and idk what to do. its not like ive ever done anything with anyone ever. i havent even had my first kiss yet. i dont go around hanging on them or even hugging them. i just like smile and laugh when they say something funny or like bring up a funny memory but this happens all the time so i can kinda see where those people are coming from. whats wrong with me??? btw 15/f

I have this problem all the time, being in a male-dominated field of study.

Here's an example of a typical comeback...
"Me? A slut? Hmm, that's funny... You're assuming that I have sex with every guy I hang out with. What are you basing this on? Is that what you do?"

or...

"I guess I just have really strong willpower, because it's just SO hard to resist their manly charms."

Don't be bothered too much by it. Just because some girls don't know how to be friends with a guy without having sex with him doesn't mean that you're not sensible enough to do so.

Q: Would I get poisoned if I accidentally stab myself and it starts to bleed.

If it's a pencil, you're fine, because there's actually no lead in pencils. The stuff in it is graphite, which is a form of carbon :)

As for inks, I'm pretty sure that they're non-toxic too.

Just keep the wound clean and you'll be fine!

Q: 14/f
ok i KNOW that i am over weight... im 4' 11" and i weigh around 160-170. i am in karate, and i do have excersice indused asthma. I am really bad at running b/c of the asthma, and i am pretty weak...
i am so busy b/c my week is filled with homework, orchestra, 4-H, karate, and other stuff. Is there any ideas you could give me to help me loose some weight???
yeah, it makes me sad, b/c i KNOW i DONT look like i weigh that much, but then my dad told me i should lose weight, and so did my doctor! so it kinda ticked me off when my dad said that!!!

but please, do you have any ideas of how to lose some weight???

You sound exactly like me 6 years ago!

I also have exercise-induced asthma, and a black belt in karate :D Add to that the fact that I was in the school band and had a part time job, and the similarities are uncanny!

First of all, I'll let you in on a secret... a lot of that extra weight might be muscle if you train seriously. I've always weighed around 180ish since age 15/16, and it's because of that.

As for losing weight, it's a simple matter of burning more calories than you take in. If you keep up a diet of around 2000 calories, that should give you enough energy to keep going with your training, while still allowing you to lose weight.

You don't have to totally give up junk food; just moderate. Try to keep your fat and sugar intake down, and you should be fine!

Remember that it's more about how you look than what you weigh. If you look and feel healthy, then chances are you are!

Q: okay please dont answer if you cant handle this subject!Also please dont answer if your going to start preching to me because ill jus rate you a 1!!mmmk! so i was talking to my bf and he said that his mom somedays made him read the bible and he asked me do i read it and i said no.then he asked me did i go to church and i said no and he said well thats bad because your probably not going to go to heaven.then this girl who sits next to me who i am friends with who is very religious(dads a preacher)had to jump into the conversation and add her two cents.she started preachen about how if you dont beleieve in god your going to hell and blah blah blah.i simply told them i dont really beleive in jesus and that whole heaven and hell thing! then these other to girls jumped into the conversation to add some of there two cents.they said its common sence that if you dont beleive in jesus your going to hell and i said again that i just dont beleive in that stuff.then the girl sitting besid me started telling me about how she had seen and been through stuff...like she said that she knew somebody that had died and come back from the dead.i just kind of looked at her and was like,yeah sure whatever you say and tried to end the conversation there!I just want to know why people get so jumpy on the subject! why do people constantly try to convince u that jesus is real?!?i take civics and it clearly says in the 1st amendment "freedom of religion" so why are people constantly trying to get people to beleive in that stuff?!?then people start to get mad because i dont beleive in all that and i dont go to church!honestly the theory that are bodies disinigrate and become part of the earth is more logical then- there is a GOD in the sky that tells people if they diserve to go to a good place if they have been good or a bad place if they have been bad!and another thing...the bible was not written by GOD!it was written by a bunch of people who wanted to make it for whatever reason! so yeah...i dont get mad at people if they beleive in all of that but i dont understand why people get mad at me because i dont! its absolutely completely immposible to talk to these danm ignorant people about christianity!!!all they do is argue about how were going to hell!!!there is no hell to go to so it really doesnt matter!!!!i just wish some people would leave it alone!!why do they feel they are right in every way and everyone should beleive in jesus! i just would like to know a good way to deal with these kind of situations if i ever do get into one again which i probably will! i do not want to start going off at the mouth which sometimes i badly do want to because there so ignorant and stuborn but i do want to get my point across so any advice?!?!?

I feel your pain. I've been an atheist (my choice) since about age six, and most of my friends have been religious people, including my fiance.

The way I see it is that if there is a higher power who judges our lives, then that higher power would see people for who they were, not what they believed in. So, if you were a good person, did good things, and did your best to make others happy, but didn't believe in a higher power, or believed in the 'wrong' one, when judgment day comes, you'd still go to heaven.

What gets me the most is when I'm told that my life has less purpose than a religious person's. The way I see it, I'm living my life for now, not for after I die.

I just explain to those who try to convince me that I will defend to the death their right to practice religion, but that I don't feel a need for guidance in that area of my life. I get every bit as much out of life as they do, and I am no worse a person for not believing in a higher power.

Religion can be a wonderful thing, but not when it turns people into judgmental bigots. :)

Q: Mkay , Is there anysites that you can go on and rant .
I know it sounds really odd but I really want some oppionons on my descions and veiws ect .
Is there a site for this ?

I really like ventibate.com myself.

You can post anonymous rants and people can comment.

Q:
What are some different ways to eat white rice? I've tried it with vinegar, but I'm wondering other ways. I eat it often but I get tired of eating it by itself or with soy sauce. I'm just curious as to how I can spice it up and make it more flavorful.

Student living has taught me the wonders of white rice...

Add tuna (there's really good flavoured tuna out there) and teriyaki sauce.

Or, add ground beef and a bit of spaghetti sauce, and it's almost like spaghetti.

Q: 15/f - I really need help with a physics question my teacher gave me. Weve already gone over it, but i wasnt at school, so now he wont tell me how to work it out and what the answer is even though i need to know bc i was absent. Here it is:

"The information on a Party Balloon kit containing a tank of Helium states how many of each size balloon you can expect to fill from the tank. The label states that the tank will fill THIRTY 9-inch balloons. You plan to use 11-inch balloons instead of 9" ones, so how many can you expect to be able to fill?"

can anyone please solve this and tell me how to work it? I'd really REALLY appreciate it.

My solution is formed on the basis that the balloons are spherical in shape, and that the measurement refers to the diameter.

First, you want to find how much volume the helium will fill.

Equation for volume of a sphere is 4/3(pi)(r^3)
You have your diameter, so you can find r (d/2 = 4.5")
We'll call this volume V, because I don't have a calculator :)

So, now you have the volume of one balloon. Multiply V by 30, and you have the total volume of helium available.
Call this V2.

Now, use the same method as above to find the volume of one 11" balloon. It's easy; just substitute 5.5" instead of 4.5" for the radius.
Call this volume V3.

Divide V2 by V3 to find the number of 11" balloons you can fill.

And there you have it!

Q: what are the best girly perfumes i can get that smell amazing and fruity and sunny and just GOOD! im asking for one this xmas and these are my options. give me your reviews on them and maybe other perfumes you think are good.

- can can (paris hilton)
- daisy (marc jacobs)
- l0lli (its a "o" in the middle btw) pop (lancome. never smelled it but the bottle looked cute? lol)
- juicy couture (juicy couture)
- Escada Sunset Heat )Escada)
- with love (hillary duff)
- Brit Sheer (Burberry)
- covet (sarah jessica parker)
- ralph hot! (ralph lauren)
- princess (vera wang)
- diesel (that fuel for life thing.. it smells amazing.)
- delicious night (DKNY.. and i love love love it)

hm thats all i can remember at the moment. um so rate them and please keep in mind that this is for a 13 year old girl and i want my perfume to be not too sophisticated but like really nice smelling so everyone when you walk into the room's like "wow what smells so good?" and maybe somewhat fruity-ful cause i like those kinda scents. i dont go to beauty stores a lot so i only have a few samples from my teenvogue mag lol. btw i didnt put the perfumes in order of how i like them.

I have Princess and I love it...

However, it's not fruity or sunny. It's more musky (sort of). The website gives you the scents included in it.

I actually really like Clinique Happy... it's really citrusy.

Q: I am in love with one of my friends. We're not best friends, but I really do love him. But the problem is, even though he's fit and tan and beautiful, he likes fat chicks. I am so sad. I am naturally thin and small-framed, and I feel pain any time I see him flirt. I can't just become something I'm not, and I feel so terrible that I can't do anything. I don't know what's wrong with him. I am beautiful, and fit and we would be perfect. But we're not because he can't see me as I want him to. What should I do?

I'd say forget about him.

I'm a biggish girl. One of my boyfriends was the same way, and I thought it was great... until he broke up with me for someone bigger.

He is no less shallow than a person who dates exclusively stick-thin girls. If he can't see past your 'imperfect (in his eyes' frame, and to the great person behind it, he's not worth dating.

bio

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.