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November 13, 2009

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I love to eat, who doesn't, but I cannot cook to save a life.

I need to know how to make cup cakes with some cute icing and stuff like that. If anyone knows how to make cupcakes, what I need to buy, how I need to do it, just please let me know. I would appreciate it very much.

Well, these don't have cute icing, but they are SOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOO
SOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!! The recipe might look complicated, but it's really pretty easy if you just follow the directions. They are seriously like the best things in the whole world and people will LOVE them!!! I'm not kidding, you'll be famous for them! Give it a try!!!

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Best when baked in tiny cupcake tins. They are very rich.

Ingredients

8 oz. Softened cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
---------------------
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
1 cup semi sweet chocolate bits
1/3 cup oil
1 tablespoon vinegar

1) Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt in bowl and beat well. Stir in chocolate bits and set mixture aside.

2) Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla, beating until well combined.

3) Fill paper lined miniature muffin cups 1/3 full with batter. Top each with a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture.

4) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Alright
so......i believe i am fat
i weight 161 lbs and 5'1
i have never told any1 but my best friend how much i weight so no mean cmments please
but,alot of people have told me im not fat but, i still feel like i am
i blame this on my brother he has told me i was fat since i was 3
now though he tells everyone at school i have a beer gut
it really hurts me mostly because i have saved him from going to a boy's home mutlipal times
So, i have 2 questions do you all think i'm fat(i have some muscle too)
and what should i do about my brother

You can't rely on anyone else's opinion, because nobody (except maybe your doctor) is gonna be honest with you. Your friends wont; they don't want to seem mean or hurt your feelings. Most adults wont; they're too concerned about harming kids' self-esteem or causing them to become anorexic. Even your parents might not be honest with you, for the same reason. And sometimes it's even hard to be honest with yourself about your weight.

If you feel you're fat (which obviously you do), ask your mom to take you to the doctor and get his opinion. And if he thinks you would be better off losing some weight, then go ahead and find a good, healthy program to help you lose some. That is, if you feel you'd be happier that way. If you're fine with yourself the way you are, then none of this really matters, does it?

As for your brother... actually, he might be the only one who IS honest with you (although maybe for the wrong reasons). Don't let that get to you. Brothers and sisters can be really mean to each other, for lots of different reasons. But that's really a separate issue. The real issue is, if you're unhappy with your weight, then you need to (1) Find out if you really are overweight, and if so, then (2) Do something about it.

Good luck! =]

hi i am 13/female and am having a real hard time moving on after last night. ok. so i like this guy.a couple nights ago we went to this indoor fun house with 2 of our friends. and we had a lot of fun. then during the last 15 mins we got dared to make out and we did (that was the first time ever for me). then last night he invited me over to his house and my friend was supposed to come and his friend was there. it ended up just being us three (me being the only girl). we watched a movie and ate for a while and then without a dare we started doingg EVERYTHING! we made out, we madeout on top of eachother, he went up my shirt and touched my boobs while making out, i gave him a lap dance (not intense though, just sat on top of him and moved around easily) i pulled up my shirt with my bra on, then at the very end we started making out and i waws pretty much humping him and he was grabbing my butt and pushing it into him and he touched my boobs and yeah thats it. and i dont know. i feel regret causee we aren't even going out and his last gf everyone called her a slut because on the 4th day of their relationship he went up her shirt (same thing as me). and i feel like a total slut. and i like him and i want to go out wtih him and he told me he likes me, but wouldn't he ask me out? i really confused and i only told me one best friend who was supposed to be there about it all and she said she didn't think he was using me but idk i have mixed feelings???? i cant talk about it with my family or anyone else except for my one best friend. please help me. should i regret what i did? am i a slut? is it bad since we aren't even going out? do you think he is using me? he told me he liked me. but why hasn't he asked me out? i'm really sad about this. i need SOME ADVICE FAST!!!!!!!!!!

No, you're not a slut. You made a mistake. You were having fun, so you went with it and didn't think about the consequences. What are the consequences? Well, first of all, when you do that stuff with someone who's not your boyfriend, it IS considered kinda slutty, and you could get a bad reputaton if word gets around. Secondly, it might've messed up any chance of having an actual relationship with this guy. He might think of you as just someone he can use, so why ask you out when he can have his fun and stay single?

So how to fix it? First of all, you should talk to the guy about it. Tell him that you had a lot of fun with him, but that you feel like you made a mistake by doing that stuff since the two of you aren't going out. And that you've thought about it, and decided that from now on you're not going to do that stuff with a guy unless you're going out with him. That will let him know that you AREN'T a slut. And if he likes you, he'll ask you out. Then you can do that stuff and not feel guilty about it. If he doesn't ask you out, well, then you'll know how he feels (or doesn't feel) about you, and you can put it behind you, move on and chalk it up to experience.

As for your friends and other people (who will almost certainly hear about it eventually)... tell them the same thing. If it comes up, go ahead and admit that you made a mistake, and that you regret it. If you try to defend yourself, and act like you didn't do anything wrong, people will think you believe its okay to do that. You want people to know that you DON'T feel good about what you did, right?

But don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes, and we live and learn.

im going to be grounded in like a day and when i get grounded i dont have anything. i cant go outside i cant watch tv. i cant go on the computer i cant go on the phone and i cant have my cellphone. what are some things i could do besides cleaning that will burn up time for about a few weeks to a month????

Well, when you're not grounded, you're probably pretty busy, right? With school, homework, friends, activities, etc. And I'll bet there are some things you're always thinking you'd like to do, or need to do, but never have the time for. And you tell yourself, "I wish I had the time to do this." So try to remember what those things are... and then use your grounding time to actually get them done!

How do you get mascara off the skin? I am always making mistakes in the morning when I am doing my makeup and it always takes forever to get mascara off... is there any easy way to do this?

Get a makeup eraser pen. They have a small point so you can erase little mistakes under your eyelashes or whatever without taking off all the other makeup. Revlon makes one and probably other brands, too. They work great!

Why does my mom want me to stop being a tomboy so much she is doing anything she can she is even buying me the fake football jerseys instead of the real ones she wants me to stop so much does anyone know why??

Your mom is probably worried that other people will look down on you for being a tomboy... that other girls won't accept you, and that boys won't be interested in you. She wants you to be happy... and in her mind, being accepted by the popular/preppy girls and liked by boys equals happiness.

Just let her know that you're perfectly happy the way you are. She may not believe it, but that's about all you can do. And it might not hurt to give in once in a while. Let her dress you up from time to time... it'll make her happy, and maybe she'll ease up a bit.

thats it, i am always itchy.

like my back and stomach, and sometimes my arms.

Any ideas why?
or how to stop it.

its so horrible.

i can barely get to sleep at night because of it.

help, please.

It could be that your skin is just dry. That happens to a lot of people in the winter, when there's less humidity in the air. Try putting on lotion before you go to bed... a mosturizing kind that doesn't have a lot of perfumes (which might make you more itchy). That should help. =]

what does "hold you down" mean?

Well, it sometimes means "don't let them keep you from doing what you want, or what you're capable of doing." For instance, if some of your friends have no interest in going to college, but you've always planned on it, someone could say that your friends might "hold you down"... that is, influence you not to go to college.

hey. well, i'm 15/f and i'm a freshman in highschool. well, i'm really out of shape, but i've been working out alot and eating healthier. i've been thinking lately and i want more friends and want to be more social because i'm kinda shy. but i also think cheerleading is fun. when i was younger i used to do those little cheerleading clinics, but then i stoped cheering. well, just out of the blue today i started thinking, and i'm thinking i want to become a cheerleader. i have a couple of friends that are cheerleaders, 1 of them is one of my best friends. but i know i'm bigger than all of the cheerleaders, but i think that over the summer i can loose weight and by the next year tryouts i will have lost some weight. but i just think it might be kinda weird to be a bit bigger than everyone else. what do you guys think?? and i can't do a lot of stunts and flips, and stuff. but idk. should i even try?? or just forget about it? i'm a pretty bubbly person, so i've got that part covered. but am i cut out to be a cheerleader???? i'm gonna ask my friends for advice too, but i'm just wanting some more opinions. so any advice!! thanks!!

Cheerleading is definitely fun, and it IS a great way to make new friends. You'll become close with the girls on your squad, and as corny as this sounds, it DOES boost your popularity. It simply makes you more visible at school, and if you're friendly and outgoing, you can use the opportunity to develop new friendships.

I think you should go for it! What have you got to lose? As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

As far as the skills you'll need for tryouts, this is how cheerleaders are judged at our school (they use a standard form which is used by a lot of schools):

1. Entrance/Smile: 5 points
2. Spirit: 5 points
3. Crowd Appeal (neat appearance): 5 points
4. Memory/Recall (knowing the routine): 5 points
5. Voice Projections (loud but not screechy): 5 points
6. Group Dance: 5 points
7. Motion/Technique (being sharp): 10 points
8. Jumps: 15 points
9. Tumbling: 15 points

Total Score: 70 points
Plus 20 points for citizenship (not having detentions, etc); and 10 points for grades (your GPA divided by 10).

As you can see, jumps and tumbling are pretty important. If you start now with some cheer classes, and practice a lot, you'll have plenty of time to get your jumps looking good.

As for tumbling... definitely enroll in a tumbling class NOW. It can take a good year to learn a roundoff flip flop. But don't worry if you don't have it down perfectly... our school has several cheerleaders who don't tumble at all; they made the squad based on their jumps and motions and dance ability.

If you want a realistic view of how important your tumbling ability will be, take a good look at the current cheerleaders (the people you'll be competing against at tryouts) and see what they can do. Do all of them have great tumbling, or just a few of them? At my school, the freshman squad is full of former gymnasts who are awesome tumblers, so it's pretty competitive to make that squad. However, on the JV squad, only a couple girls can tumble... it just happens that there aren't a lot of tumblers in our sophomore class. So it all depends on who you're competing against. But like I said... even if your tumbling score is low, you can still make it if you score high in the other areas.

Good luck! =]

k so i met this kid this past summer. and i just started talking to him again. he saw pics of me and says im alot hotter since the summer. and wants to hook up. im thinking about it. ive never hooked up before and im kind of nervous. but im in 10th grade. and havent yet. like. i wanna do it, but its ganna be so akward and whatnot. helpp on like how to, whats expected, etc. should i?! thanks

Well, if you actually like this guy and want to have some kind of relationship with him (as in girlfriend/boyfriend), then... DON'T DO IT. Hooking up with him will pretty much guarantee that he'll never ask you out or want an actual relationship. You'll just be someone he can use. If he wants the privlege of "making out and stuff like that" with you, then make him earn it... by asking you out and making some kind of commitment. If he likes you, he'll be willing to do that. And making him wait will just make him like and want you more. If he's not willing to do that, then he's just looking to get some. If that's all you want, then go ahead... but don't expect things to go much farther than just hooking up.

Ah...my boyfriend and I have been dating for 14 months this month and he has already got my valentine's day present all lined out...he's writing me a poem-type thing (lol dont know what its really called) and he's writing it in calligraphy and framing it...well, I honestly didn't think he was all that into v-day cause last year all he got me was a teddy bear...so I was just gonna make him a lot of candy and stuff and then write him a letter, but now I'm thinking that's not gonna be sweet or sentimental enough. and I really dont want him thinking i didnt put a lot of effort into his gift. So...any ideas? Thanks so much :)

You could make a big card shaped like a heart; cut out pictures of chocolates and glue them on the inside, so it looks like a box of chocolates; then on one of the chocolates you put a picture of him, and then write something about how he's the sweetest one in the box. I saw that somewhere and I thought it was really cute!

what can i do when my girlfriend dump me just because i did`nt go to her home when she invite me on december holidays and i spent two weeks without calling her.and you know what i still love this girl what can i do to get her back

Well, it sounds like she dumped you because she felt like you didn't care about her. So you'll need to convince her that you really do. First you'll need to apologize for not coming over or calling her; don't make excuses, just say you're really sorry and you regret it. Then do whatever it takes to let her know you love her... call her, text her, talk to her on the computer, send her love notes and flowers and candy and stuffed animals... and keep at it until she knows you really do love her! If she still has feelings for you, that should do the trick.

OK this may not make sense to all of you, and if so, I'm sorry :P

Well the thing is..I feel more comfortable hanging around with guys than girls. I have an equal amount of guy and girl friends and I'm NOT a tomboy.
An ordinary girl.
But I donno, it's like with guys I'm more relaxed and more outgoing.

But then again, at the same time I have quite low self esteem.

Is there anything wrong with me? The way I feel more relaxed around guys, why is that?
Also what could I do to improve my self esteem?

I think this makes perfect sense. If you have a low self esteem, then I can defintely see how you would feel more comfortable around guys than girls.

When you're around other girls, you may be subconciously comparing yourself to them, and feeling that you don't measure up. You might feel that you're not as pretty or fun or attractive as them. You may even worry that they're thinking that about you, too. If you're constantly worried about measuring up to someone, or competing with them, of course it's difficult to relax and be yourself around them.

With your guy friends, on the other hand, there's no need for comparisons; they're guys, you're a girl. That makes you special when you're around them, no matter what. There's no competition between you. And if your guy friends ever flirt with you, even just a little, that boosts your self esteem. So you feel more confident and relaxed around them.

So how can you improve your self esteem, so you can feel just as relaxed and confident around your girl friends as you do with the guys? Well, here are a couple things to think about:

1) Keep in mind that nobody is perfect. Everyone (even the seemingly "perfect" people) have things they wish they could change about themselves. And there are some things you CAN change about yourself. If you want to change them, then go ahead and work on it. Some things, however, can't be changed. But if you constantly dwell on things you can't change, that will only make you bitter and unhappy. And that will make you far less attractive than any of your actual "flaws" will. So put those things out of your mind, and focus on your good qualities. If you concentrate on the things you like about yourself, others will see them as well. It's like if someone sees you looking out the window, they'll look out too to see what you're looking at. It works the same way when you're looking at yourself; if your focus is on your positive traits, that's what others will look at, too.

2) Whatever it is you don't like about yourself, you can be certain that it bothers YOU a whole lot more than it bothers anyone else. In fact, most people probably don't even notice it. Just think about it... do you focus on all your friends' flaws? The zit on their chin, the couple extra pounds they're carrying, the fact that they stink at math? Probably not. You like and admire them for their personality, the fun you have together, your conversations and inside jokes, etc. I once knew a girl who had a huge birthmark over half her face; yeah, it was noticable, but once you got to know her, you didn't even see it, you just saw "her." She was one of the most popular girls at school.

I hope this helps some. But don't worry... there's nothing wrong with you. :)

I dont understand why so many people have issues with immigrants coming here illegally. i mean what happened to the good ol american saying that its the land of the free? i mean if you lived a crap life in mexico and you were just looking for a better life in america.. doesnt it make sense to try and come here? i mean when people get granted to come here.. its not that easy. you could be told "no". then what are you gonna do? live a crap life there? NO. try to imagine life from their POV. with the border being built up thats gay.. i mean who are we to say how many people can inhabit america? i mean this is a country friggen based on IMMIGRANTS. the closest anyone can call themselves to a real american is if they have a long line of native americans in their family. and what about a long time ago when columbus came and took land away from the native americans? what if they called them illegal immigrants cause they didnt call to come say hello, and uh steal their land and kill their people while they're at it. with hillary clinton she says she doesnt wanna be involved with the building of that humongous border, but thank god obama has some sense. super tuesday was really close.. i was pretty pissed that obama came a close second. bet its just racist old people, since a lot of the younger generation wants obama. like in school (btw 8th grade) we had a poll out of my entire team and obama was clearly the winner. hillary had like 1/4 of the votes and very few were for mccain. and i live in new jersey.. which mostly favored hillary, obama coming second. thats just plain weird that the kids would have diff opinions like that. obama appeals to everybody. there are some people like me that.. like idk why but thers something about hillary i dont like. but with obama.. it just seems so different, so right. with him i actually feel that change will come to our country. anyways, with obama hes gonna try to get the mexicans that come over for day jobs licenses.. so that they know the rules of america and stuff.. cause they need to know them or they can be a danger to the people here, and well themselves as well. cause thinking that a little border is gonna stop people from making outlandish schemes to get over it, is bullshit. not gunna happen. its not right for the racist people around mexico (in america.. like above mexico) go around shooting people they see crossing over. who the hell would give these old coots the right to SHOOT SOMEBODY? for doing what? trying to get a better life! that is totall bullcrap so remember to vote for obama, once again. and yea building that border is not gonna be cheap.. and people complain about the tax prices now.. heh well its not getting better with that border, hunny. money should go to better things. as well with the border surrounding canada which is more ridiciously hilarious.. look at a man of North America and i wont have to explain. k end rant. opinions? please dont like remove this.. i really want to know opinions.. in a way i guess thats sort of like answers right? like advice to me. yeah. or if its wrong like tell me why how this isnt an advice question and how i could make it one. kthanks mods.

Most people don't have a problem with immigrants... it's the ILLEGAL immigrants they have a problem with.

You're right... there are millions of people (billions, actually) who live in places where they don't have the opportunity, or even the right, to make a better life for themselves. Many of them would love to move to the U.S. or other countries where conditions are better.

Actually, the U.S. is a very generous country and we DO allow a large number of immigrants to move here each year. But there has to be a limit. If we said, "Okay, everyone come on over!", we'd soon be flooded with more people than we could could take care of. There wouldn't be enough jobs, schools, housing, etc. for everyone. So we have a limit on the number of immigrants we allow to move here each year.

When people sneak in illegally, we get more people than we can handle... and it puts a big burden on our government. We have to help pay for their food, housing, medical expenses, etc. We have to build more schools, jails, clinics; and hire more teachers, social workers, police, etc. to handle all these people. This all costs money, and where does this money come from? Our taxes.

Ask your parents how they feel about the taxes they pay now, and if they'd mind paying even more so we could take care of illegal immigrants. And how would YOU feel if your parents had less money to buy you all the things you want? Are you willing to give up your computer, cell phone, nice clothes, activities, etc. so that people who have broken the law could have those things? If so, you're a pretty generous person. But not everyone feels that way. Most people want to help others in need, but they also need to take care of themselves and their own families.

heyy, in my school we are doing the play high school musical, and i got a LEAD dancer part and im so excited.

But she says she is gonna put splits in the routine. and all the girls know how to do splits but me and the instructor says i need to get one before the show. which is in April.

soo what can i do so i can nail my split and FASTT!
im not very flexiable and im not close to it at all
so help!!!

also, we have to do puroette turns. and she wants us to do two in a row and i can barely do one. so i need help on that too!

but the spilt thing would help the best
i REALLY wanna nail that, and fast.

You can do it! I've seen girls get their splits in a week when they HAD to have them for cheer tryouts or whatever. So it's definitely possible to get your splits by April!

But you need to work on them EVERY DAY. Here's what to do:

1) Start by doing some jumping jacks, running in place, something like that to get the blood flowing to your muscles. Warm muscles stretch easier than cold ones.

2) Do some high kicks - 20 or so on each leg. That's another way to get your muscles warmed up and stretches them at the same time.

3) Stretch - with one leg in front, go into a deep lunge till you can feel the top of your back leg stretching. Hold for 10 seconds. Then lean back so your front leg is straight, and try to touch your chin to your front leg. Hold for 10 seconds.

3) Slide into your split as far as you can and hold for 5 minutes. After each minute, take a deep breath, then slowly let it out as you go down a little further.

Do this every day... at the same time every day, if possible (that makes it easier to get into the habit). You can wake up 15 minutes earlier than normal and do it then... or you can do it while you're watching TV... or before bedtime. Keep it up and you'll get your splits in no time!

Good luck!

is it wrong to not eat pizza crusts?

Hahaha... no, there's nothing wrong with not eating something you don't like. In fact, pizza crust is pretty fattening, so if you're trying to watch your weight, it's a good thing to avoid.

what the hell do you tell someone when they ask you "whats up"

i hate saying "nothing much" coz thats all i say everyitme and i am TIREd of it

"What's up?" is just a way to start a conversation. So if you feel like talking to the person, just go ahead and tell them something! Anything! Even if you're doing "nothin much" at the moment, there's probably something going on in your life that you can talk about. Then they can comment on it, and the conversation can go from there. Here are some examples:

them: whats up?
you: nothin much... just got back from soccer.
them: oh cool, how was it?

them: whats up?
you: nothin... im just really mad at my sister.
them: oh, what happened?

them: whats up?
you: nothin really... just waiting for my favorite show to come on.
them: oh cool, what is it?

them: whats up?
you: nothin much.. just wondering what to wear for the dance
them: oh cool, im wearing a black dress

them: whats up?
you: nothin much, just wondering what to say when people ask whats up
them: hahaha

high fashion like the kinds i see in teenvogue. i dont get it.. i love fashion but i cant afford like friggen 150 dollars for jeans, or 60 bucks for a shirt. why are they so expensive? its unnecesary since the materials used to make them shouldn't be that pricey. i mean i bet the designers would sell more if they'd lower their prices to reasonable.. and from 120 to 60 dollars isnt THAT reasonable. where are some cool stores i can go shop at that arent as pricey? i wanna get some new spring-ish clothes. i hear florals & other bright colors will be in, according to teenvogue? and i dont wanna hear from this advice about like following my own idea because i do, but from magazines i find ideas for clothing i never thought of but i still like. btw, 14/f. :) thanks.

Designers charge $150 for jeans because they know there are people who will pay that much for them. If no one bought them, they'd lower the price. But people do buy them... so they keep charging as much as they can get. They're not gonna lower the price just to be "nice"; they want to make money... so they can go out and buy their kids the $150 jeans THEY want!

You don't have to spend a fortune to dress well. You can do what my friend did: she went through the magazines and cut out pictures of outfits she liked, and kept them in her purse; then she went to the cheaper stores and put together whole outfits that looked exactly like the picture, but at a fraction of the cost. Nobody could tell the difference... but she always looked like she just stepped out of Vogue.

are filipinos pacific islanders? or asians? or both?

The original inhabitants of the Phillipines were known as "Austronesian", a group of people who lived in Oceania and Southeast Asia. For several hundred years, the Phillipines was a colony of Spain, so many present-day Filipinos have some Spanish ancestry as well.

HEY!!

Our school dosent have a cheerleading squad so i wanted to start one.
We wouldn compete or anything, we would just go to our school's basketball and soccer and volleyball games and stuff.

Any advice on how t start them?

I talked to our school principal and she said it was fine as long as out outfits covered our knees... any ideas on how to do that and still make it cute?

Our school colors are orange and black
or navy and white

Thanx so so much!

Xoxo

For the uniforms: If your principal will go for it, you could wear traditional cheer skirts (the kind that are mid-thigh length), but with black or navy leggings underneath; either ankle length or ones that stop just below the knee. That would keep your knees covered but still look like cheerleading uniforms. =)

To get the squad started: Here's a couple things to think about and talk over with your principal:

1) Is there a teacher willing to sponsor the cheer squad and attend practices/games?

2) When and where would the squad practice?

3) Would the squad be open to anyone, or be limited to a certain number (and therefore require a tryout)?

If you have tryouts:

4) Who would judge the tryouts? Who would organize it and make up the tryout cheers, etc? [Idea: you could contact the cheerleaders at a nearby school; maybe their senior cheerleaders would be willing to make up a tryout cheer, teach it to the girls, and even judge the tryout. They might even be willing to hold a clinic to teach the new squad some cheers.]

I hope this helps some! Good luck!

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