I’ve been a vegetarian for 5 years now, and it’s one of the best choices I’ve ever made.  Unlike many of my fellow vegetarians, however, I really don’t care if the people around me eat meat.  I’ve made my choice and other people are free to make theirs.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that I always get the same respect in return.  There have been many times at family dinners or just when I’m out to eat when people have given me crap for my choice.  ”How can you live on that soy stuff?  Are you some sorta tree-hugger?  Or a crazy liberal?”  they ask me.  I really do try to always be nice and courteous but I’ve got a bit of a temper.  There are times when I just can’t keep my mouth shut and I know it’s a fault of mine.

Sometimes, if people have been ragging on me about my vegetarianism for a bit too long, I’ll lash out back at them.  Believe me, the temptation to show every cocky carnivore PETA videos of slaughterhouses is very strong.  But, hey, I’m a nice girl.  I don’t want to ruin steaks or chicken nuggets for everyone I meet.  Though it’s been a while since I’ve had either, trust me: I know they’re delicious.  But this doesn’t mean that I can always resist.

Recently, a family member was teasing me about my diet, so I decided I’d shut her up for a bit.  I took her into the computer room and showed her a video of slaughterhouse employees torturing cows with cattle prods, showing absolutely no care for the animal.  Within two weeks, she had cut red meat out of her diet and apologized for ever having made fun of my choice.  Now, let that be a lesson to you.  Not all of your veg friends may have as strong a temper as I do, but everyone has a breaking point.  Be nice to them, or the next thing you know you’ll be staring in horror while they show you where your hot dog came from.

The first look is casual, which is the simplest.  I used Maybelline’s “Sparkle” black eyeshadow.  I just dabbed it on Svetlana’s eyelid with my finger, and made sure it was evenly blended all over her lid.  Make sure you don’t go too far past the crease of your eye.  You want to avoid having any dark color on your browbone.  I finished the look  with a thin line of Bobbi Brown gel liner, outlining both her top and bottom eyelids, and brushed two coats of Loreal’s Lash Stilleto Mascara into her lashes.

Subtly is key in the second look.  This is perfect for those days you want to look fresh with just a little bit of edge, or if you’re younger and still trying to stay away from dark eyeshadow.  However, dark colors on younger girls just doesn’t look right.  It makes me sad to see girls in junior high or even freshman trying to look older, when in reality they look like peacocks.  Anyways, that’s where this look comes in handy.  I used Bare Minerals i.d. eyeshadow (color was “whisper”).  I mixed the pigment with water, and covered Svetlana’s eyelid with the pale and youthful pink. I then outlined her eye with black eyeshadow, using a brush to dab it along the top and bottom of her lashline.  I used Loreal Stilleto Mascara, but no eyeliner.

For a dramatic look, we went all out!  I began with Bare Minerals i.d. eyeshadow (color was “Queen Phyllis”).  Again, I mixed it with water, and painted it onto her eyelids.  Any metallic color would be fit perfectly. After her eyes were sparkling, I used an eyeshadow brush to blend the black eyeshadow from the outer corner of her eye through the crease, lightly following her lashline.  Using a cotton swab, I wiped off any eyeshadow that went too far from her eyelids and made sure that no black eyeshadow was on her brow bone.  I added another layer of “Queen Phyllis”, this time loosely, with no added water.  After eyeliner was smoothly swept along her lashline and mascara was added to her lashes, the dramatic look was finished.

Most girls walk around thinking that every single guy is going to like them because they look so hot with their tiny skirts.  I understand where they are coming from because they want to catch a guy’s attention.  However, sometimes guys can be cruel and make fun of a girl because she shows too much all the time.  They might think that the girl is easy and that she isn’t worth their time.

I think it’s funny how girls don’t want perverted old men to look at them when they are hardly even wearing any clothes.  If they don’t want this happening, they should just watch what they wear.  I’m not saying that girls should dress up as nuns but just cover up a little more.

After all, girls shouldn’t have to expose their body like that in order to get guys to like them.  What matters is what’s inside, not outside.  And looks don’t last forever.  Everyone should know that.

“Inner beauty is more important that outer beauty.”  “It’s about who you are on the inside.”  Every teenage girl hears this over and over throughout her life, but still make-up stores like Claire’s and Sephora are always booming with teen girls trying to “beautify” themselves.  But their efforts don’t always work because honestly natural beauty is best.

I’m not going to lie and say looks aren’t important because, of course, guys are going to care how girls look.  But it is definitely not the most important thing.  Now when I say this I don’t mean let yourself go completely and lose all self-pride, but don’t stress about impressing us guys and especially DON’T overdue it with make-up.

What do I mean by overdoing it?  Don’t make yourself look like a Barbie Doll.  If you are spending more than five minutes to put make-up on before school, then something is wrong.  If you skin color noticeably changes after putting make-up on, then you have too much on.  And if you get an abnormal skin rash anywhere on your face, there is a problem and you must seek medical help.

Lots of times girls wear so much make-up , it looks like they’re dressing up for Halloween.  What a way to turn guys off.  We prefer the athletic girl who isn’t afraid to sweat and be herself around us.  Or the smart girl who takes pride in her work and partying isn’t her priority.  We want you to be who you are, not try to be someone you’re not just to impress us.

Too much make-up shows that you aren’t happy being who you are.  It shows us that maybe you’re trying to cover up a major flaw.  Too much make-up, although it sounds cliché, never lets us see the real you.  A guy who really likes you won’t want you to wear make-up because he loves the real you, not the make-upped you.  If a guy ever tells you to wear make-up, he’s not worth your time.  Forget about him and move on because if he only likes you with make-up then he isn’t the one for you.

A little make-up doesn’t hurt.  And for special occasions and dances, it’s fine to dress yourself up with make-up.  But to school?  Save yourself the time and money.

Have you heard the hype?  The whispers?  It is finally here!  The long awaited sequel of Twilight is here.  New Moon is scheduled to hit theatres Friday at 12:01 AM.  But the excitement among girls is not mutual to the other gender.  To be honest, us guys could care less about the Twilight craze sweeping the nation.

The vampire/werewolf/human love story took the world by surprise when author Stephanie Meyers turned her dream into a novel adored by girls everywhere.  Now, I haven’t read any of the books or seen the movies, but what possibly could draw girls to a movie about werewolves and vampires?  Aren’t girls supposed to be afraid of those types of things?

I just don’t understand how a movie about those fictional characters can be enjoyable.  I have seen a couple previews.  All of a sudden a guy jumps in the air and turns into a werewolf to save his friend, or girlfriend, I’m not sure. What is this?

And then this is the worst part.  Now every girl is on the prowl for her Edward.  I’m sorry to disappoint you, but my name is Jimmy not Edward!  Oh, and in case you were still wondering, I’m not a vampire, nor will I ever be!

I don’t understand if girls really like the movie or if they just like it because their friends do.  I feel like this always happens.  Like the Jonas Brothers.  I saw them on Disney Channel several years ago before they were popular and no one thought anything of them.  But then it all changed after one girl fell in love with them, it started a chain reaction.  Now, they seem to be recognized more than the president!

This is what happened with Twilight.  It wasn’t talked about to the capacity it is today until a select group of girls liked it.  Now, that is all anyone talks about.  Theatres have sold out their midnight shows already and the Twilight craze is far from over.  But I can tell you, it is bypassing us guys!

We don’t care for Twilight, and to tell you the truth, we think those crazy Twilight fans are slightly wacky!  Like I said, I can’t fully judge the series because I haven’t seen or read it.  But it seems the love for the movie by so many is definitely uncalled for!

This has brought some questionable fads.  I’ve seen quite a few girls in school, the mall, and at the movies wearing Uggs with shorts–thank goodness there is not a guy equivalent to that.   Why do Uggs make girls think they can combine two seasons of clothes into one outfit?

For guys, it’s tough enough trying to talk to a girl and get noticed.  Should we start wearing winter coats and flip-flops or winter boots and a tank top to fit in?

In our minds, we’re thinking is it warm or cold out?  Make up your mind and choose your outfit that way.  Maybe turn on the news or your computer before leaving for school and check the weather.  That way, you’ll know if you should wear a summer or winter outfit.  If it’s warm wear your shorts with flip-flops and if its cold wear your Uggs and jeans. Quit mixing seasons because you’re throwing guys off and we need all the help we can get.

Isn’t the point of wearing Uggs to keep you warm?  So if you’re wearing shorts, keeping warm is clearly not your main priority.  And ladies, us guys are pretty literal thinkers.  We are already scared enough to come and talk to you.  Then you throw us for a loop by dressing for summer and wearing shoes for snow.  Maybe that’s why boys go up to girls and jumble their words or don’t even go and talk to them.  What are we supposed to say “Wow it’s really cold today..I mean warm…Cold!…Warm!?!”  Ugh, please help us out!

I wanted to figure out if other boys even like Uggs, so I decided to ask a few and here’s what I heard—

“Uggs put the ug in ugly!”— Pat

“They aren’t so bad.”— Joe

“They are over priced, and they just kill a lot of animals. I think they are kind of dumb.”— Mike

“I think they are over worn.”— Daniel

“I don’t know why girls wear them.”— Mark