Bri's Black Friday Tips.

Sorry for not blogging in a while guys, my life has been anything but relaxing. Senior year is killer and so is my life in general, but enough of that. This post is dedicated to the best shopping day of the year; Black Friday.
The biggest sales, the biggest stores and the biggest amount of people at every shopping plaza, mall, outlet, etc. So here are some of my tips that will help you get through Black Friday safely and comfortably.
Tip 1: Wear comfortable clothes.
Jeans, tee shirts and sneakers are the ideal things to wear for your long day out. Heels, skirts, revealing/too tight shirts are NOT what your clothing should be. Be comfortable.
Tip 2: Don't bring a large bag/purse.
Stick with something small, but NOT a clutch. You want to have something that has straps so your purse is out of your way as you wrestle people for items. Big bags are not only bulky and get in the way, they're easier for people to get into or to steal stuff from. ALSO, make sure your bag zips up or closes in some way. Open bags are another easy target for stealing. People are sneaky nowadays, so protection and security are key to keeping your money and other items safe. ALSO, don't bring anything unnessesary. Bring your wallet, cell and lipgloss. Leave everything else at home.
Tip 3: Go with a group.
NEVER go shopping on Black Friday alone. Being with a friend or two will keep you safe and make your overall shopping experience much more fun.
Tip 4: Don't run to your destination.
Running to what you want in a store is not only tiring, but dangerous. Many of you probably heard about the person who was killed last year from being trampled. Stay calm and WALK. You'll get what you want, don't worry.
Tip 5: Keep it simple simple simple.
Don't wear earrings, jewlry, expensive/breakable things while out. Keep accessories to a minimum on this shopping day. Wear your hair either back or have a hairtie with you. Also, keep your MAKEUP simple as you'll be out and about all day.
Lastly, have fun. Black Friday is an amazing day to shop on. There are huge sales and it's a great day to shop for your friends and family.

Looking For Brianna

I can't believe how much I've changed in the past few months. I just read my post a few months ago, the one about love, and I'm pretty much in tears. I miss my old self. I miss being the young, innocent, naive girl that I was before all of this started. I'm not saying that I don't want to be with Andrew, but I'm saying that I want to be who I was before the feud between his family and I started. I've gotten so dark and so depressed since then and it's really bugging me. Seriously, I've noticed my path to destruction since it started, but I haven't really noticed how far I am down it until now.
No, I'm not doing any bodily harm and I'm not doing drugs or smoking. I have drank before and my mother knows, so that is not an issue. I'm just saying, I'm not doing wrong things...I'm still a good girl.
I'm just so tired of looking down on myself. I'm so tired of waking up every morning and wondering why I'm still alive. I know that I'm alive for a reason, but I just don't know what that reason is. I really want to know that reason because it'll help me to figure out my path in life.
My goal for this next year is to finally figure out what I want to do for a living, get a job and begin the journey to find myself. I am kinda pulling a Pudge from Looking For Alaska by John Green and search for the "Great Perhaps". FYI, Looking For Alaska is a fantastic book and it's probably my most favorite book ever.

The title of this blog is based off of the title of John Green's book, Looking For Alaska, which belongs to whomever owns it.

Today Is...

my birfday!
:D

well, it's my birfday for another thirty-five minutes.
k buh byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
xD



(i feel like a n00b for typing like that.)

Here's My Say and My Peace. Think As You Want.

I got a request to take down my last post because it hurt someone a lot. The person who was hurt knows who he is and is probably reading this. This entry is to you.

I will apologize for what I said and the language used to express it. I'm sorry that it hurt you as much as it did and that you took it to heart; I really am. I realize now how inappropriate it was for me to say those things, even though I said everything due to anger that has been repressed over the past few months.
This is where this post turns into something you're not going to like, but you really need to know this. It, honestly, pisses me off when I hear that you think that my last post hurt you dearly. You have no clue about all the pain and suffering that I've gone through since all this stuff started. I've cried myself to sleep many times and I've destroyed everything that I was in a small desperate plea of acceptance from you and the rest of your family. I've seriously have changed and it's for the worse. I've closed myself in because of what you and everyone else have said about me. It really kills me when you pretty much tell my mom over the phone that I'm a whore. I am nothing close to being a whore! It also kills me when you, and everyone else, says that I'm fat. So what if I'm bigger? It doesn't mean a damn thing because I'm a good person...I am a good girl. I've never done anything seriously wrong to anyone! Yeah, I do apologize for what has happened since mine and Andrew's decision, but I never meant for it to turn into what it has. All in all, I want you to know is that I'm sorry for what I said in my last post and I'm sorry that the one thing that I said that was actually hurtful did hurt you in such a horrid way, but all the things that you've said about me has hurt me a great deal and it has made me more depressed than I already was. You don't know me nor do you know anything about me so don't you dare say anything about me...unless you can say it to my face.
My next thing is your son. He is the most amazing person that I've ever met and I'm proud to be his girlfriend. All I want to say here is that I wish that you could see how much this has hurt him. Out of everyone involved, I think that your son is the most hurt. He's torn between his family and his beliefs. Really, I don't count too much in this department because no matter what girl he decided to date, something like this was bound to happen. He's even said this himself. I just want you to know how sad it makes me talking to him sometimes because his voice is full of sadness, depression and confusion. It makes me want to cry. If anyone deserves an apology, it's him.
So if you still want to talk to me please call me. You most likely have my number and if you don't, your son knows it.
That's all I've got to say and, again, I'm sorry that what I said in my last post hurt you, but please consider my feelings in this whole thing. Also, consider your son's feelings also.
Thank you,
Brianna

To Love, Or Not To Love; That Is The Question.

It's the one thing that we're all afraid of and yet crave for in our lives. We all need it in order to make it through life, but we don't want it due to the hurt and anguish that it causes us. It's this crazy little thing called love that I'm talking about.

I remember the first time that I fell in love. I was fourteen, a freshman in high school and the girl who finally got the guy that she had liked since seventh grade. I needed him by that point, and I had him. My relationship with him was rocky, confusing and very new. I had never been connected to a person like that before and I never wanted to be with anyone else, but him. His name was Zak and we lasted 13 months (January 2007-February 2008), though it felt longer for after our break-up, we were still close and we still got together sometimes. My young and naive heart was finally broken a few months after our break-up when I realized that he was using me after our initial relationship and he had gotten a new girlfriend who harassed me over the internet for many months. By then I was like, "I never want to fall in love again,".

Not too long after our break-up, I began to fall for this guy, whose name won't be mentioned. He was really nice, good looking, but he had an emotional dark side. It was really hard to get him to open up to me, but when he finally did, I began to fall harder. Nothing happened between us because he was ended up dating a girl right before the summer started and I had quickly gotten over him. This was when I, officially, declared that I'd never fall in love again.

Summer '08 was awesome. I went out all the time with my friends and had many great adventures and times with them. I grew up, but I was still naive about love and my past relationship with Zak.

The summer ended and my junior year began. This was the first time in my life that I didn't have a crush on someone since I began noticing boys when I was five. I was independent and I was becoming a more mature and better friend than I was before. School was normal and I was happy to see that I didn't have any classes with Zak. I only had lunch with him, which wasn't too bad because I could ignore him (he sat at my table because his friends are my friends and still are). I was pretty much over him by then, but it was still hard and weird, in a way, to see him and talk to him sometimes.

I tried out for my school's FAME group, which is a singing and dancing performance group that only accepts about thirty kids a year. I tried out with my choir friends, Mike, Luciano, Andrew and Christina, so it made it easier and less nerve wracking on myself. I didn't make the group, which everyone else from choir did. I was so heart broken, but during the whole freaking out about FAME, I began to have a little crush on Andrew. I had almost all of my classes with him and he was my chemistry lab partner at that time. We grew really close, especially after spraining my ankle in October, which led my to have to use crutches for a week and a half. He carried my school stuff between all of my classes and even to my bus at the end of the day. He was so helpful and that's when I really began to fall for him. I invited him to my Halloween party and he ended up being to only guy there, which was funny. He and I were attached for, pretty much, the whole night. My ankle was still a bit sore at that point and he still got me whatever I needed. It was pretty funny actually, now that I think of it, that he would get up to get my a soda or something and I'd argue with him about it, saying that I could get my own stuff. About a week later, he asked me out and I said yes. That was on November 6 and I still say that that was the most nerve-wracking and best day of my life. Nerve-wracking because I knew what was going to happen that day, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for it or not and happy for obvious reasons.

I'm in love now, but I realized that I've always been in love. Love isn't about sex, attraction or dating, it's about finding people whom you truly care about and know that you'd fall apart in your life without them. I'm "in love" with my family, my besties and the people in my life whom I'd do anything for. Yes, I love my boyfriend more than others, that's expected, but I don't need a boyfriend to show me what love is really about. We all have love in our lives. No matter how terrible our lives our and how much we think that no one cares, there is always someone there whom we go to that truly cares about us.

The point of this post was for me to show you all my view on what love is. It has taken me a long time for me to see this and I know that I've got a lot more to learn, but for right now, I think that I've found what love truly is for myself because love is such an opinionated subject and I know that some whom are reading this will disagree with me and I know that some will agree with me and have more to add on this. I'm sorry if anyone is/was offended by anything I've said in this post.

The title is a homage to William Shakespeare's Hamlet ,in which the original quote is, "To be, or not to be, that is the question." and the quote "...crazy little thing called love..." is from the song, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Elvis Presley. All rights go to whom ever the owners are.

George and Lennie; Lina and Gourry

So, many of you have probably read "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. If you haven't though, I highly recommend to, but for a quick summary:

Lennie and George are traveling from Weeds to a small ranch to earn some money. Lennie (on the left) is a big, strong guy who really can't think for himself. He pretty much does what George (on the right) says. While there, they make some acquaintances, if you want to call them that, and some trouble, especially with small, but tough Curley. Lennie and George have this dream to have their own ranch and live off of the "fatta the land". Lennie wants to have rabbits too and tend to them. Soon, Candy, an old rancher with one hand, joins in on this idea or dream and everything seems to be set until Lennie makes a big "mistake". I don't want to spoil the ending so I won't mention that, since it's not too important to this entry.

When I first began to read this in my english class, I started thinking about how George and Lennie interact with one another and why it seemed so familiar and then it hit me! George and Lennie remind me of Lina and Gourry from "The Slayers". For those who don't know what "The Slayers" are here's a quick summary: It's a popular anime, novel, manga and movie series about the infamous Lina Inverse and her adventures. In the first season she meets up with an older mercenary named Gourry Gabriev and begins her new adventure with him. At first they didn't get along with Lina being a "little girl" in Gourry's eyes, but soon they form a bond that'll never be broken. Defeating Lord Shabraningdu with ally, Zelgadis, was their first feat, but as the series continues they make more friends/allies in Princess Amelia of Seyrunn, Dragon Princess Filia, a mazoku by the name of Xellos, Princess Martina of Xoana and many others.

I started to seriously think about this and came up with some reasons on how the relationship between Lennie and George is simialr to that of Lina (the red head) and Gourry (the blonde man). First off, Gourry is like Lennie while Lina is like George because Gourry is a large and strong man, like Lennie, and can be stupid and clueless about simple things while Lina is a small person, like Geroge, and is the leader or more intelligent of the two. Also, the way that Lina can tell Gourry what to do and he'll (usually) do it is a lot like how anyone, especially George, can tell Lennie what to do and he'll do it. Both Gourry and Lennie remember important things, even though they don't remember what happened five minutes ago. Lennie remembered to go to the brush after he made that "mistake" and Gourry remembered Lina's name for one and for two, that something happened in the "chaos" that he can't remember clearly (neither can Lina) in "The Slayers NEXT". Another point is that Lina cares about Gourry a lot, even though he's a "jellyfish", especially when Hellmaster Fibrizzo took Gourry captive in "NEXT". George cares about Lennie a lot too because he was upset and bothered after he had to do "the right thing" at the end of the novel. Even though, in both partnerships, they seem to not get along, without the other, Lennie wouldn't know what to do, George would feel guilty most likely. Lina would be worse and more reckless than she already is and Gourry would still be working odd jobs and not know how to "care" in a way (according to the novels, Gourry was about to throw away the Sword of Light until a mysterious man, Lina's Father though Gourry didn't know this, told him to use it for a good purpose and Gourry decides to use his sword to protect Lina.) Oh, another good point is that Gourry and Lennie say/do some weird things, or may not say anything coherent to whatever is going on, but they do say/do some things that show how much they need/want Lina and George. Like, Gourry told Lina, again in NEXT, that he was planning on protecting her for the rest of his life while Lennie gets upset when George starts complaining about him and telling him that his life would be better without Lennie. Lina blushes when Gourry tells her this and George tells Lennie to go get some fireword and come back, showing that both need/want Gourry and Lennie too. Even though the relationship between Lina and Gourry is much stronger and romantic than that of George and Lennie's, both relationships are stronger than most and are a big part to their corresponding story.

Well, that concludes my rant. There are probably more things that you could compare between the two couples, but I can't really think of anymore at the moment. Thanks for reading.

Copyright: "Of Mice and Men" (1937) belongs to John Steinbeck and it's publisher(s). "The Slayers" (1989-2008) belongs to Hajime Kanzaka, Softx, FUNimation and other companies.

The Caramelldansen

We've all, or most of us, have heard of the Caramelldansen. It's especially popular with anime and J-pop fans. I am one of those people. These past few days have consisted of me going onto youtube and searching for said videos. Just searching "Caramelldansen" gets you about a 15 thousand hits and from there you can search for your favorite anime or game. I searched my favorite anime, The Slayers, and I got about five caramelldansen videos! I'm happy about that because Slayers is a pretty old anime that not a lot of people have heard of. Watching these videos made me laugh and made me get up and do the Caramelldansen myself. I've been doing this dance for days now. I even taught my mother how to do said dance. Seriously, you cannot be mad, sad or depressed once you've seen a Caramelldansen video. It's just so much fun! So I suggest that all of you go out there, go onto youtube and search for the Caramelldansen and learn the dance!

The picture is of Shinji and Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Jeesh, doesn't seeing them doing it make you happy?