Minako

Thanks for the advice! I appreciate you both for being so frank and honest, it's rare to find people like that. *gives both a hug* Thank you again! What should I do when confronted with a situation where I'm asked to give advice? (I know that if it's a thread on OB, I shouldn't answer it then, huh?) What I mean is what if one of my friends is having problems with their boyfriend/girlfriend and they ask me for advice? What should I do then?

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=DarkRed]Ok, you might be needing an explanation for the title of this thread. Recently I've seen a few threads in the Lounge asking for love advice. I've commented in these threads but it feels wrong. Why? (Being a straight girl) I've never had a boyfriend. Yes, I've liked guys, and yes, I've been in love with guys (the last time was with one of my dear friends and he had a girlfriend at the time. That hurt. >_

I may be inexperienced in the whole love department, but I do know the basics. What really hit me with your last post is you claim Josh is her "perfect" guy. How do you know that? You can't read minds, now can you? (if you can, you can erase that last part. heh.) She could just be putting up an act for Josh so that he doesn't feel bad when she actually likes someone else. I agree with most everyone in this thread when I say [B]talk to her.[/B] If you guys really are such good friends, it'll be no problem. As kakashi said, don't get nervous or work yourself up, it'll freak her out. If Amy and Josh aren't meant to be, they're not meant to be. That means you can move in and grab the girl. heh heh.

I hope you enjoy these. I was just playing with the different effects (like the gradient tool. tee-hee) on Photoshop Elements. (Photoshop Elements isn't nearly as good as Photoshop, but it has the basics..) Please give me some feedback, good or bad. I'm still new at this and I want to improve. My first set is of Terra from Teen Titans. I really enjoy this character because the creators of the show made her out to be a lost girl, who went to the "Dark side" but eventually realized her mistakes. (However in the comics, Terra was downright evil.) Enjoy. [EDIT] the banner's text turned fuzzy when I turned it into a .jpg. I'll try using .gif (the second banner is the .gif version. It turned out better!)

I send my condolences out to you, your brother, and Chad's family, and to everyone else in this thread whose lost someone dear to them. I've personally never lost anyone, but the one that shocked me most was when my mother's two dear friends died within the same weekend. My mom's friend, Bonnie, had been fighting breast cancer that had spread to her lymphnodes (they were eventually removed) for four years. Our doctor friend (also Bonnie's friend) gave her five years to live and she said, "I hope to God that I'm wrong." She wasn't. She was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and she eventually died on Saturday of complications. Ok, I know you said not to put in terminally ill people, but this isn't all. My mom's other friend, Diane (also a friend of Bonnie's) was on her way up to Illinois to go to her funeral. She was very concerned about Bonnie's family, and my mom as well. My mom remembers telling Diane, to "drive safely and I'll see you soon." She was in a crash with her RV, on Monday, and died. She had her four dogs with her (these are all dog showing people, as well as my mom and me), and her rottweiler got loose, and the police couldn't catch her. The poor dear was so scared. The dog was loose for 12 days without anything to eat when they eventually caught her in a humane trap. The dog suffered no injuries other than the fact she was a wee bit skinny. Bonnie died on Saturday, Diane on Monday. My mom, being the tough cookie she is, kept saying "I'm ok." Although I could hear in her voice that she wasn't. She just could not be "ok" after losing two of her dear friends! They were both wonderful people and very one-of-a-kind. They will be missed.

I wrote this poem for my mother when her friend died of a four year fight with cancer. My mom has a hard time expressing her feelings, and I guess sometimes I do too, but I wrote this for her in hopes that she'd know that I'm here for her and I miss her friend too. Please, be kind, this is my first poem that I've written, AND it's very close to my heart. [I]I'm sorry about what happened. I knew her too, Although I can't cry, Like I know you do. I'm sorry I'm not there, To hug when you need it. I wish I could see you. Just to be there, if you wish it. I miss you, And I miss her too. I know wherever she is, She's looking down at you. She was your friend, How Good? I'll never know. But I'll always be here, A call away, you know. I wish I could take away the pain. The pain you feel inside. I wish I could take it all away, Just to see you smile. That's all I have to say, But before I go, I miss you always, and I love you so.[/I]

Wheet Whoo! I'm psyched for the anime to come out! I'll have to wait until the DVD comes out to see it though. :animecry: I love Tsubasa (shortened title)! It's art work and character designs are just beautiful! (I've only read 1-3 and I'm itching to get #4! but they don't sell them in my city! *tear*) It's such a wonderful story, but you can tell that the ending will be heart-wrenchingly sad because [SPOILER] even though Syaoran will do anything to get Sakura's feathers back, in the end, she will never remember him. I remember in book 2 when Sakura woke up and she asked Syaoran, "Who are you?" I was so heart-broken when he went outside and stood in the rain... Probably to hide his tears. :( [/SPOILER] The Anime seems to be really close to the manga (which I'm happy about!) and I'm very much looking forward to seeing it.

As for me, I wouldn't change a thing. Yes, I've done stupid things and I'm not ashamed of that. As many have said, you learn from your mistakes and it makes you a better person. I'm not saying I haven't made mistakes, I have and many at that! I learned from them, and still am. I make mistakes ALL THE TIME :animeswea but it's ok. In a nutshell, I wouldn't change a thing. Not one decision, not one mistake, nothing. I do not regret anything I have done.

[COLOR=DarkRed]I did a search here on OB and found that there isn't a thread like this..soo... Ok, let's get straight to the point. When I was small, I always dreamed of being a singer (I guess I still do..), and now that I'm older I know that it may never happen. After a while, my dream of becoming a Sailor Scout died out. :animeswea I was wondering if anyone has had any childhood dreams. Have you given up on them? Do you still have your childhood dreams? Why or why not? There are still many dreams I had as a child (I had an active imagination) that I haven't put up here, but I'm curious to find out what you all think.[/COLOR]

Ok, I'm not very experienced in the whole romance-department (how about we say, not at all... :animesigh ), but I do know what would make me happy. As an individual, my significant other would have to be funny and make me laugh. I couldn't live without laughing at least once everyday. (If I don't, I get very depressed.) Just a guy that's nice to hang around with. As others have said, the small random little acts of kindness, or in this case, love, would be so special. As someone said, a little note that only says "I love you," would make me smile. Throw in a little sweetness, and gentleness every now and then, and I'm hooked. Oh Kakashi, you play guitar, huuuuh?? heh heh (It's always a major plus if someone plays an instrument too! I've played violin for 10 years...)

Oh! This is a fun thread! Who doesn't like bishies? :D My list of favorites would have to be: [B]Fai D. Flowright[/B] and [B]Kurogane[/B] from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. They are so funny with each other! (I have the manga..) [B]Syaoran[/B] from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and Card Captors. It's so sweet how he will do anything for Sakura! *sigh* [B]Inuyasha[/B] from you-know-where. I have a tendency to fall for the bad boys in manga usually, and Inuyasha is just awesome. :love2: [B]Miroku[/B] from Inuyasha. Ok, I do occasionally fall for the perv, but Miroku's an exception. ;) [B]Shuichi[/B] from Gravitation. When Shuichi [SPOILER] gets raped in book 6, I nearly cried! I yelled out, "Poor Shuichi-kun!!"[/SPOILER] Shuichi's great! [B]Kamui[/B] from X/1999. Face it, he's the all-around angsty pretty boy. What's not to love?? Even though, I haven't seen Fruits Basket (though I pretty much know the basics) I have to say I like [B]Kyou[/B]. He reminds me of [B]Inuyasha[/B]. heh heh. I guess I have a broad range of bishies, huh? EDIT: I forgot [B]Wolfwood[/B] from Trigun! My poor Wolfwood, he's so unloved.. [SPOILER] When he died, it ruined my day. How come my favorite character has to die??[/SPOILER] meh.

I've never particularly [I]enjoyed[/I] taking standardized tests, and when I was in grade school (elementary/middle school in one. k-8), I never understood what the teachers meant by it helps you get ready for the ACT, SAT, or any other test of that kind. I didn't hate taking them, since (in high school) we took the test and we got the rest of the day off. Also as Lore said, you didn't really have to study for them. As the time came for me to take my ACT, it was easy-peasy. It was just like practically every other standardized test I've already taken. Those annoying little circles really did come in handy. When I show my copy of my ACT to my friends here in Finland (I'm a foreign exchange student) they are all amazed at how many little circles there are (the finnish college entrance exam is similar, but the circles are bigger and there are no more than 60 of them I think). It's funny to see their reactions, but I remember the day I took it, and all the other standardized tests I've taken. I've always had the fond memory of 4th grade when my teacher let us put up our brightly colored folders on our desks to prevent cheating. It was fun.

I agree with most everyone in this thread in saying that love is never wrong. It's a wonderful feeling, and I'm a firm believer of [I]It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.[/I] The last time I was in love, it was an internal anguish (love hurts, eh?) because the one I loved was with someone else and would never feel the same way about me. I eventually found out some bad news and I got over it. Yes, it did hurt, but the guy in question was, and still is one of my best friends, although I may never love him again the same way. (as friends, of course I love him that way...) However, I've never experienced love where the other person loves me back... *nervous laugh* :animeswea In a nutshell, Love is never wrong.

My dreams aren't nearly as strange as yours, but I remember when I was about 6 years old that I was running down the street in front of our house. Why was I doing so? There was this hunter shooting at the Easter Bunny (they both were running down said street). Yes, it was around easter time and I was crying and yelling, "No! Don't shoot him! He's the Easter Bunny!!" Then I had a dream, where I think my parents were brutally murdered, and I was crying and I woke up crying. Another time I dreamt that I was being stabbed in the chest, and I woke up the same instant, with strange feeling in my chest. It was almost hard to breathe.. Now to my latest dream, I was dreaming that I was riding my bike, and I fell off. Then a bee comes by me and I start freaking out (I'm seriously afraid of bees..I think I have a phobia..). It starts around my right elbow, and then it flies to the base of the back of my neck and it's about to sting me and I woke up saying "No!" and I flung my arms out wide. I guess my dreams are just weird, not creepy like the self-combusting people. o.0

I'm not a catholic, but I feel for the pope. He's a really good guy, and his death would be release from the painful illness-filled life he's had these past few years. I looked at our local newspaper's website and it sounded like he could go any minute now. As I said, it would be a release from this horrible world we live in, and he will be with his Lord and Savior again. My prayers are going out to him.

I agree with Death Bug, when all straight-to-video Disney sequels suck. I personally wanted to watch Lion King 2 to see if it would live up to the amazing work of the original and was very upset to find that it wasn't. (I know some of you are going to get me on this) I thought that Kill Bill Vol. 2 was a bit of disappointment. I'm not saying that it's bad; it was good in it's own right, but as a sequel, it wasn't what I expected. In Kill Bill 1, [SPOILER] there was killing, killing, and more killing. Especially the scene at the Japanese hot springs. :animenose [/SPOILER], but in Kill Bill Vol. 2 [SPOILER] It didn't have all the blood-shed I was expecting in Kill Bill 1. Yes, the fight scenes were amazing, I have to give props to Quentin Tarantino for that. Just the very end bugs me when Bill dies using the 5-point-death-thingy...(I forget what it's called) I was just so melo-dramatic compared to the rest of the movie. He gets up and walks five steps and dies. That's it.[/SPOILER] Quentin Tarantino is a wonderful director, but Kill Bill vol. 2 was a disappointment. Shrek 2 was also a wee bit disappointing. Again, it was a good movie in it's own right, but as a sequel it wasn't what I expected. It did have funny parts such as [SPOILER]When Pinoccio says, "I wear ladies underwear." "Do you?" "No!" *nose grows* and Puss in Boots was just great (Antonio Banderas was a perfect choice for the voice). I especially loved the end song with Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas (I have the Soundtrack, and it's my favorite song on there!). [/SPOILER] I guess my expectations for sequels is too high...

I like Symphonic Metal. I'm still new to the genre, but I like Nightwish (They're from Finland, like me...). I recently bought their CD and it's very nice. At first, when I heard the lead singer of Nightwish was an opera singer, I thought, [I]Opera and ROCK??[/I] But as I listend to it, I've learned to like Nightwish and others too. Along with most of the users who've posted already, I like metal, but I'm turned off by the screaming. You have know idea what they're saying, and I mostly listen to the words of a song...

It just sickens me when I hear about shootings such as this and Columbine. I just don't understand why someone would want to hurt innocent people and then shoot themselves. Since he shot his grandparents, I would assume that the boy in question had problems at home, and/or even deperession. I sure hope they figure out a motive, because the world needs to know how to prevent shootings such as this from happening again. I remember that after Columbine there were several other school shootings as well. I hope that this isn't a lasting trend. My school has a drill for if "a stranger" would come into school. We all go into the corner, away from the door, turn out the lights, turn down the blinds, the teachers comb the hallway for passers-by (students) and if there are students, they are to pull them into their classroom to hide. What has this world come to?

Being a foreign exchange student in Finland, I've noticed that the crime rates here are [B]very[/B] low. In the states, I would NEVER think of going shopping, AT NIGHT. ALONE. *cough*rapists*cough* Here, I don't have to worry about that. I'm not saying there [I]aren't[/I] creepy people who want to hurt me... It's just that you don't see it. The Finnish media doesn't eat up bloodshed like the US does. On March 12th, a man shot 8 people at a church meeting, including himself. As I read articles from my local newspaper online, they are STILL writing about it. Especially the day after, the whole site was about the "Bloodbath of Brookfield." (They've been claiming that the "church" that was attacked was a cult...I read some of their beliefs today... :animedepr ) People are just hungry for blood. The media is chock-full of it: i.e. police shows, movies (Kill Bill for example..not that I didn't like this movie...), and so on. All the way back to the Ancient Roman times, people have been hungry for blood ( the Colosseum). I'm not saying that everyone is, but at least on some sub-conscious level, I think there's a blood-thirsty beast inside some of us, and it sickens me.

I have not right to say whether or not Mr. Jackson is guilty or not. I don't know what went on in that bedroom and (hopefully) never will. If you ask me, I think he's a washed up star (and he knows it) and he's desperately trying to get the attention he once got when he was a huge mega-star. (NOTE: the dangling the baby out the window thing) I personally don't know him so I also have no right to judge. (Although his voice gives me the heebie-jeebies...) In a nutshell, I don't know if he's guilty or not. I have my own opinions but my opinions don't count in the court of law.

The first movie I remember seeing was I think [I]Aladdin[/I] (the Disney version). I don't remember much, but I do remember the posters and cardboard cut-outs of the Genie and Aladdin and Jasmine... All I know is that my mom and me always went to see the newest Disney movies until I was about 8 or 9. *sigh* What lovely childhood memories. I also remember bugging my parents for weeks to see [I]Lion King[/I]. heh heh.. :rolleyes:

My temper depends on how life is going. If everything's fine and dandy, then I'm fine. HOWEVER, if it's a rough patch (like right now) I usually bite my tongue and curse them inside my head...until I'm alone. Then I kick and scream and say many horrible words that shouldn't be heard than any other ears than my own! :animeswea Particularly since I live with my Uncle and his 3 small children this year. Oooh, that family knows how to push my buttons. :animeangr If someone insults me, I just stand by and take it. I'm very much the "no conflict" kind of person. Personally, I don't give a rat's a** if they like me or not, but I always treat others with the respect that I'd like to receive. "You reap what you sow," right?

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=DarkRed]I am deathly afraid of needles. However, I'm fine with other people getting needles, I can see needles and it's ok, and I've even given shots! (To our puppies...) But when it comes to me, I freak out... When I got my blood taken for tests (My first time no less) My mom held my head away so I wouldn't look and stood in front of my legs so I wouldn't kick anyone, one lady was holding my arm, and another was taking the blood. I even started crying and everything! The other people getting blood taken were giving me strange looks. :animeswea I'm also very much afraid of bugs. Any of them. Even the harmless ones! I was once "attacked" by a butterfly! Well, the thing is, when I was little I was weird and liked spandex pants... :animeshy: But that's not the point, but my pants had a floral pattern and a butterfly though they were real flowers. Bees are the worst part. When I see a bee, I run the other way. That's one of the bad things about summer... :animeangr I also kind of freak out on a swing. When I was little, my dad would push me really high on our swing in the backyard, but I would be a little freaked out because I'd be afraid to fall... I'm kind of freaked out by strange dogs that I don't know. That's because my mom was attacked by a rottweiler, so I get freaked then. I guess I'm pretty messed up...[/COLOR][/FONT]

These days I've been reading the Diana Gabaldon series books (three in all, I've only read two), [B]Crossstich[/B](sp?) and [B]Dragonfly in Amber[/B]. Both of which I would recommend! The story revolves around Claire Randall (maiden name Beauchamp) in 1945, upon the ending of WWII. She is taking a second honeymoon with her husband, Frank, because of the war, they didn't get a chance to have a proper honeymoon. Frank is a history professor at Oxford University, and loves to trace his own geneology. This geneological hunger, leads Claire and Frank to Scotland, to investigate the infamous Jack Randall, captain of the English army back in the 1700s. While exploring, Claire stumbles upon a stonehendge (there are many all over Scotland and England), and she steps through a crack, and winds up in the middle of a battle field in 1743! There she meets Jamie "Red Jamie" Fraser, and they try to stop "the '45," a historical battle between the clans of Scotland and England. I won't go into any more, because you have to read the books! I [B]love[/B] these books because they are written so exactly, historically, mentally, and so on. Diana Gabaldon knows how to tap into human emotion, particularly when Jamie has an incident with Jack Randall, Jamie nearly died, but Claire brought him back. As soon as my English teacher (yes, my english teacher) lent me the first book, [B]Crossstich[/B](sp?), I was hooked. I couldn't stop reading it! I haven't read such a well written book in such a long time. A [I]highly[/I] recommended read!

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=Red]I, personally, think that legal immigration is fine. I myself am a legal immigrant. I came to the states when I was two. I've lived there almost 15 years and we like it there. (We just applied for dual citizenship.) I [I]do[/I] speak my native language, but it came second because I learned English first. It's kind of fun telling people, I come from XXXX, and I speak XXXX. Everyone is in awe, "Whoah, really?? How do you say s**t in your language??" (that bugs me when people ask me that, but that's beside the point...) Illegal immigrants, well, are illegal. I really don't know anything about them other than that they are illegal. I know that most of them come from Mexico, that's about it. I apologize for not being able to contribute to the illegal immigrant portion of this thread![/COLOR][/FONT]