Big Apple College

The copycat is probably one of the easiest to deal out of all the types of classmates that exist in tertiary education life. The copycat basically uses any means to obtain an easy way out of having to do assignments, ranging from stealing one’s homework, copying to begging for a set of answers.

Resolution:

Just one time

Some feel that helping them out just once would be a good approach in dealing with copycats. In some cases it might work, but this approach is no longer popular considering that copycats have a tendency to become addicted to copying after a while. They are not called copycats otherwise.

Now you see it, now you don’t

One way to teach a copycat a lesson is probably to wait till an urgent examination comes up and conveniently arrange for your seat to be changed from him right before the exam. All his plans on copying you are now foiled and he has to fend for himself for the next few hours. He may reconsider your reliability as a source of information after that.

Mirror image

A very drastic action which may result in repercussions is to try creating two different sets of work with very similar styles. This method doesn’t take a lot of effort or difficulty than it does grit and determination to see it through. Because of this, it is often recommended only as a last resort.

If you know your copycat friend is so much of a leech that he won’t let go and somehow gains access to your work, discuss this with your lecturer or supervisor beforehand of your plan and let your friend copy your work all he wants. Hand in your work to the supervisor for marking earlier than the expected hand-in date, and once your friend hands in “his” version of the work, he will be in for a very nasty surprise. The worst kind of evil you can possibly spring on someone like that is to allow him the comfort of thinking that you are doing his final semester project for him, only to destroy him thoroughly at the end. Of course, ethical or otherwise, it’s up to you to decide.

Control. Control. Control. It’s all about the control at this stage. The most immediate fear that you will have is the fear of being scrutinized and this leads to the fear of making mistakes during your presentation. Here are a few handy tips to get the jitters down to a manageable level:

Empty your bladder beforehand

There’s nothing like the feeling of wanting to run to the restroom halfway due to panic and being unable to do so. This will definitely show in your presentation and you’ll be finished then!

A light drink of water before entering

This will clear up parched throats, which will very likely happen if you are experiencing panic. Panicked people have a tightened esophagus and parched mouths. Drinking water will help force the body into loosening up as well as get the saliva production going again.

Look over their heads

Those stares of death can be really unnerving. If you cannot manage it at your level of confidence, just pretend like you are speaking to a wall or loving audience behind. Focus at just about the level of their forehead (two inches above the eyebrow) and just rattle on. This helps remove the focus on the eyes and mouth which are often the first tell tale signs that a supervisor is having a thought formed in his or her mind, which leads to panic as the student tries to adjust to accommodate them.

Focus on the delivery

Again, delivery is the key. Content can be measured before or after the presentation, but as the name implies this is the time where you shine! Whether or not your project paper has tons of mistakes or not, this is not the time for you to worry about it. The purpose of the presentation is to demonstrate your competency at understanding what you just spent weeks or months preparing. Be confident and speak with a clear and firm voice.

Consistency is key

Avoid contradicting yourself during the presentation. Of course, this is going to sound a lot harder than it is. In brief, avoid giving statements that might give rise to opinion if you are not confident enough to debate about it live. Stick to the facts and materials presented in your presentation.

Interactivity – Distraction

Think that the supervisor is going to immediately toss the bomb at you for something you said? Be interactive and engage them in questions before they get a chance to interrupt you instead! This is a good technique to disrupt their train of thought and chances are to get back to whatever they are doing they will just dismiss the opportunity to question you and allow you to continue your presentation unharmed.

Never reverse

Made a mistake? Don’t reverse back to correct it, especially if it is a pronunciation error. The supervisors are probably not any better at speeches, so don’t worry about it. Chances are they might not have even noticed the mistake at all!

Timing

You’re on a winning streak, but let’s not forget that you have to keep to a schedule. As engaging your topic may be, the other students deserve their time slot and chance to present their work too. Be sure to keep a good control on your time. Have maybe a small clock by your side to remind you of the time or pay attention to what the interviewers are indirectly signaling from their body language. If they are getting restless in their seats, it’s time to end it gracefully.

A recent youngmoney.com poll found that 57% of readers listed rising tuition and other costs as the biggest problem currently facing college students. Number two on the list was insufficient financial aid (21%) followed by alcohol abuse (15%), quality of faculty/academic programs (4%) and problem gambling (3%).

There’s little doubt that soaring tuition rates and textbook costs are a serious issue on campus. The lack of financial aid just make the tuition problem worse as more students compete for the same grant and scholarship dollars. Pell grants used to pay a much larger portion of student costs but that percentage has been reduced drastically. And the idea that there are millions of dollars in unclaimed scholarships every year is just a myth.

The good news (if you can call it that) is that its probably easier than ever to borrow money to pay for school. Having more loan options is great but that doesn’t beat grants and scholarships. Life after graduation is so much easier when you don’t have to worry about paying off loans on an entry-level job income.I wish there was an easy solution to the high cost of college but there’s not. Many students already work part-time to help pay their school expenses so I recommend that route if you’re not doing so already. But my best advice (other than applying early and often for grants and scholarships) is to stay away from credit card debt.

Unless you come from a wealthy family or you have a full scholarship ride, then you’re probably going to have to get a student loan at some point. So why make matters worse by creating high-interest credit card debt and possibly ruining your credit report? Transfer to a less expensive school, borrow money from a relative or work extra hours — just do whatever you have to do to avoid credit card debt.

After many long months of slaving in front of your computer and work desk trying to hash out the latest model of innovation or research paper, you feel you are finally prepared to deliver what may be the best work of your education life.

However, on the day you are supposed to have it handed in you are shocked to find out that an exact copy of your work has ALREADY been handed in some days before! Nothing really compares to the shame, embarrassment, shock and heart ache that you must be experiencing at that moment to realize that your hard earned efforts have resulted in absolutely nothing and knowing that even if you did try to hand in your work, it would probably be branded as an effort of plagiarism. Even if you did try to appeal it would take ages to rectify this problem and your credibility as a student would still be in question.

This is the very unfortunate reality that affects a number of students at some of point of their tertiary education life and many find themselves at a loss on what to do when it comes to dealing with issues like this. Most of them only comfort themselves in the thought that it only happens to “people other than me”, only to be in for a rude shock when they find that they are next on the list.

Here are some helpful hints and tips on how to deal with such problems and better yet, prevent them from happening in the first place:

Leave Your Mark

The author cannot stress this point further by pointing out that students should have the habit of marking their work with their own identifier. This is especially true of arts, design and modeling students (engineering). The designs that you have created should be watermarked by a logo of your making on every piece of design work that you have done. If using a logo watermark is not your thing, then a signature of your work would suffice, or even digital representation of your initials would suffice. For those doing a project paper, always be sure to leave your name on every page of your work in the form of headers or footers. This is not an exercise in vanity, but merely to protect your work from being directly lifted from one source and into another’s.

Make It A Date

Sometimes, just leaving your identifier is not quite enough because it doesn’t really tell anyone who came first. Another effective supplement to your efforts at protecting yourself is to attach a date next to your watermark or name to indicate when the piece of work was completed. Even if it is only partially completed, be sure to have the date updated from time to time as you continue to accomplish milestones or goals in your work. Having the date present along with your watermark will remove any disputes regarding who came first and who came later.

Keep Your Drafts Handy

When in doubt of the process, as some other students might have employed the use of outsourced efforts to accomplish the same goal as yours, always be sure to keep copies of your draft works in a safe place. Have them attached to your final finished work to demonstrate that you were there every step of the way. This will put a stop to copycat work as they would not have the drafts to back their word. Of course, that being said, you ought to keep your drafts in a safe and discreet place until you are ready to have them attached to your main portfolio of work.

Always Make Doubles

In rare cases, the author has heard of situations where students have had their work not only stolen, but the original destroyed in case a comparison is made! Now nefarious TV soap drama parallelisms aside here, this is a very serious ethical crime and should not be ignored. Reports need to be made if possible. Of course, since you don’t have the originals left to prove that it was indeed destroyed, there is very little that you can do to recover from this situation unless you already had some drafts to continue the work from or someone who serves as a witness to your final work when making an appeal. This is why it is always wiser to prevent situations like this from happening by actually making copies of your work stored in separate places.

Some might consider this as paranoia acting up, but IT students have cleverly labeled this practice as “backing up one’s work”. Backing up your work is always a good thing even when dealing with more mundane work threatening sources like power failures, fire or water damage, theft, or even computer viruses. Be sure to bring only the copy and not the original for progress updates. This reduces the possibility of your work being copied, especially if you left the disk overnight for the supervisor to view it. More about this is explained in the next entry.

Now You See It, Now You Don’t

Some students have a knack for spotting an opportunity when they see one, and despite your best efforts your work still gets copied somehow. It may be possible that the problem lies in your formatting of your work. Whenever delivering partially done work for your supervisor to comment on in mid-semester, it is always a good idea to leave it in the form of a read-only document or artwork. Disable any content changing feature and disallow access from others by using password protection which is only made available to you and your supervisor. For documentation, it is in fact a good idea to present your work in locked PDF format so that those viewing will not be able to cut-and-paste, print, or even alter your work in any way. After all, the supervisor is only there to see your work and make comments on paper or an alternate word document and never on the original piece itself. Last but not least, the most obvious precaution you should take is never to leave your work lying around all over the place!

Sharing Is Not Always Caring

Some students feel obligated to share whatever they know about a given subject topic with other students to help them along with their work. Though this is a very noble approach, it might be prudent to watch just how much you say about it, especially when it borders on revealing the nature of your work and the secrets behind solving the many various problems that plague your work. Inherent flaws exist in virtually all presented work, and your efforts of having solved them should remain your own and not the privy of others. It is all right to share what is already common knowledge and helping others who are truly stuck in their work, but helping too much might also be hurting their progress as the entire point to tertiary education really is to learn how to find information on your own.

Your Work, Your Responsibility

As mentioned above, no one else is responsible for your work other than yourself. The more you request for the assistance from others, the more exposed your work becomes. The more people that know about it, the harder it becomes for you to actually pinpoint who the culprit is behind your stolen work before it is too late. This is not to mention that by asking others for help too much, they would be able to track your progress and may even feel threatened if you are doing too well. This might lead to potential sabotage and stolen work. Some may even consider you being too haughty and arrogant by showing off your work, while others may consider you to be too much of a bother. Do everyone a favor and just finish it by yourself.

Mum’s The Word

As a summary to the above two points, just remember that the safest practice is often to not say anything at all about your work. Conversely, you can try focusing on how they are doing instead, or if pressed, just mentioning that it is coming along fine with the occasional problem or two. Just remember that what separates your work from others even in the event of copied work is how well you know your material and present it when compared to others. Knowledge and information is the one thing you can keep locked away, key and all, in the recesses of your mind. As long as you don’t let others in on it, there is no reason they would be able to copy your presentation style or presentation material.

Resolve and Dissolve

Heated confrontations in college and university life are very, very common, if not an every day event. It is possible that there is coincidences in both your works that it appears that you are copying each other and that either or both of you may have realized that way before the hand in date. That probably leads to arguments on who should continuing with the project or “give way”. Sometimes it’s just better to walk away and let it resolve by itself, but if that’s not possible, take time out to sit the other offended party down and have a frank conversation about how your work is conflicting with one another. Simple compromise is often the key and it is a lot easier if the both of you discussed on how you could change certain content to make it appear sufficiently different from one another. It is very rare that the objectives actually clash to the extent of producing perfectly matching work. Even so, they should not have been approved by the supervisors in the first place! In the event of an honest mistake, the student should try approaching the supervisor for some advice on how to resolve this clash in an amicable manner.

Better Late Than Never

Let’s just say that your work has been copied completely and there’s simply no way to recover from this. Inform the supervisor and buy some time to redo the final portion again. This is especially effective if the opposing side refuses to back down and insists that their work is the original. Instead of just completely giving up and complaining about how bad the semester’s been, just hand in the work over the holidays. The deadline for moderation only occurs well into the 2nd or 3rd week of the holidays and not immediately after the final presentation date, most of the time. If need be, do your presentation on your project paper or art work prior to the actual handing in of the “revised” version.

The Big Apple Exam

When it comes to midterms and final exams, there are two things students need to master in order to do well. First, of course, you need a strong grasp of the material that will be on the test. But there's more to it than that. In order to do well on college exams, you also need to learn how to study. Unfortunately, high schools don't necessarily prepare students for this important skill.

Remember, learning how to take college level tests takes practice, so if you don't do so well at first, keep at it! Here are some tips on how to study successfully for college midterms and finals.

Time Management

Before you start to study, make sure you have an sufficient amount of time to complete this task. Keep in mind that the amount of time you'll need to study for a college exam is probably quite a bit more than the time you needed to study in high school.

If you keep your whole schedule organized, it will be easier for you to schedule in time to study for each of your exams. Here are some time management tips for college students

Study Environment

What's the best environment for studying for an exam? For the most part, that's a personal decision. Some students need dead quiet. Some students have trouble concentrating without background music or other noise in the room. Some students study better alone, and others need company. The trick is to figure out what works best for you.

Get Help From the Professor or TA

Here's an important tip that professors frequently tell their students, but that students frequently ignore. Look over the material at least several days before the exam, and then ask the professor if you have any questions! Of course, this means you can't put off your studying until the last minute.

In addition, take full advantage of any additional help from the professor. Here are some of the ways your teacher may offer help-- and the best ways for you to get the most out of this help.

• Study sessions. Professors or TAs sometimes offer a time either during or outside of class for students to ask questions. To get the most out of these study sessions, come prepared. Look over the material ahead of time and arrive with questions. Don't rely on other students to ask questions.
• Study sheets. Some instructors give students study sheets that give the student some idea of what to study for the exam. Unfortunately, study sheets often do more harm than good because students sometimes rely too heavily on them. It's not enough to answer the questions on the study sheet as your only means of preparation! This is not useful because additional material may be on the exam, and because by studying in this manner, it's difficult to understand how the material fits together. If you are given a study sheet, the best thing to do is to study first without it, and then go back over the material with the study sheet to make sure you haven't missed anything.
• Exam questions. Some professors give students essay questions or other parts of the test ahead of time.Take advantage of this gift and answer all of the questions ahead of time.
• Previous exams. Some teachers make copies of previous exam questions available to the class. Be sure to look these over, and make sure you can answer all the questions correctly.

Figure Out What's Important

As you study, pay special attention to what the professor thinks is most important. You can make educated guesses that certain kinds of material will be on the test:

• Anything the professor told you was important.
• Anything that was covered in detail in class.
• Anything that was covered quite a bit in both the readings and the lectures.
• Anything about which the professor feels strongly.

Flashcards and Other Tricks

For many students, it's helpful to write things down as you study. This helps reinforce the information in your mind, and it also gives you an easy way to look over information before the test.

One popular way of studying in this manner is by using flashcards, usually created with index cards. This is a good way to learn definitions and important words, as you can write the word on one side and the definition on the other. Be careful, though-- make sure you fully understand what the definition actually means, and how it relates to the rest of the material.

Another helpful trick is to make a succinct outline of your notes and the readings. If you do this, be careful not to leave out any material that's important.

Some students find it helpful simply to scribble down notes on a piece of paper as they study, or type things into a Word document. Although this isn't the most organized way to study, this method can be effective in helping to reinforce material.

Study Groups

Does it pay to study with a group of other students? Sometimes, but you have to know how to run and attend a study group effectively. Here are some tips for how to have an effective study group.

Best of luck as you study for your exams! For more tips, here are some college test taking strategies.

The Big Apple Raya

Get Hari Raya Graphics Here

I wish all the readers 'Selamat Hari Raya and may ALLAH bless u guys

The Big Apple Teenagers

Teenagers nowadays(include me)
Recently, the issue of socialills amongst teenagers are hotly debated in this sociaty. More teenagers nowadays are becoming involved in social ills such as exortion, bullying, gangsterism, vandalism and even petty theff. This problem had become very serious in our country till our society become worry and anxious. Althought our society especially the government had found many ways to overcome this problem, this problem is still become more serious. Actually, in order to solve this problem, we should find the source of the social ills. There are a lot of reasons that contribute to this problemto be occur. The question is, what are reasons behind that cause the social ills amongst teenagers become more serious?
There too much pressure placed on teenagers had become one of the reasons of the social ills amongst teenager. As we know, teenagers nowadays have to face a lot of stress especially in their studies as they have to handle many subjects in their studies. Teenagers are too much emphasize on their exam and they have to study day and night in order to get flying colour in their exam. So that, they would not dissappoint their parent. This situation had caused teenagers become stress. Futhermore, the family especially parents would become one of the source that caused teenagers to become pressure and even fighting or quarrelling everyday. Some of them even divorce thus causing parents fail to be a good role model. This situation would cause teenagers become stress and they ‘may involve in the sociall ills in order to release their pressure.
Other than that, media influence would become the reasons of the social ills as well. The media such as internet. Tv program and others and broadcast those unhealthy issues from west country. As me know, mind of teenagers are not mature yet and they will absorb all of thinds without thinking. Terefore, while watching the tv program or surfing internet,they may be curious and learn the role of the movie. As a result,they will become unbehaviour,violent,and inpolite,and subsequently involve in the social ills.
Futhermore,lacking of traditional value had also due to the reasons of the social ill become serious amongst teenagers. In this modelization era,people are more pursue the material and more concern about their career or studies. People wooing the highly technology in order to make a fortune and have a comfortable living. It had caused them, especially teenagers to neglect the traditional value. It would cause the number of social ills amongst teenagers increase rapidly.
As a conclusion, this social ills problem would become worst if nobody try to solve this problem. Therefore,the government and authority should cooperate with others in order to take action against the problem as teenagers are playing an important role to the development of the country. We as teenagers should have responsibility and should not involved in the social ills.As a student, we do not need to feel shy with our friends or teacher. Ask what you don’t know. After that, make exercise at home such as the old saying says ‘practise make perfect’. Don’t give up and keep on doing until you are familiar with it.
Lastly,try to talk with friends. This is the best you should do. Don’t stop for a long time. If not, you will forget it. Look at the dictionary if you use ‘broken English’ for a beginning.
In conclusion, based on the discussion,English is very important to us. Learn, ask to the teachers and talk with friends can help to improve your English.

Teenagers and love(include me also)

It’s wonderful to be in love. It’s exciting, romantic, and fun, and you feel like nothing can go wrong.Sure, like the love songs say, love hurts sometimes. You worry, you wonder if the person you love really loves you, or if he or she is cheating on you. But knowing that love hurts doesn’t mean you should expect to get hurt – to be put down, slapped, embarrassed in front of your friends, pushed, yelled at, forced to have sex if you don’t want it, controlled by, or afraid of the person you’re going out with.
Getting hurt like that isn’t love. It’s dangerous. It’s
violence. It can happen to anybody, even if you’re
smart or popular or strong or sophisticated. And it
doesn’t matter who you’re seeing. It happens to
girls and to boys. It happens in same-sex
relationships.
At first, if it happens to you or to a friend, you might not get what’s going on. You’re thinking, “I can handle this. I can make it stop”; of “There’s no black eye. I’m not getting pushed down a stairway.” “I shouldn’t take put-downs so seriously.” Maybe you’re thinking, “He only gets jealous because he loves me.” “She only slapped me to show attitude.” “She won’t love me if I don’t do everything she wants, when she wants it.” “To show my love, I should want to spend every spare moment with him. ”Or maybe you do get it. You know things aren’t right, but you feel alone. You’re ashamed to tell your friends. You’re afraid the explosions and jealousy will get worse if you tell anyone. You’re afraid to tell your parents because they might make you break up. Maybe you also are afraid of losing your boyfriend or girlfriend. Maybe you think it’s worth it to put up with anything just to have someone special in your life. Every relationship has problems and upsets. That’s just part of life. But if you see patterns of uncontrolled anger, jealousy or possessiveness, or if there is shoving, slapping, forced sex, or other physical violence even once it’s time to find help.
Think about this. Imagine that your best friend is going with someone who thinks and acts that way. Would it seem okay? Would you want them to stop hurting each other? Would you treat your bestfriends like this. You have the right to be treated with respect and to not be harmed physically or emotionally by another person. Violence and abuse are not acceptable in any relationship. Love shouldn’t hurt like this. What’s the first step in turning the situation around? Take it seriously. Listen to yourself. If you feel that someone is abusing you, trust those feelings. Take it seriously. What’s the second step? Take care of yourself. You’re too valuable to settle for love that hurts. Don’t stay silent – find support and help. Believe it – it’s happening Nearly one in 10 high school students will experience physical violence from someone they’re going with. Even more teens will experience verbal or emotional abuse during the relationship. Between 10 and 25 percent of girls between the ages of 15 and 24 will be the victims of rape
or attempted rap. In more than half of those cases, the attacker is someone the girl goes out
with. Girls are not the only ones who are abused physically or emotionally in relationships. Boys
also experience abuse, especially psychological abuse. Boys rarely are hurt physically in
relationships, but when it happens, it’s often severe. Boys also can be pressured or forced into
unwanted sex, by girls or by other boys. Violence happens in same-sex relationships,
too. When it does, gay and lesbian teenagers often don’t know where to turn for help. If they are
not comfortable telling people that they’re gay, that makes their situation even harder.

In every culture, people have certain ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman. These ideas are called stereotypes. When you first start going out seriously, stereotypes can get you really confused about how you or the person you’re going with ought to behave. Boys often have the idea that it’s a “guy thing” to act tough and to treat girls like property, like they own them. Guys often try to get their friends’ approval by acting like they don’t care about
anything or anyone. Even a guy who likes a particular girl might show off for his friends by
treating her badly or acting like she’s been put on earth just to have sex with him. Girls often accept the idea that it’s a “guy thing” to push girls around, and so they should learn to go along with it. Girls also may believe it’s a “girl thing” to try to figure out and do whatever will keep their boyfriends happy. So, they may feel that they have to do only what the guy wants, or they may put up with the guy ignoring them, treating them badly around other guys, being really possessive, or being violent or abusive. Both girls and boys often have the idea that boys
can’t control themselves when it comes to sex. They may believe that if a man forces a woman to
have sex against her will, she was probably leading him in some way.




Remember: There’s no “guy thing” or “girl thing” when it comes to violence and abuse in relationships. There’s just the “right thing” and the “wrong thing”. Violence and abuse are always the wrong thing.

The BIg Apple Top to Toe

Stop a Nail Biting Habit with Proper Natural Nail Care

The first thing we can all do in having good-looking hands is to keep them
clean by washing regularly. It’s amazing how many people (guys especially, but some women and girls too) walk around with grubby non manicured finger nails. Get a nail brush and put it by the sink, so it’s convenient whenever you wash your hands. An added plus of a nail brushing your fingers is the way it feels: those soft bristles and the luxurious soapy lather take your hands on a daily very mini spa vacation. Always follow up with a nice hand cream or lotion to keep your hands moisturized

Stop nail biting. Break your toddler or child's habit early.

Beautiful hands and nail care start with basics, and not having raggy, bleeding cuticles is a primary step in having presentable hands. Granted, one of the hardest habits to break is to stop fingernail biting, but it’s also one of the more disfiguring things that can happen to a hand. We all know someone who bites their nails to the quick, then starts on those ragged cuticles. Nail-biting usually starts in early childhood as a toddler with some people never outgrowing it, while others only revert to nail-biting in times of stress.

A finger nail biting cure that helped remedy 18 year old girl's problem from when she was a child.

I know a New York woman who stopped biting her nails when she was eighteen, because she wanted to be a flight attendant, and she had read in one of those “How to Be a Flight Attendant” guides, that bitten nails would keep her from being accepted into “Smile School”. (It was a long time ago, when airlines also had age limitations for stewardesses.) I admired her greatly as she stopped through sheer willpower.

At first, she went retro and wore gloves a lot. She also started carrying a nail file in her purse so that when a nail got split or roughened, she could take care of it on the spot. She wore gloves because taking off a glove to bite a nail is a great way to make yourself pause and consider, and then stop the behavior before it starts. She never did become a flight attendant, but she did have her hands photographed for a newspaper ad for the Chicago manicure and nail salon that she frequented and once more a few years later for a Los Angeles nail care and manicure salon.

Nail care and nail biting products

There are some products on the market to stop nail-biting, super-hot or bitter things to paint on your nails. I've heard some nail-biters say that the nasty taste didn't stop them, but they must work for some people.

Bad Hair Cut Help

If it hasn't happened already, sooner or later it will. The dreaded "bad hair cut" goes beyond a "bad hair day." It can change the way you feel about yourself and undermine your self esteem for months. It's no secret, women are picky about their hair. It's hard enough to get a good style, but with a bad hair cut, it's almost impossible.

First of all, don't panic! If misery loves company, you've got plenty. The bad hair cut happens to everybody at some time or another and it may help just knowing you're not alone. Here's some advice to get you through the tough times and help you feel better.

Contact Your Stylist

You need to tell your stylist that you're not satisfied with your cut. It's possible you won't realize it's a bad cut until you're home. If that's the case, give your stylist a call and tell him or her why you're not satisfied. If there's some hair to work with, make another appointment and have it corrected. If not, it's better just let it grow (and it will) because you don't need to make it worse.

If this is a new stylist and you won't trust him or her again, get a referral, go back to a trusted one, or try a new one to get help for your bad hair cut. There's no reason to have someone cutting your hair again if they've caused you so much grief to begin with.

If this was a trusted stylist who botched your hair, it's better to forgive and allow them to make amends. Nobody is perfect, and it may just have been a bad day for them or simple miscommunication. While this is little relief, they'll try their best to make it right.

Some Consolation

Now for some bad hair cut help. For your emotional stability, you need to remember that hair grows about 1/2" a month and it's probably not going to take near as long as you think to grow out to a stage where it's acceptable. Trust me, this is the only time you will appreciate dark roots because that indicates your hair is growing!

Give it some time. If you're one of the few lucky ones, you may decide the cut wasn't bad after all and you may even you like it. If that's not the case...

Growing out a bad hair cut is awkward but there are ways to minimize your discomfort. If the hat fits, wear it. Some people look great in hats and already have some. Ok, so that may not be what you had in mind...

Add Some Style

Try adding some body to straight hair with Velcro rollers or a curling iron. Adding some waves and curls will help disguise any blunt cuts. If your hair is wavy or kinky, straighten it out to give it some length. Don't be stuck in a rut. Now that you have a different hair cut (like it or not,) you need to do damage control with some new hair styles.

Use Hair Accessories

There are so many hair accessories on the market today, a rotten hair cut is a good excuse to try them out. If you hair's long enough, pull it back and leave a few strands around your face to give the illusion of longer hair.

Use the new style barrettes, hair pins, spikes, and butterfly combs to pull back your hair in problem areas only. Headbands come in so many styles and colors you're bound to find some you like. Plastic, jeweled and beaded, you can't go wrong. Think of it this way, you may be noticed for the best multiple innovative hair styles in the upcoming months!

If your bangs are too short, blow dry them straight down and sweep to the side. Then secure them back with a hair clip or bobby pin.

Add Hair Extensions

You can find clip on synthetic pony tails, braids (plaits) and straight hair extensions in department and discount stores everywhere. If you can match the color, you're in luck. You'll have an instant ponytail or braid for a feminine look.

Loose line extensions are more complicated and you're going to need a professional to put them in. You can choose synthetic or human hair. Human hair is costly but gives you a more natural look. Since the price tag for extensions is higher than other fixes, you need to decide it your bad haircut is really THAT bad. They require special maintenance and if you like things simple, this is not for you.

Do-it-yourself hair extensions are in longer lines and come with directions for you to put them in yourself. These are handy but it's a good idea to have someone help you clip them in.

Whatever bad haircut fix you decide on, remember, it's only a matter of time before you're back to your normal self and this will only be a bad memory.

The Big Apple Love Story

A Silent Love

From the very beginning, the girl's family objected strongly on her dating this guy. Saying that it has got to do with family background & that the girl will have to suffer for the rest of her life if she were to be with him.

Due to family's pressure, the couple quarrel very often. Though the girl love the guy deeply, but she always ask him: "How deep is your love for me?"

As the guy is not good with his words, this often cause the girl to be very upset. With that & the family's pressure, the girl often vent her anger on him. As for him, he only endure it in silence.

After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated & decided to further his studies in overseas. Before leaving, he proposed to the girl: "I'm not very good with words. But all I know is that I love you. If you allow me, I will take care of you for the rest of my life. As for your family, I'll try my best to talk them round. Will you marry me?"

The girl agreed, & with the guy's determination, the family finally gave in & agreed to let them get married. So before he leave, they got engaged.

The girl went out to the working society, whereas the guy was overseas, continuing his studies. They sent their love through emails & phone calls. Though it's hard, but both never thought of giving up.

One day, while the girl was on her way to work, she was knocked down by a car that lost control. When she woke up, she saw her parents beside her bed. She realised that she was badly injured. Seeing her mum crying, she wanted to comfort her. But she realized that all that could come out of her mouth was just a sigh. She has lost her voice......

The doctors says that the impact on her brain has caused her to lose her voice. Listening to her parents' comfort, but with nothing coming out from her, she broke down.

During the stay in hospital, besides silence cry,.....it's still just silence cry that companied her. Upon reaching home, everything seems to be the same. Except for the ringing tone of the phone. Which pierced into her heart every time it rang. She does not wish to let the guy know. & not wanting to be a burden to him, she wrote a letter to him saying that she does not wish to wait any longer.

With that, she sent the ring back to him. In return, the guy sent millions & millions of reply, and countless of phone calls,. all the girl could do, besides crying, is still crying....

The parents decided to move away, hoping that she could eventually forget everything & be happy.

With a new environment, the girl learn sign language & started a new life. Telling herself everyday that she must forget the guy. One day, her friend came & told her that he's back. She asked her friend not to let him know what happened to her. Since then, there wasn't anymore news of him.

A year has passed & her friend came with an envelope, containing an invitation card for the guy's wedding. The girl was shattered. When she open the letter, she saw her name in it instead.

When she was about to ask her friend what's going on, she saw the guy standing in front of her. He used sign language telling her "I've spent a year's time to learn sign language. Just to let you know that I've not forgotten our promise. Let me have the chance to be your voice. I Love You. With that, he slipped the ring back into her finger. The girl finally smiled.

Dont lie to me again

This touching sad short love story is amazing. Sometimes we lie to the ones we love because we are afraid to tell people of our feelings for them. How often has this happened to you? Well, read this touching sad short love story and perhaps you might find the courage to let people know of your feelings.

Tenchi looked at the face of a girl whom he had been with for a long time. She was his childhood friend. She was lying on the hospital bed, unconcious. As Tenchi looked at her, love and sadness can be seen in his eyes. Worried that something bad might happen to her. "Yuki, please wake up." the words that he kept repeating in his mind, over and over again.

"Hey cheer up now. What's the matter?" A young boy wearing a blue baseball cap told his friend, looking at her, who was crying. "I'm fine." A little girl gave the same boy a fake smile. "Ahh, something's wrong, I knew it. Yuki tell me." He insisted. But the little girl just gave him a smile, "nothing."

A girl waited under a waiting shed, it was raining too hard. Everything was dark. "Yuki!" The girl heard her name. Left, right, it was her friend, Tenchi. The boy hurried to see her, he ran to the waiting shed quickly, with his uniform, dripping wet. But as soon as he got there, acted as if she didn't even hear his voice, nor knew him for who he was. "We need to talk..." He said trying to catch some air. "I thought I told you to leave me alonE!" The girl shouted as she turned her back at him. "Yuki, I can't do that!" Tenchi answered. Yuki started walking away, she had her clothes wet by the time she set her feet out of the waiting shed.

"Hey, listen ok. Look I know that I made the wrong choice about telling you that I...love you....but...please, cant we just...have what we had before? FRIENDSHIP!?" Tenchi continued. Yuki stopped walking, "Look!" she turned around and faced him, "All I ask is for you to leave me alone! I'm sick and tired of this game. It can't be. You can't love a girl like me." She yelled, tears came falling from her eyes. Tenchi made his way to his friend and threw his arms around her, "I just love you!...Why can't we be together?" He was crying. "LET GO!" Yuki pushed him, and Tenchi felt pain on his right cheek, she slapped him. "Can't you understand me? I don't like the way you treat me anymore, I'm not special. You just can't love me as someone else? I hate you!" Her voice was beginning to break up, she was crying real hard, but the rain could cover it. Yuki turned her back at Tenchi and ran away.

Tenchi wanted to go after her but all he could do was watch her as she goes farther and farther. As Yuki reached the sidewalk near her house, she felt pain on her left chest, her heart was aching. She couldn't breath. She placed her hand just at the place of her heart and tried to massage her chest, "It's ok, Nikk. You can do it...just a few steps and...Ughr" She took a deep breath and started walking again, slowly, but her knees felt weak, she can't move anymore and that caused her to fall on the ground. Her sister got out the house eventually and helped her to stand up.

Tenchi took a deep breath and made his way to the wash room to wash the vase. There was silence. Even his loud breathing could be heard...As Tenchi went out the room, he went to the table near Yuki's bed and took the boquet of roses. "Tenchi," He heard a soft voice calling him. Tenchi turned to his right and found Yuki, awake. "Tenchi, What are u doin here?." she said. Her voice was softer than before. Her friend smiled, "I...came here to...see you.." He replied. "Tenchi...I..." She felt so much pain on her chest again.

The Three Words

Girl: Do you really love me?
Boy: Of course I do.
Girl: I wanna hear you say it.
Boy: I don’t have to.
Girl: Why not?
Boy: Because...
Girl: I just want to hear you say it in words.
Boy: I can’t...
The girl started to cry softly and said:
Then you don't love me...
The two continued to walk in silence. They
reached the girls home.
Girl: Why?
Boy: Do you really want to know?
Girl: (hesitantly) Yes.
He hugged her gently, kissed the tip of her nose
and whispered in her ear,
"Because three words are not enough..."


The CD Boy

A boy walked into a CD store and saw a girl behind the counter.

She smiled and he thought it was the most beautiful smile he has ever seen before and wanted to kiss her right there.

He said "Uh... Yeah... Umm... I would like to buy a CD." He picked one out and gave her money for it.

"Would you like me to wrap it for you?" she asked, smiling her cute smile again.

He nodded and she went to the back.

She came back with the wrapped CD and gave it to him. He took it and walked out of the store. He went home and from then on, he went to that store everyday and bought a CD, and she wrapped it for him. He took the CD home and put it in his closet. He was still too shy to ask her out and he really wanted to but he couldn't. His mother found out about this and told him to just ask her.

So the next day, he took all his courage and went to the store. He bought a CD like he did
everyday and once again she went to the back of the store and came back with it
wrapped. He took it and when she wasn't looking, he left his phone number on the desk and ran out...

!!!RRRRRING!!!

The mother picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

It was the girl!!! She asked for the boy and the mother started to cry and said, "You don't
know? He passed away yesterday...

" The line was quiet except for the cries of the boy's mother. Later in the day. The mother
went into the boy's room because she wanted to remember him. She thought she
would start by looking at his clothes. So she opened the closet. She was face to face with piles and piles and piles of unopened CDs. She was surprised to find all those CDs and she
picked one up and sat down on the bed and she started to open one.

Inside, there was a CD and as she took it out of the wrapper, out fell a piece of paper. The
mother picked it up and started to read it.

It said: Hi... I think you are really cute. Do you wanna go out with me? Love, Jackelyn

The mother opened another CD...

Again there was a piece of paper. It said: Hi... I think you are really cute. Do you wanna go out
with me? Love, Jackelyn

Story of Regret

There was this guy who believed very much in true love and decided to take his time to wait for his right girl to appear. He believed that there would definitely be someone special out there for him, but none came.

Every year at Christmas, his ex-girlfriend would return from Vancouver to look him up. He was aware that she still held some hope of re-kindling the past romance with him. He did not wish to mislead her in any way. So he would always get one of his girl friends to pose as his steady whenever she came back. That went on for several years and each year, the guy would get a different girl to pose as his romantic interest. So whenever the ex-girlfriend came to visit him, she would be led into believing that it was all over between her and the guy. The girl took all those rather well, often trying to casually tease him about his different girlfriends, or so, as it seemed! In fact, the girl often wept in secret whenever she saw him with another girl, but she was too proud to admit it. Still, every Christmas, she returned, hoping to re-kindle some form of romance. But each time, she returned to Vancouver feeling disappointed.

Finally she decided that she could not play that game any longer. Therefore, she confronted him and professed that after all those years, he was still the only man that she had ever loved. Although the guy knew of her feelings for him, he was still taken back and have never expected her to react that way. He always thought that she would slowly forget about him over time and come to terms that it was all over between them. Although he was touched by her undying love for him and wanted so much to accept her again, he remembered why he rejected her in the first place-she was not the one he wanted. So he hardened his heart and turned her down cruelly. Since then, three years have passed and the girl never return anymore. They never even wrote to each other. The guy went on with his life..... still searching for the one but somehow deep inside him, he missed the girl.

On the Christmas of 1995, he went to his friend's party alone. "Hey, how come all alone this year? Where are all your girlfriends? What happened to that Vancouver babe who joins you every Christmas?", asked one of his friend. He felt warm and comforted by his friend's queries about her, still he just surged on.
Then, he came upon one of his many girlfriends whom he once requested to pose as his steady. He wanted so much to ignore her ..... not that he was impolite, but because at that moment, he just didn't feel comfortable with those girlfriends anymore. It was almost like he was being judged by them. The girl saw him and shouted across the floor for him. Unable to avoid her, he went up to acknowledge her.

"Hi......how are you? Enjoying the party?" the girl asked.

"Sure.....yeah!", he replied.
She was slightly tipsy..... must be from the whiskey on her hand. She continued,
"Why...? Don't you need someone to pose as your girlfriend this year?" Then he answered, "No, there is no need for that anymore......"
Before he can continue, he was interrupted, "Oh yes! Must have found a girlfriend! You haven't been searching for one for the past years, right?" The man looked up, as if he has struck gold, his face beamed and looked directly at the drunken girl. He replied, "Yes......you are right! I haven't been looking for anyone for the past years."
With that, the man darted across the floor and out the door, leaving the lady in much bewilderment. He finally realized that he has already found his dream girl, and she was.....the Vancouver girl all along! The drunken lady has said something that awoken him.

All along he has found his girl. That was why he did not bother to look further when he realized she was not coming back. It was not any specific girl he was seeking! It was perfection that he wanted, and yes.....perfection!!
Relationship is something both parties should work on. Realizing that he had let away someone so important in his life, he decided to call her immediately. His whole mind was flooded with fear. He was afraid that she might have found someone new or no longer had the same feelings anymore..... For once, he felt the fear of losing someone.

As it was Christmas eve, the line was quite hard to get through, especially an overseas call. He tried again and again, never giving up. Finally, he got through......precisely at 1200 midnight. He confessed his love for her and the girl was moved to tears. It seemed that she never got over him! Even after so long, she was still waiting for him, never giving up.

He was so excited to meet her and to begin his new chapter of their lives. He decided to fly to Vancouver to join her. It was the happiest time of their lives! But their happy time was short-lived. Two days before he was supposed to fly to Vancouver, he received a call from her father. She had a head-on car collision with a drunken driver. She passed away after 6 hours in a coma.
The guy was devastated, as it was a complete loss. Why did fate played such cruel games with him? He cursed the heaven for taking her away from him, denying even one last look at her! How cruel he cursed! How he damned the Gods...!! How he hated himself....for taking so long to realize his mistake!! That was in 1996.

The moral of this story is :
Treasure what you have...
Time is too slow for those who wait;
Too swift for those who fear;
Too long for those who grief;
Too short for those who rejoice;
But for those who love...
Time is Eternity.

For all you out there with someone special in your heart, cherish that person, cherish every moment that you spend together that special someone, for in life, anything can happen anytime. You may painfully regret, only to realise that it is too late.

Love is

I had three friends. Eric, Cathlyn, Carol.
Eric was chased by all the girls in our high school.
Cathlyn was one of those popular girls. Cheerleader, sexy, and stylish.
Carol was just one of those plain and average girls .
Cathlyn and Carol were both totally crazy and wacko over Eric.
Cathlyn didn't have to do anything to attract Eric.
For she was already attractive enough.
Carol on the other hand, showered Eric which love and care.
Carol wasn't ugly at all.
In fact, she looked sweet and pleasant.
But she wasn't a cheerleader, she didn't were spaghetti-straps or tubes.
So like everyone expected, Eric chose Cathlyn.
For Carol was just one ordinary and plain girl.
While Cathlyn was labele d as the cool and attractive type.

Eric always insulted Carol.

Telling her what a 'Plain Jane' she was.
And how dumb she looked.
Which obviously made Carol feel so hurt and useless.
That's life. Carol never gave up though.
She wanted to prove something to Eric.
She wanted to prove that looks aren't everything.
She studied hard, really hard.
She became the top girl, and all the guys who once ignored her, chased her.

But she never forgot Eric.
Everyday, she put a red rose in Eric's locker.
Always with the same words.
'I care for you, and I always will'
Because she knew that Eric was facing a hard time.
Eric began to realise.
How dumb he had been.
His beloved girlfriend, Cathlyn.
Was flirting with other guys.
He regretted for choosing the wrong girl.

Cathlyn broke up with Eric later.
For she had found a wealthier guy.
Eric felt so cheated, stupid and dumb.
He went to look for Carol.
He knelt on his knees, and said.
"Carol, please forgive me. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Carol rejected him, much to everyone's surprise.
She only uttered these words.
"You've suffered a great loss, so I don't want you to face another one"

Eric felt disappointed.
He didn't understand a word that she said to him.
But they became good friends.
Did everything together.
Eric began to change into someone better.
Because Carol showered him with the love he never experienced before.
His ex-girlfriends had never treated him that way.
They just accepted him for his looks.
But Carol accepted him for himself .
She changed him.
Carol continued putting a red rose into his locker everyday.
With the same words. She never forgot.

One day, Carol didn't turn up in school.
She didn't come for a week.
At first, Eric thought that she was on a vacation with her family.
Because she told him that she would be going Hawaii with them.
But one day. He received a call from the General Hospital.
Saying that Carol was about to die.
She had been suffering from cancer.
But Carol forbade them from telling him.
Because she didn't want Eric to worry about her.
But now that she was about to die.
She wanted to see Eric for the last time.
Eric rushed to the hospital.
When he saw how weak Carol was.
Tears began rushing down his cheeks.
He whispered.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why did you hide this from me?"
She looked at him . And smiled weakly at him.

"When I said that I didn't want you to suffer from facing another loss, I meant this. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry. I wanted to spend my last days with you cheerfully." Eric looked at her.
"You can't leave me!" he said.
"What will I be without you?"
"You'll be who you are now. I will always be there by your side. Never forget that. Cherish those times. Live life happily. And one more thing."

"Yes?" "I love you" And she died. Eric screamed.
He still couldn't accept Carol's death.
He had only spent a month with Carol.

A month. But Carol changed his life in a way.
A way that no one could ever explain. He regretted.
But he knew that Carol would always be keeping an eye on him from Heaven.
Sometimes We just don't appreciate those people who really care for us.
Until they leave us. Until we lose them. Then we regret.
Outer beauty doesn't matter; it's the inner one that counts.
It's better to tell someone how much you love them.
Rather than to not tell them and lose them without telling them.
You'll regret Love is. When we fight till the very last minute.
Just to show and tell someone how much we love them.

Big Apple Beauty Care

Being a teen in today's world brings many pressures from society to look good. The media is full of beautiful faces that add to the stress of growing up. Don't let that undermine your self-confidence!

What's a girl to do? There are many ways to enhance your natural beauty and keep a practical skin care and make-up routine. These tips will help bring out the best in you, but remember, good posture and a smile give a great first impression.

Skin Care Tips

Teenagers have different skin care and make-up needs than mature women. At what age should a teen begin a skin care regimen? Skin care should actually start when they are preteens, as early as the age of 10 or 11. Hormones start to kick in and blemishes may begin to appear.

As you mature, your skin care needs will change, as your skin does. Pay special attention to what products you are using and if there are any undesirable affects taking place. What makes your skin look radiant one month may cause blemishes and break-outs the next.

• Moisturizer

At an early age, a light moisturizer may be called for -- but do not use heavy creams made for dry skin. Choose a product that is formulated for light skin care maintenance and does not block your pores.

A heavy moisturizer will probably wreak havoc and cause pimples. Try using a light moisturizer only once a day, before bedtime. Any more often than that is probably be overdoing it.

• Pimples and Blemishes

Acne is a #1 skin care concern for teens. Keep your face and hair clean, wash your hands frequently, and keep them away from your face. There are many products available on the market today for acne prevention and cures, and they are much more effective than years ago.

Once you begin experiencing problems, take action to avoid lifetime scarring. You can go to the Blemishes Page to find out how to get rid of pimples, preventative maintenance and how to reduce the appearance of blemishes once they appear.

Make-up for Teenagers

Most teenage girls begin wearing light make-up around the ages of 12-13 as they become more aware of their appearance. As a teen, your make-up should look natural and enhance your facial features. Don't overdo it, this will only make you look silly. With a few simple, inexpensive products, you can play up your finest features -- and look great!

Keep your make-up light for school. You don't need to use make-up on every facial feature you have! Mix and match to find out what looks best on you.

For parties, you may want to add a little more make-up to enhance your features. Make sure you blend it in well with your fingers or a cosmetics brush and check it in bright light when you're finished.

• Foundation

Foundation for teens is not necessary. While it can clog your pores, it will also look overdone. Skip the foundation and use a concealer on your blemishes only. Lightly dust on some loose powder over your entire face to even out your skin tone, control oil, and set the concealer.

• Freckles

Don't try to hide your freckles. You may not appreciate them, but they are part of you. Exposure to sunlight makes freckles darker so avoiding the sun and using a sunscreen will keep them in check. As you get older, they can fade -- and then they won't be an issue.

• Eye Make-up

You may not be interested in eye shadow until you're a little older. If so, that's great. When you do begin wearing it, keep it light and use any trendy metallics and sparkles sparingly. They can flake off into your eyes and cause irritation. Eye shadow does not have to match your eyes, however earth tones (tan, brown, gray) are very complimentary to blue, brown and hazel eyes.

When you begin using mascara, brown works best for both blondes and brunettes. Black is probably too harsh, especially in the daytime. If you think brown isn't dark enough, try brownish-black.

Waterproof mascara may be necessary for sports and outdoor activities in warm weather. It stays on longer and doesn't run -- but it's harder to take off. It's best to keep make-up to a minimum and you won't have to worry about undesired smearing.

If you're going to use an eyeliner, a pencil liner looks more natural than liquid liner. Learn to apply it with a steady hand for straight lines, and blot it with a tissue if you get it on too dark.

• Blush

Liquid and stick blush are popular choices for teens because they glide on smoothly and blend in well. Pinks and peaches compliment almost any skin tone. Apply to the apple of your cheeks and blend outwards, towards your hairline.

• Lips

For luscious lips, lip gloss does the trick. If you want to add some color to your lips for a nighttime look, try a lipstick in a sheer color. For extra shine, put the lip gloss on over your lipstick. Always have lip balm handy for chapped lips.

From Me To You