Smack Down.

Perez Hilton is the most opinionated person online. With his blog perezhilton.com, he gossips about celebrities, giving the facts, then stating his opinion. I am an avid reader, and the one story that no one could stop talking about is the Rihanna and Chris Brown smack down. Not only did Perez post the facts, he wrote his opinion, posted the opinion of fellow celebrities and also a statement made by Rihanna's father.

Apparently, Rihanna at this time has decided to reconcile with Chris Brown and her father said if that is her decision, he will stand behind her. After pictures surfaced of Rihanna, her fans stood behind her and Chris Brown's voiced their disappointment in him. Burning his cd's, Chris Brown fans are still awaiting a statement from him and why this abuse happened.

Being a girl, I could never take back a boyfriend who hit me. Granted, I am not the one in that situation, but I still feel like all women would agree. No matter what you say or do to set some guy's temper off, that still does not give him the right to hit you. I have no respect for anyone who resorts to violence instead of words. Weird, we go to school for years and interact with people from the age of four and taught that violence is never the answer. So if we are taught this starting at such a young age, why are people turning their heads the other way when we are older and forgiving such behavior. We would be sent to time out if we pinched the boy who chased us around the swing set, but someone who brutally hurts another is forgiven with just a slap on the wrist? Does this sound right?

I kind of blame Rihanna, not for getting hurt, but for allowing such behavior to be forgiven. She wants to make things work with Chris Brown. Sweetie, I know you got hit, but how hard did he hit you to make you not have common sense anymore? Someone hurts you, you get away from this person. Is that a hard concept to agree with? I know of many instances where girls blame themselves for being hit or bruised by a guy, but it isn't their fault. Stop taking blame for someone else's mistake.

How To...

break up with your best friend.

Recently, I have been faced with the reality that people change. You will not always be "best friends" with the people you were with in high school. Sometimes you are lucky to maintain a relationship with them and other times you are more then fortunate to still be best friends. But what happens when one is not putting enough effort into holding on to the friendship as the other, you must break up. Just like you would not let a boyfriend treat you a certain way, a best friend should not either, so here are 5 steps on how to break up with your best friend.

1. Slowly cut off contact
Unlike a boyfriend, you can not just say "we're over!", you slowly have to stop being available. Example: take a couple days to reply to a call or text message, you have to slowly let this person know they are not on the top of your priority list anymore.

2. Text instead of call
In today's society, it is more common for friends to keep in contact by texting, but best friends always call. When the phone rings, do not answer. Take some time and text back an hour or two later, asking what they wanted. You are not fully ignoring them, but you are still letting them know you have other things to do.

3. Give them the same effort they give you
One of my friends from high school is the most selfish person I have ever met. Harsh? Yes, but very true. She does not call, text or even Facebook (the most impersonal way possible) so I give the same effort, none. You are letting this friend know their actions are going unnoticed.

4. "Forget" to return contact
You might once in awhile get a text or message, but guess what? You do not have to respond. You'll probably get those monthly text that say "I miss you", you do not have to respond. Actually, we urge you not too. If they really missed you, they would try harder to make sure that the only thing they miss is seeing you, because they talk to you so often.

5. Saying the words, "I am done"
No one wants to be the barrier of bad news, but when you are not being treated like a best friend, but more of a convenience to this person, you must say good-bye. There is nothing wrong with going your separate ways, and there is nothing wrong with moving on, you just have to make sure you have said your peace and walk away gracefully. It does not matter how you do this, whether it is over the phone, in person, via text message, Facebook or Myspace, as long as you have made it clear to this friend that you are just two different people now and its time to move on.

90210

My friend Trevor Marsh, yes I am completely putting him on blast right now, but my friend Trevor is on the new 90210. He is the cool kid with the cool backpack who walks past the main characters three times in the same shot (great editing skills on that show, for sure). Anyways, the point of this was, Trevor has decided that the show needs some work and a new twist. He is the new twist the show needs, and I agree, with the addition of myself! Hahaha!

1. Trevor is going to be the new kid, whose dad is the new DA of LA (genius, I know)
2. Trevor is going to have a twin sister, ME! (again, pure genius)
3. We would turn that high school upside down!

Considering we both went to a high school with fights, shooting threats, and a murder (just in one day), we think we could light a match under 90210 and make it the greatness it deserves to be. 90210 owes it to Tori Spelling! (btw, she is coming back on the show, love her)

Also, if this 90210 idea does not work out, we are creating our own teen drama. Welcome to Deer Valley High School, where murder, drug deals, and sex were happening daily on campus. I wish I was making this up, but even I don't have the imagination or creativity to think this up. It happened, sadly, but Trevor and I feel like we should share it with the WORLD!

Testimony

TestimonyMost students at CBU have been going to church since they can remember. Me? The first time I set foot into a church was the day I attended CBU. My parents decided when my sister and I were young that it would be up to us to decide what we believed in. They made sure we were not forced to believe in or go to church when it was not our desire.
I lived a life that I am not proud of to admit to you. I drank, did drugs, and had sex before marriage, all because I did not see the harm in experimentation.It started out with drinking. No harm I thought. Then the drinking led to the discovery of boys and their interest in me. Let’s just say his interest in me was not for my brain. One certain boy led me to my first taste of weed. Instead of saying no, I said why not? The boy played in a band and I thought he was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. In order to keep him as my boyfriend, I did the drinking, the drugs, and the sex all to insure him that I was the one. I believed that I could be the girl he wanted, the party expert.
Unfortunately, that was what I became. That certain boy did not last, but he most defiantly was not.I found my way into many more guys’ arms after. The decisions that were made were not the smartest and the actions I was doing, most certainly were the opposite of what my mother taught me.
I joined the CBU volleyball team the year I came to college. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I met Yudelka. She changed my life. She had a similar story of rebellion as me. However, the level she got too, I would have been well on my way too if I did not met her. I saw the road I was heading and I wanted to turn around now.
I heard Yudelka’s testimony on a mission’s trip to the Dominican Republic with the volleyball team. There, one night, in a small room above a dining hall, I committed my life to God. In front of my team, hugging Yudelka, and my coach praying over me, I felt the relief to start over. No longer would my past be there to haunt me. No longer was I the party expert. I was Nicole. I was a Christian.