I'm sitting @ school in our writing center with abosolutely nothing to do. I could be doing homework, or reading, or some other thing having to do with academia but that really doesn't seem that interesting. So, I'm writing here because as you've noticed writing is my cure for boredom.

So I was sitting here singing random songs in my head and decided to check my school email for anything important, because everyone likes those school events (woo!) and my friends B.S. and A.C. sent out an email about tomorrow, the 13th of Feb. It is the national day of awareness for self injury, suicide, and depression sponsored by To Write Love On Her Arms, an organization that you might not have heard of dealing with suiced but with the death of Casey Calvert, the bassist for the band Hawethorne Heights (Out of Ohio, woot!). This organization is supported by a lot bands and artists andthey sel tshirts to make revenue and support the cause. It was started by Jamie Tworkowski and you can find anything you'd want ot know about it here --> http://twloha.com/the_story.php

The organization is faith based but isnt affiliated with any church or anything, just people that happen to be christian trying to bring a little more happiness into the world.

I found out about this organization last year and then again when Case Calvert died. They were selling tshirts in memorial of his death to help out his wife and kids with their expenses. I thought that was a pretty generous and considerate thing to do but of course there will be critics.

But what I really thought was interesting was the fact that he felt compelled to brign attention to the growing number of people in the world that feel its necessary to cut or burn themselves or to kill themselves. Accoreding to the site untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers. IF thats so, why arent people more worried about kids being depressed than kids making straight A's?

I think alot of parents are in denial about their kidsmental states or just dont want ot deal with it. The old "When I was your age..." ditty is getting a little old, but parents still think its a legitimate answer to their kids' problems. I know my mom has used that one on me several times. I tell her im stressed out and overwhelmed from school and she says "When I was in highschool I took all honors classes and I made better grades than yours and I wasnt this stressed out or overwhelmed. You just need to get over it." and as surprizing as parents find this, that is NOT an effective way of talking to your kids. but back to the point, kids now a days need an outlet, and adults need to realize that nothing has changed kids now are just more vocal about their feelings. The point of this LOVE movement is to let people know that we care and to show that there are alternate ways to deal with depression than self mutilating and suicide.
I think that this is a really important subject and that we really need to stop hiding away peoples mental problems and personal issues and just deal with them.

SOOOOOO, for all you people out there that think that this is just as important as health care and babies in China there is a way you can be apart of the LOVE movement. Tomorrow write love where ever you want on either one of your arms, you can comepletely cover your arms write it really little on your wrist or go crazy with colorful markers and make a whole mural the point is just ot have LOVE written on your arms. Its symbolic of self mutilation and replacing those scars and bad memories with LOVE. CAUTION!! do not use permanent marker because it has toxins in it and its probably kinda hard ot spread the love when you are sick from toxins in your bloodstream. And for those of you who want ot go the extra mile and/or frequent Warped Tour go free-hugging, you never know who might need a hug!!

Thanks <3

Fashion Tidbits - Today's finds

Mkay... so another post... I swear I have no life. Cross my heart <3

So I was on the Metropark website, for those of you who don't know (Which shouldn't be many people) its a urban wear store that has brands like obey, diesel, frakie b., harajuku lovers, and betsey johnson (love her). Its not cheap but if you're in there on a regualr basis as I am, you can find some steals, and if funky tees hoodies and jeans arent your things there is beacoup quirky jewelry sans the designer prices (i.e. the fleur de lise rhinestone necklace I just bought there for 8 bucks, looks like swarovski to every one else, feels like target to your wallet.) Also if you love little know fashion, art, and music mags thats the place to go. They have all sorts of things occasionally there are CDs to buy and a DJ, and they have art books and allthose types of goodies, its pretty much an "urban" version of urban outfitters

So I found some really cool things on the site that are kind of chill...

• Noir NYC I love you heart necklace $45.00
• Glamhead peace sign fingers tee $34.00*
• Dalek space monkey print $60.00*
• Acrylick Beauty Lies tee $29.00*
• Boombox necklace $19.00*
• *All of these are Metropark exclusives and are only available @ Metropark stores. You can go to http://www.metroparkusa.com/ to find a store near you.
• I have another site that I frequent for high-fashion finds and I found some incredible things while I was on there a couple days ago:

Dresses -

1. Chloe plum colored crystal embroidered tshirt dress $1,970.00
2. Chloe knotted purple cotton silk blend double layered mini tank dress w/ side slit pockets and a bubble hemline $780.00
3. Marc Jacobs crystal embroidered black silk belted shift dress with swarovski crystals all over $4,500.00
4. Jay Ahr spotty mini dress made of silver chiffon w/ bubble hem $2,090.00
5. Stella McCartney rhinestone paillette mini dress $6,995.00

Tops -

1. Chris Benz jenna bright blue chiffon top with matching camisol underneath $695.00
2. Erotokritos bow front sweater short puffed sleeves w/ a ribbed waistband $295.00
3. Moschino paint stroke top trapeze top w/ cap sleeves and round neckline $695.00
4. Vanessa Bruno plum silk and cashmere oversized cardigan $451.00
5. Vanessa Bruno demi-sheer v-neck asymetric top w/ silk ruffle lapels $455.00

Skirts -

1. 3.1 Phillip Lim lace bubble skirt w/ gold sequin lining and grosgrain waistband side pockets and front pleating $530.00
2. Derek Lam full silk and cotton blend midi skirt with 2 side pockets $1,190.00
3. See By Chloe A-line cotton skirt w/ front pleating and side pockets $300.00
4. 3.1 Phillip Lim magenta silk twill paisley bubble skirt $415.00
5. Oscar De La Renta full cotton twill skirt $2,780.00

Jewelry/Accesories -

1. Alexander McQueen skull pashmina $315.00
2. Miu Miu jewel embellished head bands $225.00
3. Tom Binns swarovski crystal embellished cuff $770.00
4. Vivienne Westwood Red Label diamante skull earrings $130.00
5. Oliver Peoples ilsa sunglasses $350.00

Shoes -

1. Chloe buckle detailed boots $1,050.00
2. Christian Louboutin very prive pumps in fuchsia paillette $960.00
3. Giuseppe Zanotti cut-out wedges $695.00
4. Miu Miu floral carved sandals in light brown washed leather w/ a wooden carved heel $550.00
5. Chloe round-toe moccasin pumps in ocra leather $505.00

Handbags -

1. Be&D perry buckle watersnake tote $1,450.00
2. Chloe ada patent leather tote w/ metallic mesh inserts and silver hardware $2,500.00
3. Chloe ada tote $2,280.00
4. Mulberry leather bayswater bag made of oak darwin leather $995.00

Illegal Excursions - snow day <3

Okay, so my school never gives snow days ever, but today we were way lucky and got one. But I totally don't know what to do with myself, I have no car and no way to get anywhere so once again I find myself online blogging.

Soooo, today I've been watching an insane amount of TV and looking @ my random sites that I'm slightly obsessed with (mainly thecobrasnake.com ) and I started talking to my friend M.T. (I'm not using any names because that would be wierd) and we started planning an excursion to either Nicaragua or Europe.

Personally, if I had the money and a mother whowas gone on a regular basis I would hop on a plane to Serbia (one of my favorite places in the world) with nothing but my wallet a couple of my favorite clothing items (a slouchy tank dress/top that I got @ one of my favorite stores a few days ago for 50 bucks; a very comfortable worn hole-y tshirt from Abercrombie and Fitch that I've had for years; a purple cardigan; my leg warmers and knee socks; a bleached ripped up micro mini that I copped for 10 bucks @ a side walk sale; and my faded grey skinny jeans that I got for 20 bucks @ express) my passport, and a eurotrail pass.

It would be a dream to flee to a foreign country where I may or may not speak the language and just soak all the culture in. Serbia for great food, coffee, and fun with Serb friends in Vojvodina (Novi Sad is the best), Greece for some beach fun, Hungary for papikash, Italy for shopping in Milan and visiting friends, France where I could practice speaking french and pick up some goodies on the Champs-Elysee go site seeing and go to some amazing galleries. then I would shoot over to Spain for some great food and to see those fields of sunflowers, the Netherlands to go ot Amsterdam, do a little clubbing and bar hopping stay at a youth hostel and visit some museums and them to the UK. London would be a dream, amazing fashion, music, and art. I would probably die there in some grubby pub listening to an amazing band breathing in all the fag smoke and the aroma of drunks slouched over in a corner booth.

When I was younger my mom asked me what I wanted to do with my life after college, my response was usually something along the lines of "I want to be a physicist" or a scientist, or an artist, or a lawyer. Once I reached 8th grade I actually started thinking, what the hell do I want to do with my life after school? Music has been my passion in life since I was little, but I know I don't want to be a musician. I always loved art and writing, but I didnt think working at a news paper or traditional magazine like TIME or New Weekly was for me. Then an oppourtunity of a life time dropped into my lap and I jumped on it in a heart beat.

The trip was a bit foggy, all I new was that I had the chance to go to Serbia for 2 weeks and I would be staying with a kid I didnt know and I would be in a country where I didn't know the language and hadn't had very much first hand experience with the culture. For most people tat would make them shy away from the experience. Why the hell would you want to go to a country where you no practically nothing about the people the state of the country, or their language? But that intigued me, the thought of being trown into a situation that I had never been in bfore made me want ot go even more. Learning more about a country and people that I wasn't familiar with made me excited.

So I hopped on the plane and had one of the best experiences I've ever had. I made friends with amazing people, saw things I thought I never would, and had some of the best food ever. And did I mention that I had some amazing tequila and found some great cafes and bars that I will remember for ever. I will neer forget the people I met or that trip that experience has been branded into my heart and I will forever hold fond memories of Serbia, even if the people there dont understand why.

When I got home my mother asked me about th experience and I told her everything and I was so excited about it, all my friends were tired of hearing me talk about Serbia. But aside from the fact that people were tired of hearing me talk about it my moter and a few of my teachers and advisors saw thisas something that was extremely positive for me. I didnt understand at first and then my mom brought it to my attention. The fact that everytime I talked about travelling and going to Serbia I couldn't help but smile.

My om started planting little seeds in my head about maybe considering as a carrer path something that had to do with people and travelling. I could incorperate my love of fashion, music, and writing, the arts in general into my work and I would be doing something I loved to do.

I had to admit I loved travelling and I loved learning about people and their cultures and just having new experiences so I started looking in to different majors and profession having ot do with people and cultures.

So now I'm sitting at home looking at pictures and site of people who get to do what they love and travel all over jet setting with the high society people in the world and I can't help but think "why can't that be me?" I'm young ambitious and intellignet. Completely capable of finding something that would make me standout amoung the rest of the people like me and ready to take on the world. And that how I found my self planning this little excursion. Iguess I'm just a dreamer, a visionary if you will. But maybe one day soon I'll get to do some of the things that I dream of, visit the entire world, ever single country. But until then I guess I'm stuck planning imaginery trips to exotic places and reading about the people that are actually doing it.

Besides, I'm just a girl from Ohio.

What I'm listening to now:

• "Light It Up" Used For Glue
• "Liars and Battlelines" Rookie of The Year
• "What Katie Said" The Matches
• "Where Were You?" Every Avenue
• "Webs We Weave" Escape The Fate

Another post from "The Girl"

well, I'm posting again obviously I have no life...

Actually I was supposed to be jumping up and down screaming at the top of my lungs to The Audtion and Envy on the Coast all the while choking from the smell of booze and stale fag smoke remniscent of the days when you were actually allowed to smoke in seedy bars like Grog. But due to unfortunate and completely normal transportaion issues I'm here on the comuter typing yet another wordy response to my boredom.

If you haven't heard I'm slightly infatuated with music and it happens to consume 99% of the time I spend not sleeping. So I've decided to post on something I definately know about, MUSIC.

So I feel slightly obligated to talk about a few bands I've seen live and grown to love just based on their talent and genuine love of playing shows and making starry eyed teens that enjoy sketchy scene bars happy.

The first band I have to bring up is MAYDAY PARADE for many reasons. I saw them the 1st of February and knew the show would be good, didn't expect it to be AMAZING. This band is not only extremely talented (the lead singer can actually hold a note) and completely engaging the lead singer and guitarists are unbelievably adorable and even if you dont like their music you have to say, "wow, those kids sure look like they are having fun!"

Derek, the lead singer who has a great voice and the cutest little manorisms leaves nothing to be desired with his boyish face and pop rock melodies.

Brooks, the guitarist with his big frizzy red curls and pouty lips is

definately easy on the eyes and I would be lying if I said that I didnt find him even slightly attractive. You can tell he loves the stage ad he's a great guitarist, and makes you feel like he's playing for you as he mouths the words to every song like he's singing it. You can tell he loves the music and you feel like he's singing to you, making eye contact with any and everyone looking up at him (I swear he made eye cantact with me like 4 times.) He's a sweet heart and treats even the fangirls like people and not like the creeper stalkerish start-struck teen girls they are (don't let the shimery dark eyeshadow and Hottopic bondage pants fool you, a fan girl is a fan girl)

They are genuinely nice people (a friend of mine met them after the show) and any band that is kind, talented, and cute should get the proper reckognition.

Hm... more bands to come later.

Currently listening to:

• "Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones" The Hives

• "The Ripper" The Used
• "Wait For The Sun (Demo)" The Promise Hero
• "Fuck the Pain Away" Peaches
• "When I Get Home You're So Dead" Mayday Parade

Just a little bit about a girl.

Ok, so I just got home from church *gasp* and started this blog for no apparent reason, just felt bored and I thought it might be big fun to put my thoughts online for thousands to see... if anyone reads to begin with.

I guess a little background would be in order... I wouldnt want ot read some random persons blog if I didnt know anything about them; so here it is:

I'm Shayla. I am currently a sophomore @ a pretentious and equally prestigious all-girls school in Ohio. It's the kind of place where you pay 20,000 dollars to keep your kids delinquent behavior out of the news and to give them a great education... whether or not they choose to go to class/come sober or not. We pay to have less school, and for teachers to disregard sub-par grades and behavior as long as you have the money to pay the full tuition. It's America in a nutshell with out the boys. Don't get me wrong I love my school, I get a better education then I would get otherwise and I get to do alot of things that I would have never dreamed (i.e. going to Serbia, cityterm, applying for SYA, and going to Cape Cod) but there are some things that definately need to change.

Aside from school, I'm a pretty normal girl *gasp*, but then again im basing normal off of the people at my school, excluding the mega-bucks thing, I have the entire "over-acheiver" act down. I run track and play volleyball and golf. I act, sing, and do a little dancing, and I have a little obsession with clothing nd fashion. I love writing fiction and creative non-fiction and I read like a riot. I am an active member of WAY too many clubs (Black Cultural Awareness, Young Activists For a Multicultural Community, Voices in Praise... just to name a few.) I am part of stand an anti-tobacco advocacy NPO.

AND BEFORE YOU LEAVE MY PAGE BECAUSE YOU THING IM SOME SELF RIGHTEOUS ASSHOLE...

I definitely am not... I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I fine with gay people, and jews, and muslims and any other type of people out there. Hey do you, but on that same note I'm not going to agree with everything everyone says, just like I dont expect everyone to agree with what I say. People werent created to agree all the time, thats just life.

I'm not a new-born I dont think that everyone who is not a christian will burn in hell. I dont think anyone goes to hell except for people who do really bad things, i.e. serial killers, sociopaths, rapists, etc. I accept all people, but that doesnt mean I agree with everything they believe.

Oh and another thing... MUSIC IS MY LIFE, I play the guitar and the violin... I love all types, rap, opera, country (somtimes), pop, mainstream, alternative, rock, some metal, classical, new age, experimental, new ge jazz, bigband, r&b, the list goes on. But one thing I hate is people who decide that one genre of music is the best. FYI just because you listen to it doesnt mean that it is the best, it just means that its what you prefer. Do not comment me saying "__insert band here__ SUCKS! YOU SUCK...blah blah blah, and so on and so forth...!" because I don't care... now saying "__insert band here__ isn't one of my favorites because... " is fine, just dont say something stupid and expect me to take it well. I have a low tolerance for stupidity.

And politics, I'm a bit of a hot-head when it comes to politics. I identify myself as "moderate" but I tend to be more "liberal" than anything. Currently my loyalties lie with Barack, and no its not because I'm black, even though I am and proud of it. It's just that I believe in his campaign, I think that is lack of "experience" isn't necessarily a bad thing and we dont need another polititcian in the whitehouse. Hilary is kind of a bitch, I love the woman I think she's a great role model, she's strong successful and intelligent BUT I don't believe that she is the best democratic candidate. Plus I'm pretty sure that Bill doesn't want her to win because of all the shit he says and the racist inuendos. I will move to Canada if the Republicans are back in office, and I don't really like McCain at all. If he wins, it will be like Bush being in office all over again. I wish I could vote, but being 16 and all thats not a possibility... but I think that perhaps if more people started looking at the debates and the issues more often and not just voting for candidates on face value, our country would end up in better hands... oh right if it werent for the fact that our government is insanely corrupt. But hey, who's isn't?

So that was supposed to be a little about me, but I guess I ended up rambling... I often ramble, but yeah... I'm just a girl.