There are many kinds of people on Earth. And they couldn't be more different: from the colour of their skin to the god they believe in. And what puts them together is their struggle to be ''normal'', to bend in society. Most of them try to be popular, and they would do almost everything for that. GET A LIFE!

        But what entitles this popularity? Why do they all want it? What do you have to gain from it? For me, it is nothing more than a lot of fake friends, who would leave you at your first wrong move, and most of the time becoming a brainless plastic Barbie. And since a Barbie needs her Ken, and there are many boys who CAN be the perfect match, why not get laid with half of the school? Popularity may also mean becoming a celebrity and losing your private life. And all the gosip! Oh, joy!

        In school, for survival, you have to follow a lot of unwritten rules: get a girlfriend (or a boyfriend) at about 13 (the younger the better); have brain, but better keep it for yourself; the shorter the dress, the better; lose your virginity at about 15; never act like a nerd; cursing and swearing like a sailor would also help; being anorexic (for a girl!) would also be a plus; all your friends have to be machos, and so on...

        But why do they want to become like that? Why do they all care so much about their figure, about their hair, clothes, make-up? Because they follow the portrait of perfection. And the perfect woman those days is, in fact, a child: tall, skinny (even anorexic), definitely not healthy. They follow the celebrities. Not too long ago, a survey was made and Angelina Jolie was chosen as the sexiest woman (alive). Honestly, people, are you blind? What do you find so attractive in that pile of bones and skin? ''Her mouth which urges sin?''

        And I do believe that no girl should try too much to become like these anorexic models. I have got nothing against make-up, nice clothes (showing some cleavage, par example), crazy hair-styles and such. But diets, especially when the girl is slender, are quite inappropriate. Why starve when you can still eat and look good? And all that because you want to reach perfection? Because you care too much what others think about you? Nobody's perfect. And I think that sometimes perfection is boring. And why change for the sake of others? You'll end up a person that you don't recognize and dislike. However, let them be, it is their life, isn't it?

        Another aspect in teenage life would be the relationships. How early and how far are the girls inclined to go? How fast would the boys want them to decide WHEN (not IF) they get laid? Only a few girls have the strength to say ''no'', even if they ''love'' that guy. Why quotation marks? Because I don't know if you can name a crush or an infatuation ''love''.

        Apparently a ''nice evening'' is very important for the males, because many girls get dumped (or at least get into a decent fight) for the simple reason that they denied their boyfriends that entertainment.

        Why do some of them say ''no'' and the rest of them ''yes'' even if they're ready or not?

        Let's take the ''no'' case first. The girl is certainly not ready to do it, she has the guts to say it out loud, and she cares about her principles more about the fact that the boy ahe has a crush on/loves/is infatuated with is in the mood. And if that boy has any feelings for the girl (not just lust), he is going to wait for her and understand her reasons. If not, he'll never know what he missed...

        Other reasons for a girl to say ''no''? Maybe she's waiting for her Prince Charming, for the love itself or she's just a scared chicken who doesn't trust her partner. Or maybe the classical speech from her parents ''you are not allowed to have sex before marriage'' scared her more than just a little, or she is a good catholic and wants to become a nun.

        And what makes a girl to say ''yes''? She probably has some feelings for the boy (or she doesn't care what happens), maybe she is affraid that if she won't give in he will dump her, she doesn't really care about the whole ''waiting until marriage'' thing or that when she will find the love of her life all she'll give him will be a sweater. OK, I know that many girls do it the first time when they think they have found the love of their life, but... let's be realistic: usually the first boyfriend is the first of many.

        Earlier I mentioned the ''wanting until marriage'' thing. I don't think that there are many persons that still believe in that, maybe the grandparents or the naive young ladies who thin that they will mary the first guy they date. So now that this is just a myth, just some words with no meaning, they transformed it a little bit: now you don't wait for a husband to shag, but for a man/boy/lad you have strong feelings for.

        If you are thinking about the whole ''intimate relations'' stuff, then cheating is also around there. Surprisingly, men think that they have the RIGHT to cheat on their partners. Not necessary by bedding someone else, but ''flirting hasn't killed anybody'', right? And so jealousy was born.

        I once saw a movie, ''The Anonymous'', about a married couple. Typical, right? Not really! The husband's best friend lusts after his wife, the husband has a mistress, and the wife wants to find if he's cheating on her or not. So she finds a wig and some skimpy clothes and goes hunting for a lover-husband. So she becomes her husband's mistress. Now the problem is: he cheated on her, BUT he cheated with her. Quite a complicated situation...

        It is said that the men cheat in quantity, but the women in quality. It must be lovely to come home from a long day of work and find your wife with your brother/best friend/sworn enemy doing the dirty. But a male won't give up easily.So he'll find a way to pay back. First, a visit at the local pub. After he's totally wasted and half of the country knows how faithful his wife is, he will eventually go home - not alone, with one or two girls to keep him company - and his wife (if she's at home) is supposed to say nothing (just take his jacket and bring his slippers) and he'll lead his two friends to the bedroom (his and his wife's bedroom). After a night that he won't remember (he was drunk, remember?) these girls will ''borrow'' his money and never come back. So when you get married (if you don't want to get in this situation) better move town, far far away from your relatives, hire somebody to follow  your wife/husband everywhere and remember: a divorce is expensive because it's worth it! (That's why you'd better think about a prenuptial agreement, just in case...)

        Earlier we ''talked'' about teenage life. Let's go back there.

        According to the dictionary, a relationship is ''a close romantic friendship between two people, which is often sexual''.

        ''Some believe love is an important factor in physical and emotional intimate relationships. Though the term is notoriously difficult to define, any thoughtful inquiry into the subject will show it to be qualitatively, not only quantitatively, different than liking, and the difference is not merely in the presence or absence of sexual attraction. According to one analysis, love in relationships is divided into two types: passionate and companionate. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by physiological arousal (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate). Companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy and is not necessarily accompanied by physiological arousal.'' - this is what you can find on wikipedia. In translation, you may mistake love with lust or a simple crush.

        But how do you start a relationship? No matter where you go you can find couples holding hands, smooching and so on. How do they end up together?

        GUY point of view

step 1: notice the lass, do something that she'l notice me too

step 2: give her that killer look of mine and show some of my (non-existent) muscles

step 3: pick-up lines

step 4: flirt

atep 5: dinner together

step 6: watch a movie together (something mature rated/ action movie /horror) - maybe she'll get some ideas

step 7: bring her to a hotel room

        GIRL point of view

step 1: oh God! that twerp is watching me. AGAIN!

step 2: I swear, if he smiles like that that again and shows off without a t-shirt I'll leave the continent!

step 3: those are the lamest pick-up lines I ever heard

step 4: ...you name THAT flirt?

step 5: dinner (I beg you, not McDonald's) and now a restaurant and he forgot his manners at home! how embarrassing!

step 6: ANYTHING is better than that movie

step 7: a hotel room? oh, no, you won't! here it is! pepper sprayer!

And they lived happily ever after!

        And how do you end it? The best way is in private, but knowing your luck, it will happen in public, where half of the school can listen (and it WILL listen!), a fight is also required, a bimbo or more can be attached to the guy's arm(s).

        How about the whole ''love at first sight'' story? Do you think it's possible? My opinion: as many other things, it depends. On what? The two humans staring at each other, the atmosphere, if Cupidon is taking a walk in the area, maybe the planet's position. But I think that it has more to do about that chemistry  (physiological  attraction I mean) between two people that is needed, about how their bodies interact.

        If you fall in love with somebody, there are many ways to get burned, but I think that it's worth it. We are all human beings, and we can't live alone for the rest of our lives. And finding a person to love is part of the happiness we're all searching.