?

Ok, I am trying to find something I can do every day, that doesn't take long, that will improve my fitness, or at least give me a few benefits. I figure push-ups might be a good idea.

So, if I did push-ups every day, what would the benefits be? Let's just assume I'm starting at a low number, say 10 in the morning, 10 at night, and gradually increasing the number.

I should also add, I go jogging 6/7 days, and do karate twice a week (why I don't go jogging every day, I don't get back home early enough), so it's not like I'm looking for a "magic bullet" of sorts, I'm perfectly healthy, just looking for a way to improve myself without a huge amount of complicated exercises.

I'm also a 15 year old male.

So, what are the benefits?

Thank-you in advance.

Let's get straight into it:

I want to learn some basic Mandarin, online for free. I'm going to be in China, learning Mandarin in a few months, and although I'm not required to know any, I'd still like to know some basics, as I'm not the best at languages, and I figure if I have a head start I'll be able to fare a little better.

So, what are some good , free, online places where I can learn Mandarin?

Thank you in advance.

Also, I'm a native English speaker, but I don't speak any other languages.

Ok, first off, a miniature disclaimer:

I don't get into fights, nor do I want to. I'm actually quite good at avoiding them. I've also done karate for 7 years (and counting) so rest assured I'm not one of the daily "I'm going to get in a fight, how can I win with no combat training?" posts.

So, it crossed my mind:

What are some self defense tricks and tips, if I was either about to get into a fight, or in one? Including how to diffuse a tense situation, and avoiding fights. The reason I ask this, is because I'm curious. Self-defense for the layman type things.

So, any tips or tricks for either diffusing a situation, or ending a fight as soon as possible?

P.S: I just want to re-affirm, this is just out of curiosity. If I ever find myself in a fight, or the possibility of a fight, then this might help me out, but I'm probably not going to rely on it.

Ok, so I'm a 15 year old male, but I look like I'm about 16-17.

It's gotten to the point where I need to shave every day or two, and I've always though growing some sort of facial hair would be cool, even if I only kept it for a few weeks. I'm quite tall, with dark coloured hair. I think it's black, but under certain lights, it can be a very dark brown. Although it's probably easier to just say my hair is black. I also have blue-green eyes, if that makes a difference.

So, any good facial hair styles? Preferably one that would look good on a teen? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

(Also, if you want to suggest a goatee, feel free, but that might be a little hard for me, since the hair that connects the upper lip and chin hair doesn't grow as fast as my other hair)

Ok, a little back info first.

I'm a 15 year old male, big for my age, and look like I'm a bit older. I can pass for 16-17 a lot of the time.

Now, my facial hair grows fast enough, that if I don't shave for a day or two, my friends start to notice. I was told a while ago, that if you "Aren't shaving every day out of necessity, then you probably won't look good with facial hair" on Y!A.

So, at what age/stage would you say that a teen can grow facial hair, and have it look alright? I honestly think that I could grow some facial hair, but I was wondering what you guys thought?

Thanks.

Ok, so a friend and I have decided to make a website, and for now, I'm just trying to work out some of the code, so we can start really building it. But my school laptop (the computer I'm using) doesn't have Dreamweaver, and Sublime only gave me a trial. So, I need a program, that is free, but also useful, that I can use to work on my coding for my website.

I might also be using this program to work on my school projects, because I'm in a Website Creation and Design class.

So, any suggestions? Preferably programs you can vouch for, or have used.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Ok, so, shaving men (and women, I guess) of Y!A, I need your help.

First off, I'm 15 years old (male) and I started shaving about 1-2 years ago (maybe more, I don't know). Back then, it was only once every few days, or once every week.

Now, it's gotten to the point where every 3 days is the minimum. I've started just shaving every day to keep myself in practice, and so that if I skip a day, nobody will really notice. At the moment, I'm using a cheap razor, but it gets the job done, and I haven't cut myself with any of them yet (it's a value pack of 10).

Ok, now to the question:

Should I shave against the grain?

I mean, after shaving my face normally, should I then go back over, and shave against the grain? I tried it once, and it pretty much removed the little hairs that a regular shave doesn't.

So, pros? Cons? Will the hair grow back if I do shave against the grain?

Thanks guys.

I really only ask, because I am getting sick of shaving, and then seeing that my facial hair is still completely visible. As a student, this is slightly annoying, and if I can get rid of them every now and again (provided they grow back) then I am thinking I could grow a mustache or something, and because of the contrast between hair and no hair, it wouldn't look to bad.

Lengthy I know.

Thanks again.

Ok, so I've been having some trouble. In maths, we have been given a few problems, and I am not quite sure how to simplifiey them. Here are 2 of them, if you could show your working out, that would be great:

1) 3√6X5√3

2) -4√8X2√10

Thanks!

Ok, so I recently turned 15, (I'm a guy, by the way) and I am pretty tall, and solidly built, with dark hair.

Up until a while ago, I just wore my white trainers as casual shoes, and a year or 2 ago, my friends mentioned it. It really didn't bother me much, but now that I'm older, and my current pair of trainers has pretty much worn out, I'm going to go shoe shopping.

So, what are some good casual shoes that I could get? These are the sort of shoes I'll be wearing to do casual things, like going out with friends, etc.

Also, I was thinking of getting some sort of boots, thoughts? Suggestions?

So, any advice?

(By the way, I'm about 6 foot tall (183 cm's) and I think I mentioned I have dark hair, and I'm also slightly tanned, but then again, a lot of people in Australia are.)

Thanks!

Well, I am going to write a few short stories because I'm bored (and I like to think of myself as a writer), and I've started writing a full length novel, which I hope to complete, and have published one day (I'm in no rush though).

But I was to put the short stories somewhere, where they can be viewed by other people. Also, I want some feedback and criticisms and comments, because I'm a firm believer in not sugarcoating things too much, and I want to know what people think of my writing, and how they think I could improve. Also, if you recommend a site, I want one that WON'T claim any ownership of my work. That would be VERY annoying for me...

Multiple sites are fine, I don't mind putting up my work for 2 online communities to see, if the websites are particularly good. Also, it would just be easier to give my friends a link to an online copy, if they want to read my work.

Thank you all...maybe now I can finally start to earn the title "writer". Right now, I just don't think of myself as one. I am afraid of becoming another annoying teen, writing bad stories and fan-fiction, and I feel like I need to validate myself somehow. I aim to eventually publish a full novel, and my teachers all think I'm a great writer, but until I finish writing my novel, I'd like to write a bunch of short stories, and put them somewhere for everybody to see. And who knows? One day, I might submit them to a magazine or a competition, or something.

Thank again.

I want to write something, anyone have any topics, or things they think I could write about?

Honestly, I don't care what it is, I'm just bored, and I want to write something.

And I feel I should say, this isn't for anything in particular. I just feel like writing a short story.

Ok, I asked a question a while ago, about ab workouts to try and get me either a flatter/more toned stomach, or more clearly defined abs, but all I got was one guy telling me to do something I had made it clear I couldn't do.

So, my goal is pretty simple, I was either a flatter or more toned stomach, and slightly more defined abs. I'm a male, and I'm turning 15 in a few days, by the way.

I don't have a huge amount of time or money to sink into this, and it's not an urgent thing, but I have school holidays now, about a month, and I don't think it's too ambitious to expect some results, no matter how minor, by the end of that time.

Every day, I've been doing this at least once for a few days:

-1 minute of crunches

-a plank on my left side, until I start to wobble (these are more like rest exercises)

-1 minute of bicycle crunches

-a plank on the other side until I start to wobble

So I do that every day, sometimes twice (once in the morning, once at night), is it helping at all? Am I wasting my time? Will it even have any effect?

If that doesn't help, what do you suggest? Also, I don't want this workout to take more than 3-5 minutes if I can help it, I just don't have a huge amount of time. 3-5 minutes is ideal for me, because I can keep myself motivated to do it every day at least once.

So, advice? Recommendations? Etc?

Thanks.

Also, I know that it will take time to get results, but I can wait. I don't really want to be ripped, with a 6 pack, I just want to feel a little better when I'm at the beach or a pool, without a shirt. Also, there's this girl...

But thanks guys. And please no "abs are made in the kitchen". That's really not helpful.

Ok, so I'm writing a science fiction story, and I am trying to make the story as plausible as possible, and Alpha Centauri is where the enemies are coming from (please contain your collective exasperated sighs) but I don't want that to be their native solar system, rather, it's a colony (I'm aware Alpha Centauri only has one planet that's been discovered, I'm going to work around that).

So, what is the closest solar system to Alpha Centauri? Apart form ours of course. And also what are some other relatively close solar systems, that have a star capable of supporting life? (A star like ours, perhaps, or one close to it).

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Ok, so first off, I want to get a flat stomach, or abs, maybe even a six pack eventually (sorry if I got the terminology in the title wrong). Right now, my short term goal, is to get a flatter stomach, and more clearly defined abs.

I'm already going running for 20-30 minutes a day, most days, but I need a workout I can do every day, which will take only round about 5 minutes, more or less is fine. But the thing is, I don't have an hour to work out my abs, I only want a quick workout I can do before I go to sleep, and perhaps when I wake up on some days. I'm a 14 (I turn 15 in a few days though, yay for me) year old male, by the way.

Thanks guys.

Oh, and please no "It'll take too long!" answers, I've done research on this, it's just there is so much to sift through, and I really only want a quick 5 minute workout, I don't care that it will take a LONG time to get more clearly defined ab muscles, I just want something I can do, that will improve my health and fitness, and also get me on the right track, so if I DO end up trying to get a six pack, I'll have some o the ground work. Also, the school holidays are coming up, and it's summer, and I might be going to the beach or pools with my friends, and I don't want to feel self-conscious if I am not wearing a shirt. Also, there is a good chance my crush will be there...so naturally, I want to look better than I do now.

So I'm interested in acrobatics.

Mostly, because I want to eventually be able to do a backflip, but also, because it just looks so cool. Also, a few of my friends are into parkour, and if I ever take that up, I can see acrobatics being VERY helpful.

I'm also a complete beginner.

So, my questions are:

What are some basic acrobatics that I should learn?

Any good online tutorials?

Any particularly cool or helpful tricks you think I should learn?

Any general advice or tips?

Also, are there any basic things I should learn? By that I mean, things that will keep recurring and being helpful.

Oh, and I guess I should say this:

I'm not a 13 year old girl. So don't treat me like I am one. I'm a 14 (soon to be 15) year old male, who is about 6 foot, the reason I mention this, is because learning techniques that work with younger kids won't work on me, for example the only people who can be spotters are people my size, etc

Also, my sister is a gymnastics coach, but gymnastics and acrobatics are different, and she teachers little girls, but I feel I should mention this, because on the days she is here (she is older than me and has moved out) I might be able to get extra help on particularly difficult things. (As I understand it, gymnastics and acrobatics have quite a few similarities).

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

Ok, so a female friend and I were looking in an op-shop, and I saw a top hat. It didn't fit, but it turns out there was also a bowler hat on sale, which DID fit. It's not felt, but I think it's made of cardboard and velour.

I really want to wear it, I'm not a "hipster" but I don't exactly dress the same way as other people. I generally dress in jeans and trainers, with black T-shirts, but I am planning to clean up my look...

Also, I have a formal school event, which is semi-formal, which means nice shirt and dress pants. I'm planning on buying my first suit to wear to it, and I was wondering if you guys think I should wear my awesome new hat?

All in all, I just want some tips on how and when to wear it.

Ok, so in English class, we're doing Romeo and Juliet.

Now, our English teacher let us choose the speech ourselves, as long as it was 20 lines or more. My speech is 24 lines long, from Act 3 Scene 1 (I'm pretty sure) where Mercutio has just been killed by Tybalt, and Tybalt has been killed by Romeo, who has just run away, and Benvolio is explaining to the Prince what happened. I'm doing the part where Benvolio explains to the prince what happened.

I need some help in memorizing it. I have que-cards, but they aren't that reliable, and I need some tricks to remember the whole thing.

Also, I'd like to do it "theatrically" because I promised a friends I would, and also I'd get extra marks. Any actors here with tips on how to do that?

Thanks guys.

Ok, So first off, Some of my physical details:

I'm 14, but I turn 15 in December, and I can pass for older. I am generally assumed to be 15-16 on first glance, depending on what clothes I am wearing (generally at formal places, like family gatherings or my dad's work events, and I'm wearing slightly more formal clothes, I am constantly mistaken for somebody older).

I have brown/black hair, and blue eyes, and I'm a white male, although my skin is a little tanned (I live in Australia though, so this isn't that out of the ordinary). I'm about 181 cms tall (that's almost dead on 6 foot for any body who follows the imperial system).

I also grow facial hair pretty fast, for somebody of my age (from comparing to my class and year level, I have a friend who mentions this too, so I know it's not just me).

I also have normally kept myself clean shaven, because I couldn't grow more than a few hairs, but in the last few months, I've been able to grow quite a bit between shaves.

OK, now for the actual questions:

Would I look weird with facial hair?

Would a 14 or 15 year old look weird with facial hair?

If you think I wouldn't look too odd with facial hair, what are some good styles?

Any particular style of facial hair you recommend?

And for any guys out there:

Any tips?

OK, so My grandmother's cousin's granddaughters...

How am I related to them? I think we are cousins of some sort, but I am just wondering what sort (2nd, 2nd removed etc).

The reason I ask is because at my grandfather's birthday, they were the only people my age, and I didn't get a real chance to talk to them, but I was still wondering how we are related.

Thanks guys.

OK, so lately I've been wanting to take an IQ test.

I don't expect it to be super accurate, but I was wondering if anybody could give me a good site to do a basic IQ test?

I've always been told I'm smart for my age, but only since I started talking, until I was 4, I never spoke more than a few sentences, and this caused my teachers to think I was stupid. As soon as they changed the testing methods however, I became the top of my class.

That was when I was in grade school now, I'm partway through secondary school (I turn 15 this year) and I want to know what my IQ is. As I said, I know it won't be precise, but I want a pretty good indicator of what my IQ might be, and also what the average for my age is (I'm in Australia, and a 15 year old male). really just want to know how I stack up against others my age, and people older.

Any particularly good sites would be appreciated!

Thanks.