*Update*

I've always been so bad at keeping up with a blog. I usually just blog on my facebook or myspace (yea, I still use myspace! LOL). But I want to start using this blog for makeup related things and to use it along with my youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/pink0BSESSION). Ill post swatch pictures on here, updates that would probably be boring in video form, and maybe even some blogs about my everyday life. :) I hope you all follow me on here and feel free to leave me comments! A new post will be up soon!

Peace, Love, & Pug Hugs,

Maryann

xox

September 11th - 8 Year Anniversary

September 11th, 2001...a day that no American will ever forget.

Today marks the 8 year anniversary of the horrific and tragic terrorist attacks that occurred on the morning of September 11th, 2001. Though time has passed, the hurt and wounds from these horrible acts still remain fresh. That day, innocent human beings lost their lives.

When I re-watch the footage of that awful day, when I see the planes smashing into the twin towers.. I think of the people inside who were initially hit. The people who were in the direct line of where the planes crashed through. They never had a chance. They never had a chance to run, never had a chance to even try and escape. I think about the horror that the people in the buildings felt. I think about the people running as fast as they could, literally running for their lives. I think about the people in the Pentagon who never knew what was coming. I think about how scared and terrified the people on the hijacked planes were. How they knew that they were living their last moments on earth. I can close my eyes and see people running from the smoke and debris as the Twin Towers collapsed. I remember seeing that on TV and my heart felt like it dropped to my feet. To this day, those images are fresh in my mind. They will never fade away. I remember looking outside, looking at the New York skyline... and all I saw was black smoke.

I remember the fear I felt that day. I remember sitting in my room, the news on the TV, and not being old enough (I was a freshman in high school at the time) to fully understand everything that was being said. I remember hearing the word "terrorist attacks," and I was scared. I remember news stations covering what was happening, hearing sirens, people screaming. I remember watching as people walked over the Brooklyn Bridge to get out of the city and out of harms way. I didn't know what to think. I specifically remember asking my dad "Do you think we will be attacked again? Do you think they are going to attack again tonight?" For the first time, my Dad couldn't give me a straight answer. He didn't know. Nobody knew. I lay awake in bed that night, fearing that we were going to be attacked again, only even worse. I lay awake thinking about all the people who died, all the people who didn't make it home that day, all the children who lost parents, parents who lost children, family members who lost family members, friends who lost friends. I thought about the people who lost their lives, trying to save another.

Then, I stop, and I remember how America came together and united as one. I remember attending prayer vigils, I remember hanging American flags, I remember seeing an American flag hanging from everyone's home and on everyone's car. I remember how many men and women decided to enlist in the military to fight for our country. I remember how our President at the time, President Bush, helped us not to surrender. I remember how his speechs always made me feel just a little bit safer. He reminded Americans that we were strong, and though we were knocked down, we were going to get back up, and stand up for our country. I remember people giving blood to the American Red Cross, I remember people volunteering to help out at ground zero. I remember the heroes... the NYPD, the FDNY, the military, the volunteers. I remember that though September 11th, 2001 was a horrible, horrific, tragic day...it brought America closer. It brought Americans closer.

Though it's 8 years later, the pain remains. The tears are still fresh. I still wonder to myself how ANYBODY could have planned such a horrific act of hatred.

I know that God opened his arms to everyone who lost their lives that day due to the hatred of others. I know that God wrapped his arms around the world, and comforted us all, and helped us to realize that we were going to be okay. God helped us to see that as long as we were there for each other, we would be okay.

Today, even if it's just for a minute, close your eyes, and take a moment to remember those who lost their lives that day. Remember those who lost loved ones that day. Remember the heroes. Remember the men and women who have been fighting for our country and remember their families. Most importantly... remember to pray. Pray for peace. Pray that the hatred that runs through the veins of some people runs dry and that all there is left to do is love.

September 11th, 2001 - Never, ever forgotten.

Written By: Maryann Rotondo (xitaliancutie@aol.com)

Update, Youtube, Twitter, Oh MY! =]

I am so sorry that I have neglected my blog for so long!!

I am now back with a few short updates!

I have recently started my own YouTube channel. You can visit it at http://www.youtube.com/user/pink0BSESSION . If you love it, subscribe! :] It is a makeup/vlogging channel.. so I hope you enjoy the videos I have up so far!!!

I have also recently become ADDICTED to Twitter. If you would like, please follow me on Twitter for my random where abouts and what I am doing. I also post pictures from time to time from my crazy life! =P You can follow me on twitter by going to http://www.twitter.com/mariana1987

I will be updating my blog daily now...sometimes with just random blogs, othertimes with makeup swatches, etc!

Talk to you all soon!

Peace, Love, & Pug Hugs!,
Maryann xo

Rest in Peace Bea Arthur :(

Today, we lost another beloved person/actress... Bea Arthur. Most remember her as Dorothy from the TV show "The Golden Girls" where she starred alongside Estelle Getty (who passed away July 22nd, 2008), Betty White, and Rue McClanahan. Bea Arthur was 86 years old and died at home today. She had cancer.
I am only 22 years old, but I used to watch "The Golden Girls" even as a young age, and enjoy watching the show even more now (replays on television, I also have some seasons on DVD!). "The Golden Girls" was a good, wholesome show. No violence or questionable storylines. Just a great show, with hysterical one-liners from the women, about four best friends living together. It is a show that always, and will always put a smile on my face, and I will always especially love watching Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty (Dorothy and Sophia, mother and daughter on the show) acting together. The four women created something special that can never be replaced.
The show holds a special place in my heart, as do each of the individual actresses that made the show what it was. I believe Estelle Getty was waiting at the gates of heaven for Bea Arthur this morning when she passed away. I hope all four actresses, Estelle, Bea, Betty, and Rue, know just how much joy they brought to people through their acting. Rest in Peace Bea Arthur... You will always be a "golden girl".

Peace, Love, and Pug Hugs,
MaryannXO

This Sickens Me!

I read the following story and can't help but feel sick and disgusted by this: (Here is the link to this story http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/23/bullying.suicide/index.html)

"My Bullied Son's Last Day on Earth"
by Mallory Simon
CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Eleven-year-old Jaheem Herrera woke up on April 16 acting strangely. He wasn't hungry and he didn't want to go to school.But the outgoing fifth grader packed his bag and went to school at Dunaire Elementary School in DeKalb County, Georgia.He came home much happier than when he left in the morning, smiling as he handed his mother, Masika Bermudez, a glowing report card full of A's and B's. She gave him a high-five and he went upstairs to his room as she prepared dinner.

A little later, when his younger sister called him to come down to eat, Jaheem didn't answer. So mother and daughter climbed the stairs to Jaheem's room and opened the door.Jaheem was hanging by his belt in the closet."I always used to see these things on TV, dead people on the news," says Bermudez. "I saw somebody die and to see this dead person is your son, hanging there, a young boy. ... To hang yourself like that, you've got to really be tired of something."Bermudez says bullies at school pushed Jaheem over the edge.

He complained about being called gay, ugly and "the virgin" because he was from the Virgin Islands, she said."He used to say Mom they keep telling me this ... this gay word, this gay, gay, gay. I'm tired of hearing it, they're telling me the same thing over and over," she told CNN, as she wiped away tears from her face.But while she says her son complained about the bullying, she had no idea how bad it had gotten."He told me, but he just got to the point where he didn't want me to get involved anymore because nothing was done," she said.Bermudez said she complained to the school about bullying seven or eight times, but it wasn't enough to save him."It [apparently] just got worse and worse and worse until Thursday," she said. "Just to walk up to that room and see your baby hanging there. My daughter saw this, my baby saw this, my kids are traumatized."She said Jaheem was a shy boy just trying to get a good education and make friends.

"He was a nice little boy," Bermudez said through her tears. "He loved to dance. He loved to have fun. He loved to make friends. And all he made [at school] were enemies."Bermudez said she thinks her son felt like nobody wanted to help him, that nobody stood up and stopped the bullies."Maybe he said 'You know what -- I'm tired of telling my mom, she's been trying so hard, but nobody wants to help me,' " says Bermudez.After Jaheem's death, the school board expressed condolences, saying the school staff "works diligently to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all students."

Trying desperately to understand what went wrong, Bermudez asked her son's best friend to recount what happened on the day Jaheem killed himself."He [said he was] tired of complaining, tired of these guys messing with him," Bermudez said, recalling the conversation with Jaheem's best friend. "Tired of talking, I think to his teachers, counselors and nobody is doing anything -- and the best way out is death."Allegations of such severe bullying surprises experts familiar with the school district. It's anti-bullying program was considered exemplary and includes programs to raise awareness and a specially trained liaison. Students are even asked to sign a no-bullying pledge. But other parents told CNN they have complained about bullying as well.

Despite recent strides towards preventing bullying in schools and increased awareness programs, a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network study showed that 65 percent of teens are bullied each year and most believe adults can't help them.Less than a month before Jaheem's death, a boy in Massachusetts killed himself after being bullied, harassed and called "gay."Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, says to be effective, awareness programs need to include education about the harm that can be done by teasing someone about sexuality or perceived sexuality."Anti-gay language is really the ultimate weapon for a bully who wants to degrade his or her peers," she says. "And any effective response to bullying has to take that on."Bermudez doesn't understand why the children at school couldn't learn to get along. Because of it, she'll never get to see her son grow up."My baby, that's my only boy, and I lost him now," says Bermudez. "He was my first child and ... to lose him 11 years after, he didn't live his life."

She hopes her son's death will result in positive changes that will help other kids being bullied."Those that are being bullied -- they need to talk to their parents, they need to not hold back," she says. "I lost my son and now something has to be done."


I do not even know where to begin explaining how I feel about this story. The fact that an 11 year old child commited suicide, actually took his own life, because he was being made fun of so badly at school...its truly a tradgedy.

I KNOW what it is like to be made fun of by your classmates. I went through it almost every year that I was in grammar and high school. I know everyone gets made fun of at one time or another, but there are certain kids in a class that get singled out, and made fun of, and talked about, and pointed, and laughed at. It is the worst feeling the the world walking into a place when you feel like you are all alone and like you have nobody but yourself to rely on. Thank God I had a loving family, and a few close friends who supported me and helped me through those difficult times.

Children today are nasty. They are cruel. The sad part is, it is not even entirely their fault. They grow up in homes with ignorant parents and family members, racist family members. They grow up being taught that it is OKAY to make fun of someone for their size, their ethnicity, their sexuality, their families, their religious beliefs. I never agreed with the saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me." Names DO hurt. Names DO stick with you, even when you are way out of school and way past that time in your life. Names can sometimes hurt more than a punch in the face. Nobody.. not a child, not an adult... should feel like the only way out is to take their own life. ESPECIALLY a child. A child should be able to enjoy school.
I believe we need to teach out children that are growing up that bullying, teasing, making fun of people.. its NOT right. It is NOT okay.

We live in a nation of diversity. We live our lives amongst people of different ethnicities, different colors, different religions, different sexualities, different beliefs. We should EMBRACE that. We should RESPECT each other and what we believe in. Just because a person is gay, it does not give others the right to judge them, or make fun of them, or make them feel like they are anything less then we are. We don't have to agree with another persons choices, or way of life, or beliefs, but we DO need to respect them, and let them live their life, and support them in any way we can.

I grew up a Christian. Catholic. One of my best friends is an Atheist. She knows how I feel and what I believe and vice versa. We respect each other and each others beliefs. We do not judge each other for it, we do not make each other feel like what we believe is wrong. We respect each other and we move on. It has NEVER been an issue in our friendship. The past few months, I have realized that MY own view on certain things were being affected by the people surrounding me. I believe that if a person is gay (if they CHOOSE to be gay, if they are BORN gay, whatever the case), it is my responsibility as a human being, as a Christian, to respect them, no matter what. It is not my place to tell them if they are right or wrong. It is not my place to make fun of them. It is their life. I don't have to agree with it, but I can respect them for it. Parents seem to forget that their children pick up on everything they overhear. If a child overhears their mother or father, or other family members saying "being gay is wrong, stupid, etc." or "african-americans are horrible people." or "white people are nasty, snobby, stuck up, and stupid.", they are going to think that is the RIGHT way to think and they are going to act on those beliefs that were planted into their brains.

Something has GOT to be done about bullying in schools. Having a "program" in a school telling children why bullying is wrong is not going to cut it. They need to be told the hard truth...they need to be told what bullying can do to a person... emotionally and physically. They need to be repremanded for bullying. They need to see and believe that bullying is something that will NEVER be tolerated. Parents need to talk to their children about bullying and why its wrong. They need to be HONEST with them, and tell them how EVERYONE is different. No one person is the same. Our diversity is what makes us beautiful. Bullying in schools cannot be taken lightly anymore. It has done so much harm to so many children and so many families, and we need to stand up and make a change.

Ill leave you with this question...Youre walking down the street, its pouring rain,you have an umbrella, and you see someone without an unbrella stumble and fall, dropping everything they were holding, scrambling to pick everything up and get somewhere dry...do you run past them, and ignore them, or do you stop and help them? Its not just being NICE.. its respect.. something we dont give each other often at all!

Peace, Love, and Pug Hugs,
Maryann XO

Update on Yours Truly!! :]

I know I have not blogged much lately. For those of you who are not aware, I did delete my old myspace account, so this is now my primary, and only myspace account that I have. Unfortunately, all my old blogs got deleted with it, and I forgot to save them :[ Oh well. I just wanted to give you all a brief update on me. If you don't really care, then dont read! LOL

I am finally DONE (yes, absolutely, positively DONE) with my ex-boyfriend (Boyd, for those of you who don't know his name). A lot of people have been asking me if we still talk, whats going on with us...well there is your answer. We are done. I don't speak with him anymore, I don't wish to speak with him either. Its over. We will never be together again, and I truly believe that one day, he will realize what a good thing he had with me, and his will be kicking himself in the ass because he lost it. I know that I finally feel free. I am finally able to be myself without feeling the need to hide it. Its awful that after almost 6 years, I realized that I was bascially living in someone elses shadow - letting them make decisions for me, letting them tell me who I am and who I should be, letting them tell me what is right and what is wrong. One of my best friends, Manda, sent me a link about a month or so ago, and it explained emotional abuse. I highly advise everyone out there to research that topic. It is something that I really did not believe exsisted until I read this article. NOBODY has the right to make you feel inferior, nobody has the right to make you feel like you are less than what you are, nobody has the right to make you feel like you are somehow wrong about everything. Its scary to think a person could have such control over me (or anybody for that matter!), but I have learned my lesson and I am moving forward with my head held high and a smile on my face. My heart seems to be in a good place right now. I know many have been worried about me because I have kinda been "M.I.A" since the whole Boyd situation. I guess I shut out a lot of people because I just didn't want to deal with it. But Im ok, and I know I am better off without him, and I know that this all happened for a reason. I would never have been happy in the long run if things had continued. I know I am not perfect, but I was a KICK ASS girlfriend and I put up with a lot of crap that not many other girls would put up with. One of my best yet worst personality traits is that when I love someone, I love them with all that I have, all that I am. That will never change. All I can say is THANK YOU to my family and friends who have been there for me through this awful, stressful situation. You truly realize who your real friends are when you are in a situation when you need love and support and I want you all to know I am truly thankful for having each and every one of you in my life. If it were not for my family and friends, I am not sure I would have made it through the past 3-4 months.

On a happier note, summer cannot get here quickly enough for me. I am desperate to sit/lay on the beach with the sun beating down on me and the smell of the ocean filling my nose! I was down the shore this past weekend, and seeing the beach, the ocean, the boardwalk, it made me want summer to be here NOW. I plan on getting to the beach AS MUCH as possible this summer, considering last summer I did not see the beach even ONCE!

I was going to enroll into cosmetology school for skin care this past month, but things didn't work out financially the way I needed them to, so I had to put it on the backburner for now. I now see that it happened for a reason, because I really do not know if I want to go to school for skin care or for massage therapy. I am applying for different jobs right now (I gotta get back into working!), and I figure by fall I should have some money saved up to start up school.

To clear up any "misinterpretations", LOL, I am SINGLE. I am not in a relationship with anybody right now. I am not sure if I am quite ready to get serious with anyone right now, but if the "right person" were to come along and decide to catch me as I am falling for them, I would not be completely against it. ;] Im taking things one day at a time, and whatever happens, happens.

I do ask you all to please pray for me, keep me in your thoughts, because I am STRESSED OUT... *sigh* I got a speeding ticket back in March and I am going to court for it in May. (I am SO pleading NOT GUILTY.. I was NOT doing 78 in a 55... MAYBE a 68 in a 55... but my poor car cant even handle doing 78!) Im a little bit stressed about it and I truly hope that this all works out because I don't have $300+ for a TICKET! Especially for a ticket that I did not deserve! :[ I know this is not a big deal to most, but I have never gotten anything more than a parking ticket, and I have certainly never been to court for anything, so Im a little nerous to say the least!!! I have also changed my cell phone number.

If I have not given you my new number yet, please message me and I will give it to you! I guess that is it for now... I will be blogging more lately, I promise! I know there are a few of you out there who actually ENJOY my blogs! And good Lord, there are a lot of things I want to blog about.. so until then...

Peace, Love and Pug Hugs,Maryann =]

PS- If you have a facebook or myspace, please do friend request me on there. You can also "follow" me on Twitter.com LOL.