Gala's Guide To Asking Questions

People write to me regularly, asking for advice on all manner of things, from “What should I wear with these shoes?” to “How should I leave my partner?” & “What can I do to get rid of my eating disorder?”. They can be serious & not-so-serious, but I field hundreds of them a week. Not all of them make it to the front page of iCiNG, simply because at the moment I could run a full-time advice service & never run out of material!

I do respond to all email to the best of my ability, but some of these questions I just can’t answer. This is usually because they are too specific, or in an area which isn’t really my specialty.

Questions which are too specific:
<3 Where can I get a good eyelash tint in Borneo?1
<3 My hair is white on one side & pink on the other, how can I fix it?2
<3 I get a lot of spots, what should I use on my face?3

1: This question is really area-specific. I haven’t been to Borneo, so I don’t know! I would suggest using Google; maybe try searching “eyelash tint” + Borneo + review. After that, try looking in newspapers & reading local magazines, ask friends & family & beauticians.
2: This question requires a lot of other information to answer correctly. For example, what colour is your hair naturally? What do you mean “fix”? Normally, when someone has a hair dilemma, I recommend going to a hairdresser. A trained professional — which I am not! I’m just a girl with pink (& sometimes purple, & sometimes blonde) hair, & I don’t even lighten it myself! I get a LOT of questions about hair but I just can’t answer them all. The few articles I have written on hair & hairstyling are available by searching my articles!
3: This question also requires more information. It’s also not something I can answer with absolute certainty, since everyone’s skin is completely different & will react in a unique way to any products used on it. Keeping your skin clear can be a major task. I suggest reading How To Adopt A New Skincare Routine, reading reviews on Cosmetics Cop & Makeup Alley, & experimenting. Good luck!

Questions which have already been answered:
<3 How do I write a good CV?1
<3 How can I choose a haircut which suits me? I have a kind of round face & my hair is sort of wavy but I have a cowlick in the front & I shaved the back off one night when I was drunk.2
<3 I don’t really like my style. Here is a picture of me, what should I wear?3

1: Read How To Make Your CV Impressive!
2: Read How To Choose A Flattering Haircut!
3: Read Top 5 Ways To Define Your Own Personal Style!

If in doubt, use the search function! It is very useful! I’ve been writing multiple articles on this website every day since December 16th 2006 — there is a lot of stuff here, & your question has probably already been addressed in some form or another. The search is located here!

Questions which revolve around you being unhappy:
<3 My boyfriend is awful to me, what can I do?1
<3 I don’t like my job, & I don’t feel like I will ever find anything else.2
<3 My mother is really bad for my self-esteem, how do I deal with it?3

1: You can’t change other people. You deserve someone who makes you happy. You should leave him.
2: There are thousands of jobs advertised every day, & even more which aren’t. Stay in your job but start looking for new ones & sending out your CV.
3: It doesn’t matter what someone’s relationship to you is, if they make you miserable, it is your responsibility to stay away from that person or to tell them that treating you this way is completely unacceptable.

Basically, if your question revolves around the premise of “I am unhappy with _____, what should I do?”, my answer is always going to be the same. If something is making you miserable, get rid of it, step away from it, go elsewhere. Disconnect from that thing. Associating with this thing (boyfriend, job, your mother) is your choice. You alone have the power to make yourself happy & to create the kind of life you have always wanted.

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If you write to me with a detailed problem & then ask me not to mention it on iCiNG, unfortunately I’m only going to be able to give you a very short answer. When I respond to a question in an article, it helps thousands of people. Writing a detailed response to Mary Sue, & only Mary Sue, is wonderful for her, but is definitely not the most efficient way of doing things! You may feel like you are the only person in the world who could possibly have this problem, but I assure you, you are not! All the advice I publish is anonymous (unless otherwise discussed) so you don’t have to worry about your best friend discovering your secret identity!

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If I don’t have the answer to a question you’ve asked me, I might direct you to Google. Google is an amazing tool, & if you want to find the answer to a question, you need to know how to use it properly! Here are some articles which might be able to help you.

<3 Tips for Searching Effectively with Google
<3 Google Help: Advanced Search
<3 Google Guide
<3 20 Great Google Secrets

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Having said all of that… I do love to hear from everyone who reads iCiNG! I have always said that it is the interaction between all of us that makes iCiNG such a wonderful place to be, & I maintain that! So, feel free to send me your thoughts or questions... as long as it’s not about fixing your multi-coloured hair! ;D

Major pink kisses,