"Guarana? Tsk, tsk."

You know that 5 Hour Energy commercial? I know you do. It talks about how bad guarana is. Well actually, it talks about how the other pick-me-up drinks have guarana - "tsk tsk."

My mom and I were watching TV when this commercial came up. She asked, "what's guarana?" My response was: "I don't know. I've been wondering that for awhile now."

So here come in my two favorite sources, GOOGLE and Wikipedia. My findings were shocking: guarana is a seed that comes from a plant native to the Amazon and Brazil. It has three times as much caffeine as a coffee bean.

Funny, according to 5 Hour Energy's ingredients, the formula includes caffeine. So why is the ad dissing guarana?

Furthermore, and this is my favorite part, taking 37.5mg or 75mg (based on studies) of guarana increases memory retention, alertness, mood, physical endurance, and other general cognitive effects. Tests were done both on rats AND humans.

"Other laboratory studies showed antioxidant and antibacterial effect, and also fat cell reduction from chronic intake of guarana."

Well, guarana doesn't sound so awful to me. Does it sound that bad to you? Just remember the power of advertising and bogus suggestions that people assume to be true or just don't give any second thought to.

*One negative side effect is that guarana CAN cause seizures in SOME people in excessive amounts. I feel common sense is one huge thing to have and anybody who drinks too much soda or caffeine or anything like that is pretty much asking negative things to come to them.

Do you believe in ghosts?

I'm not sure if I do or don't. I've had two experiences I can't deny.

One was when the drop down cupboard things in my closet started swinging back and forth with no provocation.

The other time was when I was in my grandma's condo and there was this floating sound that kept changing. It actually woke me up. First it sounded like a telephone and then as it came up the stairs towards my room, it turned into clicks. This experience was pretty long. I was NOT about to get out of the bed, but somehow I could, like, communicate with it. You probably think I'm crazy, but I remember checking to make sure I was awake. And after it went away, I did go to the bathroom, and if I did that in my sleep, I would've pissed the bed.

So it's weird to think about because that must mean there is something after death, right? I'm not a religious person, so I don't really have any idea what happens after death, as does anyone. But maybe ghosts prove there is a god. and a heaven. and a limbo.

Alternatively, it could just mean that the energy from our brains stays together as a spirit and just lingers around the earth. I learned in physics that energy is not wasted, just transferred.

But maybe, just maybe, ghosts don't exist. I think that's one of our biggest unsolved mysteries, along with how the universe came about and what's REALLY out there.

And if ghosts don't exist, then that means that I must be crazy. But logically, I can't be, because crazy people don't realize that they are crazy.

So, the question of the night: do YOU believe in ghosts?