(April 1, 2010) — No more cupcakes. No more balloons. “What?!” would be the reaction from most of the students. Birthdays are important, and I understand why people are so frustrated about the “banning,” but the decision is already made and students need to stop whining about it. I’m sure many people ask their friends for balloons on their birthdays—mainly girls—and I know why. The birthday girl with the huge collection of balloons catches everyone’s attention when she walks into class. Throughout the day, friends and even strangers say, “Happy Birthday!” She loves the attention, and she deserves it, because, after all, it is her birthday. Everyone who knows the birthday girl loves her because her birthday translates into free food. Even random people slyly grab a cupcake; everyone loves free food whether it’s to eat or throw it. About the throwing part, Principal Doug Dall sounded really disappointed when there was yet another food fight, and I can understand why. Cleaning blue and brown frosting off the tables and the floor is a hassle for anyone. Food fights are exciting, but a lot of food is wasted, and they do end up in a mess that no one wants to clean. It’s been a month or so since the announcement, and the complaints have died down drastically, but once in a while, I still hear people sighing, “I would bring you cupcakes, but I really can’t.” We can’t do anything about it, so people should get over the fact that cupcakes are not allowed at school. Ever since the notice Dall made about the banning of such items, I haven’t seen a single balloon around campus—they were all in the office. Sure, I’ve seen people “smuggle” in a batch of cupcakes, but they didn’t get caught. As long as they don’t start throwing the cupcakes around, I think the chances of getting caught are slim. If it’s anyone’s fault, people should blame the group of “food fighters,” but it’s not a big deal because cupcakes aren’t the only things people could bring to celebrate a birthday. If you desperately want cupcakes, sure bring them, but make sure you don’t get caught. And don’t leave a mess. The school only specified cupcakes, balloons and cakes, so does it mean that we could bring other foods like cookies? I think as long as there’s no frosting, everything else is allowed. I can live with just cookies, but at the same time, I could also live without them. I’m not going to die without cookies and cupcakes, and honestly, I don’t care. The only reason I would care is that I feel bad for my friends whose birthdays are during the school year, but I could bake them cookies instead. Bring cookies instead and stop whining. Problem solved.