Source: Fashion 18 (Online Archive)
Published: July 6, 2006
Author: Sarah Barrable-Tishauer
On July 6 I didn’t feel more of an adult than July 5. And how can you be labelled an adult if restrictions are put on you when trying to see your fave bands? I missed a concert a few weeks ago that would’ve been awesome except that it was 19+. What’s up with that?
I’m all up for making sure teens don’t go wild, but how can you let me vote for the future of my country but not let me make my own decisions concerning alcohol and, above all, LET A GIRL HAVE HER MUSIC! I guess it comes down to the government (and society in general) always perceiving teens as troublemakers. I can’t count the number of times I have been given dirty looks by my elders for no particular reason.
I once had an older woman yell at me on the subway for having my backpack on. Now I completely understand this rule when it’s rush hour but not when we are practically the only people in the whole subway car.
Plus, how many of us could use major chiropractic work from all the years of lugging around ridiculously heavy backpacks? My mom once weighed mine and it was about 40 pounds!
I digress—but I really am getting slightly annoyed at the amount of bad press that is out there about teens. I recently read an article in a Toronto newspaper that served as a complaining ground for fed-up adults. The article was made up of about 15 anecdotes regarding the misbehaviour of young adults. Now tell me, where are the articles where people write in about all the good things we’re doing? Where are the articles recognizing the fact that we are one of the most politically active generations of teenagers for years? Or the fact that so many of us donate more hours to do volunteer work than our elders? I know a lot of us give up our bus seats to elderly patrons before any 20-, 30- or 40-year-old does.
I am OFFICIALLY tired of our UNOFFICIAL bad rep. Teens, like any age group, will only be respectful if they feel respected. We are just waiting to be asked to step up to the plate and take the reigns. After all, we are the future.
Enough of my ranting… I OFFICIALLY had the BEST time on my vacation. Hong Kong was just as I remembered it: an absolutely beautiful, vibrant city. I could probably live there for a year and not see everything there is to see.
As you may or may not know, Hong Kong is more like an island and a coastline. The island of Hong Kong lays a short ferry ride away from Kowloon (on the coast of China), however, it is thought to be one entity and you can even take the subway from one to the other.
Kowloon is home to many famous hotels, including the infamous Peninsula Hotel (where I bumped into Ben Mulroney and his camera crew last year and ended up filming a segment with them the next day) and one link in the Canadian chain, the Four Seasons Hotel. Our hotel was right by both landmarks and is stunningly beautiful.
With a view of Hong Kong’s gorgeous skyline, the Shangri-La is a wonderful blend of east and west. In fact, that’s how I would describe Hong Kong—east meets west, land meets sea, and city meets countryside (well, not so much the last one, but within 30 minutes inland of Kowloon, you are in farming land). I love it there.
Next stop: China. Although my experience wasn’t totally fabulous since we were in the middle of nowhere and there was NOTHING to do, it was refreshing to step out of my comfort zone and experience a totally different culture. Luckily, I brought along some guilty pleasures, thanks to MTV.
I bashfully admit I spent a great deal of my spare time watching Laguna Beach, 8th & Ocean and The Hills on my computer. A girl’s got to take a break from the academic documentaries, indie films and newscasts sometimes!
Then it was back to Hong Kong for what I describe as my “Canadian birthday”—due to the time change, July 6 in China is July 5 in Canada and thus I spent my “China birthday” waiting for my mom to finish work.
It was really nice because my mom’s colleagues arranged a full-day private cruise for my mom, their small company and me. We did banana boating, wakeboarding (it’s hardly fair to say I wakeboarded, but I tried). And the best part? Octopus fishing! They aren’t those big ones with tentacles; they are little (about the size of a mango) and I CAUGHT ONE. Anyway, it was one of the best unofficial birthdays I’ve ever had.
Then it was off to Tokyo. Basically all that needs to be said about Tokyo is that it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the Japanese culture is the most beautiful I have ever known—so incredibly respectful. I just loved it.
Well, that is officially it for me for this blog, so I hope you all are enjoying your summer. It’s going by WAY to fast!
Until next time,
-Sarah Barrable-Tishauer
Archived Slideshow Captions
Editor’s Note: The original post included a link titled “Check out Sarah’s exclusive pictures from her trip.” The image files were not preserved in the archive; however, the surviving captions are preserved below..
- Caption 1: A beautifully decorated temple on an island near Hong Kong.
- Caption 2: Sarah and a sacred tree
- Caption 3: The view of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon.
- Caption 4: Sarah’s room with a view in Dongguan, China.
- Caption 5: Sarah’s pick for Tokyo’s most gorgeous temple.
- Caption 6: Beautiful Tokyo.
- Caption 7: Choosing the catch of the day for her birthday dinner in Hong Kong.
- Caption 8: Sarah’s birthday lunch in China — yes, those are Chicken Feet!
- Caption 9: Pointing to the skies at Tokyo’s Narita Airport.