The beautiful province of British Columbia. How can you not love it? It is so full of diversity - forests, oceans, gorgeous scenery and fresh air - all make a part of the westermost province of Canada. Hello all! I am Miss teen British Columbia and I am honored to take you on a little tour across the area I live in.
As many of you may already know, I am originally from Russia. Yet at the age of 12 I was given the privillege to reside in the city of Vancouver. Why Vancouver? Well...it is a city, full of opportunities. You into soccer? There are numerous soccer fields. Enjoy tennis? Well there are dozens of tennis courts all over the city and at least 4 prestigious country clubs. I, personally, am aa member of the Hollyburn Country Club, found in West Vancouver.
Vancouver is a unique city, really! The Pacific Ocean, snow-covered mountains and humongous forests all work together to create a coastal city on the lower mainland of British Columbia with the mildest, most -- suitable for living -- type of climate. On top of all that, Vancouver is a Cosmopolitan city. Belioeve it or not, but the stores found downtown are no worse than those on Fifth Avenue of the New York City. Whether you are looking for high fashion brands, such as Christian Dior or Roberto Cavalli or what not, or whether you are looking for something simple and playful, like Aritzia (one of the most popular stores in town at present)
all you have to do is walk the streets of Robson or Granville, and are sure to be left satisfied.
What are some of my favorite pastimes in Van? Well...in the winter, as unextraordinary as it sounds, I enjoy skiing. But such activities as dogsleding, snowmobile-riding and, of course, snowboarding are also relatively popular.
Now summer is when it truly gets exciting as there countless things to do! To begin with, there are such "Plain Jane" activites as bowling, going to the movies -- the usual! But then there are also the out-of-the-ordinary activities. What activities might that be, you shall ask. These include: biking around the picturesque Stanley Park, where you can enjoy the view of the ocean as well as the famous Lions Gate Bridge ; enjoying all different sorts of fresh seafood and such (probably my favorite activity!);and last but not least, Cliff Jumping! Sounds risky, eh? Plus, you may think: "But the water is freezing"! Well hear me out, my friend! In the summer, when the temperature gets up to 30 degrees Celcius, the water does not feel cold at all. And on top of that, the feeling of adrenaline when you are jumping off a 10-meter cliff prevents you from getting cold. Be careful with low-tides, however!
So if you ever feel like going for something fun, yet extreme, call up Miss Teen British Columbia and I will show you the best places to have fun.
Vancouver is really a one-of-a-kind place and I am proud to be living here. So, dear reader, feel free to make a simple "note to self" at this moment, regarding visiting Vancouver, because it is the one epic city to come visit!

As you all probably know, something very common among teenagers is - skin blemishes, also known as pimples or zits. What are these so-called zits? They are the produce of our hormonal system. While break-outs are super irritating and unattractive, they are almost inevitable at this age. Yet, there are many ways to fight them and I, having had 3 years of exprience of fighting pimples, would like to share with you some of the methods to keep your skin as clean and healthy-looking as possible.

I would like to start off with saying the one thing many of us have heard many times: "Do not pick on your pimples!" No matter how mild or severe your acne is, it is very bad for your skin to pick on it. Why? Well because, first of all, pimples go away faster if you apply treatment on them instead of popping them. Secondly, by picking in your pimples, you can spread bacteria on your face and new pimples are likely to pop up again in the same area on your face where you previously popped a pimple. And last but not least, by picking on a fresh pimple, you can damage your skin tissue and form a scab, which takes a long time to heal. Often, deep scabs leave can leave little scars on your face. If you are a pimple-popper, I can feel your pain. You probably hate the notion of having bumps on your skin, and you are ready to spend hours trying to exterminate those little bumps on your skin, even if it leaves you with scabs. However, you have to understand that what ou are doing right now will harm you in the future. Pimples will go away sooner or later, but the little scars will likely stay there forever. Now is the time to tell yourself: "Stop picking!" Sure, it will be hard to get rid of a habit you got so accustomed to, but if I could do it, so can you! I used to be a crazy pimple-popper, willing to sit by the mirror in the washroom for hours every single day trying to beat the unbeatable. I never had severe acne, but the scabs I formed myself actually appeared like acne and I made matters much worse by picking on my skin. But that was until I found the perfect treatments for my skin, which have helped me tremendously! And I would love to tell you what these magic treatments are!

The best sin treatment products today are those that contain Salicylic Acid as an active ingredient, or Sulphur. The best brands to use for skin treatment that contain these ingridients are Murad and Dermalogica. In Canada, you can find these products in Sephora or online. Brands like Neutrogena, Clearasil, Clean and Clear, etc do not help much, unfotunately. If your acne is relatively bad, then you can try products with Benzoyl Peroxide and even antibiotics. If you are to try something with BP, then I would not suggest the famous proactive. My syggestion is to get your family doctor to prescribe you Clindoxyl Gel. It will not make your skin as dry as Proactive. Yet, you still have to be careful with the amount you apply. It can make your skin flaky and itchy if you over-do it! If you are one of those people, who is very embarrassed of their acne, you can certainly try doing a laser treatment. But first, consult your family doctor or a skin care specialist.

Remember that it is very important to keep your skin clean,even if you are one of those people who only get one pimple per month. The best skin cleansers I know of are Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, Dermalogica Clean Start, designed specially for teenagers, any of the Murad cleansers or, actually, the Renewing Cleanser by Proactive.

Do not over-stress about your acne. Most teenagers have it, but it goes away. It is important to take as best care as possible of your skin by using the right cleansers and applying the right treatments and your acne will take care of itself (:

On April 16th, we had an assembly at my high school. I thought it would be one of those boring school assemblies we are all forced to attend. I happened to be wrong, however, because it was one of the most unforgettable and touching events i have ever been to. The guest speaker talked to us about risk-taking - a topic some would find fascinating but others would find needless and boring. It was no ordinary guest speaker, though, and she got the attention of every single student in the room.
To my embarrasment, I do not remember her name, but what I do remember was that she was in a wheel-chair. She was this beautiful 26-year old blonde girl, who had to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair since the age of 12. "How so?" you might wonder. Well, her story went like this:
"When I was about 12, me and my mother were once driving home from my soccer practice when we passed by the scene of an awful car accident. That was when I thought: 'We are so lucky to have avoided this kind of tragic fate' Little did I know that in mere moments, we would end up in an accident ourselves. I do not remember the accident itself, but I do remember waking up in a hospital a few days after the accident, chords and wires all over my body. I had an excrutiating headache and I could not feel my legs. I could not understand what was happening, and I wanted to know where my mommy was. When I first saw my dad, I did not even ask him what had happened. I only asked him where my mom was. My father then took my hand, and told me about the accident, as well as my mother's tragic death. While he was barely fighting away tears, I did not cry. I was in complete shock - 'How am I ever going to live without my mom' I just thought. But the most awful news was yet to come. As I was saying, I could not move or feel my body. My legs were espacially numb. But somehow, I thought I would get better. Yet, days passed and nothing improved. Eventually, the doctors told me I had damaged something in my spine and my legs had been paralised, which meant I would never be able to walk again. 'How would I live though? What am I going to do? How am I going to play sports? I knew my life would never be the smae again...' "
At that point, I realized how fortunate I am: I have both healthy parents, and both my legs, both my arms. Being able to walk is a privilege on its own. We take so many things in our lives for granted, while there is so much to be happy about and to appreciate. Drastic changes in our lives can happen in no time, but the consequences can last forever. We should appreciate all wwe have because we never know when we are going to lose it. This goes out to all of you, risk-takers: be careful! Some people take risks, because it makes them feel more "alive", I understand. But we all should have an understanding of what we are capable of doing and what would be too dangerous for us. If you are to take risks, be a smart-risk taker. No matter what, live life to the fullest. Love what you have, strive to acomplish all your goals, and live every day to its fullest!