06.26.08

Yearbooks, Anyone?

Posted in Way Back Playbacks tagged , , , at 3:36 am by Jerika Zeta-Narag

So I stumbled upon some yearbooks whilst cleaning around and had the craziest flashbacks ever. I looked over the pictures and realized that my elementary school days were marked and run by trends. There were so many of them, I’ve decided to list them here:

10 Things I Had to Have When I Was In Grade 8:

  • A Gap Anorak Windbreaker: Okay, these things were baggy, uncomfortable rain coats, basically, but I begged my mom to get me one. And when she did, mine never quite fit me properly. The sleeves were too short and the colour was too blue.
  • A Gap Backpack: Yeah… Gap was a huge company back in the day. I remember a specific style of backpack that every girl needed to have. I’m not sure why…
  • Gap Perfume (particularly the Heaven and Dream scents): I still think these perfumes smell great. But back when I was a kid, these smells were to die for.
  • Flared Jeans/GAP Khaki Pants: It puzzles me to this day why the current generation of grade 8-ers haven’t embraced the GAP company as enthusiastically as mine did.
  • CDs by Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, N*Sync: My teenage years began during the height of pop music’s fame. I remember enjoying each one of the bands thoroughly. I still kind of do. And by kind of, I mean totally.
  • Boobs: Being skinny and awkward, I never quite blossomed out as fully as my peers. Boobs are everything to a self-concious thirteen year old. Did I resort to stuffing my training bra? Yes. Yes I did.
  • A Boyfriend: This was the big one and the thing that preoccupied my mind the most when I was in grade 8. Who, when, and how. I might’ve targeted nearly every boy in my grade.
  • An Asian Avenue Account: Asian Avenue back then was the facebook of the times… for asians that is. It was how we asians connected, stalked, and caught up with other fellow asians.
  • A Space Maker: This bulky, plastic, and really inconvenient containers for all my school shit were THE pencilcases of my time. Not only did they ironically take up a ridiculous amount of desk room, but they also sat like rocks in my GAP backpack, also taking up a lot of room.
  • A Club Monacco Sweater: Like GAP, Club Monacco also was inexplicably popular. It was just a simple sweater. Nothing special about it. But every girl had to have it. Still don’t know why.

    • So that’s the list of why grade 8 was hell for me.

    06.22.08

    Me In A Box… Of Conclusions.

    Posted in True Randomosities at 6:46 am by Jerika Zeta-Narag

    I’ve come to a conclusion: I’m in love with the unattainable. If I can’t have it, I’m all over it.

    I’ve also come to another conclusion: I’m incredibly, whole-heartedly vain. I have agendas. I am probably using you to get something I want. I’m an evil person.

    I hate children… I can only take them in small doses. I can’t imagine ever having any.

    I’m obsessed with you. And I don’t even know you. If you only knew how much I liked you. No person should ever be told that someone is obsessed over them. It does terrible things to one’s character. Thus you shall never know. Or maybe you already do?

    I think about getting old all the time. It’s going to happen. I’m going to look back on my twenties and smile: “Oh… the boys I could have had then…”

    I crave–yet am terrified of–attention. Look at me! But don’t…

    That’s enough for one day.

    06.19.08

    She Be Bushin’ It

    Posted in Adventures tagged , , , at 1:36 am by Jerika Zeta-Narag

    In an intrepid effort to make more friends, I eagerly accepted an invitation to Dianne’s cottage up in Parry Sound. While going up to relax and get away at some other person’s cottage may not sound like something that requires bravery, I’d have to say that in this particular instance, there was an exception. See, it wasn’t just Dianne and I up there. She was bringing up her other two friends who she’s known for years upon years. And not only have these girls grown up together, but they’ve travelled together all over the place. So they were uber close. And it was in this closely-knit threesome I was willingly diving headlong straight into, not really knowing what to expect.

    Okay, so I had a few expectations: complete and utter awkwardness. Did this happen? Fortunately, only in small bursts and very infrequently. So it turned out better than I had thought it would go. Did I make an awesome expectation upon these two girls? Probably not. I was really quiet and awkward and unfamiliar whilst they giggled and reminisced over endless memories. But such a thing doesn’t quite matter. They were awesome girls and I had a great time. I just wished I wasn’t so socially retarded around females.

    How was Jerika’s first cottaging experience? Fucking awesome!!! I loved it. Took a million pictures. Would’ve taken more had I hadn’t felt so shy around the other girls. We went fishing, made a bonfire/s’mores, played boardgames, and swam. All of the typical cottage shit. I’m so glad my parents have decided to loosen the leash.

     

    After getting back, I made plans with Joshua. Such an awesome dude. God needs to make more of these. Went on a mini adventure through Toronto. On the way home, ran into beautiful Adam. Love/miss him. Good people exist on this world, and I feel so honoured to have met them.

    06.14.08

    Little Racists On The Prairie And The Genius Who Is Orwell

    Posted in Books tagged , , , , , at 5:56 am by Jerika Zeta-Narag

    So I’ve been rereading some childhood favourites that’ve been collecting dust over the past couple of years. After breezing through Scott O’dell’s wonderful Island of the Blue Dolphins, I craved the type of easy literature that didn’t ask too much from the reader… just for them to enjoy it. Children’s literature provided me the satisfaction I was looking for and I immediately dove into Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House series. However, I couldn’t help but feel a little perturbed this time around. Although I’ve read the books many a time, I couldn’t help but notice the blatant racist commentary smattered throughout the books. I’m only on the second one in the series, the iconic Little House on the Prairie, and just couldn’t help but notice all the references to “savage Indians.” One particular disturbing scene involved Laura’s father promising her that he’d be able to find and show her an Indian ”papoose”–what Indians apparently called their babies. The charming songs that Laura’s Pa sing throughout the books even reveal the sentiments America’s southern frontiersmen felt towards black people:

    “There was an old darkey
    And his name was Uncle Ned,
    And he died long ago, long ago.
    There was no wool on the top of his head,
    In the place where the wool ought to grow.”

    Don’t take me wrong, I love these books, but it disturbs me a little that children read these things. Why can’t all childrens books be like Orwell’s Animal Farm? Some might debate that Orwell’s classic satire is anything but a children’s book. But the original title did have the words, A Fairy Story, attached before English publishers dropped it believing at the time that there wasn’t a market for children’s books. The text is simple and straightforward. Had I been introduced this novella as a child I certainly would have read it. I’m also rereading this book and rediscovering what an amazing writer Mr. Orwell is.

    On a side note, I love my cat.

     

    The first picture looks like she took it.

    And allow me to introduce you to a new friend I made a couple days ago:

     

    His name is Kyle. Due to a surge of hormones brought on by my period, my friend has decided to take residence on my forehead and will probably be there for awhile.

    06.12.08

    Born Anew

    Posted in True Randomosities at 5:49 am by Jerika Zeta-Narag

    I’ve wavered in and out of the blogosphere back when Livejournal was popular… and now I’ve been bitten by the blogging bug yet again. As I feel the years of my youth starting to pass, I feel I need to record them. To keep them with me and somehow engrain myself into history. Seeing as how I won’t be starring in any movies anytime soon or publishing any future best-sellers, I must be content with recording the nuances of my life in my little corner of cyberspace. So here goes another round of blogging! Let’s see how long I’m able to keep this up.