Maria Grigoreva // :)

Goes by: Masha, Masha Kasha, Mashulya
Is: a Turkman princess
Age: 17 years young
Wants to be: a professional actress when she grows up. But first, Masha says she wants to "get a college degree first." Then she might "do acting part time, if [she] really loves her job."

Five random memories with Masha:
1. I first met Masha upstairs in Dobbins. This was when I had a humongous crush on ____ and he was downstairs with the twins. For some reason, Masha was upstairs talking online to ____ and to be honest, I was insanely jealous! But she was not interested and for that, I was thankful.
2. Last year during dance production, we went to Taco Bell between shows. Masha REALLY needed some Advil and other various things from the drugstore so we drove to Long's Drugs and she ran inside. After yelling insanely loud for what she needed for she was in great pain, she rushed to the bathroom and then sprinted back and slammed her opened products on the conveyor belt. Masha sure knows how to get what she wants! :)
3. We spent her seventeenth birthday at Pasta Pomodoro in Santana Row and wandered around SR late at night talking about random things. We all looked like bums except Masha in her pretty coat and curled hair. We feared leaving her to wait for her mother in case she would be harassed by the perverts in front of Valencia.
4. Track season.
5. All this year in yearbook! She is always willing to help, even if it's not yearbook related such as cleaning our ridiculous shelf and buying me food. She's also one of the best designers and a very very good artist! :) I am thankful for her.

Finally, a word from Masha about her experience at Harker high. Thinking for a bit, Masha concludes that she doesn't regret coming to Harker at all. However, she laughs, "Don't get the idea that I like Harker." She decided that our school "shields us from the real world" and we're also too "clap-happy." Agreed. All of this aside, she feels as though Harker has really "prepared [her] for college."
What she loves about Harker is the fact that she "can be friends with such different groups of people and eat lunch with different people every day and it's not weird, I love my friends."

So, be like Masha and eat with different people everyday! :)

SOSr// bffl

2009

Goes by: SOSr
Is: a group of four girls
Age: almost 6 years
Wants to be: together in the future

The adventures of the SOSr
1. Once, on a rainy day in the summer, we were huddled in Ana's treehouse (which isn't really in a tree) burning incense candles and eating candy. We decided that we wanted to roast marshmallows and I proceeded to eat about 5 incense-roasted marshmallows and breathed flowery perfumey breath for the next two days. It was disgusting.
2. One summer, Ana came home and we decided to go to the movies. However, she had no American money in her house, so we spent an hour scouring her house for whatever we could find. We managed to scrape up about 22 dollars in coins and one five dollar bill. The tickets were 24. We wandered to the movies anyway (late) and convinced the woman to let us in. We paid in little plastic baggies of coins and she held us hostage until Ana's mother picked us up and paid for the rest of the tickets. We watched Step Up in case you were curious.
3. We spent a weekend at Seascape Villas for Ana's 16th birthday and ate poisonous berries. We also met Christo on that trip, Ana liked him but she thought he was 40 when he was actually 21. He let us take a picture of him before taking us to our room on the golfcart.
4. The rest of our stories are either too dull, inside jokes, or unsuitable to be posted on this blog.

Simi Megan and I met in Ms. Martinez's homeroom (Ana was next door in Garcia) and my life was never the same after meeting these three girls. We saw a lot of friendships fall apart through 8th grade and then through 9th grade and through the rest of high school but even though Megan left Harker for MV, our friendship remains strong to this day!

On a rainy June afternoon the summer before 9th grade, we initiated our sisterhood. Yes, we were inspired by The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but we didn't have a pair of pants that fit all of us. We had something else (that will remain secret, you can guess...) and we decided that it was an apropriate summer because it was our last summer all together. That was what differentiated us from Lena, Bridget, Tibby, and Carmen.

Over three years, the travelling ____ has gone to Spain, New York, Hong Kong, and various other places around the world, and has brought luck, fortune, love, and each other, wherever we go.

We already planned out our future a good 6 years ago, we're all going to marry rich men and live in the suburbs like desperate housewives, KIND OF. Aha. Just kidding. Either way, further down the road, we'll end up together somehow!

Now, we are close to embarking on the next big adventure of our lives, college! I don't know if we'll be together or super far apart, but distance doesn't matter.

Multiple Feature! Kind of...

To celebrate (or cry about) college decisions, which are coming back by the truckload, here are my favorite "it's okay that you didn't get into ___, Steff-o"

1. "It's okay Steff-o, they're hecka dumb. YOU GOT A 23SOMETHING ON YOUR SAT HOW COULD THEY REJECT YOU? If anything they were like 'Oh dang this girl is too good for our school....to save face we're going to reject her when we secretly can not behold the awesomeness of this one'"
Sean Feng
2. "You can get into any school you choose as long as you did what I told you to do, stapling your picture onto your application!"
Sean Feng
3. "___ is poop. You don't even want to go there. Dude, don't even trip. ___ sucks, have you seen their football team? It's the laughing stock of the east coast, they got nothing to be proud of. SO IT'S ALL GOOD ___ > ____, ARASOO?
Albert Chen
4. "Me too."
Anon.

Good night, I promise a good update tomorrow....

Gerard Hans Glasauer // RONK!

(Photos coming later!)

Goes by: Gerry Glasauer, Jehree
Is: a llama
Age: 14 years young
Wants to be: a professional elephant rider or an "Aztec guy who dances in the back of those truck beds" when he grows older. Gerry decided that "if [he] rode elephants, [he] would be called Jefferson the elephant rider."

Three point five "closely guarded sekr3t[s]" about Gerry Gee:
1. When he doesn't laugh for an hour, it builds up and when he hears something mildly funny, he "EXPLODE[S]! into laughter."
2. He once drank toilet water just to try it.
3. He can literally spend hours staring at the wood on his desk. And breathing. Because he is fascinated with the real quality of the wood but "[it] feels plasticy." He claims that it's "cuz of the weird moose poop they put on the wood to make it appealing to old ladies but it's effing amazing."
3.5. He likes to pretend that everyone at school is his friend and when he hugs them, they either (a) give him a weird look and then accepts it, or (b) give him a weird look then run away. "It's not weird for me, I enjoy it" he comments.
He offers some advice, "hug the squishiest person within a ten foot radius unless it's a teacher, then that's a nono!"

Those who don't know Gerry will assume that he's just a goofy little kid looking for some mischievous fun in the hallways. However, not many people know just how multi-faceted little Gerry really is! Although he is most known for the strange sounds that come out of his mouth and the weird phrases he invents to confuse people, there is more than meets the eye.

For example,
1. When I am sad, Gerry is the perfect listener! And gives really really good advice and can ALWAYS make me laugh. So if you're looking for a pick-me-up after an awful day, Gerry can always make you heipi! :)
2. When I am happy, Gerry is also really good at being happy with me! Although he has strange ways of conveying his emotions/feelings, he always manages to put a smile on my face.

So if you need a friend to talk to or laugh with (at) GERRY is your man!

However, Gerry claims that we do not share a friendship, he is actually an undercover doctor posing as a high school student whose job is to try and diagnose "[my] broked butts" (See blog banner).
He jokes. This is how Gerry really feels:

"Our friendship is similar to the friendship shared by Rob and Big. You, a rather heavyset black male play the role of "Big Black" and me, a skinny white guy who likes skateboards plays the role of Rob Dydrek."

Gerry Quotes:
-LOLOLOLOL I IS A CAT!!!! - zach
-HAKUNA MATATA!
-"Steff-o I found you a butt doktor to ficks yur broked butts"

Last of all, don't forget his life philosophy:
"Dun wry, it's k"

Alex Creasman // The seventh day

Goes by: Alex James Creasman
Is: a jolly leprachaun! and an aries.
Age: 16 years young
Wants to be: something perhaps involved in environmental science and a bit of history when he grows older. He thinks that next year "will be a good exploration" but most of all, he wants to be young. When he grows older.

5.5 Random things about Alex Creasman
1. His favorite food is chicken neck sausage. He also rather enjoys shrimpie cheesies and Madeleines. Alex describes shrimpie cheesies as "a mixture of shrimp meat, cheese and chopped green onion backed on little baguette slices. SO good."
2. Half of his clothes belonged to his brother. Also, once upon a p.e. period in 4th grade, poor little Alex was incessantly mocked for his garrish heart boxers. "I made the dumb mistake of shopping for boxers around Valentine's day," Alex admits, "and Old Navy only had themed boxers."
3. Alex tends to migrate in his sleep. He often becomes sleepy at night and in order to finish his homework, moves to the floor to avoid the distraction of his computer. However, he always manages to "[pass] out and mysteriously wake up the next morning in [his] bed, fully clothed, completely stressed out, and with no clue."
4. He is embarrassed by his astoundingly large collection of bad hip hop music he has on his itunes from a few years ago. He was given 150 dollars to spend on music and [he] went out and spent it all, then later realized that the music was s__. FHL! :)
5. Alex's proudest fashion moment was when he "was complimented by the black male barista at Starbucks in Oakridge mall."
5.5. "[He] happens to continue to have _____________ even though [he shouldn't]"

Today, Alex Creasman "thought it was Wednesday all day."

ALL THE SINGLE LADES,
He would also like you all to know that he is 5'10" and 116 pounds of available. His locker number is #1089, feel free to leave an anonymous note!

And with that, I bid you adieu!

Michelle Lo // Favorite.

Goes by: Michelle Lo, MLO
Is: super duper cute!
Age: 14 years young
Wants to be: a fairy or a DINOSAUR when she grows older! But because she has 3 years to decide what she really wants to spend the rest of her life doing, she's unsure at the moment. However, she might consider becoming one of "those super cool people who get to ride on those machines and clean windows on skyscrapers."

I could immediately tell that little 8th grader Michelle would fit right in with the Talon family after her interview last spring. She was loud, quirky, and had a good sense of humor. However, we then proceeded to lose her phone number and fail to properly accept her into our yearbook community.

It is a good thing we found her number.
Although she is still bitter.

MLO is only a freshman, but I know she will go far! In her own words, she hopes that by this time senior year, she will have "gotten into college [and] know what [she] wants to do as [her] major maybe." In terms of college, she's thinking that she will probably go out of state but perhaps not as far as the east coast, "it's too coolld."
And last but not least, she wants to have accomplished something I have so far failed to do, "by the time [she's] a senior [she doesn't] want to be having to worry about much." "Oh and I better have my license by then," she says.

But alas, I know I will miss little Michelle dearly when I depart from the haven of Harker next fall. We have grown closer through her dedication to the yearbook as well as through her supreme talent at being an amazing friend! I know that when I am having a terrible day, I can always count on her cute smile to brighten my mood.
But we were never always like this, it was only after she got over her bitter resentment at the fact that we neglected to inform her of her acceptance to the Talon did she open up.

Welll I think in your case, the phrase "never judge a book by its cover" holds completely true. At first at my interview, you and Deniz were super quiet and those first few meetings and stuff but I think as I started to get to know you and you were in my class, I guess, well I saw you in your "natural habitat." You are the for sure opposite of quiet.

She makes me sound animalistic. But it is a good thing she has discovered me in my "natural habitat" for I am lucky to have a friend like Michelle!

Won Hee Lee // Oppa ♥

Goes by: Won Hee Lee, Won, Juan, Juanes
Is: a geek/the first guy on my blog!
Age: 17 years young
Wants to be: happy when he grows older

Jack Johnson-"Do you remember?"

Do you remember when we first met?
I sure do it was some time in early September

First impressions
I thought that the girls made too big of a deal out of Won Hee Lee/Juan. I discovered that ____ had a crush on him and she insisted that we stalk him at the Homecoming dance. That was how our friendship began. He claims that he actually saw me before, at matriculation "when [he] didnt know anyone and [I was] all excited and shouting and stuff." I do not recall this.

But we mostly met through a mutual friend (Willionaire).
It sucks to owe something to William Lin.

Though you were lazy about it, you made me wait around
I was so crazy about you, I didn't mind

True story.
Kinda :D

So I was late for class, I locked my bike to yours
It wasn't hard to find, you'd painted flowers on
Guess that I was afraid that if you rolled away
You might not roll back my direction real soon

Best friends
I would laugh so hard if you had flowers painted on your bike.
Won and I became best friends forever when track season rolled around. Running around in circles for three hours doesn't sound like the best bonding experience but we were together, always. Baseball games, track meets, intervals (death), even barfing for the first time ever after a workout! Won was (sometimes unfortunately -_-) there for it all :). "I'm not sure," Won muses about why we are such good friends, "because we're like the best people in the world."

Well said.

Well, I was crazy about you then and now
The craziest thing of all, over ten years have gone by
And you're still mine, we're locked in time
Let's rewind

Favorite memories
2006
My guy friends suspected that I had a teeny tiny crush on Won so whenever he wandered by in Dobbins, Sean Mandell would yell "STEFF-O, THERE'S WING TING LING!" He never quite got his name correct....
I attended a varsity football game with Kaytee one night and I sat with Won, the waterboy (teehee) and that was the first time Mr. Daren ever made fun of us.
2007
His sister had a pink princess jump house for her 7th birthday. What a lucky girl!, Homecoming!
2008
Prom........, Yearbook party
2009
Everything.
"The [times] where we just hang out and talk," says Won Hee.

Do you remember when we first moved in together?
The piano took up the living room
You played me boogie-woogie I played you love songs
You'd say we're playing house now you still say we are

He plays the guitar
He claims he never began to play guitar because of girls, which is probably the case 92374983.6% of the time. Instead, he says he plays because he enjoys it "and it's something [he's] good at."
If he could serenade a girl with any song, it would have to be "Mario Kart love song. Because it's cute."

We built our getaway up in a tree we found
We felt so far away though we were still in town
Now I remember watching that old tree burn down
I took a picture that I don't like to look at

Promises
Won and I take a lot of pictures together that I do not like to look at, like our prom picture! I hope he's burned it already. I suspect this is because we are not very photogenic together. Which is why we must take Purikura, everyone looks good in those.
This brings me to his list of promises he has yet to fulfill!
1. Take me to Korea
2. Take Purikura (aha!)
3. Watch a chickflick Check! (He definitely enjoyed "He's Just Not That into You")

Well all these times they come and go
And alone don't seem so long
Over ten years have gone by
We can't rewind, we're locked in time
But you're still mine
Do you remember?

It's a good thing I met Won. I'm not quite sure where I would be without him.
He makes me a better person :)











Until next time (tomorrow...)!

Naomi Amanda So // Mei Mei!

Goes by: Naomi So, Naynay, Wei Wei
Is: taking over :)
Age: 15 years young
Wants to be: a professional skydiver when she grows older, although she "[is not] so sure -____-"

Introducing the 2009-2010 Talon yearbook editor-in-chief! NAOMI SO :)

We were rudely awoken at 7:40AM in a New York hotel room to several loud, obnoxious bangs on the door. Natalie So yanking the door open, blinking through her sleep-deprived eyes. There stood little Naomi-wearing NATALIE'S sweater (actually, it was their father's, but Natalie wanted to bring it along and had no room in her suitcase so she made Naomi take it for her and Naomi decided to take advantage of this arrangement).

Chaos ensued.

Little did I know that this feisty little freshman-to-be could also be the docile and sweet Naomi (HAHAHA) I know today.

My first impression of her was how pretty she looked in her myspace profile picture (I'm not a creeper...). Laughing, Naomi recalls my sophomore track season, remembering me "basically [as] the girl who always hung around won." Our friendship had humble beginnings.

As time progressed, we began to get to know each other. Now, we are as close as two peas in a pod! Naomi describes our friendship in three simple words: fantastic, weird, and stupendous. She claims that although we are the best of friends, "if an outsider looks at us they won't think we're friends because [you attack] me when I'm trying to sing for [you]."

FOR A VIDEO OF HER SERENADE, visit my facebook profile please! It is quite the treat for the ears.

Reasons why Naomi is amazing and spectacular:
1. No explanation avaible. She just is!

TO DO for Naomi and Steffo,
-Find our inner super fly samurai
-Review our "our boyfriend must" lists

Closing stories, directly from Naomi's Europe journal:

"So, we went to walk around for awhile shopping and strolling. These two Italian guys said hi to me and Steffo. It was so funny. I didn't even hear them. Then Steff wanted to pretend we were les so they would go away cuz they were following us. We also saw this cute tan Asian guy with his sister's girly backpack THE END."

"Basically, Steffo, Tianna, and I went to the Toyota dealership and Steffo saw a cute Asian guy go upstairs, so we follow (yes, we're stalkers) and upstairs, they were doing this ikebana flower thing. The lady who was in charge asked if we wanted to do it. So we did. It was quite funny. The lady made a fool of Steffo and stuff and we found out the guys were from Oregon..." And the story continues.

I hope you all know that we're friends with that guy now. On facebook.

GOOD NIGHT!

Simran Mazloom // BFFL

Goes by: Simran Mazloom
Is: clearly very photogenic
Age: 17 years young
Wants to be: a belly dancer when she grows older

Almost 6 long years ago, I met Simran Mazloom outside of Room 51, Ms. Martinez's homeroom.
Our first conversation was after P.E. class. Simi claims our relationship was "based off of Andy Roddick. " Since then, our friendship has blossomed into something beautiful, "our love for him bloomed into love for each other."
Although I have always been blessed with wonderful friends, Simran is my go-to person. Whether it be grades, boys, or God, she is always there for me! Though we see each other everyday, we also write emails to each other. "Boys pretty much dominate our pages and pages of email," she explains, "we know exactly who the other one likes, for how long, and when [she] started."
Ever since seventh grade, our goal was to attend college together and become roommates. Now, with senior year coming to a close, we know that is not as easy as it seems. However, no matter how far Simran is, she will always be close in my heart.

Fun stories about Simran!
1. She had a crush on the vice president of our homeroom and we called him AS, which stood for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, we knew Arnold was the governator.
2. Once, her brother came in and exclaimed "Simran! You have guests over and you don't even pick up your underwear??" and she responded with "AMIT. At least it matches my wallpaper." Her wallpaper is blue, if you were curious.
3. In 8th grade, we stayed up 'till 3AM in our cabin on Catalina Island. We really needed to urinate, but this massive storm was raging outside and it also sounded as if there were bears surrounding our cabin.
4. Also in 8th grade, I helped her sneak a love letter to her crush in his math notebook. He read it. Giggled. And shoved it in his pocket. Her life has never been the same.
5. When her siblings are angry at her, they call her Narmis. We shall all do the same, beginning March 12, 2009.

She is the bread to my Salami sandwich.

With that, I bid you good night!
And Simran says:

I'm just as asian as you are.

What is brown on the outside and kinda yellow on the inside?? Simran! Or mayhaps, a potato! Coincidentally my favorite food.

00

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked."
-Bernard Meltzer