Zelda Dungeon's Member Biographies

[misskitten]

I'm the youngest of three girls, the baby in the family (I'm 9 and 6,5 years younger than my sisters). I grew up in a very stable home in a small town on the west coast of Norway, and my parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary later this year. My childhood was pretty average the first couple of years, I lived in a neighbourhood with plenty of kids and aside from a bit of a hiearky between the older and younger kids, I got along well with the others.

Things changed when I started school. Firstly, I was the only kid in my class who hadn't gone to daycare (my mom had stayed home with both my sisters, so she and dad belonged to the last generation not to send their kids to daycare - but when I was born mom really wanted to get back to work, and got a part time job - so on the days she worked I would be with a nanny, one of my dad's cousins), and thereby I was essentially the new kid in class. We were eleven girls in my class, and the other ten had paired up as best friends, making me the odd girl out, which made me an easier target. I also had a slightly unusual name. It started with some light teasing that I didn't react to well, and as time passed things escalated into proper bullying. The first three years it was primarily teasing and excluding me from most of the activities. Then in the fourth grade we got a new boy in our class, who was looking to prove himself. That's when things got more physical, and not just while in school.

When I was ten, I was walking home from a birthday party in the evening when the new boy and a friend of his who was in the grade above us stopped me. They were carrying sticks, and at first they were mainly intimidating me, shoving snow down my jacket, pretending to let me go (I knew I would never be able to outrun them, so I walked as normally as I could) only to catch up with me further down the road. The last time they let me walk away, I hadn't gone more than a few feet before I suddenly heard a couple of quick steps and felt a couple of hard blows to the back of my head, my back and my right thigh. My school did nothing about it when I reported it, even when I showed them the bruises (which didn't go away for three months). Both my parents and I felt helpless, and things just continued getting worse. I could even get attacked in classrooms without the teacher present doing anything to stop it...

In my final year at primary (when I was 13), something in me snapped and I started rebelling, cutting class (I could go home anything from 1-3 hours early some days), screaming in teachers faces, and once even the principal - all of it right in front of the rest of the school. The amazing thing was that they didn't even bother to alert my parents to my new behaviour - perhaps because they realized they had failed me.

When I started secondary the next year, I could have easily been labelled the problem kid, as my nerves were all shot, and I could flare up at pretty much anything. Instead, I was given a teacher who put together two and two and realized there was more to me than a problematic attitude. Of course, I had already lost all faith in teachers, and was resolved to handle things myself. I was actually a pretty violent kid those three years. I kinda had to be, since the other kids had no intention of leaving me alone, and I had six years of experience that told me there was no point in involving teachers or other authority figures. So I would fight back - I once even threw a desk at one of my bullies in the middle of the classroom (so yeah, it's a miracle they didn't just label me the problem kid). Of course, fighting back didn't help either, as they would always make sure to "get me" in some way, mostly after school when the teachers weren't able to watch - but to me it was a way for me to feel like I could walk around with my head held high.

My parents and I decided it was best for me to attend high school in another town (well, I suggested it halfway through secondary and it pretty much took them a year just to get onboard with the idea) - get a fresh start. I applied, with the help from my parents and the guidance councelor to be allowed to attend high school in the neighbouring town, and I got in. So, I moved away from home at 16, got a fresh start somewhere else with kids who had no ill intentions towards me. I was left alone, and while I didn't make any close friends in my class, I was treated as part of them. I let down my defenses, and that's when everything I had been through all those years before that really got to me. That's when all those mean words really started hurting me and my self esteem.

It didn't help that I had to switch schools again, so that I could major in what I really wanted to major in (drama) - and my new class wasn't as welcoming. Those two years are really hard to define, because I was never welcomed nor was I back to being bullied. My new class had some really strong personalities who saw themselves as being in charge, and they didn't really like that I wasn't really looking to follow their lead. I still can't say what really happened, but at some point I realized that whenever something went wrong, I was the one being blamed for it. I was the black sheep, the scapegoat in the class. Not just with the students, but even one of my teachers had that attitude (which had an impact on my grade right up until I finally confronted the teacher in the end and actually witnessed him marking up my grade in front of him). It got really bad, and I came really close to giving up and taking off just a few months before graduating. I eventually did manage to talk myself back into staying, into not letting them win, and I eventually graduated, moved away and didn't look back.

I took a year off after that, both to save up money for college, but also to give myself a break from school. I lived at home with the agreement that I would put away at least half my paycheck every month with college in mind. I used that year to get my driver's license, as well as figuring out what I wanted to study. I considered going abroad, but my best friend lobbied to get me to move to the town she was living in, and then dad came across an ad for a computer-oriented college in said town, and I moved into an apartment with my best friend and two other girls.

College was probably the most liberating experience for me. I had a class who accepted me, where I felt I belonged both socially and academically. I got on really well with the faculty, excelled in most my subjects. I had really good friends, who I shared a place with as well as a larger social circle of people, and I fell in love with one of them, realizing in the process that I was bi, rather than straight. I ultimately sabotaged the relationship, but managed to keep the friendship (the two of us are still close friends today).

After graduating I was offered a job as a programmer at an international consulting company, which sadly didn't live up to its expectations. It took three months for them to get me a project at the other side of the country, which I felt was a joke most of the time. My area of interest was looked down upon, and I was set to do leftover tasks which never amounted to anything productive (we actually did paperwork for three months, most of it riddiculous, useless stuff) - eventually I asked to be transferred back, and then spent most of the next year having nothing to do (my sense of self-worth slowly dwindling away). I realized where things were headed and tried looking for other jobs - but in the IT world, when you're over a year out of school and have nothing to show for in your time afterwards, you are simply not a desired candidate. Then HR issued me an ultimatum, and I decided to just look for a job outside of the IT world.

I took a chance and started on the ground as a carer for the mentally disabled - they needed people and I needed a job. I realized I actually was good at this kind of work, and I got on well both with my colleagues as well as my patients. They could only offer me a small weekend position with the option to take extra shifts, but thankfully my boss looked after me and floated as many shifts she could my way so that I had enough to live on, then two years ago I was finally offered a larger permanent position, which meant a secure income and the freedom not to constantly depend on extra shifts to make do. That's when my parents floated the idea of helping me buy my own apartment, which I did less than a month later.

And that's where I am right now. People who knew me in my childhood and teens would not really recognize the person I am today. I've become a very calm and patient person, and it takes quite a lot to make me even raise my voice. I do struggle with my self esteem, and I probably always will, because those things don't really go away. But I do feel it varies from day to day. I can feel competent and valuable one day and completely worthless another. Still, life is pretty good now. Not perfect, sure, as I'm single and a lot of my friends are in serious relationships, and in just two months I'll be 30, but I don't feel like I can complain.

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

OK, after days of thinking, I finally decided that I was going to write this, and how I was to go about doing it. But brace yourself, for it is long. This is basically my entire life story. I'll try to be brief where possible.

I know a lot of people here know it already, but I'm not going to disclose my real name here right now. So, for the purpose of this post, I'll just say "Hello there, I'm Ted." (Ted is an inside joke between me and some friends).

Be warned though, this is long!

Spoiler

OK, here goes. It all started on a lovely autumn day. October 16th, 1996, to be exact. A young woman approaching her thirty-first year, was lying in a bed in the maternity ward of BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her husband and three daughters were at the hospital with her, though only her husband was allowed in her room because the oldest of the three kids had only been ten years living. Sometime in the evening, exact time unknown, a child was born from that woman; a young boy, her first boy, and final child. He was a very cute child, though quite noisy. She already had a name for this boy picked out; a name that was inspired by a character in a movie played by her favourite actor, Mr. Brad Pitt. This newborn child, Ted as we must call him, was brought to the woman and her husband's house, where he began a happy life with his wonderful parents and three beautiful big sisters.

OK, I'm getting annoyed of talking in the third person, so I'm gonna switch to a first person perspective now.

What I described in the paragraph above was my birth, so presented in a slightly more eloquent manner than was necessary. I don't think much happened during the first year of my life. During that time, I lived in a small complex in Surrey (a part of the Greater Vancouver area). The earliest memory I know of, based on what I've heard, is of my first birthday. Obviously, I don't remember it, as it was so long ago, but I apparently shoved my face in my cake. A lot of children do that though, so it's really not that much of a big deal.

The earliest memory I have personally is of the trip to Disneyland back in 1999. We went, I believe, in late September/early October. I don't remember much from that trip, aside from the fact that it was a hell of a good time (except for the fact that I wasn't tall enough to go on any of the rides... :/ ). One rather memorable experience from that trip was when my aunt took my youngest sister and me to Laguna Beach. We got on the wrong bus, and ended up somewhere way away from where we intended to be. We then got on another wrong bus in an attempt to return to the place where we got on the wrong bus in the first place. 3 buses later, we finally made it, but by then, we had very little time to spend at the beach. I think the rest of the group (my parents, my other sisters, and my cousin) went to Magic Mountain instead.

When I was three, I started Pre-School. I loved Pre-School. My teacher was great, the other kids were really nice and playful. I had a great time at Pre-School. Then, when I was four, I switched to a different Pre-School. This one was much more involved, and I liked it a lot more. We went on picnics, we went on field trips. Santa Claus came to the school in December, the Easter Bunny in April. A blind artist in a wheelchair came and painted a lovely picture of Winnie the Pooh. I loved it there! I really miss that place sometimes, and the awesome teacher, Karen. If I had the option, I'd definitely send my future kids there.

September of 2001 was when I started Kindergarden, at a small school known as Discovery Elementary. I was three days late because we spent the summer traveling across the country; a trip that was a result of the insurance money we got after my dad's self-owned autobody shop burning down. That was a fun trip. Anyway... All of my sisters went there (to Discovery), so I had to as well. This was by no means a typical elementary school; there were no desks, so we had to sit on the floor and write on boards that were situated on our laps; there was no recess, only a short break and lunchtime; and we had to pick where we were going to be during our breaks (slide, balance, swings, etc), and we got sent inside if we left the position we were supposed to be at. My three best friends from Pre-School went to that school as well, and we were extremely close. Matt, Laura, and Sean were my first official friends. Each day, we changed whose house we would hang out at as an agreement between our parents. It was a lot of fun. I also met another great friend, who became my best friend, named Atticus. I didn't hang out with him outside of school, but we were always hanging out during school hours. Later on in Kindergarden, I developed a crush on a girl named Charlotte... Oh Charlotte, I will always remember her. She liked me back, and we developed what was my first relationship (though in Kindergarden, it was hardly a "relationship". She did give me my first kiss though). I was at that school for Kindergarden and 1st grade, though my sisters switched to a different school when I started Grade 1. The other school, Langley Fine Arts School, was located really far from where we lived (we were in Delta at the time), and they started school earlier than me, so I had to come along for the ride all the way from one side of Metro Vancouver to the other, and then back. That was a daily routine. Then, one day, while my dad was driving me and two of my sisters to Langley (my oldest sister went to a school just down the road from where we lived), we got into a head on collision with a young driver in a jeep. My mom's gorgeous mustang was totaled. That affected us all. I have a scar in my mouth because my tooth almost went all the way through, and my sister has permanent back damage. We were OK though, and made it to school eventually.

Before I started second grade, we moved to Fort Langley so we could be closer to the Fine Arts school. Fort Langley was a really small village, really isolated compared to everywhere else in the GVA, and it is where the school is located. As a result of the move, I got transferred to that school, which meant leaving all of my good friends behind. That was really hard. Luckily, though, I quickly made new friends at the new school. I mostly hung out with two though, Zack and Liam. Unfortunately, they weren't the most mature seven year olds, and always got in trouble. From hanging out with them, I actually became worse than they were. I did a lot of stuff in second grade, which includes, but is not limited to, flipping desks over, throwing temper tantrums, pulling my pants down in the middle of the class room, running around the classroom screaming swear words... I had my own private desk in the hallway. Nonetheless, my teacher, Ms. Stoddart, tolerated me and tried to help. She got pregnant around 3/4 of the way through the school year and had to go on maternity leave, so we got Ms. Campbell as a replacement. I don't know why, but I actually behaved for Ms. Campbell. I think it was because Ms. Stoddart did such a great job of keeping me under control! Around the end of the year, Zack and Liam (mostly Zack, Liam wasn't really a trouble maker) also began behaving, and I started hanging out with them outside of school. I had my first experience with Super Mario Sunshine at Zack's house, a moment I cherish!

I returned to the fine arts school for third grade, but I was put in the class of my least favourite teacher ever, Ms. Penner. She was a *****, to put it simply. She was annoyingly strict, and she worked us like circus monkeys, especially when it was time for Track & Field. Shortly after third grade began, we moved across the Fraser River to a city known as Maple Ridge, but we stayed at the fine arts school. We had to take the ferry to get to school every morning, but that was fine. Shortly after that move, I began to hang out with Emily, who is a girl that I started crushing on in second grade. Emily was beautiful. I loved her. We hung out weekly, sometimes more if we could help it (she lived pretty far from where I lived, so it was hard). She became my best friend. Her and I raced to complete The Wind Waker. I won, and it marked the first Zelda game I ever beat by myself. Sadly, in spending so much time with Em, I began spending less and less time with Zack and Liam, and I think they began to feel neglected. They were in a different class though, so I didn't get as many chances to see them. Nonetheless, we remained friends. In fact, I still talk to Zack and Emily to this day.

Then, something happened that completely changed my life. In the summer of 2005, we moved again. But this wasn't just a move to a different place in Metro Vancouver, this was a full move from the big city to a small town located 6 hours away in the interior of British Columbia. This small town, Revelstoke, is where I currently reside, and I've been here ever since that move. That move hurt me, because I didn't just leave my friends a couple kilometres away, I left them a couple hundred kilometres away! I hated it here at first. I spent the rest of the summer miserable, because I was so upset about leaving everybody behind. Around the end of August, I remembered that I had Emily's phone number, so I called her to explain our sudden move. I told her that I'd probably never see her again, and we both started crying. I did see her again though, but only once, and it was during a trip to Vancouver only 3 months later. I haven't seen her since then, though I have her on Facebook. Anyway, I started attending Mountain View Elementary school in September for Grade 4. Being the new kid, and somebody who was used to the big city, I had a hard time making friends. It wasn't until late September that I met my first friend here, Dave. We became best friends. We hung out almost every day. Sadly, the kids from this school were a lot different from the kids from my old school, so Dave was really my only friend.

In November of that year, my parents had a fight, which ultimately led to their divorce. We stayed in the house with my mom while my dad moved down the block to a small apartment. I hated having split parents at first, but I quickly got used to it. It affected me though. I began to get really grumpy at strange times, and wasn't much fun at all to be around. My mom met her future husband, Allan, in December, and my dad followed suit by meeting Stephanie in January. It didn't take long for him to move in with her. Shortly after that, my parents went to court, and joint custody was achieved. I spent a week at mom's, then a week with my dad at Stephanie's house (which was one of the largest and oldest houses in Revelstoke. I loved that house, but I hated it as well, because it was haunted. I genuinely believe that). I met another friend, Jordan, later in Grade 4, and we began hanging out a lot. I then met Allan's family, who were a bunch of really nice people, though they treated me like a puppy... I grew really close to them eventually, and they became my second family.

In fifth grade, after Allan moved in with us, him and my mom moved to Vancouver, which left me and my sister in custody with my dad (my other sisters had graduated by then). I got to see my mom every summer and every Christmas, which is a pattern I still follow. In sixth grade, I began karate, and I also began piano lessons the same year. I started piano with no musical experience whatsoever, and got the hang of it really fast. By the end of the year, everybody was telling me I was a natural (lol puns). Also in Grade 6, because I was in a 6/7 split class, I got to take band. I loved band. From my short time in piano, I knew how to read music, so I had an advantage over the other students. I played trumpet that year, because my good friend Sean told me to. I had fun doing it, and I was the best in the class, but I ditched it in Grade 7 in favour of drums. I'm really glad I started playing drums then because I never stopped, and I still play it, and am good at it. I kept playing piano too, and begun working on Grade 3 music, after less than 2 years.

After that summer, I started high school. I was scared to go to high school, because I wasn't used to being the young-uns anymore. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Well, it would've been better had I not slacked off all year... Anyway, in Grade 8, I changed. I changed completely. I went from being the innocent, naive child I was to something else. I attended my first bush party in October, just before my thirteenth birthday. I got super drunk at that party, and got in a lot of trouble from my dad. I never asked him if I could go, after all, I just did. It was fun, though. I got lots of new friends during the year, and I began dating a girl that I liked in November. Her name was Marissa. The first date was good, but the others weren't. I lost my virginity to her during our second date, and our relationship fell apart after that. That relationship lasted a little less than 2 weeks. Later in eighth grade, I dated another girl, Brittney. Unfortunately, after the first date, I found out that she was a drug addict, so I ended it. After that, the rest of eighth grade is mostly a blur, except I do remember going on an awesome band trip to Edmonton in May.

In ninth grade, I settled down dramatically! I didn't go to a single party that year, which was a change from the three that I attended in Grade 8. I also didn't date any girls that year, because it never ended well. In fact, nothing happened at all in Grade 9 that is really worth mentioning here. I did die my hair to get highlights the summer leading up to it, but other than that, nothing happened.

During tenth grade, it seemed like nothing significant would happen as well. Oh boy was I wrong! For the first couple months, it seemed good, but then something happened. [The remainder of this paragraph contains subject matter that I previously discussed in a blog back in October (click here), so it won't be super detailed. It may help to read that first] In April, a friend of mine began smoking marijuana. I was cool with it for the most part, but I noticed a change in his personality. Later on that month, he pressured me into trying it, and I succumbed. I only planned on smoking the one joint, but that's not what happened. I wanted more! So, I became addicted. My old friends ditched me and stopped talking to me, so I joined up with new crowds. These crowds were not really good people. By May, I was going out with them almost every night and getting high. I was really intense sometimes! Later in May, I went on a band trip to New York City. I knew it would be stupid to take drugs out of the country, so I managed to stay sober for the week that we were there. I didn't make up with my old friends though, who were also on that trip. The only time I talked to them was when we were seated together at the Hard Rock Cafe. The rest of the time, I was a total dick to them. Inside the spoiler is one of my favourite photos ever, because it shows to one time I was with my old friends the entire time I was addicted.

Spoiler

That's me second from the left. I kinda looked like crap back then.

After returning home from the trip, my very short period of sobriety came to an end. My addiction actually got worse. My grades dropped like crazy! My performance in the music room got worse as well (though it was still good enough to earn me Top Musicianship for Grade 10 at the end of the year). Throughout the final few months of the school year, I kept meeting more and more people, and going out to get high more often. In early June, we got caught smoking marijuana behind my friend's house. I got let go by a miracle because they couldn't smell it on me. Later that month, my dad found out about my addiction, and I was actually afraid of him. So I slammed the door on him, and went to hang out at my friend's house. I didn't return home for the rest of the school year. The next time I stepped foot in my house was when summer holidays came around. Ah, summer. Freedom was ours. We had the whole summer to do whatever the hell we wanted! One night, we were down at the ball park with a group of girls, vandalising. Though the police went there, we didn't get caught, luckily. So we went to my friend's house. There was a girl for each of us. We were all high. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what happened! Well, I'll just say we each had one girl to ourselves... what a night that was! Shortly after that came the time to visit my mom in Vancouver. I tried to maintain sobriety while there, but failed. I bought weed off some guy in the parking lot of the nearby mall. I was stupid enough to leave half a joint on the balcony, so my mom found out, which led to the rest of my family finding out. She took me back to Revelstoke, and I went on a camping trip with my dad's girfriend and her kids. Somehow, I managed to stay sober the whole time we were camping, but I returned to my ways when we got home. On October 16, my sixteenth birthday, I went out for dinner with my dad and grandma and my dad's girlfriend, and they set up a phone intervention with my Vancouver family. I listened to what they had to say, and gave it serious thought. There were many factors that contributed to my quitting, but most are personal and I'm not saying them here. I smoked my last joint ever on the night of October 16, 2012. I've been sober for over a year now!

After I quit marijuana, Grade 11 seemed to fly by! I was really struggling to maintain sobriety for a while, but my school performance gradually increased. I joined the Zelda Dungeon forums on December 2, 2012, as a means to escape from the thoughts of what happened during those long 6 months. It worked! I stuck around for a little bit, then left until March. I became active here around that time, I've loved every second of being here! The rest of Grade 11 was a breeze, and so was the first half of Grade 12. I am in Grade 12 now, and I'm going to be graduating this June. I'm really looking forward to that. I plan to go to university starting in the fall of 2015 to take a 4 year Bachelor of Music Program, which I am really excited for. Overall, my life is really good now. I hate to say it, but those 6 months of addiction may have been the best thing that ever happened to me, because it was the jump start I needed to get my head in the game and realize that high school isn't for screwing around in.

So that's my story. I want to say thank you for those who read it all, and I want to give you a big round of applause! :clap: "Ted" is now a happy boy! ^^

 

[キラ]

OK, after days of thinking, I finally decided that I was going to write this, and how I was to go about doing it. But brace yourself, for it is long. This is basically my entire life story. I'll try to be brief where possible.

I know a lot of people here know it already, but I'm not going to disclose my real name here right now. So, for the purpose of this post, I'll just say "Hello there, I'm Ted." (Ted is an inside joke between me and some friends).

Be warned though, this is long!

Spoiler

OK, here goes. It all started on a lovely autumn day. October 16th, 1996, to be exact. A young woman approaching her thirty-first year, was lying in a bed in the maternity ward of BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her husband and three daughters were at the hospital with her, though only her husband was allowed in her room because the oldest of the three kids had only been ten years living. Sometime in the evening, exact time unknown, a child was born from that woman; a young boy, her first boy, and final child. He was a very cute child, though quite noisy. She already had a name for this boy picked out; a name that was inspired by a character in a movie played by her favourite actor, Mr. Brad Pitt. This newborn child, Ted as we must call him, was brought to the woman and her husband's house, where he began a happy life with his wonderful parents and three beautiful big sisters.

OK, I'm getting annoyed of talking in the third person, so I'm gonna switch to a first person perspective now.

What I described in the paragraph above was my birth, so presented in a slightly more eloquent manner than was necessary. I don't think much happened during the first year of my life. During that time, I lived in a small complex in Surrey (a part of the Greater Vancouver area). The earliest memory I know of, based on what I've heard, is of my first birthday. Obviously, I don't remember it, as it was so long ago, but I apparently shoved my face in my cake. A lot of children do that though, so it's really not that much of a big deal.

The earliest memory I have personally is of the trip to Disneyland back in 1999. We went, I believe, in late September/early October. I don't remember much from that trip, aside from the fact that it was a hell of a good time (except for the fact that I wasn't tall enough to go on any of the rides... :/ ). One rather memorable experience from that trip was when my aunt took my youngest sister and me to Laguna Beach. We got on the wrong bus, and ended up somewhere way away from where we intended to be. We then got on another wrong bus in an attempt to return to the place where we got on the wrong bus in the first place. 3 buses later, we finally made it, but by then, we had very little time to spend at the beach. I think the rest of the group (my parents, my other sisters, and my cousin) went to Magic Mountain instead.

When I was three, I started Pre-School. I loved Pre-School. My teacher was great, the other kids were really nice and playful. I had a great time at Pre-School. Then, when I was four, I switched to a different Pre-School. This one was much more involved, and I liked it a lot more. We went on picnics, we went on field trips. Santa Claus came to the school in December, the Easter Bunny in April. A blind artist in a wheelchair came and painted a lovely picture of Winnie the Pooh. I loved it there! I really miss that place sometimes, and the awesome teacher, Karen. If I had the option, I'd definitely send my future kids there.

September of 2001 was when I started Kindergarden, at a small school known as Discovery Elementary. I was three days late because we spent the summer traveling across the country; a trip that was a result of the insurance money we got after my dad's self-owned autobody shop burning down. That was a fun trip. Anyway... All of my sisters went there (to Discovery), so I had to as well. This was by no means a typical elementary school; there were no desks, so we had to sit on the floor and write on boards that were situated on our laps; there was no recess, only a short break and lunchtime; and we had to pick where we were going to be during our breaks (slide, balance, swings, etc), and we got sent inside if we left the position we were supposed to be at. My three best friends from Pre-School went to that school as well, and we were extremely close. Matt, Laura, and Sean were my first official friends. Each day, we changed whose house we would hang out at as an agreement between our parents. It was a lot of fun. I also met another great friend, who became my best friend, named Atticus. I didn't hang out with him outside of school, but we were always hanging out during school hours. Later on in Kindergarden, I developed a crush on a girl named Charlotte... Oh Charlotte, I will always remember her. She liked me back, and we developed what was my first relationship (though in Kindergarden, it was hardly a "relationship". She did give me my first kiss though). I was at that school for Kindergarden and 1st grade, though my sisters switched to a different school when I started Grade 1. The other school, Langley Fine Arts School, was located really far from where we lived (we were in Delta at the time), and they started school earlier than me, so I had to come along for the ride all the way from one side of Metro Vancouver to the other, and then back. That was a daily routine. Then, one day, while my dad was driving me and two of my sisters to Langley (my oldest sister went to a school just down the road from where we lived), we got into a head on collision with a young driver in a jeep. My mom's gorgeous mustang was totaled. That affected us all. I have a scar in my mouth because my tooth almost went all the way through, and my sister has permanent back damage. We were OK though, and made it to school eventually.

Before I started second grade, we moved to Fort Langley so we could be closer to the Fine Arts school. Fort Langley was a really small village, really isolated compared to everywhere else in the GVA, and it is where the school is located. As a result of the move, I got transferred to that school, which meant leaving all of my good friends behind. That was really hard. Luckily, though, I quickly made new friends at the new school. I mostly hung out with two though, Zack and Liam. Unfortunately, they weren't the most mature seven year olds, and always got in trouble. From hanging out with them, I actually became worse than they were. I did a lot of stuff in second grade, which includes, but is not limited to, flipping desks over, throwing temper tantrums, pulling my pants down in the middle of the class room, running around the classroom screaming swear words... I had my own private desk in the hallway. Nonetheless, my teacher, Ms. Stoddart, tolerated me and tried to help. She got pregnant around 3/4 of the way through the school year and had to go on maternity leave, so we got Ms. Campbell as a replacement. I don't know why, but I actually behaved for Ms. Campbell. I think it was because Ms. Stoddart did such a great job of keeping me under control! Around the end of the year, Zack and Liam (mostly Zack, Liam wasn't really a trouble maker) also began behaving, and I started hanging out with them outside of school. I had my first experience with Super Mario Sunshine at Zack's house, a moment I cherish!

I returned to the fine arts school for third grade, but I was put in the class of my least favourite teacher ever, Ms. Penner. She was a *****, to put it simply. She was annoyingly strict, and she worked us like circus monkeys, especially when it was time for Track & Field. Shortly after third grade began, we moved across the Fraser River to a city known as Maple Ridge, but we stayed at the fine arts school. We had to take the ferry to get to school every morning, but that was fine. Shortly after that move, I began to hang out with Emily, who is a girl that I started crushing on in second grade. Emily was beautiful. I loved her. We hung out weekly, sometimes more if we could help it (she lived pretty far from where I lived, so it was hard). She became my best friend. Her and I raced to complete The Wind Waker. I won, and it marked the first Zelda game I ever beat by myself. Sadly, in spending so much time with Em, I began spending less and less time with Zack and Liam, and I think they began to feel neglected. They were in a different class though, so I didn't get as many chances to see them. Nonetheless, we remained friends. In fact, I still talk to Zack and Emily to this day.

Then, something happened that completely changed my life. In the summer of 2005, we moved again. But this wasn't just a move to a different place in Metro Vancouver, this was a full move from the big city to a small town located 6 hours away in the interior of British Columbia. This small town, Revelstoke, is where I currently reside, and I've been here ever since that move. That move hurt me, because I didn't just leave my friends a couple kilometres away, I left them a couple hundred kilometres away! I hated it here at first. I spent the rest of the summer miserable, because I was so upset about leaving everybody behind. Around the end of August, I remembered that I had Emily's phone number, so I called her to explain our sudden move. I told her that I'd probably never see her again, and we both started crying. I did see her again though, but only once, and it was during a trip to Vancouver only 3 months later. I haven't seen her since then, though I have her on Facebook. Anyway, I started attending Mountain View Elementary school in September for Grade 4. Being the new kid, and somebody who was used to the big city, I had a hard time making friends. It wasn't until late September that I met my first friend here, Dave. We became best friends. We hung out almost every day. Sadly, the kids from this school were a lot different from the kids from my old school, so Dave was really my only friend.

In November of that year, my parents had a fight, which ultimately led to their divorce. We stayed in the house with my mom while my dad moved down the block to a small apartment. I hated having split parents at first, but I quickly got used to it. It affected me though. I began to get really grumpy at strange times, and wasn't much fun at all to be around. My mom met her future husband, Allan, in December, and my dad followed suit by meeting Stephanie in January. It didn't take long for him to move in with her. Shortly after that, my parents went to court, and joint custody was achieved. I spent a week at mom's, then a week with my dad at Stephanie's house (which was one of the largest and oldest houses in Revelstoke. I loved that house, but I hated it as well, because it was haunted. I genuinely believe that). I met another friend, Jordan, later in Grade 4, and we began hanging out a lot. I then met Allan's family, who were a bunch of really nice people, though they treated me like a puppy... I grew really close to them eventually, and they became my second family.

In fifth grade, after Allan moved in with us, him and my mom moved to Vancouver, which left me and my sister in custody with my dad (my other sisters had graduated by then). I got to see my mom every summer and every Christmas, which is a pattern I still follow. In sixth grade, I began karate, and I also began piano lessons the same year. I started piano with no musical experience whatsoever, and got the hang of it really fast. By the end of the year, everybody was telling me I was a natural (lol puns). Also in Grade 6, because I was in a 6/7 split class, I got to take band. I loved band. From my short time in piano, I knew how to read music, so I had an advantage over the other students. I played trumpet that year, because my good friend Sean told me to. I had fun doing it, and I was the best in the class, but I ditched it in Grade 7 in favour of drums. I'm really glad I started playing drums then because I never stopped, and I still play it, and am good at it. I kept playing piano too, and begun working on Grade 3 music, after less than 2 years.

After that summer, I started high school. I was scared to go to high school, because I wasn't used to being the young-uns anymore. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Well, it would've been better had I not slacked off all year... Anyway, in Grade 8, I changed. I changed completely. I went from being the innocent, naive child I was to something else. I attended my first bush party in October, just before my thirteenth birthday. I got super drunk at that party, and got in a lot of trouble from my dad. I never asked him if I could go, after all, I just did. It was fun, though. I got lots of new friends during the year, and I began dating a girl that I liked in November. Her name was Marissa. The first date was good, but the others weren't. I lost my virginity to her during our second date, and our relationship fell apart after that. That relationship lasted a little less than 2 weeks. Later in eighth grade, I dated another girl, Brittney. Unfortunately, after the first date, I found out that she was a drug addict, so I ended it. After that, the rest of eighth grade is mostly a blur, except I do remember going on an awesome band trip to Edmonton in May.

In ninth grade, I settled down dramatically! I didn't go to a single party that year, which was a change from the three that I attended in Grade 8. I also didn't date any girls that year, because it never ended well. In fact, nothing happened at all in Grade 9 that is really worth mentioning here. I did die my hair to get highlights the summer leading up to it, but other than that, nothing happened.

During tenth grade, it seemed like nothing significant would happen as well. Oh boy was I wrong! For the first couple months, it seemed good, but then something happened. [The remainder of this paragraph contains subject matter that I previously discussed in a blog back in October (click here), so it won't be super detailed. It may help to read that first] In April, a friend of mine began smoking marijuana. I was cool with it for the most part, but I noticed a change in his personality. Later on that month, he pressured me into trying it, and I succumbed. I only planned on smoking the one joint, but that's not what happened. I wanted more! So, I became addicted. My old friends ditched me and stopped talking to me, so I joined up with new crowds. These crowds were not really good people. By May, I was going out with them almost every night and getting high. I was really intense sometimes! Later in May, I went on a band trip to New York City. I knew it would be stupid to take drugs out of the country, so I managed to stay sober for the week that we were there. I didn't make up with my old friends though, who were also on that trip. The only time I talked to them was when we were seated together at the Hard Rock Cafe. The rest of the time, I was a total dick to them. Inside the spoiler is one of my favourite photos ever, because it shows to one time I was with my old friends the entire time I was addicted.

Spoiler

That's me second from the left. I kinda looked like crap back then.

After returning home from the trip, my very short period of sobriety came to an end. My addiction actually got worse. My grades dropped like crazy! My performance in the music room got worse as well (though it was still good enough to earn me Top Musicianship for Grade 10 at the end of the year). Throughout the final few months of the school year, I kept meeting more and more people, and going out to get high more often. In early June, we got caught smoking marijuana behind my friend's house. I got let go by a miracle because they couldn't smell it on me. Later that month, my dad found out about my addiction, and I was actually afraid of him. So I slammed the door on him, and went to hang out at my friend's house. I didn't return home for the rest of the school year. The next time I stepped foot in my house was when summer holidays came around. Ah, summer. Freedom was ours. We had the whole summer to do whatever the hell we wanted! One night, we were down at the ball park with a group of girls, vandalising. Though the police went there, we didn't get caught, luckily. So we went to my friend's house. There was a girl for each of us. We were all high. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what happened! Well, I'll just say we each had one girl to ourselves... what a night that was! Shortly after that came the time to visit my mom in Vancouver. I tried to maintain sobriety while there, but failed. I bought weed off some guy in the parking lot of the nearby mall. I was stupid enough to leave half a joint on the balcony, so my mom found out, which led to the rest of my family finding out. She took me back to Revelstoke, and I went on a camping trip with my dad's girfriend and her kids. Somehow, I managed to stay sober the whole time we were camping, but I returned to my ways when we got home. On October 16, my sixteenth birthday, I went out for dinner with my dad and grandma and my dad's girlfriend, and they set up a phone intervention with my Vancouver family. I listened to what they had to say, and gave it serious thought. There were many factors that contributed to my quitting, but most are personal and I'm not saying them here. I smoked my last joint ever on the night of October 16, 2012. I've been sober for over a year now!

After I quit marijuana, Grade 11 seemed to fly by! I was really struggling to maintain sobriety for a while, but my school performance gradually increased. I joined the Zelda Dungeon forums on December 2, 2012, as a means to escape from the thoughts of what happened during those long 6 months. It worked! I stuck around for a little bit, then left until March. I became active here around that time, I've loved every second of being here! The rest of Grade 11 was a breeze, and so was the first half of Grade 12. I am in Grade 12 now, and I'm going to be graduating this June. I'm really looking forward to that. I plan to go to university starting in the fall of 2015 to take a 4 year Bachelor of Music Program, which I am really excited for. Overall, my life is really good now. I hate to say it, but those 6 months of addiction may have been the best thing that ever happened to me, because it was the jump start I needed to get my head in the game and realize that high school isn't for screwing around in.

So that's my story. I want to say thank you for those who read it all, and I want to give you a big round of applause! :clap: "Ted" is now a happy boy! ^^

If I can add in my two cents -

I don't think marijuana is that bad. Cigarettes are definitely worse. Alcohol sometimes. I never really knew that anyone could get addicted to marijuana. I think that some people who smoke it could be in the bad crowd because they try to do it because it's cool and most likely do other stupid things... But yeah.

But, hey. Maybe it just wasn't meant for you. Don't know. =\



(By the way, I have never smoked marijuana)

 

[Jiggly Jaws]

Once I finish that paper I've been putting off I am going to do this. xD