A method for handling meta data stored in a page of a flash memory within a flash media controller. The method generally includes (i) defining the meta data on a per context basis, where the context is defined on a per page basis, (ii) when a size of the meta data is less than or equal to a predefined threshold, storing the complete meta data within a structure of the context, and (iii) when the size of the meta data is greater than the predefined threshold, defining meta data pointers within the context.