functions

——————

and with prom over, my journey in acs has ended. its been an exciting 12 years of acs life. the friends, the teachers, the lessons, the distinctive culture. all a part of growing up and recognising yourself. 

prom was fun. performing was exciting as usual, and the nominations were unexpected but delightful. although i had always somehow expected something slightly different, this was just as wonderful. taking photos with friends (some acquaintances). memories are wonderful things, although looking at all the facebook photos and videos is making it hard to believe that this is all over. i don’t even want to think about the prospects of not keeping in touch next year. for now, lets just pretend like life is perfect. starbucks was fun. (:

photos are up, videos are lagging because stupid facebook is giving me 30 kbps and hangs in the middle of each 250mb video. yay.

————————–

today was great. thanks for the lunch people, it was really fun. maybe we should cash in more on the student pricing while we are still eligible. before we become nsmen. such exciting prospects.

the informant! was a fairly interesting show. although at a time like this i might have preferred something requiring fewer thought processes to understand. i got lost on occasion along the way due to the absence of undivided attention. heh.

—————————

please get me that internship. i need some direction in life, eventually.

—————————-

lull

it feels strange after a day of doing nothing but stoning, sleeping and wasting life away because it wasn’t as fulfilling as i had hoped. maybe it’s better to be occupied after all! as long as i’m doing things that aren’t troublesome. i hate troublesome things really. i’ve got a whole list of these! (ask me)

prom ended up being more fun than everything that happened afterwards even though the persian look didn’t materialize. post-prom was just weird (ask me again). i really liked the soup at prom! but the waiters kept clearing my food before i finished them -.- congrats to everyone who won prizes! please go shopping with me so i can use your vouchers (: we should’ve got vouchers that weren’t from ion so that i wouldn’t have to step into that place any longer. i would only go there to visit basement 4!

and why does everyone have to go overseas before or after i return? i think i’m gonna miss everyone ): but i shall be positive about the trip and ignore the parts i’m dreading (ask me this too) and look forward to eating and taking photos and eating!

psle results out tomorrow!

my speech in our first and last prom..unfortunately, dapat kabidao ko iyon, ngunit, nablackout ang isip ko kaya umeksena pa ang pagkuha ko ng kodigo sa bulsa..imgine that? haha, anyway, here it is:

I may say that this lovely evening, this 20^th day of February in the year 2009, will be greatly rated for being one of the volumes of the most prestigious blockbuster film- our lives. In a few more episodes, we, seniors, will ascend to more difficult tapings and pictorials because we will encounter a greater production; more actors to be met and more roles to be performed. And of course, one thing is for sure: we are always the writer of our own story. As for now, let’s congratulate ourselves for we all have been doing so great to make this tale as fulfilling as we want it and as adventurous as we make it.

In four years of staying here in this institution, I may conclude that counting the wonderful moments that we shared in our high school days is a mind-boggling thing because even the depressing ones that we lived through contributed in helping us to become what we are today. Yes, even the giving of any sizes of paper during quizzes, “buraotan” during breaks and being “pasaways” in front of our teachers, all are considered factors that made this experience complete and of course, a perfect one. And if we are going to look at it, everything happened in a blast but, much unnoticed.

When I made my first footsteps in this school in the early days of my freshman year, one thing I can’t forget is our innocent selves just like a blind person who seeks the right path, looking for the white light behind the darkness of that innocence. By all means, we looked for the knowledge we need and we craved for the wisdom we must possess before we depart from this home, from this family. We were so curious about all the things that we encountered everyday but we did not know to whom we must hold on and how to distinguish right from wrong. And because of such blindness, receiving only the radiance of the twilight, some succeeded in knowing all the essential things to be remembered and to be understood by the heart but others got lost in the labyrinth and failed to know the indispensable truth of life.

We have encountered many things as high school students but still, our journey will not stop after this stage. And I’m very proud that we never lost hope when failures and disappointments came to our way. We defended what we love, and fought for what we believe in.

And as for you, the juniors, in a few more days, your job will be to continue the unfinished tasks we will leave behind as we sail in our respective ships to discover new oceans. In behalf of the seniors, we are thankful because you are our companions and these years will serve as memories that we will cherish forever.

After we move on, after we step on another phase of our lives, you must learn and remember the things that have helped us to finish this stage.

You must learn how to be responsible. Responsibility is one key in order for you to succeed. Some things that we did might not have worked out well but we trust that after we leave the portals of this institution, you may learn from our mistakes. Expect the worst but always strive for the best. Whenever you fail, don’t lose hope, just stand up. Consider such challenges as a blessing. We must learn from these challenges, particularly the failures so that we will achieve more success.

You must also learn how to be humble. Humility is one sign of being educated, of being wise. This will be the start of your time to grow up and make your own; we believe that you can do more than what we have done. But in doing so, always remember this:

“The taller the bamboo grows, the lower it bends.”

And lastly, you must learn to be contented sometimes but grow most of the time. It is always right to be contented but this will sometimes hinder you from growing, from progressing. You only live once, so live your life to the fullest. It is not yet over so never make this as an excuse for you to be contented; there are many more fishes in the sea, waiting for you to discover them.

Just be grateful for all your achievements and be thankful to the One who is the first and the last thing we must think of, God, because His love for us and His will to guide us is everlasting.

We hope to see all your spectacular dreams come true.

Just remember that:

“All endings are also beginnings; we just don’t know it at the time.”

night of 24th/morning of 25th.

i’m home while half the cohort is probably still out there clubbing somewhere.

well prom’s over. it wasn’t half as bad as i expected. thankfully. quite a number of first experiences i guess.

1. first time wearing such a formal attire. quite fun i must say
2. first time i’m allowed out so late
3. first time i feel half blinded by camera flashes
4. seem to see some people for the first time. saw some people that make me wonder since when were they in the level. must be all the unknown low profile people like myself.
5. first time taking a cab past midnight (thankfully no crazy gay cab driver wanted to rape me. not that i’m hot enough though)
6. most epic. first time i put on make up (beyond the lipstick kind of thing when young)

haha i look weird with eyeliner. but quite fun. too bad i’m not a girl. not that i want really want to. the period and cramps and what not is enough to make me really really glad to be a guy. i guess too bad i’m not a pretty boy or something then

now that prom’s over, time to shop for other stuff. and to clear my messy house. i shall domesticate myself   unleash the inner girl!

Poznaj nową formę spędzania wakacji. Wybierz się na rejs wycieczkowy statkiem pasażerskim. Poznaj urok zwiedzania bez zmiany hotelu.

Sherri Hill 1205 is the perfect flirty dress for your big night!  This dress shown here is in a  beautiful teal color with an accent of crystal beading on the side!  The strapless square neckline is fitted down to the waistline with a flattering rouched design.  The full skit at the bottom is a fun and flirty curled tulle!  This dress will knock everyone’s socks off at your  Winter Formal or Prom!

Alright I’m here I’m here.
I felt quite excited blogging about the 19th and 20th but not until I got afraid I didn’t have the words to express what I really want to best.
And yeah that’s my problem, sentences too long just like the one above.

Mmmm.

On the day of prom, as I’ve said, not too much excitement, alittle apprehensive.
It got worst as prom was nearing, because of the hairdresser.

I felt my blood boiling.
I didn’t want to continue with the day then.
Well having gone into some random salon, I strongly believe I got the inexperienced hairdresser to do my hair for me.
I didn’t book her lor, I had an appointment with the other lady! *Sulks.
Even my mom agreed with me.

But anywayyy, let’s skip the bad parts.
Because that includes the part where I got ‘lost’, and my dad wasn’t on time like he said he’d be.

So besides the point, after checking into the hotel, four of us, Claire, Evelyn and FY were sort of late because it was getting late then.
But of course when we eventually get there, they’d still be people later than us.
It was cool yknw, being different shades of purple.

When I reached I felt abit, out of place.
Didn’t know why but it was just a feeling.
After all I didn’t feel very comfortable.
Looked around too see all the pretty pretty ladies.
Was hoping time flew and we could head back to room 1114.

I remember very well, how Yunye was hiding, ahem with her clutch that made her look like she was squeezing her ahems in photographs.
And how the table was so noisy, we werent listening to the Emcees.
And how MunYee had heels so high I didn’t know how she was running them.
We were one hungry table, hah.
Something quite significant, was when the whole table disappeared to take photos with Ms N before she left.
Together with Ms S that is.
I’ll miss all her stories.
I kinda miss school already.
The times the class shared laughter or anything else.
Don’t you?

A pity laoshi probably left straight after prom, couldn’t get a photo with her with Claire.

Come to think of it, I can’t believe only one week has passed after Os!
Feels like a month or something.

Food was alright.
I loved the prawns. B)
And table 16 went for orange juice instead of tea.
Oh do you know about the weird waiter!
Heard from Yunye that while he was leaning in to get a plate off the table, she felt him shaking.
I thought, that couldn’t be for real.
It’s just taking a plate off!
Who knew, when I asked him to take a table photo for us later, his hands were shaking too.
Maybe he’s new, or something must be terribly wrong. ._.

Dance session at the end felt more like phototaking session.
I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate the games that were in between dinner though.
Doesn’t really go together for me.
Took photos with the gorgeous ladies before heading back to the Pan Pacific Orchard.

The trip back was funny.
The ball of my foot was aching nuts.
It slipped my mind to remove my heels while sitting down for dinner.
While we groaned and struggled, at least we made it back to the hotel by the back just in time before this man locked the doors.

Here’s to the awesome people who spent the night with me.

We were in time to catch American’s next top model too, hahaha.
And I was the last the bathe, though I thought FY wasn’t going to let it happen. :X

So much for not wanting to sleep that night, I was starting to get tired.
My eyes felt sore from the dryness of my contacts previously.
The bed and aircon just made me too comfortable.
Anddd, while struggling to read the scribbles of the night where it was my communication with FY, Evelyn and Claire had their crazy moments before bedtime.
It was really amusing but thinking of it now still makes me smile.

I settled for the night in the end.
But I really should have just taken the floor please!
FY’s a light sleeper, why did I forget about that.
And through the night, I was shiveringgg.
It’s not everyday I sleep at 15 degrees celsius.
After heading to the toilet once, I went back to bed, about to be a popsicle.
Had difficulty going back to sleep but as I said.
Tired.
So I did in the end, and wasn’t aware of the spasmodic what do you call that, yah.

And and and you know!
Everytime I shifted my position, I realised I’m on a colder spot. ):
The blanket was nice heavy and thick but wasn’t able to keep me warm.
Guess with homeostasis (haha), my body temperature did more or less remain constant.

When I finally really woke up, I saw FY sitting at the study table.
So I decided I should get up too.
Nice to have company.
Went to wash up and my eye bags were horrible.
I remember I had alittle allergic reaction near my eyes after removing my make up the night before.
But it wasn’t there anymore, thank god.

Claire and Evelyn were still asleeeep.

We explored the hotel andddddd,

I like that photo.
But I know she likes the other.

The breakfast one!

I was hungry so we went back to get wallets and breakfast for the rest.
Evelyn was awake.
I think she woke Claire up when we left, :X

After breakfast was time for pictures!
I have to say, toilet’s really good with all the mirrors.

Here goes,

I think Claire was talking to me.
Anddddd,

So cute right.
They felt like my sisters.
It felt like we were taking family photos.

I left early with FY since I was afraid of coming home to see that my dad’s all angry and my mom would get into trouble.
But what can you say.
Those were awesome hours.

I love love love you guys.

Coming up soon!

HELLO ONE AND ALLL I BRING GREAT EGGCITING NEWS THAT THERE IS NO MORE NO MORE NOOOOOOO MOREEEEEEEEEEE FRKKIN A LEVELS FOREVER YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO HAPPY SO HAPPY SO HAPPYY HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

can you see my entry proof HAHA

at first i wanted to tear it up like what yanying smsed me but i decided to DRAW ON IT INSTEAD WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

the girl sitting next to me was like so freaked cos i think the SCIENCE people still have paper HEHEHEHEHE okay im mean i know BUT I DONT CARE ITS OVER ITS OVER YAY!

but instead of partying i am MOVING HOUSE

i spent last night moving stuff to my hotel HAHA im not gna call it that HOLE im gna call it a HOTEL and joy came to help! seriously we got abit excited and my mom was so upset cos there’s no space to dry the clothes so we might have to be like mr bean and go wash it at some place!

do you know what im talking about.

like THIS.

hahahahah srsly im gna have such an exciting THREE MONTHS zomg chinese new year and my birthday ):

ZOMG HELU TOLD ME IM GNA BE 19 IN TWO MONTHS I WAS SO HORRIBLY UPSET ):

SO OLD SO OLD SO OLD ):

ITS MY LAST TEEEEEEN YEAR ZOMGGGZZ ):

okay nvm i should be happy heheheheheh.

CANT WAIT FOR PROM HOOORAY

this whole week will be family week for me cos my dad’s coming back and we might go to the pulau ubin resort SO EXCITED IT LOOKS SO PRETTY

okay bye friends I NEED TO SHIT HEHA.

I’ll probably, blog, on Monday or Sunday if my brother won’t be home.
I know it’ll be a long while but, heh, hopefully I still remember what I want to blog about for prom and whichever special event that happened after.

Something’s wrong with fb too anyway.
Have people help me tag others on my photos for the class bbq.
I think the notifications couldn’t cope.
I had 99. Then 28. Then 83.
So I won’t be going there for awhile either.

And I need some time thinking.
Soul searching, if you’d call that.

Oh you know what, I really miss the time at the hotel.
I felt it was more of a highlight for me during prom day than prom itself.
Okay wait, tell you about it another time!

Yay I’m going to New York tomorrow with my family. I’m excited to go somewhere for a change. I’m visiting a prospective college up there so hopefully, it’ll all go well. Also my school is having a dance Saturday night, that I’m actually going to. I know it’s weird. I went to my junior and senior homecoming and prom. So I guess I don’t mind the school dance thing. It’s one where they auction off guys (I’m at an all girls school, remember). I suppose this is causing a lot of buzz around campus. Oh, good news on that too, I get to wear my prom dress again, yay!

I watched two amazing movies in the past week: Trainspotting and Boondock Saints. Yay for people with pirate accents! Trainspotting was like the Scottish version of Requiem for a Dream, but a lot happier. At first I could barely understand them, but after about the first fourth of the movie I felt like a regular Scott. It had a nice plot too. I wont spoil it for you, but the only bad guy is heroin! I think so anyways.

As for the Boondock Saints, my favorite part was…everything Willem DaFoe!!!! He was so funny and surreal in that movie. (I liked how he made fun of gay people, even though he was gay, I found it hilarious). They action and such was fun too! I support Boondock Saints, where do I sign up?

Kara says (9:21 PM):

 good evening… I just remembered I need to text your GF

 How’s your day going

Amanda says (9:27 PM):

 what for. My evening is going well. How is your evening?

Kara says (9:29 PM):

 Delightful, I hung out with your GF for like a half hour, went to the gym, then I had to go pick up my little cousin from the hockey rink.

 The whole day has been solid.. I got a lot done.. I even hung out clothes today on the clothes line.

Amanda says (9:30 PM):

 Why do you need to text her?

  You at a hockey rink? Is this what unemployment has done for you?

Amanda says (9:31 PM):

 I heard you got nice weather today, I’m pissed. It’s been like fucking tsunami time here. Wind. Rain. Angry faces ha ha.

Kara says (9:32 PM):

 hahaha it was a beautiful day, I have to text her to let her know that I had to get my cousin, thus I won`t be joining her and her gathering tonight

 No I`m not at the hockey rink now… and I didn`t go in…I just drove by and made Jamie jump in….as I rolled.

Amanda says (9:33 PM):

  that’s hilarious. So what’s new and exciting?!?!?!?!

 I’m home in like twenty days, seems wild

Kara says (9:35 PM):

 It is wild. I`m really excited for you to be back, it`ll be good for your soul.

 New and exciting, I may or may not be trying to hook up a date as we speak.

 thats exciting

Amanda says (9:36 PM):

 ha ha ha. YOU on a DATE.

 That is new and exciting.

 who’s the lucky lady?

 teeth?

Kara says (9:36 PM):

 no not teeth.

Kara says (9:37 PM):

 but that reminds me that I`ll need a date for Nicole’s birthday prom.

 as well.

 ha

Amanda says (9:37 PM):

 when’s Nicole’s birthday prom?

 someone should have fun parties when I’m in Fredericton

Kara says (9:37 PM):

 the 12th

Kara says (9:38 PM):

 I feel like there may be a party the following weekend as well

 I`m not sure.

Amanda says (9:38 PM):

 13-18 but talking to the kids about being a homo on the 15th

Kara says (9:38 PM):

 We`ll party.

 hahaha

Amanda says (9:38 PM):

 who’s the girl!

Kara says (9:38 PM):

 oh… Thats a secret… I`ll show you a picture though.

Amanda says (9:39 PM):

 tell me things you like about her

 is this a plenty of fish happening

Kara says (9:40 PM):

 yes… Shes well travelled…super hot, and…smart.

Amanda says (9:40 PM):

 and from Fredericton, older or younger?

Kara says (9:40 PM):

 no, but from close by, and older.

Amanda says (9:41 PM):

 she’s from the Jizzy isn’t she?

 show me a picture!

Amanda says (9:43 PM):

 I’m thinking I might perform “Queer Soup” tomorrow for an open mic at the Cornerstone cafe tomorrow following the Trans Day of Remembrance

 Remember that poem I read to you awhile back

Kara says (9:44 PM):

 yes I do.

Amanda says (9:44 PM):

 Holy fuck! She’s beautiful

 She is from the SJ?

 She’s smoking hot.

 Looks sexy and smart.

Amanda says (9:45 PM):

 something about those big brown eyes.

Kara says (9:45 PM):

 Right?

Kara says (9:45 PM):

 date secured.

Amanda says (9:46 PM):

 I approve.

 Did you tell her you’re way into cuddling

Amanda says (9:47 PM):

 what will you do on your first date?

Kara says (9:47 PM):

 bahahaha

Amanda says (9:47 PM):

 WHERE IS SHE FROM

Kara says (9:47 PM):

 Moncton

Amanda says (9:48 PM):

  Is she a top? She looks like she could be and I would let her. You know.

Amanda says (9:49 PM):

 In charge is sexy.

 What are you going to do for the first date?

 If you make me ask the same question one more time, I will harm you.

Kara says (9:49 PM):

 ahh I`m not sure yet.

Kara says (9:50 PM):

 give me some ideas.

Amanda says (9:50 PM):

 is she more artsy, athletic, outdoorsy

 give me a few of her adjectives

Kara says (9:51 PM):

 athletic, social, cultured.

Amanda says (9:53 PM):

 Ok. I would walk in O’Dell park because she hasn’t seen it yet and it will give you a chance to talk at which time you can dazzle her with your charm. I would search out a Brazilian dish pre date and then ask if she wants to cook together, if she does make it together so it’s like a team building activity but if she isn’t into cooking take her somewhere nice like the palate and then either try to

Amanda says (9:54 PM):

 get tickets to the playhouse or see if there are any shows at the gallery

 fallback would be band at the bar

Kara says (9:54 PM):

 ooo try moncton, I`ll be out of my element.

Amanda says (9:54 PM):

 get her to come to you no?

 home court advantage

 if it’s on her turf

Amanda says (9:55 PM):

 you’re laughing

 sit back

 be femme

 look purdy

Kara says (9:55 PM):

 That’s an idea, but this will work out for the vacation to Moncton for two days.

 hahaha

Amanda says (9:55 PM):

 it’s her responsibility

Kara says (9:55 PM):

 YES

Amanda says (9:55 PM):

 but get her something

Kara says (9:55 PM):

 I can do that, I’ve got some ideas.

Amanda says (9:55 PM):

 to thank her for the work

Kara says (9:55 PM):

 I`ve got it under control.

 hahaha

Amanda says (9:55 PM):

 does she like coffee?

 does she know you’re addictedt to cigarettes

Kara says (9:56 PM):

 hahaha

 its all on POF, I’m cutting back!

 yeah, she’s down with coffee.

Amanda says (9:57 PM):

 get some of Nancy and John’s awesome beans and take those to her and maybe a funky pair of earrings from cultures

 ok I have to go

 HOT

 muah

Kara says (9:58 PM):

 later!

HI!

My prom is coming in a week’s time and I am totally not prepared for it. My dress isn’t ready so I can’t get other things because they need to suit the dress! Oh mannnnnn. Prom sucks because you’d have to spend tons of money and time to get many many many things just to make you look pretty on that stupid event.

This is the dress that I’m probably going to wear to prom but I’d have to do something to it first. If it doesn’t turn out nice, I’ll buy another dress =D
Rebecca says this dress makes me look like little children who toss flowers out at weddings. -_-
My mirror’s dirty because I like to draw on it =P
Paranormal activity sucks. >=(

Anyway, here are some pictures I’ve taken weeks ago:

PROM PROM PROM PROM.

Today is prom.
I don’t exactly feel all that excited.
Maybe later I would.
Alittle apprehensive.
Alittle unsure.
I just can’t wait to see all my beautiful friends. :B

Feels like its supposed to be a big day.
Hoho.

When I get back, I’ll tell you all about it.
From my perspective that is.

Panty shields up, Captain! We’re rebooting the Ovarian Operating System . . .

I know, the title of this blog alone makes you want to click fast and away. But I have to tell you a tale of consumer eco-angst removed from the simple and often expensive decision to buy local, organic products and food. But first, a little herstory . . .

There’s already been enough shame, secrecy, and taboo surrounding “that time of the month” and all the other fine euphemisms invented to be humourous or circumspect about the mystery of menstruation. There are countries where tampons weren’t and still aren’t sold because you’d have to “touch down there.” There are women who follow this practice willingly, even in forward thinking countries. They build huts and red tents and spas for this exact purpose. To wear pampers or to be pampered. Elsewhere.

But it’s moved beyond that to a place where we’re supposed to celebrate and “have a happy period,” a campaign from a company that stupidly chose their brand name to be “Always.” As in, “I’ll ALWAYS bleed, and I’ll ALWAYS wear these things.” At least Kotex, Tampex, and Playtex (all with –ex as a suffix to mean “out, from or away”) sound almost medical or medicinal. And it’s not ALL feminine hygiene, even wounded soldiers are prone to use a tampon (French for “plug” or “stopper”) to halt bullet wounds from weeping. “Always” doesn’t seem to imply medical or even chronic, instead, it implies a life sentence. Doesn’t your uterus protest? Well it should. War is hell and there’s a war in your drawers and the sick folks at Always were also responsible for aerodynamic pantyliners and pads. That’s right – they got your code red covered in homeland security and you can feel secure each month knowing there’s a little, white F-16 in your pants.

It’s not just a troubling war at home either . . . it’s covers many land masses and miles of ocean.

Spastic Plastic

Your average lady uses 16,800 tampons in her lifetime, that’s 250 to 300 pounds of tampons and applicators. Tag on a few thousand pads and panty liners, and your ecological footprint is looking more like Sasquatch. Of particular offense are the plastic applicators some tampons are encased in. They are casually tossed into wastebaskets where they later escape the curb trash or landfill, trotted off by animals, resurfacing in parking lots and playgrounds and a host of other locations you’d rather not see them appear.

They come back from the watery depths to haunt you, too.

Plastic tampon applicators from sewage outfalls are one of the most common forms of trash on beaches. Yeah, you thought food wrappers and glass bottles and needles were the only gross & hazardous materials washing out to sea and coming back in with the tides. You flush them and that’s just the beginning. For building owners, pads and tampons that are flushed down the toilet are the most common cause of plumbing problems. Further down the flow, they end up the sewage treatment plants and surf into a lake or onto a river, and on into the ocean where they pool with the rest of the plastic detritus at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. There it all sits and breaks down into ever smaller particles until they are the size and color of plankton or worse, are pelletized high-density polyethylene (HDPE) white “nurdles” that resemble fish eggs or food to sea creatures. Then the birds and fish ingest these hormone disrupters and concentrated toxins like PCB and DDE and the circle of life gets a big kick in the nurdles.

But it’s not just the animals somewhat removed from you, you’re an animal too, and guess what it’s doing to you by directly inserting it? Your conventional feminine hygiene products contain a mixture of rayon and cotton. Rayon is in your blouses, dresses, lingerie, linings, scarves, suits, ties, hats, socks, the filling in Zippo lighters, blankets, window treatments, upholstery, tire cord, yarn and diapers. It’s highly absorbent but no good at retaining shape and as far as biodegradability goes, it’s a real loser. Most importantly, synthetic materials like the Rayon used in tampons show an increased risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS), particularly for superabsorbent tampons. So if you’re a bleeder, you’re a feeder.

And sweet, white cotton isn’t much better up in there. Cotton is highly pesticide-intensive; 25% of pesticides used globally are devoted to growing cotton. To achieve that lily-white look, pads and tampons are bleached with chlorine, a process which creates dioxins, a known carcinogen and those bad boys shouldn’t be placed anywhere near your reproductive organs. And you swear you never smoked a cigar in your life. Especially in a donkey show.

Think Outside the (Tampon) Box

It’s getting easier to select tampons, pads, and panty liners made from organic, unbleached cotton which is cultivated without the use of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, sewage sludge, irradiation, petrochemicals, or genetic engineering. All of which we now have think about when looking at the towering isle of soothing, pastel colors, reminding us that yes – we’ll be back out there swimming, riding ponies, surfing at the beach and smiling while playing miniature golf in NO time.

O.B. tampons: small box, no applicator. Compact, simple cellophane wrapper covering them, easy to use, and take up very little room in your purse. It is unfathomable, but some women simple aren’t down with getting that up close and personal with their own lady bits and maybe getting their finger a little spotty. Come on darlings – this is no time to be prim and squeamish. If you haven’t seen it in a mirror to understand how it goes together and pushed the buttons to see how it works, you don’t deserve to have sex and should just hang an “Out Of Order” sign over your girdle loop. Get over it. Get into it. It’s yours. Deal.

OG-style Tampax: wrapped in paper, cardboard applicator that breaks down relatively quickly if they happen to get loose in the environment. Preferable to the Pearl brand, which has an indestructible plastic applicator strong enough for shotgun shell casings and is then further wrapped in coated paper. Awesome. Go ahead. Try running them over with your car. You can’t destroy them. They’ll only get dirty . . . and more angry. That plastic rocket launcher is just one more wasteful obstacle between you and your nana. I don’t even want to go into the perfumed varieties. Now on top of your plastic fetish, you’re going to open a vapor-impermeable pouch and stick this vulcanized, alcohol soaked albino vampire into your hoo-ha where no one and nothing but your senseless cervix can smell it? Well it doesn’t work and now you smell of lightly talcumed meat. Fail. p.s. Talc is closely related to the potent carcinogen asbestos and talc particles have been shown to cause tumors in the ovaries and lungs of cancer victims. So hey – go easy on sprinkling the Johnson’s about your leaky basement. It’s a safety hazard. You’ll slip and fall. No need to announce “clean-up on aisle one.”

Natracare and Seventh Generation: chemical-free, non chlorine-bleached, simple packaging which means even less waste. Eco-conscious enough with all the key ingredient and disclaimers including no animal-testing and skin-tested only on fellow humans. You can sleep well in the knowledge that no bunnies had to hop about with a maxi pad strapped to their fluffy bums and instead, some nice lady in a lab got itchy a few times. This is still within the normal scope of your monthly cycle.

Jade and Pearl Sea Sponge: natural tampons inspired by the traditional use of sponges by menstruating women of ancient times. So if you want to bleed like Cleopatra, this is your bag. The Egyptians invented the tampon too – so you can thank them for that little wonder. Sea sponges are available in Teenie, Regular, and Large and you precision(?) fit to size by trimming the sea sponge and experimenting with insertion. Wow. Try not to think about doing dishes or wiping counters or a nice hot sponge bath because really, I can’t see how this is either sanitary OR relaxing. So Sally, if you’re worried about sullying up the seashore, (welcome to my new menstrual tongue twister) this is all the rage amongst mythological aquatic creatures. Apparently, sea sponges are what mermaids use.

Menstrual Cups – i.e.: Diva cup, Mooncup, Instead Softcup, Lunette, Keepercup, LadyCup, Femmecup, Miacup: Ok. Here’s where I drawn the line. This ain’t a Dixie Cup, or a Sippie Cup, a Tommee Tippee Cup or an Ice Cream Cup. This is none of those fun, sweet, childlike associations. But I trust you probably got over that the first time you sprung a leak and wrecked your favorite Underroos or your expensive lingerie for failing to count the days. Maybe I just haven’t been brave enough to go with a new, miserable experience, but let me get this straight . . . i fold a plastic, rubbery cup into a jelly roll, insert this, it pops open like a tulip, i “stir” it around to make sure the umbrella’s been fully deployed, which may take some coaxing and pushing and twisting, and then I pull it out by its dangling tail at intervals, wash it and reinsert it like tiny, portable Tupper Ware?!?!

Oh, hell no!

i am not about to wash my snatch basket in the sink (and carry special, mild, perfume-free, hypo-allergenic fem soap) in between classes or you know, when i take a restroom break to freshen up while out to dinner. i mean, how does one do this discreetly? Oh, and once a month, i get the distinct displeasure of a 5-minute boil for my little traveling jellyfish at the end of the cycle in some dedicated kitchen equipment that never sees food. Or, hey, i can use rubbing alcohol (and not hydrogen peroxide) to sterilize it. But I have to be extremely careful not to soak it too long and allow it to dry completely and not degrade the integrity of the plastic and rinse the residue so I don’t fuck up my vaginal pH.

O.B. tampons sounding better all the time, huh? Can you imagine wringing out your sea sponge? Wouldn’t you rather “touch it” now?

Go With The Flow

There was a time when i worked at a place so uptight, they wouldn’t allow the female staff to carry in a purse. Whether this was for security or to keep outside worldly distractions such as cell phones to a minimum was unclear, but the idea completely incensed my friend Nicole.

“What?” she snapped. “Where are you supposed to carry your tampons, up your ass?”

i explained to her how bad the work environment sucked and how tension and impossible precision reigned, thus, the topic of anal retention seemed a very fitting description. The job had me so upset, i couldn’t poop for a week. Then i quit.

And many light flow days from then, here i was on a Wednesday nite, standing there in the supermarket isle, paralyzed by too many choices and horrible, far-reaching consequences of those attempts at informed decision. There i was: hungry, cranky, wanting ice cream and a heating pad at the same time, thinking about plumbing, and ocean waters and marine life and cancer of the Yoni.

i turn to the woman next to me who is clicking and sucking at her teeth in audible consternation, just like me, and we both smile nervously, amazed at the mini internal crisis over what we’re going to buy. Neither of us will move first, both seem to be wondering how the other will select, looking for a brave trend to follow. Somehow, there’s a preposterous sense of worry over being judged, like bringing a film or a music cd or a book to the checkout clerk, the fear of choosing poorly, unwisely, without taste or sensibilities. “Hmmm,” she says. “Yeahhhhh,” I mutter slowly and drawn out. And we both start giggling.

My cup of joy is overflowing

I consider my internal flowchart for assessing absorbency needs:

junior – aww, isn’t that cute, you inked!

light – Miss Kitty has a nose bleed.

regular – oh, yay. my period’s back.

super – omg that’s a lot of blood.

super plus – jesus, maybe you should go to the hospital!

ultra – uhh, i think that blood clot just asked for a cigarette.

i am looking for regular. Just something in between, just a few tampons, a starter pack, a holdover since i don’t see any of my normal go-tos. And all they have is “a mere scratch” or “Carrie – Prom Scene.”

So i think of the dolphins and the salmon and the seabirds and i grab the 10-pack with the small, recyclable cardboard box and no applicator with the green looking package and eco-claims to fame and the woman next to me does the same. Just enough to soldier on.

It’s all i can do, really. If i don’t want to leave with anymore acronyms. Say, add PTSD to my PMS. Christ Almighty in a hybrid – i can’t even BLEED with out feeling guilty about it in my new sustainable world concept! i leave with my chlorine-free, biodegradable, non-applicator, no plastic, rayon-free tampons and my razors (which are free from animal testing) and a pint of, yes, sorry, blood orange sorbet, and it’s a good thing. While i’m happily eating my cool treat, i don’t need to imagine poor, naked bunnies hopping around with razor burn and nicks with only a maxi-pad to keep them warm. And after all this guilt, i just want to sandwich a washcloth and tuck it in my drawers or just sit on a sock and call it good.

Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health

for all your bleeding needs . . .

my speech in our first and last prom..unfortunately, dapat kabidao ko iyon, ngunit, nablackout ang isip ko kaya umeksena pa ang pagkuha ko ng kodigo sa bulsa..imgine that? haha, anyway, here it is:

I may say that this lovely evening, this 20^th day of February in the year 2009, will be greatly rated for being one of the volumes of the most prestigious blockbuster film- our lives. In a few more episodes, we, seniors, will ascend to more difficult tapings and pictorials because we will encounter a greater production; more actors to be met and more roles to be performed. And of course, one thing is for sure: we are always the writer of our own story. As for now, let’s congratulate ourselves for we all have been doing so great to make this tale as fulfilling as we want it and as adventurous as we make it.

In four years of staying here in this institution, I may conclude that counting the wonderful moments that we shared in our high school days is a mind-boggling thing because even the depressing ones that we lived through contributed in helping us to become what we are today. Yes, even the giving of any sizes of paper during quizzes, “buraotan” during breaks and being “pasaways” in front of our teachers, all are considered factors that made this experience complete and of course, a perfect one. And if we are going to look at it, everything happened in a blast but, much unnoticed.

When I made my first footsteps in this school in the early days of my freshman year, one thing I can’t forget is our innocent selves just like a blind person who seeks the right path, looking for the white light behind the darkness of that innocence. By all means, we looked for the knowledge we need and we craved for the wisdom we must possess before we depart from this home, from this family. We were so curious about all the things that we encountered everyday but we did not know to whom we must hold on and how to distinguish right from wrong. And because of such blindness, receiving only the radiance of the twilight, some succeeded in knowing all the essential things to be remembered and to be understood by the heart but others got lost in the labyrinth and failed to know the indispensable truth of life.

We have encountered many things as high school students but still, our journey will not stop after this stage. And I’m very proud that we never lost hope when failures and disappointments came to our way. We defended what we love, and fought for what we believe in.

And as for you, the juniors, in a few more days, your job will be to continue the unfinished tasks we will leave behind as we sail in our respective ships to discover new oceans. In behalf of the seniors, we are thankful because you are our companions and these years will serve as memories that we will cherish forever.

After we move on, after we step on another phase of our lives, you must learn and remember the things that have helped us to finish this stage.

You must learn how to be responsible. Responsibility is one key in order for you to succeed. Some things that we did might not have worked out well but we trust that after we leave the portals of this institution, you may learn from our mistakes. Expect the worst but always strive for the best. Whenever you fail, don’t lose hope, just stand up. Consider such challenges as a blessing. We must learn from these challenges, particularly the failures so that we will achieve more success.

You must also learn how to be humble. Humility is one sign of being educated, of being wise. This will be the start of your time to grow up and make your own; we believe that you can do more than what we have done. But in doing so, always remember this:

“The taller the bamboo grows, the lower it bends.”

And lastly, you must learn to be contented sometimes but grow most of the time. It is always right to be contented but this will sometimes hinder you from growing, from progressing. You only live once, so live your life to the fullest. It is not yet over so never make this as an excuse for you to be contented; there are many more fishes in the sea, waiting for you to discover them.

Just be grateful for all your achievements and be thankful to the One who is the first and the last thing we must think of, God, because His love for us and His will to guide us is everlasting.

We hope to see all your spectacular dreams come true.

Just remember that:

“All endings are also beginnings; we just don’t know it at the time.”

Well, you might be thinking that it’s a little too early to begin talking about hair for prom this year, but I don’t think it’s ever to early to talk about being prepared for one of the biggest nights of our lives…am I right?  So your hairstyle all depends upon what?  The dress, the jewelry, the red carpet, the weather… how about all of the above!

So over the next couple of months as you’re seeing hairstyles you like in magazines and online (red carpet events, celebrity breakdowns etc.) either cut them out or print them out.  You’ll want to take this into the stylist so that she knows exactly what your vision is.  Also, have a plan “B” in case your hair doesn’t want to cooperate with you on Prom day!

Next you’ll want to finalize your dress and jewelry, and let your stylist know what you’ll be wearing as you’d hate to be wearing your hair down with gorgeous earrings that nobody can see….

OK now you need to make a pre-appointment a month or so before the prom and go over your dress and jewelry selection and the ideas that you had.  Make sure your hair can do what you want it to do, for example, it may be kind of hard to get short hair into a French twist!

Schedule your appointment for prom day, make sure you schedule yourself enough time in case it’s raining, or a really humid day, you may have to go with choice # 2 if the weather is not cooperating with your style of choice, and you’ll need extra time to do that.

Lastly, enjoy your night, as they say, have fin and let your hair down….but not if you have it in an up-do!!!!  Post pics of your hairstyle or one’s you like here….

Recently I helped someone unfamiliar with process mining in starting analysis on a log. One of the things that I noticed is that it is hard to get to know the overall ’structure’ and meaning of the terms used. This is further complicated by inconsistent use of terminology in conversations and documentation but also in ProM 5.2. In this post I will try to explain some of the most common terms used in process mining and what they (should) mean.

Note: this is not a ‘definite’ list, it is just how I think the terms should be interpreted and used!!! Furthermore, any suggestions and additions are welcome!!!

The overall picture: A system (e.g. a workflow management system) facilitates the processing of cases using a predefined process in which activities and their ordering is defined. The activities executed in this system are recorded in an event log which can be ‘reverse engineered’ using ProM for instance. The log contains actual executions of events on cases on a certain moment in time by a certain actor etc.
The result of this reverse engineering can be a process model describing the behavior recorded in the log but performance -, social network – and constraint analysis is also possible. We won’t go into all the possible analyses in this post.

So, an (event) log contains information about process instances (e.g. cases) and the events that are performed on/for them.

It is also important to understand that there are two levels: one is the conceptual level in which we do not talk about actual instances but generally talk about objects that can appear in a log. The other level is the instance level in which you look at specific instances of process instances, event executions, originators, etc. etc. In the general terms list I tried to indicate whether a term refers to a conceptual aspect or really refers to an (set of) instance.

General Process Mining terms:

(Used in ProM 5.2 and MXML, new terms are used in ProM 6 and the XES event log format)

• Activity An action or task that can be performed for a process instance (conceptual level);
• Data attribute An extra attribute recorded in the MXML file. Examples are the amount of a purchase order or the patient’s age. These attributes can for instance be used for decision analysis in ProM (conceptual level);
• Event This can either refer to an activity or an event instance performed by a resource on a certain time for a specific process instance. The meaning therefore depends on the context in which it is used;
• Event Class Used in the ProM Dashboard, it refers to the number of different activities encountered in the log (instance level).
• Event Log A recording of a set of events, an MXML log is an example of an event log format (instance level);
• Event Instance A recording of an executed event with information such as execution timestamp, event type and originator (instance level);
• Event Type Each activity can be in one of several states. The most commonly used states are ’start’ and ‘complete’. The meaning is very straightforward: an activity is started and a certain amount of time later it is completed. There are several other event types or states, for a complete overview see figure 4 in the ‘MXML paper’ (PDF) (might be outdated) (conceptual level);
• Log The original log generated by the source system which records things that have happened. In order to be used within ProM this needs to be converted to the MXML format using the ProM Import Framework (instance level).
• Process Instance (PI) The object you are following and on/for which events occur. Examples are cases, patients, machines etc. (can be both conceptual and instance level);
• Process mining Analyzing a business process based on an event log, see http://www.processmining.org;
• ProM An application to apply several process mining techniques to an event log, see http://www.processmining.org. The version at the moment of writing is 5.2 and version 6.0 is under development (nightly builds are available);
• ProM Import Framework A framework for converting event logs to the MXML event log format. A set of converters for common formats is available but new converters can be programmed in Java;
• Model Element Used in the ProM Dashboard Summary, it should be interpreted as ‘activity’.
• MXML A meta model for event logs. An event log needs to be in this XML format to be processed by ProM. More information can be found in the ‘meta model for process mining’ paper (PDF) (conceptual level);
• MXML log The actual MXML file with all the recordings following the MXML format (instance level);
• Resource Any actor that can execute an activity, for example humans, the system itself or a web service (conceptual level);
• Timestamp A time indication consisting of a date and possibly a time part (instance level);

Well, that’s the list for now. I hope I helped someone and did not add to the confusion. If you have any questions, suggestions or additions, please post a comment!!! Especially the ‘conceptual v.s. instance’ part was hard for me to explain so any improvements are welcome.

- Joos -

P.S. @my supervisor: I created this article in the weekend and scheduled it for publication on Tuesday, so don’t think I’m procrastinating