Four Letters, One Night - Prom

It's (definitely) not that time of the year where one will invite another from the opposite gender to be part of his/her special night - the Juniors Promenade, also known as JS Prom or simply prom. I decided to write this blog post this time in the thought that I'll have no other time to do so in the coming months. It's also for those who want an idea of what prom is all about. I may be a hypocrite for what I'll say (actually, for a lot of what I'll say) but it's still too early to be concerned about it. Nevertheless, read on if you want to.

The ideas I express here may or may not apply to you; your decisions will always depend on your own judgment and to what you think is right or proper. I'll be sharing my experience, such to my opinion went well.

What Is Prom

Prom, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a formal dance for high school students usually at the end of the school year. Here in the Philippines, prom is for Juniors (3rd year; not sure with the K-12 equivalent), usually held during the month of February. The venue would be in a hotel (though I've never experienced prom in a hotel), or in the school grounds, should the school have the facilities to hold one. Given that it's a formal event, guests have a formal dress code to follow; such is usually provided by the school. Here, a student can attend with a date, or attend solo - stag. You may end up pressured to having a date but take note - there is nothing wrong with being stag. If you really want to have a date, however, go ahead and find one; just don't push it when you really can't find one.

Promspect

The word doesn't exist in the dictionary but promspect is just a combination of prom and prospect. In other words, promspect refers to the person you'd like to be with in your prom. Your promspect does not have to be your boy/girlfriend (thus you don't really need a relationship!), or someone who's undeniably handsome or beautiful. You'd like your prom to be a memorable one, so think of someone you know you'll have a good time with, someone who's really worth that memory. It can be (but not limited to) a friend, someone you know, someone you'd like to know more, or have a good connection with. Consider as well the probability of that sweet yes. Do you think that person is free and willing on the night itself? Do you think that person's parents will allow? There are more factors to consider, but those are one of the most important ones. Again, your preferences may be different from mine. Whoever you think should be your date, go ahead and aim for him/her. And if the probability isn't that good, yet you really want that person to be your date, go ask! There's nothing wrong with trying. Again, this is your night. It's up to you as to how you want it to be.

Promposal

This word isn't in the dictionary as well. Promposal is just short for prom-proposal. What a term (though I did prompose, or that's how it's called)! Back in the old days ('80s), my mom told me that inviting a person to prom was as simple as calling the person's house telephone. Promposal is the act of inviting the person to prom. This, however, is different from mere inviting. Promposal is usually grand in nature - flash mobs, group singing and so on. Inviting a person, however, needs not to be grand or extravagant. The extravagance of an invitation doesn't necessarily increase your chances nor does it guarantee a positive response. A well-thought invitation will suffice, something that the invitee will really appreciate. There are a lot of ways to invite a person. The internet offers a lot of ways. It's best, however, to have your own way of inviting a person. Don't be too plain with your invitation as well (such as texting the person like Prom. G? or asking as if it's an ordinary question); it's rather improper these days. There'll be a separate post regarding my personal experience based on this post (which I believe will be more interesting). Stay tuned!

With regard to when you should invite a person, it varies. Some invite as early as October (like me) when the night itself is in February. Others invite as close as a week before the night. There's really no ideal time to invite, but in my opinion, the ideal time is within one to two months before the night. Consider the availability of the person you'd like to invite (should you want to meet with him/her, or at the least have a lengthly conversation). A school Christmas fair may be a good venue to invite the person, if the night is near that.

Some would invite a person in such a manner that the public will take notice. Well, publicity isn't always good; it instead can be disappointing when it doesn't go as planned. The manner of invitation will depend on the preference of the invitee. Usually, it's better to do a personal invitation. The invitee will get to appreciate it more. Also, it's only you two who're interacting. That way, the invitation will only be between you and the invitee, without external intervention or so.

After Promposal

Should you fail to invite your promspect, you can try inviting someone else. Take note that you can attend on your own as stag. Should you succeed, however, well congratulations! Now that you have a date, the next thing you'll have to do is to settle necessary matters. This may include asking the date's parents for permission. Always remember to be honest and respectful to your date and to his/her parents. This will give you a good impression and will show that you deserve to be with your date on that special night. There's nothing much to do in between inviting and prom itself, actually. You just have to prepare your attire (among others) and make sure that your date is informed with pertinent details. If necessary, get to know your date's address. Usually, the arrangement is that the male would pick his date up at the date's house. The date will be brought home after prom as well. Again, this arrangement is not necessary. Just be faithful and adherent to whatever the arrangement/agreement will be. Acknowledge your (and your date's) limitations.

On Your Special Night

This is it! This is your night! After all that preparation and stuff, the night has finally come! Before you leave the house, make sure that you have everything you need. Avoid bringing too many things, by the way. Be punctual; it gives you a better impression to your date and his/her parents and/or family. On the way and at the venue itself, do converse with your date. Take care of your date as well. His/her parents entrusted him/her to you, so it's just proper that you make sure that he/she is well cared for. Most of all, enjoy! You don't have to be perfect with everything. What's important is that you're enjoying and you're making good memories by the minute. After prom, never forget to express gratitude towards your date for spending the time with you.

Prom isn't necessarily the end, however. It isn't necessarily the 'beginning' as well, but it is a good way to start a good connection.

If you finished reading all the way here, thank you! I'm sorry if the article's kind of lengthly but what I have written is what I can offer to you as someone who has gone through it. Note that the ideas I expressed here worked best for me. Know that you are not me, and I am not you, so other ideas may work best for you. You can follow if you want to. Nevertheless, I'll be willing to help you out. Just drop a comment or message if you need help or you simply want to suggest something in improving this post. Don't forget to be constructive :)
 

Sunflower in a Pot

Hello readers!

It's been some time since my last post, but here goes one... By the way, I'm gardening in Manila, Philippines (just to give you an idea of the climate and environment).

I wanted to grow sunflowers on a pot so I decided to buy sunflower seeds. I got the Yellow Empress variant, from Yates Seeds, imported by Ramgo. According to the packet, the plant is expected to have a height of one meter (or more). Needless to say, this sunflower variant has to be planted on ground, not on pots.

In my garden, there's not much space. If there were, that space isn't good enough; it doesn't receive enough sunlight. Given that, I decided to plant the seeds on a pot. I wanted to see how it will do, aware that the chances of it flowering is relatively slim. I still kept my hopes high, however. Years back, I saw a bloomed sunflower planted on a metal milk can (which is commonly used as a pot in the province).

I planted on April 23 and in around 3 days if I remember, the seeds emerged. Unfortunately, the seedlings were leggy (but not drooping), as I planted them on a not-so-sunny place. I then transferred the seedlings to a bigger pot (still not big enough, however). The leaves drooped initially, but the seedlings normalized eventually. The plants receive at least five hours of sunlight a day, and they have grown well since then (despite the leggy stem; that portion has strengthened).

I eventually decided to transfer the seedlings to their individual pots. Transplanting isn't recommended for sunflowers, but I still decided to give it a try. I took the shortest one and transferred it on a plastic pot (roughly 7 in. diameter x 8 in. height). After a few days, success! The plant was able to establish itself. I planted another, but it is yet to fully normalize as of now.

I let the established one grow, and after some more days, lo and behold- the plant has a bud! Picture was taken June 4 (roughly a month and two weeks).
 

I was delighted to see a bud growing. Days passed, and the bud grew larger. This plant is serious about blooming! Picture below was taken four days after, June 8.

I'll be photographing as much photos as soon as the flower blooms. In the meantime, stay tuned! I wonder how the flower will look like (obviously yellow with a brown center- I mean how big and so on).