Problems with making functions

Lets say i want to make a function for a MC.
in frame1:
[AS]
function mess = function (text){
trace (text);
}
[/AS]

To call this function from inside a MC i need to write like this:
[AS]
_root.mess(“Hello World”)
[/AS]

But since my final movie is loaded with a preloader in another file, that function is placed on another location, so to call the function from a MC, i need to write:
[AS]
_parent.mess(“Hello World”)
[/AS]

This bothers me.
How would you make a functions that is “global”? Where all you have to write is:
[AS]
mess(“hello world”)
[/AS]