Advertising and promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advertising and promotion - Essay Example This paper aims to explore the role of advertising as part of the integrated approach to marketing communications as well as some relevant models and theories that can help explain the process of communication. This is showed through relevant examples through real-life applications of companies and brand owners of these concepts. Lastly, this paper aims to explore the new trends in the integrated marketing communications industry with changes that are prompted by the onset of new technology. Advertising has a distinct characteristic both as a strong force and a weak force in communicating with consumer (Jones 1990, 233-246). The advertising functions role in the overall marketing communications mix of the company depends on whether the advertising should be used as a strong force, or a weak force. In the older times, advertising has always been viewed as a strong force—it is the main function that is being used by companies to promote products. With advertising, brands are created as they help gain peoples attention, and later on create attitudes toward these brands (Duncan 2005). When advertising is used as a strong force, it is usually aimed to create awareness from the target audience (Jones 1990, 233-246). This is apparent in an advertisement campaign which is developed in the late 1990s for the Meat & Livestock Commission: The advertising developed by BMP DDB, ‘Recipe for love’, first slowed and then reversed the market decline. The ads ‘dramatised the unique pleasures of red meat meals’ and ‘encouraged people to make a little more effort and cook them more frequently (instead of ready meals, chicken and so on)’. There was also a ‘reassurance’ campaign that gave basic information about the nutritional benefits of red meat. Sales of both beef and all red meat grew in 1997 over 1996 (Broadbent 2008, 763). However, other people believe that advertising, in

Women’s Movement and the Kenyan State

Women’s Movement and the Kenyan State The Women’s Movement and the Kenyan State: Cooperation or Conflict? Gloria Mmoji Vuluku   Abstract State intervention in Kenya’s women movement is inhibiting progress on women equality. This intervention has taken the form resources that aid and influence their activities as well as laws that essentially make women movements dependent on government to achieve their objectives. The resulting scenario is an association between women movements and the state that is more cooperative than conflictual. Hence any meaningful changes in gender relations are essentially slow as change is achieved through constant consultation and compromise. These were the conclusions made after an examination of women organizations and policies on women in Kenya. The Kenyan government aid women’s organizations by availing various resources, like direct funding and government offices through the 1/3 gender rule on public offices. Data collected through an analysis of various women’s programs show how this allows the government to influence the women’s movement. In addition, data was collected on 10 women organizations between 2004-2014 indicate a diverse and vibrant women’s organisation that is on the decline. This is because government policies curtail the development of women organizations into full time professional organisations. Therefore, cooperation between the women’s movement and the government is institutionalised, has led to co-optation, minimizing conflict and curtailing any meaningful change in gender relations in Kenya. Key Words: Women Movement, State, Conflict, Cooperation, Social movement. Introduction State intervention in Kenya’s women movement is inhibiting progress on women equality. This intervention has taken the form of direct resources that aid and influence their activities as well as policies that essentially make women movements dependent on government to achieve their objectives. The resulting scenario is an association between women movements and the state that is more cooperative than conflictual. Hence any meaningful changes in gender relations are essentially slow as change is achieved through constant consultation and compromise. The Kenyan government aids women’s organizations by availing various resources, like direct funding through the UWEZO fund and government offices through the 1/3 gender rule on public offices. This allows the government to influence the women’s movement. The resultant effect is the apparent decline in a once diverse and vibrant women movement. This can also be attributed to policies made especially in the last decade t hat curtail the development of women organizations into full time professional organisations. The policies have made cooperation between the women’s movement and the government institutionalised, minimizing conflict and curtailing any meaningful change in gender relations in Kenya. In this paper examine the effect state intervention has had on the women’s movement in Kenya. How has government intervention contributed to the demobilization of the women movement? What are the effects of institutionalization of the Kenyan women movement? What needs to be done for the women movement in Kenya to achieve meaningful social change—equality? These are the fundamental questions that the paper tries to answer. Since the study of women’s movements is premised within the wider field of social movements, I start by critically analysing the definitions of movements. Emphasis here is on the definition of social movements as â€Å"outsiders† with respect to conventional politics, and utilise unconventional or protest tactics (Diani, 1992). The argument here, and which runs throughout the paper, is that social movements are formed to meet undefined or unstructured situations and mostly use unconventional means to achieve their objectives outside institutional channels. Once the state intervenes, most of these movements become institutionalized, the tactics become part of the conventional repertoire, large numbers of movement leaders co-opt and cooperation takes precedent over conflict. The resulting scenario is social change achieved through bargaining and compromise which is slow. Second, I show data from 2004 to 2014 supporting the argument that state intervention has led to the decline in the women movement in Kenya. Data will show that the decline of the movement began the day Kenya declared victory against the repressive regime of its second president in 2003. Subsequent regimes have provided aid to women’s organizations by availing various resources, like direct funding and government offices through the 1/3 gender rule on public offices. This section will show how this aid has contributed to the demobilization of the women movement in Kenya. The section goes further to show how policies formulated to enhance women equality have worked against the movement and in the process weakened it. I then turn in a third section to a discussion of what needs to be done for the women movement in Kenya to achieve meaningful social change, focusing on both the conditions that help foster movements—like use of unconventional means to achieve objectivesâ₠¬â€ and traditional factors that lead to the decline of a movement. Conceptualizing Movement-State Interaction Theory of social movement relies heavily on the assumption of a dichotomy between social movements and the state. Early studies on the subject were based on the assumption that movements had limited access to institutional resources like the state and hence confrontational towards such institutions, with the state being its main target. Multiple definitions of social movements underscored this position with the main principles being their location outside the state (Gamson, 1990); and the target being the state (Tilly, 1978). However, in the last three decades, scholars of social movements have observed a move that has seen social movements become more accommodating to the state, they have become institutionalized, tactics have become more routinized and have adopted cooperation rather than conflict in relation to the state (Costain Mcfarland, 1998; Giugni Passy, 1998; Meyer Tarrow, 1998; Mcadam, Tarrow, Tilly, 2001). Likewise, the state has become more accommodating to social mo vements (Banaszak, Beckwith, Rucht, 2003). This has led some scholars to term this association as â€Å"conflictual cooperation† (Giugni Passy, 1998), while others have introduced the concept of a â€Å"social movements society† (Meyer Tarrow, 1998). In fact, to some scholars, this increased institutionalization of movements and the integration of social movement ideas and the state could be seen as a success of social movements (Gamson, 1990). In the same line, there have been a number of works to show the mutual influences between social movements and the state. Topics such as framing protest issues (Gamson and Meyer; 1996), repression (Kurzman, 1996; Rasler, 1996), movement outcomes (Dalton, 1995; Misztal and Jenkins, 1995) and most commonly political opportunity structures (Kriesi,1995; McAdam, McCarthy and Zald, 1996; Tarrow, 1996). The separation of movement politics from institutinalized politics was clearly illustrated in Tilly’s 1978 works where he presented social movements as ‘challengers’ seeking to enter the institutinalized world where there is routinized access to power. Gamson (1990) who saw movements as ‘outsider’ groups whose challeges succeded as such groups became recognized actors in institutional politics. Therefore, students of social movements commonly associate institutinalization with demobilization, as social movements are necessarily extrainstitutional (Katzenstei n, 1998). The integration of movement and state is seen as coà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ optation and a deà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ radicalization process that equates to the end of protest politics. Women’sMovements, andtheState:ABlurredDivideBetweenProtestandInstitutions In the course of the 1980’s ‘autonomous’ women movements started declining. States were displaying increasing openness to women’s movements ideas and actors, a new vision of the relationship between women’s movement and the state started to proliferate. Women movement scholars increasingly viewed the state as a possible and new arena for women movement action. This was against the dominant viewpoint that women movement and the state had an irreduciblerelationship (Ferguson,1984). The viewpoint was generally referred to as ‘state feminism’ (Hernes,1987). Three approaches have been used to explain how and why the women movement and the state have increasingly interacted; the femocraticapproach has associated state feminism with the presence of individual actors promoting gender equality within the bureaucracy, driving change from within the state. This approach argues that the state can ‘empower’ women (Hernes, 1987) through t hepresenceof women activists withinthestateandindividualadvocatesofwomen’srightsworkingwithinthebureaucracy (Franzway,Court,Connell1989;Eisenstein1990;Sawer1990;Watson1990;Eisenstein1995a;Eisenstein1995b). However, the biggest criticism of the approach lays in the accountability notion. Indeed, whatistoguaranteethatoncetheyrisetopositionsofinfluenceandpower, women will remain true to the interests of the mass of women? This is because working within state institutions itself imposes a number of constraints. The women activists within the state are first accountable to the government before the masses of women so as to maintain their position causing tension in the women movement. TheRNGSapproach, focuseson women’s policy agencies as (potential)institutional relays of women’s movements ideas and actors within the state. Inthisapproach, women’spolicyagenciesareatthecenteroftheattention,focusisplacedontheextenttowhichtheywillreflectwomenmovementdemandsandachievetheirintegrationintopublicpolicy (Revillard2006b).Themainissueaddressedbythisapproach to state feminism is whether or not public policies could integrate feminist perspectives and towhatextentwomen’spolicybodieswereinstrumentaltotheprocess.TheRNGSresearchdesignproposed to study state feminismbycomparingtheeffectivenessofwomen’spolicyagenciesinadvancingwomen’s movementsgoals in the policymaking processesofpostindustrialdemocracies(RNGS2006). Finally, the coalitionapproach, coalitions have drawn attention to the blurring boundary between social movements and the state with specific reference to the women movement (Mazur2002;Stoffel2005;Holli2008). There is conscious ly initiated cooperation by women groups tofurthertheiraimsorachievegoalsperceivedasimportant in a policy process (Holli,2008). The Kenyan Women Movement and the Kenyan State: The Kenya women’s movement has played a key role as a change agent in respect to advancement of women’s rights, gender equality, social justice and promoting good governance in general. However, its impact has varied over time and in different contexts. Hence I seek to locate the women’s movement in Kenya during the different periods of Kenya’s history while analysing its relation to the Kenyan state over these periods. The periods that have shaped the women movement in Kenya are; the colonial period (before 1963); one party state (1969-1992); liberation movement (1992-2002); and, Kenya’s transition to democracy (1992-2002). After independence, between 1963 and 1992 there was little change in women’s status and State support for women’s empowerment initiatives was minimal at best. The government co-opted or controlled women’s organizations, e.g. 1987 merger of MYWO with the ruling and only political party-KANU. The Kenyan state that was intolerant to such organizing, unless such a group condoned and promoted the oppressive political status quo (Nzomo, ). Capacity to organize and engage politically was lacking. The only three national women’s organizations allowed to function at the time, namely, Maendeleo ya Wanawake (MYWO), National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK) and the Nairobi Business and Professional Women’s organisation operated strictly on government’s terms: they had to be non-political and non- partisan in all their actions and had to limit their women’s agenda, strictly to social welfare provisioning, promoting the role of women as homemakers, mobilizing and organizing women at grassroots level into women’s groups to support agendas of male political elites. The period after 1992 has been dubbed the â€Å"Second Liberation† in Kenyan politics, as it marked the return to political pluralism in Kenya and the beginning of opening up of political space for exercising basic and universally accepted democratic freedoms. References Banaszak, L. A., Beckwith, K., Rucht, D. (2003). Womens movements facing the reconfigured state. New York: Cambridge University Press. Costain, A. N., Mcfarland, A. S. (1998). Social movements and American Political Institutions. Lanham, Md: Rowman Littlefield. Giugni, M. G., Passy, F. (1998). Contentious Politics in Complex Societies: New Social Movements between Conflict and Cooperation. In M. G. Giugni, D. McAdam, C. Tilly (Eds.), From Contention to Democracy. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefiel. McAdam, D., Tarrow, S., Tilly, C. (2001). Dynamics of Contention. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Meyer, D. S., Tarrow, S. (Eds.). (1998). The Social Movement Society: Contentious Politics for a New Century. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

Impact Of Social Media On Business Commerce Essay

Impact Of Social Media On Business Commerce Essay Social media or in other words New Media defines social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flicker, Youtube along with many more sites that engage users to participate in,comment on and create content as means of communicating with their social group,other users and public.It can take place via a computer(like laptops and netbooks),tablets(like iPads,iTouch and others) and mobile phones(smart phones).Social media in todays world has become a global phenomenon. Social media in todays world is a part of any business, no firms are able to sell there products without the help of social media because social media is a mass communication media which takes the detail of quality and price of the product to the consumers. Hence social media helps the firm fully to bring the profit in from the business . 1Agnihotri, Raj; Kothandaraman, Prabakar; Kashyap, Rajiv; Singh, Ramendra. (2012). impact of social media on business.  Journal of Personal Selling Sales Management.  . 32 (16), p333-348. This article is very interesting, it provides useful information about the history of social media and it explains how social media impacts business. It has useful information about the impact of social on business In different fields of business. I will use this source in my final essay because it explains about different terms for example sales management, business intelligence, business planning and many more. Furthermore, it explains how the organistaions achieve goals using social media. Its a fastest growing process in business organizations which sketches a goal in an organizations. However social media is a very important tool which explains how to maintain tasks in various fields like a salesman to maintain a job in a better way to create a job value. This article is giving me different ideas how the business is done with the help of social media. As you can see this article has the common points about the social media marketing strategies, firms strategies, business planning and sales management. Dave Ray . (2010).  The Positive Effects of Social Media.  Available: http://www.searchengineisland.com/2012/05/positive-effects-of-social-media-online.html. Last accessed 28th oct 2012. This site explains about the positive impact of social media on business. It explains how to use social media for future online business whatever it may be, a product or marketing which will pay you dividend at the end of the day. This site also gives information about how social media has grown in the world wide mostly in business, as you can see nowadays no business runs without the help of social media. However using this site for my final essay will be more useful because it point out how the business firms use networking websites to keep in touch with customers, examine the, and know there taste and preference . Therefore this website is giving me different ideas and it clarifies about different networking social and business oriented social network websites and it also throw light upon how the firms achieve their goals with the help of social media networking websites ( for example facebook, twitter and myspace) john souza. (2011).  social media features for a boost in business.Available: http://socialmediamarketinguniversity.com/10-musthave-social-media-features-boost-business/. Last accessed 28th oct 2012. I am taking this site as my source because it gives me detail about social media features which helps the firms to improve their business. It illustrate about various social media websites like facebook, twitter, linkedin and youtube. For example: facebook pages helps the enterprise in advertising their product on their pages which are liked by many members and whenever a commodity is liked by a member it goes on his/her personal profile therefore the enterprise freely advertised and it saves the cost of the commodity. As well as in twitter, if an account is upgraded to professional then their will be many members to tweet you which means more profit for the firm. Therefore I should use this source in my final essay because it defines social media in a better way and it teaches how the business firms make their brands name popular and how they make they profit by using social media network pages . Catherine Lovering. (2010).  Negative Effects of Social Media on Business.  Available: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effects-social-media-business-25682.html. Last accessed 27th oct 2012 I am taking this article as my source for the final essay , different articles explains different things as this explains me how social media creates problems for business firms . In these days no company can use negative products as they are noticed by media, because if they do, media makes negative stories about their products which creates a big problem for the company and company is publicized with the bad name in the market . Social media is a big part of the business ,social media invites everyone to its community employees, labors and consumers . social media makes difficulty for the companies to say about their brands that are negative, because customers are openly invited to media and they would comment on the brands that defamatory . Thus, using this article as a source in my final essay will be more helpful then any other because it points out many negative topics about social median negative impacts on business and how does it creates problem for companies like speaking of unauthorized workers on organizations behalf. Rodriguez, Michael; Peterson, Robert M.; Krishnan, Vijaykumar. . (2012). impact of social media on business.  Journal of Personal Selling Sales Management.  . 32 (14), p365-378. In this article Michael, Robert and vijay kumar has explained how the social media influence business firms. According to Neilson company(2010), social media users world wide grew nearly 30 percent in 2010, from 244 million to nearly 315 million users. Research from Gartners consumers technology and markets groups forecasted that global spending on social media would total $14.9 billion in 2012(Gupta 2011) (content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?EbscoContent ) Therefore, as the use of social media rises, the price of the product also rises and the customer who are called king of the market tend to change to its substitutes of that commodity which has the deserving price rather than the commodity that is advertise through means of social media. This article has discussed about the negative impacts of social media which says that because of social media many big business firms loses its customers every year for many different reasons.

The Impact of Birth Order on Personality Essay -- Expository Classific

The Impact of Birth Order on Personality Before I had children, I did not believe that birth order could affect the personality of a person. But now I have three beautiful yet very different daughters. So different that not only is it sometimes hard to believe they come from the same two parents, it’s sometimes hard to believe they come from the same species! I have come up with three categories to describe the peculiarities of birth order, the Perfectionist, the Tornado, and the Princess, at least as they pertain to my daughters. The Perfectionist is the oldest child. Miss Perfection has been the center of attention since the moment of conception. The parents just know that this child would be the smartest, most compassionate, most beautiful child ever born on the face of the earth. The parents then pour all their energies into making sure this is true. The child then decides that this is what life is like. The oldest child believes that their hair has to always be perfect with a hair bow that is the exact shade of their carefully chosen ensemble. Their schoolwork reflects th...

Clothing in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay -- essays research pa

Clothing: A Form of Rebellion â€Å"Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used by the author to represent abstract ideas or concepts.† Symbolism in literature is the depth and hidden meaning in any piece of work. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a powerful and evocative novel laced with symbolism. The most obvious is the symbol of the scarlet letter itself, representing Hester’s sin of adultery. Hawthorne’s other symbols are less obvious and are very often obscured in the novel. Clothing is an important but often forgotten symbol in The Scarlet Letter. Clothing is defined as â€Å"garments collectively, clothes, raiment, apparel†¦ a covering† (dictionary.com). The second part of the definition, which describes clothing as â€Å"a covering† is the most relevant to its symbolism in the novel (dictionary.com). Hester is a seamstress and uses it as her source of income to support herself and her daughter Pearl. Hester uses clothing as a covering or escape from her sentence of having to wear the scarlet letter on her bosom all the time. The connotation of the word throughout the novel is a form of rebellion. Her work supplies an outlet for Hester’s artistic sensibilities, which she exercises in the work she does for others and in the clothes she embroiders for Pearl. With Pearl’s attire, Hester can give â€Å"the gorgeous tendencies of her imagination their full play† (Scarlet). Hester dresses Pearl in bright colors rather than the dark, drab colors that were so prevalently worn in Puritan society. In Chapter 1, the beginning scene of the novel, Hawthorne describes a group of Puritans in front of the prison. They were wearing â€Å"sad-colored garments and gray†¦hats.† Some were wearing hoods (Scarlet 42). Already Hawthorne is sh... ...l anyone of his crime. Moreover, clothing has vague significance because the reverend is wearing a black veil, like Chillingworth who wears black all the time, and that gives insight to his evil nature. In conclusion, clothing is used for multiple reasons in the novel. Hester uses it as a form of rebellion, it is her way to express her feelings through garments. In addition, it is her way of rebelling against Puritan society, by dressing Pearl in colors much not the norm to the society. In addition, clothing is also used to reflect character and situation in the novel. The clothes worn by Chillingworth and by the witch foreshadow their character. Colors of clothing are also important. The use of bright colors, such as crimson, and gold conveys how dissimilar Hester and Pearl are viewed by the Puritan society, which generally dresses in plain, emotionless colors.

Pipeline Systems Essay

Drawbacks of the Pipeline for Alberta Oil mining is the pillar industry in Alberta and building pipeline system is the most efficient way to transport oil into other areas. However, whether pipeline systems are appropriate technology has been debated for many years. Appropriate technology means the ‘technology that is designed with consideration to the environmental, ethical, cultural, social,political, and economical aspects of the community it is intended for. ’ [1] Many people believe that the Conduit System pipeline is not appropriate technology. The reason is that though it is profitable , it decreases the motivation of developing new environmental-friendly power systems. Also some of the First Nations think it is so ridiculous to sell the precious resources which is given by our ancestors and nature. Moreover it is not a environmentally beneficial system. This paper will support the point of view that the conduit system is actually an inappropriate technology by illustrating examples in such three perspectives. In the first place,the project is certainly â€Å"a tremendous display of the short sighted thinking†[2] because it only thinks about the short-time economic gain without considering the environmental problems. Also the construction of Pipeline system decreases the motivation of developing new environmental-friendly power systems. Once the conduit system pipeline is built up,more and more companies would follow and build more of the pipelines, since it is a profitable and a most easy way to transporting oil. However, once the pipelines are set up, the companies has to run it rapidly, otherwise the construction cost would never be recovered. Under this situation, it limits the sustainable economy development . Thus the construction of pipeline system are strongly discommended. Furthermore, the conduit system pipeline leads to disagreements and conflicts with the Canadian society, especially between the First Nation and the government. Every individual and social group has their own belief and way of life. We do not support this pipeline project. We believed that the project has the potential to harm our environment ,as well as our way of life. We hope that our voice is heard and taken into consideration. †[3] said by the First Nations leaders. It contradicts the economy growth valued by the Conduit company, as well as the government, therefore confits appears. Therefore, it is obvious that the Conduit company pipeline would trigger dispute between First Nations and other social grou ps. Lastly, it is not environmentally beneficial for the human race to build the pipeline system in the long term. Oil spilling is a serious challenge for oil transporting industry, especially for long distance pipeline system. The Enbridge oil spill [4] is a strong example, over 190000 liters oil seeped out. The impact of oil spill is catastrophic. Carbon dioxide will be released to atmosphere increasingly, the green-house-effect will be more serious. At the same time the eco-system will be ruined, the fields can not be grown in 10 years or more. It is a disaster for both human and nature. â€Å"An oil spill from this pipeline will have major media coverage, which would effectively destroy Canada’s reputation. †[5] said the politician. Furthermore the oil of Alberta is non-renewable energy resource, it can not be produced in thousands years. Though the pipeline system is the most efficient way to transport the resources, what we can leave to our next generations if the oil is exhausted. Overall, it is obvious that the conduit system is actually not an appropriate technology for Alberta. According to the examples and analyses above, the pipeline system is a immature technology which creates social conflict,damages the planet and leaves even more environmental issues to the younger generations. [6] Consequently, the applying of the conduit system still needs more consideration. (1)Engineers Without Borders -Case Study Conduit Systems https://eclass. srv. ualberta. ca/mod/resource/view. php? id=551299 (2)http://www. cbc. ca/news/canada/story/2012/07/28/enbridge-wisconsin-spill-pipeline-closed. html (3)Engineers Without Borders -Case Study Conduit Systems https://eclass. srv. ualberta. ca/mod/resource/view. php? id=551299

Class Prophecy 2012 Essay

Having stayed for five years in France for my masteral studies and job as historical journalist in CNN, made me long to go back to my country. I wanted to stay with my family, reunite with old friends, and render my hard work to my countrymen. I know that my studies and my work have led me to different places across the globe, meet new peoples, and lead a wonderful and meaningful life. However, as the rugged saying goes â€Å"there is no place like home†. Upon the completion of my thesis my concluding documentary, and my book about the Philippines in France, I bade everyone â€Å"au revoir† â€Å"until next time† and happily went back to Philippines. Inside the plane we were given all the luxuries that we can afford in this long ride home, that almost always include a newspaper. As I browsing through the pages of the newspaper, I was awestricken by the names that I saw in the bylines. They were of Jenzen Anzano – writing news for the Metro; and Valeriano Onia – reporting about the recent battle of Ginebra versus Rain or Shine. But the good news doesn’t just end there, Mila Mary Lyn Maralit’s chemical invention have earned her an award from the President of the Philippines, Alyssa Mae G. Daraog. Then on the Health and Fitness Section was the full-page length column of the famous psychologist Richard Sanchez. With all their abilities and talents way back our high school years, we knew that these former classmates would indeed become successful and it is heartwarming to learn that these Lucians were pioneers in adhering to the CORE values that we cherished in our high school years. Many hours passed and the song in the plane shifted from The Beatles; to the Lady Antebellum’s; to SNSD’s; to the Hotdog’s Manila. By then we knew that we are approaching the Philippine territory and in no more than an hour we shall be landing. Suddenly, a lady in black dress approached me. It was Mara Cassandra Gomez! She told me that she was in France for two weeks to attend for an international conference in Psychology. We talked and talked until we are notified to go back our seats and fasten our seatbelts for our landing. I can feel the plane slowly going down and sudden gosh of excitement and relief that embraced my being when I finally felt the bump of the wheels in the land of my country. I’m finally back! My first two weeks were spent in countless reunions and homecoming then I wondered where are my high school schoolmates, classmates, friends? I hope to meet them again. However, now is not the time to think about those, we will soon find our ways. By now, I have to work-on my job in the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Right there and then, I was accepted and given projects. First on the list was the Bangon Tribe in Mindoro. I am thrilled because I am the one in-charge of such meticulous and comprehensive task that we shall carry-on. I decided to go to the bookstore to enhance my knowledge and to at least familiarize myself with their environs. As my car was driving along EDSA the billboard of Rowielyn Singh and Jaypee De Castro, the hosts of WilTime Big Time was prominently displayed, then there is also another billboard of pop star singers, Ma. Diana Derpo, Binna Azucenas, and Ericka Faye delos Santos inviting everyone to join in their concert at the Mall of Rommel Concepcion’s Concert Grounds. Lucians of batch 2012’s progress can’t be stopped. From De Castro to Rosario Village/Tramo ; now Lucians are domineering EDSA and filling up the key positions in our society! As I went inside the bookstore, my attention was caught by the book at top of the best-sellers list. That was the name of Rhoxanne Villasin, she is the author of this year’s bestselling book. I grabbed my copy of her book then bought the materials that I needed for my work. Nearby I saw a new mall named Von’s. I went inside and I was really amazed with the beauty and intricate details of the place. While strolling along I heard someone shouted my name. Few steps away from me was Glenn Rose Baculanlan! Dressed like a Parisian doll, she and four other ladies in office attire went to me. Glenn Rose is now a model and the four ladies with her are Roselyn Monforte, Louise May Mackay, Cynthia Mae Pama, and Angel Mae Bahay were the accountants at Von’s the mall that Christian Von Geminiano owns. We went inside the pub named Muppets and had some coffee. While having our funny chats, we reminisced the good-old days wherein being a historian, an accountant, and a model were just a confusing dream†¦ a vague possibility. Just when we are about to part ways a lady appeared before us and introduced herself as Shirlyn! Indeed it was she†¦ Shirlyn Alvario the owner of Muppets restaurant. She informed us that Lucians are involved in the foundations of her restaurant with Bhenz Benig (now a food technologist) as her business partner. Joseph Perez and Rances Marticio were in charge of the place’s architectural design, Bernardino Rodelas for the engineering plans and construction, and the famous artists: Cedrick Caguing, Cyril Flora and John Paul Dogillo for the details and designs. Neither one of us wouldn’t want to end our girl talks and reminisces but then we knew that we have works to do so we exchange contact numbers and promised to meet soon. Back to work, I indulged myself with my project. Busy all day studying, preparing, preparing, studying. One day, three days before my five-member team went to Mindoro, I was informed that certain groups would like to join our trip and they all had their recommendations. Of course, I do not like them to go with us because our work might be exploited by their presence. But then, I couldn’t just discredit their requests so I immediately called my assistant to call their representatives to explain their intentions at exactly two p.m. today. After an hour, my secretary informed me that all the persons that we’ve been waiting to talk to are already inside the conference room and they are quite noisy. I immediately went inside my conference room and . . . it seems like I’m a high school student once more! The faces inside are all my high school classmates and friends. Indeed all of them, wow! Aarone Jhone Julian is now the managing president of the Apple Company in the Philippines; Jennelyn dela Cruz, Ma. Kathleen Adona, and Mark Anthony Borja are now the Division Supervisors of Pasig City; Kimberly Mae Chua, Stefany Cabantog, and Mharianne Yalega, are now head doctors of Lucia General Hospital; Francesca Ann Balmonte, is recognized as one of the bests photographers in country; and Sir Eljun Velga is now the Principal of Sta. Lucia High School. They explained to me that they wanted to join to help and contribute something for progress that has always been OUR dream. Right there and then, I agreed and we’ve planned the flow of our own respective missions consecrated towards the fulfillment of one goal. At home, I packed my things for our mission then watched the news anchored by Merleen Mercolita. News about Ramlou Demegillo’s outstanding performance in the International Dance Sport Competition; Nigel Paulino, Renmar Moses, Julius Caesar Brutas, and Marcelino Loza’s gold in the recent Olympic games; Jovy Ann Sta. Ana, manager of SNSD; Arjay Gervacio-Ventura, the new business tycoon; Ronnel Villamar tops the Bar Exams; and Shelly Ann Ruales’s proclamation as the Philippine Ambassadress to the USA.