Happiness is a chocolate bar
September 21, 2006 | 12:00am
How does Hershey’s make me happy? For me, the priceless childhood memories linked with Hershey’s chocolates that always make me smile.
My siblings and I grew up at a time when imported items were available only from the commissaries of the American bases and the black-market stores or as pasalubong from friends and relatives who traveled abroad. For confused gift givers who couldn’t remember which one of us preferred licorice whips or cinnamon bears but disliked butterscotch candy or striped bubble gum, Hershey’s chocolates were deemed the safe choice. We all loved Hershey’s, and by getting us the chocolate there would surely be no complaints.
The Saturday mornings of our childhood were spent waiting for our Dad to come home from work in the big city. We built our rono stick and pine needle playhouses behind our Baguio home but stayed alert for the familiar car horn. Dad’s driver, Manong Inggo, always blasted the big, white, gas-guzzling Chevy’s horn when he passed the curb below our house. That would be the signal for us to careen down the hill to the garage, and we always got there in time to see the car pull in. With big grins of anticipation, we waited for our stash of Hershey’s for the week. The boxes of chocolate felt better than big deposits to our bank accounts. We had no concept of money then, and Hershey’s chocolates were the preferred currency. Our week’s supply ensured that we could pay our posse. With the big kid from the bunkhouses who we called Red Lanot (Ilocano word for "root") as our head henchman, our gang did what we ordered them to do. They cleared the basketball court when we wanted to roller-blade, lined the hillside with thick layers of pine needles when it pleased us to toboggan downhill in cardboard boxes, or pelted intruders with pinecones to prevent them from venturing into our territory
Without knowing our true motives, our parents were pleased that their sense of egalitarianism seemed to rub off on us. They encouraged us to "share" by buying even more candy. Thus, you can imagine their chagrin when they realized that we were actually maintaining a budding gang of thugs. Consequently, it was made clear to us that the godfather in the movie was not really powerful but he certainly was a "bad person," and my siblings and I learned the true happiness of being able to share our Hershey’s hoard. My Hershey’s memories happened years ago and the pictures are starting to dim in my mind’s eye. The truism that "a picture paints a thousand words" holds true and I wish that there were photographs that captured those happy times.
Today, Hershey’s continues to make many people happy and thus, the "Hershey’s Happiness Photo Contest" is a happy development indeed.
Now on its second year, the Hershey’s Happiness Photo Contest promotion encourages consumers to capture how Hershey’s makes them happy in a photograph. Consumers may join all or any of the categories (babies/kids 0-7 years old; barkada, family; couple; solo) and pictures must show their favorite Hershey’s chocolate.
Photo entries may be submitted in any of the following ways:
• By mail to PO Box 14265, Ortigas Center Post Office, 1605, Pasig City. (For 4R photos, write full name, mailing address, contact number and category at the back of the picture);
• By e-mail to photocontest@ hersheyshappiness.com.ph. (Contestants must likewise remember to include their full name, mailing address, contact number and category);
• MMS by texting hershey’s happiness to 2346; or
• By going to Hershey’s Happiness booths at selected major malls around the country. Digiprint can take the Hershey’s Happiness photo free with a purchase of Hershey’s chocolate from the booth.
Criteria for judging the photos are emotional impact (Does the photo elicit an emotion from the viewer?), 25 percent; Dramatizes/ tells story how Hershey’s makes them happy, 35 percent; Appropriate to chosen category, 10 percent; Creativity and visual concept, 20 percent; and overall composition, 10 percent.
Weekly winners will be chosen for each of the five categories and will receive P5,000 cash and a Hershey’s gift pack. They will also vie for Top Category Winner and the Grand Prize Winner. Top Category Winners will each receive P50,000 worth of gift packages from Sponsor-partners. Baby to Kids will get an Intercontinental Kiddie Package, Barkada Category winner will get an Asian Spirit trip for 4 to Boracay (including accommodations.) Couples category winner will get a mini-library of the HUGS Books Series and gift certificates from National Bookstore. Family Category winner gets an Abenson Family Package, and the Solo Category winner gets a complete business kit of printers from Hewlett-Packard.
The grand prize winner, however, will have the happiest Hershey’s memory with a free family vacation for four to Hersheypark, PA, USA on board Northwest Airline. The promo period of the Hershey’s Happiness Photo Contest —Year 2 runs until Nov. 3, and the judging dates are the following: Sept. 27; Oct. 4, 11, 18, and 25; and Nov. 8. The last day for submission of entries is Nov. 10, and announcement of the grand prize winner will be at the end of November 2006. Think of why Hershey’s makes you happy and take those photographs. There is enough time to build and submit your portfolio of happy Hershey’s photographs.
For more information, log on to www.hersheyshappiness.com.ph.
My siblings and I grew up at a time when imported items were available only from the commissaries of the American bases and the black-market stores or as pasalubong from friends and relatives who traveled abroad. For confused gift givers who couldn’t remember which one of us preferred licorice whips or cinnamon bears but disliked butterscotch candy or striped bubble gum, Hershey’s chocolates were deemed the safe choice. We all loved Hershey’s, and by getting us the chocolate there would surely be no complaints.
The Saturday mornings of our childhood were spent waiting for our Dad to come home from work in the big city. We built our rono stick and pine needle playhouses behind our Baguio home but stayed alert for the familiar car horn. Dad’s driver, Manong Inggo, always blasted the big, white, gas-guzzling Chevy’s horn when he passed the curb below our house. That would be the signal for us to careen down the hill to the garage, and we always got there in time to see the car pull in. With big grins of anticipation, we waited for our stash of Hershey’s for the week. The boxes of chocolate felt better than big deposits to our bank accounts. We had no concept of money then, and Hershey’s chocolates were the preferred currency. Our week’s supply ensured that we could pay our posse. With the big kid from the bunkhouses who we called Red Lanot (Ilocano word for "root") as our head henchman, our gang did what we ordered them to do. They cleared the basketball court when we wanted to roller-blade, lined the hillside with thick layers of pine needles when it pleased us to toboggan downhill in cardboard boxes, or pelted intruders with pinecones to prevent them from venturing into our territory
Without knowing our true motives, our parents were pleased that their sense of egalitarianism seemed to rub off on us. They encouraged us to "share" by buying even more candy. Thus, you can imagine their chagrin when they realized that we were actually maintaining a budding gang of thugs. Consequently, it was made clear to us that the godfather in the movie was not really powerful but he certainly was a "bad person," and my siblings and I learned the true happiness of being able to share our Hershey’s hoard. My Hershey’s memories happened years ago and the pictures are starting to dim in my mind’s eye. The truism that "a picture paints a thousand words" holds true and I wish that there were photographs that captured those happy times.
Today, Hershey’s continues to make many people happy and thus, the "Hershey’s Happiness Photo Contest" is a happy development indeed.
Now on its second year, the Hershey’s Happiness Photo Contest promotion encourages consumers to capture how Hershey’s makes them happy in a photograph. Consumers may join all or any of the categories (babies/kids 0-7 years old; barkada, family; couple; solo) and pictures must show their favorite Hershey’s chocolate.
Photo entries may be submitted in any of the following ways:
• By mail to PO Box 14265, Ortigas Center Post Office, 1605, Pasig City. (For 4R photos, write full name, mailing address, contact number and category at the back of the picture);
• By e-mail to photocontest@ hersheyshappiness.com.ph. (Contestants must likewise remember to include their full name, mailing address, contact number and category);
• MMS by texting hershey’s happiness to 2346; or
• By going to Hershey’s Happiness booths at selected major malls around the country. Digiprint can take the Hershey’s Happiness photo free with a purchase of Hershey’s chocolate from the booth.
Criteria for judging the photos are emotional impact (Does the photo elicit an emotion from the viewer?), 25 percent; Dramatizes/ tells story how Hershey’s makes them happy, 35 percent; Appropriate to chosen category, 10 percent; Creativity and visual concept, 20 percent; and overall composition, 10 percent.
Weekly winners will be chosen for each of the five categories and will receive P5,000 cash and a Hershey’s gift pack. They will also vie for Top Category Winner and the Grand Prize Winner. Top Category Winners will each receive P50,000 worth of gift packages from Sponsor-partners. Baby to Kids will get an Intercontinental Kiddie Package, Barkada Category winner will get an Asian Spirit trip for 4 to Boracay (including accommodations.) Couples category winner will get a mini-library of the HUGS Books Series and gift certificates from National Bookstore. Family Category winner gets an Abenson Family Package, and the Solo Category winner gets a complete business kit of printers from Hewlett-Packard.
The grand prize winner, however, will have the happiest Hershey’s memory with a free family vacation for four to Hersheypark, PA, USA on board Northwest Airline. The promo period of the Hershey’s Happiness Photo Contest —Year 2 runs until Nov. 3, and the judging dates are the following: Sept. 27; Oct. 4, 11, 18, and 25; and Nov. 8. The last day for submission of entries is Nov. 10, and announcement of the grand prize winner will be at the end of November 2006. Think of why Hershey’s makes you happy and take those photographs. There is enough time to build and submit your portfolio of happy Hershey’s photographs.
For more information, log on to www.hersheyshappiness.com.ph.
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