Circumspecte

Relationships are a curious thing. Regardless of the agents involved, one thing usually holds true: relationships have the power to bring change; for better or for worse. Developing countries joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and World Trade Organization (WTO) about six decades ago with the hopes for sustainable development. The IMF and WB were established in 1944 at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Appropriately named the Bretton Woods institutions, they were charged with reconstructing the global economic system after World War II. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was formed three years later with the aim of facilitating international trade, and was replaced by the WTO in 1995. Today, these institutions are three of the largest power houses when it comes to global affairs. And like it or not, their influence is so great that even the most remote areas of the world eventually experience t...

Hi All!!! It's been a while since I wrote something personal on here. Seriously, I'm beginning to think I should have a blog for personal stuff and one for development issues etc. But then again, that wouldn't really work since writing about development stuff is as personal as it gets with me. Anyways. The countdown. Is still on. And. I am...scared, sitting at the edge of my seat in anticipation, dreading it, thinking I still have so much to learn, ready to finish up cos I'm tired of all these quizzes, wondering what I'll do next, can't wait for the next adventure to begin, scared, hopeful, excited, apprehensive, happy, carefree, nonchalant.... gosh. It's a mess of emotions. Seriously, is this what's in store for me when PMS hits? Ok. backtrack. All in all, I'm still...[C'mon, you know which word to insert there!]...blessed. And of course, I neglect to mention what the countdown is about. GRADUATION!!!!! I still can't believe that this advent...

Everyone knows that France has some of the best cuisine in the world. French cuisine is usually ranked as one of the top five international cuisines. So how could it be that on Sunday, Aug. 12 2007, I found myself stuck in a McDonald’s joint in Paris—the very hub of this taste-enticing European country—trying to decide between Chicken McNuggets and a Royale Deluxe ? As you can probably imagine, my presence at McDonald’s that day was not by free will. Anyone who has watched Super Size Me knows to think twice before answering to the siren songs of McDonald’s. Being a religious country, France observes Sunday as a day for personal and commercial rest. Consequently, the only food joint that was open on my first Sunday night in France during my year abroad was the well-known American food chain, McDonald's. Regarding my situation as one of sustenance or starvation, I decided to bite my tongue and tolerate the menacing Royale Deluxe. My expression soon turned from one of apprehension to...