Effects of Regional Economic Integration

Effects of Regional Economic Integration

Regional economic integration is an agreement among countries in a region to condense and/or eventually eliminate investment and trading barriers to allow a more convenient flow of capital, goods and services. It is an act within countries of the same geographic region to form an alliance and cross the threshold of conformity to boost regional unity and development. The degree of such agreement can virtually draw down its scope to economical (ex., international monetary fund) and political objectives. Apparently there are certain levels of Regional Integration (Free Trade, Customs Union, Common Market, Economic Union and Political Union); such levels will identify the extent of power and obligations of each country to the union.

It has long been in the pages of history whether or not such integration is beneficial to each participating country. However, by example, we see that the effect of such agreement to those regions like EU, NAFTA, ASEAN et al, exercising this kind of practice is, however, undeniably efficient and valuable. We see a handful number of potential benefits from this exercise such as trade benefits, variety of goods and services, political unity, productivity, and other more that develops a better consensus. Regional Economic integration is a major investment in terms of Global Economic strategy. The alliance of participating countries gives each member the advantage of a bigger market size, draw attention of possible investors outside the bloc, and a stronger political stance.

Never the less, with such great advantage comes a great price. The power obtained from this integration limits your access to other non-member nations. In the creation of trade within the borders of regional bloc ignites trade diversion. In the event of a more convenient trade within the bloc, countries tend to cut off outside resources—which later on becomes a threat to global free trade. Countries’ sovereignty and national identity is by some means affected but not completely eliminated. This is the result of a centralized authority that establishes a standard where as members have to comply.

The benefits of economic integration seem to overpower its snags. I guess what concerns me more than the diversion of trade or reduced authority is its implication to business cultural diversity. Most of the time, the establishment of a standard trade practice pulls out a customary way of dealing with a group. This implies that one’s cultural practices may be bypassed due to a standard strategy of dealing within the regional alliance instead of the country alone.

Canopied Destination

Canopied Destination.

Most of the time life offers you an option that you never expected to tag along. These unforeseen opportunities however bid us a kind of living that anybody would die for. Unfortunately, despite the goodness it has to offer, this would mean lying down some dreams and taking the long road.

Life just can’t get any better right now. Things are slowly falling down to its place and the race is just starting. There is only one end, yet, the road to destination branched out into some kind of undetermined finale. A lot would actually take the fast lane. In fact, I’d probably take it too. Conversely, the fast lane is also the safe lane; fast, no risks, no challenges, no danger—it’s safe and easy. This road is just so comfortable and convenient that you tend to enjoy much of it and lose the urge to embrace the beauty of its ending. Some say that in life, the end doesn’t really matter, what matters most is the journey. I disagree. The journey is just half the whole. The end justifies the means. Limiting our growth to the journey forbids us to grow further, we are squared to ignore some important details and we may mess up the whole thing. The journey and destination are equally important. It should benefit each other. Most of us avoid the road less taken; a lot actually ignore a long risky dark road. Majority of humans are bound to opt convenience more than quality, thus, missing out the good things nuisance has to offer.

If taking the rocky less chosen road makes me a part of the minority, then so be it. I am blinded by my destination and if the only way to gain back my sight is going for the long road, then I’d gladly take the chance. As I weigh my options, I realized that challenges and danger is the journey itself. You grow and think for the best results. I may be taking a blind shot all through the way, but I’m pretty sure that rainbow comes on the end of it—I’m not sure how or why, but this is the magic of life and a gift from heaven. Destination is all about the person you became; it’s all about how you struggled to reach the end and lived a life along the way. Life is a series of unfortunate events—pain, problem and blood are part of it, so why avoid it? What do we get from fast lanes? Is there even a journey in it?

Brain in Love

“How do you know you’re in love?—you feel sick.”

You suffer a strange act of insanity and you’ll never know on what grounds. Conversely, this is just the tip of the iceberg, there’s more than that.

Researchers say that falling in love and being in love is just a temporary state. It doesn’t stay there for long; ultimately it’s the friendship that’s sustaining the relationship after the falling stage comes off. When we’re in love we feel miserable, we feel insane and we feel walking on the edges of euphoria. The sense of being miserable comes from wondering what happens next, when you’ll talk again or simply longing to see the person again—simply centered on ‘again’. Usually this happens during courtship or when couples are still dating. In the long run, the supernatural comes off because by the time you feel confident enough about each other’s agenda you’ll think more about the person more than the feeling.

There are some cases when people tend to miss the magical part of the relationship. It’s either they jumpstarted to bed right away or simply ignored the enchantment subsequently realizing that the person already got into their system like a poison and can’t get it off no matter what.

On the other hand, is it really possible to bypass this stage? Is it possible for us to ignore the feeling of falling in love?

Studies show that the brain acts in the same manner during lust and love; this explains why the mood of pleasure during one night stands is perfectly similar to feeling in love. Neuroscience studies claim that during love and sexual activities the brain speeds up the transmission of dopamine, norephinephrine, and serotonin. These neurochemicals are responsible for the miserable sensation of euphoria and temporary insanity and obsession. The chemistry of these neurons is involuntary; it’s not as easy as dictating to them to stop and slow down. Thus, this explains why lust and love are simply irresistible.

We can always choose not to love. It’s our prerogative. However, once we agree to love and allow those neurochemicals to spread around our upper lobes, you know what it means, there is no turning back. Our mind is the single most powerful thing in the world---“it is bigger than the sky”—it controls our destiny. Problems start in the mind and ends in the mind—“It’s all in the mind”. To control is not a problem, but to avoid falling in love is something. Avoidance comes out of fear. We fear the consequences of love that might not progress, we fear the cost of failure but most of all we fear pain. “Escaping from things that cultures pain may seem overwhelming, but with pain comes pleasure. Being in love is not just about the misery, but being superlatively happy. Pain, failure and misery are all part of it. After all this are the things that drive us to be better and cautious on the process of getting into a commitment. There is no freedom from pain, but we can choose to battle pain yet happy along the way. Go ahead and tolerate your urge to dance under the influence of your dopamines and to love/be loved under the spell of euphoria.

Life is short, SIEZE THE DAY!

“Human beings are funny. They long to be with the person they love but refuse to admit openly. Some are afraid to show even the slightest sign of affection because of fear. Fear that their feelings may not be recognized, or even worst, returned. But one thing about human beings puzzles me the most is their conscious effort to be connected with the object of their affection even if it kills them slowly within.” –Sigmund Freud.

Credits to LG's writings and AnDi. :-D

The Power of Now...

A month ago my mentor told us a story that transformed my view of plans and things. It was a story of a 9 year old girl who weighed the importance of past, present and future. Her dad asked her which is more important between the 3, and briefly she answered, “THE PRESENT!” Her father completely puzzled asked why, and then the little girl said, “The past you can’t do anything about it, the future is not yet here and we’re not sure what lies ahead, we only have NOW and this is the time where we can start making the difference”. See, it just comes from a 9 year old girl, yet the depth of its message is enough to make an adult think.

I guess I am one person who was deeply affected by the message of the story. I was the kind of person who was anxious about the future and I fear the consequences of risks. I have a deuce of time facing the things to come because I nursed my frustrations from the times of yore and I held grudges towards my failures. I realized that my growth and productivity as a person is held back by circumstances of the past and the only way to move ahead is to liberate all the pain. Eckhart Tolle said “Nobody’s life is entirely free of pain and sorrow. Isn’t it a question of learning to live with them rather than trying to avoid them?”—The Power of Now. True enough, there’s nothing we can do about the past, and our only ticket to make it better is to be the best that we can be right now—to live. There’s is actually nothing impossible if we try to put 101% efforts in everything that we do. I noticed that when do our best today, we are essentially making our future sound better.

Carpe Diem! A poem by Horace and more popularly remembered from the movie Dead Poets Society. Seize the day, that’s what we should do, to take chance in everything, to embrace the risks and beat the challenge, to gain from failures and learn from mistakes, to circumvent a stagnant life, to grow, to kiss your parents, to hug a friend, to tell and make that one person feel that you love him/her—to live. The only thing that exists is what is happening right now, so might as well utilize its power to craft all the difference. We may never know what will happen next, what’s there in tomorrow, or what’s left the next day. Things change and people come and go so hold a hand, utter a word, use your voice and never ignore a chance, for without it life is yours to miss.

“Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. WD”

SPRITE-COIN-BUGOY Phenomenon

SPRITE-COIN-BUGOY Phenomenon

Do you believe in signs?
Do you believe that God talks to us through signs?

Ever had the feeling that when you’re in the middle of a personal turmoil everything around you seems to sympathize with the situation. It’s debatable how such signs and messages arise in a definite time. So definite that you tend to question it’s reliability.

Life as it is offer hundreds of striking choices, yet it limits you to pick just one. During my younger days, a multiple choice type of examination was an advantage. Today, life’s multiple choices is a burden, part of your choices appear as good as the right one. Rule of elimination states that to be able to make acceptable choices, we should eradicate the choices that were and will never be important in the process of our development. However, when all that’s left are the things important to us, choosing becomes subjective, it depends on how you see and perceive things, thus, leading us to answers that do not guarantee a check mark.

This is why more often than not most of us stop at the middle of these choices and let our inner selves ask for guidance from up above. We ask for signs and we pray to God that he lead us to the right thing. However, as God may not attend to us face to face, we ask God to deliver his messages through signs. In the past weeks I’ve been driven by signs. Choosing the right thing to do should have been too easy for me, but my priorities are soulfully affected by the people around me.

I believe that heaven talks to me through signs, and they speak to me through ordinary things. I suppose many people would agree to the fact that there were moments when they felt so sad or happy then suddenly hears a song that completely describes the way they feel, worst, it becomes a vivid scenario of their reality. Signs come in so many different forms, either ways these are guidelines on how we can address our personal agendas, but it’s totally up to us if we adapt it or not. Signs are everywhere, all we have to do is open our hearts, look around, and listen to things that you don’t usually hear, feel it and let it in.

They say that destiny is just an excuse to cover our incapacities. They say that asking for signs is a mark of immaturity and fear of taking risks. I say not. Nobody said that life depends on destiny or signs, for these are mere guidelines to enlighten you to the next big thing. In the end, we still end up with a choice, a choice to go for it or not.

When I was at the edge of giving up my ultimate dream,
I heard someone say: “THE DREAM YOU DID NOT PURSUE WILL HAUNT YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

When I was torn between two major life choices, I characterized them as COKE and SPRITE, THEN and THERE, SPRITE COMMERCIAL was on TV.

When I felt so down and kept bragging my friends how confused towards someone, the song of BUGOY was played over the radio. (AKALAIN mong mang asar din e noh)

Today, I prayed and asked God if I was on the right track, again I asked for a sign… while praying I had coins on both sides of my pocket. IF it’s a YES, I asked for a HEAD, IF it’s a NO, I asked for TAILS.
FIRST coin: TAILS
I needed to confirm
SECOND coin: TAILS
I asked, SURE??
THIRD coin: TAILS
(ABA CONSISTENT!) haha

More often that not, God does not address our needs, but he gives what’s best for us. If your requests never happened it doesn’t mean “NO”, it only means NOT YET or I HAVE SOMETHING BETTER FOR YOU. Our prayers are answered in so many different ways. Most of the time, we feel like he doesn’t adhere to our needs, but he does. We just have to utilize our resources to make a connection.

AIDS: Aquired Insanity Due to Studying

Discharging my Hyperactive, Restless, Relentless Neurotransmitters.
In Layman’s Term: Jack ass’ way to relax


Dim’s Care Plan

61 days before the Big “E”

Dim’s Diagnosis

Risk for Severe Brain Inflammation
Impaired Social Communication
Alteration in Patterns of Daily Lifestyle
Social Isolation

Related to imminent ingenious holy licensure examination
Secondary to studying 500 pages a day, rationalizing 100-item practice test in an hour and 3 hours sleep, in 7 days, for 6 weeks.

As Evidenced by:

Moments of stupidity and dumbness(like this one)
Unadulterated Nursing Vocabulary
Zero Balance Credit Card Statement
Lonely Nikon D80
Outdated Blogs
A season behind Gossip Girls, Heroes, and Grey’s Anatomy
Barely remembers the taste of alcohol
Zero Inbox Messages
Failure to meet friends
Desire for more contact with friends

PLAN, INTERVENTION, OUTCOME:

P: Establish Communication and rapport with God.
I: Pray
O: MERCY, GRACE, BLESSING, ABUNDANCE, MIRACLE

Key Note: NO OTHER POSSIBLE INTERVENTION or TREATMENT
RELATED FACTORS AND EVIDENCES are IRRIVERISBLE

Right. Please try to remind me every now and then that I am still sane. For the record, just a little more of emotional instability and I am truly crashed. Hehe Yet, I think I found a solution to stay commonsensical, SMILE. Hahaha SMILE is a sign of optimism, even, at the midst of a close encounter becoming my father’s patient. ….. WTH.

New Hope, New Life, Justice Served

PAR DELICTUM: The Act of One is the Act of All

“GUILTY BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT”

Six Years ago, a terrifying life experience landed in our hands. I was 15 years old back then, young and vulnerable. As known to many of my friends and family acquaintances I am a victim of Kidnap for Ransom. While many would initially have the impression that we are financially overflowing, we’re not. We’re just a middle class, socially established family who just gives out the best for the best.

When people see me and my family today, not a single trace of this incident is evident. I tried to be strong for my family and vice versa. However, when such crime took place I was a minor, I never really understood the intensity of the crime. At some point I crossed over psychological issues just so I won’t fall on my weakness. A lot of people commended on my strength and typifies it to be extraordinary. On the other hand, too much of something is never good, though it’s pleasing to our ears I guess too much strength blinded me to see that such event can happen again. Yes, even the best fall down sometimes. What I considered to be a part of my history repeated itself. Consequently, the repeat of history we now tend to keep in the shelf.

Conversely, today, August 20, 2008, Criminal Case no Q-02-111054 came to an end. The Kidnap for ransom case was promulgated.

“WHEREFORE accused Joseph Randy Mendoza y Teves, Maria Victoria Acuatin y Servo, Joselito Mortega y Amayna and Nelson Pilar y florano are hereby found GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of kidnapping for ransom, defined and penalized under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code, and are sentenced to suffer the Penalty of RECLUSION PERPETUA without eligibility for parole and to indemnify the offended party jointly and severally as follows:

a. The amount of ------------- representing the ransom money;

b. The amount of ------------- as moral damages;

c. The amount of ------------- as exemplary damages.

SO ORDERED”

Under Republic Act No. 7659, the imposition of death penalty is warranted if the motive of the accused is to ransom for the release of the kidnap victim. Considering that Republic Act. No. 9346, entitled, “An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines”, which was signed into law on June 24, 2006, the penalty imposed upon accused, is reduced from death to reclusion perpetua without eligibility for parole (Sec 3, Rep. Act 4203, otherwise known as the Indeterminate Sentence Law, as amended).

While sentence was being propagated, tears were racing down my cheeks. As the details of this history were read it became so vivid. The scenes were flashing back as if they were real. I remember how I tried to console myself during those times, though it was a bit funny, the gravity of this incident was less because I thought I was just doing a movie. I was just an actress and they were the usual big ugly villains. Today, I was mesmerized to see that my movie depicts reality, mine was real. I can shout that I am in high spirits, and those tears I cried were not only tears of joy, but also tears of liberty. I am happy not because my villains will be placed behind the rails, but for the reason that today I know I am offering them my forgiveness (ex gratia). Considering the suspension of Death Penalty, they should reflect on the bright side of life. If only today was 2 years earlier, I am also not sure if I can bear such price.

It seems today, that 6 years ago was just a few weeks back. It took us a very long time to get what we were aiming for. As though it happened so late, it’s better than never. Justice was served, and that’s all that matters.

Today as justice took its place I try to find a whole new meaning to my existence. I was at the edge of death not once, but more than twice. Death is not yet calling; it is not yet my time. I still have to celebrate life finding why my name describes my chances of survival.

“Though I hate to broadcast my life drama, it’s just fair and right to share the details of a happy ending to those people who’ve been there all through out the proceedings. Many people were involved and deserve to be gratified; I guess they already know who they are. For that, Thank You. Vielen Dank”

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MANILA TIMES NEWSPAPER

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