:
There was a boy and a girl…they were the best of friends.
They hung out all the time, talked all the time, etc.
The boy loved that girl more than anything else in the world. And she didn’t know it.
One summer, when the girl and the boy were closer than ever, the boy decided to let his feelings out, even if he didn’t let them out to her.
He walked into a little grove of trees they used to play at when they were little, found a huge tree, and carved both of their initials into a heart along with the words: Together Forever.
The boy never told the girl that he had done this. Secretly, he hoped she would stumble upon the inscription one day and figure it out, but she didn’t.
One hot August afternoon, the girl got a devasting phone call from her parents. They told her that the boy had died in a sudden car crash. She immediately collapsed onto the ground, sobbing with the pain of losing him. He had always been there for her. He had always been there to lift her spirits, he had always been there to catch her when she falls. He was there to steer her down the right path. To be kind to her regardless of how mean she was being to him. To protect her. To truly care for her. He was her angel. And it crushed her to know he was never coming back.
That night, as she lay in her bed, quietly crying as she remembered every moment she had spent with him, she realized something:
She loved him. He had been the only boy she had ever really loved, and they hadn’t even shown romantic affection towards each other. He completed her.
She didn’t sleep at all that night. She watched the day break, the sun peeking its first orange rays over the horizon. She got up, dressed and left the house, planning to go to a place that had always been memorable and special to the both of them.
She entered the grove of trees, which was mostly in shadow. She hiked down the small, worn down trail. She was just about to pass a huge tree when something caught her eye. One section of the tree’s bark was illuminated by a stray ray of light, revealing words carved into the wood.
In amazement, the girl read her initials, and the intials of the boy, craved into a heart along with the words “Together Forever”. She knew he had put it there. The sight made her eyes become glossy with tears, and, straining to pull herself together, she walked up to the carving. At the foot of the tree was a sharp stone with little wood shavings still clinging to its edge. She knew he had used it, and she simply felt it for a while, trying to imagine the touch of his hand. And then, she focused on the inscription again. There was just enough room in the heart to carve a few more words after “Together Forever”.
With careful hands, she enscribed three more words:
“No Matter What.”
And in that moment, she could feel the boy right beside her.
And she knew the words on the tree were true. They would always be together forever, no matter what.
Heart Melting Story :
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 which is head quartered in Metro Manila, Philippines to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia. The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly known as the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East) and non-regional developed countries.
From 31 members at its establishment, ADB now has 67 members – of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance.
The highest policy-making body of the bank is the Board of Governors composed of one representative from each member state. The Board of Governors, in turn, elect among themselves the 12 members of the Board of Directors and their deputy. Eight of the 12 members come from regional (Asia-Pacific) members while the others come from non-regional members.
The Board of Governors also elect the bank’s President who is the chairperson of the Board of Directors and manages ADB. The president has a term of office lasting five years, and may be reelected. Traditionally, and because Japan is one of the largest shareholders of the bank, the president has always been Japanese.
The most recent president was Takehiko Nakao, who succeeded Haruhiko Kuroda in 2013.
The headquarters of the bank is at 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines, and it has representative offices around the world. The bank employs 3,051 people, of which 1,463 (48%) are from the Philippines.
The logo of the annual meeting signifies the ‘web of life’ and is based on the tribal motifs of central India, the visual represents the cycle of life.
The two largest shareholders of the Asian Development Bank are the United States and Japan. Although the majority of the Bank’s members are from the Asia-Pacific region, the industrialized nations are also well represented. Regional development banks usually work in harmony with both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in their activities.
ADB’s vision is an Asia and Pacific region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. ADB is committed to reducing poverty through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) holds an Annual Meeting (AM) of its Member Countries around the first Sunday of May every year. This is normally a four day event comprising seminars, workshops and two days of formal meetings attended by Finance Ministers/their representatives of 67 Member Countries.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic cooperation and regional stability of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei joined in 1984, shortly after its independence from the United Kingdom, and Vietnam joined ASEAN as its seventh member in 1995. Laos and Burma were admitted into full membership in July 1997 as ASEAN celebrated its 30th anniversary. Cambodia became ASEAN’s tenth member in 1999.
Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.
The ASEAN Declaration in 1967, considered ASEAN’s founding document, formalized the principles of peace and cooperation to which ASEAN is dedicated. The ASEAN Charter entered into force on 15 December 2008. The ASEAN Community is comprised of three pillars, the Political-Security Community, Economic Community and Socio-Cultural Community. Each pillar has its own Blueprint approved at the summit level, and, together with the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Strategic Framework and IAI Work Plan Phase II, they form the Roadmap for and ASEAN Community.
ASEAN covers a land area which is 3% of the total land area of Earth, and has a population of approximately 8.8% of the world’s population. The sea area of ASEAN is about three times larger than its land counterpart. If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the eighth largest economy in the world.
ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was formed in 1961. The bloc itself, however, was established on 8 August 1967, when foreign ministers of five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – met at the Thai Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok Declaration.
The five foreign ministers – Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – are considered the organisation’s Founding Fathers.
The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members’ governing elite could concentrate on nation building, the common fear of communism, reduced faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s, and a desire for economic development.
ASEAN commands far greater influence on Asia-Pacific trade, political, and security issues than its members could achieve individually. This has driven ASEAN’s community building efforts. This work is based largely on consultation, consensus, and cooperation.
Junk food cravings as bad as cigarette cravings
Junk food cravings ‘as bad as cigarette cravings’