Hurried to grow up? Partly. Hey, don't get me wrong! I still think like a 5-year-old most of the time and if there really is a Never Land, I would gladly migrate there to stay in my youth forever. But then, there's still a part of me that wishes I am older -- old enough to gain my own right of suffrage. Yes, with all the hype and drama that has been going on in our country because of the national campaign, there's a part of me that wants to be involved. To be heard. To vote.

A few days ago, my mom showed me her sample ballot. I took a close look at the names she wrote, especially those of the senatorial candidates. And as I read each name, it made me want to have my right to vote as well.

Over the past months, the people who are running for a certain political seat have been bombarding us with posters, flyers, tv ads, and all the other paraphernalia they could think of to be recognized and known. They spend an enormous amount of money in campaigning so that people would remember who they are, and hopefully would vote for them in the upcoming May 14 elections. I would like to share something that had happened a few days ago. While I was on our way home from Bulacan (Youth Camp '07), we stopped over at a local store to buy drinks for the loooooong drive home. And then a person there gave us free candies, which has the face of a certain candidate (for mayor, I think) plastered on the candy wrapper. I found that experience rather funny, because aside from the fact that most of us cannot vote yet, we're not even citizens of Bulacan. They practically just give out those candies to every person who buys at their store.

But is the real essence of being a leader measured by those posters, tv ads, flyers, campaign jingles, motorcades, or even candies? Is it a basis for choosing who to vote? Sadly, this might be true for some most of the voters. They vote for a certain political candidate because his/her face is glued all over the streets of their town. Or because he/she is all they see on TV commericals. Or because they always hear his/her campaign jingle and watch his/her supporters wave at them during motorcades. Or because he/she is being endorsed by their favorite celebrity. I could go on and on with these reasons and I think I wouldn't run out, and it's such a shame.

If you can relate with these reasons, then I suggest that you don't vote anymore because you're practically putting one vote to waste.

I am no genius in politics and I definitely have very little interest in it. But for the past seventeen years of my existence, I have seen a lot of people, especially young children, suffer because the people in authority are not doing anything to help them. These children did not even vote for these leaders and yet they are suffering the consequences.

THINK ABOUT IT. Time for a change, right?

Yesterday, my mom made another sample ballot and showed it to me. I noticed that from her previous list of 12 senatorial candidates, she now wrote 9. I stared closely at each name and I smiled. I think her sample ballot is better than what she had made before. :)

TO ALL THE VOTERS: Give a lot of thought on who to vote. Don't pick random names just for the sake of completing an entire list of senators or members of the city council or whatever. Vote only for the people who you think justifies the position he/she is running for. It is not necessary to complete it, especially if you can't think of other deserving candidates anymore. Just cross the remaining blanks out, so that no extra hands could write in there. Okidoki? :)

With that, I say GOOD LUCK!

OKAY, RANTING OVER. BACK TO BEING A 5-YEAR-OLD BRAT AGAIN. NYAHAHAHAAAAA!