When was the last time you exercised your right to suffrage?

The circus has come, as always, to banner the upcoming Philippine local elections this May of 2007. Although Philippine election laws prohibit running candidates from prematurely campaigning for their seat, Philippine television and other forms of mass media are making a heyday from the current deluge of “personal ads” of some political hopefuls.

It’s interesting to note that these ads have found ways to circumvent election campaign laws. And so, one cannot help but notice and admire the Filipino’s ingenuity, especially when it comes to figuring out, and taking advantage of, loopholes in the current electoral system. Ah yes, the world-renowned Filipino guile, creativity and wits of these so-called political geniuses are once again put to use.

Many Filipinos are turned off by the current state of the Philippine political and electoral system. This particularly holds true for voters who have used their voting brains on past elections only to find out that the outcome leads so much more to be desired. Unfortunately, the reality is that most voters don’t even use half a brain. These brain dead types of voters are easily sucked in by political machineries and star power syndromes. As a politician, you can buy votes, you can buy airtime, or you can even buy out the competition.

So how can one make a difference? Election campaign ads say “Your Vote Counts”, but does it really? Come on, let’s be real here. How will one vote stack up against the votes of an entire zombee-voter bloc? It won’t even make a dent on the “flying-voter” tab. In other words, your vote won’t be worth SH*T…. unless… you… do… something… about… it.

Remember these things:

1. Voting responsibly won’t make much of a difference, but actively campaigning for your candidate will!

Why? Once you drop your ballot, you’re done, there’s no turning back. It only counts as a single tally. But with some pre-campaigning of your own, it’s hard to see why you can’t influence even a single person to see things your way, especially with today’s technology. Your single vote tally could potentially end up influencing a million or so more.

2. Your vote wont ‘count’, if you let fools ‘count’ it for you.

It’s your right to vote, so make sure that your vote stays that way. Don’t let thieves make a fool out of you. Report any illegal post-election activities, or better yet, be a poll watcher. Even the best magician can’t work his magic if a lot of eyes cover every angle.

There are a lot of other ways to make a difference. You should always keep in mind that voting is not only a right, it’s a responsibility. So make it count. The future of our kids depend on it.

How good a driver are you? Can you honestly rate yourself as above average?

An armored van that fell off the Metro Manila Skyway made the news a couple of days ago. This is the second reported incident in a year’s time of a vehicle falling off the elevated thoroughfare. What’s troubling is that the vehicles that fell landed on top of, and crushed, other unsuspecting vehicles driving underneath. Are there any deaths or injuries? It’s a certainty.

The cause of these similar accidents were attributed to the drivers losing control of their vehicles after driving way too fast, which is quite common for cars cruising along this virtual ‘speed zone’. Most drivers would rather choose to drive ‘by the seat of their pants’ rather than practice defensive driving techniques. Interestingly, according to some Car magazines like Car and Driver Magazine, most drivers think that they are better than the average driver even if their driving habits really show how mediocre they are.

Heck, most drivers don’t even know how to use the turn signal, and these are usually the one’s who speed by you and cut you off as a means of showing off their driving ‘skills’. You shouldn’t ride with them even if they paid you to. The fact that they can’t do a decent turn signal means that their brains can’t handle multitasking (look, signal and turn, look, signal and turn – it’s easy, right?). Which means that they’d choke and crash if an accident happens right in front of them, because you can bet that their evasive driving decision skills are off par too.

I was flipping through my phone picture gallery and saw this picture of CJ astride a steering wheel. The picture is really cute, but it dawned on me that he’ll be driving his own car someday. And the sad incidents above showed me the importance of educating him on how to be a responsible driver in the future. In short, I wouldn’t want him to fall off the road, or be crushed by a falling car. Not in any lifetime. Literally and figuratively. How about you?

Do cars fall off trees? Apparently not, but they do fall off skyways.

This year is the year of the pig, according to Chinese astrology. In China, the pig is associated with fertility and virility. To bear children in the year of the pig is considered very fortunate, for they will be happy and honest (taken from wikipedia)

The Pig is a fun and enlightening personality blessed with patience and understanding. People born under the sign of the Pig enjoy life and all it has to offer, including family and friends. They are honest and thoughtful and expect the same of other people. Pigs can be perceived as oblivious or gullible because they do care about others so much that they will do just about anything for a friend in need.

I was born under the year of the Dragon, a Fire Dragon to be precise. So how should I fare this year?

Here’s what Yahoo! Astrology has to say for the Dragon this 2007.

Wow, if I am to believe in what is says, then I really look forward to the challenging, and hopefully fruitful year ahead. But please note that I am not much of a believer in astrology, since I have my Catholic faith to lean on. Nevertheless, I really do have my heart and mind set on completing some of my ‘life project’ and plans this year, for both me and my family. Astrology aside, with great partners and friends, and especially the Lord, to guide me, I feel that I most definitely have the tools needed to make my own destiny and finish the year with a bang!

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Related Blog Entry:
Your Astrology and Your Temper