grapeade, seasoned rice, chicken ribs, frosted flakes

tried so hard...to sleep. couldn't do it.

was not able to get my 10 hours of sleep that i hoped for. ended up playing games online till 10 am, from 3:35 am...i suck. went back to sleep after a lil chat, woke up at 1ish to grab breakfast.

headed to forensics class. more about the atom, but also radiation and spectroscopy. apparently quantum mechanics fascinates me.

in the lab feeling not really awake, but caffeinated. my blood must create its own i guess.

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election season is coming. people have been on campus with clipboards and other things, tellin me to register and vote, and i throw them the same lie; i'm not an citizen of the united states. apparently it gets them off my back.

it dawned upon me that the country was built upon the idea of democracy, that we vote for our leaders, our ideas, our needs, our causes. in relation to the presidental election, a vote for a candidate (obama, mccain, some other third party) means an advocacy for their beliefs (i.e. what they stand for) but then i think about it again, and remember that i have such a distaste for the voting system. 2 things about it; the inequality/inadequacy of it, and the real purpose for it.

inadequacy/inequality (no racist intention here, only stating what i saw)
each person who is eligible to vote gets one vote. in this election from an average american, these are the two choices; black guy or old white guy. not the first time a white guy's ran, but it's the first time a black guy ran, which is pretty epic and monumental. the implications seem to outweigh the true matter at hand: reforming our country. but anyways...

i am deciding not to vote. it's not apathy, but it's this. every vote carries the same weight. so it's like this: i can vote for the better candidate, in terms of policies, stances, moral character, etc. in response, to negate my vote, some angry racist can vote mccain. that's how crapped up voting is: it makes no reference nor gives any validity to a vote, whether or not it is polished and thought out.

to the other side of the coin, yes...a rich aristocrat's vote is the same as a working class person, and for that, the system makes sense. however, the bottom line is this: money. cash rules everything around me-it ran the election process. it defines this country. it influences behavior (including the vote and laws passed in the House and Senate). the concept of voting for a democratic state exists, but it's so minor as to what actual forces are in play.

real purpose
so you're thinking, "i'm voting, in order to get the right candidate, to make a stand for what i believe in, to be empowered and united as a people for change" (not quoting obama, but the ideals of wanting the country to change has long been ingrained within me). for that, i am grateful to you as an american if you are proposing that on a noble stance.

however, on election day, the candidates aren't gonna care about that. all they're gonna care about is if they secured enough votes to become president. end of story.

to that end, obama doesn't need my vote. he may WANT my vote. he doesn't need MY vote, nor MY money. but he needs A vote, he needs SOMEONE'S money. we are faceless millions swept up and lost in a sea of anonymity. the candidates put on one hell of a show, and once they're in office, are they gonna care? are they gonna remember the hands they touched? the people they visited? the rallies they spoke at? the people they said they'd help? the true test of these people isn't what they do in the limelight; it's what they do in the street lights, the night lights, the common light.

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most of my entries will now be on facebook and blogger, and no, i did not jump on the bandwagon. been writing fer a while, but i feel there are new audiences to reach out to. also, facebook format is kinda restrictive.