Election day

I have never woke up and been scared and I don't know if it was the effects of too much Polar beer (gotta stop drinking that stuff) or just feeling that I do actually live in one of the world's most dangerous cities, because when I woke up this morning at 4, to fireworks or some other kind of bomb like sounds continuously going off for an hour and I could see nothing in the dark except the glow off the buildings around me, I was nervous.

It's now 10:00 am and aside from the constant string of cars and more horns beeping then usual, it is an absolutely stunning day in Caracas. The sky is looking a bit like the Simpsons, fluffy clouds and periwinkle blue.. Let's hope it maintains a calm and the storm doesn't come when the voting booths close.

Elections, to me, are a fascinating discussion particularly in other countries because in my country, for as political and academic and focussed on creating change as it likes to promote itself to be, only about 40% of the population who can vote turns out to vote. Whereas, in Australia people are fined for not voting. In Venezuela, I was told 99% of eligible people vote by one taxi driver. Furthermore, to make sure people are making better decisions, the weekend before the elections is dry (without alcohol) like Thailand and some other Asian countries. And to think, in the US, I feel like a lot of people go out and get drunk before elections because sometimes it is an unusual day off in the middle of the week for people.

I guess my main point here is that people seem to care and while elections maybe potentially corrupt or bias, the fact that people actually take the time to line up for 1-3 hours to get into a booth shows dedicated effort to initiating change in a country that often has a reputation for being behind and lost led by the eyes of its bipolar president.

On another note, I had a moment last night, where I woke up and made a decision, one that will eternally improve my health and I am happy that I now want this change, truly, madly, deeply.

And, I will start training for a full marathon because of this decision, whether or not the race happens or not is to be seen.

Other than that, feeling a bit better about some things, not about others, it's good to talk things out. I think that is essentially the most important aspect of life, try to make sense of things by talking them out as much as humanly possible until you come up with a theory or way to make yourself feel better and relieved about it all.

Adios amigos..