"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." - Leo Tolstoy

Welcome to your life
There's no turning back

I don't like this world we live in. It's so full of corruption ... dirty politics ... idiots running the state and government ... Begs the question: Why are there people ruling the world when they can't even rule themselves first?

Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behaviour

Tolstoy had it right: everybody wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. But sometimes I do wonder at the daftness of people. It doesn't take a genius to see that the world can only change if you start with yourself. So why doesn't anyone get it?

Turn your back on Mother Nature
Everybody wants to rule the world

It's ego. The human ego, the human pride ... it's a strength, as it is a weakness. But I personally find ego to be more of a downfall than an advantage. Someone goes into office, they're likely to think, "I'm already the greatest. I got here, didn't I? So why not make my country the greatest, too?"

But if that's really what they're thinking, then the world is in trouble already. Because no truly great person thinks that way. A great person knows sacrifice ... knows charity and compassion ... knows how to put others first before himself ... And above all, a great person knows humility. So how many people in the world can honestly call themselves a fulfillment to all the above criteria?

It's my own design
It's my own remorse

I'm already twenty-two (and maybe a little more). I've registered as a voter in my country, and I intend to make full use of my voting rights. Problem is, voter apathy is rampant here. Many people my age - and those about to reach said age - don't seem to understand the importance of casting your vote during elections. They think it'll make no difference, that it won't help, and so they don't bother registering. They're all of the same mind: What's the point?

Help me to decide

When I look at the political parties existing ... when I compare what they've done, look at how they've done it, and discovered what else they intend to do ... I'll admit it, sometimes I'm of the same mind. The ruling party in my country, they're full of the corrupt - and they're full of themselves, too. That's not taking into account other factors as well, like race or religion ... which, despite what they say, does play a significant role in the running of this country. Sad to say, as much as they like to think they're bringing good, the question is: to whom exactly does this "good" really benefit?

Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure

But I still stand by my ground. People should register to vote. People should exercise their voting privileges. For those in the minority, like me, it's especially important. It's because we're in the minority that it becomes all the more vital that we do vote. Think about it: do we really want to keep the ruling party in power forever?

Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

You may think, one vote - it doesn't mean much. But really, if all the people of the minorities come together, with the same mind and the same goal and they all cast one - just one - vote, that one vote will grow to a substantial amount. Perhaps not enough to change the world entirely, but it will still say something. It will carry with it a message, a stong message: that the people aren't afraid to stand up for their rights, to stand up for what they believe in. And if they believe it's time for a change, then why shouldn't they proclaim it? And why shouldn't something be done about it?

Theres a room where the light wont find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I'll be right behind you

And you know, believe it or not, even one vote can make a difference. One vote may not mean much to some people, but it does - because if that one vote goes against the majority, it says something. It says that there is at least one person out there who doesn't want to be a sheep. It says there is at least one person out there who's looking for a change. It says there is at least one person out there who wants a change. So why not become that one person, and get the ball rolling?

Think of a snowball. Send it rolling down a high, snowy mountain and it not only picks up speed, it gets bigger and bigger until it's a giant snow boulder. As a snowball, it may not do much except get a person wet - but even that's irritating enough. Imagine walking around, snow melting down your neck, creeping through your clothes ... eurgh, not a nice feeling, is it?

So, if one measley little snowball can be so annoying, imagine what a snow boulder can do. Think of the punch that will pack. Think of the impact. If you're against the ruling party, think of how annoyed they will be when they find out just how many people share your opinion. So go vote - who knows if your one vote will make the difference you're looking for?

So glad we've almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world

Likely, the changes we want won't happen until after our lifetime. But really, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make those changes happen in the first place. Even if there's the chance we won't ever get to see it, even if there's the chance it'll only happen in our children's, or maybe even our grandchildren's lifetimes, what we can do is push for those changes. And we all know how to push for those changes, don't we?

I cant stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world

So go vote. Fight for what is right. Change the country, even with one little vote at a time. Because at the rate this country is moving, we of the minority need all the help we can get. Don't think it's useless - believe that you can make a difference. If voter apathy continues to rise, especially among those who really need to exercise their right to vote, what hope is left for those who are still willing to fight?

Say that you'll never never never never need it
One headline why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world

All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

* Lyrics: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears

"When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it." - Anatole France

I saw a lovely quote today.
So I added it to my essay.

It makes sense, really. Why crack your brains to come up with something original when someone else has already said the same thing - and said it best, too?

That essay which I handed in,
Came back an F as red as sin.
I argued, "What's this for?"
He replied, "You copied. No score."

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that way. Especially universities, who will charge you for plagiarism and slash your grades. Maybe even kick you out of school, too. So why do people still do it?

"I wanted to prove a point," I cried.
"This quote has it all inside!"
"You never referenced," he scolded me.
"So this work isn't even worth a P."

Lack of awareness, that's what they tell me. Students don't know plagiarism is a crime, a crime punishable by failure and/or expulsion. If you ask me, I say it's also due to panic. And worry, and anxiety, and the desire to do well until it completely unhinges your mind. So it's a dangerous world, university. Freedom in some areas, prison in others. You quote in an essay, you gotta be prepared to reference. And even then, there are issues: How to reference? Which format to reference in? How do I know I'm doing it properly?

I stared at my essay, face streaming tears.
Parents' rage and disappointment, my greatest fears.
"It's not fair," I said. "I did my best.
"Why did they make me fail the test?"

I personally despise referencing. It's the bane of any academician's life. They say they want our essays to be original, yet they contradict themselves by saying our originality has to be based on something. Which is completely illogical, because how can something be original if it's based on something? Besides, if your entire essay has to be based on theories or opinions already said, you'll wind up quoting two-thirds, likely three-fourths of it, anyway. So where's there any space left to be original?

"Stupid rules," I shouted out loud.
"They don't do anything to make you proud."
That F, oh boy, ain't such a lark.
Your record now has a permanent mark.

I never plagiarised. My university makes it a point to emphasise the seriousness of plagiarism until it's all that haunts you while you're working on assignments. But the point is, university can be crazy. What is logic may not always be logical. What is sense may turn out nonsense. What you believe is right may wind up being what is wrong. And then it flips again, and we're left suddenly unbalanced. Or it contradicts itself in and again, before twisting back to what it was and throwing us out of the loop once more. Back and forth, up and down, inside and out, we're blended together until we come out all messed up and confused - which is exactly what they want us to be. So now I ask you:

What do they really expect from us?

"The first time I see a jogger smiling, I'll consider it." - Joan Rivers

On the moon, weightless and free.
That's where I want to be.

There's too much emphasis on size and weight and looks today. I don't like it. Do you?

In space, floating high.
That's where I want to be.

Magazines, TV, movies - hell, even the news! What chance do normal people have if all they see around them are stick figures and thin mints?

In a world where it doesn't matter what you weigh.
That's where I want to be.

To be big and beautiful ... All plus-sized people should follow that, it's a good motto. So why isn't anyone placing the same emphasis on it as they do for the skinnies?

To be like Tracy Turnblad and Matron Mama Morton.
That's who I want to be.

You can't even be pretty and fat anymore. If you're not a six, no one notices beyond your neck. So what's the point of having a face like Nicole Kidman or Kiera Knightley if you're three, four times their size?

To be size twelve and beyond, and still be accepted.
That's who I want to be.

Of course, there IS a difference between being huge and healthy, and being huge and UN-healthy. I condone the former, NOT the latter. It's one thing to be plus-sized and brimming with good health; it's another thing altogether to be obese with a body clogged with junk. So why aren't there people teaching us how to be proud of our weight AND stay healthy without forcing us to slim, slim, slim down until there's nothing left?

To be loved for who you are, and not what you look like.
That's who I want to be.

I'm not plus-sized. But I'm definitely on the bigger end of the weight spectrum. Do I wish I was slightly thinner, of course. But am I embarrassed about my size, no way! I enjoy eating, I don't deny that. I'm not a fan of exercising, I don't deny that, either. But I dance, I play badminton, and I take the stairs at university instead of using the elevators all the time. Little things like that to keep healthy, even if they don't really shed off the pounds. So why does society make such a fuss about what I am on the outside when it's HOW I am on the inside that matters?

Such a sad, materialistic world.
Stop it from spinning,
I want to get off.

"Hope is a waking dream." - Aristotle

And then I'll hope.
And I'll hope for the impossible.
I want the impossible.
Those who can't believe in the impossible can't believe.
And those who can't believe, don't live.

I'm stranded on a deserted island, standing alone in the middle of a vast ocean of nothingness. Dare you join me?

Sometimes you have to believe.
Even when there's nothing to believe in.
Belief is life.
What's the point of living if you don't believe?

My life is a street full of potholes. Bumpity bump bump bump. Dare you take that walk with me?

I believe in fairy-tales.
I believe in flying unicorns, fire-breathing dragons and twilight angels.
I believe in cotton-candy clouds, lemonade fountains and ice-cream mountains.
If that makes me childish, so be it.
Better a child than a cynic.

I have no destination. I go wherever my feet take me. Dare you bear that uncertainty?

My reality is my dreams.
My nightmares are reality.
If it's better for me to stay sleeping,
Then I pray you let me sleep forever.

I'm as temperamental and unpredictable as the weather. Dare you brave my storm?

I need my belief.
I need what I dream.
I live in a world of my own.
I live in a world we all want to call home.

I am who I'm not and yet I am. Dare you understand that?

I believe in what can be, what might be.
I don't believe in what is.
I march to a different drummer.
That drummer is me.

What you see, you might not get - and what you get, you might not see. Dare you accept that?