judicial system 101

yesterday, i got picked to be a grand juror in the county where i live. initially, i was apprehensive about being picked. spending 1 day out of a week for 20 weeks in a court room seemed excessive in the context of what ordinary human beings go through. working. taking care of the family or home. having fun with friends. grocery shopping. doing my nails. etc. etc. and $5/day is hardly even minimum wage.

let's back track a bit. a grand juror's task is to determine if a court case has merit of being tried in court. lot's of frivolous law suits out there you know. at some point, i was hoping to be a petit juror. they are the ones who actually listen to the cases that the grand jurors give the green light to go to court.

anyhow, i started getting excited about the opportunity to be part of the judicial system and learning how it works. this is after all one of the things i said was important to me when i became a citizen. the law. heaven knows how much screaming i do when a motorist forgets to signal when he switches lane. how much more with ensuring that people's rights are protected.

i thought this would be a good source of writing material. but i have an oath to secrecy. maybe i'll vaguely, remotely, allude to things... i will uphold my oath! =)

peace!

television

if i were rich enough to actually do anything, would i just stay home and watch tv and munch on every treat that i could get my hands on? hmmm....

nah. i suppose i would criss-cross the globe and watch tv's from hotels and homes all over. hmmm...

nah. i suppose i would do more than that.

i'm just bored today for no good reason.

Fourth of July

Fourth of July bears a new significance for me now.

Before, it was the independence day of the Philippines, my birth country. Independence from America. Now, as an American, it is independence from Britain. (or England)

I could possibly spend more time agonizing as to where my allegiance lies, or what the past means, but I won't. Independence, freedom, is a basic human right. I celebrate independence day for all free people and those who are still struggling to realize it.