Dear Juliet,

Today, with a clipboard of forms in hand, I went round the library, interrupted intently-studying students, and asked if they're Malaysian, 21 years old, and have registered as voters. I was rather petrified at first, but by the end of the hour, I felt so triumphant that I actually managed to talk to random strangers. Ah such joy! It's like... exercising my right to speak.

Almost everyone I approached gave me the same initial look - the deer in headlights' "What do you want? Who are you? Did I do something wrong?" Then there were others who actually already noticed me, but pretended to be unawares, hoping I'd bypass them. But with both groups, eventually I saw the wave of relief when they realized I'm not a salesperson nor a student-gone-mad-from-studying-now-terrorizing-all. I began to then think of all the times I've been guilty of the same expressions. Yes, I thought all these while attempting to be professional in my conversations with peers.

I don't suppose you've ever been bothered about things like voters' registration, because there was no such thing back then anyway. How much have things changed between my time and yours.


If you were real and living today, would you be interested in politics, I wonder?

>21-year-old,
thursday

P.S. It has come to my knowledge that I have yet to read the tale of you and Romeo. I should do it soon. But I did read about your predecessors, Tristan and Isolde.