Year MMX is here!

Today is January First, Year 2010. Thank God, I've crossed over into the new decade.
Looking back to the outgoing year, I may say it was fine. Apart from regular work, I was invited to participate in a number of professional seminars, training and workgroups: I do appreciate when a peer values my potential.

My year was also full of pomp and ceremony where colleagues, friends and relatives were getting married, were being confirmed etc.

There was an event, though, that could have easily gone terribly wrong. We do read in papers and hear news about armed robbery, and we do not give it much thought-it never occurs to us that such an occurence can happen to us. Well, this time I was caught in the scene of armed roberry. It was early evening when a group of young men--not wearing any face masks, one brandishing a gun, hollered an order for everyone to lie on the floor. They then went from person to person cleaning their pockets of wallets and cellphones. About ten revelers we were, neither of us as much as cleared his throat. They then dashed to a car opposite to the tavern we were. The event must have taken not much longer than three minutes but to me seemed like one hour. They made away with my two cellphones and a wallet that had some money inside, but also my other IDs.

On the international arena, I was saddened by the passing away of my hero, Michael Jackson. I was also saddened by a large pack of human beings rubbering my hero, Tiger Woods to the extent of shooting him down from his deserved, comfortable perch. With Woods it will come to pass and he'll soon be swinging those irons and stringing birdies.

Then there is Barack Obama being elected the US President. Towards the end of counting when the outcome was all to obvious--I was watching it all on CNN on a TV in a hotel room --I got so excited I could feel hair behind my neck standing.

Then there was my super-heroine, Whitney Houston comeback: I'd known all along it was not all over for her, so her "re-debut" was my wish come true, and I wish her all the best. Same goes for Donna Summer, my disco queen.

Michael Jackson

On my bedside table I do have this small radio which I usually leave on, tuned to the BBC with volume turned very low. If there is a piece of news that would be of significance to me, I am jolted awake--I don't know how this phenomenon works, but it has happened many times. I guess ears don't quite turn off when one is asleep.
It is thus I got to be one of the first to learn of Michael Jackson - The King of Pop - had just completed HIStory, had passed. The rest is history--not HIStory.
I recall the old days when we didn't have FM radio stations, even radio cassette players were few and far apart. Audio field was ruled by vinyl disks (I still have about 100 albums, very well preserved, I'm gonna see how to get this Sony vinyl album player that can help lifting music onto hard disk of computer, then on CD). There was The Michael.
Michael's is one sad story- from being walloped by his dad while still a little boy so that he could make him money by performing, to his well-meant slumber parties with kids, misinterpreted and seized by gold-diggers. Like Pink Floyd sang in Crazy Diamond, it was Michael they had been singing about: what about being caught in the crossfire, childhood stardom, random precision and several other descriptive clauses!

The Michael was a gifted talent like no other. He was a genius. To me any of his songs is superb, I'd go crack to try to figure which I like more.
Bye Michael. You done me proud. You showed the way: you were there on the podium long before The Kobe, The Shaq, The Oprah, The Tiger, President Obama.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond "

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,
blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,
rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!


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