MJ

I was never a Michael Jackson fan. Sure I liked some of his songs but no, I wasn't a fan. I found him too weird and his cosmetically altered appearance too freaky. But since I heard news about his "untimely" death, I found myself interested in Michael Jackson. I watched his music videos, read the obituaries, stayed tuned to the news. It's funny how death makes us stop and take notice. When he was alive, we ridiculed and judged him, wrote him off as crazy. Now, we remember all the good and beautiful about him, how he cared and made people happy. 

I watched the memorial service rerun and couldn't help but wonder: where were all these people when Michael Jackson was in his lowest of lows? We'll never know but I do hope they were there for him. 

This poem was written by Maya Angelou and was read by Queen Latifah at the memorial service. I think it's beautiful.

We Had Him

Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.

Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. 

Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.

In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. 

No clocks can tell time. 

No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.

Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.

Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.

He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.

Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.

He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.

We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.

His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.

And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.

We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. 

He gave us all he had been given.

Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square.

In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England

We are missing Michael.

But we do know we had him, and we are the world.

swine flu!

This is really scary. It's like SARS all over again. I hope the situation will get better soon.

Sino nga bang Pinoy ang hindi alam ang American Dream?

Even where the United States is held in special contempt, like here in this benighted Palestinian coastal strip, the “glorious epic of Barack Obama,” as the leftist French editor Jean Daniel calls it, makes America — the idea as much as the actual place — stand again, perhaps only fleetingly, for limitless possibility.

“It allows us all to dream a little."

Read the full article here.

why hello Mr Prezident

Read the New York Times report here.

I don't know why but I feel hopeful and optimistic now that Mr Obama's president. I wonder what Obama's USA will be like. Interesting times sure are ahead.

I'm not a US citizen

but I do hope Obama wins.