Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Growing up in the 90s, my blog will not do justice if I did not pay tribute Michael Jackson. In my favourite list of music tracks, I have Billy Jean and Beat it. I happened to chance upon them in this century only (you may ask where was I in the last). Putting it in perspective, Billy Jean and Beat it were released in 1983 and I still hear them in clubs now.

I was in shock when my dad told me he died. While there were the Elvis and Beatles who could be more famous, MJ was someone I can identify with, someone who has revolutionized music and what pop music comes to being as we know it today. MJ epitomes FAMOUS and ICONIC. Not your run-off-the mill F4, Farenheit, SHE, 6655 or 1234(??), MJ even with its initials are easily identifable throughout the world over.

A pity. A pity that in recent years, he was cruxified by the media. Wouldn't they leave him alone? He is truly a musical legend who has made a difference to the world. A legend who has brought life and color to our otherwise mandune lives. A legend who comes along once a century or a lifetime. I am very fortunate to be born in his era and to have enjoyed his music and gravity-defying dance moves. The world will miss you.

Nostalgia or not ? You decide...

I have recently gotten this email from someone of an advanced age.

"

To

All those Born in the 50's , 60's & early '70s..

The article below was written by Patrick Teoh in his blog "Niamah!!".

To All those Born in the 40's, 50's , 60's & early '70s...

First, we survived with mothers who had no maids. They cooked cleaned while taking care of us at the same time. They took aspirin, candies floss,fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrups and diabetes were rare. (Some died without ever knowing they had actually contracted diabetes.) Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was remedy for fever.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. As children, we would ride with our parents on bicycles motorcycles for 2 or 3. Richer ones in cars with no seat belts or air bags.(I thought they were rich?)

Riding in the back of a private taxi was a special treat. We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle. (You could have filled a bottle with tap water, so I don't see the point here? Also, besides water, what else can come out of a tap?) We would spend hours on the fields under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about the UV ray which never seem to affect us.

We go to jungle to catch spiders without worries of Aedes mosquitoes. (Childhood mortality was alarmingly high of course.)

With mere 5 pebbles (stones) would be a endless game. With a ball (tennis ball best) we boys would run like crazy for hours. (RUN LIKE CRAZY? Seriously?) We catch guppy in drains / canals and when it rain we swim there. We shared one soft drink with four friends (that precise?), from one bottle and NO ONE actually worry about being unhygenic.(Ever wondered why the fifth friend never shared?)

We ate salty, very sweet & oily food, candies,bread and real butter and drank very sweet soft sweet coffee/ tea, ice kacang (I hoped you did not eat all these in one instance?), but we weren't overweight because (you did not know what overweight was?).......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, till streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day (Talking about kids thesedays being irresponsible? I guess the fruits don't fall far away from the trees). AND WE DONT HAVE HANDPHONE S TO BUG US. (What about switching it off or to the silent mode?)(I believe you wished you had them when the streetlights are faulty or that you can reach no one for a few days.) And we were O.K. AND WE ARE SAFE.

We would spend hours repairing our old bicycles and wooden scooters out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.(D**B?) After running into the bushes a few times(D**BER!!), we learned to solve the problem . (Like how?)

We did not have Playstations, X-boxes, Nintendo's, multiple channels on cable TV, DVD movies, no surround sound, no phones, no personal computers, no Internet. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued the stunts. (Kidnaps were certainly a feature of going out making friends back then. I guess it was a risk worth taking considering the joy you derived out of breaking bones and teeth. Dental business is brisk thesedays with older folks needing dentures.)

We never had birthdays parties till we are 21. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and just yelled for them! (Civility was understandably not important back then. I can also see where the infamous "kao pei" phrase orginated from.)The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! Yet this generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! (Note "ever"...the future remains to be seen!)

The past 40 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the government regulated our lives for our own good.

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

PS: -The big type is because Long-sightedness or hyperopia at your age. he... he.... ( This email was actually in font >32 and colored!)

"

My response is in green and the original entry is in orange. Okie, some comments are unpleasant but my intention was meant for it to be hilarious. Pls don't get it the wrong way, yar?

Graduation - Roger Federer

Finally, I have graduated. While it sounds as though I cannot wait to get out of school, I actually accpted another offer into school! I don't know what I am getting myself into but at least, I hope this time round, it will be worth it. Not that the existing is totally useless, but I believe its value is undermined by my lack of effort. ahha..

Another guy has graduated. He is none other than Roger Federer. He has cemented himself as arguably the greatest person to have lifted the tennis racket. 14 grand slams in a span of 7 years and all 4 before the age of 28. Sampras took 13 years to do the same but never collected all 4 and did so before the age of 33. I did not even bother to watch the finals as its a forgone conclusion.

For his greatest rival, I just hope that Nadal wins the US Open in September and he would have outdone Federer by a wide margin. If he wins the US Open this year, Nadal would have taken a mere 5years to collect all 4 before the age of 24!

I pity Safina...if only she had the mantle of Federer. She had better win one big one before she assumes the unflattery honour of having been no.1 and not win a grandslam.

Fairness?

I am so livid with Federer always being able to shine in grandslams!
To put into perspective how gd he is during the slams...he has made 19 CONSECUTIVE SFs or better. It stretches from SF of Wimbledon 2003 till now. To many, making even 1 SF in a slam can be considered an achievement!

With Nadal gone, the French Open is as good as being served to him on a plate!
Being Chinese, superstitions are part n parcel of our beliefs. Roger Federer, born 8th August 1981...080881 (DDMMYY). Need I say more? He is freaking lucky...having collected so many slams during the void of real rivalry. After 13 slams, there are finally 2 other real competitors not called Nadal. Come this sunday, history will be made...federer will attain his god equivalent status in his sports.