Give bloggers a break

If thoughts are random, there is no flow or structure, and casual writing leads to grammatical mistakes, it is because blogs are not examination halls. Entries are not waiting to be marked and scored, blogs exist because the world is now accepting and thriving to make freedom of speech real. This is an escape channel from the rigid and institutional systems of school or work.

I treat my blog as "conversation" over dinner, being in a place like a pub or club with friends so I am in free reign to say what I want, sometimes without even giving second thoughts.

If even those who are awkward with their positions in society can detach themselves from the negative feedback they hear all the time, I must not sweat the small stuff and should stay committed to focus on the long term and on the bigger picture. Know which areas ask for my loyalties and those that i need to let go of. If you pay attention to traits of successful personalities, they share alot in common and one of them is being "cool" about issues and not allowing it to internalise and snowball to become more serious than it actually is.

I remember why I decided not to have a public blog. When a whole lot of of self-censorship happens when I write an entry, it becomes really frustrating to me. If given a choice not bounded by occupational limitations, people who matter will know I speak my mind, without qualms. I can't help but feel sincerity may be lacking with some of those who are politically correct all the time. And I admit to not being able to achieve it, it's simply too tiring.

All these mixed emotions, thinking about what I am "allowed" to say and the sensitivities that surround certain issues, it makes me feel that blogging is not always a free for all space. Some bloggers practise absolutely no censorship, which is something I respect, if only they are also willing to take the flak that may potentially come along with it.

Some complaints I have heard are defensive and condescending so from being an exchange place for ideas and thoughts, it becomes a battle ground with different parties using nasty words or methods to save their own agendas. When I see instances like this, I tell myself that every entry that is to be lodged is a strong point of view I want to convey but also open to listening to the other side of the story.

I am unaffected by naysayers because I have come a long way in differentiating those who truly care and matter and those who don't. But I detest the speculation that comes after, like how silence is a sign of defence or agreement when in fact, it is just a window period for the truth to prevail.

Perhaps, if you have a strong point of view that does not have the space for alternative viewpoints to strengthen your bigger view of the world's happenings, then publish a book, have a private blog, write a press release and disable your comments function.

Read again

I'm writing to let you know I updated the post below so you should give it a read again. :) Silly huh.

The Answer Is Stefanie Sun

Thanks G. What can I say, I'm totally spoilt with my concert experiences since I've known you. :) It was futile attempt to capture G's masterpiece photos on stage though because I didn't manage to click in time.

Just back from Stefanie Sun's really awesome concert. She sang very well LIVE and the costumes were different from her usual style. I liked most of them and I have yet to decide which is my favourite. I like her image and liberated status as a "freelancer" more than the time when she was limited by the "package" her previous record companies wanted her to be.


The stage was brilliant - visually exciting and full of surprises.

But the best part was... The star looked like she was totally enjoying herself as much as we were. It's like a great party.






Met Chen Bi De (I can't be sure he's Peter Chen by direct translation) and he seemed a humble person and a perfectionist. he wasn't happy with his performance and said he sang better at rehearsal even though I thought he was impressive already. I always knew he could sing but the duet was lovely and beyond my expectations.


Nathan Hartono, a young jazz singer with alot of potential. He was great and we do wish him good luck with his endeavour as a singer.


Playing the piano and singing in the air, literally.




This was REALLY cool, it was like a virtual Stefanie Sun. Almost 3D and even more spectacular than a laser show. It's like seeing a surreal standin on stage. Kinda. You have to experience it LIVE to know what i mean.












The flowers filled with lots of well wishes backstage. :)

Looking forward to the exciting weekend ahead. :)

Because Michael Jackson will live on

Today, G, L and i were talking about the legacy of Michael Jackson after dinner. I was finally able to share my thoughts and mixed emotions, something I have been trying to come to terms with since MJ's passing, with my girlfriends who understood.

I was actually called a "pseudo MJ fan" earlier today and I surprised myself that I was actually offended. There is a difference between being someone fairly new to this MJ influential sphere and simply making false claims. I did only become truly intrigued and appreciative of MJ in recent weeks but I believe I have managed to catch up with lost time to experience the magic of his life.

Michael Jackson's memorial is playing again on TV right now. I was a little tired at work having slept at 430am last night but it was totally worth it. It was a memorial that was also a celebration of MJ's life. It was a very heartening show that was put together by AEG, especially by having the spotlight on the stage with the micstand just after the casket exited.

Every tribute was touching and memorable but what I appreciated most was how there were people from all walks of life who shared with us the greatness of MJ.

The influence of MJ has been almost God-like if I dare say so myself. Regardless of religion. He knew the reason for his existence very early in his life and lived it to the fullest to reach out to those in need. There must be a reason why he was gone too soon, and it is because his work on earth has been completed. Perhaps, if his stay had been prolonged, more people would have allowed the darker memories to overshadow his accomplishments. The memorial would have been different and his sufferings gone in vain.

To me, Michael Jackson had control on his life, as reflected in his intelligent, firm and strong messages from his interviews. If you seek the missing pieces of his media interviews as well as the lyrics of the many songs he wrote to touch lives, you will agree that the words can only come from someone whose heart was purest of gold. Whose heart was the closest an adult could ever be to the songs of innocence.

He never swayed, he never denied, he never found excuses for his actions. If he was guilty, he wouldn't have stood by what he believed in. He showed the world just how much he loved children and how much he wanted to protect and not hurt them.

The media seems to be in a dire situation the fact that they actually drove this Man who accomplished awesomeness with his very special gift, to the extreme stage of suffering he had to deal with. The impact of sensational headlines and false contents must be having double the impact on other public figures who are nowhere close to being global icons.

I think the saturation of the media industry may be the very cause of this. Before tabloids came along, people knew only to read true or objective articles, good or bad. L pointed out that it is not true we are only interested in sensational news. They have forgotten that we cheer to the end of wars, the celebration of love at weddings and holidays. The paparazzi disregard feelings, privacy and have proven with MJ's case, the amazing people in our lives.

On hindsight, I was sucked into it too. In recent years, I was exposed to consecutive stories that ridiculed Michael Jackson. I never bothered to find the truth or the other side of the story until now. I regret having allowed the media to control my mind. I was never told of how he revolutionised MTV, his charity work and how he broke down racial, cultural and religious barriers with his songs.

But like Smokey Robinson, I'm glad I was part of the MJ era when he was alive. What we lost, we can make up for by looking into the mirror and taking a baby step at a time towards change. The MJ language was Love and Indiscrimination. There is no need to regret not having learnt to treasure what we had until it's lost, because maybe, we're not meant to. This is the lesson that can only be learnt from death.

To those who do not understand the outpouring of grief or have lingering suspicions, I believe either the truth will prevail or that Michael Jackson's life was meant to be a mystery that will never be solved. Chances are, the media and those driven by greed will not stop as yet.

That heartbreaking testimonial from Paris Jackson that she had the "best father you can ever imagine" erased all remaining questions and doubts that I had.

RIP MJ.

Lesson on Judgment by Michael Jackson

I'm a bigger fan of Michael Jackson now than I was when he was alive. His music doesn't even sound like it was produced more than a decade ago, which is another formidable record with the creation of timeless music. It's a pity because I wish I had gotten to know his "art" better back then. As I watch his performances, MTVs and interviews each night, I begin to realise he was not only a musical genius with extreme talents, he was also larger than life.

Honestly, when I used to watch his interviews separately and some of them out of their full context, it was easy to think there's no smoke without fire. The thoughts were all negative, especially with the child molestation allegations. The only redemption rooted from the remarkable milestones of his music.

But if you would take the time to watch the interviews consecutively now, you will see that he's not a rash and crazy man who had lost all self control in his actions. He was never keen to intentionally place himself in a precarious position that would also put his reputation at risk and for success to go down the drain. He wanted to continue to influence the world from his capacity as King of Pop and a phenomenal celebrity positively.

His beliefs and messages were very consistent and from a PR perspective, I personally think it was no mean feat if he had been acting. One of the only ways to accomplish this had to be that it came sincerely from what he believed in. It was no wonder he started to decline interviews as more journalists approached or ended interviews with their preconceived agendas/themes that were controversial.

I think it is fair to say I come from an objective standpoint, considering I was never an obsessed fan of his. Another case in point - I remember how I made many reminders to watch the British documentary "Living with Michael Jackson" when I was only a teenager. Like many others, I was intrigued with the elusive yet influential superstar. Back then, like the interviewer, I was left disturbed by the part on children, the craziness of having dangled his baby over a balcony of a Berlin hotel and how he found it perfectly normal to be in bed with children.

Yet if you open your heart and your mind to just watch, listen and not judge MJ's interviews, you actually see beyond the tinted glasses you once had, to realise he could possibly have been a man who was indeed larger than Life. He could differentiate between being childish and child-like; he didn't want to be Jesus, he wanted to simply follow through on the teachings of Jesus; we thought sexual whenever "in bed" was mentioned when he didn't. He was able to see and accomplish things with an unassuming heart in a way that the rest of us can't. So we made him a scapegoat when we couldn't face our flaws and imperfections.

One good example was how we turned our backs on the laws we made. When he was pronounced innocent on all charges, he was called meaner names, the media pressed on even more aggressively in their pursuits, his reputation spiralled downwards from then on. We never forgave and we never forgot, we could never bring ourselves to believe wholeheartedly that he was truly innocent.

The truth is what we choose to believe in. I just think MJ should have been given more space for being different and "one of a kind". And even if he's gone down in HIStory, it is worth giving him and yourself one more opportunity to hear his side of the story.

It's undoubtedly his death that has created soft spots in many, to fall blind to the later years of his life and concentrate on his legendary music career. But instead of falling blind, I urge you to re-watch, re-listen and rethink the process of MJ's desperate attempts to persuade the rest of the world to step out of its comfort zone and believe in the truth. He never stopped trying even if the world stopped listening. The questions are lingering now only because you are afraid to think there might actually be some, if not all truth in the story he told.

Even my choice of words tonight is not affirmative because it never can be, now that I have allowed myself to be receptive to both sides of the story.

Whatever it is, MJ should not be faulted for the courage and persistence to align his actions with his beliefs.

Unless evidence shows otherwise, don't judge.

With that, I leave you a quote from his "Living with Michael Jackson" interview. If he did die of a drug overdosage, I find it hard to believe it could have been intentional. It would have been an escape to find a cure for some form of suffering.

And also, my favourite interview clip of him.

"I want to live forever."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBE0igKrnI4

Childhood campaign

It is a pleasant surprise that Singapore has revived Singa Lion. It's not typical of the Government to do so and I believe it's a first. I second it, especially if it is because my generation is most susceptible to H1N1 and Singa connects back most closely to us.

There are many masked life-size Singas around the island too, which is cute, but a stark contrast to HPB's disturbing "Stop the horror with soap and water" ads (that I hate and have no intentions of publishing it on my blog). The sight of both campaigns side by side at Dhoby Ghaut MRT was just wrong.

Now, how about Sharity Elephant?

Leo

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of my favourite actors. His image has been pigeon-holed since his role in Titanic but he hasn't allowed that to affect his choice of films. I'm glad because his performance has been stunning in showcasing his versatility and talent.

The absolute deal for me? "Catch me if you can".

I never saw him in the same light since.