Most of us have seen the viral video out of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.
This video, which is currently playing on You Tube’s front page, is really awesome, and in two days of being up there, already has over 417,000 hits.
It features Michael Jackson’s long-time choreographer, Travis Payne; and dancers, Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid who visited the prison to teach the inmates to perform this hit from the tour THIS IS IT.
What impresses me is that no matter what we have done in our pasts, and where those paths have lead us today, we each matter. Each individual who took part in this, has played a small role in something unique and amazing. The last shot… WOW!
If this message can say anything, its this; no matter what path you have taken that has brought you to where you are right this moment, the choice you have right now is one which will determine where you will be tomorrow, the next day, and years from now.
On Thursday, June 25th 2009, an event took place which caused the world to stop…
It was not such an event as a world war, or a terrorist attack, or even the complete crash of the stock-market and world economy. But yet still, this event brought people into the streets, it brought tears, recollections of memories of childhood and days gone by.
On Thursday, June 25th 2009, at 2:26pm the King of Pop, Michael Jackson died.
When we look at this “strange” and “awesome” man and performer, one has many opinions. For a long, stretched out minute in the grand scheme of the Universal time frame, Michael Jackson was the biggest celebrity on the planet. His Thriller album sold record numbers the year it came out, and it is still the highest selling album of all time… Of ALL time! There is no other Super-star who can make that claim.
Like most people, when I heard the news, I stopped what I was doing. I was in shock. I was stunned.
In this day of social media, the way we receive information has completely changed. I did not hear the news from a news break on TV or via radio; I did not receive a phone call or a knock on my door. No… to have heard the news in that manner would have deemed me a “dinosaur” in this fast-paced, high-tech age.
That morning I had been extremely busy with prospective client intakes, consultations, and the endless emails that had permeated my inbox; I did not have time to visit any of the various social media networks where I conduct a large part of my networking.
Finally, I answered the last email and headed over to check messages and updates on Facebook. I logged in, and there on my wall was an update from someone who had the simple words “RIP Michael Jackson”.
Not sure if it was a prank or not, I went over to my Twitter account, and sure enough the number one tweeted item was #Michael Jackson.
Immediately I turned on CNN International, and there was the yellow banner of “Breaking News” and the endless news of the Superstars passing.
The endless videos of his mega-hits brought back floods of memories.
I was still in primary school when Thriller came out. All over the radio, one could hear Beat It, and Billie Jean, and of course, Thriller. Music videos were just emerging in Hong Kong, and Solid Gold was a Sunday afternoon main-stay. We all learned the words to the songs, and Michael Jackson’s killer moves emerged on the streets and in our schools. Read the rest of this entry
Welcome to my blog which is really the ramblings of thoughts that go through my mind.
As this is my first blog, I was wondering what poignant memories I wanted to unlock from the vault that is my mind… what memories I have, that I wanted to share with you.
As today is the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, I have felt to share with you my memories, and what those days have taught me, and how I honor all of those who lost their lives, on a daily basis.
It’s hard to believe that already 20 years have passed by. The year prior to the events, my family and I had taken a trip to Beijing and had walked across Tiananmen Square.
I remember the news reports in the lead-up to June 4th. At first, my whole family and I did not understand why these kids were protesting, surely there was a better way. But as more and more news reports came out, and the government allowed them to remain in the square, we really began to pay attention. Before this time, it was just a “blip” on the news radar for us.
As the numbers of protesters increased, and as we saw police officers joining in with them, we saw the “organization” in which they were operating; we began to grow a respect for them. Here were a group of university students who were trying to make a difference, not only for themselves, but for their country.
Respect and admiration for their calls for democracy, and better living standards rang out in scenes that began to remind many of the original rise of Communism, the Long March, and the Red Guard. The difference was that these protesters were attempting to create change in a peaceful manner. Read the rest of this entry
