Michael Jackson memorial service

The Michael Jackson Memorial will go into history books as one of the most watched tv-broadcasts ever. It was most likely even bigger than the Lady Di funeral or any other event. Maybe because this was the final tribute to one of the greatest entertainers of them (maybe even the greatest entertainer) all and the undisputed King of Pop. This will be one of these events of whom people will ask “where were you at that time?”, just like with tragic events as 9/11.

I was at home, locked before the plasma screen television, with mixed feelings because at one side I was devastated this is really the end of an era, and at the other side I was proud that I had the privilege to live in an era with this great performer. This show was a celebration of the person inside him. About what he cared and stood for, the total opposite of what the media made of him. It showed the human and vulnerable side not many people knew existed...

The show was one filled with Goosebumps and tearjerkers. It started with the Gospel Choir opens the Memorial with a song that contained the lyrics "Hallelujah we are going to see the king". At that time, the Jackson brothers carried in the coffin covered with red roses. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy all carried the glitter glove, one of the trademarks of MJ.

The first ode came from Pastor Lucious W. Smith. “We come together and we remember the time. As long as we remember him, he will always be there to comfort us.” This set the tone of the service. It wasn’t going to be one filled with dance, but it was going to be subdued and really back to the essence and the deepest feelings of this human being. After this kick off, Mariah Carey and her producer Trey Lorenz took the stage for the performance of I’ll Be There (a hit of the Jackson Five, Third Album, 1970).

Queen Latifah said Michael Jackson showed her that you can travel the world as an African-American and that there is a world outside America. She finalized her remembrance with a wonderfully written poem by Maya Angelou:

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.

After this wonderful poem, Lionel Richie took the stage with Jesus Is Love. Berry Gordy, one of the founders of Motown Records (the record label that has signed the Jackson Five back in the late 60s) told about the young Jackson family who used to play baseball with the Gordy family. It was a long, but also a witty and emotional speech that made you smile through the tears. It showed Michael as a normal young kid that we can all relate to.

"Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" was the song Stevie Wonder performed. Kobe Bryant remembered us that Jackson was also very concerned about the world and that he is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the performer who donated the most money to charity. Magic Johnson shared a story with the audience about a day he went to Neverland to discuss about a video shoot. He told about them eating Kentucky Fried Chicken together just like normal people like you and I.

A pregnant Jennifer Hudson performed a gospel version of “You Will Be There”. The end took my breath away. It included the voice of Michael Jackson spreading the word of peace and helping each other. It was a very powerful message about something that Michael cared about: helping other people. Reverend Al Sharpton reminded us were Michael Jackson came from. They were just a regular working family and had nothing but a dream. No one thought their dream would ever succeed, yet Michael never gave in and kept fighting and did not accept boundaries. He brought people of all over the world together and made us sing “Heal The World”. Then he directed himself to the children of Michael Jackson and told them there was nothing strange about their dad, it was the world that treated their daddy strangely. It was a powerful statement and he did have a point. From a very young age, the press has haunted down MJ and never they stopped talking about him. The trials were all over the newspapers; every move he made was portrayed on the front pages of every newspaper worldwide… What was left seemed to be an estranged person who was not from this world.

John Mayer played "Human Nature" on his guitar. This was one of the tracks Michael Jackson always performed with a lot of emotions. Brooke Shields, who knows what it is like to be famous at a very young age told about the time they have spend together and how they could leave the adult world behind them when they were together. She compared Michael to The Little Prince.

One of the highlights and one of the most emotional moments was when Jermaine Jackson sung Michael’s favorite song “Smile” by Charley Chaplin. It is unbelievable how someone can keep himself this strong to dedicate a song for his brother who passed away. I really had tears in my eyes… Very beautiful… Martin Luther King III referred to the words of his father: “My father once said ‘In life, one must discover what his calling is. When they do, they must do their jobs so well that the living, the dead and the unborn could do no better.’ He constantly challenged us to become our best by stating ‘If you cannot be a pine on a top of a hill, why, just be a shrub in the valley. But be the best shrub. Be a bush on the side of the road, if you cannot be a tree. If you cannot be the highway, just be a trail. It’s not by size that you win or you fail. You’ve got to be the best of what you are.”

Member of parliament Scheila Jackson Lee told the story of the Parable of the Good Samaritan and also reminded us that everybody is innocent until proven guilty, referring to the many accusations newspapers made about his trials. A very emotional Usher performed the song “Gone Too Soon” and broke down when he hit the last words of the song, standing next to MJ’s golden coffin.

Smokey Robinson, of whom the Jackson Five recorded a track, still remembered the first meeting with the 10-year-old Michael. He had never ever seen such a young person that could understand the serious lyrics about hurt and pain like he could. “My brother is in a place now where he is most certainly going to live forever. But he's going to live forever twice, because he's going to live forever right here - the world will never, ever forget Michael Jackson”. Shaheen Jafargholi, the 12 year old kid from Britain’s Got Talent performed a version of "Who's Lovin' You", reminded us about the young MJ.

“We Are the World” and “Heal the World” closed down the show. Children, artists and family gathered on stage and sung together. This is what Michael Jackson stood for, bringing people together and make them happy through music.

The most emotional moment was when Michael Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter Paris spoke to the audience and spoke the words "ever since I was born, daddy has been the best daddy ever, and I just want to say I love him so much". At this moment I broke down in tears too.

The most lasting impression and empty feeling was when the coffin was carried out on the tones “Man In the Mirror” and all that is left is en empty microphone in a blue spotlight…

Round up of the past month.

Heat wave, heat wave, heat wave! Did anyone say HEAT WAVE (whipping the sweat of my forehead)! It has been over 30°C the whole week, it was even 38°C in the bare sun this afternoon. See I am not complaining about the heat, but even at night the temperature did not drop under 28°C inside my bedroom and if there is one thing I hate, then it must be waking up soaking in my own sweat! Apart from that, I love this weather. The sun is a serious boost for my energy and also my mood. I just cannot be unhappy when the sun is shining!

I have been begging for my exams to be over for weeks now, and now that they are over, I am kind of bored as hell… The first few days after my exams were fun because I didn’t do anything else then sleeping, shopping and enjoying BBQs. Every year, there is this “braderij” in town. It’s a couple of days a year, just before the summer’s reduction period, when all the shop owners take their goods out on the streets. Everyone comes out with friends to enjoy the festivities and to have a drink on in of the many outdoor bars. Of course I went too! I have spent the whole Saturday in town, from the afternoon till way past midnight. Strolling down the busy streets and enjoying a refreshing glass of Sangria during the evening while watching the fireworks. Apart from that, it was mad boring though. It is too hot to go to the stables, wouldn’t want the horses to drop death, it is too hot to do something useful like finally cleaning up all my schoolbooks that I had strategically hidden under my bed.

So to kill the boredom I’ve been digging into my DVD-box and watched many movies of whom I never imagined having. First off was Training Day. Denzel Washington is just line fine wine, he gets better with age. The first movie I saw him in was Cry Freedom, he was in his early 30s I think, but now when he is in his 50s, he has this sex appeal over him that really turns a woman on. Is it the wisdom? Well I don’t know what it is, but he is very handsome and is surely on my list of hottest men alive. Next up was Amistad. This movie is one of my favorites of all time. Why did Djimon Hounsou get the role of Cinque? Acting skills? Well he’s put down a nice and solid performance, but the main reason is that he looks damn good without clothes on! But it is just a picture perfect with him. A body to die for, but also a very beautiful facial structure and skin tone. Oh man, I really love his black-as-the-night skin. But back to the movie, it is a very strong and powerful film that makes a clear statement. Really my kind of movie. I am not into those smooth love movies or happy endings; I like them real and powerful. Then there was Bad Boys I and II, pure amusement and fun. Can’t help it but I adore Martin Laurence’s jokes!

Now that we are talking about handsome men, let us continue with one of my other favorites, Peter Okoye (of P-Square). I can’t help but to drool over this guy whenever I play one of their videos. Some say he looks like Usher, and indeed he does, but Usher grew up to become less cute than he used to be, but at 29, Peter looks cuter than ever.

I should wrap this up because I have a “date” tomorrow. I have promised this old friend that I would show him around in town, but he insisted that I should call it a date. Since it will still be smoking hot tomorrow, I will show him the lovely city beach! It is this place on Linkeroever, next to the Schelde, that has become a cozy beach. I hope I don’t annoy him with all my boring nagging! This seems the first guy in a very long time that doesn’t seem to be in it for the wrong reasons…

To be continued…

Final goodbye to a Legend - R.I.P Michael Jackson

Just a moment ago, the music of our youth has died, and with that, we have died a little bit too. Who doesn’t remember the epic video for Thriller that looked more like a movie than a music video? Who hasn’t secretly been practicing the moonwalk in front of the mirror and who cannot sing Billy Jean along when the radio stations play it? With Michael Jackson’s passing, we have lost a true icon that has meant a lot to the music industry and someone who has influenced many artists, but also a great humanitarian. Projects like “Heal the World Foundation” and “USA for Africa” showed that he was not only an eccentric person, but also had a heart for the less fortunate. Some people need to die to become a worldwide phenomenon, but this man was already a living legend when he was alive and his works will always be remembered, even many more decades after his unexpected and sudden death. People always refer to Elvis Presley, but Michael Jackson surely can be named with him or may even leave a greater musical history behind for us to enjoy and cherish.

Black or white, you still made HIStory. Your dance moves left blood on the dancefloor. I remember the time, you rocked my world like a smooth criminal, now you're gone too soon. What more can you give, you tried to heal the world, but they called you bad... 25th June 2009, you left the world talking about your death like a classic thriller..... That's why you remain the King of POP.

Jupiler Pro League - 7 out of 10 players are against homosexuals in the first division

After my last post on discrimination – based on race – I have found yet another remarkable form of discrimination that is so shocking that it deserves some attention. Last Wednesday, SportVoetbalmagazine released the results of a questionnaire they have done among the 303 soccer players of the Belgian first division. On the question if gay players belong in the first division, 67,8 % answered negative. I have read discussions about this remarkable –or not so remarkable- result and I have my own thoughts about some explanations given for this result.

The first explanation that was given was one that a lot of the players come from outside Europe – mostly Africa and South America where homosexuality is not accepted. Is this a possible explanation? Maybe it is possible, maybe it isn’t. If it is possible, then the only thing I have to say is shame on you! They are the first ones to scream racism when a referee rules against them, but –if the statement/explanation is true- they don’t see any problems in discriminating another person. The pot calling the kettle black? I am against discrimination based on race, so those who are indeed discriminated have the right to stand up, but it does not give you the right to start discriminating yourself. You want to be respected, so does the homosexual person.

On the other hand, this statement can be false because I don’t believe that almost 70% of the 300 plus players are from none-European origin. In Southern Europe, homosexuality seems to be even less accepted than in the more Northern part. This can be caused by the second possible explanation: religion. It is commonly known that the Southern regions are more religious than the North. All three major religions condemn homosexuality because of various reasons written in a book. Yes that is right, a book. People think they can justify their discrimination against homosexuals based on what is written in a book, a book just like any other book that was ever written en can be found on a shelf in the library. Isn’t religion about peacefully living together? About respecting each other? Not discriminating one other? So then what gives you the right to discriminate homosexuals? The sentence “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads (Leviticus 20:12-14, NIV)”? One sentence, written by a person thousands of years ago? So this sentence cannot be put in perspective, but the statement that sex can only be performed when married and only for reproduction only – never for joy, can be ignored whenever you want to get laid? I thought so… Hypocrisy to the fullest.

Related to religion, it can be claimed to be unnatural. Yet this can easily be refuted by facts and figures. Over 1.500 species have already showed homosexual behavior – going from lions to penguins. More so, 1 out of 5 couples of the King Penguin are homosexual and 94% of all sexual activities between giraffes is homosexual contact. Can things get even more natural and untamed as an animal?

Explanation four is the mutual showers – yet then I wonder if they would mind having 10 naked ladies next to them… Plus if you follow this explanation, then you also assume that every gay man would want to molest you under the shower. Isn’t that a bit too stereotyping to believe? It is not because a straight football player bangs everything that has a skirt and two legs, that homosexual players would do the same with everything that wears pants…

Fifth and last explanation that is worth commenting on is the one that football is for machos. This one actually brought a smile on my face. I was thinking about players like David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo,… and other “metrosexual” men that look more queer than most homosexual men with their mèchen, “man”bags and creams…

StandupSpeakup

It’s been a long time since I decided to put up a new blog entry. I haven’t forgotten about the word of Blogville, I simply didn’t feel the need to post anything. The main reason is because I always saw blogging as an effective psychologist that allowed me to arrange all the chaotic thoughts that went on my little head. The past few weeks I did not need this anymore because things have fallen into place and I feel liberated. I can breathe again. No more possessive and abusive guy around, no more lying and manipulative so-called friend – it feels great. From now on I will put myself first and I will let no guy tell me who my friends can be and who can’t. If he cannot accept the fact that I have male friends and that I am not going to give them up just because they are guys, then I don’t want to bother anymore. This is the last thing I ever said about it because it doesn’t deserve any more words. I am liberated it I will stay this way.

The reason why I have turned to this blog is not to yap some more about feeling liberated and all of that or to state of stupid I was to ignore the abusive signs of the relationship I was in, but I want to point out a very serious issue, an issue I have spoken about many times before and that is racism. The past weeks this subject was omnipresent, both in my private life as in the media. I would like to share four events of the past weeks that show my dissatisfaction concerning this serious threat.

The first two ran-ins with racism were some that happened not too long ago. The first one was directed towards myself. When I was checking the mails I received on a social network site, I received a very insulting message about one of my photos, a photo that pictured a friend, a Belgian-Congolese music artist and myself backstage at his showcase of last December. This is the message I received: “You are the worst low class whore i've ever seen shame on you!!! You should show these pictures to your father and see what he thinks?? Go back to fucking monkeys and apes thats what you deserve you piece of crap”. The second confrontation came not so long afterwards; it was only a matter of some hours. The father of his ex-girlfriend told him that black and white should be separated from each other.
See I know I should not let this bother me because it shows more about their intelligence and spoiled thoughts, but yet it makes me so mad. How can people even think like that? Having heard some arguments that do not make sense, I am starting to believe it is just a lack of intelligence, competence and social conscience. Things like this should be taken seriously, and not minimized by saying it is only a small part of the population that thinks this way because that is unfortunately not true. There is a growing part of the population that thinks this way and this all over the world. A good example is the third ran-in.

This one has surfaced today. There are elections for the European Parliament this week and the Netherlands has leaked the first results this morning. The outcome is that the PVV of Wilders has wan the elections with a strong outcome of 17%. I don’t know if any of my readers are aware of the political stances of this party, but it can be compared to those of Belgians Vlaams Belang. They both stand for a nation that is free from Muslims, free from immigrants and claim to be a party for the man in the street, but if you look more closely at their program, it will only make the wealthy more wealthier and the poor even more poor.
As a future lawyer, I understand the importance of freedom of speech and the democratic representation, but there also has an importance assessment to be made. Is this kind of freedom of speech still appropriate in a Western world with its many nationalities and plurality of human beings? Does freedom of speech give people the right to discriminate other human beings based on race? No it does not and it will only raise more hate between human beings. I think that both governments have given some signs that it is not acceptable, but not strong enough in my opinion. They condemned preamble of Vlaams Belang, the Vlaams Blok party for racism, but their successor is basically doing the same thing. Other Belgian parties have set up a Cordon Sanitaire, but this has become a fact that the party likes to use to address as the “non-democratic” government that prevents from all voices to be heard. The Netherlands have condemned Wilders’ release of the movie Fitna, a movie that called the Koran fascistic book that incites violence.
I am wondering how Europe’s stance will be when they are confronted with this and if the European Court of Human Rights will rule when they have to rule about articles 10 (freedom of expression) and article 14 (discrimination). I hope and I think they would rule in favor of discrimination or this would be a very bad sign for the equality between human beings. Because in the end that is what this is all about, people can not be simplified and put and/or ruled by a race label, because that would be a lack of respect and dignity to the human race.

About the last ran-in, I would like to state I am neutral. It happened during the game for the championship between RSC Anderlecht and Standard de Liège. According to the player of Standard, the American with Nigerian roots Onyewu, the player of the component, Anderlecht’s Van Damme, called him a dirty monkey. Did this really happen, I have no idea because I did not watch the game and there are so called no witnesses or if there were, they preferred to ignore it. But apart from all this did he or did he not, it should not be allowed, especially in a game like this. I can understand that when the tension gets high, things can be said, but calling each other like that… Not acceptable. Almost the whole world is crazy about football and it sets an example for many people, especially young children that join their fathers to the games of their preferred club. It is good that Italian side Juventus has been ruled to pay for the racist choirs of their supporters. I truly believe that many players, mostly those of African origin, are still discriminated and the victim of racism and maybe that is why it is good that someone with a head on his shoulder stands up for those who do not have the courage to do so, I just hope that, in this case, the things that are claimed to be said are really said if it really goes to court because innocent people don’t have to pay for those that are guilty.

I will rest my case about this for now but I hope that people will unite against discrimination and racism. It is just wrong!

Ten commandments - Relationship standards

There is a point in every woman’s life where she realizes that enough is enough. I have reached that point too – or maybe I have even crossed another line, a line that makes me feel indifferent about things. Indifference because it has happened few times too often. From now on I will not lower my standards any longer – for no one.

Dear unknown – future boyfriend/husband,

I have serious doubts that there is something as a mister right on the planet earth. I seriously doubt that there is something like a serious man. If you think you are that one mister right, then I am afraid you will have to suffer and pay the deuces for all the lame boys that came before you and made me into a bitter woman. I have compromised too often, and this won’t happen again.

This is my bible; these are my “ten commandments”.

Thou shall love me for who I am – If you are only interested in physical appearance, you can better move on straight away. Few years ago I would be depressed when someone would dump me because I was too fat or too ugly, but I grew up. If a person does not want to be seen with me because of how I look, then that person is superficial and not worth the time. I am intelligent and have a bright future ahead of me; I am witty and funny, carrying and loving; if those things do not prevail physics, then I do not want to frequent you or even know you.

Thou shall never (ab)use me – Claiming to love someone just to get laid is not only the lowest thing you can come up with, it also shows your morals and respect. I’ve had people using me for their own pleasure but none of them had the balls to admit it. If you think you can be a big boy and have the right to use someone, then also have the guts to admit your actions and intentions. This also stands for abuse, whether this be emotional or physical abuse. Bringing someone down because of your own personal weakness is not tolerated; go get professional help.

Thou shall not stand in the way of my goals and future – I understand the importance of a degree and education, if you cannot accept the fact I have no time to spare during exam time or deadlines, then move on because I have no time to waste. I am not going to fail an exam or miss a deadline just to spend time with you because you cannot wait for one day to see me.

Thou shall have a degree or career – This commandment is related to the previous one. People who consider working in a factory stocking goods in trucks from 9 to 5, getting home and expecting food to be on the table and after finishing dinner, go “chill with the homies” while the wife cleans up, as a career, then I am sure we are not on the same level and that we will never have a successful relationship. I want a man that is career driven (degree or self-made man) and that is passionate about his career (career going from business to sports – as long as you understand that nothing comes for free and everything requires efforts and sacrifices.).

Thou shall respect me and see me as your equal – I am not the type of woman that obeys her man. Relationships are between equals and that is how I want to be treated. In relationships the principle of co-decision is applicable. This means that no one will ever tell me what I can or cannot do. I am not an obeying/submissive type of person and will never be one. If you are stuck in the old days when women used to stay home and be a slave to their man, you choose the wrong woman. Kindly move on.