Man In The Mirror

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you wanna make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and then make a change

--Man in the Mirror, by Michael Jackson

Photo:  A Water Lily found inside the Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco

To say that I am saddened by the loss of Michael Jackson is an understatement.  Call me a fanatic but last night I was awake and all I could think of was him--what a great loss he is to the music industry and to all the people who love music.  Yes, his music will live on but there won't be any more live performances and no more new songs from the king of pop.

I grew up with his music.  One of the first few albums that I owned was a collection of Michael Jackson hits courtesy of my aunt who worked in Saudi Arabia.  It came in a cassette tape and I remember it being my favorite because the rest didn't appeal to me much--they were albums from Matt Monro, Anne Murray and other older artists.

I remember dancing to Thriller in a school program and using the song Beat It in a school play.  When I was in Grade 6 we sponsored the movie Moonwalker, one of only a handful movies that I saw in a movie house (just because our parents would not let us go to cinemas), and this is when I first heard Man in the Mirror and fell in love with the song.

I grew up witnessing how Michael Jackson influenced the styles of a lot of new and budding artists, including our very own Gary V.  I continued to admire his music--the kind that hardly contains any trash language, the kind that always conveys a significant message.

On a few of our very recent road trips, we played his songs in the car.  Charles and I talked about what a waste it is that he is no longer performing, that he is out there living in the middle east, financially drained after facing his legal battles.  But we were confident that once he makes a come-back, things will turn around and he will be back on his feet.  It's quite a pity that he didn't live long enough to make such come-back.

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To Michael, the man in the mirror who wanted to change the world, the artistic genius whose music has, in one way or another, made an impact on our youth and our way of life--THANK YOU!  Rest and be at peace because you have done what you set out to do.  Your legacy will live on and your music will be known and played even by generations to come.  So long...