I have to concede it has to be one of the worst morning I've woken up to. It's like a bitter pill to swallow, but it has to be swallowed nevertheless.

Growing up in the 80's, his music certainly left a deep imprint in my heart. I can still recall the first time I saw him on TV when I was 7 years old (yup, I can still remember). I was young then, and was watching television with my uncle at our old house in Meru when suddenly this man came on the screen and, it's still hard to describe now, how utterly awestruck I was at that moment.

Afterwards, I retired to my bedroom, putting on a toy sunglasses and trying to emulate his dance moves. I also envied the kid in the MTV who was privilleged enough to dance with him - and whom I later identified as Macaulay Culkin.

So, to say that MJ is an inspiration to me would be an understatement.

He seemed to have this uncanny ability to make music sound so magical. Til today, I still listen to "Heal The World", "You Are Not Alone", "Billie Jean" and in my opinion his best song - "Human Nature".

Of course, this man would later turned into a public oddball and being labelled as Wacko Jacko. This music phenomenon soon got himself embroiled in all sorts of scandals and his weird antics off-stage further convinced the public that this man has lost all his connection with the reality world. But I digress.

Perhaps people are just too ignorant, orperhaps they find amusement in seeing someone placed so high on the pedestal falls from grace. The tabloids accused him of 'bleaching' his own color, a paedophile and a lost soul. But how much can we trust tabloids these days? Nowadays, the media act like kingmakers - editing unflattering photos of celebrities that they want to promote and undermining the credibility of those whom they dislike. And in this case, Michael's the chosen victim.

For me, this is a man who was deprived from a healthy childhood as a result from sadistic abuse by his father who often chased and hit him with a belt if he dared missed a key. He thus seek solace in music - the one thing that can make him escape from the misery he suffered. He was also diagnosed with vitiligo - an illness which made him extremely sensitive to sunlight and

caused depigmentation of his skin - which explains the changes in his skin tones. And the kid who accused him of sexual abuse admitted later on that he did that because his father needed some money. So, to hell with all those accusations! And so are those ignorant fools.

Perhaps he is a child who grew up too soon. I watched the documentary about him called Living with Michael Jackson and he clearly seemed like a boy trapped in a grown man's body.
In that sense, his passing could turn out to be an outlet for him to escape from this world that proved to be incapable of fulfilling his idea of a 'perfect world' and his musical genius. One thing for sure, I won't get a chance to fulfill my dream to see him in concert. Ever.

I would say forget the scandals, forget the sordid details about him and embrace his music.

He will be sorely missed. Goodbye, Michael.

(P/S: Vian might think this entry is a nuisance cuz she doesn't like MJ) Sorry dear! =)