Did you Know that two of the Nursing board exam passers from Saint Tonis are…

…my friends? Now, I call them my fellow artifacts from the 1980’s. Melanie Balbino and Lea Ganongan, the two passers I’m referring to, can again content themselves with the thought that they have added yet another feather in their caps which, figuratively may be sagging already on the sides since there are too many feathers that they have amassed year-in, year-out in whatever areas they have chosen to be expert at.
Along with Flerida Almora and Roger Abbacan, they have just made history for Saint Tonis, our province’s pioneering school of nursing, by passing the PRC licensure exams. Needles to say, their feat will most likely break the adamant attitude of parents with regards to choosing Saint Tonis as the nursing school of their choice.
This impressive performance gives Saint Tonis a 100% passing rate – which can be determined by setting the number of passers as numerator above the number of examinees.
We now see a dramatic rise in enrollment next year – or even this second sem. Enough reason for Mrs. Presentacion Bartolo to be in good mood these days.
*****
I have always thought Melanie and Lea would pass the exams though. I should know, we were classmates and friends from elementary up to 4th year high school – and still remain to be friends, of course.
I have always asked them their true intent in pursuing BSNursing, but I never got their real answers. Maybe it is their need for self-actualization; maybe it is their sincere search for more knowledge (ouch, I don’t buy that since both of them are voracious readers); maybe they want to go abroad (hmmm… medyo nasirig kun sa); maybe they want to become Barangay Health Workers and feel the real spirit of public service; maybe they had become tired of staring at their old college diplomas, and felt that it’s time to add another.
Yes. Melanie Balbino is a licensed chemical engineer, a title which – with due respect to the nursing profession – far outweighs her latest label. She earned the degree from St. Louis University in Baguio City, the same school where Lea Ganongan completed her bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Lea’s degree understandably pulled her to the academe where she tried her hands on teaching amid her dalliance with the further study of law.
While Lea was teaching in the academe, Engr. Balbino entertained the idea that she is a businesswoman – and so she put up her own shop which drew people with all sorts of need for computer-related matters. Voila, she prospered! The Chemical Engineer, it turned out, has a silent degree in Commerce – much like Letty June Lugtu-Bides who, after earning her degree in Medical Technology, decided that lab gown is not her thing. Bridal and evening gown gayam ti paglaingan na.
And so Melanie and Lea spent most of their after-college years here in good old Tabuk when they could have been earning millions elsewhere. Maybe this can be explained by our being members of the generation which has been full of existential angst in the 1990s – thus freezing our go-getting tendency.
Then Saint Tonis opened its school of nursing, and my friends woke up one day with that burning desire which must be satisfied at all costs. There must have been a lull, until one of them tried the waters and said “Agenroll tayo?”
And the rest, as the cliché goes, is history. In the pages of Saint Tonis College, that is.
Congratulations again to our four passers! As for the other graduates who opted not to take the June exams, you have our best wishes!
*****
The following article is supposed to fill this column this week, as my closing salvo for the Guru month-long anniversary this July, but I had to quickly relegate it under the foregoing piece, before I lose such thoughts…. Here goes:
It was in the 6th grade when I entertained the thought of becoming a writer in the future. As I sat dreamy-eyed and listened to Ms. Gertrude Lastimoza transport us from that Section Eagle classroom to faraway lands through stories that she spiritedly read aloud, I started to believe that I, too, would one day write stories that would have as great an impact on young minds as Ms. Lastimoza’s selections had on me. I entertained the idea that writers are of a different breed, and that I had what it takes to join their club.
I thought I would be weaving tales of heroism, stories of friendship, of love, of people accomplishing wonderful things, and depiction of good that triumphs over evil. Stories that reflect the world as I knew it then – bright, colorful, breezy, with clouds fleeting across grassy hills where children run after rabbits.
Time flew and those stories were never written. I got older, went to college, landed a job at the government sector, got strapped to it for life, and I lost the dream. But that’s how it is during childhood. We weave dreams. We stuff our heads with out-of-this world fantasies. We cast a future that does not have a single element of pain, suffering, heartache.
When young, we have the tendency to bloat our egos, to entertain the thought that we are the best among our peers and that such excellence would bring us someday to that exact spot which we have set our eyes on.
Then as we grow older, chunks and chunks of reality creep in. We gradually realize that we really know nothing… that, individually, we are nothing. An inconsequential dot in this immeasurable universe. A small block, which when discarded, won’t affect the whole structure, since there are millions who can always take any vacated space. And who might even do a better job in filling that space previously occupied.
Now these are negatively tinged thoughts. Black and dreary, when I should be painting this column with bright and vivid thoughts, in honor of this paper’s 5th year anniversary.
Where was I?
Ah… I was saying that I got older. Oh yes, there are moments when The Muse remembers to amble by and attempt to awaken that dormant desire to write “that story”. Words rush out of the lexical factory somewhere in the mind, and an effort to put them down on paper is made – but after awhile, this gushing-out of words breaks off. And I find myself marooned at the 2nd sentence of the 3rd paragraph.
Perhaps I was never really cut out to be a story teller. I filled my head with too many ideas – and I blindly believed them. Now it’s time to drop the thought, to discard the fantasy.
*****
So I became a reader instead. I realized that if I cannot join the world of such illustrious literary names, at least I can loiter into their territories by consuming the contents of their heads which have miraculously spilled onto the pages of books. From time to time, I find myself thinking “Damn, why haven’t I thought of this plot?” or “I was formulating exactly the same premise last month! This Carl Sagan stole my ideas!”
Of course, when such thought occurs, an imaginary cane bashes me in the head, and I suddenly drop the book so that I may regain my bearing, and set my feet back on the ground.
Daydreaming never hurt anyone, though. Besides, I am sort of a writer – uray kaskasanu met ah. I laboriously gather my thoughts together every week, face my laptop, position my fingers on the keyboard, stare at the screen as the fingers seem to have a mind of their own and start accomplishing a piece which soon finds itself plastered in a box named Perspectives on page 4 of a community newspaper known as Guru. An output that remains un-read when the paper finally hits the stands and got delivered to subscribers. I have this gnawing feeling that all other sections are digested by readers – but page 4… well, readers leaf through it, look at that smirking face in the column head, read the title, roll their eyes and move to page 5. But before reading the contents of page 5, a reader may glance at my title again and whisper “Adu la amin.”
A-hah, agurayka… One day, I believe, I would run into someone and as she recognizes me, she (let’s stick with “she” this time okay? Makabannug ti “he or she” nga ikabkabil just so we could cover both genders) – yes, she would say “Hey, you’re Mr. Paroy right? You’re the college instructor who also writes for Guru. I also read your column, you know.”
With a lingering doubt in me, I question her “You actually read it? Which topic have you liked so far?”
“Ha…? Well, that one about…about… Diay kua ngay…” Perhaps she would look for a way out around her. “Anya ngamin didiayen…mmmm, kua…”
I shall not torture her, of course. I may have walked away by the time she opens her eyes and stopped conjuring fabrications that would never turn up.
Then I may hear her shouting behind me “Diay panggep ti biag!”
Yeah, yeah…Life.

Mr. & Ms. STEP (of TNHS): A Critique

by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.

I watched the Search for Mr. and Ms. STEP last week at the Tabuk gymanisum – which was one of the activities held by the Tabuk National High School as part of its observance of the Nutrition month. I was there primarily because my nephew was a contestant.
First things first. The pageant was, so far, the best choreographed show ever staged by TNHS since that contest years back when Mrs. Elizabeth Alipda chaired the STEP affair – and this column commends the organizers (led by Mrs. Elizabeth Gueverra, Mrs. Josephina Ba-i, and Mrs. Evelyn Ganotice) and the choreographer (Marlon Carbonel) for such a delightful show last week. Also, it gave me a chance to listen to Mrs. Pacita Litorco speak again.
The composition of candidates was obviously selected well by the different year-levels. Everything could have gone on smoothly – but then there were glaring drawbacks that are not at all acceptable in a beauty pageant.

ONE: The absence of a tabulator. In any pageant, the judging is acceptably subjective – and no attempt on objectivity is ever attained. It is subjective because the judges would always be influenced by their taste, preferences and past experiences. Take the attires, for instance. A beauty pageant is always a fashion show in itself. So, once a candidate parades down the ramp clothed in an outfit that somewhat mirrors the taste of a particular judge, then the outfit scores high in the rating sheet of that judge. Which is why we have statements like “Ah, sabali gamin ti taste jay judge” when a certain winning outfit fails to win an award. This again points to the importance of picking judges that have a background on beauty and fashion. That goes without saying that a person who dresses himself or herself sloppily should not even be considered to be a member of the judging panel. I am speaking here in general terms since the judges last week, in fairness, are known to dress neatly and appropriately.
Back to the absence of a tabulator. The presence of a tabulator would ensure that the scoring sheets would be passed on straight from the judges’ table. The tabulator would then just show the final tally to the panel after the computation. For the panel to know the result. Now, if judges themselves would sit as tabulators, the subjectivity mentioned above would further be played out. Each judge in any contest has a favorite. That’s a fact – and they are entitled to that. No one can take that away from them. But when judges sit as tabulators at the same time, this presents the problem of knowing right away that a favorite candidate did not win for, let’s say, a certain minor award. This would then give an opportunity for a judge to key-in some last minute changes in the scoring sheets. And then re-tabulate, until the desired outcome is attained.
Of course, I am not alleging that such a thing happened at the TNHS affair last week, since I believe in the uprightness of the judges. I am just pointing out this lapse of not naming a tabulator – considering that it only involves simple mathematics. This will thwart the tendency of the audience to speculate. It was a glaring irregularity which the organizers should avoid next time.

TWO: Since TNHS activities easily become crowd-drawers eagerly watched by the general public, the beauty pageant could have benefitted from the expertise of people in the community who, I am sure, would have responded positively to a request for judging duties.
No need to elucidate on the fact that the presence of outsiders will assure neutrality. This is what we always do in my school, the Kalinga-Apayao State College. We always tap the expertise of people from other agencies and from the beauty and fashion industry. In fact, we always borrow teachers from TNHS to compose the jury. Yearly favorites include Vivian Domingo, Maribel Bravo, Feliciano Felix and Ruby Belgica for the performing arts; Lorraine Tubban and Giovanni Asbucan for speech and writing competitions. And, true enough, they would always pick out the best.
The idea here is that we cannot be experts in all fields. The lazy practice of “Sika lattan ti agjudge” should be scoffed at. Tabuk is a goldmine of experts who would oblige to a simple request. No need for tokens. Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Kidang, for example, would not say no since she is always on the lookout for upcoming Miss Kalinga potentials anyway – and this is TNHS, long-acknowledged as the alma mater of most beauty queens: Sandra Rebancos, Kyna Bayangan, Maritess Annogui, Claire Amano, Pinky Baccud, Kimberly Doclan, Loraville Diocares, Shiela Dalsen, Shiela Romero, Liezel Sakai, Rina Quinsaat, Yoshi Sakai, Melissa Barcellano, Donna Peralta, Charisma Compas, Jocelyn Moldero, Catherine Delgado, Melanie Bautista, Ernalyn Carbonel, Lala Balais (I hope I haven’t missed a name or two, lest I would be reminded again by Marlon, who has a mental record of these matters).
Again, any school that holds a competition cannot completely assure that in-house judges can totally detach themselves from the proceedings and become impartial. So to avoid the possibility of doubts being raised, a teacher who was told “Sika lattan ti agjudge” should not answer “Sure. Wen ah.” It’s a deviation from appropriateness.

THREE: Judges should be all eyes and ears to everything that transpires on the ramp. Not a single detail must escape their attention: the mismatching colors, the ill-fitting heels, the heavy makeup, the awkward projection, etc. This should be sustained up to the Question and Answer Portion which is the most crucial part of the pageant, as it would make or unmake a candidate. Each word uttered, the enunciation, and the confidence in the delivery of the answers are key points that must be used as the yardstick by the judges. Bottom line: the judges must listen.
However, during the TNHS pageant, as the first two contestants (male and female) were being casually interviewed by the hosts, up to the delivery of their answers to the actual questions, the judges were still frantically conferring among themselves (about what, I have no idea, since they were supposed to have ready copies of the judging sheets).
From our side of the gym, we were staring at the judges as they moved this way and that way, talking spiritedly. Not one of them looked up at the stage and listened to the first two candidates as they were answering. Yet you could later see them putting in their ratings. The numerical ratings they put into the scoring sheets, of course, are their sole prerogative – and we do not question that. However, what numerical value would judges give a candidate during the Question and Answer Portion when they never listened in the first place? We all saw how busy they still were. They were trying to resolve something (maybe the scoring sheets were missing, maybe they were revising the criteria. Whatever) – hence their inattention to the first two candidates. It was during the third candidate’s turn and onwards that the judges finally settled themselves and listened attentively to the rest of the candidates.
The hosts, who can delay every proceeding during a show, could have helped out by stalling the casual and actual interview until they could see that the judges were ready. But then the hosts were also totally dependent on the program – the rule of the day is just to proceed and proceed (and, in fairness, Mrs. Sirikit B. Odan and Mrs. Eva L. Tubiera did a fine hosting job). This brings us back to the judges. A little signal from them could have given out the message that they were not yet ready to rate the final interview.
But no such move was made, and so the delivery of answers by the first two candidates just drifted by. And so Mrs. Rachel Sarol, mother of the first candidate, was visibly bewildered in her corner.
Let me stress one thing (in my capacity as a humble connoisseur in the beauty and fashion industry of this town): the giving of answer is a very personal attempt on the part of a candidate to establish a connection with the judges. It is the candidate’s last bid to convince the judges that he or she has what it takes to win. That is why, in all pageants, the candidates would shun out everything else during Q and A. The crowd seemingly disappears, and the candidate just focuses on the judges as he or she gives the answer. It’s like saying “This is me. This is what I have to say, so listen to me, and as you listen, I hope I impress you enough.”
All pageant judges recognize this – thus, they also sit still, maintain eye contact with the candidates, even smiling at them, nodding now and then, prodding them. It’s their way of saying “Go on, you’re on the right track. I’m listening.” This move relaxes the candidates and gives further confidence – knowing that the people at the judging tables are paying attention to their thoughts, however shallow the thoughts may be.
Unfortunately, this was not at all observed during the turn of the first two candidates at the search in TNHS.
Maka concentrate ka pay ngarud nga mangdingngeg ti kunkuna diay adda diay stage nu dika met agtatalna? Funny, datayo pay met nga teachers ti agkara baga iti “You there! Sit still! Face front and listen attentively!”
*****
Now, here’s something that throws it all out of balance. A colleague in the local media, wanting to know the results even before the actual announcement, casually approached one of the judges and asked “Sino ngay ti Mr. STEP?” The judge answered “As usual, obvious ba?”
That would be hard to answer, since you would have to assume that you know whom the judge is referring to. Now that’s a real hitch. First, the statement presupposes that there is already a winner even before the contest began. How can there be an obvious winner when the the audience is even divided into four factions? Second, it bares the partiality of the judge towards the candidate that the judge was referring to. Third, it further cements my foregoing argument that in-house personnel should not be given judging tasks.
*****
My nephew, Kurdell, garnered 1st runner-up. And up to this day, I am impressed by his display of competitive spirit, yet not forgetting that it’s also for fun, an experience that he would one day look back to with a smile. Initially, he did not want to participate, and I did not even insist that he should when he gave his first refusal. But later, he finally gave in – so I don’t know what convincing powers were applied by his adviser, Mam Betty Olatic.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not insisting that my nephew should have won. That’s water under the bridge already. In fact, my first advice for him after the pageant was “Move on from here. It was a nice experience on conquering stage fright and developing sportsmanship.”
I have nothing against Shaquille Diasen, who was crowned as Mr. STEP. In fact, I also singled him out from the set of contestants. I recognized that he was a very strong contender and as soon as the show began, I knew it would be a fight between my nephew and Mr. Diasen – and it would be fine with me if Mr. Diasen would win. I even noted that he’s a talented rocker, complete with a live band – one thing that never fails to impresse. Being a 4th year student, he is already ripening into a young man, whereas my 2nd year nephew is still a “totoy” so-to-speak. He even exhibited good manners when he took time to approach my nephew later and shook hands. I do wish him well for the regional level of the Search for Mr. and Ms. STEP. I just hope his aunts Anne and Geraldine would hire a designer this time for his outfits.
Ms STEP Eileen Pelicer was a delight to behold as well. She exudes the persona of being delicate, fresh and sweet – winning elements in pageants. The Pelicer family must be beaming with pride now (Eileen is the sister of a very special “friend” Eleuterio Jr.) Along with Khastria Sarol (with her sophisticated and classy deportment), they would one day walk down the ramp for either Ms Tabuk or Ms Kalinga, and end up as beauty queens. If they want to.
So there. I am not critical of the winners. As a teacher, I always push students to go ahead and seize each moment to shine. What riled me were the things I enumerated and discussed earlier – and I pointed them out with the hope that such lapses would be avoided in the future - not only by T NHS but by other schools as well, since mahilig tayo met ti contests. That is my intent.
I know that I might stir some emotions with this outpour. I had second thoughts about going ahead with this article, considering that I am a TNHS product (and I say that with pride), and I still regard my former teachers highly. Mrs. Editha Baddongon, to cite an example, was my 3rd year adviser who made chemistry fun to learn, and whose teachings became very useful when I mistakenly pursued (and later discontinued) BS Medical Technology.
But then I have always believed in asserting ourselves, especially if I also know what I am blabbering about. Joon Ascaño, Marlon Carbonel, Jerry Ladrido and I are yearly involved in Ms Tabuk and Ms Kalinga (as designers, choreographers and committee members). That, therefore, equips us with the right to say nga ammu mi met ah ti kunkuna mi when it comes to beauty pageant matters. We can say that without batting an eyelash.
Lastly, as both an educator and a community watchdog – being a member of the Kalinga Media Organization and as the editor-in-chief of this paper since March 2008 – there are events in the educational world that must also be highlighted and harmlessly discussed in the open (like this contest), especially if they would contribute to the multi-aspect development of our learners. Some may appraise my topic this week as trivial, but no. There are no trivial issues where young learners are concerned. An elementary teacher, for instance, who would just glare at a Grade 1 pupil and say “Nagkuneng ka metten! Awan inammum!” may scar that pupil for life. Or a teacher who has an ax to grind against the family of a certain student and decides to be vindictive by way of poor grades and scare tactics may push the student further into his or her cocoon. These are but some of the things that must be closely watched by the community – which any school is accountable to. But that is not our subject this week, so we’ll tackle it later.
Which reminds me: students (I would like to single out Ms Claribel Dupali) from both the secondary and tertiary levels have been sending me emails and text messages, asking for their little space in this paper since we do have the Teachers’ Views corner. I promised them that I shall find space for it one of these days. Actually, I already have a name for it: e3 (read as “e to the third power”). It would be an opportunity for our young thinkers to Express, Expose and Evaluate anything that affects them (whether positively or negatively) while in the process of knowledge acquisition – including issues they may not have the courage to tell their parents. There are already enough materials in my possession and it is both enlightening and surprising to have a peek into the minds of our young learners.
Enough. More of these next time.

Guru Press: 5 Years and Counting…

by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.

The reading public of Tabuk that is covered by the circulation scope of Guru Press is well aware of the fact that this paper started to see print in July 2004. As a media-inclined person – though more of a theorist (inside the Kalinga-Apayao State College where I handle journalism subjects) than as a practitioner that time when this paper made its maiden foray into the community – I was impressed by the initial output of this paper. As I leafed through the editorial box, I saw household names in Kalinga, where press work is concerned: Jun Albano, Peter Balocnit, Larry Lopez, Gigi Dumallig, Naty Genzola, and Daniel Cagan (who was more known then in the airwaves as “Cool J” via Radyo Natin).
Alongside the outputs of these seasoned press people were the written works of a bunch of different personalities from diverse areas: Ghumie Pinkihan (from the Girl Scouts of the Philippines), Christine Wangdali (from the world of business), Leno Gamonnac (a retired military man whose writings always focused on culture), Dr. Nelly Alejandrino (a busy Doctor of Medicine), Ghytie Wangdali (speaking up for the youth), and of course, Dr. Estefania W. Kollin (a highly placed professor at the Central Luzon State University – also the editor-in-chief of this paper). Also briefly joining the assortment of writers was the ill-fated Stephen Omais (whose sad fate was the subject of my Guru’s 4th year anniversary article last year).
Other names later cropped up into the pages of Guru – most notably the fiery Giovanni Asbucan and the equally fierce Regie Wacas. From time to time, readers had the opportunity to peek into the minds of Dr. Faustino Maslan, Florence Vizcayno, Jemimah Molina, Dolly Orprecio, and others who may have escaped my discerning eye for fellow writers.
All of their outputs would all end up in the mercy of Rod Libiran who was then the layout artist.
These names have left their imprint on the Guru Press – and the brains behind such names produced articles that helped set the tone of this paper, defining and pushing it to become what it has humbly become today.
Guru Press, needless to say, has a long, long way to cover if it is to attain the loftier heights of journalism – and, considering that most of the above-mentioned names have moved on to other fields or simply stopped writing, other people may probably come in later to attain this end, perhaps taking over the presently active Elizabeth Busacay, Gary Damian (who sometimes exhibits the now-we-read-him, now-we-don’t syndrome), and yours truly.
That is not impossible. People come and people go. And as they leave, a distinct mark is stamped into the five-year history of this paper. Like, until recently, a fellow instructor at KASC who splashed his thoughts across the opinion pages, Dr. Edgar Naganag, but who also hibernated as the temperature rose this summer. I have yet to re-convince him to unload himself of his thoughts – lest his head becomes too burdened with his heavy mental load.
One good thing about the writings of Sir Edgar is that once he sets his heart on something and becomes overly enthusiastic about it, there would be no stopping him. He attacks an issue, in every sense of the word attack – no elusive words, no beating around the bush. If he thinks a person is incompetent, he would write “He is incompetent.” There are only two side to every issue, for him. He was, for instance, against the cityhood of Tabuk – and proclaimed his arguments, never caring that others saw it as a losing fight. But the assault he makes is also always calculated. He may stray into enemies’ territory but he would not antagonize them to the point where a clash is born. But of course not everyone has the same level of mental prowess – and, as a result, people who have not been gifted with as much insight would end up abhorring him.
Conversely, however, when Sir Edgar stops, he really stops. So we never read him in this paper again after March 2009.
I hope to get him to refuel his reserves of noble thoughts so that readers may get to see his column “Futures and Options” again.
Especially so that it is that column which brought this paper to the attention of Councilor Reginald Tamayo of Aparri, Cagayan – who wrote in to express his being impressed by Sir Edgar’s train of thoughts, and who later ended up filling the space that was left bare as a result of Sir Edgar’s extended summer hibernation.
So, as you can see, there are now only two columnists (Mr. Tamayo and I). Gary Damian has not really left, so with Sir Edgar – and Mr. Santos Acoba, who used to be un-failing in his weekly submission of entries into his space which he named “What’s Your Side,” a space devoted to matters going on inside the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Still, even with this come-and-go string of writers – with the exception of the PIA triumvirate of Peter, Larry and Gigi – Guru Press has carved its niche in the information-delivery industry in this province. Being circulated for five years – moving from its monthly frequency to its present weekly release – is not an easy feat, considering that this is the print medium, traditionally consumed only by those better-equipped in the head. Targeted at people who yearn for more details, Guru Press sort of fills in the blank patches that cannot be satisfied by a 5-sentence report on the air.
It is difficult to predict what lies ahead for Guru Press. As the only locally printed and circulated paper in town, it serves its purpose of quenching the community’s need to know. As plain as that. And it is from this knowing that the community gets to form its opinions about issues and concerns that directly or indirectly affect it. So, predicting what lies in store for this paper would have to depend on the people’s continuing desire to know – for it is when our reading public loses the desire to be well-informed will we also start to put a period to publication.
An unlikely thing to happen.

A Weird artist Named Michael

by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.

Writing about Michael Jackson would immediately reveal that one grew up in the 1980’s – and thus reveal one’s age. That pegs die-hard MJ fans to be at their 30’s now. But then, he started out in the show business as a young kid, so his multitude of fans include my generation’s parents – those who knew the songs “I’ll Be There,” “Ben,” “Music and Me,” in their original Jackson 5 versions.
To set the parameters clearly, my generation would be described thus: die hard MJ fans who grew up in the 1980’s, loving and memorizing each single song from his two definitive 80’s albums “Thriller” and “Bad.” This generation went with him as he donned his hat, moonwalked, hiccupped his way into his songs (much like another 80’s icon, Cyndi Lauper), and became lighter and lighter in complexion – add to that the fact that the nose became thinner and thinner.
The two aforementioned albums contributed a lot in shaping how my generation perceived the world then. I would not dwell on a review of said albums, though, as I lack the experience in attempting to evaluate them. I would just like to especially single out “Man in the Mirror” from the album “Bad” – which influenced a lot of people from my age group. The song speaks about changing the world in very sense of the word “change.” Michael throws the challenge “If you want to make the world a better place, start looking at your self, and then make a change.”
A simple sermon really. And an easy one to accomplish at that. The moment I consumed the theme of the song, I cemented Michael Jackson’s ability to influence other people.
With his penchant of using a choir for backup vocals, Michael established himself as one of the few composers who wrote advice-giving songs that became hits. Of course, first on the list is another song which he co-wrote: “We are the World,” also from the 1980’s.
It would be several years before he released his next album – “Dangerous” in 1991. By then, my generation were first year college students and were caught up with the many influences that college life brings. Given the many options that were sort of presented on a tray before us city freshmen, I still maintained my admiration and high regard for Michael Jackson. By then, “Heal the World” was being played non-stop in radio stations all over the world – further adding to his repertoire of songs that speak about the imperative need for us to change the world.
Alternative music was the “in” thing in the early 1990’s – with bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, U2, REM, and their contemporaries, plus hard-rocking bands like Bon Jovi , Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith. Oh yes, I went along with the crowd and digested songs from these bands – but I never once forgot that Michael Jackson was still around, and that no matter what type of music may be “in” at any particular time, his brand of music remains high above the rest – a genre of its own kind, so to speak.
“Dangerous” topped the charts, of course – and the series of hit singles came one after another. There was the pulsating “Black or White” on which he asked the “in” guitarist of the time to play: Slash of the band Guns N’ Roses. Slash lent his chords in another song from that album: “Give in to Me,” which remains to be one of my favorites up to this day.
But one particular song stood out from his “Dangerous,” at least for me. I would like to mention “Will You Be There?” The song simply presents the situation where a person is in need of support – with failure knocking at the door. MJ then inserts the query “will you be there?” When the song was used as the theme song for the movie “Free Willy,” which was about a young boy’s determination to grant a dolphin’s wish for freedom by being sent back into the open ocean, I tagged the song for life.
By then, Michael Jackson was busy with his Heal the World Foundation. The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch, to go on theme park rides that Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it. The foundation also sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war and disease. All profits from the “Dangerous World Tour” went to the "Heal the World Foundation," raising millions of dollars in relief.
This pre-occupation with children then started the rumors that eventually turned into scandals – causing wide dents into his well-managed empire. From then on, the world started to look at MJ as a freak. Those in my generation were starting our careers already, and we lost interest – or we were simply busy finding employments that a simple cursory glance on a Michael Jackson article would suffice.
Other artists rose and fell in the mid 1990’s, and in recent years. Musical taste changed, and there was a shift towards R & B. Alternative music still held sway among its followers. New names dominated the charts. Not one single name held on for a long time, as he or she would soon be toppled by another talented artist.
Then Michael Jackson died.
And the music world stood still. For it lost not only an icon, but a true shaper of pop music as we know it today. Never mind the weirdness attached to all famous people anyway. Never mind the allegations of sexual abuse. The artist must be isolated from the man – in order to truly appreciate his contribution to the arts.
Quite easy to do. Anyone reading a newspaper with a negatively toned article about Michael Jackson, but who would listen to his songs afterwards, would find himself creating a line between what he has read – and what he has heard from the CD player speakers.
Forever a Michael Jackson fan. That’s me… and I know that, here in Tabuk – as one Michael Jackson hit declares – other creatures stuck in the 1980’s and 1990’s would tell me “You Are Not Alone.”