What a day - Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson & Bafana Bafana

There is never any shortage of newsworthy stories, and since there is more than adequate media coverage, I would normally not bother to comment, however Thursday 25th June, was certainly a pinnacle in terms of the type of news. And so, my thoughts .....

On the sad side, we were faced with the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, both icons in their own right.
Farrah Fawcett who had been the darling pinup girl in the 70's, had been suffering from cancer for quite some time now. Recently it had spread to her liver, and evidently it was a matter of time before she would succumb to the disease. Sadly, she lost the battle last week Thurs 25th June at the age of 62. Just while the media was summing up her life and death, news broke that Michael Jackson had passed away - at the age of 50!

Michael Jackson has a lead a life of controversy, and was regularly dogged by scandals (true or not). The fact remains that he was a legend in his own right - truly talented, a phenomenal performer and entertainer, loved and adored by many fans throughout the world (at this stage young and old). Many were looking forward to his upcoming concert tour, which sadly will now not take place - it would have been interesting to see Michael perform again... At times Michael Jackson's oddities (pale skin, numerous facial reconstructive surgeries, masking his face, hats & dark glasses, hiding his kids, and various accusations and trials) totally overshadowed his life, and although we still loved (and love) his music, through the years, he was considered more often than not, to be "very strange." As a friend succinctly put it: "as time goes by, let's hope we remember Michael Jackson more for his music and talent than for his oddities. RIP MJ"

On the brighter side, the Fifa Conferations cup has recently played out in South Africa. On Thursday night our local team Bafana Bafana played against the infamously talented Brazilian team. Every one's nerves were in tatters, after all what chance did they stand against such a strong team!? Well, the local team certainly went far to surprise the crowds and fans, as they played phenomenally well, holding out against the Brazilian team until the very last minutes, when Brazil managed to sneak a (one and only) goal!

Okay so Bafana Bafana didn't win, but in my eyes and certainly in the eyes of many South Africans, they were total winners - they played outstandingly well, and proved that they are worthy contenders. Having been dogged by bad team spirit, poor playing habits and poor discipline, bad publicity, amongst other things, but, it seems that in the last 9months (at least) coach Joel Santana has woven discipline and focus into the team. Personally, I'm very proud of them, and have total trust that they will do the country proud in next year's FIFA World cup.

G