"I skype my girlfriend"

It is a few years now since I first heard this remark and I must say it made me sit up and take notice. "What did he say ", I wondered. Skype , what is that? Do I want to be skyped too ? Those hard consonants s,k and p also make up another word which my mind immediately came up with ; Spank ? Do these two words have anything in common? My mind filled up with all sorts of visions.

Actually this was the reply to a question my colleague posed to one of the candidates at the speaking test and we also learned that the said girlfirend lived in Vilnius , quite far away. In my position as examiner taking notes I could not ask for clarification .

That evening when I went home I found out a little more about skyping ; yes this is the new way of communicating over the computer . It seems to be very popular to skype across countries and my wish came true last year; I could get skyped as my daughter skypes us all the time from her new abode in Europe, somwhat west of Switzerland . It takes a bit of getting used to though . I enjoyed being skyped until the day my cover was blown , No I don't really know everything and cannot say I am a techy. Bringing my laptop to school to show video clips I have researched for my lessons is an attempt to keep up with technology. Unfortunately the skype community have to know that you are not always available to chat. Well yes a few times it has happened to me as soon as I set up my laptop in class someone wants to skype me and knowing how to put on your little hat( to say I can't talk now) is very important! Otherwise students have a habit of expecting new excitement everytime they see me set up the laptop. Where's xxxx29 they ask? They do not even know the identity of my friends ( who are actally female) But just as I have a vivid imagination as you see above so do they.

"I want you back"

This is the first title on my CD Motown 50 , Yesterday , Today, Forever ,which my husband brought home one day earlier this year as a surprise present . Although I try not to get stuck in the rut with music from the past this CD really brings back memories of innocent happy days listening to motown . I love it and it moves me .

Well this first track I want you back is probably on many people's minds right now after the shock which hit us on Friday when we learned of Michael Jackson's premature death. It really came as a shock appearing as a mere factual report on the last page of the first part of the newspaper , together with the news that Farah Fawcett ( one of Charlie's Angels)had likewise passed away.

Suddenly Michael Jackson became the media focus and television news reports showed how the world has gone into mourning for the King of Pop, rather in the same way we went into mourning when Diana, the Princess of Hearts died in a fatal car accident. Both these icons of the 80's were special as they touched us somehow with their charm ,beauty, we were mesmorised by their gorgeous outfits just not for this real world . Both had children bearing the title Prince , and we think of all these Princes and one Princess and how it must be to lose a beloved parent too early.That is another part of the mourning; leaving those children behind.

Much of the Michael Jackson story has been televised and we see this lovely child as above who was a star at an early age. What does this mean for a child? Just recently this was brought home to anyone watching the "Britain's got talent" show. Some of those little ones really moved us with their adult performances and we hoped that they would do well. But what really happened was this; far too much pressure for such a little person , quite noticable with displays of tears and near breakdowns when these little people don't win and this may help understand the Michael Jackson story . Incidently this year's BGT winners Disparity may have been inspired by Michael Jackson . Their dance routines were also fabulous.

It is not easy to know why Michael so desperately wanted to change his skin colour as we think he was a gorgeous young man. Looking at things more closely could it be that he just wanted to get rid of that performing child? Some say that Jackson 5 in their time were considered and treated as no more than a circus act. Some say that the venues for such performances were any other than child friendly and nowadays not at all allowed for children . But that was back then when Martin Luther King and " I have a dream", was just being broadcast ,where all people regardless of colour would have the same status . Did the Jackson 5 get to use the same entry as the guests at these concerts? Perhaps all of this convinced Michael Jackson to redesign himself , it is hard to know .

In contrast his adult home Neverland looks like a dream for a child , something like Disneyland and perhaps this was an attempt to have another go at a childhood as depicted in the Peter Pan story; telling us again children should not have to take on adult responsibilities until they are ready, it is only harmful to their development as somehow yearning for that lost childhood prevents the adult from developing . In the paper today I saw the comment that Michael Jackson has now moved from Neverland into Foreverland just as we see on my CD cover; yesterday, today, forever . That is how the music, dance routines and videos will stay.

All we know is this; Michael I want you back just as you were .