i'm a realist/ i'm a romantic

last week when i watched the Democratic National Convention on CNN, and particularly michelle obama's speech on tuesday and barack's acceptance speech on wednesday, i felt honoured to have been part of the generation who witnessed the display of inner strength and oratory prowess by the both of them. Barack was EPIC. (it helped ALOT that he stepped out on stage to U2's City of Blinding Lights playing :D)

We hear about history-making speeches by Churchill and Nehru, but I got to hear this one live and direct from Denver. It was SPECIAL. I thought it was beautiful that his acceptance was on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech (thank you CNN fact file that kept running at the bottom of the screen).







It was that same speech that we were given in sec 4 as reference material, as part of a speech-writing exercise. We don't have Black History month here but many a times when i was younger i wished i was on an exchange programme to a middle school near washington during that period: 1) so i could sit in on classes and 2) so we could take a field trip down to the lincoln memorial and jostle to stand in the same spot as MLK where he delivered the speech. yeah..they used to talk about black history month in all dem american shows yo. sesame street, barney, arthur..what have you (in my early youth I was intrigued by american culture-there's gotta be a reason why I've always know the tune to the Star Spangled Banner innit? Now though,my interests have shifted to across the pond.)

Perhaps one day, many years from now, they'll give Obama's historic acceptance speech to kids on the other side of the world as reference material.

Part of the beauty of the speech was in watching him speak. As shara said, he's an oratorical genius who has keenly honed the skills of persuasion to near perfection. That's what speeches are about aren't they? Being persuasive. I've given speeches at bar mitzvah's (nahh kidding), wedding anniversaries, wedding receptions, model UN's, birthday parties..the works lah ("works", by 19-year old standards) and frankly i'm not much of a public speaker. But i've always ALWAYS wished i was better at it. When family/teachers praise you..they're being nice lah. I'd have feel accomplished in that area of my life when a complete stranger comes up to me and tells me that was a good speech.


Obama's speech was so good, it was moving. The outpouring of love from the delegates..the cheering, the chanting..man it gave me chills (whereas watching mccain speak was a totally unemotional, uninvolved experience).
my favourite bit from his speech:

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

Come on America, don't mess up now.

Netta, you might appreciate this (ponyo ponyo ponyoooo!)

kanye west's "Good Morning"

(that's Elton on the oooh-oooh-ing hook btw)