In Tune with Mission Song Writing Competition

Okay, I did it!!! I submitted my entry!!!

I registered for this competition by Caritas Singapore about a month ago. It was by chance I happened to look at the notice board on the way in to church and saw the poster. I thought this was a great opportunity; I love writing songs - praise and worship - and I love to play the guitar, praise and worship too he he.

As the date drew nearer I worried though.. this kinda thing one needs inspiration, and time.. so far, it was on the back of my mind but I never really sat down to write the song.. my mom asked me why did I wanna sign up for things which I could not do.. and I told her I could do it.. its just that, this and that, time and inspiration, and etc, and etc.. and she encouraged me to pray to the Holy Spirit for inspiration and I decided to go to the Adoration Room last weekend to do it.. Saturday came, a couple of days more to the deadline. I decided to stay at home instead and write the song. Started at about 12.07pm. Ok, it may be easy to come up with the lyrics but what about the melody.. fret fret.. I took up my guitar and tried another way of plucking, instead of my usual strumming.. ok, I got the beat!!! I looked through the notes on the principles of the Church's social teaching... bit by bit I got the lyrics.. I stopped around 2pm to get ready to go to my brother's place to celebrate my mom's and nieces's birthday.

I next looked at the song the following day, Sunday afternoon. The lyrics looked so foreign!!! I thought I forgot the tune.. tried it out...ok, finally I got the beat again.. so I recorded it in church, in St. Michael's Room.. nice and quiet.. with my mom there, for her opinion... gosh, I was so nervous!!! She is my mom and yet I took a while to warm up and get over my nervousness and play for her.. okie, good, she likes it!!! and then it was time for mass. The song was far from perfect, but I thought I had a few more days, to the deadline, the 15th of July. And there was another nagging thought, how do I convert the amr file, which all recording formats done from mobile phones are. A friend reassured that I could get the free converter online. I tried searching briefly before but thought I saw that I had to pay for it. Another person assured that she could help me convert the file, as she had the converter. Okie, good, now all I had to do was practise, and record the song again.

Monday, 13th July. My mom's 70th birthday!!! Yayyy, had a wonderful time celebrating with her, whole day was out, morning at work, afternoon and night celebrating. When I reached home, it was close to midnight. I tried recording it in my kitchen (quiet) but could not.. too tired to do a good recording, and the background, no good. So decided to come back to church today, Tuesday, 14 July. One day before the deadline!!!

Today I let my colleagues hear my song. My singing was terrible, but ok, they had smiles on their faces!!! Good sign but Uh oh, they could not make out my lyrics though. A colleague had a great suggestion which I bore in mind. Ok, after work, it was back to church and recording at St. Michael's Room. Had my mom and sister with me. It's great to have family support. Record from 8 until 9, still did not get it perfect, but my energy was failing... my finger grip kept for the chords slipping, I kept fumbling, the strumming was going off... I was too tired.. and so was my mom.. (she chimed in for some parts!!! :D) so we decided to use one of the recordings we did earlier and we left for home.

At home, close to 11pm, I went online and eagerly searched for the friend who promised to help me convert the song.. however, she suddenly was not very willing to help and threw her weight around, and I was close to tears... another friend helped.. (thats you Nat, thanks!!!) and sent me a link, but after I downloaded, I could not open the file as a part was missing or something. I was getting desperate.. I was so tired, I kept searching online, but everything I kept downloading failed.. did not know anyone whom I could approach for help and did not really want to disturb those whom I thought might know... one download finally worked, but because I did not have the product key, they had a couple of voiceovers on my song... Really, I was at my wits end and kept crying out to God for help... kept on trying... and finally, I managed to convert the file with one of the downloads that I downloaded!!! Praise and thank God he heard my prayer!!!! And it was a great feeling - the feeling of doing things independently - trying and trying and finally succeeding.. of course it was great coz God helped me with this!!!

And I finally submitted the song!!! The judging will be done on 18th July, this Sat. The cash prizes are very attractive, and the great thing is we don't really have to pay any cash to enter the competition. But what I would really like is, the top 3 winners would get a 2 hour song writing workshop. How wonderful is that. The other good thing is, they don't judge on the singing or the quality of the recording. I really don't sing too well. I know God doesn't mind tho. He he. And I recorded it on my humble mobile phone, not professionally or with a voice recorder. But I really hope I have a chance. To make my family proud - already made them proud with my latest career achievement, to make them proud in this aspect - church related would be great. And to make my friends proud too. And to praise God!!! Cross fingers, I'm praying and hoping for the best!!! :D :D

Happy and blessed, words cannot express, simply breathing in God's goodness

Okie so here am I blogging in the middle of the night. It’s 1.10am. I’m worried coz I’m wondering how I am going to meet the deadline for the song writing competition. I’m also worried because I’m struggling with the mass songs on my guitar. Haiz. . . less than 2 months to go. Sometimes I feel that I can do it, and sometimes I feel that I can’t make it.

Anyway, I just came back from engaging in Friends Therapy, and that was good J I need a constant dose of Friends Therapy to keep me going in life and I’m so happy I’m finally engaging in this once again since I’m done with school.

Also, I have to record this down, so that I can remember it in future and also to give praise and thanksgiving to Him. God is so good to me, one good thing after another has been happening to me… I don’t know why it is especially so nowadays when I feel that I do not deserve it, but He is.. but what I’m afraid of is when the trails will come.. its so good to feel His love and to have all the good things keep on coming but I also know when there should be a period of testing or trails or something like that, or when God will seem so far away as I’ve felt it before and I just feel so scared, I just want this good period to last so badly…

Last week of June we were supposed to have our ISO Audit.. knowing me, with loads of backlogged cases and some areas not following the proper procedures, naturally I was scared.. I couldn’t do much O.T. while I was schooling but once I was done with school no matter how much O.T. I was doing I still could not finish the work. What can I do but pray very very hard. Or in other words, fervently. So off my manager went to see the auditors. I couldn’t do much work coz kept on waiting for them to come back to audit us and get it over with. But my manager came back alone with a huge smile and told us that the auditors were not coming over to audit us, and not coming back as well. No audit!!! How amazing is that!!! And there was I praying that the auditors eyes’ will be covered and they will spot no mistakes, but this was simply amazing!!!!

And yesterday also. I was procrastinating calling back a customer I had as an April case. Yeah, April, May, June, July, I know!!!! Delay delay delay delay. Praying that he would not come back to me before I could call him, as sometimes I don’t know how it works, but I would be thinking about a certain case and the next moment, the customer would come to me asking me for an answer. Summoning up my courage. And then I had to do it. Cannot delay it any longer. The customer sounded like a really nice, young guy. And I started rattling away, my voice was trembling also. But he was so nice!!! And when I asked him whether he needed an email reply, coz he originally wrote in via email, he said no need. He also mentioned that he had seen some action taken as well. God is really so good to me. And its not this case only, He has helped me with so many of my backlogged cases. That is what I’m afraid of. This is my own doing, messing things up and of course, I will have to face my own consequences. God does not have to help me coz I have created this own mess for myself. But He did. And I’m just so afraid that one day I would be left all alone. Yeah I’m a weird person.

Anyway, THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, it was officially announced on 1st July. I’m an executive executive executive!!! La la la la… Now whenever I fill up any forms, I can chose ‘executive’ as my position.. no longer a junior staff or an assistant, or bla bla bla.. I now belong to the PMEBs!!!!
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From: Rebecca Teo Yock Lan
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 9:39 AM
To: Grp - All FP Users
Subject: PROMOTIONS AND RE-DESIGNATIONS
Dear Colleagues
Please refer to attached for the announcement on the Promotions and Re-designations that will take effect from 1 July 2009.
Appreciate if HODs, Branch managers / executives assist to print copy for your staff who do not have email accounts.

Attachment:

1 July 2009

Dear Colleagues,

As part of our efforts in grooming and developing our staff, we are pleased to announce the following promotions, which will take effect from 1 July 09.

PROMOTIONS
c. The following Team Leaders will be promoted to Executive Grades, with the following new designation:

Name Department/ Branch New Designation
Marie Therese Anthony Corporate Communications Executive (Customer Relations)
Wu Dingze Information Technology System Administrator
Toh Siew Cheng Secretariat Executive (Secretariat)


d. In addition to the above, we have another 95 non executive staff who will be promoted this year. They have been notified of their promotions by their reporting officers.


Check it out check it out whooopeee!!! And guess what, I got a congratulatory email from the big boss of our company.. 2nd big boss actually, the managing director and he’s an MP too.. didn’t even think he knew my name or knew who I was.. check it out check it out below:

From: Seah Kian Peng
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 11:07 AM
To: Marie Therese
Subject: RE: PROMOTIONS AND RE-DESIGNATIONS

:)

From: Marie Therese
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 10:01 AM
To: Seah Kian Peng
Subject: RE: PROMOTIONS AND RE-DESIGNATIONS
Thank you very much Mr Seah!

From: Seah Kian Peng
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 9:52 AM
To: Marie Therese
Subject: RE: PROMOTIONS AND RE-DESIGNATIONS

Marie
Great news - Congrats and keep it up.
Cheers
Kian Peng


Yayyyeee Yayyyeee Yayyy Yayy… and I also get to go to a bigger desk… I’m not shifting straight away though coz I’m very happy sitting with my colleagues.. 4 of us kinda like clumped together, when I have to move I will be sitting next to the Assistant Manager and with my Manager just behind me, I can no longer just turn around to my colleagues and chat. So this will wait until the intern comes in to sit at my desk. But I did switch chairs first.. the executive and above chairs reach up to the neck, whereas the chairs for the junior just reach to the middle of the back. Yayyy hahaha. Okay lah, I’m very happy about this but this is just elatedness to tie me through the new increased workload and lesser benefits…