my wicked week

alright. so last week, because of a friend's convincing, i entered a singing competition that was going on as part of the promotion for the musical wicked. (which is just WICKED, i must say. and if you haven't seen it...what the heck are you waiting for?) it was held in different cities in the states and canada...well, just toronto. each contestant had to sing a clip from one of 5 songs from the musical. the songs were all posted online with mp3 tracks where you can practice and stuff. it was pretty convenient. and on the day of, you'd be singing along with the track with a karoke machine. so it was pretty hassle free.

so the first round was an online part, where anyone could send in a video of them singing one of the songs, and people would vote online for who would be finalists for the live competition on "wicked day". the second round (for canada) was on oct 22 with live auditions at the eaton's centre downtown. the first 30 people to register would get to sing. and then the last round was the day after at hillcrest mall. why hillcrest, i don't know. but it was close so that was the one i went to.

registration officially started at 4, but i was advised to get there as soon as i could. so i took the bus and went right after my class that ended at 2. i got there just before 3 and there were quite a few people lining up already. so i waited at the end of the line. i felt a little out of place because most of the people were teenagers...musical theatre fanatics with loud personalities that i didn't care too much to be associated with when i was in elementary/high school. but somehow i endured an hr of waiting in this line...and i wasn't even sure if i'd be able to sing. i didn't know if all of this would just be a waste of time. but i waited. just to see what would happen.

at 4 they started letting people in. they let the first 30 in, and guess what number i was. 31. that's right. 31. but...turns out that the guy in front of me had auditioned the day before downtown and didn't make it to the finals. according to the rules, you can only sing once in the auditions so i became number 30. and that was the end of the waiting. it was pretty sad to see some kids going away crying and have their parents try to fight for them and everything...and of course, chinese people trying to bargain their way in. (be a man...do the right thing...y'kno)

so the actual competition started at 5. yay for andrew and karen who showed up and kept me company! i was the last to sing. there were a few who i thought were great. but i dunno...a lot of them were kids and i don't think you can really compare kids voices with more mature ones because their voices are still developing. (other than the black lady beside me, who was great, i was the next oldest. and yes, i do realise i am one of shortest.) there was this one boy tho, who couldn't have been older than 12, that was fantastic. very cute. but he probably wont' sound like that next year...but anyway. i sang...it was ok. i had some things to work on. but i made it to the top 10 of this round, and so did that boy :) so that was cool. the finals would be a week later with the top ten finalists from the eatons center round, the hillcrest round, and the one girl who won the online vote.

so this past sunday was the finals at eatons center. it was pretty much the same deal. lots of teenagers, some that were really good. i was around 13th to sing. i was a bit more nervous for this one...more people, bigger location. and this time there would only be one winner. one out of 21. the prize would be: 6 tickets to see wicked, 6 autographed programs, $250 gift certificate for hillcrest, eaton's center, and city grill, 10 hours of professional training, and 10 weeks of auditions with a talent agency. very wicked prize.

anyway, so i sang. with dennis taping me on my camera. i'm glad i had a friend there with me. i don't think i would have done it if i was by myself. i didn't win, but i'm pretty happy with how i did. and i got some feedback from one of the judges too...the guy who plays the wizard in the production.

overall, it was a good experience. it took me a while to decide whether to do it or not, mainly because i don't often sing outside of church or worship settings. with those, i'm fine because i know that ultimately, it's not about how good i sound. it's about pointing people to God. the focus is never on me. but with a singing competition...well...it's about you and your voice. your voice compared to other people's voices. and that's scary. and i was scared that if i didn't win this, i would be thinking that i'm not good enough and all that yucky stuff and it would affect the way i sing for God. but i'm glad that wasn't the case. i know that i've been blessed with a gift, regardless of the outcome of this competition. it was a fun experience, and i'd consider do it again if i had the chance. i'm proud of myself for actualyl doing this. this is very out of character for me. but i guess sometimes you just gotta challenge yourself and just take a chance. nothing to lose.

thanks to those who called or messaged to wish me luck and wanted to be there but couldn't. and of course, thanks to those few who actually came with me too :)

here's my final performance at the eaton's center this past sunday. enjoy.



Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap

It's time to try Defying gravity
I think I'll try Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down...

my grandfather

sent monday october 23:

hey guys...

yesterday night my family found out that my grandfather (dad's dad) has some kind of cancer in his stomach. about 2 weeks ago, he had an ulcer and was put on medication for it. he went back for a checkup yesterday and the doctor found out he had cancer. he's waiting to see a specialist so at this point, the details are unclear.

my grandmother gets sick pretty often too, so she's pretty worried about him. my mom is hoping to arrange for someone from csc to visit them. apparently there are a few people from our church who live in their building. we told my grandparents that we would be praying for them and when my mom asked my grandmother if she would like someone from the church to visit, she said yes, which is amazing because she's usually not up for stuff like that. both of them aren't believers so we're praying that through this they can come to know God somehow.

my dad is pretty stressed out right now with work too so he's having a hard time dealing with it. the news is pretty recent so for me, it hasn't really settled yet. nothing like this has ever happened to my family so i'm not really sure how i feel about it...

i'm blessed to have a family who prays together, and i'm thankful for brothers and sisters like you whom i can share my burdens with. if you could please remember my grandparents and my family in your prayers at this time, that would be much appreciated. thanks :)

in Him,

joyce

sent sunday october 29:

hi everyone,

i just wanted to say thank you very much for your prayers for my grandfather and our family in this difficult time. my family and i are very touched by the prayer support the church has given us. this afternoon, pastor bernard and 2 aunties went with my family to visit my grandparents. after an afternoon of chatting, both my grandparents opened their hearts to receive Christ. praise God indeed for how amazing he is...that he can change the hearts of the young and the old. wow. (and sometimes God sure works fast!)

tomorrow morning my grandfather will be going in for surgery and will be staying at the hospital for two weeks. please pray for him, that he wouldn't be too worried but that he would learn to put his trust in the Lord, and for the doctors that everything would go smoothly. praise God that my grandfather was able to see this specialist so soon because we were told that he's a very good doctor, but usually extremely busy, so thank for God that. we're thankful that we also found a sister in the church that is going to take care of my grandmother and help her around the house full time for the next while. please continue to pray for the physical health and the spiritual health of my grandparents.

thanks once again for the support you've shown me and my family. i'll keep you updated on how my grandfather's doing. we know that the Lord is definitely at work. our God is truly and awesome God.

have a blessed week,

joyce

how amazing is that.

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." -Luke 15:4-7

"synopsis"

after a few weeks of a rather frustrating creative block, i have finally finished my "hybrid" litho print. we were supposed to put together 2 things that didn't normally go together and make a hybrid. i spent the whole afternoon today working in the studio. that's right. a saturday. and it feels soooooo good to be done early. i'm quite happy with the way it turned out.

i call this "synopsis".

(click for full view)

in early christian art, symbols were used for each of the gospel writers. people in our present day and culture aren't too familiar with them now, and i think it may have more catholic associations, but they would have been understood by the public in renaissance times and before. the symbol for matthew (top left) was a divine man, because his gospel was about jesus' humanity. mark's was a lion because his gospel was about jesus' royal status as king. luke (bottom left) was a bull, because it focuses on jesus' sacrifice and in biblical times they sacrificed bulls or oxen. and john's was a rising eagle because it was about eternal life.

because the gospels are different accounts of the same or similar events, you can see or read them together in parallel. that's why they're called the synoptic gospels. the common understanding of the word synopsis we use now has kind of diverted from the original greek, which means "together" (syn) "seeing" (opsis). with this piece, you see the whole gospel all at once. and it's only when you understand each symbol or gospel that you can fully encounter who Jesus is and what he did for humanity.

"miles"

it may be miles and miles before the journey's clear
there may be rivers, maybe oceans of tears
the very hand that shields your eyes from understanding
is the hand that will be holding you for miles
-n.nordeman