I really don’t know what came into my mind after seeing the advertisement of Simon Cowell on AXN Channel. There was this sudden blood rush that went through my veins after seeing that commercial.
Watch the commercial video:
I remember the exact date when I saw this video, it was aired on the night of Wednesday (September 24, 2014), then the day of the Auditions will be on Sunday (September 28, 2014) right away. So that leaves me like 3 days to rehearse for my piece. I was hesitant at first, but at the back of my mind, my subconscious mind is telling me…
“Go for it, you can do it! What have you got to lose? Who cares what other people would think?!”
I posted a status on Facebook:
I treated this status as a joke. It was my cousin (Emerlyn Lampitoc) who pushed and convinced me that I should go for it. I was hesitant…really hesitant. I told her that I am not qualified to that competition because I don’t have the SKILLS. I thought about what she said, it was her comment on facebook that strongly convinced me to go for it:
“My darling Mackie – You have been through so much that you shouldn’t worry about “skills” . YOU ARE TALENTED. You’ve been singing since your were in grade school and even then everyone was saying how great a singer you are. And now, I’m sure you’re better than most of the singers who actually audition on that show. Go for it and know you already have international fans and that I’ve set money aside to buy your first album.”
Wow! That boosted my self-confidence to the max! So then, I started to look for a perfect song piece for my audition. I chose the song “Dance with my Father” sung by Celine Dion.
In preparation for my audition, I enrolled for a 2 day voice coaching at Center for Pop Music Philippines. I realized that being a singer is a tough profession. Aside from having a talent, you have to know the techniques like proper breathing, posture, knowing the proper song choice, etc.
These were the video and photos that kept me going:
Video Credit: American Idol
I had so many agendas listed for me to do. I wasn’t able to show up to my voice coach due to lack of time. I told myself, “Lord, pinagkakatiwala ko sa inyo ang aking talento” (Lord, I place my talent unto your hands).
I got the chance to visit my Dad’s grave at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery) before the day of the audition. I talked to him for a while because I dedicate this audition to him. I really miss him so much and how I wish he was there for me as my no. 1 supporter. Even if he is not around, I know that he is proud of me.
The day finally came, with a few hours of sleep, I excitedly jumped off from my bed and took a quick bath. It was 3:00 in the morning, and it was as seem that I had an 8 hour sleep well in fact I only had 3 hahaha. I really wanted to be in front of the line to make sure that they won’t close the doors for me. In short I was too excited to showcase my talent.
We arrived at the SMX Convention Center around 5:00am and it was too dark. It was a blessing that my sister was with me, I told myself, “At least I’m early!” The venue was still closed so we decided to eat breakfast at Microtel and waited there. We went back to SMX around 7:00am and there were at least 10 people who are in line. The line quickly piled up with talents and we didn’t notice that it was already filling up the area. The organizers of Asia’s Got Talent were able to control the crowd. They directed us to the other side of the building were there are more spaces for the talents. The sad thing is, that side of the area is so hot! Well, we didn’t have a choice but to wait patiently under the sun. I was able to meet people from all walks of life. One person came all the way from Cebu City and the other one lives in Metro Manila.
I was able to have a long conversation with this one family. I wasn’t able to get their names but at least I got a photograph of their child. As I can barely recall, we were already sitting on the floor because of the long wait. Everyone in line were entertaining themselves. I asked the parents of the girl what talent she’s going to showcase, they said that their child is going to sing. The conversation continues and we didn’t notice that it is time for us to enter the building. Until finally the door opens for us after waiting for 3 hours! As we entered the area, we were all thrilled to feel the comfort of the air conditioner inside. We temporarily said goodbyes and went on our separate ways.
As you can see the photo at the right side of this paragraph, that is the view inside the Convention Center. I saw a lot of talented Filipinos as I entered the room. Some were hip hop group dancers, magicians, musicians, acrobatic dancers, and many more. I got a little bit intimidated for awhile but I told myself, “Mackie, you are who you are, you just have to do your best.”
We were grouped according to categories. After I register my name, we were directed to a place where we will wait for our names to be called. I heard someone said, “Calling Ms. Maricris Maglonzo!”, I immediately followed the organizer who directed me to the room where the judges are waiting. As I reached the area, I saw a few talents waiting for their turn. I met another set of talents, one person is a song writer and another one is a Theater Actor/Singer. I got the name of the Theater Actor, his name is Vien Alen King. We became instant friends, he is 10 years younger than me and I felt that he was a little bit nervous. I advised him that we just have to do our best and everything will be in God’s hands.
Everything was a breeze and it was my time to enter the room. I inhaled deeply before entering the room and the rest was history. To make the long story short, I was not accepted in short I was rejected!
I am grateful for this experience, what matters most is I gained a lot! I didn’t took notice of the people who told me “I told you so”, or “Just a wishful thinking”, but I focused on how I grew as a better person.
Wait, I forgot to mention to what had happened to the girl I met while waiting in line…. Luckily, she was accepted. I saw her advanced to the next level. Surprisingly, she was able to make it to go to Singapore!
Well, that is another story…. stay tuned to my next blog!
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