Tonight we will be leading the team to inaugurate the Lighting Ceremony for Christmas here at Shangri-La, Qingdao. It has been a good 2-3 weeks of planning and practice with our staff team. With the help of a good team, and some very good spirits, we managed to pull up a nice list of songs for this carolling segment that will help raise funds for a yearly charity project the organisation holds.
We have helped schools and organisations train their students and staff for choir and just hobby-singing before, but to work with the management on a different level, we understand that it would be very different. New challenges, and a lot of team-work required. I must say this team really impressed me. English mayn’t be their first language, but they never uttered anything negative. Perhaps fear intimidated them on a couple of occasions, but they ploughed through, simply taking instructions and putting up their best front. At rehearsals yesterday, it was inevitable that at their first full-dress and with a sizeable audience that stage-fright took over and stole the lyrics from their lips for a couple of lines, but we are confident that it will be a wonderful performance tonight.
Christmas Carolling Team @ Shangri-La
Perhaps at my petite stature of 156cm, nobody quite gets it that i’ve done a fair number of types of shows to know that practice really does make perfect. It’s hard until you see the first seedling. And you always do. But yelling, screaming and losing your cool never gets anything through. I’ve learnt this from my almost 2 decades of teaching. hurhur. And so despite the stress from the logistics team leader, I am surprised at how well we are doing together, encouraging one another.
Above all, i thank God for giving us this opportunity to share music, heart and Love with them. Tonight will be Amazing. :)
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And it was. These are the pictures taken at the Lighting Ceremony on the 4th December. Our F&B and Resident Manager and the lovely angels.
MINT (Juliet & Didi) & the Shangri-La Carolling Team
MINT (Juliet & Didi) & the Shangri-La Carolling Team
To top it off, our new friend came by with a bouquet of flowers to congratulate our performance for the evening.
In a blink of an eye, soon it will be Christmas Day.
