(For your listening pleasure, this blog post contains a stream of my original song Magpasalamat, a track off from Superblessed, the Kerygma Preachers in Worship commemorative album at the 2007 Kerygma Conference. GannsDeen.com does not offer Kerygma/Bo Sanchez mp3’s for download. If you like what you hear, please leave a comment in the Comments box. Come back to GannsDeen.com for the latest and best in Christian, country, and pop music.)

It is my pleasure to stream to you Magpasalamat, an original song I wrote that won second runner-up honors at the 2007 Kerygma Feast Songwriting Contest. The new recording features lay preachers Bo Sanchez, Alvin Barcelona, Rissa Singson-Kawpeng, George Gabriel, Adrian Panganiban, Jun Escoto, Obet Cabrillas, and Arun Gogna.
Magpasalamat is lifted off Superblessed, the commemorative album of the recently concluded Kerygma Conference 2007. Copies are now available at all House of Praise outlets for only PHP250. Please support local Contemporary Christian Music and buy original copies today!

(Oops! Wait; the file’s in wma format. I gotta change it to mp3. Sorry, be right back!)

Listen to Magpasalamat by James Michael Deen, interpreted by the Kerygma Preachers

Lyrics to Magpasalamat after the jump. Read more

After all the excitement of Saturday, I may just reenter the studio to record a couple of new tracks, as well as a new vocal on an old one. I’m fine-tuning By Your Grace, a new worship ballad, and Forever and Ever, my first venture into Christian country-pop. I also have a melody in my head titled Soul Searchin’ For My Sweet Spot, named after my Multiply blog, but I’m not sure where this is headed, so I’m still praying for guidance on it, because I don’t want to let this melody go! LOL I’m hearing it as a different take on the whole “What is my purpose in life?” song.

To record this new material, I’m tapping my former churchmates Bong and Gene, because these guys are tight and they were instrumental to the success of the recordings of Magpasalamat and Superblessed. I’ll probably record it either at Sound Creations, where I recorded the first two songs and where Shinji Tanaka is a genius, or at Sound Weavers in Makati, for convenience and where Mon and Gerry are geniuses.

I may also re-record the vocals on the Superblessed Saint Stephen’s Remix to include rap I wrote for the instrumental section. Yes, I intend to rap. But more like Digable Planets than Jay-Z. I’m still white bread.

Meanwhile, Victory Christian Fellowship - Greenhills had its first worship service two days ago at the Music Museum, and it was AWESOME. Terrific worship music team led by Nove Tan, a stirring message from Pastor Joey Bonifacio, and a ton of fellowship from Fort regulars who may be making the switch, all contributed to making a great worship service. My wife Cathy, my son Nathan, his nanny Edna, and I attended, and were superblessed by it all. The spectacular post-service dinner at Little Asia certainly didn’t hurt the cause. I have a new favorite: honey spareribs. Lord, my waistline.

How’ve you all been?

Praise God! My original composition Magpasalamat finished in the Top 3 of the 2007 Kerygma Feast Songwriting Contest, awarded November 24 at the ULTRA in Pasig City! Woohoo!

Ma. Michelle Cielito Tagaza won the grand prize for her worship ballad I’m Yours, My God, while Emmanuel Carlos Malibiran (Touch My Heart) placed 1st runner-up. The remaining finalists were the dynamic duo of Bong Indac and Buboi Pampilon, for Aking Jesus; charming Chi Datu, for the brilliantly written With My Imperfect Heart; 14-year-old Rea Gloria, for Forever in My Heart; multitalented Benji Edejer, for (For Today) My Heart Rejoices in You; Singapore-based Allan Obias for You Have Created Me (he was represented by his brother Angelo); and Canada-based Boni Tagadtad’s My Song of Worship. (He flew in.) The tenth finalist was another of my originals, another upbeat praise song titled Superblessed.

The new CD, Superblessed, features all ten song finalists, interpreted by Kerygma Preachers. The track list is as follows:

1. Superblessed, interpreted by Adrian Panganiban
2. Aking Hesus, interpreted by Bo Sanchez
3. With My Imperfect Heart, interpreted by Rissa Singson-Kawpeng
4. Forever in My Heart, interpreted by Obet Cabrillas
5. I’m Yours, My God, interpreted by George Gabriel
6. Touch My Heart, interpreted by Alvin Barcelona
7. (For Today) My Heart Rejoices in You, interpreted by Arun Gogna
8. You Have Created Me, interpreted by Rissa Singson-Kawpeng
9. My Song of Worship, interpreted by Jon Escoto
10. Magpasalamat, interpreted by The Kerygma Preachers

You can buy copies of Superblessed at all House of Praise outlets throughout the nation. For my personal recap and a few photos, please visit my Multiply account. (Add me up, too, if you’d like! All my songs are free for use in your own churches.)

Yesterday, I made the switch from Smart Communications to Globe Telecom. After more than six years with this mobile number, it wasn’t necessarily easy, but a variety of factors made the decision a virtual no-brainer.

My lock-in with Smart ends December 17. Yesterday, I was still on the fence regarding whether or not to go prepaid or go for a smaller postpaid line with either Smart or Globe. My officemate Bheng was raving about a flexible plan where the total postpaid amount was consumable in either SMS or phone calls. (I thought she was on Globe; it turns out she was talking about Smart.) To make the decision easier, I called Smart, and here’s what I learned from their operator:

1) If I wanted to downgrade to a cheaper line, I would be charged a processing fee.

2) I could terminate the plan anytime before the end of my contract. All I had to do is call them and the monthly advance I paid at the start of my plan would cover the last month.

3) She says they don’t have what I called a ‘flexible plan.’

I was appalled that I was going to be charged a fee to downgrade my line, and taken aback they did not have a flexible plan. I called it ‘flexi plan’ because that’s what Bheng called it. (Turns out Globe’s consumable postpaid plans are called GFlex. Globe, you may need to rebrand your consumable plan because people think it’s a Smart plan. Smart, you need to tell your operators about your consumable plans and the alternative ‘flexi’ so they’ll know what to answer if people ask.)

I then visited the Globe Platinum Service Center on the fifth floor of Glorietta (near Friday’s), where I was assisted by a lovely girl named Maps. She filled me in on the different options available to me via GFlex, and this is what I learned:

1) GFlex is a consumable plan that allows me to choose however I wish to spend my PHP1200 on. SMS or calls. It’s like prepaid on a postpaid plan, without the hassle of reloading whenever my load runs out. That’s exactly what I want. (Smart has it too, but surprise, I’m not willing to pay extra just to shift plans. You’d think a six-year subscriber would at least merit some kind of loyalty.)

2) I can choose the last four digits of my number, assuming it is still available, for free. OMG! It could be, like, 0917-831-GANS! Heeheehee! Vanity mobile number!

3) Cathy is also on Globe, so texting and calling her will be cheaper. Plus, I can take advantage of Globe’s 232 and 235 services for short and long calls. Additional savings!

4) I already have a fantastic mobile phone, so what would I do with the new handset Globe will give me for my two-year lock in? Nothing, because Globe will help me pay for my gas! I couldn’t believe it. I get PHP900 a month for 12 months via Petron with my GFlex 1200 plan. I mean, come on!

Plus, Petron Blue Wave and Petron Macapagal Avenue have a promo now that says I can get triple my SM Advantage points when I gas up with them (until January 20, 2008)! More points! And if Cathy uses her credit card to take care of the difference between PHP900 and PHP1500 (which is the cost of a full tank of gas on my Philippines Hyundai Getz Gina), she also gets credit card reward points! Woohoo!

This is the clincher. This morning, I called Smart up to terminate my plan, and the operator told me that I had to go to a Smart Wireless Center with an ID to terminate it. Oh, and I had to do it on December 17, not before, and not after, or I would be charged. That wasn’t what I was told yesterday! And since there’s not a single Smart Wireless Center in all of Glorietta and Greenbelt, I need to get myself to the Smart center along Ayala Avenue, a brief and delightful 30-minute walk away, along Makati’s noisiest, most polluted road. On December 17. Hay, Smart, thy name is irony.

UPDATE: I just got my Globe SIM and I love my new Globe number! Please email me so I can send you my new Globe mobile number. I promise you, it’s AWESOME!

The Philippine Web Awards are this Friday.

How did I not know that?

Product: Go Lean Protein & High Fiber Cereal
Producer: Kashi Company
Local Availability: Rustan’s Supermarkets; Landmark
Price: PHP237
In a Nutshell: Generally good; crunchy; not very sweet
My Verdict: A more-than-decent addition to any organic food lover’s breakfast selections, but select

Part of my fitness goals is to encourage the consumption of healthier, preferably organic food in my family. My daughter Nicki is on the organic food diet full time, thanks to Earth’s Best baby foods, but my wife Cathy, my son Nathan, and I still have to make a greater effort to eat healthier.

I picked up Go Lean Protein & High Fiber Cereal from Kashi Company after I finished my box of Nature’s Path Optimum Power cereal, which is still tops on my organic breakfast food favorites list. Go Lean is a lightly sweetened mix of crunchy fiber twigs, crispy soy protein grahams, and honey-toasted 7 Whole Grains and Sesame Puffs (the unique selling point of Kashi is how it incorporates seven whole grains into every one of its products). Just one serving of Go Lean supplies 40% of my daily fiber needs and 20% of my daily protein needs. For someone on a diet, this is a great help.

How does Go Lean Protein & High Fiber Cereal measure up? In general, it’s quite good. Texture is varied, with a good crunch. Without dried fruit, its flavor is relatively one-dimensional, so I actually mixed a bit of Nature’s Path Heritage Granola with Raspberries in there to add some fruity dimension. I’ll probably go and pick up some dried fruits later to make it even more special.

I’ve told my officemates Lean and Ross that my breakfast food is now hamster food. LOL I don’t think that’s a problem. Lifestyle/Diet changes are usually hard to implement at the start, but once you get going, the results will definitely be worth the effort.

Did you catch the American Music Awards last night? Popularity contest notwithstanding, it was a pretty good show, methinks. Highlights for me include:

1. Sugarland singing Irreplaceable with Beyonce. I love country music, and this little R&B/country hybrid did just the trick for me. The AMAs hyped this one up - the talk of the town!, they said - but Technorati begs to disagree. Me, I thought it was refreshing. Jennifer Nettles did a fine job of keeping up with the divine Miss Bee.

2. Poor audio quality. Was it etc’s recording of the AMAs, or the way it was broadcast, but the sound was very, very poor. It was such a waste, especially for the opening number featuring will.i.am, Fergie, and Nicole Scherzinger.

3. American Idol basks in its influence. From the three awards apiece of Season Four winner Carrie Underwood and Season Five also-ran Daughtry to the magnificent… um… presence of Kellie Pickler to the towering glow of Jordin Sparks, American Idol was all over this broadcast. I have no problems with that.

4. What are Celine Dion and Bone Thugs doing here? For the record, I think Taking Chances is brilliant, but what is Celine doing singing on the AMAs? And Bone Thugs won Favorite Hiphop Band, Duo or Group? Um… I just flew back a decade! My time machine works!

5. Woohoo! Casting Crowns! No surprise there. Congratulations, Mark Hall and the rest of y’all!

Photo from Kuya Rickey.