As most of you know, I left the working world in April this year and decided to plunge full-time into songwriting.

I think it’s too early to tell if this has been a success or not, but anyway, after five months of staying at home, I began to feel the effects (and I believe it’s something that many people who are out of a job go through). My mind and body slowed down, I started to lose touch with the world in general, my social life plummeted… I felt like quite a bum, really.

Yes, I was making headway with my songwriting, devoting more time to music, writing one song a week, performing more, gaining confidence. All of this was very heartening to me.

Then there were the realities of life, expenses, bills, you know what I mean. Initially, I tried to get a permanent paid gig for my band, Raised On Radio. I made cold calls to bars and other places to see if they’d like some ‘live’ entertainment. So far, I’ve had little luck. I could see the strain of supporting me take its toll on Carol. It broke my heart.

So, I made a decision. This week, I opened a new chapter in my life.

I’ve started working part-time at Maestro Guitars, a homegrown guitar manufacturer. (Yes, the same guys that have been hosting the open mic performances at their outlet in *Scape Mall.)

I received an email from them one day looking for part-timers, and after thinking about it for a while, decided to send in my resume. To cut a long story short, I started training this week. (I have zero retail experience, mind you, so it’s been quite challenging!)

From next week onwards I’ll be stationed at any of their four outlets.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still dead serious about my dreams, taking my songs to the next level, and eventually cutting an album, God-willing. Of course, the song-a-week project will continue.

The good part about working in a guitar shop is that I get to meet all sorts of people, and I get to learn all sorts of things, like the different kinds of guitar strings available, what kind of sound different woods produce, and other things like pickups, accessories, and all the cool stuff in the world of guitars – stuff I’d never get a chance to learn about otherwise.

I mean, I can play and all but I’ve never been one to get into the nitty-gritty of my instrument. I’m just happy to buy whatever strings are available, you see… So, yep this is a fantastic learning opportunity for me.

This week’s song is all about new beginnings:

It’s A New Life
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 18 Sept, 2010

It’s a beautiful thing when you smell the rain
And a flower on a branch gets swept away
A thought springs from a little seed
From nothingness comes a new belief

Blazing a way with nothing but desire
Don’t know my destination but at least I’m tryin’
GPS won’t lead me to the land of my dreams
And the path that I’m takin’ ain’t nothing like it seems

Chorus
It’s a new life
It’s a new life
It’s a do something different kinda day
It’s a whole new point of view
And I won’t let it slip away

It’s getting real hot under the collar
If we can’t stand the pain then why the hell bother
Take your old pictures to the edge of the cliff
Tear ’em up and begin to live

Chorus

Bridge
I’m waking up, waking up to
A new reality
Another face in the mirror
Staring right back at me
Feeling like my feet are way too small
Before we can fly, we have to crawl

Chorus
It’s a new life
It’s a new life
It’s a do something different kinda day
It’s a whole new point of view
And I won’t let it slip away