Among my friends, I’ve always been known as a karaoke aficionado. I take pleasure in singing my heart out in front of all my friends, preferably intoxicated. Power ballads and slow romantic songs are my specialties! For me, the ideal party is supposed to have a higher girl-to-boy ratio, crates of ICE cold beer, good company and, of course, the proverbial karaoke/videoke machine.
During my high school barkada’s yearly sojourn to the beaches of our fine, tropical country, I experienced the best ever videoke to date.
We went to Zambales to enjoy its isolated coves. After an entire day’s worth of island hopping, the gang was dog-tired but ready to partake of the provincial Bacchanalian festivities! By the time we returned to our sub-standard accommodations in Pundaquit, I had already drunk an indeterminate amount of beer. Hence, I was in high spirits.
Despite the many drawbacks of our rustic cottages, one particular area stood out – the videoke hut. No Philippine beach trip (except for those high-end resorts) is complete without a videoke night. After getting around P400 worth of 5-peso coins, I started off the night’s debauchery by singing a new found staple of my videoke repertoire, Lionel Richie’s “Hello” – thanks to the popularity of the infectious musical/comedy/drama known as Glee.
The night started slow, with most of my companions still hiding underneath a thin sheath of shyness.
It was one helluva night! A wide variety of alcholic drinks were available, from tequila shots, the omnipresent San Miguel Beer and the few bottles of Beer-na-Beer I bought just for the occasion.
As the night progressed, the inherent shyness gave way to one’s inner yearning to be a rock star (or a pop star). I had loads of fun since I got to sing almost all of my favorite karaoke tunes. From Jose Mari Chan’s signature tunes like “Beautiful Girl” and “Please Be Careful With My Heart”, to those powerful Side A hits “Set You Free” and “Forevermore” – I sang it all!
When one is drunk, one seems to be able to reach the high notes easier (or at least gets the impression of doing so!). That night, I performed by best ever rendition of Cliff Richard’s “Ocean Deep”!
My apologies to Gaita for being a human towel to my sweaty body. An entire night’s worth of merry-making is indeed tiring, that bucket loads of perspiration becomes inevitable. And of course, on behalf of the D2003 family, I sincerely apologize to the 10 or so guests we deprived of a good night’s sleep.
Nowadays, my benchmark for a great videoke night is that epic seven hours we spent on that (once) quiet cottage in Pundaquit!
Photo credits:
Jeric Angeles
Rafa Moreno
