Instant Pleasure
(The very day I’m welcomed to the Live in the Philippines website as a correspondent in Manila, I find myself on vacation in Davao. Yes, indeed: home of fellow columnists Bob and Feyma Martin, John Grant, Klaus Doring, and Ichi Miyake. Where I’m supposed to be a stranger, I’ve made new friends. But I’ve to go back soon, reminding myself to experience and write about Manila, which is my city. Supposedly.)
“I don’t get karaoke,” John Grant said to me as we got together for coffee. “They lock you up in a room, throw all this food at you and make you sing.” I didn’t know how to reply. But that’s an amusing – and not totally untrue – way of putting it, I thought, having come from Manila where karaoke bars and Magic Sing technology are as prevalent as billboards on the highway.
And it’s a telling observation of what must be a distinctly Filipino trait. Our penchant for instant gratification. You see, if I ever had to explain the fun of karaoke to anyone not Filipino, then I’d probably start with how convenient it is – how instantly Juan de la Cruz can turn from a natural music lover to an illegitimate pop superstar. No stage set-ups; no messy pile of CDs and multiplex tapes. One needs only to press a few buttons on the remote, and voila! We’re Frank Sinatra; we’re Justin Timberlake; we’re Gary Valenciano and Regine Velasquez on an impromptu concert. And there are scores after each song, too: digits either congratulatory or motivational.
Obviously this trait is reflected in ways that aren’t always just musical. Instant gratification. Why else is there a pink-coated MMDA urinal in every five blocks? Is there any place, other than the shopping mall, where we can find literally everything? (I do mean everything: groceries, clothes, art galleries, lottery tickets, computer shops, dental clinics, cinemas.) Who cannot resist the happy hello success of the thriving call center industry? And why else would pedestrians disregard overpasses and choose to jaywalk? We are fans of convenience, and Manila is a monolith of a life that can be lived conveniently. Instantly.
When I moved into my own humble apartment late last year, dinners were always out, or came from plastic-wrapped packages with the word “instant” printed on it: instant Yakisoba spicy chicken noodles with instant vegetables, instant La Paz Batchoy, instant Spanish sardines, and instant Eaji nacho chips with complementary instant Mexican-style salsa dip – all to be enjoyed instantly so just tear here.
Instant gratification won’t suit everyone’s lifestyle. There are things you simply can’t rush, that which you can’t achieve in an instant, like the goodness of wine. But the next time the subject of karaoke comes up, there’d be no arguing and defending – just voices united in the instant pleasure of singing.
Hi Migs. Excellent article.
My opinion is this ‘instant’ fascination will too pass. Eventually Filipinos will clamour for the finer things in life which can only be had with effort and time….like anything of real value.
Cheers.
Hi Migs, yeah, you’re right. Here in LiP we are really all friends, an experience I haven’t make so intensive like here - and even during the last 30 years of writing for several publications. I am honoured and glad to be part of LiP and find friends - also like you in Manila. Let’s have a coffee next time - in Davao or Manila, whenever our paths cross…
I will try to sing like a pinoy, I just have no voice no tone and no timing.
Hi Migs,
I remember when my friends took my husband and I to a videoke place in Makati where one can rent a videoke room so you (or your company) have total control of the mike.
Wow! To this day, I still haven’t decided if that was fun or torture! I think it was more of the latter. Could you imagine being locked up in a room (read: no escape) and having to listen to everyone sing, whether melodious or otherwise! At least if you’re in a bar, you could walk away or go somewhere in the lobby if it were in a hotel, but in an exclusive room??? I can tell you now “been there, done that, don’t ever wanna go back…” 
Sorry, I can only take karaoke on very rare, special occasions, after a few San Mig Lights…
Hi Dr. Sponk: Thank you so much for your kind words. I agree with you, too. Nothing feels better than what is earned through hard work. But cooking, I simply cannot learn, and hence, the instant recipes.
Hi Klaus: I am very sorry I missed you! My next visit won’t be so brief, I promise. But thank you kindly for your warm welcome. LiP feels like a close-knit community of good friends - regardless of race.
Hi John: Well, I haven’t been to a karaoke / videoke bar with you yet! You have to prove this alleged inability of yours the next time I go to Davao!
Hi Tina: You must be referring to Red Box, or Music 21. Was it that terrible an experience? I am sorry about that memory. Don’t worry; it’s just that most of us Filipinos really love music, which is what makes us keep coming back despite the “constricting” atmosphere. I’m nonetheless very glad you enjoy San Miguel.
Cheers!
Welcome Migs, I’ve enjoyed reading your column! As for karaoke, I think it is such a natural extension of Filipino culture! Before karaoke, there was ‘minus-one,’ and kids as little as two or three waltzing around the sala with a little mic, belting out songs for the enjoyment of the rest of the family. Kids here, while shy when meeting new people, come alive on a stage or when given a mic. My (American) kids, on the other hand, were friendly and shook hands and looked people in the eye when meeting new people, but turned to cement at the mere thought of performing!
Karaoke was an import from Japan, but has been taken to new heights of glory in the Philippines! And the beauty of it is that actually being able to sing well is not required. I remember the first time I heard a fellow singing while someone else played oldies on an electric organ. He was off-key and couldn’t remember the words, and I was internally writhing with embarrassment on his behalf. But everyone one applauded, and the lady next to me leaned over and said, “maningkamot!” (Really trying!) Then I understood! Any effort, gusto or heart put into the performance is applauded and encouraged, a concept we Westerners struggle to understand, so we find ourselves greatly inhibited.
Hi AmericanLola: Thank you for the beautiful comment. I do remember the days of minus one. With the technology today, however, I think Filipinos would roll their eyes over having to buy cassette tapes, a microphone with wires, a good sound system, etc. That’s why we’re not complaining about karaoke!
That is a very interesting point you raise. Filipino kids tend to be shy, especially with foreigners they meet (I was no exception), whereas youth from other countries generally seem very sociable. If anything, singing is one way for us to break the ice. I am sure that the West has its own ways of doing that - just not by locking up in a room with a TV set and a Magic Sing!
Thanks again, and cheers!
Hi Migs! Great addition to LiP and I must say I enjoyed this very well written article! I agree with your “instant gratification” theory but like everything else, watch when the slow phenomenon (started by slow food - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food) hits the philippine shores and again we’ll find a shift in preference.
I agree with Mia! I hope ’slow foods’ hit the Philippines soon! Not only will the food be so much better, but people’s general health will greatly improve!
Believe me Migs - you dont want to hear John singing !!!!
Knowing John, the comment he made to you about being locked in a room and have food thrown at you and made to sit there and sing, was his humour. Its the kind of thing I would say too. But it is really just a light hearted joke. Both John and I have been to kareoke bars with our filipino friends and I dont know about him, but I have heard my friends sing so beautifully it has actually moved me to tears.
The ability to sing well is such a gift, one I truly wish I possessed and I find it wonderful to listen to some really fantastic voices.
Mind you, there are times as well when you can hear someone murdering a song on the kareoke and its not such a joy. But hey, it would be boring if we all had the same talents.
Love your writing Migs. See you soon.
Hi Mia and AmericanLola: The “Slow Food Movement” is something I’d never heard before. Thanks very much for telling me about it, because we do need a healthier way of eating! Personally, I think Filipinos are too enamored with fastfoods right now.
Hi Steve: Hmm - is it innocent until proven guilty? John will stand on trial when I get back to Davao. And I hope you’ll be with us, too, as we sing our hearts out. Never mind “murdering” songs.
Cheers all!
Hi Migs, as I told you already in blog (Do you love Pinoy Music): I don’t know if I meet you guys in a Karaoke Bar, because I CAN’T SING and I don’t want all the other guests leaving the establishment in 30 seconds…
Hi Klaus, that’s OK. We’ll find something else to do. I’ll let you know when I might be flying down.
Cheers!