Thursday the 24th arrived, 0530 the ladies head to the market, the day is spent preparing the foods for the Annual Christmas Eve Party at my house. This tradition is a couple of decades old, whereas the entire family converges on our house and all presents are under our tree and the party will end sometime Christmas day. Once more I’m just stating fact and am not complaining.
As with all parties at our house I set the rules years ago that if Mayang was the only one to prepare the foods than we would be the only one to eat the foods. We’ll pay for the foods but the labor must be donated. So for many a year now from dawn till dusk the house is filled with family making preparations for Christmas. Noon time and the Karaoke machine arrived, and has been endlessly tested during any and all breaks and deemed serviceable and loud. I found the volume control and let it be known that until the party that was it!
I slid up the stairs to my “Fortress of Solitude” and the amazing part is; I have no super powers, (Well I can turn beer into a waste product with extreme efficiency) but a power nap was required as I must attend the opening of the presents at midnight.
When I returned renewed and refreshed all was in readiness, Foods were everywhere, coolers of beverages of all types, were chock-a-block and ice was in a plentiful supply. Mrs. Thompson deemed it ready, and the festivities commenced. The damnable singing machine was in use, they had pumped up the volume and the Emparaflu was flowing like water.
I did notice that the kids Caroling gave up early when they couldn’t overcome the noise from the Karaoke Machine. Into all lives a little good must come. We stopped giving money to those kids years ago when we noticed that the big kids never shared the money with the little dudes. So for years we just give candy to each one and they all seem to enjoy that.
The family is eating and playing games and drinking of course. I’m showing up now and then, but still hiding until midnight. A couple of cold SMB’s is all I partook of all night. Let them have the fun; I was out Wednesday with some friends.
Midnight, the presents are distributed, the family is full of joy and another Christmas went off without a hitch. I’m returning back upstairs and I left them to make Merry until the sun came up.
Now at 1000 AM, the guys are back and want to move the Damnable Singing Machine down to their house, since it wasn’t being picked up until the 26Th anyway, let the party continue. (No Para La Fiesta”) or Don’t Stop the Carnival!
As I said over the years, I refuse to party on New Year’s Eve, If they won’t have a cocktail with me on a normal Monday afternoon, then I won’t join them on the ultimate “amateur’” night.
But New Years is a subject for another time, its Christmas now and I can honestly say: “It’s Well and Truly Over!”
The dammed singing machine, curse of my life. If you have Tinnitus you know what I mean.
Thanks for all the great stories you have given us over the years, and look forward to many more. Best wishes Paul for the new year.
John J.
A pox on the person that invented it. It was explained to me that Karaoke translates in English as: “Without Music” Whereas I thought it meant: “Without Talent.”
Thank you for reading, I’ll be around until Bob kicks me off the site. (lol)
Ah..don’t you wish you could join the “paranda” again? 🙂 Enjoy your peace till the 31st. Cheers.
Jose’
I went on one that lasted three days, thank God I was retired!
maybe they could send them karaoke machines to Syria ,isis might vanish overnight
Bloddymal;
A far better idea than anyone in the US Government has had, to deal with them. Another Red Line they better not cross!
Happy New Year to one & all.
Loren;
Who would have thunk back in the 1960’s that we’d be staring into 2016?
Hell 2000 was a milestone for me.
Hey Sit-N’-Bull (Or anywhere for that matter) Wednesday for lunch? Send a text!
I told my lady instead of renting a machine for 800p we can go to the restobar and for that amount she can sing 150 songs and have dinner… and a couple of beers
Loren;
Who would have thunk back in the 1960’s that we’d be staring into 2016?
Hell 2000 was a milestone for me.
Hey Sit-N’-Bull (Or anywhere for that matter) Wednesday for lunch? Send a text!
Lenny;
That is a great idea, and the logic is sound. But you neglected to tell us if what time the machine was delivered? (LOL)
Lenny;
That is a great idea, and the logic is sound. But you neglected to tell us what time the machine was delivered? (LOL)
YEAH…………….. “”RIGHT ON”””HAHA
Lenny;
I knew it!
Without Talent is what I would to agree with. Sorry but some of the people singing sounds like a cat getting tortured with a fork, while being strangled, and on fire at the same time. I think there is a clause in the Geneva Convention that prohibits the use of Karaoke Machines as weapons.
Paul hope you and your family has a Happy New Year!
Hi Scott:
As much as I agree with you. I’ve found that if I keep quite and politely clap my hands, less fights break out. Happy New Year to you and yours.
I wonder if they had any of the Christmas ” oldies ” on the singing machine Paul ? Like Rockin Around The Christmas Tree, Jingle Bell Rock, etc ?
A few years ago I put my treasured Christmas 45’s onto Compact Disc to reduce wear on the original records.
Good thing you have a way to ” escape ” the Karokie Machine.
Sounds like it was a very Merry Christmas at your place once again Paul. Can’t wait to read about New Year.
Bob (NY);
Wise to move your vinyl to electronic format, make them last. The machine they delivered all I heard was loud noise set to a pounding 1-2 repeating beat. Pure junk, but then my brother-in-law arrived and took over the machine, no Christmas music but Tom Jones, Frank, and Humperdinck. He’s not that good, but a better class of music.
I never have much about New Years as I stay at the house and my wife goes down the street to her mother’s house with her family. I’ll be asleep before 2016 even starts.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
Paul ,I like Christmas but I’m glad when its finished as for karaoke nice in the malls when
You see a good singer, but someone sat next to me after they have drank a gallon of red horse no way ,I always try to be polite and move to somewhere else as for that brandy they
Drink tried it once tasted like plastic, have a great new year to you and your family,
Traffic in Manila hardly none but it will change after the holidays ??,
Derek and Emma in pasig.
Derek;
Like I said above smile and clap and move away quickly, but it sounds like you also figured that out.
My nephew was visiting here from Holland and when the youngsters started drinking I steered him away from the 56 peso longneck Emparaflu and gave him a bottle of Vat 69 Scotch. He still had a hangover but not as bad as the others.
We have all your Manila traffic here this week, but we’ll be sending back to you next Monday.
Hi Paul
I must be the odd one out here because I quite enjoy the Karaoke sessions, at least for the first 4 hours.
My repertoire consists of Englebert, Tom and Frank. I even risked singing My Way and never got shot LOL. I do throw in the Nat King Cole Christmas classics as well. A few glasses of Emperador do help though.
One lucky thing is that because I can actually sing a bit it puts off the wailers so only the better ones tend to try. I will stop though if it looks like turning into a competition as there’s no way I’m letting it turn into a fight especially when so much has been drunk by usually non-drinking locals.
Happy New Year to you, your family, The Martin family and everyone else who might happen to read this.
Tagay
AJ UK
AJ UK;
You and my brother-in-law like the same songs, wow that would be a “Battle of the Crooners” In Florida in the early 1990’s after I left Puerto Rico was my first encounter with Karaoke Bars, ONCE I went into one, noticed that some took themselves way to seriously, like they were waiting for a recording contract. Thank God, they kept their day jobs! For years after that I avoided it, and then came my life in the Philippines… It is and will always be; “The Damnable Singing Machine. My days of drinking Emparaflu ended abruptly when I discovered the cost of a bottle was only 56 pesos. Turpentine costs more. (lol)
Happy New Years to you and yours!!!
Another great article. Thanks for keeping us entertained over the years. Reading your articles is the only way I can enjoy the Subic area for now. I look forward to Mondays.
Happy New Year!
BillyMac;
Thank you for joining in and reading it! The ladies are taking the old Kano’s to lunch today, and some bar hopping in the Barrio later. Who needs New Years Eve?
Hi Paul,
Enjoyed the article! Happy New Year to you and yours! I have yet to experience a Christmas in the Philippines. I hope to at some time, but I can relate to the throwing a party aspect because we always visit when our older son has a birthday. All the family works hard together to make the party a success and I just watch pretty much at least until it comes to bless and serve the food and then I help.
Jay;
All parties are basically the same format, it’s only the reason for the party that differs. (LOL) My family is starting today gathering the foods for New Years Eve, that even though I don’t attend I pay for it.. But this year my sister-in-law from Holland is paying half, so a good year is coming!
You can’t Stop the carnival. It’s perpetual!
Bill Belk;
This I know to be true, I saw what happened to a guy that tried to stop it. I still shudder when I think of it!
i believe that was mita micheal
Bill;
I believe it was a hurricane named Hugo that shut down mine. But I went back to sea as a merchant seaman and kick started it again in the Philippines! (lol)
Hi paul enjoy reading your views on all things great and good happy new year your lucky in the weather there its cold and stormy in ireland at present you have the best location for sure miss the phil in the winter months here
Martin;
My grandparents came to Boston on the boat from Ireland, and taught us that we should never drink in any pub that didn’t have a sound roof and a warm fire in the hearth. Last night was New Years Eve, and the temperature in the Philippines plummeted into the low 70’s and it rained, which kept the pyrotechnics to a minimum.