Dear Friends,

Singing in a karaoke machine is one of a Filipino culture during celebrations and leisure. Even if the voice is off-key, everybody is welcome because it doesn’t need to have a great voice, as long as all are having fun and no one is fish out of the water. It’s really enjoyable to sing especially when you’re broken because there are the song lyrics that are relatable. We can feel like what we feel is normal and we’re not alone in feeling so broken as singing the song. There are also songs that inspire us to be strong. One of the songs I used to sing that made me moved on easily is “Stronger” by Britney Spears.

When my cousin from Australia arrived, she brought us to the KTV Bar. Singing in a karaoke is my mothers love, so she was very happy when we were there. We paid 10$ per hour and we consumed five hours from 4pm until 9 pm. The room was spacious that is good for 15 person. It is also fully airconditioned where we feel comfortable while singing our favorite song. Of course, the wall is soundproof that nobody can hear from outside.

The one who selected a song is my cousin. Like my mom, she also loves to sing. In order to play a song, one should search the title from the book and a number should be typed through remote control. Picking is unlimited, unlike on the karaoke tokens where we should put in a coin to play it. Because there is no limit at the KTV, we all enjoyed it while my cousin and neighbor were dancing.

My cousin ordered a huge pizza from the KTV bar. Aside from the unlimited song selection, they have many foods such as pizza, fried chicken, barbecues, rice and soups. The pizza was good that my little sister used to enjoy. Yes, not just adult, but we can also bring there the kids.

They also enjoyed beers. Well, I don’t drink but it’s hilarious to see them drunk. They lost their shyness to dance while my sisters and I were their audiences. The drunks are my neighbor, my cousin and her sister, my eldest sister and my mother. They said that since they drink beer sometimes, we should let them having a full blast coz we only live once. They’re right- not all the times that we focus on a motherhood duty, a workaholic mom and a business mom. We should also treat ourselves as a reward after handling the stressful situations, after doing all the home chores, after dealing all the pressure in our jobs and after budgeting our tight money. For once, we forget everything. We laugh a lot, sing to express our emotions and be purely happy like no end. For once, we forget the bills and other expenses at home.

It is my mother who picked her favorite songs. What she likes to sing the most are the songs of Air Supply. She also likes the songs: Just Another Woman In Love, Looking Through the Eyes of Love, Waiting for Your Love, Ocean Deep, Torn Between Two Lovers and OPM Songs (Original Pilipino Music). If you’d see her singing, expect these songs she’ll type on tv.

It’s been so long that we’re not seeing each other. In the picture from left to right is my cousin, my cousin from Australia, my eldest sister, myself and my younger sister. It’s too bad to feel like I’m being left here in the Philippines because my cousin had just flew immediately in Australia after that bonding. My two sisters were also flying to the U.S. Well, that’s life. People come and go. If we can’t accept the fact that everything is temporary, it’s hard for us to accept that for same reason, we are always left alone. My sisters have now their own world. The memories we had can be happened once again, but is different now that we have our own family.