Karaoke Disasters

Karaoke Disasters

Karaoke is HOT in China. Even in Tibet, the people are crooning at the top of their voices, from dusk to the depths of the night.

Granted the Tibetans, having nomad blood and therefore, according to Teflon Man's own perverted theory, needs to know how to sing so that the lonely shepherdess on one hill can enthrall and ensnarl an unsuspecting shepherd on the other ridge, not everyone is endowed with a good voice. Nor the ability to hold a tune. Neither the ability to keep to the rhythm of the music nor execute the subtle nuances associated with singing.

But these semi-tone deaf, ill-rhythmed, loudspeakers (yes! I bet half the block can *already* hear them without the microphone. Now what they have a microphone, the full-blast amplifiers) ensured that the entire TOWN can hear them butcher the songs).

It would have been great if such irri-tainment only happen in the day. Unfortunately, they only happen at night.

Endless nights of placing the flat hotel pillows over my ears hoping to drown the noise out. Never ending desire to let sleep overcome the fully alert consciousness, jolted to full attention by the cacophony of horrible sounds emanating from the loudspeakers from the karaoke bars three blocks away. It sounds like they are shouting a lullaby in your ears. But one does not shout "wen bie" (Goodbye Kiss, a Jacky Cheung favourite).

And so the story goes... from town to town, from city to city, from province to province... The Japanese would have been proud that their one invention was so loved by the Chinese. Fully accepted, and embraced, without any objections!