International observers' farewell karaoke

Perhaps to get a taste of indigenous Filipino culture, the international observers of the Asian Network For Free Elections (ANFREL) were treated to a night of...karaoke. The farewell party was held last night (till this morning!) at The Red Box in Greenbelt in Makati, three days after the election in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). I can't believe these guys are all leaving today. What, nobody will even go sightseeing? I wish they could stay longer so that they will have other memories of the Philippines besides the election, which did not go on without hitch, as usual (read their final statement HERE.)

Highlights of the night for me: the requisite ABBA-thon, everybody dancing (disco, Bollywood, and line), Tatine screaming at Badrul for stopping Clair Marlo's "Till They Take My Heart Away" mid-song, me (ehem) belting out "Grease" and "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" ("guitars!"), and those karaoke montages of women with overflowing bikinis as a roomful of Muslims watch (with horror?). Yep, we Asians do have major differences, but hey, we all know the lyrics to crappy Celine Dion songs when they come on. Can we have more nights like this please?

(And do come back you guys. You'll be sorely missed. Hope to see you all again, wherever, whenever).