The Working Girl Blog #21: Bobbie's playlist, or Isn't that Bobbie Spears? No, it isn't - it's Bobbie Aguilera! To see all of Bobbie's "Working Girl" blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/19261/working-girl-blogs

Well, here I am - twelve noon. Just woke up. Yes, still in my pajamas. Hot chocolate beside my keyboard. And typing up this blogpost.

Yes, indeed, we did go to that karaoke place. And, yes, I made a fool of myself singing on stage.

Yesterday being a payday Friday, I wanted to dress with a less staid look, but definitely not in club clothes. So I picked a pleated cranberry babydoll bra-top dress with a built-in shelf bra, puff sleeves and ruched scoopneck front. I matched it with chic, cream-colored stretch cotton slim-fit pants with a low waist and flare leg, and a 4-1/2 canvass lace-up sandal (my absolute limit, and still be able to walk). It might not be that appropriate in the office, but it was fine when I put my linen boyfriend blazer on top. Hopefully, I didn't stick out too much at the bar.

At about five thirty, we left the office for the KTV bar. I invited Sammie and my boss. But Sammi wanted to get home to her hubby and three-year-old boy while my boss said karaoke wasn't really her speed. Too bad about Sammi, and, well, I just wanted to cover bases with my boss (guess that's my concession to office politics. But my boss was okay - didn't really mind inviting her).

Anyway, two of the girls rode with me and Cricket to the KTV bar, and the others went in another car. We had a private room reserved for us when we got there - a big room with couches and a large TV on one wall. I took my jacket off as it was too warm in the TV room, and the girls said I looked like Jojo.

We had a leisurely dinner and went through the song catalogue while we ate. It was a little bit disappointing as the English selection of songs wasn't as extensive as the Chinese or Korean ones (we couldn't make heads or tails of those) but the English selection wasn't that bad even though it didn't have too many new songs,

The guys who thought up Karaoke Night showed us how to operate the complex remote control and how to build up playlists. So one of the guys volunteered to be first, and then we cajoled one of the girls to go next. For fun, we made up the playlist for her, and had a lot of fun with Weird Al Yankovic parody songs. While we were laughing at "Smells Like Nirvana," one of the guys went to the bar outside and noticed that there were just a handful of couples there. He said we should relocate there so we could use the stage, which we eventually did.

Our team-mate with the guitar went next and stepped up the stage and sang Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, and he sang pretty well, but his guitar-playing was even better. The head-waiter who was acting as the MC, then called the others one after the other. As it was just us singing, the MC just arranged us to sing out

One thing I noticed from the songs that the girls selected from the guys - Like: True Colors, Piano in the Dark, Reflection, Moon River and Looking Through The Eyes of Love as opposed to Jump, Material Girl, Genie in a Bottle, Little Bit Dangerous and Smooth by Santana. Guess? Nope - the first group of songs were picked by the guys and the second group by the girls.... Now, does that say something about boys or girls in general or just about my boys and girls. Or is this because it's karaoke.

Anyway, when it was my turn, my guys wouldn't allow me to pick my own songs. As a group, they picked some songs for me: Somewhere Down the Road by Barry Manilow. Trueby Spandau Ballet, Turn the Beat Around by Vicki Sue Robinson and The Look by Roxette. I know - but the guys did their best with the selection they had. You also probably noticed that they were stuck at the S-to-T section.

I did my best to do justice to the songs but I had the distinct feeling that I was making an ass (or should I say jenny) of myself. But I had fun, and hammed it up. All I needed was scrambled eggs and toast on the side. There was a monitor facing towards me so I can read the lyrics as well as a bigger one behind me so that the audience can see as well. I didn't have that masculine a voice to begin with, but my voice pathology therapy sessions gave me confidence (although I knew intellectually that the pitch pattern exercises weren't useful in singing).

I had a lot of fun, so after my, ahem, set, I picked a few more songs (and I guess the others let me get away with it because I was their boss. Heehee). I looked at the same section of the list and selected This I Swear by Richard Darbyshire, The Heart of the Matter by Indie Arie and The Power of Two by The Indigo Girls.

Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot, but it seems there was something wrong with the speakers because the music kept on cutting out when I started singing The Power of Two. I didn't have the patience for their technician to trace the problem so I borrowed the guitar and played instead of waiting for them to fix the karaoke machine. Boy, did I miss my 3/4-size Squier Stratocaster (the fret of the guitar I was using was so much thicker than what I was used to), but I did my best.

After I got through with that song, I got a standing ovation (but then, it was just a few couples and my guys). I did a little curtsey and stepped off the stage. The pseudo-MC took back the mike and allowed him to get the opportunity to trace the problem (apparently, someone unplugged something).

Anyway, I let the others have a chance at the mike, but I still enjoyed it. We ended at around two in the morning. All the girls wanted to ride with me, but as Cricket didn't have the room, I could only take two of them. There was a bit of a discussion but they were able to pick which of them would ride with me.

I brought them home and I got to my place after a while. I got to bed at around four. I was dead tired. I have to be frank - I had a lot of fun. I never realized how much I could. I think I wouldn't have had enjoyed all the attention as a guy. Isn't that weird?

Next time around, maybe I can sing my favorite song from the internet.

All My Internet Friends by Amanda French
http://allmyinternetfriends.com/

Monday afternoon I gave a presentation to the staff
Kicked off with a knock-knock joke to liven up the charts and graphs
That crowd
Never laughs out loud
But all my internet friends were tickled pink
They put animated smileys when they passed around the link
They said, Hey, girl, here’s another awesome thing we found
Sarah Palin getting smacked down
With a Prince song in the background
Better watch it quick before they take it down

Wednesday night I figured I’d go out and buy a DVD
Walked into a store and walked right out again immediately
This sucks
They want thirty bucks

But all my internet friends give things away
They just really like to make stuff even when it doesn’t pay
They say, Hey, girl, here’s a picture, here’s a poem too
Here’s a blog post, here’s a podcast
Here’s a song and here’s a lolcat
And an iPhone application all for you

Saturday I had a date with Dave the software engineer
Told him bout the time I got my headphones wrapped around my ear
I swear
He just didn’t care

But all my internet friends they listen well
They make sympathetic comments when I say that I’m in hell
They say, Hey, girl, what’s your status? I say, Omigod,
I’m not sleeping, I’m not eating
I can’t take another meeting
With the clean, well-meaning morons at my job

There are those who say I spend a little too much time online
Sometimes I agree, but on the whole I think I’m doing fine
Click, buzz
I feel strong because
All my internet friends are here with me
Saying Love and information want only to be free
And we’ll take no crap from anyone who says that they know better
We won’t stand for that because we all came here together
We’re remaining interwoven
We’re a net, and we have chosen
To be knotted tightly to each other
You be client, I’ll be server
We won’t ever have to be alone

   
   

To see ALL of Bobbie's blogposts, click this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/blog/bobbie-c
To see Bobbie's stories in BCTS, click this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/14775/roberta-j-cabot

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