The National Pastime

Americans may be focused on the World Series right now, but the national pastime of the Philippines is blindingly clear: karaoke.

All self-respecting bars and restaurants in Manila have karaoke (including, I hear, the Hobbit Hole, which was started by a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1970s, where the waitstaff is all midgets -- which I never quite made it to). In the Philippines, karaoke is apparently even enough to get you killed, as my favorite New York Times article discusses, here. Note to self: don't sing Frank Sinatra in the Philippines!

In Pinamalayan (population: 43,521 in 2010), where both my parents grew up, karaoke is a nightly event. My uncle, who immigrated from the Philippines to California, returned a few years ago and introduced videoke to the province -- thus launching a business as well as a local craze. A videoke machine is an all-in-one karaoke machine, which includes the monitor, microphone and songs.

Embodying the entrepreneurism that Asians are known for, one new restaurant in Pinamalayan had a piano man and "song menu", where you could perform live. In the three days that I spent with my family in Pinamalayan, all three nights were spent karaoking! The last song before I left (requested by Aris) was appropriate: Empire State of Mind.

Some pics with the del Mundo brothers: Renoir, Piolo, and Gig -- my cousin Myla's handsome sons.