Hi folks from the Filipino-American Association of Upper Chesapeake, relatives and extended families, friends. This medium is an experiment to hopefully communicate our love for karaoke singing. The blog has certain advantages such as jumping /hyperlink to another page in the same site or to outside /externally. We can add colors, music, images etc to make an impact to the experience in the net. This is an improvement over our old newsletters (however prints are not really obsolete), as well as the email postings and attachments including lately, pdf files. Blogs are post-able at social networks like Facebook. Limited by self imposed no-extra-expense budget, I cannot subscribe yet the pay for extras like uploading videos and audios.
It is rumored that a Filipino invented a sing-along type recording. He did not come forward to be recognized. This was a few years ahead if not about the same time the Japanese came up with the word karaoke.
I would rate 5 stars for the best, full orchestral equivalent of the original recording minus the vocals. I strive to collect these types. These are used at good karaoke bars. 4 stars for videoke type. These features 2 or 3 piece instrumental background of the song. Most digital magic mike are of this type. 3 stars are for those with lead instrumental for melody as in midi or keyboard background recordings. I resort to this type only if I cannot find a better quality of a good hit song.
Last summer’s (2009) picnic at Capa Park (map), the same location as this year’s – the karaoke singing was at it’s peak, it was great! Good attendance. Good audio system courtesy of Mar Nieto & family. We sang our hearts out. For a karaoke aficionado, one can never get his or her fill. The weather was summery cool, with sporadic strong winds. At the height of us happy crowd singing a loud rock music, a tree 
branch fell over the rear window of a parked car 30 feet away startling us at an instant. Other than that it was great. In the summer of 2008 at the other park elsewhere in the same APG compound, it was too hot and humid and the attendance was down. Here’s the email column I sent prior to last year’s picnic. I can’t find the first newsletter article of 2008. If someone (calling Victor Beato, ex-editor in chief) can supply this, that will be much 
appreciated. The younger generation as represented by Ray Gaviola (not Ramon) and Melissa Ragos (not Mila) et al had a good time singing last year. They plan a musical ala-Glee presentation this year.
A large, over 1000 titles of 1. mp3 karaoke songs is posted and 2. a smaller 300 or so video karaoke songs is also available. These are update-able till just before the picnic. You can make find on these pdf files for your favorite titles. If not there and you must, consider going to youtube.com and download your favorites using an url downloader e.g. 1-Click Youtube to Mp3 Converter. Bring it in a memory disk, Iphone or Ipod to the picnic (yeah, bring your own flash karaoke). We’ll play it. Besides mp3′s, Jetaudio media player can play FLV’s (Adobe flash) files and mp4 video (used in Iphone, 
Ipod). Downloading high quality video at youtube is another project for the future.
A movie that relates well to our interest with music is Barry Levinson’s “Diner” 1982. Set in Baltimore, these 6 young Jewish guys depict life in the 60′s. Some of us older folks grew up during that time too. Here are 2 
memorable scenes in a sketchbook. During that time they had singles with 2 songs (one for each side) and albums LP discs (a dozen songs). Shrevie (Daniel Stern) is obsessed. Poor wife Beth (Ellen Barkin). At the 
end of the young couple’s argument, Shrevie captures it well: the songs he collects (as we similarly love to sing at karaoke sessions) bring us back to that part of our lives. Take a look at this youtube video.
Let’s all have a good time at Capa Park on Saturday June 26th 2010! (picnic flyer) pcv 6/3/10. Revised with updated karaoke lists 6/23/10. The first 3 pictures from 2009 picnic is courtesy of Ray Gaviola. Thanks Ray. I need help with ‘tagging’ the pictures. (I believe there’s no tagging here, unlike Facebook). Thanks to Roberto Balagot for disseminating this news blog http://quitego.wordpress.com to the membership. Please leave a visit remark below or via email pecto@netzero.com.
A big day, full of interesting activities. Was there a karaoke singing contest? And which song won? Cheers to the active community of filipinos- ‘kababayans’- in the Cheasapeake area. President, Barangay – Pilipino, zh.
I considered ala-American Idol karaoke singing contest (and I have lined up the judges in my mind, icons like the original 3 of circa 2008) – it was just a matter of asking (for formality really) the President at that time, but has not done one yet. Maybe 2011? I thank the comment from Zurich across the Atlantic.