Me and my [karaoke] shadow...

So most of you would know that I've become something of a karaoke diva of late.

[Understatement of the Century]

While many friends would rather stick pins in their own eyes than belt out a tune in the company of strangers, some do 'get it'.  But there are still many who ask the questions:

Why Karaoke?

Why Devilles?

Why DO fools fall in love?

[I remember someone recounting years ago that in a philosophy exam, one student got the perfect score by answering the posed question, "Why?" with "Why not?"

At the time, I thought, "Wow - so deep..." Now I think, "What a smartarse!"

Everyone with children will know that the only answer to that question is "Because I said so!"  

Sheesh!]

But I digress...

Karaoke...such an exotic word... KAR-A-O-KE... like 'chorizo', "Moet" (pronounce the 't', people - no joke - and Blogger doesn't give me the option to add the little dots over the 'e' so get over yourselves) and, god help us, 'bruschetta', it's often mispronounced and worse still, misunderSTOOD.

The ABSOLUTE joy I get from strumming my own pain with my fingers (two times, two times - sometimes more because we all know it hurts so good), singing my song with other people's words (to a Casio backing track, no less) cannot be misunderestimated.

I remember as a lass, being in the school choir, belting out ridiculous songs for Eisteddfod and thinking "this is cool"  (and also thinking "how the hell do Welsh people do anything else with their day but learn how to spell their own words) but I remember more vividly than I care to admit, being in Year 12 and in Religious Ed class (yes, I know) and in discussion over which songs to include in our Rock Mass (YES, I KNOW), singing out loud a hymn that I thought was very groovy. (At the time. Okay - I STILL like it.) Well, the reaction of the class has stayed with me FOREVER.

Obviously.

As I was singing, I looked around the class and looking back at me were girls  with, dare I say (yes, I dare), ADMIRING looks on their faces.

When I finished, someone said, "Wow, Nadia - you have a really good voice."

And that was pretty much it.

I've been trying to relive that religious (ed) experience ever since.