In spite of suffering from the world's worst cough for the past three days, I decided, foolishly or otherwise, to join my friends for a round of drinking and karaoke yesterday night, figuring that the highly recommended Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa might save my throat from the ravages of loud singing and shouting.

I'm feeling worse today, with my throat burning more than ever and my nose stuffed up. However, I maintain (much as I did on Thursday, the first day of the cough and the day after the free flow of drinks at Velvet) that it was worth it. I did end up having a lot of fun although I was fairly certain I'd wake up the next day, wonder if I really did have such a surreal experience, see all the incriminating photo evidence of the night and then go, "Oh... crap." But that moment has yet to come... mainly because my friends haven't posted their photos online yet. Heh.

My friend, the organiser of this karaoke event, was the centre of a rather large social circle, which included people she knew from junior college, university and clubbing, and friends of their friends. For the first time ever, I contributed to the latter group by inviting a friend, lead singer of a an up-and-coming pub band, to join us. He entertained us tremendously, although he raised the bar a little higher than most participants expected.

Just to qualify, it's not that I don't want my groups of friends to mix. I don't mind them knowing each other, just that my group of secondary school and JC friends... a lot of them go out with Caucasians and some of my friends from other circles - especially the guys - may not be all that comfortable.

And in another first for me, the guy I'm dating now (T.), who thankfully hasn't caused me much rollercoaster-like anxiety compared to the previous guys I've been dating (where dating is defined as going out with, regardless of romantic intention), was there, although I'm not sure if he would have come had I not asked him. I was a little nervous, since aforementioned singer friend and I have also gone out before, but he and I are more just friends than anything else.

In any case, unless he or she was blind, most people probably figured out that yes, there's something going on between T. and I. At one point during the night, we were holding hands under the table, and at another, I jokingly gestured to him when the waitress who was asking me who the subject of my chosen song - the infallible Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - was. But of course, some people may have been confused because singer-friend and I were talking much of the night and we also did the song together after my friend who was supposed to do it with me bailed.

As I was trying on a new look, I wasn't sure how I looked. I guess I must've looked really smokin', because the moment we got into a cab (trying oh-so-subtly to shoo other people into the cab so we could get our own), he pounced on me, taking me entirely by surprise.

Later on, at Phuture, after a lemon drop and 1.5 lychee martinis, I ended up really close dancing with him, for the first time ever since I've met him, and it felt really comfortable. I also discovered that he's a little too tall to kiss properly even when I'm on standing on my toes. Basket.

[Edit: My friend has now posted about the karaoke session. You can see some photos and her take on the whole night here.]