Mark's Surprise Karaoke Birthday Party
Mark was in India for his birthday. India wasn't his favorite place on earth. Jen came up with an idea: a surprise birthday day party. She coordinated a night when, a bunch of us could get together to celebrate his belated birthday. The decision was made to hold the party at Fuji Mountain Restaurant on Chestnut between 21st and 20th. We rented a private karaoke room. You can imagine what antics ensued.
Curently on Fridays, I am in Washington, D.C. This made for an interesting rush hour commute from The District to Philadelphia. I made a pit-stop in Baltimore for about an hour. I was lucky to only encounter ten to fifteen minutes of traffic from Baltimore to Philadelphia. I was in Society Hill by 815pm. The party was scheduled to start at 830pm. Jen was going to bring Herczeg to Fuji Mountain around 9pm. I was going to make the surprise!
Mark, Rob and Terry moved to Society Hill in the beginning of the summer. This was my first trip to their new place. They had already left for the party so, I took a cab over to 20th and Chestnut. They walked the trip, and I ended up arriving first. Yay for cabs. A few people were already in the second floor private room including Sean, Herb, Dave, McCartan and others. The private room was facing the street. It could hold around 50 people. It had its own bar with a few beer specials. A few bar tables and couches dotted the room. Of course, there was a karaoke machine in the corner. Unfortunately, the instructions and remote were in Korean. That made things interesting.
We started knocking back a few drinks. I did have some sake. I don't really like sake, but this kind wasn't too bad. The beer specials were a sweet heavy Belgium beer and a IPA. I liked the flavor, but they were a lot to deal with for repeated consumption.
Around 9pm, we got the notice from Jen. Both her and Mark were entering Fuji Mountain. Mark believed they were meeting Jen's cousin for dinner. We tried to squeeze to the sides of the private room. The front wall that faced the restaurant is glass so, it was easy to see inside the room from the stairs. I got Gina on the phone to be part of the event. As he walked into the room, we all yelled surprise and walked toward the door. He was definitely surprised but also confused. His birthday is in June so, you can understand his mindset. We quickly explained the situation, and he was amazed. He couldn't believe that we kept the surprise from him. Jen was sure one of us would spill the news. Even at Hannastock, no one mentioned the party! Mark was extremely happy to have an impending Friday night with friends. Each one of us had been careful to say, we had other plans for the weekend. He had been disappointed at his lack of options. Let the party begin.
We didn't immediately get into the karaoke. Jen ordered a few plates of appetizers and sushi. I had some fried zucchini which was very tasty. I am not sure who tried to play the first song, but the karaoke became the center of attention. Unfortunately, the entire system was in Korean. The remote, the menus and even some of the song lyrics were all in Korean. If anything, I would have guessed Japanese. After all, we were in a Japanese restaurant. The language barrier didn't halt us, but it only slowed our selections. Thank goodness, the book of songs was in English.
Mark Sings Bon Jovi
I am not one for karaoke. I guess, I have always been a bit shy. I enjoyed watching others sing songs, but I have never picked up the microphone. Tonight was no exception. I might have sang a total of two lines. I really enjoyed watching everyone else's showmanship. A few of my favorites were Purple Rain and Hangin Tuff. The best must have been Paradise City. Sean was twirling the microphone. At the end of the song, Rob threw the microphone on the ground. At this point, I don't think the bartender was our biggest fan.
Sometime around 11pm, we decided to close down the karaoke party. We'd been in the private room four almost four hours. I think everyone was ready to try a new place. Someone made the executive decision to walk over to Drinkers. This bar is one of my favorites in Philadelphia. It is a no nonsense type of place. We had a few PBRs and went our separate ways. Before going back to 5th and Lombard, we stopped by the Las Vegas Lounge. Our stay was inconsequential. Soon after we arrived, we left.
The surprise was a success! Mark didn't suspect a thing. I know, he had an awesome time. He really digs karaoke. Everyone was really thankful to Jen for arranging the entire event. It was really good to see everyone two weekends in a row. I hope to be back in Philadelphia very soon.
