Thursday, September 20, 2007

Disco Houses.

My buddy and me were chatting over the phone a few days back about old times. Our other good buddy is finally going to settle down this November and we're both pretty happy that the bum, urrmmm, I mean good buddy of ours is finally going to be a family man ... LOL. It's about time too!

The three of us have such good times together and we still do have great times when we meet up. Well, we're planning a bachelors night out for him one of these days, just the three of us going crazy like we always do (What? No honey, there won't be no dancing girls and stuff, well maybe one .... LOL!).

Anyway, that brings me back to the days when we used to have house parties, with disco lights and live DJ's with their music consoles and stuff. Does anyone remember that? Those days, well, not too long ago anyway, house parties were the rage around town. You'd be a hit if your house was hosting one of these things :D

I remember these parties well cos my house has played host to quite a few these (of cos always with mom making such a big fuss about it before hand though) and I've attended quite a few myself ... hehehe ... It was such a fun time. We'd all be so excited fixing up strobe lightings with those rotating mirror ball thingy and those wide range of coloured disco lights we'd rent of some sound and light shop for the night. We'd turn the house into a mini disco.

Then the fun part came with all the invited and many a times uninvited guests turning up for these parties. Everyone came with their dates and those without tried to pick up dates during the party ... LOL! If you were invited to parties like this meant you were kinda popular. Trust me, I wasn't invited to many except the ones my cousins and me hosted. One of my cousins was the more popular one and these parties normally had more of his friends than mine (and I mean way a lot more!)

Normally a bunch of us would just gate crash these parties and end up being the uninvited ones ... hehehe ... (this was way back in my secondary school days before I met my good buddy Adrian and gang). Normally the host would never kick you out cos the more people gate crashed stuff like these meant the more popular the host was and normally the gate crashers would be the ones without dates who would be trying to pick up someone from the party (not me though, I was pretty shy ... hehehe).
Sometimes fights would even break out at these things!

I remember one time, a year after I met my good buddy, we'd planned to have one of these house parties in my house. So after getting my mom's permission, we spread the word to all the girls in college we knew (yes girls, we tried to not let too many guys know ... hehehe) and besides we wanted to keep it manageable. We rented the lights and set up the music console, we planned to spin the music ourselves, well, some of us anyway (a few of us were too busy with their dates ... hehehe).

Eventually the party day came and the turn out was overwhelmingly frightening cos I think the entire college turned up! We were shocked to say the least. My mom was on the verge of calling the riot police but luckily no nasty incidents happened and everyone ended up having a good time, though the drinks and what little food we had were not nearly enough.

All of us had dates, I didn't have a date in the true sense of the word but I did invite this girl I had a crush on, nicknamed the 'Nose' by my two good buddies, in hindsight, she did have a nose as big as my fist ... LOL! (Yeah, Adrian, go ahead and laugh). And I spent the night, well, as much time as I could anyway dancing with her :D And after the party was over and the clean up was done, my buddies stayed over at my place and all three of us (we had a few more buddies around as well) were like love seek geeks all night long (hey can you blame us? We were only 18 or 19 years old then ... hehehe).

Those parties were really such great fun. A few friends and me even formed our own sound & light system called 'Echo Chamber, Acoustics, Sound & Lights' (name courtesy of my other buddy who is getting married) and rented ourselves out to people who were organizing parties. We did have a couple of 'gigs' and then eventually we gave it up. Too much of a hassle ...

I don't think they have house parties like these nowadays. People are more into clubbing now I guess. I've never been interested in the clubbing scene though my work took me there almost every week at one time when I was working in an event company. To be honest, clubbing just isn't my cup of tea, but I guess the times change accordingly. Clubbing is the in thing for the present, but I sure miss those house party days.


36 comments:

  1. Oh, I do miss these parties too. We had them here in Singapore back then. Oh, such fun!

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  2. As much as the house parties, we miss the carefree abandon of youth! Those were the days! :-)

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  3. Dei! Those were such happy times bud! Yeah we had so much funa nd free time...not like nowadays... with family, work and blogging! LOL

    Genie King Rocks!

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  4. What a coinkidink! My friend (about your age) was also reminiscing about house parties just a few days ago. About how he'd crash those parties and the guys and girls would stand on opposite sides and eye each other for potential dance partners and stuff. So exciting. Hee. By the time I was old enough for such parties, they were already dying out, so I can only listen to old men such as yourself and my friend talk about it. :P

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  5. Blur Ting, Cool you must be my age then ... LOL! (Just kidding). Yeah, those parties were real fun. I had a blast attending all of it ...

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  6. Josie, yup I agree with you on the carefree abandon of youth part :D For me it was more like careless abandon of youth ... LOL! Those were indeed the days.

    I wonder if I could organize a house party now and see how many old fogeys attend ... LOL!

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  7. Buddy, we sure did have some great time in those parties back then didn't we? :)

    Yup, family, work and blogging takes up the bulk of our time nowadays ... LOL! Looking forward to this Saturday though :D

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  8. Lis, you crack me up when you say you can only listen to old men like me and your friend talking about this ... LOL! That makes me feel sooooo old! Well, us old fogeys sure knew how to have fun back in those old days didn't we ... LOL!

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  9. I'm a party girl before married. These are my past now. I'm also a good drinker then. I can hardly drink now. I will get all headache with just 1 glass of beer now. How life has changed me with the kids on board. I'm so homely now. I duno even know the names of the famous nite spot over here now :)

    I think I'm a "moutain tortise". I'm good at which store selling cheap milk powder & stuff. Okok.. I admit I'm an aunty :):)

    Janice Ng

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  10. Hello Nick! I sure remember those partying days. I never been to a house party (uhmwell, I was not a popular lass) but went to disco parties a lot!

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  11. Janice, then I guess I'm a uncle la now, since I know where to find the cheapest place that sells, chicken and stuff ... LOL!

    Trust me, I don't think they'd let me into any nightspots at my age ... LOL!

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  12. Emila, what? you not popular lass, I find that hard to believe ... hehehe ... I wasn't very popular too, but I just gate crashed these parties, seemed like the decent thing to do ... LOL

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  13. I hadn't thought of this, but you're... people are "out" more than they used to be... or maybe the police get called more, so it's better to keep the loud music and alcohol at the clubs.

    Either way, I'm so out of it.

    :-)

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  14. To be honest, our old house (Govt Quarters in Kg Pandan) was "the" main hub for house parties back in the late 70's and early 80's, when the Bee Gees hairdo and bell-bottom pants was an in-thing.

    My eldest brother also had a music machine set-up called "Maestro Sound and Lights" and I used to tag along, just to be in the limelight of all these parties (very lucky... free food, drinks, cuci mata and at the same time get paid also @RM10 - big money at that time, ya!)

    My brother being a smart alack, took a couple of traffic lights (he used to work at JKR) and this fellow, turned them into disco lights, imagine that!

    Those were really good times, if only I could turn back the clock?? :)

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  15. I used to go clubbing every weeknight and weekend, what was up with me la! Came back home 5am, off to work 8am next day, now just don't have the energy to do so, miss those days and nights!! :):):)

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  16. Ah those were the days - but things were simpler then, and I think we were all of a generation that respected other more than alot of folks do now. For instance, a bloke down the road had one of these last year - and it spilled out of his place and into the entire street. The guests were breaking into neighbors garages, throwing emnpty beer bottles at houses, keyed cars, and I dont know what they were using to blow up the mailboxes - it was like living in a riot zone....that guy is still getting the cold shoulder from the whole neighborhood!
    How times have changed, eh?

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  17. Anonymous Boxer, Oh, I've been out of it for years, I don't think my old aching bones could take it ... LOL

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  18. Nihal,yeah those were really fun times :) And that traffic light idea was a pretty cool thing to do. I only stole a stop sign once not that it was any use for any parties though ... LOL!

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  19. Whoa Marzie, you sure were some party animal back then, weren't you? Every weeknight and weekends? You take the cake la ... LOL! I'd have passed out on the second night ... hehehe ...

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  20. Lavender, that's an interesting point you brought. Yes, I guess we did have respect for other back then, I mean, the parties we had, were all confined to that location only and no messing up the surrounding neighbours places and stuff. We even ended the parties at respectable hours. Sighhh ... how times have changed since then.

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  21. There was a case back in my country when a hippie 40+ woman was ask to leave when she queue up for "Ladies Nite" at St James Power Station. OMG !! That was so insulting & rude ... ... Poor woman ...

    Janice Ng

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  22. HOUSE PARTIES!!!! OMG, I do remember those.
    Dancing nonstop until you're a puddle of sweat.
    Falling in love instantly and slow dancing
    Getting home so late you have to try to sneak past your parent's bedroom--and never making it.
    Trying to round up all your friends when it's time to go.
    Giving out your phone number to your prince charming of the evening.

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  23. MP, yup, you got the description down perfect! That about sums up house parties ... LOL!

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  24. I didn't go to a lot of house parties but DISCOS.....yeah. MP described it perfectly. I used to take my high heels off so I could creep past my parents bedroom but I'd usually end up tripping over my own feet and wake them up anyway.

    It was so exciting to get all dolled up, all the while wondering if "HE" would be there. The music, the dancing, what wonderful memories of a time when our bodies could take just about anything.

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  25. Nick-Hey buddy! Great post! You and Adrian are terrible, but honest I guess (the 'Nose')! I have missed your humor. Sorry I have been MIA, things have been crazy in Barrettland. Hopefully things will slow down a bit so I can enjoy Anything Goes and a few other choice reads! I hope this finds you well my friend and thank you for the kind birthday wishes!

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  26. Gypsy, I never did have to sneak past my parents bedroom cos I always somehow managed to persuade mom to let me go for these parties, guess cos I was boy, maybe if I was a girl it would have been different ... LOL! Yeah, I'd have to say, those were good times.

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  27. Barrett, good to have you back. Been wondering where you disappeared too :D Oh, me Adrian and me are major terrible ... LOL! We make fun of everyone we see ... :D

    Good to have you visiting again. Hope things are well with you.

    Happy weekend pal!

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  28. LOl..poor girl, I couldn't imagine having a huge nose like that!! You sound like you were a wild child growing up!!

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  29. LOL Diamind, in true fact, I was the exact opposite when growing up. I was never wild. I was basically a very shy kid ... :D

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  30. I was Nick! Even my best fren couldn fathom how I managed to go to work the next day, all bright n fresh!

    Anyway, I have something for u! http://mariuca.blogspot.com/2007/09/more-awards-for-mariuca.html

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  31. Marzie,guess you must have been much younger back then ... LOL! Just kidding, not saying you're old now, k?

    Will check you link right after this.

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  32. Sigh... I was much younger then Nick... so depressing to be 34 now! But nemind, cause I'm still younger thann you he he he! :):):)

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  33. LOL Marzie! yeah, I know I'm old ... but there's this silly old saying about life beginning at 40 or something. I'm still waiting ... LOL!

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  34. no, i nvr hv those parties before. not with the disco lights. The one i have is just normal a small close bunch of freinds 20-30 pax together. If u wan dancing, go to the club lor - that's my world lor.. :/

    it must be great to hv house parties like that. and i could imagine how frantic it was when the whole college turned up. LOL! but it's a story worth telling!

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  35. Jean, you must be really young if you didn't go to house parties like that .... LOL! I'm not into the clubbing scene la, too old already, the bones will break if I go dancing now ... LOL!

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