Does this hurt you?

There are times when it seems the stars are aligned against me; the dagger of fate dangles above my head.  Once a week, I participate in an English conversation class at a Shenzhen hospital.  Tonight, however, the class turned into a rehearsal of Top of the World by the Carpenters.  Seems someone decided it would be good for the class to sing at the forthcoming hospital Christmas banquet.  That same someone, thought this would be a good holiday spirit song.  

As long as I can recall, I have loathed this song.  To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a Carpenter’s song.  Not my cup of tea.  Strangely enough, a choral karaoke version rehearsed for 45 minutes did not improve my feelings on the matter.  Oh well, when life gives you lemons, give yourself a paper-cut and squeeze the juice in it.  Things could have been worse; oh wait, they were.  To cap off the event, an accordion player, clearly unfamiliar with the music, joined in the fray.  It was an auditory abomination.  However, to their credit, by the eleventh or twelfth rendition, at least the singers were on the same words, if not the same notes.