The darker blue on Roberto Hernandez' shirt, left, is not a design. It's sweat! It's so humid that night but the enjoyment with Japanese couple Masahiro and Michiko Suzuki is worth the sweating out. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
MEETING A VERY NICE JAPANESE COUPLE--
Masahiro and Michiko Suzuki
When I first met the Japanese couple Masahiro and Michiko Suzuki on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, I thought Masahiro is a Taiwanese.
But when I played Japanese songs that night (we have some Taiwanese and Japanese guests), he is singing with it so I'm sure now that he's Japanese.
There are other Japanese guests who enjoyed also my rendition of Japanese songs that sometimes I sing while playing it. Masahiro and his wife Michiko are on my right.
Masahiro gave me $10.00 tip and asked me if I'll be playing the next night at Breeze Bar. When I said it's my day off tomorrow, he said they will come on Saturday night before their flight going back to Japan early that morning.
We have one photo taken with my sweaty polo shirt showing half-way wet because of perspiration.
While I'm setting the keyboard on Saturday night of Sept. 20, 2014, I saw the Suzuki couple far away from the keyboard. I approached them and asked them to sit to the table next to me (left-front) so that they will enjoy more my music.
Masahiro gave me also a glass of red wine. When I sing the song "Hotel California", I added something to this part of the lyrics: "Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she's got a Mercedes Benz, She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends. How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat, Some dance to remember, some dance to forget. So I called out the captain, please bring me my wine." Here, I sung, "so I called out the captain, please bring me my red wine."
They both laughed.
When all the other guests left, I have time to tell them stories in between my playing.
Michiko is not fluent in English, so Masahiro has to translate to her some parts of this story:
MUSIC EXPERIENCE OF ROBERTO HERNANDEZ (Part 1)
A PIANO WITH A VIEW
Roberto Hernandez plays piano at Waves Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort from 6:00-9:00 pm every night except Friday (his day off). From 9:00-11:00 pm, he plays keyboard at Breeze Bar, about 30 meters from Waves Restaurant.
(Photo by: Jaime Guevarra)
BEFORE CHRISTMAS 2007, the Queen of Koror, Palau Bilung
Gloria Salii, her husband Carlos and daughter Uroi had dinner at Waves
Restaurant. They gave me $10.00 tip and a glass of red wine.
Before they go home, I talked to Bilung and said, “I would like to give you a Christmas present. I will tune your piano for free before the end of this year.”
I became very busy and haven’t done my promise.
On her
birthday, January 05, 2008, they had dinner again at Waves Restaurant with 3
other guests. I played all their favorite songs. She gave me $10.00 tip, a
glass of red wine and a slice of her birthday cake.
After three
weeks, they had another dinner at Waves and after giving me $5.00 tip this
time, I asked for her telephone number at home so that I can set the date of
tuning their piano. She said 488-6216.
On March
19, 2008 (Wednesday), I saw her at the entrance of Surangel’s Department Store.
I said I will call her on Tuesday (March 25) and will tune their piano on
Wednesday (March 26) which I did. After tuning their piano for 2 hours, she is
ready to issue me a check but I said I promise to tune it for free as Christmas
present. She gave me bananas instead!
The next day, God gave me more that I expected.
While halfway
on my piano playing at Waves Restaurant, a lone, old Japanese guy sits at a
table about 7 meters from the piano. Ten minutes later, I started to play the
Japanese song “Kawa No Nagareno Yo Ni”. In the middle of that song, I saw him
get something from his front pocket- it’s a handkerchief! He is crying and was
carried away by my expressive playing.
The two waitresses Maricar Baules and
Maricel Carlos saw him crying and asked why. He pointed at me and I played with
more expression. Goosebumps are all over my arms and body which I rarely feel
when playing with much expression. I followed it up with another Japanese song
“Subaru”. He cried more. The handkerchief is all wet!
Fifteen minutes later, he
gave me tip. I put it on the piano music stand. Edgar Cayanan, the Assistant
Food & Beverage Manager said, “Kuya”, (Older brother) “I don’t think that’s
the color of a $5.00 bill.” He checked the tip and said “It is a hundred
dollar!” I just continue to play and ignore him as I don’t look at the amount
of tip I get until the giver has left.
Edgar told
about it to Maricar and Maricel. The two also checked the tip and said. “It’s
really $100.00! Can we have some?”
When the
generous man left, a Japanese couple sat at the same table where he sat. The
guy requested 3 Japanese songs (Goodbye My Love, Itoshino Elly and the third
one, I forgot). I was able to play all those 3 songs and he gave me $1.00 tip!
Philippine
Ambassador to Palau Ramoncito Marino, the biggest supporter of chess in Palau,
and his wife Issa were having dinner at that time with an old Japanese lady
guest. When he sat down at the piano to play a couple of songs, that’s the only
time I look at the tip- it’s really $100.00. I said to the Ambassador, “Look,
sir, a Japanese guy gave me $100.00 tip without requesting and another guy who
requested 3 songs gave me $1.00”.
The next
day, Friday, Edgar said that the man who gave me $100.00 tip last night said he
made a mistake in giving me that amount. I said, “It is okay, I haven't spend it yet and when he comes
back, I’ll give him back the $100.00 and it’s up to him to decide how much he
really wants to give me.”
On Saturday
evening, he comes back. While having dinner at the same table, I played all the
other Japanese songs that I didn’t play on that Thursday night. When I play the
2 songs that made him cry, he didn’t cry anymore.
After his dinner, he comes to
me with Cathy (Chinese waitress) by his side. He said, “Do you know the guy who
plays piano in the cruise by the name of Norman?”
I said, “No. Does he play Japanese songs also?” He said yes but only a few.
Then he gave me tip again and I put it in my polo shirt pocket. And he left for
Japan.
Maricel saw that he gave me again and asked how much. I looked at it and it’s
another $100.00!
He didn’t make a mistake. Edgar is just kidding me and maybe jealous.
Source: Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
December 2007
To be published as a book in the future
Masahiro was so touched by the story and he asked me to play "Kawa No Nagareno Yo Ni" which I played but without so much emotion or expression like in the story. I said to him, "I think I cannot play with more expression like that night in March 2007."
I told them also the story about the old Japanese lady who gave me Asahi beer first and lastly $100.00 tip...
This young Japanese couple enjoyed Halloween night with my music and not by Trick or Treat. They transfered to a table near me so that they can enjoy more. $15.00 tip and a promise to come back to Palau is more than enough for me. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
TENNESSEE WATLZ +
DAHIL SA IYO = $100.00
& ASAHI BEER
ALTHOUGH I lost 2 chess games in week 6
of 2012 Palau National Chess Championship, I get lucky when I played piano for
3 hours at Waves Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort.
At
about 6:30 pm, a group of old Japanese guest arrived with 3 of them on a wheel
chair. A lady, who is wearing a colorful blouse, is pointing at my notes where
there are no music scores but only a notebook with handwritten songs and a
thinner notebook for alphabetical list of my international songs repertoire.
Executive
Chef Masaki Horie is watching closely if I will play Japanese songs to them. I
didn’t play any. Instead, I played very old American songs.
20
minutes later, he came to me with Maricar Genova, Restaurant Supervisor, with
Asahi beer (in can) and put in next to my glass of water. Horie said the guest
gave me that beer and I must come to her and say thank you. I finished the song
I’m playing and go to her to say thank you and back to piano again and put the
beer beside the water goblet with Horie saying, “Drink it later.”
When
I drank the last drop of water, Horie took the beer and said, “I put it in the
chiller and you can drink it later.” I said, ‘Okay, at 9:00 pm.”
Minutes
later, Maricar told me that Horie said that I should drink that beer after
playing at Breeze Bar, which is past 11:00 pm. Horie thought that I have that
kind of “craving” to drink alcohol. He didn’t know that in my almost 21 years
in Palau, I never been drunk even once. I drink only if customers gave me drinks.
The last time I buy alcohol for my consumption is more than 18 years ago.
I
didn’t drink that Asahi beer. I put it next to Budweiser beer in my room, given to me by a
guest last week and next to a half bottle of Suntory 12 years old whisky given
to me be a Japanese family 2 years ago.
When
I play the song “Tennessee Waltz”, the lady who gave a drink come to the piano
and said to me, “That’s my favorite song”. She watches me play it to the end.
I’m playing it in key of F.
After
the song, she asks me if she can play. I looked around and I can’t see Horie.
If he’s around, I’ll ask him if he will allow her to play a song, which I think
he will approve.
She
played the same song “Tennessee Waltz” but in key of C. After playing it, there
is a controlled applause from her 2 friends sitting next to her. Then, she asks
me, “Are you a Filipino?” When I said yes, she played “Dahil Sa Iyo” which
means “Because of You”.
I
can’t resist myself to sing it while she’s playing while I’m always on the
lookout if Horie is around. When she finished the song, I gave her my card and
asked her, “How did you learn that song?” She just smiled.
I
haven’t eaten my dinner yet and I’m always looking at the time because the
cafeteria is closing at 7:30 and Horie is always around. When it’s 7:20, I
still didn’t have a chance even for a quick bite.
It’s
worth it because the lady who gave me Asahi beer gave me also $100.00 tip
before going home. She puts it behind my thinnest notebook.
Maricar
saw it and after the guests left, she look at it and ‘broadcast’ it on her
2-way radio – “It’s confirm, it’s confirm! Robert got $100.00 tip”.
Those
who heard the ‘broadcast’ ask for soda – Mildred (Dr. Pepper’s), Pebee (7-up),
Jovy (Pepsi), Maricar (C2 Apple flavor) and Maricel (Coke).
Source: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 8 & 11
Volume 21
Issue 86
November 29, 2012
Masahiro is more impressed with this story. Then I played "Stand by Me". At the part where I always mention the name of a person next to me, "Masahiro, Masahiro, Stand, by me, oh, stand by me", he really stand beside me!
It's now time for Michiko -- "Michiko, Michiko, Stand by me, oh, stand by me," Michiko also stand beside me. We have a good time!
The proven "assist" to Hotel California was applied by me again this time with Masahiro. I asked him to play with the pitch bend so that there will be some 'effects' on the ad lib.
Lastly, Masahiro gave me $40.00 tip this time.
IT'S AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT ON A SIMPLE QUIET EVENING AT BREEZE BAR OF PALAU ROYAL RESORT.
The Suzuki couple promised that they will be back to Palau again someday to renew our friendship and have another unforgettable night with songs, music, stories and sharing.
SEE YOU AGAIN, MASAHIRO SAN AND MICHIKO SAN!
MATTA NE!
Source: Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
September 2014
To be published as a book in the future
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