Thursday, July 23, 2015

(958) MUSIC AND ME (May 21, 2015) SOUS CHEF DAVID CHEN PROPOSES TO GIRLFRIEND AT BREEZE BAR








On October 20, 2014, Junior Sous Chef David Chen asked me to play love songs at Breeze Bar during his proposal to his girlfriend on a Friday evening (Oct. 24) at 9pm.

I said,  "It's my day off every Friday but if it's 9pm, I can make it after attending the prayer meeting at Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ in the 4th Watch (Palau Locale)."

David is very appreciative about it. It's also the first time that he requested to me something about music.

Somebody suggested that someone should sing a love song while he is proposing. The suggested song is "Unforgettable" by Nat 'King' Cole which was 'remade' and 'revived' with his daughter Nathalie 'singing' it with him like he's still alive. That's what technology can do. The arrangement of the song is so beautiful and complicated that I have to look at the chords to play it without mistakes.

The name Gerry Medrano, Cafeteria's new cook, came to somebody's mind. We don't have time to practice that song. I just lend him the songbook where he will choose also some other songs from that. 
   
Gerry Medrano, 2nd from left, poses with Paquito Suringa, Jr., who is absent in the Awarding Ceremony of the 2014 Palau National Chess Championship. He is holding the 1st runner-up trophy of Roberto Hernandez. At left is John Fernan Velarde, who participated in the only chess tournament that he joined -- the 2012 PNCC. He left Palau for good on May 29, 2015. New worker JR shows the certificate of participation of Roberto.                                             (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)


At 8pm, I attended the Friday Prayer Meeting at Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ in the 4th Watch (Palau Locale). 10 minutes before 9, I left to fulfill my promise to play in the surprise proposal of David to his girlfriend.

At 9pm, I am already setting the keyboard at Breeze Bar of Palau Royal Resort. Gerry came 5 minutes late.

He sung first the "Unforgettable" which I set the key 2 steps lower. I don't have an idea of what pitch Gerry has. He's singing it off key so I change it to the original key and everything sounds good from there.

I don't like his choice of the next song -- "Twilight Time" by the Platters. Only the title but the lyrics are good...

Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time,
Out of the mist your voice is calling, it's twilight time,
When purple-colored curtains mark the end of day,
I hear you, my dear, at twilight time.

Deepening shadows gather splendor as day is gone,
Fingers of night will soon surrender the setting sun,
I count the moments, darling, till you're here with me,
Together, at last at twilight time.

     Here in the afterglow of day
     We keep our rendezvous beneath the blue
     Here in the sweet and same old way
     I fall in love again as I did then.

Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me like days of old,
Lighting the spark of love that fills me with dreams untold
Each day I pray for evening just to be with you,
Together, at last at twilight time.

     
When Gerry is singing "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", that's the time that David proposes. He's wearing complete chef uniform.

When David proposes at the beach, there is a big heart-shape of candles at the beach.

The other guests, mostly Taiwanese, are surprised as did David's girlfriend. She's in tears. Many guests have watched them during the short proposal time.

The design of the surprise heart-shaped candles at the beach was meticulously done by Palau Royal Resort DOB Michelle Liao.

Before going back to Dormitory 1, I had the above photo taken with David and his girlfriend.


Sources: Music and Me
             By Roberto Hernandez
             http://palau-chess.blogspot.com

            Chess and Music (Perfect Combination
            The Beginning of Chess in Palau
            By Roberto Hernandez
            October 24, 2014
            To be published as a book in the future

 

 

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