At
7pm, before playing piano at Waves Restaurant of PRR, he will drink one glass
of water, look at the guests to see who are Japanese or Chinese and bring the
water goblet full of water and put it at the left side of the piano. He can
distinguish the guests if they are Japanese if there are drinks on their table.
If only water, they are Taiwanese or Chinese.
Sometimes,
there are Chinese who have drinks on their table or ordered a bottle of red or
white wine but Roberto can still distinguish that they are Chinese because of
their table manners. Japanese drink their wine with a touch of class and not
‘rough’ as like the others.
After
one hour of playing instrumental piano music, Roberto has finished the 2
nd
glass of water. Before taking a short rest to the rest room, (that’s why they
call it rest room, it’s where Roberto take his rest), he will drink another
glass of water and refill the glass and put it back again at the left side of
the piano. He will finish the 4
th glass of water before proceeding
to Breeze Bar of PRR for another 2 hours of instrumental keyboard music from
9-11pm. Most of the times, he don’t drink water anymore there.
Sometimes, guests give Roberto wine (red or white) but still he will finish the water also.
DON'T DRINK YOUR RED WINE!
The
Japanese guy in the middle gave me $10.00 tip and a glass of red wine.
The Waves Restaurant supervisor, Fe, asked a bartender/waitress to tell
me not to drink it while on duty. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
THE LAST WALTZ-Japanese Version
ON
October 05, 2013, there are moderate number of guests at Waves
Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort, when I started to play piano at 7pm.
Minutes
later, a Japanese couple came with their grandson (photo). While
getting his food at the buffet, the guy usually sang a part of Japanese
song that I'm playing.
I played Japanese songs, Taiwanese songs and American songs alternately because there are some guests of these nationalities.
The
Japanese guy came to me once more and gave me $10.00 tip. He can't
speak English but I understand what he is saying 70% because he speaks
so clearly and got a very good and powerful voice.
He
also asked a waitress to give me red wine (my choice -- good for the
heart). Then he asked me if I know the song "The Last Waltz" and then he
proceed to his table with a plate of food.
When
I started to play the intro of that song which is sung by Engelbert
Humperdinck, he runs to me and sung the song in Japanese version. He's
really got a powerful voice that he needs no microphone.
Fe,
the supervisor, made a sign to me that he can't sing. But he's already
singing and it would be a unethical to stop him from singing in the
middle of the song.
I
have a mixed feeling while playing with him singing -- The Japanese
version of the song is so fitting to his voice and the selection of
lyrics is so right that I'm inspired to play with expression but it's
not fully expressive as there is a hindrance of getting another demerit
for letting a guest sing.
After
the song, Fe talked to him that he is not allowed to sing. When he sits
down to his table, the red wine was put near to my water goblet. I put
it on the top side of piano and the red wine was put to the place where
the goblet was.
Then Jovy Rodriguez, the lady bartender, told me that she will put the wine in a plastic glass and I can drink it at Breeze Bar.
While
I continue to play the rest of my schedule there, the former Executive
Chef Masaki Horie, who was the brainchild of disallowing guests to sing
or touch the piano, passed by with the new Exec. Chef Mr. Daizuke.
Chef Horie is also the one that tells the staff not to allow me to drink the alcoholic beverage that the guests are giving me.
I
discovered that order when a Filipino guest told me that, "I wanted to
give you a drink but the waitress said that you are not allowed to drink
while on duty."
It
didn't even come to Chef Horie's mind that if customers want to give me
drinks, they should have give me juice or Drink of the Month (DOM)
without alcohol so that it adds to the sales.
My
main concern for accepting drinks that the guests are giving me is help
in adding to the sales. Most of the drinks that guests are giving me,
especially beers in can, I just keep in my room.
At
9:00pm, after securing my things and the piano, I went to their table
and we talk for a few minutes. They really can speak English so I have
to really stretch my hearing and understanding of the words they are
saying.
I
asked them for a souvenir photo before I go to Breeze Bar. When we are
posing at the piano, my cell phone's camera is not working (with error
warning). I have to asked them to use their camera first and turned the
power off of my camera.
I
proceed to Breeze Bar with the red wine in a plastic glass. There, the
regular guests (the Pineda brothers: Bobby, Ogie and Dodie) are there.
They
have some family discussions which is very nice to hear. The side of
one is different from the other 2. Half hour later, an American couple
sit at the table beside them.
When
I started to play "Hotel California", they are singing with it so I
sang the song on the 2nd stanza. Four of us are now singing -the couple,
Bobby and me.
I followed it up with the 2nd Eagles song "Desperado" and the American guy knows the song and sang with me.
All the other songs --Stand By Me, Let It Be, Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, Careless Whisper were also sung like a choir.
Bobby
sang "Sometimes When We Touch" and "My Way" and also do the "drumming"
using a chopstick, plates and table to the amazement of the American
couple.
Before
11pm, the couple left and at exactly 11pm, I stopped playing. While
securing the keyboard, the couple came back with their luggage. They are
leaving in an hour to go back to USA.
The
guy is expecting me to be playing for another hour. I just sit down
with them and they gave me a shot of sake (Japanese wine).
When
the conversation was focused to chess, I asked the guy if he plays
chess. He said just a little. They are surprised to know that I
represented Palau in Australia in 2009, in Russia in 2010, in Istanbul,
Turkey last year and will represent Palau again in 2014 in Norway.
The
lady said they will follow the event next year and hopes to see me
again in the news or TV. I gave them my calling card and wish them a
good and safe flight back home.
Source: Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess In Palau
October 2013
To be published as a book in the future
During
supper, Roberto will take 2 more glasses of water and a glass of soy milk,
which is without glucose but has the same calcium as other fresh milk.
SO
ROBERTO IS DRINKG 16 GLASSES OF WATER EVERY DAY, TWICE AS THE DOCTOR’S ADVISE.
Every
Tuesday, he drinks 2 glasses of water after waking up at 4:15am to attend the
Morning Devotion of Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th
Watch) Palau Locale. After it, he will proceed to the Track and Field Oval to
jog for 30 minutes and do 30 push-ups.
Before,
Roberto thought that the best place to jog is at Long Island Park. It’s still
the best place to jog leisurely but if anybody wants to perspire, the oval is
the place! You can also measure/calculate how many meters you had jogged/walked.
There
are a lot of joggers there as early as 5am. Roberto counted it at 5:45am and
there are 25 joggers. Fifteen minutes later, more than 30 joggers. He met there
in early January 2016, Lucio Ngiraiwet, his long time friend and a Delegate from
Ngardmau State, who said, “So, you still find some time to exercise. This
Yuletide season, I ate a lot. I need to shed some fats.” Also the former Palau
President Johnson Toribiong jogs/walks there regularly with friends.
He
will have breakfast at 6:30am with 2 glasses of water again and a cup of herbal
tea before sleeping again for 4 hours.
The
same routine but the music student (guitar) is Hanson Campbell from 4-5pm.
Every Wednesday, Roberto has the same routine as Monday and the same piano
student (Dichem) from 5-6pm. Currently,
no student on Thursday but Friday is hectic. Morning Devotion again at 4:30am,
jogging for 30 minutes from 5:45-6:15, breakfast, sleep again for 4 hours,
lunch, teach Hanson guitar 2-3pm, teach Samantha guitar/keyboard from 3-5pm,
play music from 7-11pm.
Saturday
is more hectic – teach Shane guitar from 8-10am, lunch, teach Norma Neriquita
keyboard from 1:30-3:30pm, early dinner at 4:30, teach Brandon Kyle L. Soriano
guitar and chess from 6pm-8pm (1 hour guitar, 1 hour chess).
Sunday
is the only morning that Roberto drink coffee at breakfast so that he will not
fall sleepy during the Sunday Services of PMCC, where he is the President again
for 2016 after being the President from 2008-2010. He drinks 2 glasses of water
there during the 9am-12:30pm services.
Late
in 2015, Roberto is teaching his first genius piano student, 24-year-old
Japanese lady Yoko Tomita every Tuesday (2 hours) and Thursday (1 hour) but the
schedule becomes irregular when she started to work as volunteer at Dolphins
Pacific in Feb. 2016. In March, 2016, sometimes it’s Mon., Tue, Wed or Friday,
depending on her available time. She or her mom always gives me a glass of
water before we start our lessons. ANOTHER EXTRA GLASS OF WATER!
Sources: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 2013 -- March 11, 2016
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
To be published as a book in the future
