DURING MY piano performance on the night of March 08, 2009, I’ve got $5.00 tip from a Japanese guest and another $5.00 tip from Taiwanese guests, all in 5 new one dollar bills.
After playing Japanese song “Subaru”, her brother came to me and asked if I speak Chinese. I said no. He asked, “What is the title of the last song you’ve just played?” I said it’s a Japanese song “Subaru”. I showed him the lyrics and we sang the chorus part of the song. He noticed also the year – 1980.
Later, he asked again the title of the song I just played. I said, “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” by Rod Stewart.
I played all the Taiwanese songs that I know and they appreciated it with applause.
Before going home, the mother of Ambassador Tien came to me on a wheelchair being push by the Filipina domestic helper. She gave me $20.00 as tip and said, “Very good music.”
Then later, Arj Berenguer asked me to play “Happy Birthday” song on his signal because one of the guests is celebrating her birthday.
I saw
The birthday celebrant is her mother, on a wheelchair being push by a different Filipina domestic helper. I remember her as the one who gave me $20.00 on March 8.
Edgar leads the singing and asked me to play it in key of A because most of them singing are male. If most of them singing are female, I play it in Key of E.
It was good singing and the celebrant came to me again before going home and gave me $20.00 tip. She said, “Xie, Xie … ….. …..”. I don’t understand the last words that she said and Ambassador Maggie Tien translated it to me as, “Thank you for playing me the Happy Birthday song.” I asked, “How old is your mother?” She said 88. I proudly said, “My father is 92!” Ambassador Tien was surprised and said, “Please send my regards to him” before leaving.
Source: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper Page 8-9
Volume 21 Issue 22 April 19, 2012
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