THEY DISCOVERED HOW TO ENJOY PALAU MORE
Lie and Daizuke had a fantastic night at Breeze Bar of Palau Royal Resort because of its staff --Roberto Hernandez, musician, Tonete Medilo, cashier-dancer-singer, and Jovy, bartender. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
LIE AND DICE K
THERE'S so much to write about my music experiences that within 5 hours of playing music on the eve of July 09, 2012 (Monday), it’s more than enough for one article.
It looks like an ordinary evening when I started playing piano at 6 pm at Waves Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort. Most customers are Taiwanese and a few tables of Japanese couples.
When I play the song “Sakeyo” (It’s a Japanese song with Taiwanese version), a Japanese guy watched me closely while playing it especially the way I step on 2 damper pedals of the piano. Perhaps I’m the only pianist in the world that uses the left and the right pedals of the piano at least 5,000 times in 3 hours of playing.
The right pedal is for sustain and the left pedal is for controlling the loudness. The middle pedal, which I rarely use, is for mute sound. I use it only when fading—from loud to the point that I am the only one to hear it.
At past 8:00 pm, a Japanese lady is curious about the way I’m playing – without notes and only a thin notebook for the table of contents of all the songs that I’m playing (less than 2,000 international songs).
When she saw the “Love is Over” (Japanese song) in my Japanese songs list, she requested me to play it. Then I gave her my business card. She showed it to her partner and later, she comes to me and gave me $5.00 tip.
After paying their bill, they said they will go to Breeze Bar at 10:00 after I told them a short Japanese sentence that I memorized since a few years ago – “Shigoto wa rokuji kara kyuji made desu. Koko. To kyuji kara juichiji made desu–Breeze Bar.” (Which means –“My job here starts at 6:00 and finished at 9:00 and 9:00 to 11:00 at Breeze Bar.”)
The first guy who watched me play “Sakeyo” is paying their bill and asked me if I would like to have a beer. I said yes, thank you. And I asked Ronald Cinco, the bartender, for Asahi beer which I didn’t drink and gave it to my Jack of All Trade friend James dela Cruz three days later. In return, James gave me 2 sour sops.
Ten minutes before 10:00, the Japanese couple had a drink and I started playing Japanese songs and lend them my 2 song books (one is all Japanese songs and the other is all American songs that are popular also in Japan.) They requested first the “Top of The World” by Carpenters followed by “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver.
She is in the mood to dance so I asked Tonete to sing “Dancing Queen” by Abba. Before the end of the song, they dance together with Tonete still holding the song book.
The couple enjoyed some more when she sung “The Rose” by Bette Midler. Unfortunately, I don’t have the lyrics of it but she memorized the words of it so no problem. It’s time for the guy to sing “Itoshino Elly” by Southern All-Stars. I sang with him because I memorized its lyrics many years ago. It’s the most popular Japanese song in my list.
To give a twist to the song, I ask for the lady’s name—it’s Lie, the opposite of Elly. During the part where “Elly My Love So Sweet is mentioned, I changed it to Lie, my love so sweet. And to Jovy, the bartender, and Tonete; my love, so sweet. And at the last part, I make it sure that I mentioned “Lie, ooh… Baby”.There’s a very loud applause from everybody (only 5 of us!).
At 11:00, I stopped playing and just talked to them about my 20 years of staying in Palau. And that my wife’s been in Palau also for 17 years. My daughter graduated high school here and stayed in Palau for 9 years.
I also told them the story of the “crying Japanese guy” in 2008 and that I’m teaching piano to the grandson of Palau President Johnson Toribiong.
They are leaving tomorrow back to Japan and it looks like they are excited about it. But when I tell some more stories about Palau, especially about nature, they want to stay more or will come back some other time. When I mentioned to them about how close to nature I was about a year ago—they are more impressed. Like when a bird built a nest and laid its eggs to a plant just a foot from the keyboard. When the eggs are laid, I can touch the chicks and the bird! How can you be more close to nature than that? Only in Palau!
I also told them a story a few months ago, when President Toribiong was a guest at Breeze Bar. He sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley in front of a young Japanese couple. After he left, I talked to the couple and asked them, “Do you know who sang a song a while ago? It’s the President of Palau. You’re very lucky that you’ve been serenaded by Palau President.”
I said to her also that it happened twice that the President help me side by side in teaching his grandson. She said she might feel uncomfortable if that happens to her.
I mentioned also that a few weeks ago, there’s a Japanese couple where the guy is from Kagoshima, Japan, where Hernandez played in the band from April 04 – Sept. 28, 1982. I remember when the volcano Sakurajima erupted and I forgot to lock the window of my room in an apartment where we are staying. The ash fall is about 1/8 inch all over my room. Kagoshima is also the place where Mr. Takashi, the singer of Kita Sakaba, came from so I memorized that song because it’s in the top 10 for a few months in 1982.
I also showed them the picture of my wife, daughter and grandson—which they thought was a girl! And finally, I asked the guy’s name. When he said Daizuke, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Japanese pitcher of the Boston Red Sox whose name is Daizuke Matsusaka. Many people, to make his name short, call him Dice K, which is how Daizuke is pronounced. And I informed them that K is for strikeout.
Before they go, they added another $5.00 tip to me;
I’M THINKING, WITH THAT EXTRA 20 MINUTES OF TALKING, HOW MANY GUESTS HAVE MISSED THIS CHANCE TO ENJOY THE MUSIC AND SHARING MY MUSIC EXPERIENCES?
Source: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 8-9
Volume 21
Issue 50
July 26, 2012
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