Steven Chen, left, and Ethan Zhao, right, became Roberto Hernandez' best Taiwanese friends during their stay at Palau Royal Resort in July 2014. The trio still communicate with each other through email and Facebook and cherished their happy moments including Ethan's 'assist' during the ad lib of Hotel California. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
'ASSISTING' ME TO THE AD LIB OF
HOTEL CALIFORNIA
I MET 2 young Taiwanese in July 2014 at Breeze Bar of Palau Royal Resort.
It was a quick connection that Ethan Zhao and Steven Chen became my best Taiwanese friends in just a short period of time.
It is also through music that we 'connect' more and enjoyed many moments through songs especially the "Stand By Me".
It's a different 'hit' when I sing it with "So, Ethan, Ethan, Stand By Me, Oh oh Stand By Me" because Ethan will really 'stand by me', dance a little and have a photo taken. Same with Steven.
They have even a video of it with Ethan and Steven dancing while I'm singing "Stand by Me".
But the most funny and enjoyable part is when I play the ad lib of Hotel California and I asked Ethan to do the pitch bend. Everybody enjoyed it even the 2 lady guests farther from us. The sound really sounds like a distortion guitar being played by a professional lead guitarist.
In their last night, we exchanges signatures in their slum books and small handwritten notes like the one I told them about Rin Kita, the Japanese girl...
If a simple letter/card can be treasured and cherished, what more with this picture with a beautiful girl that wrote me a lovely note, although in Japanese character, to touch the hearts of many including PRR GM Isao Takahashi, who kept that note/letter for more than a year! (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
RIN KITA IS BACK AFTER 2 YEARS
TWO weeks before going to
Istanbul for 2012 World Chess Olympiad, the 56th issue of Tia Belau
was published with Music and Me story of “A Letter From A 5-year-old Japanese
Girl”.
The
first line of that story is “While playing piano at Waves Restaurant on Sunday,
March 20, 2011, a 5-year-old girl is watching me play.”
Exactly
2 years and 1 day (March 21, 2013), that Japanese girl is watching me play
again. After finishing the song that I’m playing, I gave her my card and asked
her name. She said her name but I misheard it as “Kin Jita”.
Then
I played some Japanese songs and she sung some parts where she knows in soft
voice. Then I showed her my scrap book with photos and print copy of some Music
and Me issues with black and white photos.
My
instinct ‘commanded’ me to go to the last part of the book where the
letter/card of Rin Kita was posted. Then I said, “This is written and made by
Rin Kita. Are you Rin Kita?” When she nodded, that’s the time that I’m sure now
that she is really her 2 years ago.
When
I mentioned to her that she is the one that make and draw the hearts, grapes
and flags of Palau and Japan in there, she is almost in tears.
She
can’t believe that a simple note, letter and drawing like that will be treasured
and cherished by someone. I asked her, “Where is your mom?” And I said, go
ahead and bring the book and show it to her.
When
they come to me, we have pictures taken –one in their camera and one in my cell
phone’s camera. It’s my day off the next day (Friday) but on Saturday, they
come again to have dinner near the piano.
When
I played “Oribia O Kikinagara”, Rin Kita sang on some parts that she knows. Her
mom can sing all the last parts of the song.
We
talked for a while about their stay in Palau 2 years ago. It’s their 3rd
time now in Palau. Rin Kita is 6 years old, not 5 as I have written. She’s 8
years old now and very beautiful.
I
read to them the contents of “A Letter From A 5-year-old Japanese Girl”—about
the accident when Rin Kita accidentally drop a glass and some broken glass hit
her leg; about the letter/card and how our GM Isao Takahashi translated it to
me.
I
asked them also to check the website http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
where I will feature Rin Kita again. She was featured (without picture) in
Music and Me issue 56 (Aug. 16, 2012) and no. 280th post in that
website. I posted it on August 18, 2012—a week before my trip to Istanbul.
I promise to the father of this Taiwanese boy that I will feature his son in this column in about 2 weeks. It's more than a month now. So here it is. I asked him to check the Palau Chess Federation website http://palau-chess.blogspot.com because I write about music also at Tia Belau which I am posting also in this site. Sorry that I didn't get your names. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
A LETTER FROM A 6-YEAR-OLD
JAPANESE GIRL
WHILE playing piano
at Waves Restaurant on Sunday evening, March 20, 2011, a 6-year old Japanese
girl is watching me play. After finishing the song, I called her and gave her
my card. She was very excited about it and showed the card to her mom and
auntie.
There’s
also a young Japanese couple with 2 kids (one is maybe one year old and the
other is 3 years old). They’ve been regular guests at Waves and Breeze Bar in
the last 3 days.
Minutes
later, a group of Japanese came and have dinner in the wooden area. Five of
them are in a wheelchair. One of them can ‘drive’ it without someone pushing
it.
At
past 8:00 pm, after finishing their dinner and paying their more than $700.00
bill, the group had surrounded me. The two wheelchairs with an old lady and a
guy positioned to my right, one at my back and another 2 to my left. They like
my rendition of Japanese songs. I showed them my Japanese song book and they
choose and requested songs from that.
The
old lady in a wheelchair to my right requested “Ai No Sanka”. She clapped
enthusiastically after I played that song. I gave her and the guy at my
back my card. She appreciated it very much and shook my hand in gratitude.
The
girl, Rin Kita, and the young Japanese couple with 2 kids, are watching those
guests around me having a good time. After 3 more requested songs, they left.
One of the ladies (not in wheelchair), gave me $5.00 tip and another lady gave
me also $5.00 tip. I gave another card to the last guy in a wheelchair on my
right.
After
they left, Rin Kita approached me and talk to me in Japanese. She specifically
said “Ashita”, asking if I’ll be at Waves Restaurant again tomorrow evening. I told
her “Shigoto wa rokuji kara, kyuji made desu (koko) to kyuji kara juichiji made
desu (Breeze Bar). Sui-yobi wa yasumi. (It means I work from 6-9pm there and
9-11pm at Breeze Bar and Wednesday is my day off).
Before
9:00, the Japanese guy and his 3-year old daughter approached me and she gave me
$10.00 tip. He said it’s their last night tonight and they will go back to
Japan. I gave the girl my card. Upon reading it, he asked his daughter to say
“Thank you, Roberto san.”
Another
young Japanese couple farther away also enjoyed my music. Before going home, the
lady gave me $2.00 tip and said, “Thank you for the very nice Japanese songs.”
At
Breeze Bar, the Japanese couple with 2 kids proceed there and clapped after I
played a song, whether Japanese or American songs. When it’s time for them to
say goodbye for check out, a lot of waving from me and from them.
The
next day, Monday, Rin Kita arrived with her mom and auntie. She gave me a
home-made card with a letter written in Katakana and Hirakana. It’s my first
time to receive a lovely note from a 6-year old girl. I displayed that
note/card at the piano music stand trying to figure out what it is she’s saying
in the letter.
A
little accident occurred when she accidentally dropped a glass on the floor and
a piece of broken glass hit her leg. She was treated with first aid kit by the
new F & B Manager Edgie Garcia. When she’s waving goodbye to me while they
are going out of Waves, I notice a little limping from her.
I
showed the card to our General Manager Isao Takahashi and he translated it to me--
that the girl plays piano also and she’d like to see me again someday when they
come back to Palau.
Source: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 8-9
Volume 21
Issue 56
August 16, 2012
Exactly
2 years and 1 day, Rin Kita, right, came back to Palau with her mom. A
photo was taken this time on March 21, 2013 with her showing the
letter/card that she made 2 years ago that Roberto Hernandez has put in
his scrap book.
Source: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9 and 11
Volume 22
Issue 25
March 28, 2013
The last photo session of us is also a memorable one. We agreed to communicate through Facebook and emails especially when I will be in Philippines and Norway where internet connection is faster.
I have also some experiences with the ad lib of Hotel California like in Dec. 16, 2013 where Michiko Nakamura and Katsutoshi Nakada came for the 8th time in Palau.
Michiko had a gift for me and my wife --a blazer in which I said I will wear when I come to Norway for the 2014 World Chess Olympiad in Aug. 1-14, 2014; a coin purse for my wife; Christmas cards with personal notes, etc.
I talked to them for a few minutes on that night, Dec. 16, 2013 and told them the stories of the crying Japanese guy that gave me $100.00 tip twice.
Before I resume my playing, I asked them if they want to request a song or two. Michiko requested "Desperado" while Katsutoshi requested Hotel California.
Sometimes I ask Jovy Rodriguez, bartender and also a friend of the couple, to assist me to the ad lib of Hotel California and I think this is the right time to give the couple a good time...
During the ad lib, that's the time that Jovy stand near me and 'played' the pitch bend really good that the couple really had a good time laughing.
Sources: Chess And Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning Of Chess In Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
To be published as a book in the future
Music and Me
By Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
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