(1202) MUSIC AND ME (Feb. 25, 2016) OLD AND YOUNG PIANISTS GUESTS OF PRR

A PIANIST IN HONG KONG IN HER YOUNGER DAYS
     A little rusty but this lady pianist from Hong Kong can play classical songs. She likes soft music. When Roberto learned that she's from Hong Kong, he plays Chinese songs but she doesn't like Chinese songs.


  OLD AND YOUNG PIANISTS GUESTS 
          OF PALAU ROYAL RESORT
 

ON FEBRUARY 17, 2016, an old lady from Hong Kong appreciated my rendition of Chinese songs that I played alternately with American and Japanese songs. Sometimes she would come near me and watch how I play especially with the 2 pedals that I played almost the same number of times.

                She gave me $20.00 tip and later asked if she can play for a few songs. I let her play and she’s good but a little rusty. She said she is retired now but used to play in restaurant/hotel in Hong Kong during her younger years.

                After her short performance, she sits again at her table and I played more Chinese songs. Later she comes back again and asks me not to play Chinese songs. I know a lot of guests/friends/colleagues that don’t like music from their countries: Yuriko Irikedamoto doesn’t like me to play Japanese songs at her Teppan Dragon or Donburi Dragon Japanese restaurants. She wants me to play Italian songs. I can play for only 30 minutes straight all Italian songs but I can play for more than 2 hours straight playing Japanese songs; Kasiano Sugiyama, a Palauan singer/recording artist, doesn’t like Palauan songs. He likes American songs more than Palauan songs; and now this lady from Hong Kong, who also prefers softer and slow tempo music.

While the lady from Hong Kong is playing, I took a shot of her with Palau Royal Resort's Chief Engineer Tony Penas and her girlfriend Shirley, Manager at Mandara Spa, while having dinner.

                                        (Photo by Roberto Hernandez) 

                In August 17, 2015, a Japanese boy is watching me play piano as if he doesn’t know about music. I let him sit on the right side of the piano chair and hold his 2 fingers and we played the song “Chopstick” with me playing the accompaniment on the left side and him playing only 2 fingers to the delight of his parents and younger brother.

                To my surprise, the father asked me if I can let the boy play the piano and when he play, Oh boy, he’s very good at his very young age and playing classical pieces. I think the boy has formal training on classical piano music at his young age.

                There’s another Japanese father with his 2 girls watching the boy plays, who cannot even reach the 3 damper pedals of the upright piano. After his performance, I gave the boy my card, which I always do to anybody who became my ‘guest’ performer.

Sources: Music and Me
                   By Roberto Hernandez
                   Tia Belau Newspaper
                   March 15, 2012 -- April 2013
                   http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
                   April 2013 -- February 25, 2016

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

(1036) Koror Transformed Into Chinatown 2015 (WHERE WILL PALAU BE IN 99 YEARS?) By Santy Asanuma

     (KOROR TRANSFORMED INTO
            CHINATOWN 2015)

    WHERE WILL PALAU BE IN 99 YEARS?
                     By Santy Asanuma

 

“Wow! This is quite a transformation (klou el mlamengodech) in Palau since the last time I was here last year. I have been to restaurants in Koror where everything is in Chinese including the people. In fact, I have not seen more Chinese in all of Micronesia than in Palau today,” said an Australian stationed in Marshalls who has been visiting Palau few times in a span of last year and half.  At night she would go to restaurants to eat and could not believe her eyes that the streets of Koror are literally filled with Chinese everywhere she looked. She was nice in saying her observation but I could sense her obvious wonderment (mechas a rengul) why is this happening. Nonetheless, this is the picture of Koror nowadays.

Base on the premise of the reality of what is happening, we have to tweak everything in Palau to fit the Chinese perspective or taste because it is economically lucrative (nguchul a usisebelela udoud). In purely business sense for more money, this is the only way to go. In fact, many young Palauans are now feeding on Shaowarmabeef sandwiches and Pong Pong fried fish balls as if they grew up on them and have become regular part of their diet. The locals are riding this wave of excitement in trying new and exotic tastes like various cooked jellyfish and sea cucumber dishes that were only available before to the jet travelling Palauan public officials going to Taiwan, Hong Kong , and China. Now these things are proliferating in Koror and are here to stay for the common Palauan to enjoy anytime, more importantly, because the waves of visiting Chinese tourists have to be fed with their own food.

The fight between two China has finally reached our shores and well under way in the full blown spectrum of Palauan society including land and everything on it. On one hand, Taiwan is our dear friend and we have sealed our strong diplomatic relationship between the two countries based on democratic principles. And this partnership with Taiwan close to twenty years has proven beneficial to Palau’s development in terms of stimulus by $10 millions every year. Of course, Palau is an ardent supporter of Taiwan in UN second to none which is what Taiwan needs for its sovereignty. We truly need each other. On the other hand, the mighty China is world super power with an economy rivaling with US economy and has 1.7 billion people. The obvious move for China would use economic means to come through the backdoor into our living room sort of speaking.

The mainland Chinese are quite clever to have acquired as many lands under 99 years policy throughout Palau. They basically have cemented their strong hold and secure their right to be here in Palau because the leasing program has unlimited renewal options. And sociologically (tekoi er a klechad) there is no stopping the heirs of land owners from getting more money hand outs or kickbacks (telechull malechub e ngulimoim) from the Chinese tenants to make the land agreements virtually endless. Moreover, there is no stopping Palauans during the tenure (delengcheklir) up to 99 years from now in getting accustom (ke de mo smau), and in fact, welcoming the idea of integrating and assimilating Chinese culture into our own. I cannot help it but point out that young people are more tuned and drawn to the sound of “pongyo” than “akii” in the local contemporary songs.

The transformation has begun whether we agreed to it or not. But by mere observation around the world, Chinese as a culture tend to be ethnocentric (ng diak murachem) and usually do not blend well with other cultures. This is obvious in San Francisco and Olongapo in Manila to name two places where Chinese people managed to build their own separate communities commonly as “China Town.” Here in Palau it is all over so there is no telling where China Town will be. In 2006, Solomon Islands erupted in ethnic cleansing by burning down China Town which left over 1,000 Chinese residents homeless. Around 1906 Chinese laborers were imported in a concerted move to help build the Solomon Islands so that exactly 100 years after! We are building Palau but to what extent and direction?

WHERE WILL PALAU BE IN 99 YEARS?

Source: Ngarker Cholbechel

              By Santy Asanuma "social compass"

              santyasanuma@gmail.com

              Tia Belau Newspaper

              Page 6

              Volume 24

              Issue 18

              March 02, 2015 

(694) MUSIC AND ME (Jan. 23, 2014) 1,000 YEN FOR PLAYING "LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING"

A MOVIE FILMED IN HONG KONG
    The Japanese guy in the middle requested me a song which he can't hum or remember the lyrics. He just said it's a love story theme from a movie shot in Hong Kong. My music instinct helped me guessed it right!
                                                      (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)



            LOVE IS A MANY
        SPLENDORED THING

It was not a busy night in Feb. 2014 and I'm playing piano at Waves Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort. I played the usual songs that I'm playing when there's a variation of customers -- 1 Japanese song, 1 Taiwanese song and 1 American song.

There's an old Japanese couple about 12 meters from me. The guy said, "I can't speak very good English but I want to request a song from a movie shot in Hong Kong."

That's the only hint that he had about the song. I asked him if he can hum the tune, but he can't.

When he left to be with his wife, it suddenly comes to mind the song "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" and played it right away with expression.

The guy stand up in excitement! He thought that I really know that it's the song that he is requesting. It's just an educated guess. What a guess!

After that, I followed it up with more love songs from movie themes --Moon River from "Breakfast At Tiffany's", Somewhere My Love from Dr. Zhivago, As Time Goes By from Casablanca, etc.

Then I saw him get the room key and go to their room. I think I know what he will do. He don't have cash in his possession so he will get from their room.

When he comes back, he comes straight to me and said, "This is just what I've got-- 1,000 yen." Or equivalent to about $10.00.

When they are paying their bill, I stopped playing and asked them for a picture session as souvenir. Two shots were taken and I noticed that they paid in cash -- in dollars.

     

Source: Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
           The Beginning of Chess In Palau
           By Roberto Hernandez
           January 2014
           To be published as a book in the future