Journal Entries
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Note: Background images in December 2002 and January 2003 journal entries are selected from Frances Ku's collection of her original watercolours.
Bon Journal
First requests and tip
A lady stopped by and asked cheerfully, "Can you play Gershwin? I'm sure you know how."
Luckily I had "Embraceable You" in today's repertoire. By the time I finished, I noticed she had disappeared.
Another lady came up and asked if I could play the Titanic theme that I had played yesterday. since I didn't have the music with me, I had to improvise from memory. I doubted that she heard me play, for she was talking to a bar man by then.
I was conscious of a grey-haired man sitting not far away. He was alone, drinking a glass of red wine. I wasn't sure if he was waiting for someone or what. But he was there the entire time.
After I finished, I turned around and smiled at him.
He walked up to me, shook my hands with two worn notes. My first tip!
"Thank you. It was wonderful. I could sing just about every tune. They should put some chairs around you, fence this area in so people could just sit and listen to you."
That is some compliment! I told him that somebody had complained that I played too loudly yesterday. So I didn't open the lid to its maximum today.
"They just don't understand."
My female intuition was correct. The people who really listen aren't the ones sitting in the bar area. It's those that are sitting in the lobby, the stranded passengers or those queuing to check in. Those at the bar are too busy drinking and smoking and talking to pay attention.
