FUNNYACCENT

Illustration Friday- Spring

The first thing that popped into my head when I saw the word Spring for this week Illustration Friday was a coil spring. Since we're in spring I want to collaborate two springs into one.

Two Birds with One Stone

My stupidity working out like a maniac over my microminivacation last week finally got to my falling apart body. As I bent down to pick some mails shoved halfway under my office door, I felt a sharp pain stabbed between my shoulder blades. For days I've felt the knots here and there on my back, the sign I would've not ignored.

The pain systematically spread on my back.  I could've taken a pain reliever, but I never took any pain reliever before except when I had my root canal fixed last year. Last month I called Chi Wellness to ask about their service. I picked up the phone and dialed their number praying they had available slot. I told Mr Miles Chong Cheng, the Director of the center I was interested to get a tuina massage. When he asked me If I were available for 5 pm appointment, I almost jumped out of my chair.

By 4:30 pm I was at their door. Lulu, a cheerful and friendly masseuse introduced herself and handed me a clipboard and consenting /personal info forms. When she learned that I experienced a low blood pressure in the past she asked me what time I had my lunch.  She suggested me to have some light snack, some crackers or a banana. I walked up to a corner store near Brigham Women Hospital train stop. The Ethiopian kid at the cash register asked me if I were an Indian when he saw my bangles.

"I'm Malaysian."

I heard a gasp behind me. I turned around and came face to face with a beautiful smiling face, grinning ear to ear.

"You're Malaysian?" She put her right hand over her chest.

"Are you? Which part of Malaysia?"

"Yes!!! I was born in Penang."

It was my turn. "Get out of here!!! Me too!!! But my family moved to Taiping in 1968." We laughed and talked at the same time. So many things to talk about.

"Oh my god. I could not believe it. My family moved to Taiping when I was younger ." She put  her hands on both of her cheeks.

"Ladies, ladies, I did a wonderful job today, right? I bring two Malaysians together." We forgot all about the kid at the cash register.

We thanked him. Both of us had to be somewhere else. I dug out my pocket book and handed her my card and she did hers.

Before we parted she held my hands and said, "Please keep in touch, okay? Selamat jalan."

"I will. Jumpa lagi." I walked back to Chi Wellness Center with bright smile as bright as a full moon.

When I got home I added Cheng Ai Kwok's name in my address book.

Anak Dagang Di Rantau Orang

I've learned to trust my instinct when I come face to face to another Malay since I've been living here. Out of 11 times I've been right 10 times.  I don't know what it is, but I think we have a universal antenna among anak dagang -wanderers and travelers. There is a quick as a lightning moment when you exchange the look with that person you know right away s/he has tasted belacan- shrimp paste.

I had that moment the other day when I was in the subway. I got on the Park Street station and sat near the door.  The woman's behind who sat next to me was bigger than the seat,  her left hip squeezed me. As I inched away to the left I had a feeling somebody was watching me. When I looked up, the woman sat opposite me diverted her eyes away abnormally quick. But we already exchanged that knowingly look. I think she wore baju kurung, but I'm not sure because she had a light jacket on. But I remember she also wore a blue denims jeans, black pump shoes and a light blue head scarf. When she looked at me again, I smiled at her and leaned forward and greeted her. She looked at me without an expression, not even smile, a kind of smile you gave to a stranger when you're mistaken for somebody else.  I leaned forward again. "Excuse me, are you Malaysian? Are you from Malaysia?

"I don't understand you."

Not even a hint of smile, but her accent gave her away.

"I'm sorry. My bad."

When the train pulled into Downtown Crossing, she got up before the train stopped.

Well, better luck next time Anasalwa.

Losing My Desire

I've been an ass for the past a couple of weeks. Blame it on my workload, workstress , losing my motivation or what ever the reasons were, I have no excuse for not updating my entry. Nina and her family went for a ski trip to Austria and returned home and I still didn't update my blog nor did I respond to her concern. To Nina and all wonderful cyber friends , I apologize for not being thoughtful. I took a week off from work and all I did were went to the gym, after the gym I spent a few hours at Border Book Cafe: read, wrote and browsing the books.

When I got home, I stretched on my raggedy old couch all afternoon, chewed on maruku I bought from Shalamar and drank green tea. The loved one had been away. What a blast.

For dinner I threw together something simple like spinach , oyster mushroom and sweet potato

which reminded me of sayur manis. I loved it so much I had it for dinner three nights in a row.

Sunday morning was sunny, but the temp was still in low 40's. we went for a walk along the water front on Harborwalk around UMass campus. We walked up to the end of the Harborwalk and finished at UMass beautiful track.

When we got home I made another fluffy pancakes.  His and mine. I can't get enough of this pancakes . I have it every other week. I wonder when am I going to get tired of it.  

The Spring is around the corner. When I left the workshop site it was past noon. The sun was bright and high in the sky. I took off my hat, gloves and scarf and stuffed them in my backpack. Who needed a scarf when the afternnon breeze married to a glorious sun in low 60's degree? I skipped the pizza they served at the workshop and had my lunch at Ueno Sushi, a Japanese Fusion Cafe in Downtown. I ordered Tuna Avocado Roll and a side order of seaweed salad. The rice was a little dry, but I was so hungry to be fussy.

After the lunch I got myself a cup of hot coffee and sat outside and enjoyed the afternoon before I hit the gym.

*A giant tea pot at Starbuck near City Hall. My camera didn't capture the thick smoke came out from the teapot.

Taste Bud

It has been a long day. I need something for my tired mind, something delicio for my taste bud.

Waiting for Matahari

This morning was a little chilly compared to yesterday, but when the temperature was up to 50 in winter, who wanted to complain especially if you were in New England?

I switched my plan to go to the gym and we went out for a walk on Carson Beach and walked all the way to Castle Island . We ran into familiar faces along the board walk.  A lady carried a plastic bag to pick up her dog's poop.

Castle Island bursts with life when the weather is warm. Runners, joggers, walkers, dogwalkers, catpushers, rollerbladers and fisherwomen/men are regulars between April and September. I am fortunate to live nearby.   I'm giddy with excitment just to think about approaching warm weather. So many things to do,  so many things NOT to do but to enjoy the heat and the glow of sun.

                                                                                                           Beauty and the Winter

                                                

In harmony

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Shoot and Eat

Dear Sueanne,

Remember during our sociology class a few years back you said to Chloe, your sidekick? "Yuck, Asian people are disgusting, they eat nasty food." I finished Noodling fot Flatheads last night and you know what? Buckhard Bilger, the author of this book  spent sometimes with folks from the town where your family have lived before your parents were born, as you told the class. This morning, on my way to work, I stopped near the bare oak tree to feed some squirrels. One of the squirrels sniffed the bread and looked at me, to my horror I saw your face in that cute little face.

Who am I When I am Angry?

Late this morning, I lost it, something I promised myself would never do it. I was in the living room with two of The Residents. They were curious about the memo I posted on the board three days ago. The memo reminded The Residents of upcoming on- site monthly workshop about Sexual Disease.  Is it mandatory? If it is they would grudgingly attend the workshop. The third Residents entered the living room and jumped into my mid sentence.

"Excuse me Amanda, would you mind?"

"Oohhhh....I'm sorry Ana." But before I finished the sentence she jumped in again. As a woman with a bipolar disorder *most of the time she is not aware of her disruptive behavior even though she knows she has it.*

The second time Amanda cut off JJ's question directed to me,  I said to her gently,

"Amanda, would you mind to let JJ finished her question."

"Sorry, JJ."

But before JJ even opened her mouth again, Amanda bulldozed her mouth non-stop for another two minutes. Was it my overload work? Too long hour around negative energy? In a split second I thought I heard a swish sound zapped my ears. Like and echo.

"Good gracious Amanda, could you give your poor mouth a rest?"

I heard a booming voice in the living room. Then two gasped in a row. Amanda's shock expression, her mouth wide opened. She looked at me as she had never seen me before. I felt a sharp pain stabbed my heart because I saw the terror in her eyes. I knew the cause of it. It was my angry expression. I seldom get angry. Very seldom. I don't get angry, or upset easily. Long time ago, my mother told me when I became angry, my face turned into unrecognizable expression, a funny sound like an angry cat came out from my throat. "So, don't get angry if you can help it. You will scare the shit out of people". My mother told me. I took her advice to my heart. Until this morning.

The heat left my body. I took a deep breath and looked at pale expression Amanda. "Amanda, I apologized. I shouldn't have lost my temper." I left the living room and went to my office. My hands were shaking as I put on my jacket. I grabbed the hat and walked past the living room heading outside. The women were still at the same spot when I left them a few minutes ago.

The chill air slapped my face when I stepped outside. The gray sky hung over my head.

After ten minutes walk, I stopped near a rusty fence next to an old abandoned building and threw up.

When I returned to my office, Amanda was sitting on the floor outside my office. She scrambled to her feet when she saw me. Her tear-streak face broke my heart. I opened the door and let her in. I closed the door.

I gestured her to sit down.

"Ana, I'm sorry, I want to apo...."

"Amanda..........I'm the one should be apologized. There is no excuse for me to act the way I acted. It was very unprofessional of me."

"No, it was me, I don't want to make you angry, I don't want to upset you you've done more than anybody else ever did to me and I been here not even two months and I done many good things since I came here I don't want you to be upset at me are you angry at me please don't get angry with me......"

I held both of her hand, looked into her eyes. Asked her to stop talking.

"Close your eyes, take a deep breath."

We sat for fifteen minutes without verbal communication, but we tried to learn to understand ourselves.  And all these times I thought I know myself.

* My personal experience working with women with bipolar disorder

Working In the City

A block of concrete slab is up in the air on Franklin Street, downtown.