FUNNYACCENT

Sunday Delight

I went out for a Sunday walk without Mama Z. She called me last night. Sound sick and stuffy. This morning she called me again. Still sick and stuffy, but she had a home made chicken soup, she said.

It wasn't a heavy rain, but it was enough to make me curl up on the sofa with a book I was reading half way through. I decided against the idea. I needed to be out in a fresh air. Salty air.

Across the field, near the water front, I heard a bag pipe music. Liver Life Walk  had just started.

Except for the seagulls, a woman in red rain coat and and her dog and me, the beach was quiet and peaceful.

I had my rain coat on, but I carried an umbrella too. I was hoping to get some shots in the rain. I wasn't disappointed.

Besides getting my running shoes wet, my Walk & Shoot morning turned out pretty good.

 

I wasn't sure what it was, but it bobbed up and down in the water.

 

 

This little sucker took its task seriously. It didn't move one bit when I was moving around the plant trying to get a good shot.

 

High tide, foggy and wet morning.

 

My morning was full of delightful surprises. Something I haven't seen for a long time. Wild mushrooms glistening under the rain.

Be right back with more pictures.

Never Too Early

Embrace

The tensions, dramas, meetings, deadlines to meet and all the roller coaster rides at work were washed and scrubbed away by a wonderful weekend.

Saturday wasn't as beautiful as Sunday, but it was sunny.  It was lovely to be out in the sun and to be near the water.

Sunday morning, Mama Z and I had a short walk. We decided to get started early to venture out to South End Open Studios. Mama Z parked her car on Albany Street around Boston Medical Center area. We walked up to the first studio on Plympton Street.

WE were early and most of the studios were still in a process of getting ready to open their doors. We walked past Malden Street to SoWa Open Market .

Stopping at every vendor and observing the artists work plus Mama Z's continuously encouragement have put me in new zone: I can do it.

 

It was 1:00 pm when Mama Z dropped me at Red Line subway station. I boarded the train to Harvard Square to J's house in Arlington.

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This was the second time I went canoeing. The first time was last month and it lasted about 20 minutes because it rained.

 I had n0 idea what I was doing, so I sat on the front seat. We paddled all the way to the end of the Spy Pond and stopped a few times to let the canoe drifted by itself.

J was an excellent swimmer and has a lot of experiences canoeing. She gently guided me from her seat at the back.

I slowly I gained my confidence by the peaceful and calmness feeling I experienced just by sitting in a canoe.

I can't swim and I am a little afraid of water, but I love to be near the water. Was it because I lived for nine months in a liquid in my mother's womb that made me want to be near the water?

I saw a tiny turtle on a dead wood. It jumped into the water as soon as it heard my voice, " J, J look at the turtle, look at the turtle."

"Where?"

"Well, it's gone."

 

 

We stopped paddling and let the canoe sat still a few minutes. I almost dizzy holding my breath trying to get this shot. But it was worth it. I got their shadows too.

J, I know you already told me the name of these birds. Could you tell me again please?

 

It was only an hour ride, but the peaceful moment surrounded by calm water and gentle breeze was priceless.

Sitting in a canoe and dreaming about living in the houses across the pond................

Courage & Resistance

I've been neglecting to update my blog a lot for the past few months, but I still faithfully write in my yellow pad wire bound note book

that I carry everywhere in my sling bag except when I run.

Sometimes I feel I need to be more brave and bold to write about many little things that I do not hesitate to write in my yellow note book.

I seldom write about politics, religion, culture that have shaped and molded my thinking the way I am.

My father once told me a phrase from a book by Dr. Hamka he was reading,

Ikan yang berenang menentang arus, keras isinya. Fish that swims againts the current has a solid meat. Come to think of it salmon swim upstream back to their spawning ground to lay their eggs. I'm not about to swim back and lay my eggs, but salmon sure can adapt themselves. From fresh water to salt water and back to fresh water.

But then, we all learn to adapt ourselves. We change and grow as we get older. And when we resist to change for better, we'll be stagnant. Like borg 's mantra: Resistance is futile.

Time To Go

Thursday Challenge: 

"PLANTS" (Garden, Vegetables, Fruit, Flowers, Trees,...)

It's Getting There

You know your client is serious about his substance abuse recovery when:

 "Ana, I don't like the schedule they give me."

"Why? Not enough hour?"

"Look at it . " (handed a weekly schedule into my hand)

"Great, you got an over time. You've been telling me you need some $450 for the court fees."

He gave me a long puzzle look like I was an idiot. "It's 65 hours. When am I suppose to go to the *meeting? I am too tired when I get **home."

You have no idea how wonderful I felt.

*AA or NA meeting.

** the facility.

Walkamall

The rain hadn't stopped since Sunday night. On Sunday morning Mama Z and I decided to look for an alternative venue for our usual Sunday morning walk. We went to South Shore Plaza. It was five before nine and about two dozen or so cars scattered in a parking lot.

All the shops were closed but the mall was opened and we started our walk from a ground level. Both of us didn't power walked as we usually do outdoor. We covered every corner of the ground floor four times before we moved up to the second level. Fasting or not, I got to stop to drool over my favorite flavor gelato:   Strawberry Cheesecake.

By 9:35 am the place started to get some traffic. I didn't know people have been going for a walk at the malls when the weather is bad outside.

Mama Z said she did it many times beforein the past years during a heavy winter. I learned something new today.

We walked up to a second level and turned into every corner and walked every single stores 5 times. It was 10: 12 am when we left the mall.

Flipped Over Grilled Glutinous Rice-Pulut Panggang

It was a perfect Sunday: warm, sunny and breezy. A perfect beach day. Mama Z and I went for our Sunday walk at Castle Island. Both of us said out loud our wishful thinking. It would be nice if this lovely weather last until end of October, or perhaps we could stretch it until November.

After the walk we drove to Sew-phisticated Fabric Shop on Morrisey Blvd. and later to Asian store to get some banana leaves, pandan leaves, rice flour, coconut milk, mackerels, palm sugar and frozen grated coconut.

K, one of Mama Z's lovely daughters wanted to make tepung pelita or kuih sampan as she called it. Mama Z reminded me about our pre-ramadhan plan to make pulut panggang. So, when we got back from the store around 3:15 pm. we set to work. K got home about 30 minutes later. She started to work on banana leaves casings for tepung pelita.

By 6:25 pm we got everything ready, pulut panggang on the grill out in a patio, and tepung pelita were out of a steamer.

While waiting the pulut panggang on the grill,

 

 

I rested on a hammock, but

 

as usual, I humilated myself and Mama Z happened to have my camera in her hands.