FUNNYACCENT

A Journey Into an Unplanned Trip

A few of many MiddleEast stores on Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn.

Our original plan was to spend the weekend plus our much awaited three days off at in-law house in Brooklyn. I wanted to get my new supply of scented body oil and a few boxes of sandalwood and bergamot incenses at Hussein Store on Atlantic Avenue. I've been their regular customer for the past seven years. Besides I'd just found out a few months ago an awesome selection of quilt fabric store on

She was away visiting her new great-great-grandniece in Syracuse. The big house was quiet when we entered the drive way. The family who rent the apartment on a third floor was away too. The afternoon light gave luminous color to a hardwood floor when I drew the heavy curtains. The house was never this quiet. There was always some nieces, nephews, grandsons, granddaughters, or a distant twice or triple removed cousins taking a temporary shelter at the big house. Sometimes a temporary arrangement turns into months. I wonder where they were.

"They only time they remember to find a way to their grandmother's house is when they are broke." B said as he opened the door to his old bedroom on a second floor. He dumped our suitcase on the bed and headed down to a basement.

Most of his studio equipments and keyboards had been transferred to our crib in Boston. But he still has his previous Roland digital 18 track recorder in his old studio in the basement. I stay out of his studio if I could help it. I'm a klutz. I always walk or knock into something. I literally have to put both of my hands behind my back when ever I am in his studio. Those buttons, blinking lights, switches and hundreds of gadgets are huge temptation.

After we had our late lunch of grilled chicken and hommus avocado on pita bread, I decided to take a nap. A trip to The City Quilter on West 124th Street in Manhattan has to wait until tomorrow when the sun deliciously moved towards the patches of dark cloud. I don't like to go out in a windy and cloudy day.

It was almost eight o'clock when I woke up. B sprawled on the couch watching his favorite program, Ask This Old House.

"Bu, Jess just called me while you were napping." His eyes didn't move from the screen.

"He did? What did he say?"

"He and Nan invite us to their new house."

"But they are in Pennsylvania, Bu. Are we going to Pennsylvania? Tell me we're going to Pennsylvania." I was excited, I jumped onto B's lap.

Later that night, before we went to bed, B logged on the map quest and printed a direction to Tannersville, Pennsylvania. My eyes almost popped out when I saw Tannersville is in Pocono Mountain. I've always wanted to go to Pocono. Oh.........Sweet.

Corny Ass Island On My Mind

This is the second time I visit Coney Island. The first time was two summers ago when B took me to meet his sister Jaq. She lives with her cat Princess on the 10th floor apartment facing the ocean.
I remember the first time we passed the amusement park, I had this nostalgic feeling. The feeling that I had been here before. The smell of hot dogs drifting in the humid late afternoon air and the sound of roller coaster high up in the air muddled my mind.
Wait a minute, I didn' experience any of this. I'd never set a foot to Coney Island until August 2002. It must have been the old, black and white movies I watched when I was a kid, and the books by American authors about their lives in Coney Island. How fascinating, I had too much exposure to the American lives through the old movies and books, my mind played trick on me.

Hope and Heart Desire

Erik Weihenmayer

Five nights a week on my way to get to the bus #39, I pass this poster. It's on the wall of the hallway at Back Back Station. Out of curiousity I stopped to read what was this Climb Everest Blind about. I jotted down his name in my note book. I looked up his name on internet the next day, and what I read about him made me thinking how far apart he is, a legally blind man and standing tall from the rest of us who are legally unblind.
Erik Weinhenmayer, he is not only blind, he had reached all the Seven Summits. Dang.........The highest mountain I ever climbed was Gunung Ledang in Johor 20 years ago. The mountain was 1,267 meter high and there were five of us.