By Alex 
I was waiting for hubby to get his sea coconut, when I heard the sweet familiar strains of Edelweiss.
In a corner, a street musician was strumming his guitar.
I walked closer to get a better listen. He must have sensed my keen appreciation because he stretched out the ending, imbueing the climax with an aching bittersweetness.
“That’s beautiful,” I breathed.
“I loved The Sound of Music. Watched the musical in the USA, really amazing,” his face lit up at the memory.
“Wow, lucky you! Could you play another?”
He obliged. The delightful notes of Do Re Mi popped off the guitar strings.
Unable to help myself, I started singing along. “Doe a deer, a female deer; ray, a drop of golden sun … “
Before long, several passers-by stopped to look & even clapped at the end of our “performance”!
“How did you get started doing this … Robert?” I asked, glancing covertly at the name on the boombox.
His answer was unexpected. “I was studying computer and English in Brooklyn. Back then, I saw many locals playing music on the streets. They obviously enjoyed themselves. One day, they invited me to join them …”
After returning to Malaysia, Robert worked as a technician. “You know lah, when you work as a computer technician, people call you all the time to complain .. and even blame you when it’s not your fault.”
Yes, I could remember my poor beleaguered technical support colleagues back in Dell …
“So I started playing music to destress,” he explained.
“How was your first experience?” I asked.
“At first, got malu (feel shy) lah. I was playing and suddenly asked myself, eh what I am doing here? Then as I was about to pack my bags, a passer-by stopped me and told me, Don’t stop. Two simple words but they worked.
“So I continued. Guess what? Time flew. When I got back home and counted the money in the box, there was RM500! Of course that was in 2011, during the good times. I don’t do it just for the money. I really love it when people tell me they enjoy my music, like you.”
His face turned questioning.”What do you do by the way? Are you living around here? You know, we at the blind society sometimes look for volunteers to help us read and transcribe materials.”
We chatted a bit more. Robert was a Murut from Sabah and had come to Penang to attend St Nicholas, a famous education provider for the blind.
“The other day, a 16-year-old boy told me, ‘Uncle, I want to be just like you.’ I told him, just because someone sings on the street doesn’t mean he is not educated. Education is important. It will earn you the respect of your children.”
What a champ! Can’t wait to go back, and maybe perform with my new friend, Robert Maidin.
ET