No rain yet!

The aweful headache is subsiding .... so I can do a little more reading today. And I found out I wasn't the only one who has a bed bug problem. But their's is not as serious as mine.

The Advent readings these few days got me thinking. It's all from the prophet Isaiah and the promise that God will intervene in human history because humans are just incapable of helping themselves. Isn't it awesome that God actually cares enough for us to actually intervene? Think about that - you matter enough for God to intervene.

The meeting with the Custos went well yesterday. He approved my request to translate the Custody's webnews into chinese and create our own website. He also approved my request that our groups that come to the Holyland without priests, can celebrate instead the Liturgy in the Absence of a priest; meaning there'll be the readings of the sanctuary, intercessions, then Our Father and Communion. But this is NOT a Mass; only a rite that is approved because most of our groups have no priests follwoing them, so they do not have Mass during their pilgrimage. And its a privilege ONLY for our Duns Scotus groups. So that's good news for our pilgrims. However there're several strict regulations to follow so that abuses do not occur. Will keep you updated, or you'll see it in the news in our Duns Scotus Pilgrimage website (still under construction but will soon be online).

Couldn't sleep early yesterday because of the headache so studied abit of arabic - can't imagine how much I've forgotten. That sent me straight to sleep! Today I plan to go to the New City and buy some bird seed because the poor canaries have no more food. And by the way, I was in Talpiot (surburb) to look for beds and tables. Found a real good one just the right size for my room (pretty small) but the guy wants 4,500 shekels (HK$9,000) plus 300 shekels for transport and another 300 shekels for assembling the stuff. Like the whole deal will cost more than HK$10,000! This morning all the guys here asked if I got it: it's now a traditoin in our house for everyone to guess when my bed and table will arrive. Aiya, but I'm resigned to sleeping on the floor. It's actually quite nice, except for the cold.

And the rains didn't come - at least not this morning. The sun is shining so I brought my pillows out to sun. But afraid that it'll get stolen ( or as we say "borrowed permanently"); not just the pillows but the metal stand that I bought. Anyway the weather forecast is that it'll rain tonight. Let's see if it will. We really need the rains.

Lang and his friends went off to the Dead Sea yesterday on their own. But they'll come to Jerusalem early on Friday. I'll go pick them up at Novotel as it's a safe place.

Meantime before I start my studies, I'll vacuum my room. It's terribly dusty, as anyone in Jerusalem will tell you because of the dry weather. So that's it.