Transitus

Yesterday being the first Friday after the riots of last Sunday, the military presence in the Old City was incredibly huge ... people were saying it's like the Intifada ("resistance" 1989 and 2001) all over again. I personally saw numerous young men below 45 yrs prohibited from entering the Old City. I could enter and exit only because I have an ID card and am a foreigner. The Dome of the Rock was closed even for prayers and those older than 45 yrs who could enter the Old City blocked the streets of the Muslim Quarter, kneeling and praying at noon. They blocked the whole of the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) from our monastery all the way down to the 5th Station. It was very very tense.

Tonight we celebrate the Transitus ("Passing") of St Francis. The friars will sing vespers and commemorate the death of St Francis by reading the last moments of his life. It will be a solemn affair.

Tomorrow morning there'll be a solemn Mass at 10am. But I'm so tired with all my studies I can hardly move. I'm not going. Have missed dinner for 3 straight evenings because I fell asleep a few minutes before vespers and didn't wake up till midnight. Was terribly hungry last night though. The instant noodles were a great help!

Anyway the worse news ever ..... all my hardwork rewriting my paper .... well it's lost. Couldn't find it in my computer even though I'm sure I saved it there. Some other guys also came to help me search in the 3 computers and no result. It just disappeared into thin air! And now I have to redo the WHOLE thing in 2 days before consignment dateline strikes!!! Why do these things happen to me? I figure computers give me more problems than solutions. I've lost so much info. from my research as it is.