Foggy night

Yesterday lunch was spent with some of the students from TS College. 4 indians and 1 maltese. We went to the new Beijing Restaurant that's just a 100 metres behind their house ... and they never knew it existed. It was pretty rainy and cold though but the short walk ended up with a very nice lunch. The cook is thai, so there was Tom Yam soup which warmed everyone up. And there was thai curry which the indians loved.

However my tummy didn't hold up and I suffered terrible cramps and diarrhea. Had to take a taxi to go home. Was really sick. Nausea for the rest of the afternoon.

After resting for several hours, it was out again for dinner. This time with my former students from Ratisbonne. One was getting ordained, and today they would celebrate their founder's feastday St John Bosco and of course I actually wanted it to be a New Year celebration for Chuyen the vietnamese student who missed the celebration with his family. It was a crazy time as most of the 11 guys wanted to try using chopsticks. They had a good time. They come from Vietnam, Canada, india, italy, Poland and Brasil. Ah Ling the owner of Mandarin Restaurant had gone back to China so the Hong Kong Ah Pak and Por Por took over. They did up a fantastic cantonese meal with wonton soup, steamed fish, sweet sour pork etc...

Enough of food! Today I was on a fast to clean out my system. Had a glass of yoghurt and honey. Felt so much better.

Thick fog over the Palm Piazza

Foggy main road uphill

Well the weather was really cold and damp. Fog everywhere. I never saw the City so covered in fog as last night.  It was so foggy you couldn't see the Light Rail coming ... just hear it's bell ringing. Good thing I didn't get lost!

Another cold day

Archaeologists digging at the Herodian Fortress near Bethlehem have rised lively debate (at best) or mockery (at most) in the country. Believed to be the burial place of King Herod the Great (according to Josephus) and recently a couple of archaeologists have claimed they actually found the long lost tomb itself, the proposal is to rebuilt the "Tomb" for tourists have resulted in an outcry.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/top-archaeologists-condemn-israeli-plan-to-rebuild-ancient-tomb-1.409779  Top archaeologists decry it as a Disneyland. Well ... most religious places here have already turned into an amusement park. People eat, drink, joke at the holiest sites of Christianity while they won't dream of doing it in their own country parishes.

Mamilla Mall in the night

Last evening Praveen wanted to take a walk with his sister who works as a domestic in Abu Tor (3.5 km south of Jerusalem). He asked me to join him. So we all took a slow walk up to the New City. But she got called by her employer to return home so Prav and I walked on alone. Had an ice-cream (it was 5 degrees outside!!!) each and walked down to Mamilla Mall. There was a new outdoor exhibition all along the Mall. The theme used to be "Biblical people" now it's "music". In the cold, there were 4 young buskers - very talented. Prav and I were very impressed and we dropped some coins into their bag ... I think it was 9 shekels or something ... loose change. All through the shops, Spring sale was on. Form 50% to 70% in most shops. Took advantage of this and bought some real shoes for rain and snow. very comfy. Also bought a jacket to keep warm ... I had gone out with only a hoodie. Found out too late that it was very cold and raining. Then further down mall, we stopped at a cafe for a hot cocoa. And before we returned home, Prav wanted to show me a swanky shop that sells Swedish swanky coffee machines. It was impressive. I should go back there to take some photos.

The 4 young buskers

Another day of exams for the other students, another day of reading and writing for the rest. The weather is still cold and wet. So a stay in the library is the best place to be. As for me, the diarrhea and cramps are not ending. Between hours of work, I have to rest or sit on the throne. Apparently many people are struck down by this as well this week. They blame it on the cold. Perhaps. Ronza, our library assistant's two boys are stricken with asthma because of the cold. Well you can't win. We need the rain but we can't stay healthy with it.

Sunny Sunday

The weather has again turned around and we have a very bright warm day. It's about 16 degrees and though the sun is warm, there's still a cold wind blowing.

Students throughout Israel have gone on strike to protest the law that allows religious Jews from exemption in military service. During our usual Sunday morning walk, Buscemi and I saw a pretty quiet school devoid of students except for 5 or 6 loitering in the basketball court. I don't think it'll accomplish anything but the students felt they needed to make their point.

And there was this funny sign posted out at Aladdin's - the moneychangers in East Jerusalem. Makes you wonder if you want to change your money there.

Unfortunately the cramps and diarrhea are still wrecking me apart. Throughout the Sunday walk I had cramps and diarrhea. Wasn't a pleasant walk at all. Let's hope it'll pass by tonight.

The exams are well underway ... both nationwide as well as in our school. Tensions are high but so is the relief after each paper is done. Svetlana was our first student to defend her thesis yesterday. She passed. I think there're 3 more defenses to go. For the rest of us, its reading and research as usual.

Pigs and Politics

What a storm we had last night. Strong cold winds and rain lashing across the City. Temperature fell to about 5 degrees. This morning we had no hot water. Had to wash my face in freezing water ... I think that caused my headache the whole day. The roads are very slippery and many tourists fell on the steps of our courtyard. I had to go up to Ratisbonne for a meeting - its 2 kms away. With the cold and rain, I decided to take an arab taxi there. 2 kms cost me 40 shekels or US$11. Dreadful. So coming back, I decided to walk ... and the rain and wind lashed right across. Got home soaked and shivering and a very bad headache. And we had several blackouts today. No electricity = no heating.

My elbow tendonitis is back with a vengeance. Hurts like hell. Am trying to do some stretching exercises to loosen the tendons. Now I can't carry anything even a little heavy. Awful. Sounds like the New Year is not going so well after all. The rain is still beating down. I'll just stay put in my room with my heater on and hope tomorrow morning we have hot water.

There's an interesting article in the newspapers today about pig-rearing in Israel. Apparently before Independence, there were pig farms everywhere and Jews and muslims never complained. Then when the State was formed and religious Jews got into politics, then the law was passed to prohibit the rearing of pigs except in a couple of places up north. This prohibition law was reluctantly enacted and only because the ruling party was afraid of its coalition with the religious party collapsing. Politics determine pork. And it was only the Vatican and a nun who protested to fight for the right to rear pigs here.  http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/the-makings-of-history-pork-and-the-people-1.409478#.TyPFfTyQIUQ.facebook

Friday again

Yesterday was a busy day ... running around doing so much and still not knowing what's it about. Meetings as well. Well, I wasn't the only one busy ... the hackers in Israel and the Arab countries have been super busy. The last few days saw hackers from both sides downing the websites of the other. Don't know where its going to end. Airlines, institutes ... all were downed in a tit-for-tat attack. And talk of bombing Iran continues to fill the headlines.

The weather was very good. Sunny and bright despite a cold wind. Lots of people were in the streets to take advantage of this break. However today the dark clouds return. The wind is very much colder. It's 10 degrees now and it'll go down to 6 degrees tonight. The forecast is for rain today and tomorrow. Let's hope it does. We're aiming for the Sea of Galilee to rise by several more centimetres .... just like last year.

Here's a funny pic - Rex learning to read with teacher Oliver. He looks very attentive! Oliver, I mean .... he might end up as Rex's dinner!!!

The cramps and diarrhea have returned. People say its due to the cold. Perhaps. It's exam time as well, so many guys who're suffering from diarrhea actually get it from anxiety and tension.

Yesterday was also the remembrance day of Fr Allegra. As usual there was a little exhibition in our school on his works and life. Too bad it was exam time so not many students came to see it.

So the weekend begins for us. I'll still have to continue reading up on my research. Back to work ...

Conversion of St Paul - 3rd day of CNY

The rains returned last night but it was less cold - 12 degrees. Bearable. Streets get terribly deserted by 6pm  in this weather. Everyone just wants to stay warm at home. I'm getting good at bearing with the cold. I remember the first time I experienced winter ... wore 7 layers of clothes. Now I get by with 3. Maybe it's because of global warming.

This morning the sun regained control of the skies as the rain clouds blew over west to Jordan. Got up early to take a pic of the sunrise - splendid view. Just far beyond in the centre between the foreground trees, you'll see the silhouette of the Mt. of Olives and the spire of the Augusta Victoria hospital. There was none of the normal reddish golden glow on the horizon. Instead it was resplendent white. Marvelous. Something that St. Paul on his road to Damascus encountered - the bright light?

Haven't eaten anything for 36 hours to stave off the diarrhea and cramps. Am doing well ... no hunger pangs so far. Today Khalil the cook is doing a piece of entrecote for me - baked in the oven of course. 

Found out why there was all that tension 2 days back with helicopters flying overhead and soldiers everywhere. 2 Hamas leaders were arrested just down the Kidron valley. Yesterday ultra-orthodox Jews attacked another woman in Bet Shemesh.  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/woman-in-beit-shemesh-attacked-by-ultra-orthodox-extremists-1.409065

Meantime the country is riding high when the Israeli film "Footnote" was nominated for an Oscar. Not bad for the small film industry here. it's the 10th Israeli film to be nominated in Oscar history.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-film-footnote-nominated-for-oscar-award-1.409001

2nd Day of CNY

So wonders of wonders on CNY yesterday. My awful tennis elbow on the right arm righted itself after weeks of pain and inability to carry things. Yesterday I needed to grab and twist open something and being right-handed, I used my right hand. Terrible pain at the elbow. But when I tried hard by lifting it up and twisting, suddenly the bones/tendons fell into place and the pain disappeared. What a relief! Now could this be a sign of good things to come in the Year of the Dragon? Like better health?

Happy New Year of the Dragon

Good health, success and peace to all!

The happy company around the table

Last night's Reunion Dinner was great despite the storm that raged during the meal. Luckily for us it was mild when we arrived and left.

Ah Ling did up a fantastic meal - rare food in Israel: there was Shanghai buns (vermicelli/veggie bao), shrimp and veggie jiao zi (steamed dumplings), minced beef with mui choy, luo bo gao (carrot cake) and nien gao!!!!  Then there was the traditional noodles, rice, sweet/sour pork, beef with cashews, steamed fish, veggies, mushrooms/toufu in oyster sauce. Can't remember the rest.

Nien gao - what's left of it!

Luo bo gao - yummy!!!

Everyone enjoyed it very much ... not least me. Haven't eaten nien gao and luo bo gao in decades!!!

And my stomach held up. Too bad Osvalda and Pedro couldn't come. Both were ill form the cold.

Fiery sky with rain at 1am

No fire-crackers :(  Well, you can't have everything, I guess. After the dinner, stayed up late in order to call home to wish Happy New Year. It was then that I realised the sky was fiery red and raining. Fantastic sight. Reminded me of the dragon, fiery protector of waters. Nice contradiction. It was very cold. So cold that there was a snow storm up in the Golan. Even Hebron in the desert was snowed. And Bethlehem I heard. This morning Osvalda said she saw slight snow on the rooftops of the houses in Jerusalem before the sun melted it away. Well, its a nice start to the Dragon year. Hope it'll augur well for everyone.

CNY eve

Heavy clouds gathering

The temperature has dropped significantly. Some stations say it's 3 degrees, others say its just 1 degree. Whatever it is, it's very very cold. Graupel has fallen at 11am and then rain. If it continues, it might snow tonight. Feels like the winters we used to have 20 years ago. Hope it wouldn't spoil our gathering for tonight. Just read on the news that there was heavy snowfall up in the north and also south in Hebron!! Nice start to the CNY  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/snow-blizzard-in-northern-israel-shuts-down-hermon-ski-resort-1.408651  and  http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=254670 

There was a terrorist attempt at Qalandya checkpoint yesterday. A guy with an axe tried to attack but was shot by IDF soldiers. Hopefully this is not the first sign of more violence to come. The cold and rain should put anyone off the streets ... at least.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-security-forces-thwart-attack-at-checkpoint-north-of-jerusalem-1.408597  Another bad news is that IDF soldiers (who ride free of charge on public transport) will have to pay for their rides on the train on Sunday mornings. It's not fair as these guys earn little, travel long distances and sacrifice their lives to protect the country. What's a 10 shekel ride for the sacrifice they make?

So apparently my annual Chinese New Year dinner is the event to be and be seen. Everyone wants to get invited. Some are asking if they'll be invited, others are basking that they have been asked. Wow, never knew I was such a socialite in organising the social event of the year. People have been asking about the menu. It's going to be different from the usual menu offered to walk-in clients. For one thing, there'll be char siew pao and dumplings and Nien Gao. So who was invited? Well there's Val, Paul and John (all chinese), then Osvalda the librarian and Buscemi the professor, Johnny and Praveen (students), Pedro from Taiwan, and Loche another professor. And the disappointed rest will have to wait for next year to see if they'll get invited.

One thing good about Spring cleaning is you find alot of stuff you "lost" during the year. I found my library card this morning ... had been "missing" for almost a year! Also found some money that I stashed away in case of emergency. That's handy because it'll help pay for the dinner tonight.

Two days before CNY

Friday was as usual tense. Helicopters were flying very low. Soldiers everywhere. The usual hundreds of muslims arrived from various parts of the country to the Al Aqsa mosque to pray. Nothing happened though. At least we didn't hear of any incidents. But in Tel Aviv police shot at a speedy car. Looks like its getting more dangerous there than here.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/police-officer-opens-fire-on-vehicle-during-car-chase-in-tel-aviv-two-lightly-injured-1.408416

The fine weather yesterday gave way to very very cold weather last night. Some weather stations say it was down to 1 degree. On my dog calendar, there's this pic of a bulldog in pullovers. How apt!! It sure was cold! The forecast is more rain next week - several days in a row. If it does happen, then we'll probably have snow. Wouldn't that be nice?

Spent yesterday cleaning up my room. It's the Chinese New Year round the corner. Everyone here is talking about ... italians, poles ... they watch the TV and are all excited about it. Want to know more about the Dragon and how we celebrate it. Well, my answer is always "Google it!"

The New Year blessings are up on my door. Hope the Dragon will be nice to me. The Rabbit was a complete disaster. Tomorrow evening 10 of us will be going out for the Reunion dinner. Let's hope it won't rain! Now the only thing left is to vacuum my room. I've developed tennis elbow from carrying the tonnes of books in the library. Can't do any heavy work .. or carry the vacuum cleaner for that matter. Will have to get someone to bring it up for me.

And the diarrhea hasn't stopped. Awful. Hope it goes away soon so I don't have to bare with it during the New Year. I'm off food today to starve it off.

Winter returns

The fine weather broke into showers and light hail. It's very cold. Checked the weather forecast and again it said "Bloody cold!"

My new heater is hot - but only if you stand in front of it. It doesn't quite warm up the entire room, just the area around it. Well ... can't complain. There're many poor people who don't even have heating right now. The cold however has been affecting my ankle and slipped disc. Painful to walk. Am spending most of my day in bed reading. Sitting can be quite a trial with the sciatica.

Anyway received your "fai chun". Tomorrow I'll be cleaning up my room for the CNY and putting up the blessings on my door. Sunday night I'm organising a Reunion dinner for the 2 chinese priests and Fr Val from Singapore and some other good friends. Will go to Mandarin Restaurant. Ah Ling the owner is going to do up a traditional chinese meal not  offered in the menu.

Then I have to have dinner with my former students from Ratisbonne. And then after that, another meal with my former colleagues at the Media Center. It's going to be a tough week for my stomach.

The Food Conspiracy

Another day of protests. The governmental institutes and municipal offices are all on strike for the second day. Then today a protest by Ethiopic Jews who claim discrimination by mainstream Israel.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/thousands-in-jerusalem-protest-racism-against-ethiopian-israelis-1.407998   A Spring of discontent. Or as I put it - Israeli implosion.

Politically, tensions were eased when Israel claimed an attack on Iran is still a long way of. Thank goodness!

Lamb patties and rice

Bibimbap

Anyway it's more food. Khalil cooked lamb patties and rice boiled with veggies for my lunch. Then at dinner I had Hidri, Ratna and Sean out for korean food. I can't remember the names of the dishes except bibimbap ... but it was very tasty. We enjoyed it. The guys had just finished their exams and will start their retreat tomorrow in Haifa's Stella Maris Monastery. So we met as we promised earlier. The rest of the guys will meet when they return at the end of the month. Hope my tummy can hold up. So far these two meals today (alot by my standards) have not caused any major upsets .... yet.

Well the weather was sunny but cold. I got another heater because the nights have become unbearable. My smaller hot air fan I gave to Praveen who's suffering from the cold too. His room is smaller. Tomorrow's forecast is rain. We'll definitely need these heaters alright.

Char Siew Pao

The fine weather broke into a sudden shower when dark storm clouds enveloped the City after lunch time. Very cold winds and strong rain. But it lasted only for a couple of hours. Though the rains stopped, the wind continues to blow. The funny thing is I still see guys walking around in t-shirts and occasionally a leather jacket while the rest of us are wrapped up in layers of woolen clothes. I wonder what they're trying to prove ... you can see they're very cold but still putting on a Joe Cool look. Idiots .... they're gonna get sick.

Well I was busy the whole morning .... had to watch the arab workers while they tried to correct a mistake in the iron doors of the library. Then helped Benoit with the shelving of new books. Took the whole morning for that. In the afternoon I went out to meet a friend. Stopped by the Chinese restaurant to say "hi" to Por Por and Ah Ling and they insisted I stay while they steamed char siew pao for me to eat. Char Siew pao in Israel????? This is the first time ever!!! And it tasted sooooo good. Especially since I haven't eaten for over 24 hours. Loved it.

The cyber war is heating up between Israel and the arab states. Each day hackers from each country are downing the Stock Exchange and other major economic institutes of the other country. This is getting worrying. Yesterday arab hackers downed the Israeli Stock Exchange and El Al websites. Today the Israeli hackers did the same to the Arab websites.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-hackers-bring-down-saudi-uae-stock-exchange-websites-1.407846#.TxXPx2RC3TY.facebook  This is not looking good.

The canaries are doing fine with a hot water bottle in their cage every night. I bought a new and bigger heater for my room as the cold has gone quite unbearable in the night. Gave my faithful hot air fan to Praveen who needed one ... his room is smaller than mine so it'll work just fine for him.

Of bees and buns

It was very sunny and temperatures were pushing into 16 degrees. Bulbs have all been sprouting everywhere ... the anemones in my pots, the freesias and ranunculi too. Mint are prolific and the bedouin women at Damascus Gate are selling them by the bunches. Even the turnips growing wild are luscious. And the rosemary are blossoming .... beautiful purple flowers full of nectar.

Spot the bees?

It's almost like Spring. But the forecast is storms for the next several days. And the temperatures will fall drastically. I'm considering buying another hot air fan to keep the room warm during the nights otherwise I'll get my asthma again.

It was pretty cold last week as it was. I saw a dead crow in the Park. It probably died from the cold and got partly eaten by the cats and other crows. Horrific. But it reminds us what life is all about.

One bite taken!!!

Well I haven't eaten for 36 hours. Still had some cramps but at least the diarrhea stopped. Today was Fr Buscemi's feastday so we had a "feast". I didn't eat the food prepared as it was oily. I boiled some chinese dumplings instead ... yes I found a shop that sells frozen chinese dumplings!!! US$10 for 10 pieces. Ate them and shared one with Praveen who sits next to me at table. He liked it. I did too. Except the stomach couldn't take it. Half an hour later ... dire consequence. Nadia our assistant cook baked some bread with zatar leaves (hyssop or oregano). Lovely. I saved 3 for later in the day when I get hungry. Fresh from the oven, hot and fragrant. We're lucky to have great cooks like Nadia and Khalil .... they do their best.

Now we wait for the storm to begin. Not just the weather but political as well. Arab hackers have wrecked havoc in the Israeli Stock Exchange.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hackers-shut-down-tel-aviv-stock-exchange-el-al-websites-1.407587#.TxQhZRHcEGc.facebook  and local government agencies have gone on a general and open-ended strike - meaning closure of offices and no rubbish collection!  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-s-local-authorities-launch-open-ended-general-strike-1.407484#.TxOV2-1bTRM.facebook  I guess the weather is the least of our worries.

Sunny Sunday

After the storm for the past days, the sun has returned with a vengeance. It's 15 degrees now and under the sun its fantastic. Lots of people are lying out in the park to catch the sun, as did a cat sitting between two tree boughs. Funny sight. But in the shadows, it remains very cold. In fact last night went down to 3 degrees. And our heating system broke down a day ago ... so it was very very cold in the room. I couldn't sleep at 2.30am and thought the canaries must be freezing so I boiled some water to refill the hot water bottle in their cage and put 2 heat packs in there as well. I think they liked it.

There was a wonderful dewfall this morning as the sun shone through. Beautiful pearls on top of the nasturtium leaves. Just had to take a pic of it. So beautiful yet so transient ... once the sun reaches its peak, these little pearls will evaporate and return to the air.

There was some tension in the City though. Don't know why but helicopters were flying very low overhead the whole morning and more soldiers were on patrol. Will have to check the news to find out why. OK ... just found out why the tension. Ultra-Orthodox Jews were rioting because 6 of their members were arrested by police.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/hundreds-of-ultra-orthodox-clash-with-police-in-jerusalem-over-arrest-of-community-leaders-1.407448  

Today Fr Loffreda celebrated his 80th birthday. He's our expert archaeologist in Capharnaum. The sisters made a nice cheesecake for lunch to celebrate.

We'll enjoy the sun for the next two days before the storm returns. That means more down-blankets, hot water bottles and heat packs!

War threats

The air is thick with the news of war. The news reports talk of nothing else.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-u-s-preparing-for-an-israeli-strike-on-iran-1.407273  Now we little people in the streets ... what are suppose to do with that? We don't even have a bunker in the house. If a missile falls here, it's goodbye.

And there's a terrorist alert for Israelis in Thailand. Paradise lost.  http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=253525  Looks like nowhere is safe. Nothing but bad news this weekend.

The weather was equally bad this morning but now at noon the clouds have cleared and the sun is up. It's still cold though. The weather forecaster actually said "It's bloody cold!!" I thought it was very funny!

And the library elevator broke down this morning. The rains must have short-circuited the system. Thank goodness I got out in time when the alarm rang. Called the elevator company for repairs and he said he can come only at 10am. Imagine if I were inside the elevator!!!!! I'd be stuck in there from 7.30am to 10am because the repairman "cannot come now" .... and of course they'll never come at 10am ... it's arab time. It simply means next week. So if I were stuck in there, they'd find a cadaver in the lift next week. Well if it's any good news, the lift serves as the best bunker in case of a missile attack. Anyway managed to transport the last batch of periodicals from the 3rd floor down to the ground foor by foot. Took almost 15 trips. Exhausted now.

Home-made marmalade for sale. Alberto is great at this. Having received tonnes of oranges and grapefruit from a nearby orchard, and not knowing what to do with them before they rot ... Alberto decided to make marmalade and candied orange strips to raise funds for children's activities in the parish. Smart idea. And it sold very very well. Yesterday when I came over to visit his community, there was the last batch ready for sale. I quickly got 2 ... one I gave to Osvalda our librarian and the other which has much less sugar for myself. Nice.

Snow on Friday 13th

Storm over Tel Aviv

It's snowing up in the Golan Heights right now.  http://www.jpost.com/Sci-Tech/Article.aspx?id=253491  and the storm pummeling the rest of the country continues. Yesterday evening there was thunder and lightning. Very strong winds and very cold too. It lasted through the whole night.

Waves swallow Andromeda's Rock

Jerusalem is 4 degrees now and gruepnel is falling with the rain. We expect hail later today. Forecast is for more rain throughout the weekend. If it continues, we might just get snow here in Jerusalem. nice!

Last evening despite the storm there was a conference for Israeli tourist guides regarding Christianity. 36 guides came along. It was a very well organised conference with very good speakers ... experts in their own field ... very objective and informative. Today at our breakfast table we continued talking about it ... we learned many things that we ourselves didn't know regarding the situation of Christians in this land.

Mr. Dog shoes - Rex and Regis

It's so cold I've got my Mr Dog shoes out to wear. Those and the new carpet help make the room warmer. Nice. The diarrhea and cramps have lessened alot today. Have to be very careful with my food now.

One good thing about the cold and rain is there're no trouble makers in the streets. And being Friday, the 13th at that, the muslim crowd rushes in and out of the mosque quickly to avoid the downpour ... as do the jews later in the evening when the Shabbat begins and they make their way to the Wailing Wall. So ... little trouble in the streets. Someone actually said "Peace at last!!"

Now it's time to rest, do a little reading and get an early sleep. My liver needs it.

Misery

Yesterday evening was a veritable nightmare. The stomach cramps and diarrhea became so bad. I was aching throughout the night and hardly slept ... partly also because of the cold. I had only eaten some wheat biscuits but even that caused alot of pain. Today I decided not to eat anything ... nearly fainted at 5pm. Was so weak and trembling and my legs nearly gave way ... so ate some more wheat biscuits. Now am resting in bed.

I think I'll go see the doc tomorrow. But if it rains, then I'll have to rethink that. I don't want to slip on the road and break a leg. What a misery!

This morning, on an empty stomach, I worked 3 hours moving the books from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor. Benoit didn't come to work today as well so I did it alone. Did quite a lot actually. Only 5 more shelves and the entire section is done. But that drained alot of my energy I guess.

Here is Mr. Fish who is doing fine despite the cold. He has a heater in his tank! He's my only companion these days as I rest in bed.

Bad news continue to pile up .... Ethiopic Jews crying discrimination by Israel  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-police-open-probe-into-alleged-racism-against-ethiopian-immigrants-1.406746   Saudi hacker into Israeli credit card info suffers a tit-for-tat hack by Israeli hacker  http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=253181   Israeli jews can't make the annual pilgrimage to a reknown rabbi's grave in Egypt   http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/egypt-tells-israel-pilgrimage-to-tomb-of-jewish-holy-man-impossible-this-year-1.406709   A Japanese doctoral student of Hebrew Uni. has his visa application denied for fear he will "settle down" in Israel http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-to-deport-japanese-researcher-over-fear-he-will-settle-down-after-studies-1.406752   And now Haagen-Dazs ice-cream is declared non-kosher ... so we can't buy them anymore.  http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=253069 

Boomerang

Another cold day ... I'm getting better at this ... managed to wear a termo long-sleeved shirt under a short-sleeved hoodie. Could feel some of the cold but not as bad as 20 years ago. Forecast has changed - rain for tomorrow. I certainly hope so. But the poor canaries wouldn't like it ... I now put a hot-water bottle inside the cage and wrap the whole cage in plastic every night so it doesn't get too cold for the poor things. Stray cats huddle under our chimney (from the general gas heater) every night to keep warm.

Stephen and Michael, the 2 Melbourne seminarians have left Jerusalem this morning for Tel Aviv and then a day later will return to Australia. They are good guys. Hope they'll persevere. They left me a boomerang ... like it! Now maybe I can throw it at a couple of thieves at our door; or those pesky cats.

Meantime the cramps and diarrhea has been gaining momentum. Haven't eaten a meal today to avoid further pain. Drank some milk and a couple of eggs to avoid stomach ulcers though.

The general situation in the City is smooth despite the occasional tension. Once in a while soldiers flock into the City, helicopters fly very low (like the day before) but because of the cold, people generally just wrap up and try to get out of the way into somewhere warm. But things weren't that smooth in the Knesset - there was a meltdown when an MK lost her cool and threw a glass of water at another MK.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-mk-who-hurled-water-at-colleague-suspended-from-knesset-for-a-month-1.406447

And last Sunday's Baptism of Christ celebration at the River Jordan has had a nice article written by Travelujah's correspondent Ariel. Maybe next year you'll come to join in?  http://www.jpost.com/Travel/AroundIsrael/Article.aspx?id=252983

Another cold day

Aladdin's is the money changers where most people go to have their currency converted. They offer a very good rate. But more than that, they always have some nifty sayings posted at their door. This time it's this:

"Money can buy you medicine but not health; 

it can buy you position but not respect; 

it can buy you blood but not life; 

it can buy you a bed but not sleep; 

it can buy you a book but not knowledge; 

it can buy you a house but not a home; 

it can buy you a clock but not time"

How true! Nevertheless there are those who pursue money at all cost, destroying others along the way ... but themselves ending up in the road to perdition.

The day has been cold despite the sun shining. Rain is forecast from Thursday onwards. That is good news. We not only need the rain but it usually feels less cold when it rains. There's talk that there might be rain in February. That would be nice!

Exams are underway. Tension is in the air. But my problems are more physical: The pain in the knees is  much less acute but they're very weak. Nearly buckled several times today but didn't fall. The ingrown toenail is also much better. But the stomach cramps have become quite bad last night and today. 


Anyway to cheer myself up, I keep looking at the anemones. They're very pretty and cheerful. Spring would be wonderful ... especially if it snows!!

Baptism of Our Lord

Many of you will be celebrating Epiphany today but in our Holyland liturgical calendar, today is the feast of the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River near Jericho. There's a solemn procession in Qasr el Yehud - the traditional site of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. I think almost everyone is there today. It's still a military zone with landmines on both sides of the path, and ruined churches still stand as silent witnesses to the dreadful wars that pummeled this area. But people may now visit the site and protected by Israeli soldiers. I guess today is an occasion for us to evaluate our call and mission as Christians as demanded by our own baptism.

As usual, it's Sunday and I accompanied Fr Buscemi on his 5 km walk around the New City and back. It was a slow walk as my slipped disc and ingrown toenail made walking very painful. But the sun was shining and its 15 degrees. A very cold wind was blowing though. Those guys in Jericho for the Baptism feast are sure lucky ... it's alot warmer down there.

The margaritas (I think you call them daisies. I can only remember the italian name) in the park were all flowering. Beautiful. Spring will be early I guess. So is the Chinese New Year. As we walked through the park, as usual we passed by the cave of the martyrs. That's where the bodies of countless Christians killed by the Persians in the 7th century were buried. It's actually a catacomb and there was a church built over or near it but all was destroyed by the muslim conquest. I guess it was a fitting moment today on the feast of the Baptism to remember these thousands of Christians martyred for their faith. They lived their baptism to the end.

First Saturday of the Year

A very quiet Saturday as there was no school for us. The muslim school opposite was strangely quiet this week as well. I inquired why ... and the answer was "Last week was the New Year so 2 days holiday. Yesterday was Orthodox Christmas so 3 days holiday". I was dumbfounded! A muslim school closed for Christian feasts .... very touching. In fact I remember when John Paul II died, all the muslim schools and shops in the Old City were closed out of respect while Christian schools and shops continued to be open. Some muslim shops even had the photo of JP II pasted on their doors. It makes you think ....

Anyway the sun is up and even though it remains 17 degrees, the sun kept the spirits up. Warmer areas like Jericho have Spring flowers in bloom. I bought some anemones for my room ... and they look gorgeous.  It makes the room brighter and warmer .... plus the new carpet that literally makes the floor warmer.

On the downside, our car had a nail that punctured a wheel. We had to bring the car to the garage to get the wheel fixed. Reminded me of a sick person going to the doctor. Which leads me to my painful knees ... swollen probably because of the cold. And I have an ingrown toenail on the right big toe - all swollen and pain. Can hardly walk. Can't wear shoes ... so it's cold but thanks to the carpet, it's bearable. Not a good first week of the year.

While we see this sight everyday ... I guess it'll be something novel for most of you guys ... a push-cart vendor selling kaik (sesame bagel), roasted eggs, falafel (fried chickpea patties) and zatar (grounded hyssop/oregano). It's a typical arab breakfast. And it's true ... roasted eggs taste better than boiled eggs. This guy was selling his foodstuff in front of the garage where we repaired the car wheel. Lots of mechanics and drivers came to buy their breakfast. It's these little daily happenings that we take for granted. We see it day after day ... and one day when they're gone ... we miss it. But regrets will be too late. Why didn't we appreciate it while it was still there? Have a kaik, people. It's a dying art making these fantastic bread.

Epiphany

A glorious sunrise on Epiphany morning. The rains stopped and it's less cold today - 7 degrees. The sun shone right behind the clouds on the Mt. of Olives and there was a golden lining. Reminded me of the gold the Magi brought to the manger.

Everyone else had gone to Bethlehem to celebrate Epiphany - God manifesting himself (originally in the Baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana, and eventually the Adoration of the Magi was added). Almost all the Catholics in jerusalem went there. The Orthodox on the otherhand celebrated Christmas today. Unfortunately during the celebrations of Christmas in Jaffa, the leader of the Orthodox community was stabbed to death just a while ago.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/senior-member-of-israel-christian-community-stabbed-to-death-in-jaffa-1.405924

In the west this morning, the clouds were rosy and heavy. Looked like it might rain from that side ... but the sun eventually overtook the skies and we had a nice warm day ... around 17 degrees in the afternoon. I managed to do more gardening today. Planted some St. John's Wort and Violets in some pots. As it was a holiday in our school, Benoit didn't come to work so I didn't have to relocate the periodicals from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor. Nice break for me.

Opposite where I sit for meals in the refectory is an old painting of the Epiphany. It's weirdly shaped and the face of Mary is gone. It actually was the painting hanging over the altar inside the cave of the Nativity where the Magi came to adore the Infant Jesus - hence the weird shape: it had to fit into the shape of the cave. Candles used to be lighted on the altar for Mass and that burned out the face of Mary. As a new picture was commissioned for the cave, this old one was placed in our refectory directly opposite where I sit. So I see it everyday. Khalil our cook did up a fantastic lunch of baked salmon. Everyone loved it. But I decided to cook plain rice instead and ate it with raw salmon. It went so very well - no pain, cramps or diarrhea.

Thanks to Dr. Fung and Letty I finally managed to buy a carpet for my room. It helps so much to keep the floor warm as the temperature these few days have dropped so drastically. It's the last present for Christmas because it officially ends with Epiphany.

Tired and cold

What a terribly cold day!!! I'm practically freezing in my room despite the "hot-air fan" being turned on the whole day. It's so cold, Majd the eldest son of our doorman was all wrapped up as you can see from the photo. The thermometer reads 15 degrees but it feels like zero. Let's hope it rains tomorrow as forecast ... it's less cold when it rains. The tortoises are all hibernating and two canaries have died from the cold so far.

Anyway yesterday was warmer and I managed to do some gardening as the sun was really strong. Planted bulbs in several pots, swept the terrace (messed up by cat poo ... hate those mangy strays that dig up my flower pots and poo all over) and repotted plants damaged  by the cats. Too bad the cats don't die from the cold. In a couple of months you'll see lovely anemones and freesias .... if those damn cats don't destroy them first.

I managed to avoid food yesterday and it felt so good ... no cramps and diarrhea. But felt terribly weak though. Today I managed the same thing except that by evening I was very hungry and weak ... so Sr. Vincenta gave me 2 onions, a potato and a fennel bulb (all boiled) to eat. Actually they're leftovers from dinner. Well I've been working alot this week though, so that accounts for my weakness when I don't eat. Every morning Benoit and I move hundreds of periodicals from the 3rd floor library down to the 1st floor. 4 hours each day. Tiring work. Then there are classes in the afternoon ... in between whatever free time, I had to do the laundry - washing and hanging it on the terrace. It was non-stop work. So I'm terribly exhausted.

Lunching with Confucius' descendent

The past few days has been a feast of food ... I'm absolutely sure of this conspiracy to fatten me. It's just food everywhere. Fr. Val went to Tel Aviv and ate at Thai House, my favourite restaurant. He bought Phad Si-Yiu (aka char kway teow) back for me .... tasted sooo good. Very well done as usual. The cooks there are all thai and the ingredients are as original as possible. Despite the cold and drizzle, I went to meet Val at Jaffa Gate to pick up the stuff. We stopped by Jacob's pizzaria for a hot chocolate just to warm up from the cold. Jacob's is run by a group of christian guys - all very young in their 20s, some are hearing impaired, all christians. I'm very impressed by these guys as they make the effort to start up a business and earn money instead of doing drugs and stealing like most other guys do. They need our support and encouragement. Yes hot chocolate and char kway teow are forbidden food, but I ate them anyway. Paid for it that same night - diarrhea.

Yesterday Val and Lee (a priest from Korea) decided to bring the australian seminarians (Steven and Michael) out for lunch ... and me being the middleman tagged along. They brought us to a korean restaurant (Michael and Lee being koreans) which I have seen many times but never entered ... mainly because I don't know korean cuisine. The food was very nice as they ordered a non-oily rice dish for me - bibimbap. It's claypot rice with veggies and beef strips. Michael stirred it up for me as I didn't know what to do with it other than eat. Michael by the way is a 75th generation descendent of Confucius who emigrated to Melbourne and is now a seminarian. I said to him "What would Confucius say if he knew his descendent is a catholic priest?" He laughed. The bibimbap was really very good ... but my tummy just cannot hold it. Immediate diarrhea. Unbelievable. After that we went to Cafe Hillel for sahlab, a turkish drink drunk in winter. It's served hot, a sticky flour-paste mixed with nuts, rose syrup and anything you like. Nice. It was strange for the rest to taste it, but a nice experience as they got to know local cuisine.

On the way home we encountered a rowdy demonstration by ultra-orthodox Jews at the Russian Compound police station and prison. We think one fo their kind was arrested and they came out to protest. Police were standing on one side of the road while the protesters stood on the other side shouting, blowing whistles and carrying banners. Got pretty tense.

Later that evening I had to accompany Fr W. Chan (visiting priest from Taiwan) to the police station as he was robbed off his cell phone. Made the report and was very impressed by the two arab policemen who were christians. We managed to converse in arabic and this made things alot easier. After that we went to Rossini's for dinner. I had my usual baked salmon (therefore no oil) and Fr Chan had a lamb fukhara (claypot). The salmon went well and I didn't suffer any consequences.

But enough of food. The cook at our place continues to make food and hang them at my door. The nuns of Mother Theresa call me over for meals. I'm being drowned by food ... I'm still 63 kg but I think I'm shrinking ... at least the pants that I bought a couple of months ago are getting baggy again. Waistline dropped from 35 to 28 size pants. But I think now it's going to 27-26 ... despite all the food I'm eating.

Rainy day

The 2nd day of the year was pretty uneventful. It rained the whole night and drizzled the whole day. Very gloomy skies and very very cold. But  that's what winter is all about, isn't it? That's normal. Too bad Japan had another 7 point earthquake on New Year's Day. That's abnormal.

Here's a pic of a shepherd and his flock taken while I was on my way to see the physiotherapist in Jericho. I thought it was a very nice image to remember the New Year - Christ the Good Shepherd leading us into another year. It may turn out dry and wild, but as long as the Shepherd is with us, we're safe. Just follow him!!

Well, not everything was uneventful after all ... Val called me at 1pm to say he's at Thai House in Tel Aviv having lunch!!! WHAT??? And he didn't invite me??? I got him to take-away Phad Si-Yiu (aka Char Kuey teow) for me ... now I'm waiting for his call to say he's back in Jerusalem so I can pick it up! I was planning to go to Tel Aviv today too except that the rain and cold put me off. Spent the morning helping Benoit our library assistant transfer our periodical section down to the new part of the library. Then the afternoon was spent reading up on my research.

So how did the New year start? Well, for one the "Orang Minyak" is still running loose and terrorising people in Malaysia.  http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/ANN/Story/STIStory_750811.html
  Then if you have tonnes of money to splash - do a traditional Zhou dynasty wedding.   http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/ANN/Story/STIStory_751039.html    And scientists have discovered a brainless, faceless fish species ... I know lots of humans who are like that.  http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/ANN/Story/STIStory_750807.html  And there's nothing like a good curse to start the New Year   http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_751049.html 

01/01/2012

The New Year began on a very cold note. Here's the 1st photo of 2012 - the Jerusalem Light rail! The New Year is not celebrated here as there is a Jewish calendar in effect that regulates Israeli life. So traffic was as usual. I had to go out and buy a bulb for my lamp and took the pic on the way. Everyone was doing everyday stuff in the City. Nothing special. But I'm used to it. There was some small fireworks at midnight but it wasn't exciting, I was told. I was already asleep then. But before I went to sleep I managed to snap the last photo of 2011 - the half moon over Christmas decorations. Somehow it was very evocative ... like here we are heading for another new year but the moon remains the same ... almost laughing at us for counting time.

So what happened yesterday ... the last day of 2011. Actually I was in Jericho to see the physiotherapist. Needed some adjustment on my neck (spondylosis) and my slipped disc on L5 which were causing too much pain to sit, walk or stand. It went ok. The pain was relieved from the L5 so the sciatica was "solved" for the moment. But the doc said I need to come back 3 more times at least. Now I must sit real straight otherwise there'll be pain in the neck and back.

After that I went to say hi to my friends in Jericho - Alaa and Mutasem my best buddies, Muhammed the deaf guy who talks to me on the phone through a friend, Haytham who just returned from a holiday in Cairo. It was good to be with them. But it was very cold even by Jericho standards so I came home and rested in bed most of the evening to relief the stress on the back and neck.

Earlier on the way out to get my transport to Jericho, I saw a baby mouse climbing up a wall. It was very very small ... about 4 cm. It climbed up almost 2 meters before falling down. Then it started climbing up again. What a lesson in determination! Good lesson for the New Year.

Well most of the guys are not at home for the New Year. So the house is pretty quiet. Last night we were given our patron saints for 2012. Mine is St. Teresa Benedicta (aka Edith Stein), the Jewish philosopher who became a Carmelite nun and was killed by the Nazis. My virtue to cultivate for 2012 is "Love your enemies". The biblical phrase for 2012 is Lk 6:27-28. And I must pray for Fr Johannes Simons, the german superior of Bethlehem during the siege who died several years ago.