Stromata

What a day of news! First the Interior Minister officially threatened African (illegal) migrants - "I'll make their lives bitter until they leave". Sounds like what Pharoah said thousands of years ago about the hebrews in Egypt. History repeats itself - the victim becomes the perpetrator. http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=283087

Then the national bus company is bowing to jewish ultra-orthodox pressure by segregating men and women on buses. Apparently they've gone a step further and introduced "men only" buses. The whole country is slipping into ultra-orthodoxy in a frighteningly lightning speed. The losers are the rest of Israeli society ... we gentiles don't walk their streets, live in their towns or ride their buses anyway.

And after one week, the mass muslim attack on Christians on the Mt. of Olives is finally mentioned in Haaretz. Of course the muslims will not be prosecuted .... it's just another empty show that emboldens the muslims to attack again. If it were jews who were attacked, you can be sure arrests would have been made a week ago. But that's life here.

I've put off my visit to my doctor twice this week because the workers promised to come to install air-con units in the library. They didn't show up for Monday or Tuesday. So my doc said I must not postpone again and fixed an appointment this afternoon. And the workers had to come today unannounced. And they made a huge mistake as well ... luckily I caught it in time and stopped them. Had to rush off 60 km away to my doc later, leaving the workers to their antics, praying that they won't make another mistake again. The stress is almost breaking-point.

My morning visitor

Anyway not a day passes without the awful pain that I have to bear. It's the neck and shoulder nerve problem that is so excruciating it give me a constant headache and nausea. Then there is the pain in the spleen/liver that makes the nausea even worse. But yesterday morning a lovely sight sort of lightened the otherwise awful day - a moth in front of my door. The symmetry of it's wings are amazing.

Good bye Sr. Veronica

Another week begins. The weekend was uneventful ... work work work despite the awful pain that I'm suffering on my right shoulder and neck. So bad it makes me nauseous and faint. I need traction. The workers finally came to work ... but like they start work at 10am and end at 3pm with an hour long lunch break ... so I don't think they're getting much done.

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Anyway to get my mind off the pain, here's a nice photo of a unique nargile made by my friend - the water pot is a watermelon and the bowl is an apple (both carved out but provides a great fruit flavour).

Sr. Veronica, one of our sisters working in the sacristy, is leaving us tonight after 12 years of service. She was in America before coming to start her community here in the Holyland. All the best, Sr. Veronica! I thought of giving her a nargile as a Holyland souvenir but I guess it's not very appropriate. Hahahahaha. Gave her a chinese silk purse instead.

Now we'll wait for another replacement for her.

Destruction

Another day of excruciating pain. I'm on heavy pain killers. It helps me get through the day.

Well I still manage to help Hidri with moving some books in the library. But I needed the help of 3 huge guys, Khalil our cook, Majed our doorman and Firas our kitchen assistant, to move 2 heavy and long rows of bookshelves. Not good for me to strain of course ... doc warned of ruptured spleen if I overwork.

Mamilla cathedral's
foundations are dug up

Don't think that because I'm in pain, I stay put in bed. There's so much to do and no one to help. This afternoon I had to go to Supersol (the local supermarket chain) to buy necessities. Couldn't walk up the 2 kms in 39 degree heat so decided to take a taxi. The traffic was horrendous. 300,000 Palestinians were allowed to enter Israel for ramadan and today is the last day of their permit. They took advantage and flooded Israel ... blocking all the roads in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Had to walk home because the traffic was impossible. I had a heavy knapsack and my pain was too severe to bear but I managed to reach home in one piece. On the way home, I saw municipality workers destroying the foundations of the ancient Mamilla Cathedral in order to lay water and electrical pipes. Destruction of Christian history! Tens of thousands of christians massacred by Persians in the 7th century were buried here. But now all is wiped out by bulldozers. This is more painful than my illness.

Shrinking

Two days back, groups of muslims attacked Christians and destroyed christian property in Bethpage on the Mt. of Olives. It was sickening. There was no police protection. Several christians are still in hospital. Strange that a few days back, jewish youths beat up an arab muslim boy and that raised all hue and cry - even the president and PM spoke out against it. Now when christians get beaten up, no one says anything.

Anyway my old problem has recurred - the sprained neck. Now I can't lie down to sleep because if my head is straight in line with my backbone, it squashes a nerve and it hurts so bad, I faint. So I'm walking around with my head sticking out of joint. Also developed tendonitis on both feet. You can't imagine the pain I'm going through everyday. Just this morning I wondered how I could possibly bear this daily and nightly pain.

Instant noodles -
my dinner

Hunger hits me once in a while ... like yesterday evening after 36 hours without food. There was nothing to eat, so I cooked a pack of instant noodles, warmed up 2 boiled eggs (cooked last week for the birds) and fried shallots (bottled and imported from S'pore of course). It sure filled my stomach.

And after these few months of comments from people who see me daily or once in a long while, the observation is unanimous: I'm shrinking. No, not growing thin, but growing smaller ... literally shrinking, growing shorter and smaller. Actually I felt that too ... but now it's confirmed by everyone who tells me that. Perhaps soon I'll disappear all together .....

Make-belief if you can

More news on the jewish youth attack on Palestianian youth - the 15 yr old perpetrator says "I'll do it again. Hope he dies. He's an arab". Well if you change the word "arab" to "jew", you can be sure it'll be an international hue and cry of anti-semitism. But sadly it's an arab. So nothing will happen. The perpetrators will be released and "nothing ever happened". It's a fairy-land world ... everything is make-believe ... just believe whatever you like. http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=281902

Sunrise over the Galilee lake -
not a makebelief though!

Wish my pain can also be make-belief. But it isn't. It's hurting alot in my spleen area, with fever. Need to rest more.

I've never been so ill as these 2 weeks. Or so overworked. Can you imagine me working full-time 8 hours a day while diagnosed as an infection and told not to do stressful work as it may rupture my spleen. Well I worked 8 full days while severely ill. So let me die. Perhaps this life is make-belief as well .... maybe I don't even actually exist ...... in this country, anything is possible.

Last day of Ramadan

The savage attack of 3 Palestinian youths by a group of Israeli youths is a frightening turn of events. It was unprovoked and no one went to help them despite taking palce in front of many people right in Ben Yehuda. What next?
Arab critically hurt in Arab-Jewish braw... JPost - National News

Anyway today is the last day of Ramadan. We all expected it yesterday but it didn't happen. Tomorrow is feasting time for them.

And I think my spleen gave out. It hurts so bad. I really should go to hospital. Honest.

G. Allegra to be beatified

Blessed Allegra in Qumran

Major news floated in this morning - Gabriele Allegra, founder of the Studium Biblicum Hong Kong and translator of the Chinese Bible, will be beatified in a Mass on Sept. 29th 2012.

Hopefully there'll be celebrations organised around the  places where he served and worked.

Meantime thanks to Alison Chow, Chan Kwok Wai, Winifrid Ma, Cavero family for your help.

Overhaul needed

Finally had the chance to speak to Maher, our Olympian. By chance actually. I was on my way back home through the Suq and the Ramadan crowd was so bad I was pushed into Maher's shop. He happened to be sitting there doing nothing, so we started chatting up. He was describing his excitement and experience in the London Olympics; and his disappointment that Palestine, whom he represented, showed little interest or support. I thought it was a pity as the Olympics is one of the best world stages to showcase your cause ... and Palestine let it slip away. Anyway I said I was proud of his efforts, and Maher was happy.

The Prison of St. Peter

Prices are spiking on everything! Now bread is going up 6.5%. More demonstrations are predicted.

Am still recovering from the virus. Slowly. Fever is on and off, and pain in the abdomen. And terribly weak. What I need is a total body overhaul. Just like the dome of St. Peter's Prison is having a total overhaul right now. It's a very little known place here in Jerusalem ... directly behind our house actually. Well I think the whole of Palestine needs an overhaul too .... maybe then Maher will be appreciated by his own country and people.

Productivity and the City

So a survey has shown that Israelis work longer hours but are less productive than workers of other countries .... well ... I wonder what these workers are doing while "at work".  http://www.haaretz.com/business/oecd-israelis-work-more-but-less-productive-than-workers-in-other-developed-countries-1.457547  Call me cynical but that's the culture here - people come to "work". They drink coffee and smoke for one quarter of the working day, chat and gossip for half of it, and may actually do some work for a quarter of the time in the office. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who's ever lived in this part of the world.

My lunch for the
past 2 days

So it's official I've caught a virus. Causing me alot of high fevers and general weakness. Doc insisted I stop all heavy work as my spleen and/or liver might rupture. Well a little too late this advice. I completed painting a room in the library ... because the worker only showed up 2 days out of 4. And when he did, he worked only for one hour and then I couldn't find him. I continued painting in order to catch up with lost time ... and then started looking for him. Found him sleeping on the floor between two shelves of books. Slept for over an hour, then woke up, went back to sleep and then woke up, and then went home. Prove my point about productivity in this country? He was at "work" for 4 hours but slept 3 hours away.

Anyway here's a pic of my lunch - yoghurt, barley and smashed figs. It's pretty palatable at the beginning but after several spoonfuls I lose my appetite. Actually I lost my appetite for over 2 weeks now. It's force-feeding that I'm doing. I did get myself a beefsteak last night as I was absolutely famished ... and enjoyed it ... but halfway through I had no appetite and forced myself to finish it. Anyway doc says the virus will go in 3 or 4 weeks time ....

Talk talk talk

The virus is back with a vengeance. Aching joints and muscles. Nausea. Headache. Swollen throat ... all sore and feverish. Am feeling so sick. Everyone tells me "go see a doctor" but nobody has actually offered to accompany me to the doc because I'm just too weak to climb all the stairs and under this heatwave alone. Talk, talk, talk ..... it's everywhere.

So one rabbi calls another a heretic and idiot on live radio ..... gets kicked out of radio station. http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=280606  And all this is part of a normal day here in Israel. Talk and more talk.

Imposed ecumenism

So how about no talk? The muslim shopkeepers opposite our place think they have a right to put up their Ramadan crescent and star lights on our Church wall WITHOUT asking permission. Well ... I'll put up christmas lights on their shop door this december and see what they'll say. Probably nothing ... they'll just come over and beat me up. Ecumenism at its best.

Well despite my pain and fever, I painted 5 windows because the worker never showed up. Actually he did ... at 3.30pm and worked for one hour and left at 4.30pm. So what would you do? I quarrelled with him. He promised to come at 7am today .... but I don't believe him. He's been making these promises for a month now. Just talk talk talk .... This is an impossible culture .... but at least you understand now why there is no peace ... everything is just talk.

Heat is on

A 70 yr old woman set herself on fire and is in serious condition. I think she's the 10th or 11th victim of the govt's social inaction on rising prices and the people's inability to maintain a normal life. Now if this isn't a wake-up call for the govt, then I don't know what is. But then again, the Israeli govt is a expert on these things .... ignore the problem and it'll soon wear itself out. Or as the late former PM Shamir said "Let's see who blinks first".  Sad because this time, the "enemy" is the israeli citizen.

Fires have broken out in the Carmel region and around Jerusalem as well. The heatwave is beating strong and not letting up. I guess more fires along the summer months.

7 Kook - built by chinese

And if that's not enough, I get the feeling anti-foreign feelings are slowing shifting from africans to asians. Good example - the two huge condominiums in HaRav Kook street. All built by chinese. They get the job done and get paid accordingly but locals don't like that. So? beat up the chinese I guess. After all they've already beaten up africans.

Back again with a headache

Heatwave in Tel Aviv

The splitting headache has crippled me for the past few days. Moran my physio tells me it's due to a misalignment of my feet, legs or hips. We've been working on it the past few days. Hurts like hell. The headache has been slightly alleviated but not gone. And the heat is not much help either. 40 degrees of stifling humid air. While Tel Aviv looks beautiful, the heat and humidity has driven people away from the beach ... well, the invasion of jelly-fish also plays a big part. So my headaches lingers on .....

I guess stress is also a big element in my headache. Workers still appear and disappear ... and I spend the entire week waiting for nothing to happen, canceling appointments etc... waiting for workers that never come. It's an impossible situation. No wonder nothing ever developes in this part of the world ... we remain living in a desert. Only thing that will ever get the locals moving is a war. So let's hope one comes up soon. There's talk in the streets that after Ramadan, there'll be a major war in our region. I know of a few workers who would benefit from the war.

Dinner at Mandarin's

And in the evenings when I have some private time to rest and apply medication, there're social obligations. Friends come to visit, professors want to go out .... it's just one long day of running around because we're just down to 4 guys in this house (3 are over 70) ... everyone else has gone home for the summer. So it's work and headache. Chinese dinner with the guests sound pleasant ... ad it is, except when you have a headache that makes you nauseous.

After the Sabbath

Social protests abounded in Tel Aviv yesterday evening ... ranging from compulsory military enlistment for ultra-orthodox jews to the rise of VAT (up to 17%) and prices of daily foods (up and over US$1) to the imminent war with Iran. Jerusalem saw a much smaller gathering of protesters.  http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=280059  and  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/thousands-of-israelis-take-part-in-separate-social-protest-rallies-in-tel-aviv-1.455923

Bulldog encounter with porcupine

And just when we think we have so much to complain, there's this bit of news of a poor doggy ... you have to see this.  Compared to her problem, we have nothing to complain.   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19124242

Maher the Olympian

Maher the judoka

What a surprise this morning to see my friend Maher on CNN. He's an Olympian representing Palestine in judo. Imagine that! His shop is just round the corner and we work out in the same gym. We meet every morning ... but he never said he was going to the London Olympics. Anyway I hope he does well ... it's not a matter of medals, it's simply being there and representing his people. Real proud of him. I'll go talk to his brothers later today. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2012/08/02/inside-the-middle-east-judo-palestine.cnn?iref=allsearch

Meantime my viral infection is clearing up. There was a moment of relapse but things are more stabilised now. Stopped taking optalgin and am letting my bronchial system recover from the asthma. Managed to go visit the pharmacist and checked that everything was ok so I don't need further medication. Just lots of rest and liquids to recover.

Full moon over Mt. of Olives

The full moon is up and it casts a fantastic light over the City during the night. Magical, haunting ... hanging over the fairy lights of Ramadan. Despite the beauty of it, I'm spending this entire week in bed resting, and reading and writing as much as I can. But I get terribly distracted by the Olympic news. After all, I've got a friend who's an Olympian competing in London 2012.

Asthma

So it seems 1 in 12 athletes in the Olympics suffer from asthma. Nice to know I'm not alone.  http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/healthwire/olympic_athlete_asthma/2012/08/01/465956.html?promo_code=EE9E-1&utm_source=triblive&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1

I am the vine ...

Still recovering. The diagnosis is a viral infection. The fever and cramps returned last night, not as severely as before but painful enough to land me back in bed. I stopped taking optalgin as it wrecked my respiratory system. I could only take shallow breaths as my lungs seemed to have collapsed. That of course meant less oxygen and therefore headaches, dizziness etc... This has been a dreadful week. Time to reflect on death.

And don't forget, at my funeral, the Intermezzo must be played.

Homegrown vine

But before death comes knocking at the door, here's a lovely sight on this earth: a grapevine with ripening fruit. It's still early on the season. The best grapes come in October. My friend's mum heard that I was ill and she made mloukieh which is a broth made from certain leaves, eaten with rice. It's clean, pure and healthy. Had two helpings, which for me was actually a total of half a dinner plate. No more appetite. I should weigh myself this weekend if I've lost more weight. Anyway the grapevine was in her garden and she gathered 5 bunches for me. Though common here in our parts, it's pretty rare for most of you - to have a grapevine in your garden. I got me thinking about John's Gospel "I'm the vine, you're the branches ... if you abide in me and I abide in you, you shall bear much fruit". I wonder if I've borne much fruit as I head toward the cemetary ....

The harvest

Paco guards the vine

Recovery

Another israeli dies from self-immolation. This time it's very sad ... a disabled soldier who couldn't get aid or rehabilitation rights from the country he fought for. Sad. I think it's the 9th case in 4 weeks.  http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=279626 

Cameraman filming the
bazaar at Damascus Gate

While this saga of fiery suicides continue, the muslim end of the City is still in the midst of the Ramadan fast. Having to fast over 15 hours a day due to the longer daylight hours, and with the heatwave beating down, there're less violence than we had expected. Too weak and hot to start a fight. But the women are full of energy when it comes to shopping. The bazaar at Damascus Gate is packed with women from all around the country, buying up all kinds of stuff ... made in China of course. Makes a good movie, all this frenetic women activity in the bazaar and Suq.

My fever has subsided pretty quickly after taking 40 drops of optalgin. Unfortunately I didn't read the fine print - not good for asthmatics. It triggered a strong reaction that kept me wheezing and gasping. Asthma throughout the day. But without the optalgin, the fever and pain come back immediately. What a vicious cycle. My chest is very painful as the result of the wheezing ... and I can't walk the distance to the doctor's or pharmacist's so I'll have to wait a couple more days till I'm stronger. Feeling faint and headache still. The stomach cramps ended yesterday but this morning it's back. It'll take some time for recovery.

Meantime here's an interesting article on the church's relation with jews - a positive perspective for once.  http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/the-jewish-converts-who-sparked-the-vatican-s-bid-to-end-church-anti-semitism-1.454961