New Year's Eve

The last sunrise for 2013

So 2013 has finally come to an end. Not that it was a big deal for me. Shuttling between work, hospital and doctors ... that's how 2013 was characterised for me. Anyway it was a normal working day for me today ... tiring. Had to rush up and down the Cit several times to get my work done. The weather is awfully old - 7 degrees at most. And my asthma is killing me.

Israelis are celebrating Silvester instead of New Year's Eve. It's named after St. Sylbester the pope whose feastday falls on the last day of the year. The israeli version of St. Sylvester is a man who persecuted jews - like a modern day Haman of the Queen Esther legend. However balloons are hung in every place ... like Valentine's Day. Not sure how the Sylvester legend and Valentine's Day got fused together in this country. In any case most things in this country defies understanding.

New Year's Eve dinner -
good food, no company

Ah Ling of Mandarin restaurant called me over for dinner. it was nice. Specially cooked food not found in the menu - chinese style spinach (bor chai), soup (lao guo tang), braised lamb shank and rice. I was alone though. Would have loved some company but everyone was out partying. Most of the profs and students have returned home for the Christmas holidays, and my arab friends have all gone to Eilat to party for 3 days. The Israeli security guys had to work as usual and we had little time to chat as I too was busy at work.

So much for New Year's Eve. I'm not counting down. I'm going to sleep.