Happy New Year

Miss Bird wishes you
a happy Monkey year

Yes I'm back. Firstly Happy New Year to you all.

It was a bad ending of 2015 and an equally horrid beginning of 2016. Everything went wrong and I was totally stressed out in every way. But the tensions continued throughout these 2 months. At times I felt it's the breaking point ... but somehow I managed to pull myself together. So health wise and life wise ... things are not looking good.

Adding to that is the dreadful terror attacks that occur in many parts of the country but especially here at Damascus Gate 300 metres from my house. Despite the draconian military presence and measures ... utterly humiliating and definitely a source of more hatred ... despite or in spite of these measures, stabbings and shootings continue to occur at the City Gate. Every morning hundreds of arab youths are stopped randomly, spread eagle over a wall and body-searched. At time it's strip-search ... in public in front of everyone. It's humiliating. Anyway the atmosphere in the Old City is awful. It's one contributing factor to my deteriorating health.

Buddy wishes you
a happy Monkey year
too by biting
Moran the Monkey's
ear!

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, my phone fell into the aquarium and it's totally spoilt because I tried to turn it on immediately while it was wet. On the second day my old backup phone was stolen. Third day rain seeped into the library and I had to deal with this emergency. Fourth day a fire broke out in the library reception when the radiator socket overheated. So both the western New Year and the chinese New Year started off bad.

Be that as it may ... I'm still alive. And lucky to have some good friends to support and encourage me. So I'm counting my blessings.