Rosh haShana (Jewish New Year)

Shana Tova to my friends who are celebrating Rosh haShana today ... may your new year be fruitful and abundant in all good things.

The Suq inside Damascus Gate

Unfortunately it will not be all good for palestinians living in the Territories. Israel closed the borders yesterday night and it will remain closed till Tuesday when Rosh haShana ends. A rather drastic measure to take but Israel considers it a security necessity due to the rise of attacks last week. The jewish side of Jerusalem is already mostly closed. The trams still run but only for a while longer. Many shops have not opened ... and the few that do are mainly food stalls trying to sell their food because they will not be kept in the fridge for the next 3 days. East Jerusalem on the other hand is bustling with commerce. The Suq (market) inside Damascus Gate is packed with hawkers and bedouin women selling their fresh produce from the villages. The autumn harvest is in, so lots of fruit as well as herbs that grow well in this cool weather are being sold: mint (naa'na in arabic) and sage (maramia in arabic) ... and I think basil (rihan in arabic) should also be in season.

Wild parakeets
in the park

It was a nice surprise to see a local Singaporean hawker stall awarded with a Michelin Star. Amazing acknowledgment. It brings street food to the fore of an otherwise snobbish and inaccessible (for many of the common folk) world of fine cuisine. Poor folk like me can now dine on Michelin Star cuisine at the road corner.

And talking about feasting ... this morning I saw a flock of Indian ring-necked parakeets feasting on pine nuts at Independence Park. They were quite noisy ... as usual. Made me think of Miss Bird ... she's an albino of the same species. These parakeets are not local fauna but escaped pets. It's amazing how a pet that got free could breed and acclimatize in another country. There are now several flocks of these parakeets ... the one in East Jerusalem where I live number up to 20 birds. The ones I saw in West Jerusalem this morning was a flock about 12 birds. There are also flocks in Tel Aviv and many other parts of the country.

I'm afraid my shoulder is not healing well. The pain continues to be excruciating in the nights. My right foot was also swollen ... I think it was a nerve that was inflamed. The pain was so bad I had to spray 3 times analgesic medication but still could not walk or sleep. What a way to spend Rosh haShana.