Chinese New Year

New Year altar with card from Mum

Happy and Healthy New Year. Hope all that monkey business of the Monkey Year is gone and the Rooster will peck them away. This year I have no New Year goodies. No pineapple tarts, no Kweh Blandah, no shrimp rolls, no carrot cake (luo buo gao), no water-chestnut cake (ma tai gou) ... like the only festive thing I have for the New Year is mandarin oranges. So I've been eating mandarin oranges last night and today. Am having a fun time trying to teach Buddy to eat mandarin oranges. He dislikes the tangy taste.

Well yesterday evening was high drama ... which I didn't mention in yesterday's blog. I had only 45 minutes from finishing work and changing and preparing to go to Mandarin Restaurant for the Reunion dinner. It was a big rush. While getting my stuff together and rushing out of my room (remember there was a hailstorm), I discovered that I could't find my spectacles. I remembered distinctly that when I changed my shirt I took them off but now I could not find it. Searched the entire room for half an hour and was running late. Was very upset, frustrated and panicky. because of the hailstorm I had planned to keep my specs in its box instead of wearing it. But there was no specs in the box. Finally I decided to go without my specs. But not before washing my face first. Went to the toilet and looked into the mirror ... to see that I was wearing the specs all the time. Now I must be really getting old, or tired or both.

Hailstones in our
flower pots

It's 2 degrees today but the forecast says it feels like minus 3 degrees. And it does! Rain and drizzle alternating. Snow in the north and south of Jerusalem ... while hailstones still litter the gardens. The skies continue to be dark and grey. I have my 2 heaters on but it still feels cold in the room. Let's hope this will pass tomorrow. It's quite inconvenient in this weather to do anything but on the other hand, we need the rain to stop this drought.

Well though it's the New Year, I still have to work today. And it's Sabbat. I'll spend a few hours in the afternoon quietly in my room. It will feel a little different ... some relax time ... just to make it feel like it's the Chinese New Year back home.