Minus 2 degrees

Very sunny but cold

What a dreadfully cold day it was. This morning at 5.30am when I left to celebrate Mass for the Ivrea sisters, it was minus 2 degrees. But it didn't rain. That helped a lot because for once I did not have an asthma attack while walking on the way. In fact the sun came up bright and sunny at 6.40am. It seemed very pleasant except when you realise it was only zero degrees at that time. People were cowering in corners with hoods up. Luckily it was Friday so the kids had no school. They could sleep in.

Had a good laugh when I saw the report in Channelnews Asia saying Singapore will have 22 degrees in the next few days ... hence very cold. What will happen to Singaporeans if they experience minus 2 degrees?  http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/monsoon-surge-in-south-china-sea-expected-to-weaken-in-next-2/3524720.html?cid=fbcna

Indonesian tourists

There were lots of Indonesian and Turkish muslim pilgrims. Being Friday they flocked to the Al Aqsa Mosque. When I returned home from the convent, I encountered many of them. All in green scarves with green masks. Scary. Christian pilgrims on the other hand have trickled to barely a handful. Just as well ... it's a period of rest for us.

Billy called from the restaurant to say he boiled herbal soup for me. I went to take it after work ... 2 kms away in the cold. Billy and his wife Linda are very kind to me and boil herbal soup almost every week for me. Mandarin Restaurant's Ah Ling used to do that but as business boomed, she hardly has time now to do it. Hundreds of chinese groups go to her restaurant for meals so she's made a lot of money. Now the restaurant is closed for a month because she's renovating the kitchen. Anyway being Sabbat and most restaurants are closed, and because of the extreme cold, many Israelis and asian tourists have flocked to Billy's restaurant for a warm meal this evening. Good for him.

Huddling inside Herod's Gate
from the cold

Students and workers in the library are telling me that I look terrible and should rest more. I have been over stressed and overworked the past few weeks ... that's true. And with the cold and asthma attacks in the night, I hardly have enough sleep. So it;s showing in my face which everybody could read. The students have been very kind and took turns to watch the library reception while I went to my room several times to rest. Short rest periods of 20 minutes. It's a help.