Sponging off S'pore taxpayers

Russian Orthodox hostel

Another uneventful day weatherwise. The sun was shining and the temp. reached 18 degrees. Most of the bulbs are flowering ... which is a sure sign that the cold spell is over. The tourist crowds are coming back. Mostly asians though ... they seem to be the only ones with money nowadays. Europeans are a rarity with the exception of some german groups. The Cypriots are coming in droves, as are east europeans and russians. Its the Orthodox Lent and they usually come to spend Lent here till Easter. Since they only eat boiled veggies and water for 40 days, they're not likely to help the economy much ... except for the crosses that they buy. The huge monasteries in the Russian compound, confiscated and occupied by Israeli authorities since the war, have partly been restituted to the Russian Orthodox church. Built a century ago, these huge buildings served as both hostels for pilgrims and monasteries for monks and nuns. The famous tower now flies the Russian Orthodox flag -  a sure sign they've repossessed the building.

Well to say that it was uneventful today is not really true. I was boiling mad. The secretary of the Consul General here who was supposed to help my application for a new passport did nothing with my application, went on a month long vacation, told no one about it and now I'm stuck with a big problem. She came back to work today and I called her and she had the cheek to tell me to send my application directly to Singapore on my own! What the heck? She's getting paid by S'pore taxpayers' money but she's not doing her job for Singaporeans here in Israel??? You guys out there ought to go and complain to the MFA. Yes I'm still boiling mad!

More snow pics

Some of my students

Just downloaded some awesome snow pics from my students who live in the upper part of the New City. They had more snowfall than us in the Old City which is too compact and overcrowded. Well it was a memorable day - the snow that fell after many years.

Meantime its been nothing but rush rush rush the whole day .... from morning at 8am nonstop. Bought medicine, had 1 minute meetings with several sisters who needed help for the poor, been to the Post Office, then back to the Pharmacy, then back to the nuns. My legs were wobbling and I was so tired and hungry I almost fainted.

Independence Park under snow

Came home and had some yoghurt to stop the stomach cramps. When will they realise I'm no longer young and can't do all these running up and down the moutains of Jerusalem like I use to?

The weather has turned around. It was very warm today - 18 degrees although a cold wind still blows. I think the tortoises have come out of hibernation to eat. The canaries were singing like crazy ... and a couple have started building nests.

A snowed out street

I've been thinking of some old friends and was hoping to see them. I mean those here in Israel. Don't know why this nostalgia ... old age I guess. And I had a wonderful surprise ... and old classmate (like way back in 1980 Hwa Chong JC) managed to trace me and wrote an email. Voila! Surprise indeed!!! Good to know she's doing well ... and of course she had to remind me that we're almost into the "big five-zero". Gosh how time flies. Half a century gone. Time to get my rocking chair out.

Haman's ears

Another exhausting day ... woke up at 3am to prepare for classes. Then it was this work and that work. Didn't have time to finish the cleaning of my room that began yesterday. Finally had some time to rest at noon ... only to be woken up several times by phone calls. All emergencies ... someone's kids in hospital for operation, someone needed medicine because of cancer ... so I had to run around the City buying medicine, updating on the situations of the poor who are being sponsored by your generosity. All are in the care of Mother Teresa's sisters.

Haman's Ears

Purim begins on Thursday ... but already in bakeries, eateries and supermarkets the festive cookies are selling like hotcakes. It's Haman's Ears - Haman being the Persian enemy who tried to slaughter the Jews in Persia but failed due to the bravery of Jewish Queen Esther. Read her book. The cookies are baked with dates or some other sweet sweet filling. Nice stuff - bad for diabetes.

As for the weather, it was dull and cloudy. Also cold. The ground is always wet and slippery. But the people are coming out of their homes and the markets are back to its normal crowded noisy atmosphere.

Transfiguration clouds

Old City practically invisible

An extremely foggy morning. Most of the Old City was fogged over, as was the Mt. of Olives and the surrounding region. Nice though because today's Gospel reading was the Transfiguration ... "and a cloud overshadowed them".

Rains returned sporadically throughout the day and it was very very cold. Everyone was well wrapped up ... except for the crazy tourists who meander through the wet and slippery streets, trying to squeeze their money's worth of their trip, almost everyone stayed indoors. In fact, many shops didn't even open.

Mt. Scopus disappears

I stayed most of the morning at home cleaning up the room that was terribly untidied and muddied because of my trips outdoors. Didn't manage to do everything as I was feeling terribly weak. Gave Mr. Fish fresh water in his tank ... he's getting very playful. Swims up to the surface whenever I'm near his tank. I usually whistle and tap his tank ... and today he stuck his head out of the water and made a jump towards me. Good thing the glass lid was on. He's behaving like a dog ... hmmmm like Rex. Miss him lots.

Har Gau, Siu Mai - my brunch

I think I was very hungry - that's why I felt weak. So lucky me .. I found in the sisters' freezer a pack of frozen Har Gau and Siu Mai that I bought some time ago but forgot about it. Steamed them up and ate them for brunch. Yummy. They're made in Vietnam and don't contain pork because of the country's kosher laws. I think it was mainly fish meat inside. Anyway it was good to have some warm food in the tummy.

Later in the afternoon I had to go and do some shopping - groceries, medicine and stationary. Met Hidri at the supermarket and we walked and chatted for a while. He was sick last week because of the cold, and I bought him a radiator. He's much better now. And he gets pretty cheeky now as well. I'll have to keep him in check.

Day after

So the first snowfall (and probably the last) has past. It sure caused a flurry of excitement all over the country, especially in Jerusalem where snow has not fallen in over 4 years. Photos flood social network sites ... each one more beautiful than the previous. But there were also dangers when it snowed - traffic accidents and deaths. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/seven-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-swept-into-west-bank-stream-1.416115

It was sunny again in the morning but it felt even colder than yesterday when the snow fell. Drizzle continued the whole day and evening. When the snow fell, it was 8 degrees. Later at midnight yesterday, more snow fell and the temp. was around 3 degrees. This afternoon it felt like 1 degree with the sun shining through the drizzle!!!

And as a matter of interest - the first International Pomegranate Symposium was held in Tel Aviv. The fruit is touted as the "fruit that saved the world". Well it's medicinal properties are quite well known in many civilisations ... so perhaps there's some truth to that. http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=260156

Holy spirits 

So nothing much happened today ... except for the excited chatter of yesterday's snow. The cold has certainly encouraged everyone to sip a little liqueur to warm up. Looks like the liqueur bottles themselves need a little warming up!

Snow videos

Snow!!!

Hail fell before the snow

Finally it is snowing! School throughout the City is canceled. Kids (and adults!) are out in the streets celebrating.

Quite a heavy fall of snow

A pigeon scurries away from the snow

Hail covering the courtyard

A light coating of snow