Shrinking

Two days back, groups of muslims attacked Christians and destroyed christian property in Bethpage on the Mt. of Olives. It was sickening. There was no police protection. Several christians are still in hospital. Strange that a few days back, jewish youths beat up an arab muslim boy and that raised all hue and cry - even the president and PM spoke out against it. Now when christians get beaten up, no one says anything.

Anyway my old problem has recurred - the sprained neck. Now I can't lie down to sleep because if my head is straight in line with my backbone, it squashes a nerve and it hurts so bad, I faint. So I'm walking around with my head sticking out of joint. Also developed tendonitis on both feet. You can't imagine the pain I'm going through everyday. Just this morning I wondered how I could possibly bear this daily and nightly pain.

Instant noodles -
my dinner

Hunger hits me once in a while ... like yesterday evening after 36 hours without food. There was nothing to eat, so I cooked a pack of instant noodles, warmed up 2 boiled eggs (cooked last week for the birds) and fried shallots (bottled and imported from S'pore of course). It sure filled my stomach.

And after these few months of comments from people who see me daily or once in a long while, the observation is unanimous: I'm shrinking. No, not growing thin, but growing smaller ... literally shrinking, growing shorter and smaller. Actually I felt that too ... but now it's confirmed by everyone who tells me that. Perhaps soon I'll disappear all together .....

Make-belief if you can

More news on the jewish youth attack on Palestianian youth - the 15 yr old perpetrator says "I'll do it again. Hope he dies. He's an arab". Well if you change the word "arab" to "jew", you can be sure it'll be an international hue and cry of anti-semitism. But sadly it's an arab. So nothing will happen. The perpetrators will be released and "nothing ever happened". It's a fairy-land world ... everything is make-believe ... just believe whatever you like. http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=281902

Sunrise over the Galilee lake -
not a makebelief though!

Wish my pain can also be make-belief. But it isn't. It's hurting alot in my spleen area, with fever. Need to rest more.

I've never been so ill as these 2 weeks. Or so overworked. Can you imagine me working full-time 8 hours a day while diagnosed as an infection and told not to do stressful work as it may rupture my spleen. Well I worked 8 full days while severely ill. So let me die. Perhaps this life is make-belief as well .... maybe I don't even actually exist ...... in this country, anything is possible.

Last day of Ramadan

The savage attack of 3 Palestinian youths by a group of Israeli youths is a frightening turn of events. It was unprovoked and no one went to help them despite taking palce in front of many people right in Ben Yehuda. What next?
Arab critically hurt in Arab-Jewish braw... JPost - National News

Anyway today is the last day of Ramadan. We all expected it yesterday but it didn't happen. Tomorrow is feasting time for them.

And I think my spleen gave out. It hurts so bad. I really should go to hospital. Honest.

G. Allegra to be beatified

Blessed Allegra in Qumran

Major news floated in this morning - Gabriele Allegra, founder of the Studium Biblicum Hong Kong and translator of the Chinese Bible, will be beatified in a Mass on Sept. 29th 2012.

Hopefully there'll be celebrations organised around the  places where he served and worked.

Meantime thanks to Alison Chow, Chan Kwok Wai, Winifrid Ma, Cavero family for your help.

Overhaul needed

Finally had the chance to speak to Maher, our Olympian. By chance actually. I was on my way back home through the Suq and the Ramadan crowd was so bad I was pushed into Maher's shop. He happened to be sitting there doing nothing, so we started chatting up. He was describing his excitement and experience in the London Olympics; and his disappointment that Palestine, whom he represented, showed little interest or support. I thought it was a pity as the Olympics is one of the best world stages to showcase your cause ... and Palestine let it slip away. Anyway I said I was proud of his efforts, and Maher was happy.

The Prison of St. Peter

Prices are spiking on everything! Now bread is going up 6.5%. More demonstrations are predicted.

Am still recovering from the virus. Slowly. Fever is on and off, and pain in the abdomen. And terribly weak. What I need is a total body overhaul. Just like the dome of St. Peter's Prison is having a total overhaul right now. It's a very little known place here in Jerusalem ... directly behind our house actually. Well I think the whole of Palestine needs an overhaul too .... maybe then Maher will be appreciated by his own country and people.

Productivity and the City

So a survey has shown that Israelis work longer hours but are less productive than workers of other countries .... well ... I wonder what these workers are doing while "at work".  http://www.haaretz.com/business/oecd-israelis-work-more-but-less-productive-than-workers-in-other-developed-countries-1.457547  Call me cynical but that's the culture here - people come to "work". They drink coffee and smoke for one quarter of the working day, chat and gossip for half of it, and may actually do some work for a quarter of the time in the office. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who's ever lived in this part of the world.

My lunch for the
past 2 days

So it's official I've caught a virus. Causing me alot of high fevers and general weakness. Doc insisted I stop all heavy work as my spleen and/or liver might rupture. Well a little too late this advice. I completed painting a room in the library ... because the worker only showed up 2 days out of 4. And when he did, he worked only for one hour and then I couldn't find him. I continued painting in order to catch up with lost time ... and then started looking for him. Found him sleeping on the floor between two shelves of books. Slept for over an hour, then woke up, went back to sleep and then woke up, and then went home. Prove my point about productivity in this country? He was at "work" for 4 hours but slept 3 hours away.

Anyway here's a pic of my lunch - yoghurt, barley and smashed figs. It's pretty palatable at the beginning but after several spoonfuls I lose my appetite. Actually I lost my appetite for over 2 weeks now. It's force-feeding that I'm doing. I did get myself a beefsteak last night as I was absolutely famished ... and enjoyed it ... but halfway through I had no appetite and forced myself to finish it. Anyway doc says the virus will go in 3 or 4 weeks time ....

Talk talk talk

The virus is back with a vengeance. Aching joints and muscles. Nausea. Headache. Swollen throat ... all sore and feverish. Am feeling so sick. Everyone tells me "go see a doctor" but nobody has actually offered to accompany me to the doc because I'm just too weak to climb all the stairs and under this heatwave alone. Talk, talk, talk ..... it's everywhere.

So one rabbi calls another a heretic and idiot on live radio ..... gets kicked out of radio station. http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=280606  And all this is part of a normal day here in Israel. Talk and more talk.

Imposed ecumenism

So how about no talk? The muslim shopkeepers opposite our place think they have a right to put up their Ramadan crescent and star lights on our Church wall WITHOUT asking permission. Well ... I'll put up christmas lights on their shop door this december and see what they'll say. Probably nothing ... they'll just come over and beat me up. Ecumenism at its best.

Well despite my pain and fever, I painted 5 windows because the worker never showed up. Actually he did ... at 3.30pm and worked for one hour and left at 4.30pm. So what would you do? I quarrelled with him. He promised to come at 7am today .... but I don't believe him. He's been making these promises for a month now. Just talk talk talk .... This is an impossible culture .... but at least you understand now why there is no peace ... everything is just talk.