One week to Lent

We woke up to some disturbing news this morning .... Israel had bombed a convoy of weapons in Damascus. Not that there will be retaliation strikes ... but that there are sufficient storage and movement of weapons in the north to start a regional war. But that of course is the news. On ground level, people want continue to live as normally as they could.   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4925977,00.html

Students at the studio

Since Monday I've been having classes like almost every morning and afternoon, every day. Yesterday I had to bring my class of 40 students to the Media Studio down the street from their seminary. They were introduced to how news and documentaries are made, from pre-production to post-production stages. They saw the latest equipment and editing programmes used, and how live broadcasts are made. It was very interesting for them as it was the first time they have seen a studio. I was director here many years ago ... and things have changed ... from equipment to management. That's good.  All my plans that I left for the Media Centre have now for the most part been fulfilled. There's a sense of satisfaction in that.

My hoodie jumper to
coincide with the PM's
visit to Singapore

The Israeli PM's visit to Singapore is getting a lot of headlines locally. Israeli friends have been messaging me to read this or that news. It's creating quite a bonding among us. That's nice. I managed to squeeze 45 minutes from yesterday's schedule to have lunch with a really good friend whom I've not seen for 3 months. And we talked about the visit while eating a salad lunch. Some of my other Israeli friends are in Singapore too ... and others in Thailand and Cambodia right now. So our circle is getting thin this month.

Weatherise it should be warmer ... nights are 5 degrees and daytime up to 15 degrees. But in the shade, it can feel very very cold. In fact for the past 2 nights I've been getting so cold I couldn't sleep. It should be 5 degrees but it feels like zero. I went back to my doc this morning to see if I need another flu shot ... he said no need. I've weathered through the winter without a cold or flu so I'm good for now. Yesterday I went to see my physiotherapist too. The shoulder is still very painful, and my spondylosis on my neck was bad. It makes me dizzy, nauseous and the pain prevents me from sleeping. A bit of manipulation helped to relieve the pain, and the analgesic sprays that you gave are good temporary pain-relievers ... so I can sleep for us an hour.

Tomorrow it's going to be 4 hours of classes, then 3 hours of confessions and adoration. I will be extremely tired so tonight I'll be spraying the analgesic balm. Need the sleep so bad tonight so I can face tomorrow.

New week

Yesterday's newspapers and TV showed some distressing videos of nurses abusing ole people in a geriatric home in the north of Israel. It's a very large and well financed institute with modern equipment .... but instruments do not  determine the quality of care the aged receive. The elderly residents were beaten, punched, thrown around, tied to wheelchairs at 2am to prepare for breakfast so the staff could go home early.  The video is distressing   http://www.mako.co.il/news-israel/local-q1_2017/Article-adab832d0925a51004.htm?sCh=31750a2610f26110&pId=948912327

On the international level, the Trump bumbling act is the joke of town. But it's a bitter dark joke as consequences affect real people and International relationships.

Our museum's audio-visual room

I survived the morning so far ... managed a 3 hour sleep before starting class at 4am. The cold was unbearable and I had an asthma attack. Was feeling so tired I managed a half hour snooze after class before starting to prepare the laundry and starting work in the library at 7am. Now it's 11am and I'm at work in the other library. Another class will start at 3pm but I have to start getting there by 2.15pm as it's uphill 1km away and I can't talk well with pain in my ankles and knees. And of course there's always the asthma that comes and goes.

Our museum's audio-visual room has been opened for almost a year now. It's situated in the archeological "park" where lots of Roman period things have been found, including the :ithostrotos stone-pavement, ancient staircase leading to the Struthion Pool, stone missiles, engraved architraves etc... Very interesting place. Make sure you stop by for a visit.

February is ending and Ash Wednesday is next week. Lots of preparation to make ... spiritually.

Still cold

Cold quiet Sabbath

The temp. has risen a little over the past 36 hours. Up to 5 degrees and no rain. But it still feels awful cold. This "unseasonal" cold snap as the weather forecasters call it, is hitting hard on many people. Lots of coughs and colds. Lucky for me I was asked to go to Jaffa to hep in the sacristy. There it was a nice 15 degrees ... but only if you are under the sun. Indoors and under shade, it feels like zero degrees. You wear more clothes indoors than outdoors. It was just as well that Saturday was this cold. Being the Sabbath, everyone was indoors, no work done. But I think electric bills will be soaring for most families this winter. The extreme cold is forcing even the poorest to turn on heaters. I can imagine that in the coming months, lots of people will have to start borrowing money to pay their bills.

Anyway work all Sunday was tiring. I had to prepare all the Masses till the last one in hebrew at 7.15pm. That is more than 12 hours of work in the sacristy. I really had to rush home (70 km away) because I have to wake up at 3am for classes. Mondays are nightmares. I have classes at the university all morning and then same for the afternoon. Tomorrow night we also have a house meeting at 7pm. I shall be awake tomorrow for 21 hours with 3 hours of sleep in 48 hours.

Some of the Coptic children with
Abuna Soriel in our chapel

There was a very nice visit by Coptic christians today in our Jaffa Church. Children from their school in Jerusalem with their teachers and 2 priests made an excursion to Jaffa and included our sanctuary in their itinerary. It was good to receive them and show them around, explaining the history of the place. The priests were very friendly too. And their guide is an old friend of mine ... going back 25 years. He was just a student part-timing at our Casa Nova hostel as receptionist in order to earn a little something. He comes from a very poor family. Now he's got grown up children and is manager of a meet and assist team of a travel agency. I was so happy for him. He's a Coptic christian too.

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.

Minus 1 degree ??

Muscari in bloom

The cold and hail / graupel persisted throughout the night. It felt very very cold. I couldn't sleep because the 2 heaters weren't warm enough. Had a bad attack of asthma. And was awake till now. It's exhausting. The weather is said to be unseasonably cold and wet. Well in a way we really need the rain. Unfortunately the rain is falling on the wrong side of the country: Instead of flowing inland to the Sea of Galilee, it's flowing out to the Mediterranean Sea. The Sea of Galilee remains 27 cm below the critical red line.    http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Rain-and-Snow-cover-Israel-481489

Well one thing certainly is enjoying the cold snap ... it's Spring flowers. Muscari, also called grape hyacinth,  are flowering now in this cold. I guess the tulips will follow soon. These bulbs need a shock of cold in order to get them flowering. And of course the almond blossoms are stunning.

The highest temp. today was 4 degrees and tonight it will hit minus 1 degree. It is freezing and I don't look forward going to the Ivrea Convent at 5.30am tomorrow morning. Please don't rain as well.

More almond blossoms

Meantime the threat of Hesbollah in Lebanon against Israel, the Defense Minister's overture to Hamas in Gaza ... all the big local news are being drowned by the news conference of Trump now going live online. Absolute circus ... he just never answered any question upfront simply because he didn't know a thing about anything. It's just empty talk, hot air ... presupposing the audience are sponges who'll soak up any and every garbage he throws at them, masking his ignorance by hype. It's Hollywood in the White House.

I on the other hand, have better things to do than listen to hot air ... though hot air sure helps in this freezing weather. Time to stay warm and check on my friends to make sure they're ok.

Snow and hail

Caesarea Maritime covered in hail

Snow and hail this morning in most parts of Israel. Even the most unexpected places such as Caesarea Maritima, the ancient capital during the Roman and Byzantine period, was white with hail and ice. Fascinating because Caesarea is by the Mediterranean Sea which is warm and humid, hence snow and hail are extremely rare. Northern parts of the country like the Golan was covered in snow. So much snow that the ski resort had to close because the roads were too dangerous for driving.

The rains had started to fall last night followed by hail. Jerusalem though had no snow. It might have had some hail but by morning nothing was left except puddles of water. This week is my turn to go to the Ivrea convent to celebrate Mass for the 3 old nuns. It's about 1km away in East Jerusalem. And Mass begins at 6am so I have to leave about 5.30am to get there on time. The walk there is cold, wet and miserable. But the sisters serve a great breakfast that makes the journey worthwhile.

Almond blossoms

The rest of the day was cold and very cloudy. Drizzle was almost constant and there were occasional heavy showers. I haven't recovered from the weekend exhaustion, so the thought of walking to work in this weather was unpleasant. But I did finally go. My right shoulder was killing me with sharp pain - the old problem has not healed - and I had a couple of asthma attacks. Anyway right now 6.09 pm I finished my work and am planning to sleep early.

Spring is certainly in because the almond trees are blooming. Not profusely as previous years but there are a couple of trees near the Old City that have burst into flowers. It's the Middle Eastern counterpart of the Japanese cherry blossom. They are very pretty - in pink or white - and they are very strongly perfumed. However due to the unexpected and unusual cold snap that we're experiencing, I guess most of the almond trees will take another week before they flower.

That Garfield feeling ....

Highway in heavy fog at 5.30am

What a weekend ... it was filled every second with some work or other that ended last night with massive asthma attacks. The meetings on Saturday were finally over but I still had one thing to do in the evening .... it was Yuen Xiao (Chap Go meh), the 15th day of the Lunar New Year so I asked Bro. Philip the salesian deacon to come out for dinner. He was on retreat when we had the Reunion dinner so I thought it would be nice to let him celebrate the New Year in a chinese way. I also asked Matthias and Sr. Theresa to come along. Philip is a little homesick after spending 4 years here. It cheered him a lot at dinner at Mian restaurant. And we were happy he could be with us. He studies very hard and almost never goes out from his seminary.

Full moon over
Damascus Gate

Sunday morning I left for Jaffa at 5am. It suddenly rained very hard along the highway. And at 5.30am there was a traffic jam ... something very very rare. Traffic usually starts at 7am. And the highway was covered in heavy fog. Work started at 7.45am and ended late at 6pm. The filipino community was kind and brought me coffee and cake while I was at work. Went home very tired but during my walk home I had a very severe attack of asthma. It was very cold and the air was dry and I was just too tired to walk another 1km. Anyway managed to go home and sleep which didn't last long because at 3am I was up to prepare for class. After class it was rushing off for Mass at the Ivrea Convent at 5.30am. It was raining very hard and I was soaked through and I had 2 major asthma attacks on the way. I really felt I was going to die.

Went to the doc for injections and medication and then library work at 7.30am till 12.30pm when I had to walk to school 2 km away. It was drizzling and cold and I was pretty dizzy with all the heavy medication. Taught till 5pm then got home, passing by Mian to collect "tang yuan" which Billy cooked for me. Decided to share the "tang yuan" with Teresa and Philip, so I left it at the chinese convent. All in all I worked 17 hours on Sunday and 16 hours today with only 3 hours sleep in between. I feel like Garfield ... "I hate Mondays"