14th Sunday

View of 1km walk up to work in the
day

It's Sunday again and as usual it's a workday for me. This morning I managed to do a lot of work classifying books. Well actually the sun is too hot to walk home so I decided to stay in the library till it got a little cooler. That meant I had 5 hours of work to do. The plus point is there's airconditioning in the library so it's cool and comfortable.

I had the Armenian Mass as usual in the morning. But at lunch time 2 of my ex-volunteers from Italy came to visit me. They met here while volunteering and will be married in December. I think this is the 3rd or 4th couple that met while volunteering in my library and gotten married. Anyway we went for a simple burger lunch and had a lot to chat. They discussed their future plans and work. It's good to see them again and it was very nice they came to tell me of the great news.

In Bari, Italy the Pope is meeting the Eastern Church leaders as well as bishops of the Middle East and the Holy Land. The central message is a call to stop the massacre of christians in the Middle East. Well it'll fall on deaf ears. It's well over 5 years and tens of thousands of christians have died ... and the world ha remained silent.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/pope-denounces-complicit-silence-on-mideast-attacks-against-christians/

Same point but homeward view after
work at night

In Pamplona, Spain, the festival of the running of the bulls took place yesterday. It's based on the pagan Mithraic religion. Goodness knows why they need to perpetuate this dreadful sport where humans and animals get injured.

And in Thailand the first 4 boys have been rescued from the caves they had entered. It's good news ,,, but they should have thought about the dangers before entering. Let's hope the rest will come out safely as well.

Earthquakes

Sunset at Tel Aviv

Yes we've been rocked by 3 earthquakes in the past 2 days. We sisal get 4 or 5 tremors a year but this time there was quite a powerful one ... 4.7 on the Richter Scale with epicentre at Tiberias by the Sea of Galilee. It was strong enough to be felt 90 km away in Tel Aviv and other coastal cities. Local authorities have sent out warnings that we're due for a massive quake and the govt. has called for all residents to be prepared. Last year we had the largest earthquake drills ever ... nationwide. I think I have to re-prepare my earthquake backpack tomorrow ... refill it with medicine and other vital stuff. Better safe than sorry.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-minor-earthquake-felt-around-the-sea-of-galilee/
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5305088,00.html

Peking Duck
restaurant last night

On a personal level I suffered a type of earthquake. Coming home late from work the other night, I past by Arab Fried Chicken hoping to buy the smallest cheapest meal there for dinner when I found it was closed. Unbelievable. And I was left without dinner. Utter trauma. How could it possibly close on a Thursday night? Well to make it up, last night I bought dinner from Peking Duck restaurant in Tel Aviv. I had to go to Tel Aviv to meet a friend from home and since Peking Duck is just 10 mins away, I decided to go buy a takeaway .... char kway teow of course. The restaurant was very crowded since it was Sabbath ... so I had to stand out by the street to wait for my takeaway. The waiter was very nice though and made sure I got served quickly. It was hot and delicious when I ate it at home. But mind you, it takes over an hour to drive to Tel Aviv and over another hour back to Jerusalem.

The iconic clock
tower at Jaffa

Further down the street the sunset was amazing ... as it always is over the Mediterranean Sea. It was a good 2 hours out from Jerusalem ... away from the stress and tension and smog and desert heat. Out in Tel Aviv it's humid but the sea breeze is constantly blowing to cool things down. And people here are very very relaxed. And being Sabbath, it was extra relaxed.

Another earthquake of sorts ... this time the jewish implosion. This time a group of ultra-orthodox men held up a cable car because they refused to travel in the same carriage with women. They insisted on gender segregation. That caused a traffic jam and ruffled many people. Well the fact is the govt. is not willing to outlaw these extremist demands ... it's scared of the ultra-orthodox power in society. And this follows the El Al affair 2 weeks back. Not even the Supreme Court and the Police can serve justice and order to the ultra-orthodox. They are a law unto themselves and they impose this on others.     https://www.timesofisrael.com/women-denied-cable-car-entry-at-tourist-site-over-ultra-orthodox-mens-request/

It's Friday again

I am still tired and my legs are still tired from walking. I still plan to aestivate .... just stay in bed all summer and sleep till autumn comes. The heat is very oppressive even though it is not at its peak. Each time the sun hits me, I feel exhausted and drained from all energy. Maybe that's a sickness. I should look it up. It might be my excuse to aestivate.

Rice with okra and
sweet potatoes

I was just wondering about lunch last Tuesday. It was Tuesday ... and we had vegetarian lunch ... abstinence to put it simply. I thought ... and I still think the kitchen made a mistake. But it was a wonderful vegetarian lunch - white rice with ladies' finger sauce (okra) and baked sweet potatoes. I rather enjoyed that ... though it was out of our weekly menu for Tuesday. Nice surprise.

I guess food has been on my mind a lot lately. That's because you need to eat up before you aestivate (the summer version  of hibernate) and sleep for 3 months. That's my excuse anyway. OK jokes aside ... I've been eating late dinners (like as always) because I finish work at about 10pm. The past few nights my superior also came home late so we ate dinner together. He eats salad and I need whatever leftovers I can find. Last night there was nothing ... and the superior warned me there was nothing left. So I ate a bunch of grapes. For me it was enough. I was too tired and I couldn't digest anything anyway.

A new bone of contention is going erupt in Jerusalem ... again. This time people are asking for the Light Rail to run till after midnight. Response seems to be positive but there will be people who will fight it because of noise or whatever. Never a dull moment here.

Summer heat

Engraved gable

The weather is truly summer ... but like August heat in July. It's only 32 degrees but it feels like 40. Having to walk up to the New City to do a chore at 5pm is the ultimate penance this week. The body is screaming "I can't do it" but the mind is saying "There's a job to do". I really like summer ... like at the beach or having a drink in the shade or sleeping in an aircon room!!!!! But we're in Jerusalem and the reality is we have to walk and work in this heat.

One thing good though ... there'll be less violence in the streets. Like every year, the heat is so intense, no one bothers to go out and cause trouble. However I'm worried for the poor syrian refugees at the northern border. Without shade and water, many will die from heatstroke. Let's hope international aid will come to supply these necessities to them.

Locally the nurses and doctors and other medical attendants have gone on strike over violence against them. There 's been an alarming increase of patients or families attacking medical staff. This is awful. I wonder why security hasn't done anything to protect our health workers. It's such a shame because they are overworked and give so much but in return they become victims of mad patients or violent family members very low on EQ.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/nurses-hold-nationwide-strike-to-protest-violence-against-medical-staff/

Meantime an uproar is starting when the newspapers reported that a jew who killed an ethiopian, thinking he was a terrorist, got only community service plus 2000 shekel fine. Unbelievable. Anyone else would have been thrown into jail for manslaughter or murder. It's outrageous ...
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-handed-community-service-for-lynching-migrant-mistaken-for-terrorist/

Archbishop with ordinands in the
grotto of the Annunciation

Anyway I passed by the place where the stone masons were working on the gable. It's almost finished ... in less than 24 hours. Very beautiful. And here's a photo of last Saturday's ordination of our 12 deacons and 2 priests at Nazareth.

Of lentils and gables

Wednesday lunch

It was the 4th of July but this year the americans kept a low key here in Jerusalem. The Light Festivl outshone the american celebrations ... and luckily so. Not everyone here is happy with the American embassy move and the last thing you want is to provoke a riot. So far we've been having a quiet enjoyable summer. Don't spoil it with politics.

Meantime the refugee crisis in the north is reported every hour. It is sad but I can understand Jordan and Israel's fears. So far both countries have done a lot by providing field medical service to the refugees and I think food and water. That is already a lot of humanitarian aid considering the tens of thousands of refugees packed at the borders. My question is: what is the rest of the arab world doing to help? Where are they? They have the oil, they have the money, they have countless tracks of desert to house thousands of people. So where are they?

Stone mason engraving a gable

Last night I had to go back to the other office as I had forgotten to do something. It was 9pm. The roads were filled with visitors of the Light Festival. I did think of going to see the displays at the Jewish and Armenian Quarters but seeing the crowds, I decided to go home. Smart choice. My legs were too tired anyway ... this week has been one long track. I'm hoping the rest of summer would be less demanding ... and I can rest ... or better, I can sleep more. The word is "aestivate".

Wednesday today. That means lentils. We fast or abstain twice a week ... on Wednesdays and Fridays. My dislike for lentils is legendary. This time the cook had broken fettucini (fancy word for kway teow) cooked with the lentils. I was very hungry so I ate it. It was penance.

Yesterday on my way home from work, I had the opportunity to witness 3 stone masons engraving floral designs on a door gable. It's an ancient art which I thought was dead ... so it was a pleasant surprise to see the 3 men drawing the vines and grapes on the stone gable and starting to chisel the shapes out. Few people can afford such artwork on their doors or walls nowadays. It's very expensive. I think the gable that the masons were working on belongs to a coptic or ethiopic monastery.

Sunset

Sunset at Musrara

Yesterday I walked 5 kms till my legs felt like jelly and my feet were swollen. Mind you the weather was very pleasant ... a cool breeze blowing all the while and the sunset was beautiful. But at my age, with my arhythmic heart ... it was grueling. Still I made it and back ... which goes to show if you think positive and push yourself, you never know your limits.

Damascus Gate lighted up

I hadn't eaten anything all day so on my way home which was already past 9.30pm I was praying that Arab Fried Chicken wasn't yet closed. It was my only chance to eat something hot and cheap at that hour. From a distance I could see the lights of the shop still on. Hurrying on my tired legs, I reached it to find a foreigner eating inside, the stairs on the upper floor was already switched off and the workers were washing up the kitchen. I went to the cashier and called out loudly. One of the guys came out and saw me ... I know all the workers there ... so we exchanged niceties. Then I asked if the kitchen was closed. He said "Yes" and then quickly changed and said "No ... it's open for you". The other guys came out from the kitchen and saw me and said "come on ... one last cook". So luckily I had some fried chicken and fries and coleslaw and bread with garlic mayonnaise. Thanks to the guys at the kitchen.

Taking photos of Damascus Gate

At Damascus Gate the Light Festival was still on. Everyone there was taking photos. Can't blame them. One thing about these festivals, it brings together israelis, arabs, tourists, people of different religions (even ultra-orthodox) ... a nice mixture which shows if people see beyond differences  they can still come together in peace.

Today I had an important report to present at our discretorium. It was pretty stressful preparing it all week ... but ti went well. Thank God. Now I have to ruch off to Tel Aviv to pick up some things a group has left behind for me.

Thoughts

St. Vincent de Paul sisters and
donations

The bombings in Syria have intensified for 9 consecutive days and more and more syrian refugees are flocking to the Israeli and Jordanian border in search for safety. The situation is very bad. And the choice to open or close the borders is a moral dilemma that cuts the heart. Israel has allowed several emergency cases to enter its borders ... a very humanitarian act. But no country can possibly allow all the refugees to enter when there is no infrastructure to maintain them. Israel's "Save a Child's Heart" program has been recognised by the UN for its work ... 3 israeli doctors were honoured. The program disregards race and religion ... helping children with diseased hearts from all over the world, but especially here in the warring Middle East.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5299926,00.html

Thanks to your kindness and generosity, donations were made to the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul who work in Damascus among the refugees. The sisters had come to Jerusalem for their annual retreat and took the opportunity to call on me for help as their hospital is under great strain from the overload of refugees seeking medical aid, food and shelter. Donations were also given to M. Teresa's sisters working in Syria and Iraq. Please continue your help.

I have listened to so many dreadful stories of the wars from these sisters ... there are times when I feel I have lost hope in humanity, in world leaders ... and then these nameless little people: these nuns who go about the bombed out streets feeding and healing the wounded remind me that there are still good brave people who risk their lives for others.

Empty open market last night

But the pain hits when you see haughty arrogant tourists who flaunt their wealth and taunt the locals ... who have the gall to say "Why make yourself miserable by looking at these negative things? Look at the happy news and have a good day", when it is these very people's govt who started the war and misery around us. There is a God who sees and judges. I guess what I saw last night at Damascus Gate's open market speaks for itself: the usual busy crowded open market was empty of people .... everyone at home watching the World Cup. It's better to ignore that suffering at the border and within the border, by watching TV than to go through the helpless cycle of pain and agony of others.