8th day of CNY

Sunny morning

The weather has suddenly turned sunny and bright again. But it is bitterly cold ... much colder than when it rained the last few days. I am feeling quite sick ... with fever and chills at night. It's probably the weather I guess .... I hope. I'll need to see the doc again soon.

Well the cold is great for Spring flowers. The almond blossoms are finished and the anemones and other bulbs are flowering. My little garden on the library terrace has anemones and muscari. The chincheereechee will blossom with the amaryllis and lilies in early Summer about Easter time. I think this year's blooms will be fabulous.

Anemones in bloom

It just occurred to me that this is the last semester of the year. Most of my 4th year students are writing their final theses and preparing for final exams. Then by June all will return to their own countries t be ordained. Another generation. I really feel old ... I've seen some 20 generations pass through my hands. Maybe it's time for retirement.

It also occurred to me that this CNY I didn't have nien gao and pineapple tarts and all the kueh-kueh. There were no groups coming from home to bring them over. Oh well ... we can't have everything. I'll still be the same after the New Year. Maybe less fat from the lack of all the kueh-kueh !!!!! Maybe I should go to Tel Aviv's Thai House for a nice Char Kway Teow to make up .... sounds like a good idea. But it'll be only after the canonical visit of the Custos. As long it's on, everyone has to stay home and be ready to be called to give reports and documents and interviews.

Meantime preparations for general elections are underway with politicians giving speeches and meetings. I think the elections will take place in April after Passover.

人日

Another drizzly day at Nablus Road

It's the 7th day of the CNY and it's 人日 ... the day mankind was created. Well ... it's not celebrated here so no difference for us asians living here. The rest of the chinese priests and nuns were also busy so no one was available to celebrate. The drizzle continued all day so it's not very fun.

The Custos has come for his canonical visit. That means he will meet each of us individually to understand our situation in life and maybe changes to be made. I guess my turn is Wednesday. I must prepare all my reports and present them. Today I was late for the opening of the visit. Everyone was waiting for me in the divano. I was teaching in class at our seminary college and my superior sent me a message to come home. I rushed back and was 15 mins late. They started without me. And they left an empty chair for me next to the Custos. Gulp!

Anyway I was awake and working for over 14 hours without rest or food ... so immediately after the opening ritual I went to sleep. Didn't join them for Vespers or dinner. Was really brain dead.

Yesterday Israel attacked the border town of Quneitra on the Syrian side. Quneitra is the traditional site where Saul (Paul) was struck blind by a bright light and the resurrected Lord appeared to him on his way to Damascus. Quneitra is about 60 kms away from Damascus. Well this doesn't bode well for us as the last Israeli strike in Syria a month ago drew anger from Russia and Iran, the 2 powers behind the Syrian civil war.  https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Israel-strikes-Quneitra-near-Syrian-border-with-Golan-Heights-SANA-580362?fbclid=IwAR1DRN4T4jIDRFKUGA56wunGrxXYTWcXh1SHnbIbcQo8osBl7f__CZzN0k8

6th day of CNY

Rain this evening

It rained and rained all night and day. OK it drizzled. No difference for us since anything drop that falls from the sky is considered rain for us. I ran out of my medicine this morning but forgot to bring one back from my office where I store my stock. Thanks to the Hong Kong St. Luke's Guild for the one year supply. It costs a lot for me to buy because I have no medical insurance and I need to buy a pack of the medicine every 2 weeks. Well At 5.30pm I walked up slowly to my office 1km uphill in the rain. It was miserable. Slippery streets and steps, puddles in every pot hole. I arrived at my office which was nice and warm ... it's 6 degrees ... and took my medicine immediately. Then I rested for some half hour before making my way home. It was very dark ... because most parts of the road home had street lights that were broken. Walking down endless slippery steps is a dangerous business. Anyway I reached home safe and sound. I really should keep a couple of extra packs of medicine in my room. I'm not good at organising these things.

Armenian hymn
after consecration

The rain has claimed some lives this afternoon when a busload of ultra-orthodox jews skidded on a highway and overturned. 2 died and many injured. Drivers ought to be very careful because the roads here are not made for rains, floods and snow. We've been so used to the drought that people no longer remember how to drive in wet conditions.

This morning I had a lovely breakfast. The sisters had boiled eggs and I had a bottle of kaya (coconut jam). Ate it on toast and a hot cup of coffee. It was perfect on a cold wet morning. Then I had the armenian Mass at the 3rd Station. Several seminarians from the White Fathers, Salesians and Franciscans came. I asked them to help me, especially the armenian guys who did the singing and readings. It was a lovely celebration. I sung for the first time the mystery of faith in armenian. In fact almost half of the prayers after the Creed are now prayed in armenian. Everyone was pleased. Me too.

A new week begins ... a new semester has started. The busy routine restarts .... till summer holidays come.

5th day of CNY

Rain, cold and wet

The sunny weather of yesterday disappeared at sunset and the rains came non-stop till now ... which is practically 24 hrs. Well I say rain but it's actually heavy drizzle ... that's as rainy as we'll ever get in this drought. Still it's good to smell the wet stones on the walls and the sound of the clattering zinc awnings. It's very nostalgic of winter 29 years ago.

Indian lunch

This morning I had to celebrate Mass in the Empty Tomb for the Tel Aviv filipino community. It's a monthly 2nd Saturday Mass that they organise. My student, a Salesian deacon came to assist me as he usually does. It's his last few occasions to celebrate inside the Empty Tomb before he returns to India for his priestly ordination and mission. Immediately aft Mass I give the group a Bible reflection in the library. After that I had work in the library till another student came to present his work for approval. We went through it for almost an hour. Then it was work again till 6pm when another worker came to hand in her work. With almost 12 hours at work, I was exhausted by 7pm and came home ... walking in the rain. Thank goodness Bro. Leo our seminarian -cum-professional chef prepared indian biryani with dhal and chicken liver and potatoes. I helped assuage my hunger since I had no breakfast.

Deacon Pushpa
in the Empty Tomb

Now it's time to sleep because I am utterly exhausted and the rain is making sleep so enjoyable. It's 6 degrees by the way ... which is very comfortable.

Yesterday a teenage jewish girl was murdered in the south of Bethlehem. Within 24 hrs the arab murderer was arrested in the central Palestinian city of Ramallah. Now I wonder why it's so difficult to find the jewish culprits who burned our churches and vandalise our property and cemeteries ... after 7 years??????

4th day of CNY

Ben Yehuda Mall

Despite the tension in the air, today Friday passed off without major incidents. The weather had suddenly turned very sunny and the rains have stopped. But the wind continues to be very cold. Forecast is rain again tomorrow. Well I hope  tomorrow's rain will not prevent me from going to work. I have Mass at the Holy Sepulchre and then an hour's class and then meeting up with some people on the library projects. It will be a busy day.

Despite the cold, people are enjoying dinners in restaurants and walks in the City. It's special ... before the heat of summer overtakes us. The last bit of winter fun. Purim the jewish feast commemorating the book of Esther will soon come round ... the first Spring feast. It'll fall on March 21. The weather is always warm for that feast.

A chinese exchange student form the U. of Haifa came to wish me a Happy New Year today. Travelled over 200 kms to Jerusalem for this. He's from an old catholic family ... very traditional. I met his parents last year when they came on pilgrimage. Nice simple folk. And it was very nice of the student to come all the way. I brought him out to lunch before he had to go back to Haifa immediately because the Sabbath was setting in and all public transport would have stopped.

3rd day CNY

Storm clouds over the Mt. of Olives

It rained all night again and drizzled all day. It's wonderful of course ... we need the rain. But I'm not ready for the wet slippery streets. Walking outdoors is a health hazard. I'm scared of falling and breaking a bone ... at my age I don't heal easily. Anyway it's the final swipe of winter before Spring totally takes over. Problem is Spring here lasts only a week or two. I see from the weekly weather forecast that tomorrow Friday will be sunny but the next 4 days will be wet and rainy.

Old City in the rain

These 2 days of rain has caused the southern desert to be flooded. There 's a video that's going viral showing how the desert is overrun by sudden flash floods and rivers. Such a lovely sight that the parched tortured desert is now quenching its thirst after a 15 year drought. Wild flowers will suddenly push out from the ground in a few days ... those rare sweetly scented flowers that spring up and bloom for only a few hours, perhaps a day ... and then it dies. A very fleeting existence. And many desert insects will also breed, lay eggs, grow into larvae and then adulthood before dying ... all within a few days while the rains last.    https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5459558,00.html?fbclid=IwAR2UNQLegMDAFVlko05HDIJI6ao8LZ6KZ5MkyYBBSgvM-4d9N0lf9pAUVoo

The giant supermarket chain Supersol is in big trouble because one of it's outsourced delivery vans was caught on camera transporting a dead body from hospital. Imagine having your groceries kept with a cadaver .... and the van has NO air-conditioning. It's definitely not kosher and Supersol will be hit bad not just by the ultra-orthodox jews but by any decent person who cares for hygiene. People will and are avoiding the chain. Better safe than sorry.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/supermarket-delivery-van-caught-transporting-dead-body/?fbclid=IwAR1pZ2Ij1nd_GwDflaGKJp9QyE46QiBVRjOVUBNgTuWU7aZqz6ornf28Alw

2nd day CNY

Municipality Square today

It rained last night ... quite unexpected. The warm weather we were enjoying just dropped down to 6 degrees again. And this morning it continued to drizzle till sunrise. Very chilly. I had to wear a thick hoodie to go to work. Just received tonight's forecast ... rains will start again at 7pm and progressively get harder till midnight. Oh my ... I'll stay warm in my room and not go even to get a glass of water.

Jerusalem City was like any other working day. After almost 3 decades overseas ... I just wished one New Year's Day I would wake up and see the city in festive decorations, New Year songs blaring and greetings at every street corner. I actually tuned in to asian tv to watch chinese programmes and concerts for the New Year.

A lovely bouquet
for CNY

I had to work as usual. But thank goodness the bank and lawyer and payment drama is over ... well almost. Then I had to go trough some Coptic manuscripts I discovered in our library deposit. A team of experts has come so I'm letting them study it and write up a descriptive catalogue. After that it's writing a report because the Custos is coming for a canonical visitation next week.

A witch hunt is ongoing in some cities. A mayor has actually asked citizens to report illegal immigrants so they may be arrested and deported. Immigrants mean robberies, danger, drugs .... sounds like he took the cue from Trump. The irony is that the city is Petah Tikva, the first jewish settlement at the turn of the century when jews began immigrating from Europe.     https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-mayor-asks-residents-to-report-asylum-seekers-to-remove-them-1.6900768?fbclid=IwAR3pICA2DESGqLH0uUvMtCQ9f9_XfUxDAdy8LsjpOKknYHGEP17cYd2jrBc

Yesterday there was a terrorist attempt in the north of the country. 2 arabs threw explosive devices but one was shot dead by soldiers.  https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Two-Palestinians-throw-explosive-at-IDF-soldiers-one-terrorist-killed-579662?fbclid=IwAR3IDWRnm0dsKkpE09Xr_jKh9zQXF3xWYw_DJbyC5yapMtfsyur2c9odmxY