Stromata

What a day of news! First the Interior Minister officially threatened African (illegal) migrants - "I'll make their lives bitter until they leave". Sounds like what Pharoah said thousands of years ago about the hebrews in Egypt. History repeats itself - the victim becomes the perpetrator. http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=283087

Then the national bus company is bowing to jewish ultra-orthodox pressure by segregating men and women on buses. Apparently they've gone a step further and introduced "men only" buses. The whole country is slipping into ultra-orthodoxy in a frighteningly lightning speed. The losers are the rest of Israeli society ... we gentiles don't walk their streets, live in their towns or ride their buses anyway.

And after one week, the mass muslim attack on Christians on the Mt. of Olives is finally mentioned in Haaretz. Of course the muslims will not be prosecuted .... it's just another empty show that emboldens the muslims to attack again. If it were jews who were attacked, you can be sure arrests would have been made a week ago. But that's life here.

I've put off my visit to my doctor twice this week because the workers promised to come to install air-con units in the library. They didn't show up for Monday or Tuesday. So my doc said I must not postpone again and fixed an appointment this afternoon. And the workers had to come today unannounced. And they made a huge mistake as well ... luckily I caught it in time and stopped them. Had to rush off 60 km away to my doc later, leaving the workers to their antics, praying that they won't make another mistake again. The stress is almost breaking-point.

My morning visitor

Anyway not a day passes without the awful pain that I have to bear. It's the neck and shoulder nerve problem that is so excruciating it give me a constant headache and nausea. Then there is the pain in the spleen/liver that makes the nausea even worse. But yesterday morning a lovely sight sort of lightened the otherwise awful day - a moth in front of my door. The symmetry of it's wings are amazing.

Good bye Sr. Veronica

Another week begins. The weekend was uneventful ... work work work despite the awful pain that I'm suffering on my right shoulder and neck. So bad it makes me nauseous and faint. I need traction. The workers finally came to work ... but like they start work at 10am and end at 3pm with an hour long lunch break ... so I don't think they're getting much done.

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Anyway to get my mind off the pain, here's a nice photo of a unique nargile made by my friend - the water pot is a watermelon and the bowl is an apple (both carved out but provides a great fruit flavour).

Sr. Veronica, one of our sisters working in the sacristy, is leaving us tonight after 12 years of service. She was in America before coming to start her community here in the Holyland. All the best, Sr. Veronica! I thought of giving her a nargile as a Holyland souvenir but I guess it's not very appropriate. Hahahahaha. Gave her a chinese silk purse instead.

Now we'll wait for another replacement for her.

Destruction

Another day of excruciating pain. I'm on heavy pain killers. It helps me get through the day.

Well I still manage to help Hidri with moving some books in the library. But I needed the help of 3 huge guys, Khalil our cook, Majed our doorman and Firas our kitchen assistant, to move 2 heavy and long rows of bookshelves. Not good for me to strain of course ... doc warned of ruptured spleen if I overwork.

Mamilla cathedral's
foundations are dug up

Don't think that because I'm in pain, I stay put in bed. There's so much to do and no one to help. This afternoon I had to go to Supersol (the local supermarket chain) to buy necessities. Couldn't walk up the 2 kms in 39 degree heat so decided to take a taxi. The traffic was horrendous. 300,000 Palestinians were allowed to enter Israel for ramadan and today is the last day of their permit. They took advantage and flooded Israel ... blocking all the roads in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Had to walk home because the traffic was impossible. I had a heavy knapsack and my pain was too severe to bear but I managed to reach home in one piece. On the way home, I saw municipality workers destroying the foundations of the ancient Mamilla Cathedral in order to lay water and electrical pipes. Destruction of Christian history! Tens of thousands of christians massacred by Persians in the 7th century were buried here. But now all is wiped out by bulldozers. This is more painful than my illness.

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.