Lent

Splashing sunset yesterday

The past couple of days was sunny and warm. People were out in the streets, street hawkers were out, dogs were being walked in the park ... it was like a normal day at last. Until we saw the dreadful news clip of ISIS people smashing 3000 yr old statues. It was abominable. All our students (and they study archaeology) were shocked. Utterly unbelievable that people would smash up what their ancestors created.

Meantime Lent is underway. The Lenten rigors are in place. We fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. Saturday 11.40pm starts Vigils at the Holy Sepulchre ... matins is sung till about 12.30am then a candle-light procession takes place around the Empty Tomb. Masses then follow up on Mt. Calvary till 4am. Every Wednesday a pilgrimage and mass is made on one of the Passion churches (Dominus Flevit, Gethsemani, Condemnation, Flagellation) when the Passion of John's Gospel is sung in 4 parts.

Indigo anemones are blooming

Healthwise I finished my course of Prednesone ... which I dislike. Now my fingers are swollen, nauseous and depressed ... the usual side-effects and withdrawal syndrome. 15 days of the cortisone didn't do much .. I still am wheezing and my chest still hurts. I'm afraid even Prednesone doesn't work  anymore for me. Don't know if there's another medicine that I can take. Miserable.

On a happy note, my flowers are finally blooming after 2 snowstorms. Anemones of different colours are out, freesias are also opening and the first ranunculus (orange) is amazing.

More christians kidnapped

My poor echium snapped
in half by the snow

More bad news from Syria as a christian cleric announced that at least 100 families have been kidnapped by ISIS. At the same time, italian broadcasters RAIUNO and RAIDUE have announced that they will no longer broadcast videos of ISIS. I think this is a right move ... stop giving them free publicity; when they realise that no one is watching them and paying them attention, they'll have to quit killing christians. Let's pray very hard for their safety.

Meantime I'm still sore that the snow destroyed my echium. It had over 40 buds and now half the plant is broken off. I hope the remaining half will not be too traumatised and die off. They're quite sensitive.

Another street scene of
broken branches felled by
the snow

It was good to meet an old friend from the security team. Haven't seen him for over half a year. He was back at the Tunnel security schedule to cover a shortage of guys ... most have left ... in fact all my good friends are gone. They can't take the stress and pressure working in this aggressive arab neighbourhood even though the pay is very good. "Not worth it" is the usual remark. Well how about me living here all these years? They think I'm crazy to live here and have unanimously ganged up to urge me to move away. A very very good idea! I'm very stressed too.

After the snowstorm

Trees split in half by the heavy snow
and gale force winds

The past few days have been very busy ... now that the snow has melted and life goes back to normal. The municipality was in action all weekend to remove the snow from the roads. It had only snowed for 24 hours but it was severe and extremely cold, much more than the first snowfall in January which lasted 3 days. Many trees have fallen or branches broken off ... much more than the previous snowfall. It goes to show how strong the winds were this time round, and how much more snow fell (30 cm here).

Well actually life isn't all back to normal ... not for the christians here. This morning's news that ISIS had captured 90 or so christians in Syria has upset everyone here. The ancient Assyrian church of the Virgin Mary was blown up and thousands of ancient rare religious books were burned ... as was also the National Library. We've always known that as a minority in this region, we would face with difficulties. But persecution at this level, and international silence about it ... it leaves us in stumped silence. Well the threat of ISIS is so real, the Swiss Guards at the Vatican are now preparing for the worst case scenario of an attack on the Pope.

Meantime work continues to build up ... the usual fatigue of the week. Mondays are the worse as I start work at 3am and finish at 9.30pm - a full 18 and a half hours of work and classes with no rest in between. I managed to grab 2 pieces of sandwiches for lunch but suffered a dreadful diarrhea ... my IBS is still torturing me. This Lent is going to be very hard on me as I have retreats to preach every weekend as well. A couple of these lasts between 3 to 5 days full.

2nd snowfall this year

Yesterday morning we woke up to a white white Jerusalem. Snow covered everything ... some 30 cm in some places. It was a very stormy night as well with thunder and lightening. And the wind was very strong.

But the snow stopped falling by 10am and the sun came back up. But it was still very cold ... one degree at highest. Last night it fell to minus 2 degrees. Even more thunder and lightening with a whole night of hail last night as well.

*Thanks to Rose Chiu, Paulette, the Caveros, the Monday Class, the Wednesday Class (Causeway Bay and Wan Chai). Received everything*

Here are some pics of the snow at Damacus Gate area yesterday morning.

Damascus Gate park

Snow covered steps

Damascus Gate

Damascus Gate form inside the City

Damascus Gate

Palm Square

Popsicle tree

Snowed over cypress

Damascus Gate park

Empty Light Rail tracks

Snow covered motorcycle

Popiscle tree

Popsicle tree

Damascus Gate park

Snow again

Snow smothering my flowers
at 1am

Yesterday was a very cold Thursday. It rained all day ... with sleet and graupel ... and very strong winds. It's so cold, four children in Gaza died yesterday from lack of heating. Police and Home Front services have been advising people to stock up with food and water as roads will be closed ... and all shops.

I went out at 3pm to buy bread and water as the police advised. The rain was bitterly cold and most shops were sold out on bread. I had to go to the largest bakery in our area, which is in the Musrara neighbourhood, to get some fresh bread for the next few days when we're stuck at home. Out in the streets, crowds of people especially women were rushing about buying up as much food as possible. Husbands and sons were tagging behind, strained by the load of purchases made.

By 5pm the first snowfall began ... large flakes and lots of sleet. I wasn't looking forward to it. Because of my slipped disc, I could not keep my flower pots in the shade ... and the freesias and anemones are just beginning to flower. I'm afraid they'll all be frost-bitten. And the poor finches will have to endure another snowstorm out in the courtyard. I've fixed a 100 watt bulb in their cage to warm it up and wrapped their cage with blankets for warmth and plastic from the wet. The canaries are luckier ... being in a smaller cage, I put them inside my office with the heater on. And of course Mr. Bird sleeps in my room.

Vegetarian lunch yesterday

Yesterday being the first day of the New Year, my meal was vegetarian. I had bought 2 kg of spinach and cooked them and kept in 6 small containers. That way I just take out and eat what I need without having to heat up all and ruin the lot. Khalil our chef cooked up scrambled eggs and tomatoes for me as well. It was a nice warm lunch. Couldn't help thinking of the poor children in Gaza who are still sleeping roofless, without heating and warm food. Mother Theresa's sisters from Gaza are in Jerusalem now ... I'll have to pass them some help to bring to those children.

Happy New Year!

Mr. Bird wishes you
恭喜發財

Wishing everyone health, joy and all good things for the Year of the Goat! Though the goat is known to be capricious ("capra" = "goat"), all will be well when the Good Shepherd is in control. Let him lead the way.

CNY Reunion dinner was quite an event ... not the meal in itself but the dramatic weather change we are experiencing. Temperatures plummeted, rainstorm battered and snow is expected. The Horse was not going out without a kick and the Goat is butting its way in.

Despite the weather, 6 of us made it to Mandarin Restaurant. Hailing from Taiwan, Mainland China and Hong Kong we met up to pass the old year and hail in the new. Not many other chinese came to celebrate the new year, not in this weather. There was a chinese guide and her family on another table, and a group of VIP tourists from China on the other. Our table was made up of students studying in the various Catholic institutes in Jerusalem: Magdalen and her visiting sister Betty, Lucie, Matthias and Pedro. Enoch had to go to the airport to pick someone up and Sherry was guiding a group so they couldn't come. Magdalen had just returned from Hong Kong and brought traditional cantonese carrot cake. Ah Ling prepared vegetarian siu mai and gao zi (jiao zi), boiled a whole chicken for 4 hours in herbs, rice, noodles, steamed fish, spinach, brocolli and carrots, Mongolian beef.

Our little group at CNY Reunion
dinner. Behind them is the Chinese
tourist group

We had a slow dinner ... with the hope that the storm would have blown off or at least reduced in force when we will have finished. It did reduce to a heavy drizzle and we managed to walk home. Let's see if it'll snow now ....

Emergency Room again

Injecting medicine

Yesterday was dry but cold ... and despite the rain of the rpevious night, dust continued to blow in the air. I suffered a 24 hour difficulty in breathing. It was suffocating and by evening the chest was extremely painful. Practically it was a daylong asthma attack. Went off to hospital in the evening and they treated me immediately. Stayed there for 3 hours till my blood tests returned from the laboratory. I practically had no potassium in my body - 2 out of a scale of 10. They insisted that I had to push the potassium level up. At the same time my eosinophils were super high ... which the docs say is normal as it's linked to my asthma and allergy attack. 

Fai Chun on my door

This time there was another nurse. I'm terrified because the former one couldn't get the catheter into my veins right and had made several tries. It was extremely painful and lots of blood everywhere. This time the nurse was good ... just one painful jab. And removing the catheter was much better ... didn't feel it at all. He kept counting one to ten in arabic and asked me to repeat with him. While concentrating on counting, he pulled out the catheter and i didn't even know it was done. Smart move.

Now the rain is falling again and the temp. is falling even lower. Forecast is for heavy rain in the next few days and snow on Thursday. I'm staying home and cleaning my room for the New Year. Hope the Goat will be good to me. Thanks for the Fai Chun ... I got it up on my door.