going up...

time to get up the terraces and see the fireworks... hopefully there'll be something to see. it's a bit windy, but it should be okay with a scarf. pics perhaps coming up tomorrow. no guarantee ;)

my room still smells a bit of smoke

last saturday we had a barbeque. it was huge. it was massive.
there was meat:


there was more meat:


on top of this, there was a bit more that was brought later on. this is what we had in our fridge/freeze in the morning. it would make the most ardent meat-lover proud.

there were people:



there was music:


(there were also lots of desserts, but I have no pic of them - they were eaten up too quickly!)

I think pretty much everyone enjoyed it. we had a total of 65 (+/- 2) people showing up, and I think no one left feeling hungry at least. there were a lot of people playing the drums, with a lot of singing and laughter - videos of that will be coming up later.

a big thank you to everyone that helped out, that showed up, that made this barbeque something to remember for a long time. it will probably take a while until next time, but that one will be even bigger, if possible. stick around and find out!

update: I forgot to mention that you can see all the other pictures here.

bedroom quotations!

remember my kitchen quotes from back home? I continued here, but put them in my bedroom, since my closet is so huge. it's a really good way of reading some Writings in the morning, or in the evening, or when just dropping by my room. I'd say it looks quite good:


and here they are, top to bottom, left to right (you can also click the pic...):

The recital each day of one of the Obligatory Prayers with pure-hearted devotion.

The regular reading of the Sacred Scriptures, specifically at least each morning and evening, with reverence, attention and thought.

Prayerful meditation on the teachings, so that we may understand them more deeply, fulfil them more faithfully, and convey them more accurately to others.

Striving every day to bring our behaviour more into accordance with the high standards that are set forth in the Teachings.

Teaching the Cause of God.

Selfless service in the work of the Cause and in the carrying on of our trade or profession.
(six steps towards spirituality)

The friends of God must so live and conduct themselves, and evince such excellence of character and conduct, as to make others astonished.

Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers.

And if thou art overtaken by affliction in My path, or degradation for My sake, be not thou troubled thereby.

Strive that your actions day by day may be beautiful prayers.

How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others?

Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self.

One endowed with the gift of hearing gets the mysteries of God from all things and all creation conveys to him the divine message.

Consider the past.

The past is the mirror of the future.

Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me.

Make whosoever arises to serve Thy Cause as a sea moving by Thy desire, as one ablaze with the fire of Thy Sacred Tree, shining from the horizon of the heaven of Thy will.

The time is come when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of stainless purity, can ascend to the throne of the Most High and be acceptable unto Him.

True peace and tranquillity will only be realized when every soul will have become the well-wisher of all mankind.

Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.

O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.

By faith is meant, first, conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds. (not up yet)


thank you to everyone who contributed with the quotations. my way of putting them up was entirely random except for the six steps; I had them upside down, and then just picked one and decided where it went without reading it. this way I know I'm not biased :)
and what I really like about this is that people find it inspiring, and many say they're going to do it themselves. yay!

the advantage of ironing your clothes in the morning

you know they won't get wrinkled until you wear them

they're just a little bit warmer when you put them on :)

disadvantage: it takes a bit more time in the morning... :-/

this is why I need to fix my hair in the morning

no words needed.

no more chocolate

we're out for now, but there's probably more coming. it was very much liked!

more chocolate

it never ends. here's the latest addition:

farewells...

even though I've only been here for two months, there've already been a lot of dear friends leaving. and there are a couple of more leaving in a short time too, and another batch leaving a little bit later, etc... unfortunately, that's how life is here, people coming and going all the time, and one just has to get used to it...

so on saturday there was a farewell for arman, with a black/white-theme, and surprisingly many that showed up actually abided by the theme. here's arman and I:



more pictures here. he's back in australia now... :(

ani lomed ivrit!

that's right, I'm learning hebrew! got a few classes, to be able to communicate a little bit. it's going to be interesting to see how it goes; don't really have too high expectations of being a fluent speaker of any sorts, but it should be good. two classes a week, two hours each, for five weeks. maybe I'll post my notes here as a good reminder... will help you readers learn as well ;)

Merry Christmas?

it's quite a difference here from previous years, when everything everywhere reminds you of Christmas... and everyone hoping it'll be white and snowing. well, it's not like that here. first of all, there's almost nothing here to remind you that it's Christmas - barely any decorations at all (I think I've seen 2-3 places with some lights), no snow (yay!), no huge ads, no santa claus, etc etc.

tell you the truth, I don't miss it, even though there is something special about this time of year (Jesus Christ was born!). it's a positive sign that people do remember each other a little bit more, and are a tad bit nicer - it would be great if everyone was like that all the time though.

another thing that bothers me is when people call it "x-mas" - what's up with that? removing Christ from the whole thing? *shakes head*