Summers here and going and Birthday

So, I wanted to update earlier this month, unfortunately I got distracted and forgot lol.  But here I am...

So since I last posted, not much as really happened, I did have a birthday and it was fun, nice to get out of the area and have a party and dinner with friends down south and I appreciate my friends who hosted me and the ones who came making the time for me.  I also got to play Dungeons & Dragons for the first time.  It was pretty fun, not sure its a me thing, despite my passion for science fiction and fantasy, but still nice way to spend the afternoon.

Generally its gone back to being quiet as Hamas seem to have run out of rockets... but as usual it will probably kick off again soon and I don't think the fire kites have actually stopped.

Work has a bit up and down for me and a little tough.  Things are okay but by my own admission I've been a little sloppy of late and I've had the typical good and bad days at work... Still I'm doing well in the job and even if I am making a few mistakes, its very nice to not have rude emails and shouting in response.

Socially its been fairly up and down as well, I want to get out more, but I kind of feel socially awkward going to new things, especially as it always seems that everyone else knows each other and I find it tough to be part of a group.  Also doesn't help that pretty much all of my friends are now either serious relationships, getting married, married or married and kids.  Surprised I haven't had anyone start saying to me that I should be settling down... which yes I know... still I'm doing my best.  Looking forward to September as with the Chaggim it means a lot of time out of work and I intend to enjoy it as best I can.

For now that's all folks.

Chaggim, holidays and life

So it’s been a while since I properly updated.  I think life has just kind of gotten in the way, or I've had nothing much to say/write.

First of all I would also like to thank my Uncle and Aunt for hosting me over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it was greatly appreciated.

With those two Chaggim done it’s now onto Sukkot and as such I am now on holiday from work until October :-).  Like Sukkot last year and as with Passover the company office here in Israel closes for all of Sukkot. I'll be honest I'm still finding it a little weird actually to get used to.  Though I suppose it is something you get used to. However, growing up in the UK, I would usually only ever have off the main days of the Chaggim, I never had the in-between period off... unless you count Passover when it fell over the Easter holidays while I was in school/university.  Still it’s nice to have this break, it really has been a while since I've had more than a few days break in a row.

Not sure what I will do for all of the time off, but I'm heading to spend Friday Afternoon through Sunday morning down in the south of Israel with friends to celebrate one of my best friends birthdays, so even though it’s not for a couple more days Happy Birthday Melissa, I hope you have an amazing year ahead and thank you for always being there to listen to me.

After Sukkot on Sunday/Monday, I'm Jerusalem bound to meet at least 1 friend on Tuesday and hang out in their Sukkah.  Also hopefully will get chance to see a former work colleague and meet their little girl, so I have things to do.  There is also the Icon Festival taking place Tuesday through Thursday.  Which basically caters for the geek in me.  So I will find things to do.

What else is there going on, well I've bought my ticket to fly to England for Passover next year.  Planning to take 2 and a half weeks to see the family and hopefully catch up with friends down in London.  As my 1st week will not be doing much because of Passover, I don't really need many plans.  But for the rest of my time there I for sure want things to do rather than just hanging out at my parents place.  So if people have things I can do in Manchester or the local area, please let me know.

  

There isn't much else to report, something rattling around in my head, but I'm trying to be more positive this year and not focus on the negative, maybe I will write about them... but for now they are staying locked up in back of my head where I can't hear them. So for now, I bid you all a good-bye. 

Updating Life

So it been a while since I posted, not really had much to write about. Obviously Israel is in news for attacking Gaza... well at least that's what the press is saying. In fact Israel is defending itself against Hamas who since April has been protesting at the border... it’s a totally 'peaceful' protest. This “Peaceful protest” lead to the death of some of them who should not have been there and the death of many Hamas terrorists. When you live in fear of your leaders and they say 'Take your sick child to the border and if Israel retaliate we can blame them!' of course it happens. Never mind that the baby that died was sick and never inhaled tear gas, meaning she had passed of her congenital heart defect and not the tear gas. Unfortunately the media outside of Israel hears one side of the story, doesn't listen for the whole story and only reports that big, bad Israel has been up to no good again. As it stands currently there are fires raging in the south due to kite bombs being sent over from Gaza, these are destroying land, property, schools, homes and livestock. The rest of the world is not crying out with outrage at these acts of terror. Or the homemade bombs attached to balloons being found by children in their back yards that no one is reporting on. Hamas has been launching rockets at the south and yet the headlines are 'Israel strikes Gaza'... doesn't take a genius to see that people will see only that and think the worst of Israel.

I don't know what the answer is, Israel has the right to defend itself, sadly the media doesn't want to hear all the facts and tell a balanced story. One day maybe.

Anyway onto me, nothing major to report. Work is going okay, I in fact had my first Yom Kef or Fun Day with work last month. In all the time and places I've worked here in Israel and the UK, I've never had a company say we're going out for the day to have fun and not work. There was food, drinks, activities, jeep rides... I lost my hat.... got it back though...and it was nice to get away from the office do something really different.

Meanwhile I'm actually off today as my company is closed for Tisha B Av the saddest day in the Jewish calendar and yes it’s nice to have a 3 day weekend, but in some ways it’s not fun since everyone else is at work. Apart from one friend who I managed to hang out with for a couple of hours, I'm pretty much trying to find things to do to entertain myself. I think I will sit in the park and read, always nice to do that. Also its now less than 3 weeks to my birthday...oh dear I'm going to be 41....

Moroccanoil: Year One

So I'm writing this on the evening of June 3rd. This time last year I was preparing for an early night as it was my first day of work in a new job and I wasn't sure what to expect, certainly didn't expect to be sitting here a year later writing a blog about my 1st year there.

I suppose in a new job it’s difficult to know how the first day will go. Sure everyone will probably say the 1st day is the most nerve wracking experience because you don't know the people, you might not have done this type of job before, and so it could be all of them. I knew they wanted me after all they had phoned me quite quickly after the 2nd interview to offer me the job, but still it’s not hard to be nervous. Still in some ways I'm a little nervous and unsure of myself, even though this office is a complete different environment to the previous work and certainly a much nicer environment.

I've met some nice people at the office and done some interesting things which is cool, stepped out of my comfort zone for sure with this job. I'd like to think I've done okay. So to everyone who has helped me over the time and if you're reading this, you might know who you are, I say thank you.

And well tomorrow is another day or is Moroccanoil: Year Two.

Pesach/Parents/Family and break

So as I promised on my Facebook page for the blog, I'm posting about the last few weeks, obviously I have had a few short posts but nothing substantial.

Well Pesach has been and gone and we're almost at Shavuot.  But for the first time since I made Aliyah over 6 and a half years ago my parents and sister were here in Israel for it.  Since I made Aliyah it’s either been me going to England or being here by myself so this was a real nice thing to have.  Of course it was a chance for my parents and sister to meet their Great nephew and little cousin Lev who they had not yet met.  I'm pretty sure he charmed them all. So my sister came for two weeks, the day before Pesach and part way into the week after.  My parents were in fact here for a month which is the longest time we've been in the same country in over 6 and a half years. So it was nice to see them for the first time in almost a year the day after they arrived when I joined them, my Aunt and Uncle and my cousin and his wife for dinner at their place in Tel Aviv and it was nice to sit with the family.  Then it was onto Rehovot at the end of the week for Seder and the 1st day of Pesach.  

Now for the longest time since my parents moved to Manchester in 2007 it’s been pretty much a Seder of 4 or 3 when I wasn't in England, so having a big Seder was a nice experience, made also more chaotic in a good way with 3 children 4 and under.  But still it was good and it was nice to have a big family Seder and hey I wasn't the youngest so no Ma Nishtana for me this year :-).

After Rehovot my parents and sister were back in Netanya and I joined them as my office was closed for the week.  So I got to spend time with them.  While we didn't do much, there was the obligatory trip to Tel Aviv to Shuk HaCarmel and Nachlat Binyamin and hanging out in Dizengoff Centre to have a coffee and a Kosher for Passover cake. (Surprisingly it was good).

After Pesach I had to go back to work, but made time to hang with the parents and sister before my sister flew back to England and also to work.  Then with Yom Haatzmaut upon us, I took the opportunity to spend the evening with my parents and family watching the fireworks.  Then after a few days to myself, I re-joined my parents for a few more days before I saw them to the airport and they were off home back to England.

It really was fun to have them here for a long period, still was sad to see them go and I hope that they had fun and that's it not another year before I get to see them again.

Yom Hazikaron

Last week we remembered those who lost their lives during the Holocaust.  Tonight and tomorrow morning we will stand as a siren rings out throughout Israel and we will commemorate Yom Hazikaron a day to remember the fallen soldiers of Israel and those who lost their lives as a result of terrorism.

I've seen many people comment after the soldiers have taken action in the defence of this country, I have seen people speak ill of these soldiers and yes it’s easy to do that from a keyboard, easy to speak badly of people who you don't know and of a country you have never visited and never bothered to learn both sides of the story.  When I see the soldiers, I don’t see hardened, tough fighters, I see kids in uniform. I see 18 and 19 year old Israelis who shouldn't have to be in uniform, who should be doing what I got the opportunity to do at 18.  Which is go to University and live a life without have to worry about being called up and possibly going to war.

It’s easy for people to judge Israel, to judge these soldiers, but don't judge when you haven't lived here or experienced it.  I can't say I have experienced it, I came to Israel too old to join and do my part.  But I see these Israeli's going to the army to serve and do their duty and I am proud of them and every time there is trouble I pray that they safely come home to their families.  Because at the end of the day everyone wants their kids to come home safely no matter what they do.

Yom HaShoah - Never Forget

Tonight/Now here in Israel is Yom HaShoah known around the world as Holocaust Remembrance Day. Its a time of remembering the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust.  

Most of you probably might say who gives a f**k, it happened before I was born, didn't affect me, why should I care. Well you should care, maybe it doesn't affect you directly and you didn't lose a family member, but as saying goes Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And that is very true. 

Has the world gotten any better since then, maybe people will say yes in terms of technology and other aspects, but there are still wars being fought, people are still dying because of simple differences. 

So tonight is important, remember what happened, all the lives that were lost and I know many of my friends have young children and you would do anything to protect them and to make the world a better place.  Focus on that, the world we live and work for, is for them, our future to live in a world where the Holocaust never happens again.

As someone who visited some of the camps in Poland, I do urge people if you have the chance to go there, to hear the stories and to remember and never let it be forgotten.

NEVER AGAIN.