Happy Purim!

Eric at The Israeli Situation hosts Haveil Havalim #258: Purim 5770 Edition

Pink Rickshaw – SOOC

For more shots Straight Out the Camera:

New Issue of Conversations

The latest issue of Conversations – the print journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals – has just been published. It discusses major issues in contemporary Orthodox and general Jewish life. This time the focus is on Orthodoxy: Faith, Science and the Pursuit of Truth.

I have only read a few essays so far and particularly enjoyed one on biblical criticism and one on science education and Torah. I highly recommend this book which is an ode to intelligence and emphasizes that one can be an observant Jew without turning one’s back on reason.

A few essays can be found online:
– Faith, Science and Orthodoxy by Menachem Kellner
– O Tempora O Mores by Jeremy Rosen
– The Music of Chance: On the Origin of Species from a Jewish Perspective by David G. DiSegni
– The Fertility Dilemma by Richard V. Grazi

Jetlag Weekly Review

On My Blog

Photo Memes:
– Birthday Cake for SOOC
– Red Menu for Ruby Tuesday
– HK House Door for Window Views and Doors Too

Back Home

Hygiene in HK

Weekly Recipe: Butternut Soup

Lacking Focus – Thursday Musings

Elsewhere in the JBlogosphere

Grandma Rose’s Hamantaschen, a recipe at CookingManager

Once a convert, always a… (well, you know the word), a post by Rachel

Leora shares a stunning cardinal

Thoughts on Purim 5770 by Rabbi Marc D. Angel

Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski: Yeshivas Must Speak Out, Drunk On Purim is Not a Mitzvah!

The latest edition of KCC (the Kosher Cooking Carnival) is up at MamaLand

Shabbat Shalom!

Lacking Focus – Thursday Musings

As much as I like the new classes I was assigned in September, I am finding it hard to keep up with the new load of work and find the right state of mind to do things for myself once the preps are ready.

What’s more, as if I didn’t have enough on my plate already, I have been asked for the third time since September to find material for exams. It was texts then, pictures (ads, paintings, photos, cartoons…) in January and podcasts (along with their scripts) now.

I seem to have spent ages listening to audio podcasts as well as watching videos from The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The South China Morning Post and other online media.

I have also learnt how to record and convert video files into mp3 files, although I still don’t know how to download from certain websites which protect their data – The Wall Street Journal for instance.

In the past few months, I seem to have spent so much time online trying to find new (and exciting?) material that when I have finished I am left with the feeling that most of my energy has been drained out of my mind and my body.

I would also like to go back to some serious Torah study of some sort but don’t quite know where to start. Anyone with bright ideas is welcome and will earn a point (or more) in my good book.

HK House Door

On HK and the islands which surround it, the doors of small and middle-sized private homes – as opposed to flats – are often iron painted doors. Here is one specimen I liked.

Window Views: window, and now doors, from all over the world can be found on Mary’s blog.

Butternut Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 butternut squash
1-2 zucchini
1 peeled apple
vegetable broth
olive oil
1 pinch of curry powder
fresh cream (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the chopped onion in some olive oil at the bottom of a pot or saucepan. When the onion turns translucent, add the cubed butternut, chopped zucchini and apple and saute for a couple of minutes. Cover with vegetable broth, add the curry and cook for about 20 minutes or until the squash is soft.
Puree the soup and stir in the cream.

Red Menu

On Tuesdays, just post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that contains the color RED and then link to this blog.

This lovely new badge was created by Leora from Here in HP.

Hygiene in HK

Since the SARS outbreak in South China in 2002-2003, HK residents have become more aware in terms of personal and public hygiene.

The elevators all have a layer saran wrap over the buttons that gets changed out or cleaned several times a day. Similarly handles and handrails are regularly disinfected.

Before you enter a building or a block of flats, you will walk on a bleached rug so that your soles are freed of germs.

Most stores and public toilets have hand sanitizer dispensers. Regarding the latter they are much cleaner than the average lavatories in France. Besides there is always a cleaning lady on the premises who regularly mops and cleanses. Finally if you are dissatisfied with the cleanliness of the place there is the phone number of a person you can contact.

Do you find that people are as careful in your country?

Back Home

I left HK last night after Shabbat and am now safely back home. I really have to go offline a little and do some work before going back to school tomorrow. Meanwhile here is the list of some of the posts I plan to write about my trip – not necessarily in that order:
– Kosher food on plane going back
– Eating in kosher restaurant in HK
– The Chinese and languages
– A day in Macau

Ruti Mizrachi is hosting this week’s edition of Haveil Havalim. Thanks Ruti for your hard (and beautiful) work.