Wheeeew finally completed… its becoming harder and harder to find time to write this mail! But alas, the commitment continues. Welcome to 2 new additions Lourie and Farad. Hope u enjoy your time with us, if you have any comments you would like to pass please go to www.mondaymail.blogspot.com or drop me a mail, if you want to be removed please let me know as well and your wish my command shall be!

April over enter May… Hope u all are very schweet. I my dear friends, am super styling. I am in Jozi till the 8th May, worked this week, PE tomorrow then back to Jozi for a weeks leave. Getting here wasn’t all that pleasant though. We had one of the worst plane rides I think I have experienced ever, I honestly thought it was tickets. Our plan dropped a couple of feet, swung left and right, its wings were flapping like the wings of a bird, we were literally being thrown around like a rag doll. People were losing their food, others were nervously shaking demanding to get off the plane once we diverted to Durban, it was insane. I tell u God heard from a lot of people who had forgotten about him on Sunday nite. We couldn’t land in Jozi cos there was a fierce hail and thunder storm, I tell u we were so close, landing gear was out, the lights were getting closer, but sorry for us we had to circle around for a bit and we were losing gas so we had to head to Durbs to refuel and we came back. An adventure I tell u. But its funny how when u think its the end u start thinking about whats important or things u haven’t done etc.

Funny enough though I wasn’t really thinking much about what I will miss about this earth other than things like how will my mother be, shaite have my sister and her mate who were on an earlier flight landed, oh crap, I am supposed to have met a mate at 9:30 and I cant tell them I am running late…another thing I thought about is that I am getting on with life, and its time for me to take my life to the next level. That’s right I am now very open to relationships, I will be absolutely crap at it after being on my ‘own’ for 28 years and 7 months or so, but I think it is time. I am not out looking at all but I will not be fightin or looking for arb excuses no more. I am currently ‘hanging’ (private joke) with a lass at the moment, lovely lass she is, plenty of issues, mostly on my side but watch this space shall we. I like sharing with my mates all my laundry is out there, lets see anyone try and black mail me one day ;-) I’ll be like whateverrrrrr!!!

Anyway onto this weeks email, this weekend was the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Pesach, Passover, which stems from the Hebrew word Peh-Samech-Chet which means to pass through, pass over, to exempt or to spare (in reference to the time when God passed over all the houses of Jewish people when he spared their first borns when he was killing those of the Egyptians in one of the 10 plagues He sent down to convince Pharaoh to release the Jewish slaves, the others being Blood, Frogs, Lice, Beasts, Cattle Disease, Boils, Hail, Locusts and Darkness). It is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv (the spring festival), Chag ha Matzoth and Z’man Cherutenu (the time of our freedom).

Pesach is one of the most commonly observed Jewish holidays. It falls on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan and lasts for 7 days (8 days outside Isreal). It is the first of 3 major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other 2 are Shavu’ot and Sukkot, both of which I am clueless on). Agriculturally it symbolizes the beginning of the harvest in Isreal and Historically it represents the exodus from Egypt after plenty moons of slavery. I don’t know if any of u remember the story of Pharaoh freeing the Jewish people and them being led out by Moses I think and God parting the Red Sea and once everyone (Jews) were safely across he closed it again resulting in many Egyptian Soldiers drowning etc.

The festival is observed by the removal of Chametz (anything from the major grains, that is not cooked within 18min after coming into contact with water such as wheat, rye, barley, Oats and Spelt…how they came to 18 min beats me but neway). From what I read is that it commemorates the haste with which the Jews had to flea from Egypt and as a result they did not have time to let the bread that they were baking rise. It is symbolic of removing the arrogance and the pride from the souls of people. During Pesach Jews may not own, consume or even feed chametz to their pets or cattle. Even utensils used to cook chametz must be removed from households or sold to a non-Jew, but once the holiday ends u can repurchase their stuff. Its not a joke this getting rid of chametz, u have to scrub fridges, clean cupboards, cover all surfaces that come in contact with food with foil, use a toothpick to clean out the corners of your stove u name it. Jews will still eat bread during this period, but its made simply from flour and its called Matzah

The day before Pesach is the Fast of the first born, a minor fast for all first born males, to commemorate the fact that all first born Jewish males were spared during the final plague.

On the first day of Pesach a special family meal filled with ritual is prepared called a seder (meaning order because there is a specific set of information around this meal that have to be discussed in a specific order). On the first and last day (first and last 2 days in Isreal) no work whatsoever is permitted, but u can work on the intermediate days which are the intermediate days of Sukkot (joyful festival).

If u didn’t know, now u know….

Birthdays
I will have to be honest, I left my diary book in my desk and I don’t have any birthdays on my phone for this week and next week. The only birthdays I remember are:
2nd May Dannielle
5th May Nana Sao and Peace

If its(was) your birthday during this week or next hope u have a blast, an hope ur birthday and the year that follows till the next is all u make it.

Maximum respect to the masses as always and if there is anything that we could learn together, its in the words of William Shakespeare, from Hamlet…”this above all, to thine ownself be true!

Hope u all enjoy your long weekend, I assume workers day is a worldwide holiday, if not well sorry for u!
Lata

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