Weirdest Hotel in Pyongyang

North Korea, shutting itself out of the world, is not far back in terms of building towering buildings. Unfortunately, a building that North Korea has committed into building is what I would say out of the world. It's the Ryugyong Hotel located in the capital city of Pyongyang.

It's set for opening soon with an Egpytian company, Orascom Group, continuing the final touch up for it.

The facts known about this weirdest hotel:-
* construction started since 1987
* construction value - US$2 billion (which is around 10% of the country's GDP)
* 1,082 feet tall
* 105 floors
* 3,000 rooms

With that number of rooms, any tourist going into Pyongyang area would still get to stay in the hotel even if all tourists in Pyongyang were to book a weeklong stay.

It has even gotten itself a nickname - Hotel of Doom or the Phantom Hotel.

Reading: North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel Gets a New Lease On its "Doomed" Life - HotelChatter
Reading: Ryugyong Hotel, the Hotel of Doom Isn't so Bad - Associated Content
Tags: Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea, Hotel, Orascom Group, Egpyt, Hotel of Doom, Phantom Hotel

The Non-Growing Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

"It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO," he said. "I have decided to choose one of you."

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - a very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened.

Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back.

"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!" All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front.

Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!" When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Here is your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!"

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. "When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"

The moral that you have learnt?

Tags: Moral, Chief Executive, CEO, Seed, Boiled Seed, Honesty

Hot Drinks Being Served

Most of my malay colleagues would call this 'teh kangkang', the meaning of it created by them.

This lady has a tiny weeny stall (you are looking at it now). She could prepare coffee, tea, ginger tea, mint tea, etc. You could such ladies preparing hot drinks at almost every corner in the city.

In this picture, she was stirring the burning charcoals that were used to boil water.







Once the hot water in available, she will start preparing the hot drinks that you have ordered.

Sorry, no such thing as teh tarik or hot chocolate.
Some colleagues won't go for it with cleanliness in their mind.









Our Sudanese associate in his coat. I felt very hot for him.
The coffee served on a small tray. I ordered tea. She put a small cup of sugar so that you can put in the amount of sugar according to your taste. Better to do it ourselves as Sudanese tend to drink at quite a high sweetness level. I have seen the amount of sugar they put into such a small cup. So, it's better we do it ourselves.
For us Malaysians, one teaspoon full was enough. For Sudanese, some do put in three teaspoons.










Her small stall just for a day's living. Some ladies will have their young kids with them.
Tags: Hot Drinks, Coffee, Tea, Ginger Tea, Mint Tea, Sugar, Sweetness

Safer Neighbourhood in Hampshire

The Hampshire Constabulary (bobbies) is making efforts to be close to the public in their area. Putting adverts up on moving buses were one of the best ideas as it has more publicity. The appointed painter painted, or a poster pasted, on the back of this bus (as below) without any planning. Whoever is that person just went ahead without realising anything.
Just look at the bus' exhaust pipe!
Tags: Hampshire, Hampshire Police, United Kingdom

Enjoying Higher Standard of Living

The standard of living in Khartoum is getting better day by day (qualifying it at the same time - that doesn't mean I don't mind staying here long term).

A number of high range of restaurants and cafes are opening up in the city. One of them is Solitaire. This is a new branch which was near our house. Their first branch was opened quite a number of years back.
Their new menu.
Fairuz was trying to remember all the name of the drinks they served there. Peter was thinking which menu to look at.

Their internal set-up is quite spacious too. Now Fairuz has passed the menu for Nazril to remember all the names.
Ahhhhhh that beaming face - get to leave the house to enjoy the outside world. Otherwise stucked in office from morning till night.









We ordered finger food only - two plates of french fries, one plate of spring rolls (5 pieces for 5 of us) and small size chicken wings.

With each of us ordering drinks like banana juice, smoothies, hot chocolates, our total bill came to 102 Sudanese pound. That's US$51. In Malaysia we can order two rounds of such.

A colleague said, the reason for the high cost of living here is because of all this higher standard of living. But at crazy prices.

Tags: Solitaire, Khartoum, Travel, Banana Juice, Hot Chocolate, Chicken Wing, French Fries, Spring Roll, Food

Guilt and Grace

Sometime ago I read a story of a youngster who was shooting rocks with a slingshot. He could never hit his target. As he returned to Grandma's backyard, he spied her pet duck. On impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck was dead. The boy panicked and hid the bird in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching.

After lunch that day, Grandma told Sally to help with the dishes. Sally responded, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn't you Johnny?" And she whispered to him, "Remember the duck!" So, Johnny did the dishes.

What choice did he have? For the next several weeks he was at the sink often. Sometimes for his duty, sometimes for his sin. "Remember the duck," Sally'd whisper when he objected.

So weary of the chore, he decided that any punishment would be better than washing more dishes, so he confessed to killing the duck. "I know, Johnny," his grandma said, giving him a hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave out of you." (Steven Cole, "Forgiveness," Leadership Magazine, 1983, 86)

He'd been pardoned, but he thought he was guilty. Why? He had listened to the words of his accuser.

You have been accused as well. You have been accused of dishonesty. You've been accused of immorality. You've been accused of greed, anger, and arrogance.

Every moment of your life, your accuser is filing charges against you. Even his name, Diabolos, means "slanderer." Who is he? The devil.

As he speaks, you hang your head. You have no defense. His charges are fair. "I plead guilty, your honor," you mumble."The sentence?" Satan asks."The wages of sin is death," explains the judge, "but in this case the death has already occurred. For this one died with Christ."

Satan is suddenly silent. And you are suddenly jubilant. You realize that Satan cannot accuse you. No one can accuse you! Fingers may point and voices may demand, but the charges glance off like arrows hitting a shield. No more dirty dishwater. No more penance. No more nagging sisters. You have stood before the judge and heard him declare, "Not guilty."

From In the Grip of Grace
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 1996)
Max Lucado
Tags: In The Grip Of Grace, Max Lucado, Diabolos, Steven Cole, Leadership Magazine

My Garden Compound

In our garden compound within our bungalow, we have this small Amjad (in arabic) or an Autorickshaw. Owned by our house caretaker who rents it out to his friends who wants to earn a living.

His little vehicle has white PVC cushion seating and looks real neat.

Normally customers who board this amjad will not go too far since it can't go into certain main roads. The rate for foreigners, no matter how you bargain, could be three to five times more than the locals. The rate for us could be around 2 to 3 Sudanese pound for a not more than two kilometres ride.
In the early morning or evening during winter time (end Nov to end Feb), it would be too cold to sit in this amjad as it moves with wind blowing at you.
Our nicely landscaped garden. Too hot to sit outside at anytime of the day. Night time? We are worried about mosquitoes .......... haha.
Tags: Amjad, Garden, Autorickshaw