Jordan

Remains of the columns of the Roman Theater, Amman

During Eid Mubarak last 3days ago, I went to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Thru Royal Jordanian airlines, it is 3hours away from Abu Dhabi and with an hour time variance. Airport immigration is typical as in any arab country, there is just a little incident when my friend travelling with me was questioned more longer because her passport photo looks healthier than her in person ^_^.

150AD Roman Amphitheatre, 6000seats capacity

We stayed at the charming Pasha hotel in downtown. The capital of Jordan is divided into two regions, (1) old and (2) new. Old Amman looks old, smells old and feels old. But the new Amman looks normal, same as Abu Dhabi city.

We had traditional food for lunch & dinner, Mansaf is a delicious tenderly cooked chicken or lamb on top of flavored rice served with yogurt. 

Like all busy cities, the streets are filled with cars, windows open driving in free lanes, vendors are selling various goods like clothes, souvenir items, local perfumes, etc..., some tourists like us wandering around, and many people just strolling and enjoying the holiday.

Remains of the Temple of Roman god Hercules

We met an eager local tour-guide  his name is Steve. We found him sitting at the entrance of the Roman Theater ruins. He said he always guards the coliseum waiting for tourists to serve because it is his territory.

Steve: the best and happiest Tour Guide in Amman

He offered to ride in his car, straight up to see the Citadel on top of the hill.  So, up we go and reached just in time before sunset. At 5pm the entrance was already officially close but he wasta our way in. The citadel is famous for the temple ruins of the greek god Hercules. From the hilltop 360 degrees you can see the capital of Jordan.

Steve's Colliseum

 On Friday morning we hired a taxi to drive us to the very ancient city Petra. For 3long hours in the car we watched the stony, hilly, red dessert of the country. Petra is arabic word for stone. Maybe because the ancient buildings are carved from the huge red stone mountain, history said it existed from 300BC. To see the famous rock-carved architecture, we have to walk more than 1hour in between the very big mountains, the passage is narrow so only horses can be hired as a transport. The horse owners look and talk like pirates so we did not hire any, we just walk happily along with many other tourists. Going back is disaster, we feel very very exhausted, phew! But its really worth it, to get a glimpse of how the early humans live.

The Treasury, 'Al Khazna' Petra

Amazing Ancient City of Petra

Many travellers. from all over the world comes here to visit

sandwiched between mysterious giant red rocks

Israel on the West, Jordan in the East (Jordan River Boundary)

On Saturday morning we hired the same Jordanian driver from the hotel and visited the Jordan River where Jesus Christ was baptized and the Dead Sea.

Dead Sea Mud covered

Blogging at the shores of Dead Sea

The road kept going down-down-down. It  is more than 1000feet below sea level. It is a boundary line of Jordan with Israel on the west side. Mohammad, our local driver said the dead sea is dead because there are no fishes that can survive its very salty water. But it is very rich in phosporous and other dead sea minerals used for skincare. We bought facial and body muds, it is very black.

Happy to travel with great friends!

We left Jordan feeling refreshed by 8PM on the 3rd day.

Working vs Living

SK PISA staffs hehehe

Today morning I arrived at the office and saw my bosses still working. They did not sleep for 48 hours and  kept on working till this evening. I didn't know how to feel when I looked at them, I was more angry than worried. I feel like asking...."Bujangnim, are you committing suicide?!" 

Then I realized that Koreans work to death.

That's their work culture. Arabs have culture, Indians have culture, Filipinos have culture.

Accept it or get angry and worried everyday. 

But I believe living is all about making the most of the lifetime given to us and living it to the fullest. Like spending time with the people we love, doing things that makes us joyful and happy, exploring   things that pleases our soul, and just enjoying every minute, thankful for being alive.

Work is supposed to be fun. I love my work, I love our project and the multi-cultural global staff and every daeri-nims and bujang-nims. It is our one united goal to complete successfully this amazing future Twin Towers and gorgeous Villas soon to be proudly standing beside the beautiful sea of Abu Dhabi overlooking the famous Grand Mosque.

PISA

But these over-over-times are exhausting everyone to the extent of draining all of our energy. I believe that we need to sometimes pause also, stand back and ponder and admire our work. After all, it's not easy to reach what we have already accomplished, we deserve to pat our backs as well and celebrate even just the smallest task well done. 

I prefer working because of living than living because of working.

It's not fair

Today I watched in silent fascination the most captivating, refreshing sight ever. 

I never realized that something so simple could have the power to take your breath and skip at least 2 heartbeats. 

I wished to hold that moment and to safely keep it inside my bag, so I can look at it again and again. 

Oh Life! How come you never play fair?

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“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” 

~by  William Shakespeare

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LISTEN to understand (not to reply)

I thought it is easy. To master the art of listening is soooo tough! Actually, it is very difficult to listen to others always with understanding. Sometimes we think we fully understand what they are telling us. But I found out that sometimes:

• We hear a 'yes' but it means 'no', and hear a 'no' but often it means 'yes'. 
• People say 'it is ok' but really want to say 'It is terrible!'
• A person can speak a word softly while his mind shouts loudly.
• Words are not able to express some things we think and feel.
• Our lips speaks logically but our eyes speaks mysteriously.
• We understand people close to us even without words spoken.
• No matter how hard we try to listen, we still struggle to comprehend.
• It seems better not to understand and remain happy than to comprehend and become angry.
• Some words are better not be said, and sometimes talking is not necessary.
• When people just like to talk and do not like to listen, it really gets very unbalanced.
• Listening takes more and more practice, more and more patience, more and more understanding.

Nevertheless, the reward is satisfying so I will keep on trying to learn how to listen from the heart and not from the mind. Only this I know is the easiest way to practice listening with understanding.

Au Revoir!

***

“The most basic of all human needs

 is the need to understand 

and be understood. 

The best way to understand people

 is to listen to them.” 

~by Ralph G. Nichols

***

Lesson Today: Humble Gratefulness

Doxology
(Romans 11)

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?”

35 “Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?”

36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen.

90 Days Challenge

It's just less than 3 months and the year is again going to end. 

One evening, in our bus home from work, one of my colleagues casually asked me, "What is the thing that you are most afraid of?" 

I immediately and instinctively answer, "Dying without the chance of achieving my dreams!" 

Sometimes we forget that life is really very short, and we take for granted every passing day. We miss doing the most important things and keep on the habit of doing unimportant things. 

I am scared to die without experiencing the best things that life has to offer. So, I decided to do things that will wake up my soul. One way is to face new challenges. I made a bucket list and set to achieve at least 10 items towards the end of this year. I dare myself to accomplish all of it by 01 January 2013.

To Do List during 3 months (October to December 2012):

1. Visit another amazing country, and learn new cultures and customs different from ours.
2. Everyday, make someone smile (at least one person each day); and smile to every child I meet.
3. Learn a new language (let's try Korean), be fluent by the end of 3 months.
4. Experience outdoor skydiving, scuba diving, mountain climbing.
5. Say 'I love you' from the heart to the most important people in my life (nanang, parents, brother....)
6. Learn to play the guitar chords of at least three christian songs by heart (without notes).
7. Sleep on the grass, under the moonlight.
8. Old friends reunion (if not possible, write 'thank you' letters to all of them and send via postmail)
9. Wake up 30 minutes earlier each morning and meditate.
10. Face at least one fear each day...and master it.

Still have a lot of ideas in mind, will add them as the days go by.

(photo borrowed from sir internet google)

Finally, it is fun to set goals and plans ahead, it is like a map for us to focus on things that matter to us and it guides us so we don't get lost. It also help us to improve more and keep moving towards becoming a better son or daughter, better employee, better friend....a better human being. God bless to your bucket lists!

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