Don’t delay the midday break - Letters to the editor - The National Dt 08 June 2015

Don’t delay the midday break

With the temperature consistently remaining high, I would suggest the midday break be implemented with immediate effect. If you visit a construction site, you will notice how exhausted the workers are. It’s also necessary to ensure they get an adequate supply of water.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

To read it in original, please visit The National online

Artistic taste - Short Take - Gulf Today Dt 06 June 2015

Artistic taste

I have several hobbies developed over a period of years. It is interesting to develop new skills and it requires a lot of dedication and sustained effort.

Sketching and drawing is one of them. During my school days, I was scared to touch the pencil even to draw an ordinary flower for my school assignments.

But moving on to college and professional courses, there was no choice left other than to try it out. At some point of time, I thought about my maternal uncle, who used to be very good at oil paintings.

I thought about him whenever I had any assignments and some sort of self-confidence developed. The artistic taste grew from there on.

My thoughts on drawing came out recently when I observed an artist exhibiting his skills at an Abu Dhabi mall. He was a professional and started from a blank canvas and used the free brush style and created something extraordinary.

Thinking deeper into it, our life is like that of the blank canvas and the artist. We are born with certain natural and inherited skills and we add up on to them several others through continuous education. This becomes our true wealth.

How we utilise this wealth will result in our immortal contributions to society. This is what I term, Talent Share, with its magic mantra. A talent or knowledge is to be shared.

The joy of seeing someone else taking up your interest in a competitive or entertainment spirit is immense to experience.

Ramesh Menon

To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online

Mind Speaks - Is Life A Rat Race?

Is Life A Rat Race?

A first of its kind parking and play facility was getting completed in our area. The work took a considerably long time as it was a huge structure. Obviously, the worksite had an area for staff accommodation and storage. That opened automatically options for all types of waste to get accumulated in the area. Once the work completed and site was ready to open, the workers accommodations and storage units were moved to another location as planned.

However, there were some silent residents in the area (are they really silent?). None other than a colony of rodents. Now exposed, where do they go? No options other than to migrate to the nearby available residential buildings. Are they a welcomed guests? No and resulted in some work for the respective maintenance staff. They started it immediately without fail.

On my way to work one day, I chanced upon this little friend. Its eye was glowing as if it wanted to speak a lot. To run around and escape. But, it was unable. That made me explore why and how it was in that condition. Maintenance staff around told me that they had to keep poisoned rodent biscuits to finish of these unwanted guests.

What was surprising for me was there were many cats in that area, even closer to this one I spotted. None were interested to catch it! Were they afraid of eating a poisoned prey? No, not really was the answer from the ever ready staff who were vigilantly following its end. They said to me that these days the cats in the area are well fed with expensive cat food. So, they have left their traditional predatory instincts and now after a luxurious lift style. Not bad to follow the modern definition of cat and mouse games!

Or is it a natural example of a harmonious living.

All these thoughts happened within a few minutes. As I observed the rodent one more time, it was at the last minute of life in this world. I still felt it was looking at me and wanted to say so many things. At times, many of us might have been at situations watching the last minutes of someone whom we like from a closer view. He or she will realise the value of life and work done and left to be done at that time.

Harmonious living is something we have to now strive for. Till then, you will not wonder if one says, life is like a rat race!

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

05th June 2015

Photo Speaks - A good evening thought from Abu Dhabi

Photo Speaks : Distance ahead is more than the distance covered

Parking with Play facility at Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is all set to get a parking with play facility. Great news for kids and car owners.

Social commitment - Short Take - Gulf Today Dt 30th May 2015

Social commitment

I have a Facebook account as well as Facebook page and a photography group that I moderate. On my personal account, I handpick my contacts who are there as friends. On the page and group, I do allow, with limited moderation, those who should be there.

The reason obviously is to select the audience who I wish to read my thoughts or will be interested to read it and whose activities interest me. Obviously, it will be the same with every socially committed person.

Recently, a virus hit one of my accounts. I did a housekeeping of my accounts and removed some names I genuinely thought should not be to in my friends’ or contact list.

I believe in the saying, “You are known by the company you keep.”

Social media should be used effectively. If one has free time, it is better to do something good, voluntary or social work, utilising the knowledge skills rather than wasting time propagating what another person or his family or friends do or how his family is or what his social status is.

It is always best to stay focused on good things.

Ramesh Menon

To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online.

Summer holidays are over!

Summer holidays are over!

Remembering the childhood days. This fallen cashew fruit with nut reminds me of my childhood days when we children gather together and walk around and scan the plantation areas. Cashew nut is one of our first choice as the fruits are tasty to eat and the nuts collected brings in our extra source of pocket money. A kilo of nuts collected will earn a good money those days sufficient enough to cater a group of children either for a cinema or buy a new football or hire a cycle to ride for a few hours!. Probably few of the luxuries we could opt for those days.

Gone are those days and these days pocket money is not a problem for kids. This whole thought came around when I was having a strawberry fruit which tasted almost similar to a cashew fruit of those days.

If you have not experienced this during your childhood, take your mind during your free time and travel around to those old days when small luxuries gave great feelings compared to the great luxuries of these days which doesn't even last for the next hour or so!

Best wishes to all those students who are joining the new academic year.

ADNOC Hosts 4th ADRAC Energy R&D Summit

ADNOC Hosts 4th ADRAC Energy R&D Summit

Abu Dhabi, UAE – May 24^th 2015 – H.E. Abdulla Nasser Al-Suwaidi, ADNOC Director General, today opened Abu Dhabi International Research & Development Conference & Exhibition (ADRAC), which brings together over 1,500 research and industry professionals to discuss the latest breakthrough innovations in energy R&D.

The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Yasser Saeed Al Mazrouei, Deputy Director E&P, ADNOC and Chairman of ADRAC 2015. “ADRAC has brought together the foremost leaders in research and innovation to collaborate and present solutions to address the region’s oil and gas challenges. We look forward to many fruitful discussions over the three-day event,” said Mr. Al Mazrouei.

Total participated as a Platinum Sponsor in the 4^th edition of this prestigious conference being held at ADNEC for the first time since its inception.

This year’s conference saw a threefold increase in attendance. 

Total showcased its R&D technologies through their dedicated team of professionals working in close coordination with the Masdar and Petroleum Institute. Held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from May 24 – 26 2015, the event gathered the foremost minds on energy R&D from Academia and Industry with a scope of facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration to identify new turnkey solutions for the Oil & Gas industry’s challenges.

The Research & Development Awards were the highlight of the Opening Session. The awards, which recognize those who are leaving an exceptional impact on the energy industry with a clear vision for the long term future of energy, were presented by Mr. Mohamed Butti Al Qubaisi, ADNOC’s E&P Director.

The awards were divided into four categories:

·         Leadership and Long Term Vision Award; won by Mr. Abdul Munim Saif Al Kindy, CEO of Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (ADCO) and Mr. Ali Rashid Al Jarwan, CEO of Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO)

·         Impact Award; won by Mr. Fareed Abdulla, SVP-NEB, ADCO; Dr. Yuefeng Sun, Texas A&M University; Dr. Mohammed Ali, Petroleum Institute

·         Partnership Award: GASCO CEO; ExxonMobil President, Abu Dhabi; Schlumberger President, Middle East

·  Innovation Award: Mr. Fahad Salem Al Ameri, ADNOC; Farhaad Khaled Al Awadhi Al Yasat, ADNOC; Professor George Hirasaki and Dr. Lisa Biswal of Rice University

#ADRAC15

Visit Total at ADRAC 2015

Visit Total stand at ADRAC 2015 

Abu Dhabi International Research and Development Conference and Exhibition 

24-26 May 2015 

ADNEC, Abu Dhabi

Know more about ADRAC 2015

Know more about Total

Campaign - Clean up your medicine chest

Keep only medicines with valid expiry period.

Recently, I was taking part in a campaign organised by Volunteers in the UAE to pack the relief goods collected for Nepal Earthquake support.

With pharmaceutical background, I took up the role to sort out the medicines received. Not much of donations had come in. Majority of the items were new, useful under the circumstances and with long expiry dates. However, what alarmed me was some people’s callous manner to empty their medicine chest for this purpose. Many items of such donation contained near expiry or expired medicines! 

It is understandable, people are busy and many are ignorant of the consequences of taking expired medicines.

This brought out a thought in my mind about the unused medicines lying in the medicine chest at my home too.  Many times medicines prescribed are not consumed in full.

Today, I found some time to clear them and this is the quantity cleared, not usable and expired.

I thought of sharing this thought with you.

Why not devote a few minutes during this weekend to clear medicine chest at your home too.

I am sure, you will save some space, avoid children/elders taking medicines already expired.

Regards,

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

Saturday, 23 May 2015

Pearl Harvesting in the UAE

UAE has a very old tradition of pearl harvesting. Today, I was able to meet a young emirati who was passionate about the tradition and history behind it. Hearing him, I knew this is one additional item I need to include in my topics to promote UAE to the world around.

Watch out for more on this topic in the coming days under the link Pearl Harvesting in the UAE

Koodalmanikyam Temple Festival 2015 - Arattu and Panchavadyam

Nepal Earthquake Relief coordination

Nepal Earthquake Relief coordination activities at Nepal Embassy Abu Dhabi A very satisfying day where I was able to join a group of members from Volunteer in UAE and assisted in sorting and repacking the relief aid materials presented to the Embassy of Nepal, Abu Dhabi. Great team work, all those who came in showed sincere devotion and dedication and worked selflessly.

Items to be considered for donation:

URGENT (Non-Medical):
Baby Foods Tarpaulins/Tents
Blankets
Floor Mats
Packaged or canned food items
Water purification tablets
Masks and gloves
Hand sanitizer
Clothes
Cleaning supplies such as shovels and buckets
Solar lights

URGENT (Medical)

Paracetamol
Bandage / Cotton
Cetamol
Prodine Iodine Ointment
Amoxicillin
Ranitidine
Medical supplies

PLEASE NOTE TO BUY ITEMS WITH LONG EXPIRY DATES. Those less than 6 months or nearing expiry will not be accepted and used.

#ItsCoolToCare
#WithLoveForNepal

Power of now - Gulf Today - Short Take Dt 2nd May 2015

Power of now

 I walked slowly to my senior colleague’s office the other day. It was his first day from an unexpected leave. As soon as he saw me, he came and held my hands. We remained silent for some moments. That was a moment of long conversation without any words.

 He knew very well I will understand his feelings. He had lost his mother suddenly. Death of close ones bring in a sudden vacuum in life. We tend to get lost on words, thoughts and deeds.

Whom to ask and what to do when someone whom we depended always till then is no more to clear and cover our queries and actions!

The other day, I realised a friend of mine, who is now working far away from his family experiencing the same feelings. He was missing his late father a lot. I am sure many of you have or will have this feelings coming again.

What is happening around us these days due to a tragedy of bigger dimension in Nepal also brings in similar feelings when we read about the sad stories coming out each day.

Suddenly, many are left stranded in life and thrown to the mercy of the nature and of several unknown kind.

We don’t know what future has in store for us. But we certainly know our present is in our hand.

Live our life to the best possible way without hurting anyone and always try to help someone who is in need. Devote time in doing good things rather than whiling it away on loose talks about any.

If someone has nothing to do, it is better to remain silent and enjoy the bliss of being in this present world.

Ramesh Menon

To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online. 

Strict safety norms should be enforced

Strict safety norms should be enforced

Reader is concerned about workers ignoring safety measures when at construction sites.

Abu Dhabi

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is being celebrated tomorrow, April 28, and our highest priority should be oriented towards the principle of prevention of danger.

A look at some of the maintenance activities being carried out by the staff of some companies that work on the installation of advertisement stickers on high rise buildings within the capital made me write about this important safety issue. They use the suspended scaffolding to paste these stickers on the windows. However, observing them at close quarters I noticed that most of them were not wearing appropriate safety gear.

My fear aggravated when I noticed that a group of construction workers who were working on seven-storey building were carrying out their jobs without wearing any safety gear. This was alarming and there was no way I could reach out to them and inform them to adhere to safety measures.

These two observations highlight the need for stricter enforcement of safety norms. We do note that companies have strict safety guidelines in place for the welfare of their workforce. However, there is always an exception. Some companies even hire part-time workers, and it appears that safety is not a matter of priority for them and precautionary measures are sidelined. This is dangerous as even a minor miss may end up in loss of life or permanent injury to the worker involved.

Through this report, I request the concerned authorities to consider this matter and enforce stricter rules for workers who engage in jobs at high altitudes. The need for a standard acknowledgement and acceptance to conform to safety standards is essential when permits for such jobs to be carried out are issued.

Let ‘Safety First’ be on everyone’s mind at all time. Keep reminding each other and remembering with a strong inner sense the three key notes: ‘Safety for me, for you and for everyone’ as a mantra to achieve better safety results.

  

— The reader is an operations manager based in Abu Dhabi.

  

Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com

ISC - Nucleus UAE Open Youth Festival 2015

India Social & Cultural Centre (ISC Abu Dhabi), the premier socio-cultural organization for expatriate Indians in UAE, is organizing  UAE OPEN YOUTH FESTIVAL 2015 on 7th, 8th and 9th of May 2015, with a large number of School students’ participation from all over UAE.

The show will be setting a new standard in this form of competition and it is designed to be one of the most challenging competition ever to be held in the UAE.

Contestants will compete in 18 arts field at 5 simultaneous venues within the ISC premises over these three days.

These performances will be evaluated and judged by prominent Judging panels from India.

Results will be declared immediately after each programme is completed through ISC website and official electronic media associated with the event.

Kindly provide enough circulation to find the talents in UAE.

Regards

Godfrey Antony

Hon. Literary Secretary

Application form:

Application form can also be obtained from:

India Social & Cultural Centre

P. O. Box: 816

Abu Dhabi

U.A.E

Tel:  02 - 6730066

Fax: 02 - 6732899

E-mail: insocial@emirates.net.ae

           : info@iscabudhabi.com

Web    : www.iscabudhabi.com

Short Take: Action pack - Gulf Today Dt 25 April 2015

Short Take: Action pack

It was a short notice invite for a presentation. I couldn’t say no to it when I looked at the presenter’s name and details of the invitees he was speaking to.

The audience were a group of students in their final year of graduation coming from the prestigious French Petroleum university to learn about the finer aspects of the industry in the region.

The presenter was Sultan Al Hajji, a self-made Oil and Gas industry senior in the region. Educated in the US and France, he started from a junior level in the industry and progressed along to one of the senior most level within our company.

In his presentation he talked eloquently about the industry aspects and about the UAE and how and where it stands in the technological and economic forefront of developments happening worldwide.

At the end of the session, while answering the queries of eager students who were extracting more treasures from him, he came out with a gem of an action pack for them.

It was about the importance of networking for students as a means of improving their professional vistas to a greater horizon. He said to them to work hard as there is no alternate option for success.

At the same time, he told them to identify their primary and secondary interest levels and start networking with the right choice of contemporaries, seniors and experts to consistently update them with what is happening around them.

Sharing knowledge and expertise is the pathway to a successful career ahead. Identifying right mentors and right network to be in is essential for students.

Later, at some point of time, whenever these like-minded and networked contacts catch up with each other, it will prove that they all carried the same zest for success in life.

Moreover, it will not be a surprise to see that many of them may be knowing each other, due to their focus and path they opted for their personal and professional success.

Looking at the students’ expression at the end of the session, I felt it would be an everlasting action reminder and impression they would carry along from this visit to their future ahead. 

Pearls of wisdom like these are very rare to get these days.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
Short Take - Gulf Today
Dt. 25th April 2015