Month: November 2014
Public speaking – Short Take – Gulf Today – Dt. 29 November 2014
Public speaking
Public Speaking is an art. Some people are very talented at it. So much so, that we love to hear them speak for any number of hours.
It may be natural for some but for others it may be developed over a period of years. Both require indepth knowledge on the subject they speak and also huge amount of preparation before.
It is also the same case when it comes to answering questions spontaneously after the speech on the subject they talked as well as various others.
I was lucky to listen to two such speakers recently. One was a US scientist, who elaborated his mastery and presented it in the simplest manner that even a layman could understand.
The other one was one of my own seniors. With experience in the industry for about 40 years, it is a treat to watch and listen to him on any day. It comes so natural that the audience will never realise how much time and topic is covered until he leaves the podium.
It doesn’t end there as he has a natural way to answer post-speech questions. I haven’t seen him carrying a manuscript for his speech.
However, it was new experience for me and all others gathered who listened to him the other day at a huge gathering.
As he came in front of the podium, he took out a set of papers. Before reading out the key messages from it, he said to all. “Today, I am a virgin! It is the first time I am reading out from a pre-written note!”
It was really an icebreaker to capture the huge audience. Though he ventured out from the note at times, it blended perfectly.
Ramesh Menon
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online
Abu Dhabi’s F1 Grand Prix was a great specactle – Letters to the editor – The National Dt 25 November 2014
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| Fans applaud the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix. (Christopher Pike / The National) |
Well done, Abu Dhabi, on a successful finale to the Formula One series (Hamilton takes Abu Dhabi GP, November 24).
The Etihad Formula One Grand Prix really was a treat to watch. The organisers did a great job from the issuing of tickets to the closing event.
Praise should be showered on the volunteers from Takatof who were well trained and well informed.
However, I have a wish list for next year’s event. It includes more television screens in the general stands, free earphones for following the commentary in English and Arabic, and a prominent display showing the lap number. Transport after the race is also an area for improvement.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
To read it in original, please visit The National online.
Cancer battle – Gulf Today – Short Take Dt. 22 November 2014
Cancer battle
On a visit to India last week, I was at the lounge of Abu Dhabi airport waiting to board a plane. The renovation work happening there meant that the space was crowded.
Among the passengers I found a well dressed lady walking back and forth restlessly answering to phone calls and making her own calls.
At some point of time, she came close to where I was standing and I found that she was calling doctors at a Cochin hospital and enquiring about the health condition of someone in the ICU. Feeling for her stressful situation, I started a conversation with her just to make her relax a bit.
Talking to her I found out that she is a medical professional from Washington DC on an emergency visit to Kerala as her father has been admitted at a prominent hospital in Cochin.
She told me that her father was normal a few months ago and had visited her in the US.
Recently, he was found diagnosed with cancer and added heart and other conditions made things worse and his kidney had stopped functioning now.
It happened that there was lack of medical support and things have now turned out to be really worse.
To aid speedy recovery and assist with right medical guidance she decided to take emergency leave and fly down.
We talked about the recent increase in cancer of various types, especially in the region. Our topics also covered lack of proper medical guidance to the patients and their support system.
At the Cochin airport, I assured her all support if ever she required and left for home.
Next day, I was visiting Cochin for a personal reason and was driving in front of the hospital where her dad was being treated.
To my surprise, I found her coming out of the gate and I told my driver to stop.
She too was surprised to see me again. Her face was totally down and she told me that her dad’s condition had worsened and they did not have any hope. They would try and keep him in a ventilator till her husband and children arrived from the US in the next two days.
I felt too sad and consoled her. Having undergone similar situations in my life twice in the recent years, I know how distressing it is. I said goodbye to her, offering prayers for the speedy recovery of her dad.
Although, it was an unhappy situation we met, I never expected her to meet again when I left her at Cochin airport but we met again and hope we will meet again as her love and willingness for her dad left everlasting impressions in me.
Ramesh Menon
To read it in original, please visit GULF TODAY online.
Get ready for 2014 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
Get ready for 2014 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX – 21, 22, 23 November 2014. Watch out for more action photos in the coming days.
Honey Bees and Flowers Blossom
Wherever flowers blossom, you are sure to see honey bees. Our apartment complex is not an exception. No wonder, it has the right name and rightly the consecutive winner for one of the best garden in the city. A bee hive getting bigger, better and beautiful each day in front of the balcony of my apartment at Bangalore. Hope, no one disturbs their community and their life. So far so good. It will be a disaster if they are disturbed or hurt. It is true communal harmony is very important for peaceful living.
Click on the photo and view in full. Share it with your children and show them how artistic they are!
On the edge of the world.
On the edge of the world.
Many times we hear this, but during this time I happened to meet and interact with two lovely human beings who are literally at that stage of their life. The story after, I do not know. So, leave with good thoughts and memories. Just like this beautiful tiny little creature, which inspired me to write about those chance meetings and my thoughts surrounding
Learning experience – Gulf Today – Short Take – Dt 15 November 2014
Learning experience
It was a hectic week with Adipec 2014 celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The prestigious oil and gas exhibition and conference has gained immense popularity over the years. It was proved by the continuous flow of visitors with their quest to know more about technology and expertise present in each of the stands.
The event offered an opportunity to meet with colleagues who arrived for the exhibition from different parts of the world and also make some new friends who were first timers.
Observing them and many others in our and various other stands was a learning experience by its own. Some people make it a show and some others contribute significantly to make the show run!
For me, it was a month of long working hours and I needed a break. Off to the airport straight from the exhibition, I realised my dress was completely out of form.
I approached an outlet where an Ethiopian salesgirl gave me the right choice of shorts, jackets, belt and other accessories. In no time, I was relaxed and comfortable in my new dress.
Good customer service is an inborn art and a person like her should be congratulated and promoted to be role models. Our travel becomes all the more interesting when we come across such pleasant salespersons.
Ramesh Menon
ClicksandWrites 
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