BIRAmatters - 28th BIRA - Day 3

The last day! Time does fly! Indeed time flies on unseen wings! 

BIRA gives us the time and the opportunity to have a common platform where we can exchange ideas and ways and means of improving the industry level. Waterproofing is a major activity in the scope of a building project but does not get the attention it deserves. BIRA is the only stage where professionals come together and get involved in a give and take process. Bitumat appeals to all the BIRA delegates to carry the efforts to their place of work and ensure that they actually playa positive role in enhancing the industry and create better working standards. Whatever you all use, be the most professional in your choice, approach and execution! Bitumat has played a role to put before you all the alternatives. Now, you are empowered to select! We would be proud to hear that a "BiraGuru" has achieved success, name and fame! 

We thank ALL of you. We would not have met had it not been for your participation.

We appreciate your employers who sent you with the vision of professional enhancement. They have a vision that needs to be applauded. 

Saif ul Islam and Mustafizur Rahman came from far off Bangladesh. Great! And now we feel that they have a huge role to play in sharing their knowledge with their fellow Bangia deshis! I am reminded of "ekla chalo re .... a famous Bengali song that exhorts you to move on!!

 The father and son duo of Mouldi Ben Said and Meher Ben Said came from Tunisia. They need to be complemented on their dedication that they came even though they could get their visas very late! Thanks Va Akhi! Merci boku! 

Special words of praise for all the young engineers who attended the sessions with great commitment! And yes, we have tried our best but surely we must have made some errors ... do tell us so that we can improve and give a better performance the next time! 

Jazakallah khair and have a wonderful trip back home! 

A special word of thanks to all those who worked behind the scenes ... young fellas like Abdul Ghaffor, Manuel, Sharjas , Mohan and so on.

BIRAmatters - 28th BIRA - Day 2

Let me begin from the reverse! Not that I like going in the reverse gear, but sometimes the rear view is very motivating! Have you wondered why the rear view mirror is very small as compared to the front view? 

Think ... Think.... See my answer at the end of the last page!!! 

The dinner was grand and also surrounded by a wonderful atmosphere! And in this serenity, Abdelelah found a long lost friend in Engr. Yousef! Wow! Just like the grand old Indian Cinema story, Abdelelah discovered a friend from college! And we all came to know this when we heard rather strange sounds coming from the side where these two were seated! They were expression of childhood!! 

While on dinner, the ostrich was great. By the way, inspired by this restaurant a few weeks back, I went and bought some ostrich meat for my house! I was drooling in imagination! Slurp! But this mighty bird has caused frictions between me and my wife! She refuses to even look at the meat! Now I am in a mess ... what to do? But Danish Zaidi has no issues with this bird. He really dug deep into the Ostrich broth! 

Yesterdays presentations were very dynamic especially the one made by Nasir and Mehmood. They made the job of repairing a crack rather romantic!! Mustafa made his debut as a speaker and he gave his best shot even though his legs were shrieking and crying! Naeem returned to his job after a nine year hiatus! 

He spoke as fluently as before about the various aspects of the famous Bitumat Acrylic coating! Asif was good as always. Over time, he has now almost mastered the art of presentations!

Wael Naser Aldeen of Essam Kabbani is a very serious student! And mind you, Wael has had a stint in projects earlier and knows the nuances of applications! 

Bader AI Otaibi of the Royal Force was very alert when Osama was delivering his presentation! And he threw many questions also! AL Shehri Faez Ali pf the MIC AI Kharj keeps a low profile and along with Abdul Majeed, they form a great team! 

Emad Kandah is a lively young Jordanian who foxed me with his looks! And I thought that he was a Lebanese! Emad works for a very old Bitumat Supporter Rabia! Singapore is remembered as soon as Rabia's name is taken! 

The night cannot be complete if I do not express my fascination for the good old garlic! Jaleel once again shared his secret formula! Pop in a couple of garlic pearls of eating the heavy dinner at Brasia! I hope he presents me with a bottle so that I can eat with no thoughts of a bloating tummy! 

Hey! I discovered that Babatunde is a huge soccer fan! Supports Barcelona and just loves Messi mesmerizing his opponents!

BIRAmatters - 28th BIRA - Day 1

The 28th BIRA got off to a little slow start, largely due to many delegates unable to get their visas in time!  Unfortunate but there was hardly anything that we could have done! It just happens! And it happened!  Anyways, the good news was that the folks from Tunisia are expected to reach tonight... yeah, they will miss the first two days but at least they will get the last two days! We, at Bitumat, are eternal optimists ... we see the glass half full! The weather was also playing truant and catching people off guard! Abdul Majeed and his team from the Military Industries Corporation had to face the ferocious sandstorm when driving over from Riyadh to Dammam! Nature can get menacing when it gets tough and angry! Sure, we have seen how the roof waterproofing caves in when confronted with the mighty rains! And this is where the men get separated from the boys.... the products that are tough also get tough when challenged! That's the policy.

Coming back to the classroom, we could see that some were really excited about being "back to school"!! Baba-tunde Abiodun Salami enjoys his classes and takes them very seriously. And that was the reason why Mr. Poisson was remembered by him And not just remembered, he was referred to rather frequently! We can take that since we all know that Baba is from the KFUPM!! And when he maintains that somber countenance, he does shake the presenter’s confidence level!! Na ... just was kidding! 

The experienced presenters always like a 8aba in the classroom as things are made so much easier! Thanks Baba!! Abdallah AI Sheikh can provide great relief when things get serious! He has the ability to let loose bits and pieces of humour to ensure that a smile runs across all the delegates! Going to the factory and watching the lab tests was a great experience for all. "I really did not expect the factory to be so huge and the tests to be so scientific. I am really pleasantly surprised and look forward to learning more from this wonderful experience", said an elated Abdul Majeed AI Amri from the MIC, AI Kharj. Well, Abdul Majeed, we thank you and do hoe that your visit is successful and that you onward journey to the Europe is rather successful! All the best! Mohammed A-Hagbani is absolutely wonderful! Right in front with a beaming faces! And to add to this, is his zest to be like Messi! He shoots goals very frequently! Mohammed's questions are sharp and score every time he shoots one query! One can actually see him warming up in the room..... The shoes being the first one to slip off.... Then the hair gets exposed..... Bitumat really salutes this young Saudi engineer from Royal forces Riyadh! 

Always nice to see old friends. Nostalgia sets in, time machine takes us in the past, old memories surface! That's what happened when Naeem caught up with us especially with Raed and Nader! Naeem was seen chatting away with Ghouth during the dinner at the Saudi Heritage. And that reminds me. The dinner was great and enjoyed by all especially our own young Jordanian engineer Abdul Majed Abu Keshek!! And yes, Mohammed Majed reminds me of a typical college going character whose only passion is food and books!!