Do we need a reason to call up an old friend we lost touch with? Is it true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? An eccentric techie on the loose in office makes his way into this week’s edition too. Jump in…

What is it about the present that whenever you feel down and out, you look back into the past? In my last newsletter I wrote to you about Sarah. Well, things were going really well between me and her. I mean, we were having a great time talking on the net when she suddenly went offline. It’s been days that we were out of touch. I don’t have a contact number to call her up. I dropped mails but they went unanswered. I had got into a habit of talking to her. It’s really tough now for me not to worry about her constantly.

I was looking through the contact numbers on my phone, hoping to locate Sarah’s number! I know it sounds foolish, but sometimes you do hope against hope, don’t you? Of course, I didn’t find her number, but I came across another friend I lost touch with. Berka. I called her up just like that and it was great catching up with her after a long time. She’s been doing really well for herself. She’s shot a documentary recently on the holy month of Ramadan. She asked me over for brunch on Sunday to have a look at her work. I tell you folks, it was outstanding to talk to an old friend.

Someone has taken over Liz’s kitchen! My sister has her work cut out when it comes to her kitchen because somebody is doing extensive experiments. Rachael’s interests have spilled over from the chemistry lab onto the kitchen. She wants to cook something for her boyfriend Charlie. She’s decided on a recipe called Honey Orange Pumpkin Pie. If the name of the thing is so huge, you can imagine the amount of time and resourced she’s using up to get that perfect blend. Liz is trying deep breathing each time she steps into her kitchen.

But the end result has been great, from what I hear from Liz. Charlie was thrilled by the effort of Rachael, even before tasting the thing. He liked it immensely and they had the pie together. Liz and I told her frankly that we are jealous and we want something similar too! And now that she’s perfected the art of making it after so many attempts, she can make another easily. But Rachael shook her head and said, “It can’t be the same again! It was for Charlie, you know!” We rolled our eyes at each other and went “Woo!”

It began as just another day for Donna. She was on her way to work and something strange happened. I could say that from the spring in her steps as she walked in fifteen minutes late. Now Donna is rarely late, despite having children to take care of. I waved at her and she returned it with a jerky movement of the hand. She came across as slightly nervous and very excited. “You won’t believe what happened this morning,” she buzzed in. “Settle down first,” I told her calmly, masking my own curiosity to know more about it.

“I met Tim,” she told me with a theatrical gesture that would have looked grand on stage, not in the office. She noticed the prying eyes floating in from neighboring cubicles. She took some gulps of air and then noticed that I had this who-on-earth-is-that look on my face. “You didn’t forget Tim, did you?” she asked in disbelief. I put on my most guilty expression. She boomed, “Tim, my childhood friend!” Ah, that reminds me! Tim was her childhood friend who had the hots for her many years ago. His turning up all of a sudden sounded ominous to me. How about you?

Ryan, the glib techie I wrote about in a previous newsletter is back in the reckoning. Ryan has this wonderful ability to shut off his high-pressure work from his mind when he wants to. He roams around the office when he wants to take a break. He talks to almost everyone in the office, tossing them a piece or two of his advice now and then. He keeps himself posted on the latest courses and exams. He knows the fee of every course well and he never bats an eyelid in picking up an argument.

A techie had the worst time when he challenged Ryan to get something done. Ryan did the work with ease. But things spun out of control when Ryan, true to his nature, wanted to lecture the conquered! He spoke at length about technology, life, even girls! Ryan claims that his uncle is a great love guru and has a word of knowledge for everyone. He has even slotted the girls according to age and what they look for in relationships at different ages. This got on the techie’s nerves. Last heard, it had become a huge row! Much ado about nothing really! But it was kind of fun!

Here’s a Robert Frost quote for funny co-workers like Ryan: “The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.” True for him, what say?