This week someone plans to celebrate Diwali, a grandpa charms a little angel, a techie violates office privacy and a name is the root of all quarrels between a couple. Read on…

Rachael is really excited about Diwali! Her pals are gearing up to celebrate this Indian festival of lights. Their teacher, an Indian working here, told them about the kind of fireworks and decorations that people back home indulge in. The colorful tales told by him has sparked off this desire among his pupils to do something similar this year around. They are hunting around for little lamps to decorate their homes with. It sure looks like one bright occasion coming up.

I associate Diwali with Berka. Surely you guys couldn’t have forgotten her! That reminds me that I haven’t heard from her in a long time. It’s amazing how friends drift away but leave behind some indelible memories. When the same day comes visiting, you remember those friends, those moments and those words. The association is so strong at times that you cannot help but feel nostalgic and a little depressed. Happy days are so few and far between. As Diwali comes in again, Berka is sorely missed.

Frank is playing the loving teddy bear for his grandson Andrew. Andrew is upset because he was not able to have much of the Halloween fun. He was down with a bad fever. Having missed the event, he wants to have his share of the fun. When Frank heard about it, he decided to do something. He got himself a bear costume and when Andrew visits his grandparents next week, Frank will get into his teddy bear skin to amuse the little angel. In fact, by doing this, he’s setting a great example here.

The grown-up kids, like Rachael and Ethan-Emily, are pleasantly complaining how lucky Andrew is to get someone like Frank. Frank’s zeal to have a good time with this kid is opening up some flood gates of nostalgia. Let alone kids, we are feeling the pangs of lost childhood as well. Megan was openly wondering why we grew up and how sunny those days were. She was talking about those times when things were so uncomplicated and matters were straight to deal with. We miss those days!

It’s a foregone conclusion that colleagues will talk about several different matters at the workplace. Office talks near the water cooler are legendary in the amount of gossip and rumor they contain! But the question is, should you talk about your personal relationships and break-ups with the people you work with? Ryan was divulging with some gregarious enthusiasm how his love affair crumpled down like the recession-hit profit margins of most companies. It’s true that there were some who lapped up the details with great relish.

But there were also some who felt uncomfortable. Their discomfort was very evident because Ryan was leaving nothing to the imagination. He gave a graphic detail about his ability to flirt and how he managed to date that special woman. Later on, his unscrupulous story was the point of many discussions on whether it was appropriate for co-workers to talk so generously about strictly private matters. Donna, our HR, has decided to have a strict talk with Ryan! Here’s hoping she drills some sense into him.

That is the question that Adrian was asking me the whole day! His reason is simple. Cathy, his steady partner for some time now, recently found out that Adrian had once dated her best buddy in school! To be fair to Adrian, he had no idea that Cathy was that close to his ex. He mentioned about her to Cathy, but not by her name. But wretched luck stuck him down when Cathy met this friend of hers. Cathy casually mentioned Adrian and there it was! Cathy is furious that Adrian didn’t point her out by name.

Adrian is unsure if Cathy is upset because he once dated her close friend or because he didn’t mention her name to Cathy. He has told Cathy umpteen number of times that he had no clue that she knew his ex. But Cathy would have none of it. She’s confident that Adrian wanted to bury the past so that he doesn’t have to answer uncomfortable questions. Cathy apparently felt foolish that she knew nothing about the man she was planning a future with. Hope their bickering ends soon!

Here’s a Lao Tzu quote for our fighting lovers: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”