Are you making use of the Birthday Reminder Service? Many are doing so successfully! Meanwhile, this edition is about dreams, theme parties and a couple who inspires. Join in…

What is it about dreams that always convince us that the reality is something cold and distant? I have noted that even people with good lives feel an illusion of dragging an existence when they are influenced by powerful dreams. Nothing like that happened to Irina, of course! Our fashionista friend dreamt that she was being pampered in a spa! A shopaholic’s dream cannot end there, can it? Irina also felt that she was out on a never-ending shopping spree with all the friends she has on her ecard dashboard.

On waking up, Irina was feeling an intense craving to do all that she dreamt about. But reality is always a cruel reminder of where we actually stand. Irina’s dreams of being pampered didn’t see the light of day. Not as yet! Irina is planning to go ahead and fulfill this dream. There’s a small catch, though. “In my dream, someone else was paying for the bills!” Irina lamented, “And that made the dream so much more sinful! Taking myself out on such a journey is never the same kind of fun!” I couldn’t agree more.

Trust Steve to have a geeky touch to whatever he does! A couple of days back, Steve decided to have a theme party for his friends. The theme was the symbol Pi. Invitees needed to have the symbol on their dress in some form or the other. We were really excited because it provided us with a chance to innovate! I can’t remember having attended such a party. I called my niece, Rachael, for help. She designed a headgear (you can’t call it a hat) with the Pi symbol! It looked a little over-the-top, but that’s what a theme party is supposed to be, right?

When I showed up there, I realized I have never seen so many Pi symbols even in a mathematics book! Friends and acquaintances had the symbol designed on their sleeves, back and even on neck ties. Steve was wearing a Pi as a sort of bow tie. The decorations in his room were dominated by the mystical symbol, too. On the whole, it was an incredible experience. A hang out with friends is always fun and if you spice it up with some innovative themes, it becomes a heady cocktail.

Steve’s party was extremely well-organized, thanks to the online invitations that he sent out. He could track RSVPs efficiently and that helped him do more with lesser resources. Good work, Steve!

Adrian was telling me the other day how written communication has made people more open and transparent. Friends who communicate through emails and online chat often tend to share more because they find it easier to write down their thoughts. Saying the same words in front of a person sounds like a daunting task. I have felt the same too. There are people so close to you that you don’t feel comfortable exposing your vulnerability. The strange part is that you feel comfortable sharing the same thoughts with them through the written word.

There is a downside to this as well. When you depend too much on writing for communication, your ability to connect personally diminishes. A good example is when you talk with a stranger online you end up feeling a bond being established. This bond seems like a shadow when you meet the person because you may be totally surprised by what your contact actually is. Just like writing may open some closed doors, it may also mislead you to the wrong ones. After all, connecting with another human being is not a walk in the park!

We owe our happiness to the people close to us. They are our source of joy and the reason to smile. Frank wanted to thank Eleanor for the brightness that she has brought into his life. Readers of my newsletters will know that they were married a couple of years back and happen to be the most senior couple around. And yet, they are supremely happy in each other’s company. Frank took Eleanor out for a date this Sunday evening to mark the day when they first met.

Our friends who are also couples, like Adrian and Cathy, look up to this senior couple with a lot of admiration and awe. “Their zest for romance is incredible,” Cathy was telling me the other day, “It’s a real treat to see them together!” Adrian couldn’t agree more, “At times when you feel that life is all about living it practically, you come across a couple who breathes love.” There is no doubt that Eleanor and Frank is the most awesome twosome in this part of the globe. We want them to be together forever!

Here’s a wonderful love quote that I found but couldn’t trace down its author: “Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.”