This week two teenage lovers have a hugging ban pulled on them. Also, a summer party to heat up the temperature, how risky it is to push the boss and why not to add an ex to your social networking page. Join in…

Teachers in Rachael’s school have adopted a new initiative. They are encouraging students not to hug each other on campus! There is no penalization as such if you are pulled up, but students are advised not to be the one who initiates a precedent. This is rather disappointing for young lovers like Rachael and Charlie! There is a lot of charm in hugging in the library amid tall bookshelves or in the class just when everyone stepped out. It’s been part of the teenage life for years. These stolen hugs and kisses make new love what we know it to be: the aftertaste of which lasts a lifetime.

Rachael doesn’t really feel deprived. Trust her to make her plans to continue with her romance unhindered and unrestrained. Rachael has quickly found a secluded spot just behind school where Charlie can meet up with her. “The problem is that we can’t even hug our friends!” Rachael complains. So no hugs to say a silent thank you, a meaningful farewell or a sporty welcome-back. Now if I were a part of this school, I would be really disheartened. How about you?

What is summer without some sizzling parties? In our college days we used to go out on some really wild ones. With age and with some responsibility on our shoulders, things have toned down. But you can’t really put down the summer party spirit, can you? I told you in an earlier edition of the newsletters that we were planning to go down to the beach biking. That didn’t work out in the last second. Finally we decided to have a summer wine party back at Donna’s place. Donna is the wine connoisseur among us and she assured us of a party we won’t forget in a hurry.

On D-day or shall I say W-day, we turned up as a joyous gang. Donna had covered the wine bottles with paper wrappers. The challenge was to guess the label. It was great fun simply because of the ridiculous and sometimes audacious guesses that we made! Rick got most of them correct. Donna had asked us to carry a wine bottle of our choice. We did so. Donna asked us all to taste the individual ones and vote for the best wine of the party. After some vigorous voting by show of hands, Kate won it for her delicious white wine. This was simply one summer evening worth remembering for a long time to come.

What will you do if you found that lunch is sticking on the teeth of your boss? Would you go ahead and point it out before the whole office gets a sneak peek into his horrible hygiene manners? More importantly, would you risk your neck and volunteer? Diplomatically speaking, no one in the right frame of mind would actually do that, especially if your boss happens to be the no-nonsense-I’m-the-boss sort of a figure. The dilemma gets easier to solve if the man in command is open to suggestions and is sporting. Even then you might need all the tact that you can gather. Not so for Ryan.

We all heard a roaring “Get out!” rush out of the boss’ cabin like a thunderbolt. A couple of seconds later we saw Ryan walk out of the cabin. When he saw our eyes pinned on him, he offered a chuckle. Donna rushed to him to ask what happened in that hallowed chamber of power. Ryan shrugged his shoulder and said something to Donna that we couldn’t hear. But Donna’s wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression was enough. Later Donna told us. Ryan had told the boss after a meeting, “And Sir, before we meet again, can you take that spinach bit off your teeth? It makes me squirm!”

This is one question that baffles even the savviest lover! Is it a good idea to have your ex flame on your social networking page? We are all guilty of having secretly desired to confide and find consolation in an ex partner when things didn’t run smooth. There is some sort of a halo around anything that belongs to the past: old friends, old hangouts and old love. Treading on those dangerous bends can actually cost you more than you want to lose. It can take you on the verge of losing out on your present relationship. Ask Adrian.

Adrian wanted to blur the line between the past and the present. He unwittingly added his ex significant other Natasha on his social networking page. Cathy, his current flame, knew about Natasha and the passionate relationship they had shared. It was no surprise to me that Cathy didn’t take too kindly to it. Cathy issued an ultimatum to Adrian, asking him to remove Natasha from his page. Cathy made it clear that if she could smell Natasha anywhere close by, Adrian has had it! So all for peaceful co-existence! What was Adrian thinking of?

Here’s a Leo Buscaglia quote for those who want to give hugs the miss: “Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism.”