Tumultuous ! That’s the word !!!

Fourth of July [ Jul 4 ] Megan and I go for long walks whenever time permits and on one of those walks we hit upon a beautiful idea. Throwing stones ! Yup ! You see, we were short of a Frisbee and thought it would be fun to throw stones and measure up the distance to decide the winner. And so we began… a few pebbles and stones later, I hit up on a solid rugged stone and threw with all my might… the stone flew like a dream and Meggy squealed in delight….and then a shriek and a scream. Shriek from Megan and scream from, well, an old man on his evening walk in the Central Park; should’ve landed smack on his head I guess. Count me to be brave… it took exactly 5 minutes 3 seconds to reach my abode. Yup ! All I did was get a glimpse of the screaming old man and I scooted. Hmm... ! some start for the Fourth of July. Anyways….in the evening I had to go to Aaliyah’s place to meet her parents for the first time n’ I was nervous. This is important, I knew, and attired right. Flipped open my phone to give her a call and she coolly reassured me everything would be alright. On reaching her house, I give her the flowers and she bid me in with a peck on the cheek. Ambience was great what with Country Music playing and the cool furniture. Well, I met her mom and we chatted a bit and moved to the dinner table when her dad arrived and joined us. We sat for dinner and offered Grace, our heads bent down in prayer. …in a minute everyone was up and ready to hold the fork and knife while I was still down… Aaliyah…waited for a while, nudged me, and whispered… “Bob, I never knew you were so devout ?! “Well, I never remember you telling me that your Old man goes for a walk in the Central Park either !”

Remote Control Day [ Jun 29 ] Rachel, my niece, parks herself near the TV when American Idol plays. She is one big Sanjaya fan and roots for him. But what gets to me is that she apes his hair-dos and makes the drawing room look a Halloween haven. She gives a smirk if there is one abusive comment about him. The Idol judge Simon doesn’t much care about her views, you see; he gives Sanjaya an earful every episode. Reclining on the couch at the back, Rachel gets a clear view to shoot a cookie straight at Simon… of course, he never gets hurt, but the casualties are usually Kong and me. At the wrong moment I raise my head to have a better view and get stung by the Rachel missile. Kong gives a growl when she hits his rear with a swirling cookie as he sneaks his way to taste her share of apple pie. Kiddo she is, alright, but it hurts when hit… Remote is my savior and with a click I move into the Disney world and she becomes human again watching the toony toons. Remote Control Day is round the corner and to give the magic wand its due send the cards to one and all.

Sky Day [ Jun 30 ] Steve loves company when he sky gazes. Of course, he is an eerie sight in the night when he stands atop the roof sighting the stars with god-knows-what gadgets ! Last Sky Day, he wanted to burn the midnight oil all through the night to get a clear view of the galactic “whatever” ! Well, the worst part was he brought Meggy, Aaliyah, Ron, and me along to keep him company when he does his stuff…Sigh ! Trust Bob, to make the scene light….I wagered all of a sudden, “Hey, people…anyone who takes a flight and lands on the parapet on the next storey gets a 100 bucks !” Megan, “Nah ! Not me…” Ron, “Dangerous Bobby… I scoot” Steve, “I rather look up than down…Bob…. you and your ideas, you suck !” Well… everything was quiet for a minute; I guess the thought of pocketing $100 was doing the rounds… hmm… Thump ! Oops ! It was Steve who was off to a froggy leap, ohmigod, he landed hard… should have hurt ! … Some guts ! We shrieked, squealed, and applauded… he got to his feet; reached the roof; and I went, “Bravo Steve…you did it…100 bucks wouldn’t do it, you took the dare, take a 100 more” Steve, “I don’t want your damn money Bob, jus’ tell me who the heck pushed me down ?”

Canada Day [ Jul 1 ] You haven’t forgotten Chris, have you ? Well, I can’t help but remember him about a dozen times every day ! You see, he’s the guy who foisted his pet dog Pirate on me when he went away on a work trip to Europe. Now the fella has coolly taken a transfer to Ottawa ‘n I’m stuck here with a living nightmare who makes it a point to chew up my shoes, raid my kitchen and get on my sweet neighbor Mrs. Bradley’s nerves night ‘n day ! Even Kong’s been corrupted ‘n has taken to the evil ways ! So when Megan mentioned that Canada Day was comin’, the first thought that flashed across my mind was, “Call Chris !” It was time to bark across the borders ‘n tell that sneaky Chris what a devil he’d let loose in my home ! I called up pronto, but the conversation didn’t quite go as planned when I mentioned the prickly Pirate issue… “That dog’s quite a handful, you know ?” I gave a slight hint… “Yeah ! But since you’re a dog lover, I’m sure Pirate’s quite at home.” “Oh, he’s ‘at home’ all right, but I’m nearly on my last legs…” “I didn’t introduce Pirate’s other two brothers Blackbeard ‘n Captain Kidd to you, did I ?” “WHAT ? No, ummm… Nice talking to you, Chris ! See ya later…” It’s funny how a tiny change in perspective can change the way you look at the world, ain’t it ? I’d called up to give Chris a piece of my mind… ‘n ended up thanking my lucky stars ! Talk about international diplomacy !

International Joke Day [ Jul 1 ] Uh, oh ! Red Alert ! Guards up !!! It’s that time of the year again ! In case you’re wondering why on earth I’m so paranoid, lemme clear the air. With International Joke Day jus’ a few days away, you can never be too careful ! Did I tell you how we pulled a prank on the Boss once ? Guys, it was hilarious ! I’d come fairly to office early that day ‘n stuck a board on Mr. Big’s door. It said, “I’m the BOSS !” Of course, I let my friends in on the secret… but the Boss didn’t have any idea ! So when he marched in, he was pretty taken aback ! But he didn’t say a word ‘n coolly went in. After a while, Ron went in for a meeting. We jumped on him the moment he came out ! “Did he say anything ?” We asked. “No. But he seemed pretty pleased today.” Ron replied. “I think he’s secretly pleased with the sign !” Brilliant ! It was time to move operations to Stage 2. I poked my head through his door ‘n saw him nicely smiling to himself ! “Err… Boss,” I interrupted his thoughts with a shout, “Your wife called… She wants her sign back !” Whoa ! You should’ve seen how the big guy changed color ! His face turned from pink to puce in two seconds flat ! “I’ll teach you a proper lesson, you young whippersnapper !” He barked ‘n came after me with his century old walking stick ! I fled to save my poor soul ! Only two days later, when Donna assured me that he’d cooled down, did I dare go back to office !

I Forgot Day [ Jul 2 ] You do remember Ron’s amazing adventure last week, don’t you ? Whenever the poor fellow stepped out on the streets, people somehow started mistaking him for “the Amazing Guide to New York and the Universe” and started coming up to him with all sorts of odd questions ! Poor fella nearly went mad that day ! Well, naughty as yours truly is, I picked up on the trend and started the “Ask Ron !” campaign in office too ! (*wink) “What’s the zip code of Roswell, Ron ?” Donna would suddenly demand to know ! “What’s the shade difference between Burgundy ‘n Carmine ?” Kate would enquire with an innocent look ! Imagine the plight of our resident foodie ! I swear he lost quite a few pounds in jus’ a couple of days ! But when Mr. Big quipped, “Jus’ send me a report ‘bout the ticket prices to the moon, will ya ?” Ron decided enough was enough ! He stood up ‘n declared, “This answering machine stops working on I Forgot Day, understand guys ? ‘N anybody tryin’ to act funny after that gets a whack on the head with this paperweight ! Capiche ?” Glaring at me, he took his seat. Oops ! Time to buy a helmet !

How’s your week been, friends?

Cuckoo Warning Day [ Jun 21 ] Ron came to office in a huff today. “This world is full of nuts, I tell you !” he declared with an air of finality. I know the signs… so after years of honing the fine art of diplomacy, I decided to keep my mouth shut. God proposes, man disposes. This time it was a woman. “What happened ?” Kate blurted out. I prayed, “God save the world from Ron’s rambling rants of rage..” Well, God seemed to be in no mood to listen to me today, and thus spake Ron, “What do these people think, huh ? Am I a fortune teller ? Do I have ‘idiot’ written on my forehead ? Since I stepped outta my house, chaps all around have been quizzing me ! ‘Where’s Ozone Park ?’ ‘Where do I get the juiciest burgers ?’ ‘Do they eat grilled snapper in Texas ?’ Huh ! Next they’ll ask me if this’ll be a rainy season !” “That’s easy,” I spoke up. There’s no telling how long Ron would’ve kept on the drivel if someone didn’t break his flow. “They say if the cuckoos sing on Cuckoo Warning Day, then it will be a wet summer… So jus’ wait ‘n watch. Problem solved !” Ron glared at me as if I was a distasteful day-old sandwich ! Oops !!! I hope I haven’t made a foe for life !

Less Is More Day [ Jun 21 ] Here’s a typical exchange between me ‘n Steve after I’ve stumbled and fallen flat on my face trying to chart my way through the heaps of junk my geeky buddy’s collected in his room – “Ouch !” “Bless you…” “Very funny ! Lend me a hand, will ya ?” “Don’t be a sissy. Get up yourself.” “You should clear all this rubble, ya know ? You can hide an elephant under these piles of debris !” “Can’t hear you…” “Jus’ look around, man. There’s loads of stuff lying all over, ‘n crammed on the walls too ! How do you manage to find anything at all in this mess ?” “My sixth sense, deary… Enough preaching already, okaaaaay ? Out you go !” And I leave, frustrated in my efforts at ‘Operation Cleanup’ yet again. But this time it’s gonna be different ! Ol’ Bob has hatched a foolproof plan with his gang. We’re goin’ to barge into Steve’s room this Less Is More Day when he’s least expecting it, chuck him out on his behind, ‘n set things in order ! Getting rid of all that trash is no mean feat, I tell ya ! We’re getting ready for D-Day with our vacuum cleaners, dust cloths, brushes ‘n even a spade ! Poor fellow doesn’t even know what’s gonna hit him ! Well, since I’ve sworn everybody to secrecy, let Steve try ‘n figure this out with his fabled ‘sixth sense’ ! What say ?

Summer [ Jun 21 - Sep 22 ] Time-machine time guys ! Ready for the ride ? Let’s visit Summer last year….quite an interesting one.. ! Through the window grill sun’s hot rays entered and sneaked into my bed and snuggled close to me. Woke up with a start and opened my eyes to a bright morning and delightful Aaliyah ! Well, at least to her thoughts ! The sweet dream I had last night lingered in my mind like the residual taste of the coffee that stays on the tongue long after you have emptied the cup. The dream was like an old movie or book, which you enjoyed eons ago, you don’t remember most of the plot, most of the scenes, forgot almost everything, but the nice feeling. Tried to rewind and remember what it was all about.. ? I guess, I fell in love with her, killed a few terrorists to save her, and was that “happily ever after” at the end ! Hmm…the dreams don’t have recordings ! Bad, bad ! Summer Solstice it was, the longest day of the year and there I was waking up with a dream of myriad hues ! The day too sure complemented the dream….Meggy, Aaliyah, Steve, and me hit the road and winded up at Lake Placid ! Aaliyah and I went for a stroll by the lake while the foodie beasts pounced on their prey. We had a quiet walk and she said, “Bob, I had a dream and you know it was funny…. !” Of course, I was surprised and prodded her, “well, what’s funny about it… ?” She gave me a grin, “Uh ! It’s jus’ that you fought a few terrorists to save me, you know, like those super hero stuff…Spiderman, Superman, whatever ?” Errr…..eerie, it was surreal !, And sweet, yeah, it was ! Cosmic connection ? Could be, or may be….hmm….

Auto Race Day [ Jun 22 ] “Fast and Furious” was the culprit….yup, I didn’t like Vin Diesel much, but loved the cars ! And the Speed ! Ferrari and Renault, well, to dream of them would be way too much for Bobby boy…hmm…anyways, got my gang, did some brainstorming and voila ! hit on an idea. We chose the Vanderbilt Intersection for a merry ride. Of course, Steve brought his brand-new half-a-century-old beaten-up Beetle and had the audacity to play “16 till I die !” Well, “anytime I will die” would’ve sounded apt. I had my freshly scrubbed and repainted Ford while Meggie and Ron shared a “rainbow colored” Volkswagen…all in all, it was an Halloween sight. Cut it ! The deal was clear, we drive up the four lanes from Vanderbilt, call them laps, and hit the gas and never the brake. And so we started…music rockin’, the engine rhythm, adrenaline, and the excitement…Wow ! We were through with our ordeal in an hour…but Steve was the last to finish. Ask him why ? Well...he got questioned by the cops ! Bravo Steve….he has hit the pedal hard…hmm…nah ! Don’t even dream it…his Beetle classic was so painfully slow that cops suspected something amiss and suspected a rat….well, Steve summed it right, “Ya know Bob, the cop didn’t even bother to stop the car, he just walked along to question me…” Ron literally choked on his donut hearing it….

Leon Day [ Jun 25 ] Can you believe this ? I’d jus’ mentioned that Leon Day was close ‘n Christmas ‘only’ six months away… ‘n my whole gang erupted in cheers ! “Okay, guys ! Cool down… it’s yet a while.” But the damage was done ! This genie couldn’t be put back in the bottle ! “You know, I think the Martians are gonna pay us a visit this Christmas,” mumbled Steve. “What !?” Okay, he’s a geeky nut. Ignore. "Yo, Macy's... here I come !” That was Kate ! Ron suddenly scooted ! No wonder. Last time Kate had dragged him along on one of those shopping sprees and poor ol’ Ronnie ended up with all the boxes and bags. He looked like a real Martian that time, I tell you ! Even my pooches have gone nuts after hearing ‘Christmas’ ! Kong’s zipping about like crazy ‘n jumping ‘n yelping and Pirate’s doin’ his somersault act ! You bet they can smell chocolate in the air ! “Gosh ! Six Months, guys !!!”

Chocolate Pudding Day [ Jun 26 ] Chocolate Eclair or Pudding, take a pick ! Well, hard one right ? Ask Kong; well, I don’t know if dogs can smile, but Kong almost manages one when I give him the choice ! Yup, he devours the pudding and munches away the Éclair to glory. Megan almost beats him at his trade….yeah, she loves her coffee with the pudding (weirdo !!!) and the spill and speck on the floor is cleaned religiously by Kong. Well, at least they have worked out a mechanism to keep the house clean. Melt-in-your mouth puddings are our gang’s favorite and naturally we stack it up for all and sundry. Chocolate pudding is good for skating…yup, you heard me right, our pet kitty Spidey doesn’t exactly love the taste of the pudding, but when spilled would love to have a slippery foothold on the spill and go room trotting skating all the way. You see, when there are puddings in the house, it’s always an eventful time what with Spidey skating, Kong awaiting a spill off Megan’s plate, and to top it all Megan’s weird choc ingesting sounds…. ! And there are gonna be two days dedicated for the crunch-munch gang, Chocolate Pudding Day and Chocolate Éclair Day, and Megan is grinning from ear to ear. No wonder. Sigh !

Week Days...

Flag Day [ Jun 14 ] Urrrrghhh ! It was my mistake, I admit. But the memory’s still fresh ! Lemme once get my hands on those two li’l devils, George ‘n Rachel ! Okay, I’ll tell you what happened. Last summer, my sis Becky had come over for a visit for a few days… and as usual, my darling nephew and niece had come along too. On the 4th of July, I got them a couple of flags along with a small drum ‘n bugle set, figuring they’d enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, I never realized how much ! They simply went bonkers ! ‘N both of them went parading all over the house with an ear-splitting accompaniment of drum ‘n bugle sounds… ALL DAY ! Poor me nearly went crazy (I kept hearing ‘Boom, Boom !’ in my sleep for days afterwards !) But Becky jus’ howled with laughter ‘n watched me chase her kids to no avail ! How unfair ! No sweat, I’ll get even this time ! I’ll jus’ send a couple of lively e-cards to Rachel ‘n George on Flag Day and pep them up ! Let Becky suffer the ‘Boom, Boom !’ all day long this time ! Ahhhhh !!! Revenge is sweet !

Sneak A Kiss Day [ Jun 15 ] Zoooooom ! Hop in on my time machine ‘n I’ll tell you a story ‘bout how naughty I can be ! Aaliyah came all dressed up and knocked my door in the evening; you know, it was Meet A Mate Week and we were supposed to attend a party hosted by her ram-rod straight, punctual (ohmigod !) friends. And yours truly, after a binge beer session with Ron and Steve was sprawled, dividing the bed and the floor. Well, when I was back to my senses, she went, “Bob ! You were supposed to be up and ready for dinner tonight tagging along a pretty lady….Whatz with this beer….you go bonkers when you hit the bottle ?” and gritted her teeth. True to form, I cracked, “Well, beer doesn’t talk and definitely doesn’t shop” winked at Aaliyah. Exactly, one black-eye rendering punch, two whacks, and three kicks later, I said, “Beer, doesn’t hit either !” Hmm… I should have looked a poor soul in that state…well, well…never miss a chance to make use of sympathy: I gave her my innocent half-smile and exaggerated my pain. Poor lady, didn’t have a choice, had to give me a peck and there you go, Bobby boy got the kiss he yearned for ! Ain’t I a Casanova, guys ? My experience aside, on Sneak A Kiss Day send the cards and prep your pals on how to sip the bubbly, but still sneak a kiss !....wink* wink*

A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed Day [ Jun 15 ] Mrs. Bradley used to be biased in terms of her daily news consumption. She’d rather listen to the fake news of Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert rather than the Fox and CNN. But nowadays she is glued on to any real news she can get. Her son Michael is drafted and in Iraq and whenever there is a car bomb set off in Baghdad she shivers here. She’s proud of her son, alright, but she is a mom. She loves to talk about Mike to anyone who would listen and especially to me. Trips to Grand Canyon with her son comes to haunt her and goggle-eyed she shoots the stories to anyone who’d care to listen. Her memories fill the void now and she waits for the day when he would return. This A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed Day I have decided to get together my gang – Megan, Steve, Ron, and Kate complete with Kong and hit the Arizona treasure, the Grand Canyon, with Mrs. Bradley on our side. It may not be enough to ease her pain, but I am sure she would appreciate the gesture.

Father's Day [ Jun 17 ] There was a video on CNN the other morning of a US Marine soldier who surprised his six-year-old son upon his return from Iraq. He went to his son's school and walked in to the classroom. Sensing silence around him the boy turned from his idle chatter with his peers and turned to look. Oh ! That little boy's face when he saw his Daddy !!! It was priceless ! First it was uncertainty, then surprise, and then the tears….he ran to his father at record speed and pounced on him forgetting everyone around n’ started crying with relief and joy…. the soldier with a myriad of emotions going through him was biting his lip lest he succumb to his emotions. A sight to behold ! Mushy one, alright and not many times do you see Bob teary-eyed, this time I did and well, remembered my Old man. What do you expect, gave him a ring n’ promised him that I will hit the road and meet him this Father’s Day and of course, he promised he will have our fav Champagne on the ice. I can’t wait.

Splurge Day [ Jun 18 ] For me, Splurge Day is a time to splurge my love all around. This time, I’m gonna shower all my hugs ‘n cuddles on my favorite pooch, Kong… no matter how naughty he is ! How the fellow has grown over the years ! I still remember when I first got him… You won’t believe this, he was the sweetest li’l pup ‘n was jus’ the size of my hand ! But the more he grew up, the naughtier he became ! He started with tearing up my daily paper to shreds ! Then he learned to raid the kitchen ‘n fridge ! In no time, he was digging up poor Mrs. Bradley garden ‘n driving us all nuts ! But after he met his alter ego Pirate, I simply gave up on him ! He’s picked up a few tricks from his buddy and is now the reigning champion of chewing in our neighborhood ! And don’t even think ‘bout asking me how he learned to do somersaults, ‘coz I haven’t the foggiest idea ! Hmmm… you must be wondering how I tolerate this jumpin’-barkin’ nightmare from hell ? Well friends, lemme tell you this… if anyone adored you as much as Kong loves me, you’d settle for all that naughtiness and much, much more !

Vanilla Milkshake Day [ Jun 20 ] Screeeeeeeeech !!! Our car braked to an abrupt halt ! Now this is an experience I’m used to when Rick’s driving. But with Ron behind the wheel, this was a doubly unexpected jolt ! Trouble was, he had come to a stop right at the intersection between Washington Avenue and Sterling Place ! ‘Honk. Honk ! Honk !! Honk !!!’ The other drivers weren’t too pleased and were loudly expressing their displeasure ! I looked around, expecting the cops to pounce at any moment… Ron ignored it all and declared with all seriousness, “Next Wednesday. Vanilla Milkshake Day.” “Very interesting, Ron… can we go, pleeeeeease ?” I pleaded. In another un-Ron-like maneuver, he pressed on the gas pedal, lurched, and vroomed ahead… just in the nick of time, before the police or anybody else could get their hands on us ! He was all smiles. “What on earth did you do that for ?” I yelled ! “I just spotted my favorite diner and remembered. That’s all.” That’s all ? We nearly get beaten up by angry drivers and almost hauled to prison… and all the pompous foodie can say is, “That’s all” ? Remind me to stay miles away from this guy when the food days are around, friends ! His craziness will get me into trouble one of these days, I tell you ! But hey, with this harrowing experience behind me, I can now peacefully concentrate on sending some lovely cards to my buddies for this day ! Don’t tell Ron, but I simply adore ‘n go gaga on vanilla milkshake too !

"Wondering Dreams"

Airplane Crash - To dream that a plane crashes, suggests that you have set overly high and unrealistic goals for yourself. Your goals may be too high and are impossible to realize. You are in danger of having it come crashing down. Alternatively, your lack of confidence, self-defeating attitude and self-doubt toward the goals you have set for yourself is represented by the crashing airplane; you do not believe in your ability to attain those goals. Loss of power and uncertainty in achieving your goals are also signified. - From: Dream Moods

I've wondered what the meaning of my dream yesterday is. I dreamt of three plane crashes in front of me. This happens only in a few minutes in same place (in the run way of airport where I am at that time) and luckily there are no casualties. I also wonder why it comes into my dream this kind of accident. I never experience nor seen this in front of me this kind of accident in air. But yes I do see this on television, but at that day I never though that things. So, I decided to know the meaning of this for me to understand I guess this really talks to my feelings or any experience right now. And at least I have guidelines what to do and how I can decide the best thing in my life. Also I feel amused what the interpretation means to my dream. It quite true how I feel and what I've done to my life as of this moment. But I still believe that God will help me for my destiny where I can be happy and being satisfied. Moreover, I still pray that my dreams and goals in life will come true even there's any hindrances will happen. Because I believe to myself and to our creator above that I will have success coming into my way...

Love, friends ‘n ice-cream !

Ice Cream Day [ Jun 8 ] “You should have more ice-cream, you know ?” Ron suddenly said to Donna ! Oops !!! You should’ve seen her turn cherry red !!! One moment her face was white, the next moment it seemed that all the strawberry ice-cream she’d ever consumed had come up to her face ! Actually, Donna wasn’t really in a great mood today ‘n she was ticking us all off for being lazy bums ! ‘N since she’s often whistling “You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream” when she’s in a good mood, this was jus’ a subtle effort on Ron’s part to change her mood… Guess what, it worked like a charm ! The color came back to her face ‘n she let out a chuckle. “I’ll get even with you fellas, jus’ wait !” she said with a twinkle and went back to her cubicle to make a call. Bet she’s placing an advance order so that she doesn’t run out of supplies on Ice Cream Day ! Hmmm… it’s a wonder how Donna rarely goes easy on the goodies ‘n yet manages to stay trim and healthy ! And while we’re on the subject, why don’t you send across some ‘cool’ cards to your friends ‘n pep up your ol’ buddies ?

Profess Your Love Day [ Jun 9 ] College days ! I’ll let you in on one of those special college-day moments. Well, Science was to be my Major if I had my way, but Rick gave me the much-needed rotten yarn, “Bob, it’s pretty obvious Science doesn't get you chicks; at least, not until you're a filthy-rich middle-aged geek with a mansion and a yacht.” I chose English Lit. Darn ! Steve ! But I met, Jenny - the leggy lass who walked effortlessly into my life there. She had exactly two words for me, “Hey” as I passed by her from the dorm in the morning and “See Ya…” when I scooted back home in the evening. Sigh ! On the prom night I was bereft of a partner and Jenny lent a helping hand. Of course, you know about my dancing skills… a cross between Elvis and Mike… that is errr… eerie… ! She held me right and led me on the floor with a smile. Pure Magic ! Time stood still as we moved to the groove of the music. When we were exhausted and hit the table for a drink, I looked straight into her eyes and said, “Jenny, it’s eating me up for the last few days, let me say this, you… you’re…” She just sat there looking at me… and we just stared for a while. A long pause – silence – she held her hand out for another dance. We hit the floor and moved slow to a soothing tune. I understood that she understood. Sometimes words are a hindrance, you know… they just know ! Profess Your Love Day is round the corner; tell ya what, when you feel you found the right one, it’s time to open up. And what better day than this ? Of course, once you profess your love and hit it off, Cuddle Up Day is not far ahead either ! It’s a logical progression, won’t you say ? Cuddle up cozy, spread the word of love… and to help you to do just that we have enough cards stacked up. Pick n’ choose, love is in the air this season !

Best Friends Day [ Jun 8 ] Talking of Jenny, it was tough for me to broach the subject with my folks. Well, I happened to be on phone with my old man the next day. I called up home that night. Mom was on line. "You didn’t call for 15 days now" Sigh ! Standard phrase of hers ! Actually it was only a week. “Eat healthy Bob, don’t hit the Big Macs all the time.” Another one ! "Sure Mom." "Take care, talk to Pa." "How's the weather ?" He is always worried about the forecast. "A bit damp, but I’m having fun." "I guess. You have cut down to three, right ?" "What ?" I knew. "Cigarettes." "Ya." I whispered, you know it’s embarrassing… "How are you killing the time ?" "Don't you worry Pa, its fun when Jenny is, err..." Caught. "So, that's Jenny, is it ?" "Jus' a friend, dad." "Ah ! Alright… Bob, bring her home for dinner this weekend." Oops ! A long pause. He knows. My dad. My friend. “I am happy for you Bob.” "Dad." "Yes." "I love you dad." "I know." A cackle ! Click. This Best Friends Day I am gonna send my old man a friendship card and let him know he is not just my father, but the very best friend I ever had.

World Ocean Day [ Jun 8 ] It’s that time of the year again ‘n I’m already getting the chills ! Steve nearly got us into big trouble last time on 8th June ! Whew, I’m yet to recover from the shock ! Tell you what, I’m not letting him come anywhere near my place on that day. And that’s a promise ! Lemme tell you my tale of woe ‘n you’ll figure out why exactly I’m not jumping with joy ! It was 4 o’clock in the morning when this guy appears like a ghost from nowhere ‘n starts tapping on my window ! “What in the blazes do you think you’re up to ?” I demanded sternly. “Jus’ take out the car ‘n come… we’re goin’ for a drive,” he replied nonchalantly. A bit of friendly advice - whenever you see Steve cool ‘n composed, don’t think, just RUN ! Well, I was groggy in the morning ‘n forgot to heed my own advice ! “Belt Parkway,” he barked as soon as I’d got behind the wheel... and there we were, two crazy guys zipping across the streets of New York in the early hours of dawn ! I was jus’ coasting by Lower New York Bay ‘n had taken the final turn toward Verrazano-Narrows Bridge when he started waving his hands wildly ‘n gestured me to stop. “Steve, I don’t think that’s a good idea…” I remarked uneasily as I slowed down. But boy, he was out in a flash, jumped over the guardrail and stood by the embankment ! Friendly advice no. 2 - never ever argue with Steve ! I looked around, expecting the police to pounce on us at any moment… but luckily, the road appeared deserted. I looked back, and what do I see ? Ol’ Steve standing at full attention ‘n saluting the Bay !!! He returned grinning sheepishly, “It’s World Ocean Day...” As if that explained all the weirdness in the world ! Okay , I understand that one can love the planet ‘n also honor the oceans and all the stuff they provide for us… But doin’ the army jig at four in the morning ain’t quite my idea of fun ! “Wanna celebrate ? Send out the cards,” that’s what I always say. Saves a lot of trouble, I assure you. As for that fellow Steve, jus’ let him come within a mile of my place this time !

Email Week [ Jun 11 - 17 ] Do you know anybody who goes nuts during Email Week ? Well, I do. It’s our very own Ron ! Check out what he did last time… In the morning in office, he suddenly got up ‘n solemnly announced, “Listen up, guys. This is important !” We all clustered around… He continued, “This week we celebrate one more step in human advancement, the beginning of digital communication… say three cheers for the e-mail !” “What ! ?” Donna was aghast ! Even I was looking for some rotten tomatoes to throw at him ! “Hold on chaps,” he pleaded, “Don’t you see ? Instant communication ! That’s the watchword ! Remember the old snail mail ‘n delayed deliveries ? Now things have all changed only because of e-mail !” Ron’s a sucker for all good things in life… and internet communication probably comes close to food on his list of priorities ! I tell you, this fellow’s in danger of becoming a digital nut ! But hey, we all have our little peccadilloes. I’m jus’ wondering what present I can give him during Email Week. Hmmm… hey, how ‘bout an e-card ? (wink *)

Rose Month [ June ] For me going to church on a Sunday is more of an obligation than a necessity. I kneel and cross by habit and go through the paces idle and detached. Well, at least until the time I met this little girl a few months ago, Mariah Jones. She was this kid who with her family kneeled in the front pew in front of me and tried hard to repeat the psalms and understand the stories. When it was time to leave, this little tot stayed back to pray for more. Her parents were surprised when she lit a fresh candle, placed a fresh rose bud and closed her eyes in prayer. I stopped on my tracks when she answered her querying mom, “It’s for that kid who was crying Mom; yeah, the one they showed in CNN last night.” Her mom told me she was talking about the hurricane Katrina victim who was left orphaned by the deadly tornado. Well, it touched a chord in me; this little kid doesn’t know much about tornados or Kansas for that matter… she lights the candle for a kid she hasn’t met neither seen in real. There are times when we feel small in stature and ashamed of our ignorance. This kid humbled me with her gesture. Rose Month and Red Rose Festival are on, buddies. The rose is not just a flower that symbolizes romance, but a flower that epitomizes love. Gift the flowers and the cards in a simple gesture of love.