S t a r t a l k

New contacts and friendships will be made; negotiations will have a positive impact on your personality. You will feel unique! You may also feel a connection with something that you read or watch this week. Your responsibilities will increase soon. A boost in finances will make you happy.

JAN 21 FEB 18 PISCES FEB 19 mar 20

Fantasies and ideals become part of the environment around you, and you feel more compassionate and visit those who are sick or confined. You may also spend time on a charitable cause. Spiritual matters are likely to bring you inner peace. Be careful in whatever else you do — as you may lose sight of reality and be too impulsive.

ARIES mar 21 apr 19

This is the beginning of a new cycle and you should take advantage of this opportunity by renewing faith in yourself. Reflect on what the past has taught you, and look forward to where you want to be in the future. Forget what the world expects of you and concentrate on your own expectations. You are the kind of person you want to be! There may be problems participating in group activities — caused by your stubborn pride. Realise you are not indispensable; there are also potential benefits you may receive as a member of a group. If you act in moderation, you may receive special attention from others or be invited to take on a leadership role.

DEC 22 JAN 20 TAURUS apr 20 may 20

Whether or not you have a reason, you will take great pride in your family, your home, and your domestic skills. Determination and ego catch up with emotional desires and you are not to be deterred. Success may seem like an incredible achievement and failure can cause bitter disappointment. You want to make your daily tasks more meaningful. Positive thinking will rule the roost, but you may be stifled by situations that leave you with little time for socialising. Be careful with negotiations and deals: you may bite off more than you can chew.

NOV 23 DEC 21 GEMINI may 21 JUN 21

You have to be a little more confident with regards to certain goals. If you put your mind to it, success is yours. But you may tend to take everything too personally. If you avoid self- centeredness, stubborn pride and run- ins with supervisors or authority figures, life will be pleasant. Increased optimism and generosity are featured as you go through this busy week. Even if current circumstances are troublesome, something positive will occur. Enjoy cultural events, artistic projects, or long- distance travel; expand your intellectual horizons. You will be flamboyant and dramatic around others.

OCT 24 NOV 22 CANCER JUN 22 JUL 22

A good week to present opinions with confidence. You will be proud of your ideas and skills; push through your hopes, wishes and desires. It’s possible to benefit in some way through those who are in charge. Finances improve through good management and new opportunities. You are likely to initiate new projects, or act on ideas or plans you’ve been talking or thinking about for some time. This is also a time to take pride in your work. But you may tend to be too hot- headed or impatient, so try to compromise and act in moderation. Your physical vitality and enthusiasm help you to accomplish a lot.

SEP 23 OCT 23 VIRGO AUG 23 SEP 22

You will be outgoing, more appreciative of beauty. Relationships, especially romantic and marital ones, will be positive. An important partnership may be established. But potential difficulties with a partner may arise due to selfishness. Social activities, artistic endeavours and legal matters are on the cards.

LEO JUL 23 AUG 22

Be prepared for the unexpected; intense situations may occur. Your creativity will help devise clever solutions to problems. You may feel generous with imparting knowledge, but do not get trapped in situations that call for intellectual grandstanding and dishonesty. Health may need attention.

Thelatest research on folks using the Net shows that most of us will be spending the equivalent of 32 years of an 80- year life watching other people’s lives through social platforms. In ‘ waking hours’ terms.

The rest of the time, we will be dreaming about being them and their good times and playing footsies with envy.

So much more fun than reading books or listening to music and I, for one, am looking forward to spending a lot of time sharing people’s hotel room views, following their flight patterns with little dots o f t h e a i r c r a f t ’ s r o u t e superimposed on a map and seeing them recline in business class seats and lounges, sipping green coloured drinks with tiny umbrellas on the side of the glass while sitting on a beach and telling me to eat my heart out.

Occasionally, they say wish you were here which i s so touching especially since they do not wish it at all and you haven’t even crossed their minds.

At least in the old days, the ones who ‘ loved’ you sent you a picture postcard of a leaning palm tree and a hammock with a scribbled few lines telling you they were having a blast and missing you. That has now been replaced by ‘ like’ and little fists with a thumbs up symbol that people collect like children do shells on a beach.

It is also so nice to know that these semi- strangers have just checked into their 5- star hotels and are now dining at famous restaurants with close- up shots of the meal they have ordered. Just what I wanted to know for me to make my day. I think it is extremely thoughtful of people that they wake up in the morning and they think, oh, you know what, today I shall share a series of photographs of my breakfast in its various stages of wolfing i t down, course by course, because in my wisdom I believe this is what the world wants to know, look at the number of likes I have got.

Just as much as it wants to know how you have refurbished your home and how you have agonised over the shape of the pool before finally settling for a kidney- shaped one and then we get that tour of the rooms and the décor and the garden of Eden.

I also get all dewy eyed when I see couples I don’t know telling each other how much they love one another and reinforce this surge of love with a picture of the two of them looking lovingly into each other’s eyes.

I suggested to my wife that we do it too and she said you have not looked lovingly into my eyes since 1999 and that was also because something had gone into my right eye and I wanted her to do ‘ phoo phoo’ and get rid of the grit which kind of crippled our global sortie with Cupid… and anyway, pretty unconvincing we’d look getting soulful after 37 years. Tough to be adoring on command.

Then we have Whatsapp, the app specially made for cowards who cannot face you on the phone and talk to you man to man so use this clumsy and ohso- convenient device to lie, deceive, con, get out of a fix and generally and genially commit sins by the handful.

Sorry, cannot make it, got the flu… am not even in town.

I am still trying to keep my promise, will revert... oh heck, bought a little time.

Have to apologise for not coming tonight, last- minute hassles, will tell you when we meet.

Hi, been trying to get through to you but no answer.

Feverish little thumbs doing the devil’s work with delicious delight.

Lies, more lies and a thousand statistics to prove it… come on, we all do it. Fib our way past the c or r i dors of c ommitments fragmented like shards of glass because we have not kept them.

Even when we wish t o c ommiserate or s how our concern, we lack the courage to speak and end up electing to go third party from behind the Whatsapp curtain.

You don’t agree, don’t call: just send me a message and I’ll spam it.

wknd@ khaleejtimes. com