After one regular monthly staff meeting, where the big boss gave us the usual pep talk, tinged with indirect hints – “We depend on our staff to produce results, if you fail, the company fails” and the like, we cornered Ron to hear his predictions. “Difficult times are ahead. Be prepared to budget,” says he, after pondering for a while. Not long after this dire warning, we received a politely worded office memo, which said, “The company has been operating at a loss for the past three months, therefore the management is compelled to reduce staff salaries by 15 percent.”

The smitten duo, Sharon and Keith, meanwhile got engaged, but it did not last long; they decided that they were not meant for each other. Our colleague Ron, true to form, predicted this eventuality way in advance. In fact, soon after they announced their engagement, he declared, shaking his head from left to right: “It’s a mistake. They should not get married”. How did he guess, we wanted to know. He came out with his stock response: “You guys don’t listen. You don’t observe.”

“Have you noticed that Keith is usually the life of the party; outgoing and adventurous. He’s an action man, always talks about camping, rock-climbing, the outdoors. But look at Sharon, she is the artistic type, quiet and reflective; likes to visit art gallaries, go to the theatre, does not like her hair and make-up getting messed up. The last thing she would want to do is climb rocks puffing and panting. And I cannot imagine Keith seated inside a theatre, enjoying the Lion King.” Well, we never found out exactly what made the (one-time) loving couple call off their engagement, but our Ronnie hit the nail on the head, once again.

Our ‘office astrologer’ was indeed a remarkable individual, who could easily have put professional clairvoyants to shame.