My historical trip to Berlin!

Keeping with our tradition of celebrating every anniversary in a new city, we decided to celebrate in Berlin this time! On our to-do list for a long time, we thought it was high time we planned this trip...with this, we have almost covered all of Europe! Whoop!

We stayed in this lovely apartment (http://www.all-berlin-apartments.com/en/berlin-apartments/ref_1519/)...and we made our own breakfast and the odd dinners too...felt right at home, fighting over who would wash the dishes ;)...it was on the 4th floor with no elevator, so we got some free exercise too after the long walks around the city everyday! But we always prefer an apartment or a B&B to a hotel, it is economical, homely and very convenient! If you are planning a holiday in Berlin, I would highly recommend staying here...

It was unbearably hot, as much as it would be at "home" aka India...though I expected it to be sunny and kind of summery, it was scathingly hot! I have to put this down here, we found this amazing bubble tea promoted by a company called BoBoq ( http://boboq.de)...the "bubbles" are tapioca pearls and I could not stop dreaming about the drink all day! S would very thoughtfully plan our day to include a visit to Boboq and left to me, I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Try it, its amazing! It was the highlight of my holiday, indeed! :D
I love watching people and when you travel, it is so much more fun - you see a wide variety of people, clothes, behavior, trends, smiles, food, life, culture....the list goes on! Here's my personal observations in Berlin!

• Every single person in Berlin has a tattoo - the most popular places being the nape of the neck, ankles, chest and shoulders! If there was someone who didn't have one, it must have been a tourist or "outsider"! S felt at home coz he has one too! I want to remain untouched...
  

• Women are very tall and well built, no petite women there....mostly!
• People are pretty friendly and try to be helpful, even if they could not speak English, sometimes!
• I don't understand a word of German except for the usual "Guten Tag" or "Danke", but I felt as if I understood the language. Weird, right?

• The city is very very clean and people are very disciplined. S and I were pleasantly surprised to see that every single person makes it a point to buy tickets on the metro. There is no check or a checkpoint to stop people from simply taking a free ride. Pretty impressive ethical conduct!
  
• Brimming with history, there are so many historical monuments and things to do...we were spoilt for choice! The "story of berlin" was very informative and very very interesting...would have been great if the commentary was in English too!

• We managed to go see the "Berlin Wall" and I got a mini-history lesson from S! What? I learnt Social Studies in Hindi...so am kinda weak in History and Geography and add topography to that, while we are on that topic! ;)

• In the midst of a super-hot day, as we roamed around the city, we found this lovely fountain and I literally jumped into it with all fervor....like someone ravaged in a desert who found the oasis...
• Of course, we did a little bit of shopping...found some interesting stuff in a market filled with lovely artsy pictures, knick-knacks and other pretty things for your home! I did bring something back for our home, will post pictures later on a different post, maybe?
  

S ( I know, he is the BEST!) got me a DSLR for my birthday and I am like a little kid with the best new toy, full of glee...I can't stop clicking! :) Will be posting lots of pictures on the photoblog!

I wish...But...

I wish I were perfect
But there is no perfection in the real world

I wish everyone liked me
But I can't please everyone

I wish I were not judged for all my actions
But you are entitled to your opinion?

I wish I could live life on my own terms
But who is stopping me?

I wish I could hold on to everything and everyone I love
But nothing is permanent in life

I wish I knew the purpose of my life
But life is all about the journey, not the destination

I wish I were always happy

But would I value it as much?

Why do we want it all?

I am all for woman empowerment, rather equalit of the sexes. I am not one of those 'women' who thinks that I am superior to men at all. I would just like to be considered an equal in all respects irrespective of my gender which is often the case in point. But off late, I feel women are inflicting torture upon themselves in wanting to be a 'superwoman' who not only cooks, cleans, personally takes care of her child's needs but also has a flourishing career and a fantastic figure to boast of! The best part of this is that nobody forces her to excel at everything, its a self-inflicted expectation.

Our mothers and grandmothers were so much healthier, happier and most importantly, more relaxed. We are always working hard to prove a point to everyone else (that includes me!) and in the process often choose to ignore our own voices or desires. We never seem to think about what we really want or go after it with enough conviction.Sometime back, I made a conscious decision to not get bogged down by what others think of me. It was not an instant change, but gradually I learnt to take everything with a pinch of salt - both compliments and negativity. I must say it has immensely lightened and enlightened my mind. One step at a time.

Now, my personal objective is to be positive about anything and everything. Surround yourself with happy thoughts and positive people and automatically you will attract all good things in life. I try not to say anything negative or feel negative about anyone or anything which is pretty difficult considering I am human! :) But I am trying... I have a very bad quality, I am very judgemental and judge people very quickly. That is also something I must 'undo'...for example, I used to hate people who smoke, I always thought that having such a nasty habit reflects on their character too. Now, I look at it as a bad habit they must get rid of. PERIOD. It does not make them a bad person. Of course, my judgemental self looks at smoking as a complete lack of self control. I strongly believe that nothing should have control over your senses - be it smoking or any habit! Period. Its all in your mind. Anyway, I digress...

Earlier, I would have pestered the smoking friend to quit or explained how toxic it is and how it affects your system and so on and so forth. Now, I don't say anything unless I am close or comfortable enough to take that liberty! S/he is well aware of how smoking affects them and is making an informed decision when they decided to smoke. Certain things in life are learnt only the hard way round and it applies to me as well. I have had to unlearn a lot of things only through experience, I didn't accept it when it was good advice from my folks! :) Well, at least its not too late! ( No, I don't smoke, am referring to different things!) :)

I agree life is not easy. At the same time, life is beautiful depending on how you want to look at it and what you consciously decide to focus on! Do you know just about ANYONE whose life is perfect or someone who has no problems at all? I want to be a good person, who is happy and cheerful and I would like to spread happiness and cheer in whatever way I can! These are things I have control over. You will never understand how you will yearn for something when its taken away from you...so savour every moment, every day and all the love you get! Be loving and smile as much as you can! I AM! :)

Commute on the Metro...

...It takes a little more than half-hour to reach place of work....and its an experience in itself every single day!

Initially, I found it really wierd that people ( especially Paris) are really morose, hardly ever smile and are generally grumpy.Now, I guess I have got used to it and find different ways to amuse myself, like looking at interesting shoes the women wear, hairstyles, fashionable (sometimes look ridiculous to me!) earrings, piercings....I can watch people like forever and not get bored. Of course, on most days good music and books give me company on the train. Anyway, one such day on the Metro filled with morose people, there was this beautiful baby with the most beautiful blue-grey eyes, laughing and gurgling away....the people in the train are so quiet and self-absorbed that her gurgles could be heard clearly.I could see a tiny smile creep in....I got down with a smile!

In the Concorde, Opera and few other Metro stations, IKEA has come up with an innovative idea! In front of all big posters of IKEA, there are colorful couches installed and people just plop down in comfort, to the extent that they even miss the trains deliberately. I am tempted too but am always rushing to work at the last minute, so I can't stop like that. The couches bring a smile on my face too!

( Image courtesy: http://adoholik.com)

A few days back, a blind person entered the train with this beautiful furry dog (guide-dog) just like Kaspar! The way he sat down with such an air of majesty and looked at me with his gorgeous eyes, my eyes welled up in tears. I surprised myself coz I grew up with a morbid fear of dogs and Kaspar has changed my attitude towards dogs. I look at them with the same affection with which I look at babies. Cats still creep me out and I miss Kaspar big time! I never thought I would feel this way...

Love makes this world go round!

As I get to know people and make friends from different countries...religions...cultures...lifestyles...here in Paris, I realize that we are worlds apart yet similar in some really basic sense! As we discuss our lives, love, upbringing and views about people and life, it seems like we are not so different. There is an underlying common thread that binds us - we all ultimately want the same things, you know - Love and Happiness!

As their( people from other countries/cultures) lives unfold, it all drives down to simple wants - LOVE, to remain in love and to be loved in return and happiness forever! The words seem so simple as I type, but seems like a huge struggle in some people's lives. I guess everyone is not lucky in love. As I listen to my friend's woes and all the hurt and resentment that has ruined her life, I fervently hope the inimitable love is waiting round the corner, and she can feel the snuggly warmth that I experience!

At the same time, a shiver runs through me, and I send a silent prayer for all the love and happiness I am blessed with. I can't feel anything but gratitude. I think maybe I have done atleast something right? ;-) Often, when I enjoy something or feel happy about something, for that matter anything remotely positive or good news, I just can't wait to tell S ( I am counting the minutes to see or talk to him). Now that I have him, I can't imagine what I did before him? I used to give a verbatim account to my Maa. I still do, with elaborate details :-). Come to think of it, I am glad I have someone who shares my enthusiasm and happiness. Of course, these epiphanies happen only once in a while. Most times, I am greedy and want EVERYTHING! :-)

I guess, that's when God says, my dear child, 'Have Patience, I will fulfill all your desires at the right time'. When I feel its the RIGHT time :-). So I am learning to be patient. ( Damn, its difficult sometimes)

For once, let me try to think beyond myself and I say a lil prayer for you my friend, I hope you find warm fuzzy love and happiness in abundance, that will keep your spirits up, when you have your lows! ( Life is full of highs and lows, we all know that! Nothing is constant!)

Moving on to greener pastures...

Literally!!...(don't get it all wrong!)..I mean, my love for gardening!! :P

As a kid, I remember, my brother and I, had few household chores to do, and I would water the plants sometimes. I would often watch my mom toil for hours in the balcony ( we had a few plants on our balcony coz we stayed in a spacious apartment, my parents still do) digging, watering, manure...the works! I would often wonder what does she see in these plants? When there are so many people here, wanting her attention ( which basically meant her daughter!), why does she spend so much time with these plants? We would often have tomatoes, bitter gourd and other home-grown vegetables in our rasam or curry. Amma would be so excited that it is something she had grown. Now, I understand that feeling! I had written this (click on 'this' to read that post) when we had strawberries at home, when we just arrived in Pune. We brought saplings from Mahabaleshwar and when we had cut strawberries with our cereal or muesli, I had a feeling of deja vu!

I didn't realize then that as a working mom, she had so many things to do! For that matter, I didn't understand that she would need to do something for herself, that gives her happiness...other than the kids, home, husband, work and million other things.

Now, I can't imagine how people can't realize beautiful plants are....or how lovely it is to see a plant grow or a flower bloom. Often, the first thing I do, once I get up from bed, is to see if the seed that I have been watering regularly, has sprouted? half a centimeter more? a new bud? some new petals? I get really excited and drag S from the bathroom while he is brushing groggy-eyed . I ask him to figure out what is the change?...And he is clueless!!! I want him to share the same joy and excitement I feel...

I am totally in love with gardening and I have started working on my breakfast table in the balcony adjoining the bedroom. With spring in full bloom, there are lovely flowers and little saplings available everywhere in the market. ( will post pics soon when it is ready!)

Everytime, S and I go to the market, we come back with plants. S groans and runs in the opposite direction! Another addition to my obsession for cushion covers, clothes and wind chimes!!!

Strawberries and flowers!

We are all packed and the house is almost empty except for the bed and a few clothes! :-) We have had some tense moments, running errands and trying to get things done. Despite the empty home, I have a good feeling that its OUR home! We will come back to it in sometime, anyway, right? right!

I am excited about Paris and have mentally made plans of what am gonna do there! To start with, there is a nursery right below our apartment there which has some really beautiful flowers. So you know where some of the plants will land up? Our balcony, of course! Where else? All my chimes will tinkle and make pleasant sounds when the wind blows...I remember I did a post on strawberries in my garden when we set up home in Pune...it brings back beautiful memories...that sense of a new life, new people, new beginnings...gives me a sense of deja vu...Life comes a full circle, doesn't it?

Will put up pictures of the garden as and when it appears in Paris! :-)

When I go to Paris...

• I can wear boots and not look silly!
  
• I am going to learn French, well i don't really have a choice!
  
• I can get a French Manicure, the real thing!
• I can allot more time towards acheiving my fitness goals as I won't need to rush to work, atleast in the intial couple of months!
• I will keep wondering what is the time difference, and can I call up India now?
• I can( will be) be the maid, the cook, the cleaner and the hostess too! :D
• I will celebrate my Birthday in Paris!
• I will enjoy being sort of anonymous ( not that am a celebrity or anything...but I don't know how to explain better...)

Will add some more or modify this, depending on how we progress...

Its all in the mind...

Happiness is a state of mind. Really. Don't you think so? I think it is possible to be happy all the time. I can't believe it that I am saying this...coz i used to think its just that its the right thing to say...but I realize its true!

I am reading this book 'The Secret' as I have been recommended several times by different people and it says 'Our mind picks up frequencies and tunes into that thought, depending on the signal it gets'...and it makes sense too. Sometimes, my past haunts me and I am gripped by fear or uncertainity. It often happens that when you don't want to think about something, that is the first thought that comes up even while you are feeling happy about something. I strongly feel you must make a conscious effort to think positive and focus on the happy things in life, and certainly, you will attract the right things in your life.

For example, the move to Paris...I am definitely excited and happy about moving there, being exotic and romantic locale and all, but I was a lil upset about leaving my job AGAIN and to leave my friends AGAIN and of course, my folks, who I can't visit as often as I would want to...But Amma gave me a different perspective. Look at it this way, you are not tied down by the monotony of living in the same city for years...and you get to see new people, new places and new experiences...for a few years everytime! Who is so blessed like that? And on the flip side, I have made some amazing friends in every city or place I have lived in.

This year, with great difficulty, I must say, I have also detached myself from negative people in my life. I want to stay clear of such people, even at the risk of sounding rude or appearing arrogant. I am aware that optimism or focus on positivity does not happen overnight; but I have made a beginning...sometime back and I must say, it works wonders!

Paris, here we come!

We are both moving to Paris, France for a couple of years.

The Good...
Wonderful opportunity for my darling S and his career growth, which he rightfully deserves.
A new country, new people and hopefully some new friends!
We can both travel around the world, which is what we (y)earn for!
New experiences, new people and fresh beginnings.
A refreshing break from the monotony of a comfortable home, city that has grown on us and that we love and my job stint! ( which is the usual trend!)
I can take my parents on a Europe trip! ( Amma would enjoy it the most!)
I will learn a new language - French! I doubt it, if i can get away without it.

The Bad...
I have to quit my job that I really like. ( Its not too bad, who knows I might find something better or I can always freelance).
Miss my parents for sure, can't rush to them whenever i want! ( Of course, its a different thing that even when I am here, I can't make an impromptu trip for various reasons)
Miss my friends. ( Online interactions / phone conversations are not the same as personal interactions!)
I will terribly miss interacting and meeting people, fun and gossip at work, for sure!

The ugly...
We have to leave our cozy home that we have built with loads of love and dreams, that is the MOST heart-wrenching for me...
I will feel lonely. On the flip side, lots of people have promised to visit me.
I will miss all the festivities here in India, especially Diwali, Janmashtami and Ganesh Chathurthi, which I love. ( Ya, I can celebrate it there, but its not the same! Maybe, I can come home at that time)

My Motto of the Year is...

A friend told me that he follows this philosophy deeply. I would like to follow the same throughout the year....when I heard it, I simply loved it...On a positive note I begin this year...
I am going to be... "Positively Aggressive at being Aggressively Positive".

You could try as well, I hear it works wonders! :-)

Let go!

Every one comes into your life for a reason (Courtesy Brian A. "Drew" Chalker). Some of them stay for a reason, a season and a lifetime. We all often learn and unlearn a few things from each other. Though, I often proudly declare that I don't care what others think about me or perceive of me, I was wrong. I do care! But I have realized that my concern is misplaced. Respect is very important in every relationship, be it a friend, your partner or your sibling. PERIOD.

Most of us spend a lot of time wondering what others will think of us or trying to please someone who is not totally worth the effort. Life is short and is filled with numerous possibilities. Make the most of it, hang on to your loved ones and experience joy. Believe in HIM, he will take care of everything. Have faith, Be good...he does. He knows when it is the right time and everything will fall into place.

In fact, I remember Preeti writing a post on 'Radiators and Drains'. She explains how some people come into your life and radiate positive thoughts and how some Drains do everything they can, to make you feel miserable, sad or unworthy. Stay clear of such associations. Move on. My mom often tells me 'Nobody is worth suffering'. I have come across many people who do not let you feel happy and harass you emotionally. This is all I feel right now - “Treat others as you want them to treat you because what goes around comes around”.

S often tells me 'You cannot get hurt until you want to get hurt yourself '. I am hurt today coz I want to get hurt probably. I have learnt a lesson, the hard way round. Right now, I have decided to let go. LET GO. I am in a happy place now and noone can take it away from me, by God's grace. I am good. Infact, GREAT!!! :-)

Lighter moments...

...For some reason I remembered this and I need to put this up here!! When I was staying in my rented flat, a dear friend and neighbour S ( she reads this blog too) would come over for a chat with her daughter. One of those days, she went down to her place to run some errand while her 3-4 yr old daughter A stayed with me. I was wearing a colorful beaded bracelet and she wanted it. As we played with each other, she pulled the bracelet with all her might and it came off and all the beads were strewn over the floor. She looked at me for a long time and then came up to me and said ' Mein tere pav padthi hun, mujhse galthi ho gayee...mujhe maaf kar do! ' ( I fall on your feet, I made a mistake, please forgive me) with a very sad face and cuteness-personified. I forgot all about my lovely bracelet and had a hearty laugh....and said 'of course, its ok!! You don't worry baby...'

Kids!! Influence of TV!! I don't think I can ever forget that episode...I relate it to people all the time!!! Kids are sooo cute sometimes that you can't stay mad for too long :-)

I don't understand why...

Its ok to smile and laugh when you are happy, but its a sure sign of weakness if you cry.

If a man is assertive and confident, he has a great personality while a confident and assertive woman is arrogant and aggressive.

If a man prioritizes his family over everything else, he is a family man while a woman is unprofessional and makes excuses.

If a woman has a career and even remotely ambitious, she is running after money.

If women chat up, its gossip, while the men are having an intellectual conversation.

When the woman takes up a job, it is only expected that she support the family when the standard of living is so high while the man helps out a bit at home, he is nothing less than a martyr or hero!

If a man gets promoted, he is capable and deserving while the woman surely must be having an affair with her boss or flirts too much to get there.

Disclaimer: The above observations are not reflective of my personal life but just a few things I have noticed happening in and around me, some of them with me too!! I am also not a woman's libber or anything, I just find that this is absolute discrimination.

Intimidating?

I have been told many times by several people that ( especially by men) they find me very intimidating. Apparently, I am always very sure of myself and sound really confident and fearless. Yes, I am a confident person but I fail to understand why I am intimidating? I would be lying if I say it does'nt bother me. It does.

While my mom thinks its good that people are scared of me and that men always find smart women intimidating! :P...I genuinely don't want to come across as if I am unapproachable or intimidating, especially in the workplace. It happens that people form a perception and it tends to stay as I don't really get an opportunity to prove otherwise, unless the other person gets to know me personally, which can be rare. I must admit I am not one of those shy, demure kind of women nor someone who hesitates to speak her mind. Is that arrogant behavior? I don't think so! I do not mince words. PERIOD. At the same time, I am not rude, am polite but am not sugary sweet.

As a result of all this behavioral speculation, I have tried to tone down my personality, so to speak. I try to think before i speak and ensure that I don't sound 'arrogant' or 'intimidating'. In this painstaking ( for me, it is)process of modifying my personality, I forget what I really want to say and end up focussing on how I come across...which is not a great help either! All my thoughts are lost in the presentation!
What do I do? I can't say 'I am like this wonly! Take it or leave it! In the real world, it does'nt work that way. Any suggestions?

A dear friend of mine has adopted a baby girl recently. When she went in for the adoption, she found her child and messaged me 'I found my daughter' and I know she meant it immediately. When she came back and informed me in person, her face was radiant with happiness and lit up with joy. When I hugged her tightly, I saw her bright-eyed with tears. I said a silent prayer for my friend who has been through a lot...

Her excitement and happiness is so infectious that I can't help being happy for her. She will bring home the baby today and we plan to go visit her tomorrow and welcome the little bundle of joy with gifts, love and loads of affection.

I have a small request to the readers of this blog. I blog in my original name, I know....and essentially write for myself, to chronicle my life...in the process, if you would like to know or interact with me and my thoughts, i totally love and appreciate it. But please do not discuss the blog topics with me or my family. For the simple reason that what i write here comes from me, not S, not my family...and once again, its MY blog! Thank you very much. I appreciate it. If you have something to say, say it here...you have to take the effort to comment. You can choose to remain silent too...not only here, anywhere! PERIOD. If you are inquisitive, its your problem! Deal with it. and NO! I am not going to stop writing!

* Conditions apply!

You look at some interesting sale or tempting offer and get all excited. Your excitement is all dampened the minute you see the little * somewhere in the corner, in a tiny font yet it can't be ignored. Lots of things in life too comes with conditions, don't they? Let me list down some I have noticed among people, mostly the unsaid part!

• I love you if you love me too*
• I love being in a relationship provided I have my space*
• I enjoy working provided every alternate day is a holiday* ;-) ( This could be my wish!)
• You can be very frank and say what you want to, as long as you say what i want to hear*
• I feel close to people as long as they say all the right things*
• I am open to feedback as long as you don't criticize me*
• I love my parents as long as they don't interfere in my life*
• You adore me only if I buy expensive gifts for you regularly*
• I am a good person only if I don't have an opinion of my own on anything whatsoever*

You can comment here only if you have the patience for it*

*Conditions apply! Go on, add some more if you have anything...

The grass is always greener on the other side!

We all have fantasies that we hope that it may come true sometime in future. But sometimes when it actually does happen, you don't really think it was really all that worth it, it could be meeting someone of whom you had a better mental image than in reality or doing something you thought would be super fun!

One such fantasy of mine in my teens was to live alone or with friends and do anything I want with noone to supervise me or discipline me from watching T.V. to eating whatever I want, wear whatever i want... or to go anywhere I want to! I live that 'fantasy' very often whenever S is away on travel. The initial two days are fun, to be with myself and all the ruminating! I do watch T.V. and eat/not eat if i want to, or read as much as I want, without any practical chores to do...but by the third day, my feet needs to be dragged to go back to an empty home. There is an eerie silence in the house...which is kinda prickly!

One sentence that you can often hear me saying is 'An individual is an individual', but this turns into an overload of individual space. Indeed, the other side of the grass is always greener!!

What is this world coming to?

It was one of those days when S was away and I went to the nearest grocery store, on the way back home from work to buy my staple diet of bread! As i parked my bike, I noticed these school kids - two girls and a boy sitting right outside the shop ( Its a big shopping complex with lots of flats nearby) in a residential area. They were dressed in their school uniforms and must have been in Xth Standard...I just glanced at them as I entered the shop...

When i got back and was about to start the bike, I saw all of them smoking cigarettes...and the boy takes a drag on one hand, and slowly smooches the girl in the most vulgar and cheap kiss I have ever seen....the other girl looks on as she sits nearby at them! The girl he was kissing slowly smiles as she starts biting his neck!! I was shocked, to say the least and pinched myself to make sure that I am not having hallucinations in the middle of the day!

As I went back home, I had tears in my eyes and I don't have a reason for it. I just cried and was really upset to see innocence raped like that...I am not a prude, but what i saw that day saddened me a hell lot...They were kids, for God's sake!

true to the title of my blog...

I am just gonna ramble on here...Offlate, I have been having some really wierd dreams, so wierd that I can't imagine where to start....THAT wierd!

Anyway, you know I am this restless kinda person....and routine bores me like anything. I get up in the day thinking there will be surprises...of course i am only talking about pleasant surprises....may be something like an award at work or even better a promotion, a holiday to Newzealand, a gift? new clothes? if not, a new lipstick? or maybe even something as simple as a day off...Like back in school, when you reach school to find that its a holiday!! Its an awesome feeling...am sure everyone else feels that way too, Now come on, dont you? I read my forecast everyday in the paper, but I am that kinda optimistic types who thinks only the positives will work for me. If there is something negative, I always think 'Come on, there are other pisceans in this world, must be for them!!" :D

The trip that I spoke about here is happening and I am going to Pondicherry in June. Lots of poeple go " Pondicherry?? Why would you want to go there???" I dont know...I think it will be a lot more pleasant in those beaches rather than the Goa ones ( atleast the ones I went to..) where all you can see are hordes of people on dirty mattresses and young boys pestering you to go on one of those water sports thingies. Now, I am all for fun and frolic but its an overkill when you are not allowed to settle down or even decide what you want to do...So puhleez, Pondicherry anyday, thank you!! I had a rocking time there once when I went with my office folks, it was such a lot of fun and a really memorable trip. I loved the quaint little town. Also, the incentive for me is that I get to visit my folks and stay with them. Incidentally, their anniversary is the next day to mine...so one more special reason! :-)

All my close friends have had babies and I have not seen them all in a long time though I am constantly in touch through IM..dont know how many people I can visit in such a short while! Wish there were many more hours in a day to do all that I want to do or need to do...