That's The News, and I Am Out of Here...

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the blog is going on a brief hiatus, while I take off on an adventure of my own. I leave tomorrow morning, Friday April 3rd, for Peru, where I'm going to be spending 10 days on the Amazon River and in the Jungle. I'm looking forward to the break, and seeing a part of the world I've never been to before. And when I return on April 12th I hope to have all kinds of great stories, photos, and maybe even some video to share.

In the mean time, you can follow all the developing action on Everest at Alan Arnette's page, and for general information on Everest and the Poles, ExWeb is always a good bet. And don't forget the National Geographic Adventure Blog and the Outside Online Blog as well. Both are excellent sources of news on what is going on in the world of adventure.

I'll be back soon and posting new updates. Take care everyone! :)

Texperience UniverCell Sync - It's FUN, It's EASY, It's YOURS

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[The post is a submission towards the author's experience on an invited visit on August 23, 2014 , at the UniverCell Sync store (Cecil Store, Colaba) at Mumbai, an event conducted in coordination with Indiblogger.] 

The post is about the author’s experience at the store, and to some extent its review too.

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Saturday Afternoon and an Electronic Store for a review. The eclectic combination would not have appealed to me had I not visited one of the fabulous stores of UniverCell Sync in Chennai, the store's native town. In fact,  I was quite keen to visit them in amchi Mumbai. 

If you are looking for UniverCell Sync, Colaba, it is simply impossible to miss, located next to Regal Cinema, a major landmark in Mumbai. It is among company’s 9 stores in Mumbai. Interiors are functional and compact, a combination that is quite lively with some thoughtful collage. 

Smiley - Hip and Youthful - Thoughtful Collage at the Store

The collection of the products is great and their structural placement even better. What stands out for the Store is the human touch, creation of an overall Technical experience (‘Tech-perience’ as they call it!!) and the stress on the particulars. The customer management could not had been better.

Yeah - This sums it up

Tex-perience

Sync - Creating the ecosystem for the Handsets

The overall shopping experience at the store is refreshingly different and yes, highly recommended. 

My experience of the visit is divided in the following segments: Location and Ambience, Products and Placement, Customer Management and Store's USP.

They are particular about particulars

And they are unique in doing that !!

Location and Ambience:

The location is as prime as it can get. The parking is an issue though. You can't park outside the store and there isn't a valet parking either. There are a few options around for paid BMC parking, but on a day with huge rush, it'd be practically difficult to find a place.

Your Friendly Store - Next to Regal Cinema

Interiors - Compact and Functional

The Blue of the store is to get away from the Handset Blues !!

The Focus ( lights) on the right handsets

Ambience of the store is excellent. A combination of Blue and White adore the interiors, with catchy design that brims with youthfulness. The arrangement is functional and compact. The store is divided in clear segments through neatly demarcated sections and Spaces.

There seems to be a lot of thought behind the Interiors

The Brand, UniverCell is there to stay

Product Mix and Placement:

Foremost, this isn't a mobile store alone. If you are looking for smart Gizmos and synching accessories, you are just at the right place.

Right Service with the Product Mix means true Value

As soon as you enter the store, there is a section for ’Bestsellers’ that comprise of high selling products, across different price segments. Followed on the left is the 'Pedestrian' section that houses some really good handsets, largely to capture the view of the by-goers on the bustling Colaba market. It is a good marketing option to draw attention as this section is clearly seen on the Causeway. Further ahead is the 'Point and Shoot' section. There is a space that gives you the opportunity to click yourself, in some fun ways.

The Beauty across the street

It’s your dedicated space to satiate ‘selfie’ driven desires, or a hip way to click yourself through your new camera. A different concept though, and would for sure strike a chord amongst the youth. The gist is, It is ‘fun’. 

The Space for'Point and Shoot'

The Store Representative obliged me by posing in the 'Point and Shoot' space

Just next to this space is the functional demarcation for the ‘Image and Photography’ section. This section houses handsets with superior photography features. Multi brand handsets placed next to each other makes a good contention for easy and right buying choice from the customer’s perspective. My personal experience is that it’s a useful method of product segregation. A larger collection of low cost handsets could had been icing on the cake.

For a Change ... It is ....Lights, Action and Camera...

If images aren't a reason to buy your mobile phone, then Music would definitely be high on the ranks. The next section of ‘Music’ based sets is for your auditory senses. The section also has music accessories that fit with your requirements with remarkably good collection.

Play it, Live it and Own it.

If you thought that work and play could not go together, next section, ‘Work and Play’ proves you entirely wrong. The section has handsets suitable for office goers and those looking for a rich gaming experience.

Dream it, Create it abd Deliver it, That's the 'Work and Play' Mantra

Less of Work and More of Play

There is a good collection of Phablets and Tablets available with some recommended ‘Apps’. The collection is decent, if not as good as that of ‘Music’ section. Bottom-line: Less of play and more of work.

There is also a section called 'New and Noteworthy', for the handesets that are worth the attention.

Enter - 'New and Noteworthy' Section

There is a Kid section too, referred as ‘Junior Sync’ to keep your younger ones engaged and enjoy with a comfortable sitting and collection of gizmos. 

While, these sections occupy the wall adjoining spaces, the central space is the ‘Bazaar’. Mix of products, less of specialization and a great product-mix on display, making it my personal favourite section of the store.

The 'Bazaar'

Bazaar Again

For the Quiet and the Loud

Via the kids section, you can head to the billing counter, which has some sitting space and pamphlets of the Value Added Services (the USP of the store) that store has on offer.

Smiley themed  Wall in the Alley

Innovation on the Wall

Space to 'Connect'

The Billing Desk

Customer Management:

Customer Management is quite important for the store. The Marketing personnel, whom I met in the event emphasised its importance for the company. As the author visited on invitation during an event, the veracity of the claim could not be ascertained independently. But the fact that they have placed customer delight  high on priority for the store is itself an excellent indication. The focus being on establishing relationships with customers rather than a singular stand alone purchase experience with them. Indeed a welcome change in the Indian markets. The entire Hierarchy at the store right from the Customer Executive, Asst. Manager upto the Store Manager strived to ‘connect’ with the customers with their liveliness and readiness to help with a big smile. Importantly, they are well equipped technically, too, with complete and updated information on the products and accessories. The store is understood to offer paid services at the doorstep of your home too. The representative comes at your place, and helps you around with the features of your handset or any other issue regarding mobile handsets.

They Wear it on the Tee

Ummmm - Play, Live and Own your Mobile Phone

Store’s USP (Unique Selling Point):

My visit to the store leads me to draw the following inferences about the USP of the store.

Emphasis on Building Customer Relationship

The extant offline mobile purchase experience handsets largely rely on the price. While this is important, the store accentuates that point by prizing their long built relationships. The door step delivery and ‘bona-fide’ communication reposes faith in the customer to repeat his visit again.

Services that build the relationships

 Differentiating Value Added Services

UniverCell Sync delivers ‘value’ with Product and Seasonal insurance like ‘Total Insurance plan’ and ‘Free Monsoon Insurance’. Then there are support products like, ‘On the move Mobile Assistance (Toll Free number)’, ‘Pick and Drop Service’ where the representative comes to doorstep for offering assistance and ‘Mobile Healthcare’ a complete product for your handset. These concepts are novel and indeed cater to the complete needs of the user.

They Get, They Set and You Go

You have to Pick him!

Complete Maintenance, Complete Relief

Stay in Touch - Wherever, However you want !

    

      Creating a complete technology Experience

            

           The store aims at creating a complete Technology ecosystem where you can experience the                  entire gamut of features of the Mobile handset. Handset features, accompanying apps,                          accessories, that is everything related with your handset.

The Pandora Box - Sync

The Writing on the Wall - Services and Principles

Experience on the Day:

The event was well-organized and there was attendance from many fellow bloggers. The customer officers happily took the visitors, (walk-ins as well as the bloggers) around the store while also giving them ample space to be themselves.

The Verve 

and The Energy of the Event

A great experience all together!!

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[ Disclaimer : The author has not received any monetary benefits for the post. The views expressed in the review are bona-fide and personal.] 

*****

(Update: November 29, 2014: This post eventually won the first prize in the contest.)

I'm open to undertake reviews in future. 

Just pen me @ travelforsoulblog@gmail.com or a comment on the blog with details.

The Dancing Monks of Bhutan |Tewfic El-Sawy

My first photo expedition to the Kingdom of Bhutan was in 1999, and was coincidentally the very first formal photo expedition I organized and led. The trip was over 20 days or so, and included India (Delhi, Dharmasala and Varanasi), Kathmandu in Nepal and finally Paro and Thimpu in Bhutan.

I returned to Bhutan in 2006, 2008 and 2009 and during these years, I witnessed the immense change (sometimes known as progress) that affected the country. In 1999, there were only a handful of hotels; two of the better ones were owned by Druk Air, the Kingdom's airline. And there was no television, no easy access to the internet and the Bhutanese women in the two main cities still wore their hair in page boy cuts, and hadn't yet been influenced by the daily Bollywood movies.

In 2009, in the small town of Jakar I had the pleasure of having cups of very good espresso and cappuccino, and had a wonderful Tibetan dinner of momos. That was 5 years ago, and I gather that more "progress" has invaded Bhutan...but at least, it has been at a slower pace than in other countries in the region.

Over these four trips, I gathered quite a large inventory of photographs and I recently decided to showcase a color selection focusing on The Dancing Monks of Bhutan on the Exposure platform, joining 8 other galleries of photographs from India, and Vietnam.

As many of my readers know, tshechus are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district of Bhutan. They are also large social gatherings, and include large commercial markets as well. I've attended the large Thimpu tshechu in 1999, and even at that time, it was a tourist destination. Over my last three trips, I was fortunate to photograph a tshechu in the small village of Prakhar, and the interesting  Jambhay Lakhang.

I recall seeing a GEO magazine photographer at the Thimpu tshechu, who had gone to great lengths to set up a portable studio in a small corner of the grounds...and was photographing some of the dancers. I thought nothing of just standing behind him, and essentially 'poaching' some of the shots. I wasn't being surreptitious at all, and the German photographer didn't seem to mind...even waiting for me to finish a shot or two before asking for another dancer to pose.

It was a different world then.

Rickshaw Wallahs | Tewfic El-Sawy

I've just published Rickshaw Wallahs on the Exposure platform, with some of the photographs I made during the Kolkata’s Cult of Durga Photo~Expedition & Workshop which I organized and led in late 2011.

Since the end of the 19th century, hand-pulled rickshaws have been transporting Kolkata residents in its crowded streets. These ‘vehicles’ have remained an integral part of Kolkata’s fabric for more than 100 years. The word ‘rickshaw’ originates from the Japanese word jinrikisha. They were invented in Japan in 1860, and appeared in India a few years later.

Despite protestations, this archaic form of transport continues to be popular, despite ongoing debates regarding ethics and traffic-flow efficiency. During Kolkata's monsoon, the streets flood regularly, and only hand pulled rickshaws can carry people where they need to go. It is also regularly used by housewives for shopping, by small businessmen to carry merchandise, and by families to get their children safely to and from school.

Whilst in Kolkata, I photographed Muhammed, a rickshaw puller and to capture a few frames of him pulling it from a passenger's perspective, I sat on it. 

The sight of Muhammed straining to pull me these few meters upset me, and I asked him to stop, and got down. I suppose there is a difference between the hand-pulled rickshaws such as those in Kolkata and elsewhere, and the bicycle rickshaws in Old Delhi. I have ridden the latter; grudgingly perhaps, but I haven't felt the same way.

Iditarod 2009: Mushers Through Rohn, Gebhardt Leads!

It's been a fast and furious first couple of days at the 2009 Iditarod. The large group of mushers have already gone in and out Rohn and are well on their way to the next checkpoint at Nikolai. A quick look at the current standings shows Paul Gebhardt holds the official lead, with Yukon Quest champion Sebastian Schnuelle in second place, followed by two time defending champ Lance Mackey in third.

Of course, the actual placement out on the course could be vastly different, and according to the Iditablog, Schnuelle and Hugh Neff are actually out in front of the group, battling to be the first to arrive in Nikolai. Gebhardt is said to be just a few miles back, with Mitch Seavey and Aaaron Burmeister are giving chase.

The trail reportedly has a good deal of snow on it now, which means that the pace will slow down some in the days ahead. Temperatures are hovering around 28ºF as well, which should help conditions some, and the run from Rohn to Nikolai is notoriously windy, so the teams are no doubt looking forward to getting this leg behind them.

There are a lot of racers bunched up near the top right now, and I expect that things will begin to shake out in the next few days. I expect Jeff King, who is currently sitting in 14th place on the official chart, to make a move to get near the top once again. He's been running some fast times between the checkpoints, and also is stocking up on rest time as well. That should serve him and his team well down the stretch. But really, the top ten reads like a whose-who of the Iditarod, with any number of good racers sitting in a good place.

Iditarod 2009: Schnuelle Leads Early On

Sebastian Schnuelle, winner of the 2009 Yukon Quest, currently leads this year's Iditarod as well, with the top mushers already out of Finger Lake. Not far behind Schnuelle is Paul Gebhardt, with Ed Iten currently holding down third place. Two time defending champ Lance Mackey is giving chase in fourth, part of a pack further back.

The race got off to it's ceremonial start on Saturday, where thousands of fans lined the streets in downtown Anchorage to wish the mushers, and their dogs, well. The race resumed yesterday with the official start, and the teams have been jockeying for position ever since. The top racers are through Finger Lake and are now en route to Rainy Pass, having already covered more than 200 miles.

This early in the race it is difficult to make any predictions and you have to temper your enthusiasm some. The course is 1100 miles in length, and the most demanding stages are yet to come, but it is always encouraging to see some of the top names battling out on the leaderboard even in the early standings. Schnuelle looks like he's come to prove that his big, record setting win in the Yukon Quest was no fluke, and he's hoping to join Mackey as the only man to win that race and the Iditarod in the same year. But there are Iditarod vets looming just outside the top ten, biding their time, and waiting to make a move. Should be a great race to watch unfold.

For more news and information, checkout the Iditablog where you'll find thoughts on the race, a good podcast for fan, and more. Also, follow their updates on twitter as well.

Travel from South to North on a 9-day tour

Set out from South to North on a 9-day visit, investigating Vietnam's topography and society. Begin in Vietnam's cutting edge city, Saigon then fly out north to the drowsy riverside town of Hoian. Find the old capital of Hue, before drenching yourself in Hanoi's pioneer appeal and finish up your visit with an overnight watercraft voyage among the towering limestone islands of Halong Bay

Welcome to Vietnam's money related center point: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Land in the late morning and appreciate an introduction visit through Saigon's clamoring lanes on the way to the inn. Delight in whatever remains of the day at your recreation to recuperate from plane slack and investigate the city all alone.

Related post: travel Vietnam

Appreciate a full day to visit Saigon's differing attractions. Begin with a visit to Saigon's China Town, then look into conventional Vietnamese drug at the FITO Museum and peruse through the astonishing show of products at Ben Thanh Market. Stop for lunch then proceed the city visit with a visit to the War Remnants Museum and previous Presidential Palace. You close the day investigating the city's French pilgrim building design, halting at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office.

Today you make a trip to the Mekong River Delta on a day excursion to investigate the rich society and lavish fluvial scene. Your driver and aide will reach you at your lodging and take you to Cai Be. Begin your visit with a visit to Cai Be's bright gliding business, cruising among the nearby freight ships stuffed-loaded with foods grown from the ground. Visit some nearby workshops then delight in a delightful lunch served in the cool shade of A Binh Island's plantations. Toward the evening, take a conventional paddle boat and wander deeper into the wide open, coasting through slender waterways to appreciate the serene surroundings. Stop at a nursery arrangement to find how ranchers along the delta deliver their reality celebrated products of the soil. The journey closes around 3:30 PM in Vinh Long. Your driver will reach you at the dock and take you over to Saigon.

After breakfast, you are exchanged to the air terminal for your inner flight to Danang. Your aide and driver will reach you at the air terminal and undertake the short drive to the tired riverside town, Hoian. Take a half-day strolling visit through the tight slowing down of the old quarter, going by Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year old Tam Ky inhereted house and the popular Japanese Bridge. End the day with an unwinding nightfall watercraft outing.

Delight in breakfast at the lodging then check-out and roll over the 500m-high Hai Van go to Hue. Delight in a stop at the grand Lang Co Beach for a beverage before proceeding to Hue - an UNESCO World Heritage Site and Vietnam's previous capital. Use the evening on a restful strolling visit through the old city. Visit the Royal Citadel, the Imperial Museum, and the Mausoleum of King tu Duc (an imitation of the ruler's royal residence assembled for the following resurrection of the lord).

Use the morning on a private pontoon journey down the sentimental Perfume River to visit the Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda), Dong Ba Market and the resplendent Minh Mang's tomb. Upon landing, get exchanged to your lodging in the downtown area. Free at your recreation.

Today you have a full day to investigate Vietnam's beguiling capital. With its wide tree-lined roads, French frontier structural planning, serene lakes and old oriental pagodas, Hanoi is a diverse blend that offers something for everybody. Your city visit will take you to Hanoi's key destinations: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and stilt house), the Presidential Palace, the adjacent One Pillar Pagoda; the Temple of Literature; West Lake including the calm Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple; and one of the city's historical centers (a decision between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum). Later toward the evening, appreciate a customary Water Puppet Performance – an interesting people craftsmanship that started a thousand years prior amid the Ly administration. A water manikin show portrays the every day exercises in Vietnamese country life and in addition paramount recorded occasions and old legends. Each one water manikin is hand-cut and given five layers of polish paint to secure the manikins from the water and to add essential colors to the execution.

Use 24 hours on a customary Junk Cruise in the stunning cove: a regular wonderland made out of sticking limestone islands and shimmering turquoise waters. Land at the dock around twelve and board your garbage. Enjoy a gourmet lunch of new fish locally available as cruising out into the magical cove. Toward the evening, journey around some of Halong's numerous islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way visit one of the cove's 3 biggest holes (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island inlet with a shielded white-sand shoreline and take a plunge in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (climate allowing). Pass the night on your garbage, calmed to rest by t

Everest 2009: Equipment Stranded in Tibet

ExWeb has posted another one of their Himalayan Updates today, which will no doubt become a staple in the weeks ahead. This particular one tells of a calm before the storm in Kathmandu, as climbers prepare to head to the Himalaya next week, hailing the start of the climbing season.

There are a number of interesting nuggets in this update, not the least of which is that Manuel Pizarro and André S. Rossin-Arthiat, two climbers slated for the North Side, have now switched their plans and will climb from the South instead. The political climate in Tibet has just made the prospect of a climb there seem to unsure. The problem is, much of their gear has already been sent to the North Side, and they've had to request that it be brought back to Nepal, and in a hurry. The climbers are hurriedly working on getting permits and setting up their plans for a climb from the South now. They're keeping their fingers crossed that all their gear will get back to them before the crowds start to arrive.

Meanwhile, Andrew Lock is in Kathmandu, and hopes to climb both Shisha Pangma and Everest this year. His latest updates says that the border between Nepal and Tibet remains firmly closed at the moment, and his expedition to Shisha remains in doubt. It is the only remaining 8000m peak for Andrew to summit, and he's hoping he'll get a crack at it. While he waits to see what happens around April 1st, when China has indicated they might reopen the border, he'll go to the Khumbu Valley for an acclimatization trek.

ExWeb is also reporting that Billi Bierling, a writer and journalist in Nepal, will be climbing from the South Side with Himex this year. In her latest blog post she notes that Kathmandu is smogged in at the moment, with no rain in sight, making it even dryer than ever. The city is in the midst of a water shortage and it sounds like things are beginning to get desperate. Billi also shares some details on her work with Miss Hawley, the famous archiver of all things Himalaya. Quite an interesting read.

In the broader Himalaya and Karakorum, ExWeb reports that Field Touring Alpine is not only putting together climbs on Everest this year, but have an expedition planned for K2 this summer, as well as permits for Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II as well. Busy year for the FTA gang!

Finally, Alan Arnette has brought us yet another good interview on his Everest 2009 page, this time with Paul and Fiona Adler, a husband and wife team who have both summitted Everest, Fiona in 2006 and Paul in 2007. They discuss what life's been like since their successful climbs, the use of technology while on an expedition, and a lot more. Good stuff.

Hello E(xcellence). Hello Moto.

The itch in my hand, to hold Moto E, the grand,

Led to my envious state, to say hello to my good fate,

For a phone that is really smart, perfect blend of science and art,

Together we could excel, with features to dwell,

Dwell the day and Dwell the night, with its functions of might,

Start with a feeling so profound, with no boundaries, no bound

The features if I list, with Moto E in my fist,

Processor Quad Core, suited for special and the chore,

Power of Battery for days, alike for the Haze and the Blaze,

Android and Lollipop,would chime best of zing and the Hop,

With a twist in the wrist, 'Quick Capture' to be camera in the fist,

Crisp sharp with its curves, would add zeal and the verves,

Its Corning Gorilla Glass, would save the damage, set the Class,

Eight GB Memory so large, with aplenty apps I could lead the charge,
And expandable it is, to suit alike substance and the fizz

Customized Accents to fit my style, day in and out to usher the smile
With fantastic Moto Display, would make it fun all the way
Technology of Sensor Hub, Would undoubtedly keep me in the elite club
Its Affordable Price, just makes it twice as nice

To start with Moto E, would be an experience to 'Be'
To be not just Alive, but to 'feel' and to 'thrive'!

Note : This was a contest entry.

Rowing The Indian Ocean: Sarah's Off!

British rower Sarah Outen set off on her quest to become the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean this past weekend. She hopes to also be the youngest, and fastest to complete that challenge.

Sarah got underway from Fremantle, in Western Australia, on Saturday, a week earlier than expected thanks to a great weather window. She'll now make her way some 3100 miles across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, battling the elements, and dodging shipping traffic, all the way. She expects high winds and 30 foot waves as she passes through shark infested waters, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

You'll be able to follow Sarah's progress from her website, where you'll find her dispatches from the ocean, a live tracking system, more information about the route, a photo gallery and more.

Sarah is looking at this expedition as a good old fashioned adventure, and of course she wants those records as well, but she's also doing it for a good cause. She's hoping to raise awareness and funds for the Arthritis Care organization, and has also dedicated the row to her father, who passed away back in June of 2006.

Good luck Sarah! We'll be following! (Side Note: Why are all these crazy long distance rowers from the U.K.?)

POV: Moribund Google+ ?

A recent article in Slate about the future of Google+ caught my attention largely because it reflects pretty much what I feel about that social network, and about its photography community in particular.

I ought to have positive things to say about Google+ seeing that my profile received in excess of 436 million views so far. This is certainly a glitch, but seeing that number every time I log on to my profile is a tremendous ego boost.

But first things first...The New York Times pointed out recently that Google+ is useful to Google as an identity service by which the company can better track users across services like YouTube, Gmail and Google Maps. In other words, it's data mining like so many other social networks (Facebook for example).

Late last year, I joined a number of Google+ photography forums/communities, and posted whatever I write on my blog and on Facebook. To be honest, I never felt connected. It just didn't feel comfortable. Yes, photographs look much better on Google+ that any other social network, but it left me cold.

I suspect it's because 99% of my network of 'friends' on Facebook consists of photographers I either know personally and of others who know them...a sort of two degrees of separation. For instance, the number of friends' requests I receive on Facebook jumps just before, during and after the annual Foundry Photojournalism Workshop....so there are real human connections behind many, if not all, of these.

Not so for Google+.

Moreover, I'm really not a community/forum kind of guy... and expecting comments on photographs I post, saying that how "delightful the expression is", how "extraordinary is the light that dissects the scene" or if the photograph is better in color or monochrome...etc is not a turn on for me. Naturally, if I get a compliment, I respond with my sincere thanks....but I'm not ready to expend so much time to read, respond and reciprocate the commentary.

Perhaps it's because I'm not really that interested in such feedback from people (despite the fact some are very talented photographers) in that particular type of social interface/forum. Face to face feedback (or from someone I already met and know) is different, because it's verbalized and is done in person, and there's much more to gain and offer.

I know others exult about Google+ as being the bees' knees for photographers, but to me, the value of joining the photographic communities is not worth the required time expenditure.

I'll remain as I am on Google+, and will retain my activity level at what it is...but not more than that. And if and when it really dies or withers...I won't care.