Friends-the term could refer to several close acquaintances, but not all can be considered friends.  Several acquaintances, accepted as friends-however closer in circles, would remain friends but the more the frequency with which we interact with them, the more closer they would appear.

Despite a large number of friends that I have made during all these years, the closest among them are inevitably my former room-mates with whom I have been sharing my happiness and sorrows alike.  Several friends, who had been my room mates at some point of time, now live elsewhere.  Though my association with them might have been for a brief period of time, still they have been very intimate friends. 

During my two decade stint in the General Insurance industry in India, my association with the trade Union in the industry gained me a lot of close friends.  A lot of friends remain green in my memory, but I do not have more details about them.

Though many of my colleagues working in the Middle East countries for Marsh are indeed my friends, I have not listed them here.