花语词典：the language of romance

Here are some selected flowers and their meanings, a short dictionary.

Almond flowers -- Hope
Anemone -- Forsaken
Aster -- Symbol of love
Balm -- Sympathy
Basil -- Best wishes
Bay leaf -- "I change but in death"
Bell flower, white -- Gratitude
Bergamot -- Irresistible
Bluebell -- Constancy
Borage -- Courage
Broom -- Humility
Campanula -- Gratitude
Carnation, pink -- I'll never forget you
Carnation, red -- My poor heart aches for you
Carnation, striped -- Refusal
China rose -- Beauty always new
Chrysanthemum -- Love
Clover, four leaved -- "Be mine"
Coreopsis -- Love at first sight
Cuckoo pint -- Ardor
Daffodil -- Regard
Daisy -- Innocence, new-born, "I share your sentiment"
Fennel -- Flattery
Fern -- Sincerity
Forget-Me-Not -- True love
Furze or Gorse -- Enduring affection
French Marigold -- Jealousy
Gardenia -- Ecstasy
Gentian -- Loveliness
Geranium -- "You are childish"
Hare bell -- Grief
Heartsease -- "I am always thinking of you"
Honeysuckle -- Bonds of love
Heather -- Admiration
Hyacinth -- I am sorry, Please forgive me
Ice Plant -- "Your appearance freezes me"
Ivy -- Fidelity, friendship, marriage
Jasmine -- Grace
Jonquil -- "I hope for return of affection"
Lavender -- Luck, devotion
Lemon Balm -- Sympathy
Lilac -- First love
Lily -- Purity, modesty
Lily of the Valley -- Purity, the return of happiness
Lily, Calla -- Beauty
Marigold -- Health, grief or despair
Marjoram -- Kindness, courtesy
Myrtle -- Fidelity
Oregano -- Joy
Orchid -- Love, beauty, refinement
Pansy -- Loving thoughts
Periwinkle -- Happy memory
Phlox -- Agreement
Poppy, red -- Consolation
Primrose -- I can't live without you
Rose, cabbage -- Ambassador of love
Rose, red -- Love
Rose, pink -- Grace, beauty
Rose, yellow -- Friendship
Rosemary -- Remembrance, constancy
Rue -- Contrition
Sage -- Gratitude, domestic virtue
Snowdrop -- Hope
Star of Bethlehem -- Purity
Sweet Pea -- Departure, tender memory
Sweet William -- Gallantry
Tuberose -- Voluptuousness
Tulip, red -- My perfect lover, Reclamation of love
Violet -- Loyalty, modesty, humility
Violet, blue -- Faithfulness
Wormwood -- Grief
Wheat -- Riches of the continuation of life
Willow, weeping -- Mourning
Wallflower -- Fidelity
Yew -- Sorrow

The Rose

The Rose is the flower whose meaning we most understand, but here are some details of the meaning of the Rose that may be of further interest.

Rose, Black – You are my obsession
Rose, Champagne – You are tender and loving
Rose, Leonidas – Sweet love
Rose, Nicole – You are graceful and elegant, aristocratic
Rose, Orange – You are my secret love
Rose, Pink – Brilliant complexion; the glow of your smile; perfect happiness
Rose, Red – Passionate love; I love you
Rose, Single Stems – Simplicity
Rose, White – I am worthy of you; spiritual love; Innocence and Purity; Secrecy and Silence
Rose, White and Red – We are inseparable
Rose, White and Red Mixed – Unity; Flower emblem of England
Rose, White, Dried – Death is preferable to loss of virtue
Rose, Yellow – Friendship; Jealousy; I am not worthy
Rose, Bridal – Happy Love
Rose, Dark Crimson – Mourning
Rose, Hibiscus – Delicate beauty
Rose, Tea – I’ll remember always
Rose, Thornless – Love at first sight
Roses, Bouquet of Mature Blooms – Gratitude

Multiple Roses

Single bloom red Rose – Love at first sight or I still love you
Single Rose, any color – Gratitude or simplicity
2 Roses – Mutual feelings
3 Roses – I love you
7 Roses – I’m infatuated with you
9 Roses – We’ll be together forever
10 Roses – You are perfect
11 Roses – You are my treasured one
12 Roses – Be mine
13 Roses – Friends forever
15 Roses – I’m truly sorry
20 Roses – I’m truly sincere towards you
21 Roses – I’m dedicated to you
24 Roses – Forever yours
25 Roses – Congratulations
50 Roses – Unconditional love
99 Roses – I will love you all the days of my life
108 Roses – Will you marry me?
999 Roses – I love you till the end of time

晕，Faint，Die1，What the，Celaka...

Andy Lau agrees to tie knot with obsessive fan
Reuters April 1, 2007

根据路透社最新消息，香港明星刘德华经过一个星期的反思，终于承认世界上没有别的爱能像杨丽娟的爱那样惊天地泣鬼神了。他表示，跟这样的粉丝结合，不禁能满足对方13岁苦苦追星的心愿，而且会让普天下所有的粉丝重拾人生的希望，也为世界注入爱。
以下是新闻全文，麻烦哪位网友翻译出来，以飨读者。

In a dramatic twist of events, Hong Kong pop idol Andy Lau has agreed to marry a 28-year-old woman from Lanzhou who embarked on a cross-country love chase that left no stone unturned and no father alive.

A week ago, Yang Lijuan, accompanied by her parents, journeyed to Hong Kong to meet the man who had been in her dreams for 13 years. After meeting and taking photos with the 45-year-old star, Yang's father jumped into the Victoria Harbour after Lau refused a one-on-one rendezvous with her daughter.

Last year, mainland media reported that the elder Yang had sold his house and a kidney to finance his daughter's obsession with the Hong Kong singer and actor. She claimed that they were destined to be together because she had repeatedly got divine guidance that she would be his eventually.

Even after her father's suicide, Yang Lijuan insists that her number one priority is a personal tryst with Lau.

According to a statement released by Lau's agency, Lau spent the past week contemplating his life philosophy and praying for the Yang family. In the end, he concludes that love like Yang's comes only once in a lifetime. He is so touched that he has decided to marry her.

The fairy tale ending has brought boundless joy to Yang and her mother. "My father did not die in vain. He is smiling in heaven now. He'll be happy for me and for Andy. He told me in a dream last night that our marriage will last until the sea is dry and the stone is rotten," she is quoted by a Chinese-language newspaper.

Andy Lau's proposal has also given new hope to the celebrity-adoring crowd in China, known as fensi, a transliteration of "fans". Yu Mi, a young man in Beijing, is ready to profess his love for Super Girl Li Yuchun, maintaining that he would wait for her for 100 years. Yu's sister, also a fan, forestalled her brother's proposal by issuing her own. She said she would woo Li Yuchun for 1,000 years. She loves Li 1,000 times more than her brother does, she added.

"This shows that if your love is strong enough, it can move heaven and earth. Not only are the young inspired by this incredible love story, but people of our generation are moved to tears. In a world of mundane pursuits, we still have hope and true love. Everyone should learn from Yang Lijuan and follow your dreams to the end of the earth. Don't give up!" advised Shen Jingbing, a psychologist at China Juvenile Counseling Association.

Andy Lau and Yang Lijuan are set to walk into the hall of holy matrimony on July 1.

[EDIT:] ok... after reading the title and date of this article again... Looks like this is Chapter 3 of Dummy's Guide to April Fool's Day 2007. Article was dated April 1 2007... Must be a joke. :)

GodTube.com - the YouTube Christian Copy Cat..

www.YouTube.com, the popular free video sharing website which lets users upload, view, and share video clips. Videos can be rated, and the average rating and the number of times a video has been watched are both published.

Presenting.. its Copy Cat (but Christian.. lol) Twin

www.GodTube.com

There are many Christian videos on it.. just like its secular twin YouTube, it is categorised into "Channels" as follows:

• Prayer
• Calling
• Worship
• Praise
• Bible
• Family
• Youth
• Evangelism
• Inspirational
• Featured Videos
• Women
• Discipleship
• Mission
• ... and more.

It is surprising however that it also has a islamic militant section also.. lol.
Hopefully it will be a good resource for Christian leaders alike.

为何越爱越孤独

　对于一个耽于孤寂的人来说，伴侣并不是一种安慰。
　　——莎士比亚

　　爱情与孤独之间，存在着非常奥妙的关系。
　　有人因为害怕孤独而选择爱情，不管那个爱情的品质是否合格；有人在爱情中越来越感到孤独，最后，爱情只成了压在胸口上的责任；也有人因为喜欢孤独而害怕爱情的牵牵扯扯，怕爱成为自由人生的绊脚石，只好逃走；有人得到爱情之后，抱怨情人让他不时捉拦露溃骸翱刹豢梢远嗯闩阄遥俊?
　　有了爱情真能逃避孤独吗？

　　我想，不能。人生中有人相依的感觉真好，但是毕竟没有一个肩膀，可以真正无怨无悔让你随时随地。大事小事往那里倚靠。爱情的魔力，确实会使我们许愿成为心爱的人的倚靠。但过重的倚靠力量，往往使我们的肩膀发疼，无法继续承担。
　　耐心被纠缠消磨后，誓言往往成了悔不当初的记忆。
　　没有人能承担天长地久的倚靠，在时光的荏苒中，倚靠你的人，总会成为你的人生压力。这时，你的孤独和逃离变成了迫切需要。
　　有一次我看见某报上有一位自称"好好先生"的男子投书，他说，他已经年逾六十了，事业小成，家庭美满，子女优秀，人家都羡慕他的美满人生。他有个好妻子，煮一手好菜，家事井然，两人看似配合得天衣无缝。但他还是很想离婚，他想突破美满的表象，只因他的美满婚姻，是因他承受了妻子过多的盘问、追索、调查与控管而来的。他想喘一口气。至少，在人生责任尽了后，让他喘口气吧！
　　他说，他那个年代的女人，确实常受男人欺压，可是像他这种男人也有啊，谁来替他们说话。
　　"我一看那封匿名的读者投书，还以为是我爸写的！"我的一位朋友开玩笑，"再仔细瞄一遍，才断定不是，因为我妈没煮一手好菜！"
　　这名投书男子其实是"德不孤，必有邻"，我为他叹了口气。我知道，即使是世人看来都美好的事，当事人心里，可能则是另有一番滋味在心头。
　　如果爱情与爱情带来的责任，完全侵占了我们所需的孤独的自由，那么，生活也比监狱好不了多少。
　　他的妻子，必是一个没有安全感的人吧！
　　没有安全感的人，害怕孤独；害怕孤独的人，怕面对自己，也怕面对生命的真相。
　　我看过很多人，没有安全感的人，选择了爱情当他们的安全感来源。最后，只是把爱情谈得越来越不安全。爱得越深，不安全感越重，质疑越多，恐惧越根深蒂固。

　　越爱越孤独。

　　在《爱的艺术》一书中，佛洛姆说了一句爱的箴言："惟有能在孤独中自处的人，才能掌握爱的艺术，不致在爱的漩涡中幻灭与迷惘。"
　　能在孤独中自处的人，能给自己安全感，他们不是因为害怕孤独才寻找爱情。他们不是那种在大水中乱抓浮木的人，他们有泳技，所以也比较不容易把漂过来的稻草当成救命恩人。
　　没有安全感的人谈不好恋爱，也很难让爱情中快乐多于痛苦。这是我在许多爱情事件中的观察与体会。
　　跟没有安全感的人谈恋爱，也绝非享受。久而久之，压力真的很大。爱情若"任重而道远"，你只觉越来越吃力，像匹驮着棉花行入溪流中的骡子。
　　没错，在我们爱上一个人的时候，我们常觉得自己的生命和他人有了牵连，因而焕发光彩，我们有了"生命因而有意义"的感觉，沉溺在心有所属的幸福。
　　可是，如果我们还没成熟到能够享受孤独，那么，这样的爱情也不过是一种幻觉。
　　若依据弗洛伊德的看法，这种爱情和"恋母情结"并没有什么不同。胎儿以脐带和母亲相连，从出生后每时每刻都受母亲照料，使得婴儿以为，母亲是他身体的一部分，他有所求，便得到满足与解决。
　　"连体"式的爱情观，与弗洛伊德所说的恋母情结似乎有异曲同工的地方。那意味着，我们并未长大，只祈求保护与不再孤独。
　　我常听到这样的话，男人说：
　　"爱情虽然让人痛苦，总比孤独来得好些。"
　　女人说：
　　"我要的不多，只是希望在伤心无助的时候，有坚固的肩膀可以倚靠。"
　　我们追求爱情，难道只是想要重返胎儿与母亲的脐带关系，回到那个没有风雨的子宫里？
　　如果是这样，我们长大、谈恋爱，只是为了追求一种"退化"。
　　我深深体会"能在孤独中自处的人，才能掌握爱的艺术"的涵义。能在孤独中自处，才有资格谈爱情。否则，爱情常变成两个亟求"退化"的婴儿——喋喋不休的指控与战争。
　　如果我们能把孤独视为生命不可剥离的一部分，则有助于我们了解恋爱，也能减轻失恋时"世界毁灭"的痛苦。
　　每个人都需要孤独。有些人比较需要孤独。"在印第安传统中，一个勇士深感沮丧时，会进入洞穴，不让任何人跟随。大家都明白，他必须独处，才能排忧解愤。他的妻子于是受到警告，若她不知趣地随他入洞，必会被洞中的'火龙'烧死。勇士做好调适后，便会再度出洞，回归正常生活。"
　　这段话出自一位畅销书作家约翰·葛瑞(John Gray)的书中。他引申说："当男人封闭自己时，女人可别自作主张试图予以协助，这时是需给他必要的空间，了解他正处于疗伤止痛的过程，信任他有能力应付一切……当男人在封闭中受到干扰时，将会变得十分不可理喻。"有时，我觉得我就是一个印第安勇士。
　　他又说，感到巨大压力时，大部分男人有能力在刹那间完全封闭，女人则是一步一步封闭。
　　也许男女大不同。但我想，无论男女，我们都需要孤独。我们都需依靠孤独让自己的混乱沉淀、过滤，需要孤独思索，只有在孤独中，才听得见心中的声音。
　　孤独也是爱的一部分。当他说"我得好好静一下"时，并不意味着，你得诚惶诚恐，害怕失去他的爱。

成熟的爱人尊重爱人的孤独。

爱的真谛

　　我爱你

　　这是世界上一句，最最动人的誓言。

　　然而　，　又谁能够，确切地明晰爱的真谛；

　　有人认为爱情，它在杨柳依依的河边；

　　有人认为爱情，它在月色溶溶的春夜；

　　有人认为爱情，它在花前月下的承诺；

　　难道果真如此吗？

　　不，爱的真谛，它是一种最真挚的仰慕；

　　爱的真谛，它是一缕最缠绵的思绪；

　　爱的真谛，它是一生最温馨的永恒；

　　爱更是彼此间，风雨同舟的信念；

　　亦是彼此间，相濡以沫的执着；

　　爱的真谛，虽富于变幻，却永世不渝。

　　生存在人世间，人人离不开爱。生命中最悲哀的事，莫过于放弃你喜欢所爱的人，看着他（她）远离。他（她）对你的得要并不能使回馈给你什么。我们 在失去的时候才懂得曾经拥有过，可我们也在得到时发现我们曾经缺少的。　在付出爱的时候，谁也不确定会得到回报，不要期待着得到爱，慢慢的等待你的爱在他 心中生根发芽，即使不会，你也因当满足，因为你心中有了一片爱的绿洲。然而，什么样的爱才是真爱呢？

　　我看到这么两则关于爱的故事，或许能给我们一些启示。

　　一则是说不出的爱。一个与外婆相依为命的小女孩子，从小受到邻居一个哑吧男孩无无微不至的照顾，因为他喜欢她。小女孩子长大了，考上了大学，他 便拼命地赚钱供她上学。但是当她决定要嫁给他时，他惶恐地拒绝了。天有不测风云，女孩的喉咙里突然长了一个瘤，虽然切除了，却破坏了声带，再也讲不了话 了。于是，他们结婚了。很多年，他们没讲过一句话，他们用手、用笔、用眼神交谈，分享彼此的喜悦和悲伤。而当他去世是，她却坦然的开口说话了。真相揭晓： 女孩的哑只不过是为了他而设的美丽诺言。

　　这是一份多么执著、深厚像童话一样的爱呀！也就是说，爱是一种付出，爱是不需要回报的。爱是彼此的，爱是真诚的，爱是模糊的，也是真实的。爱的真谛，是一种境界，是一切的根本，因为爱所有爱。爱他（她）就给予他（她）一切，爱是快乐的！

　　另一则是看不见的爱。一个瞎了一只眼的丈夫搀着他的盲人妻子来路边小摊吃晚餐。他大声地对服务员说要两份大碗的肉丝面。当他去拿筷子，并顺便付 钱的时候，他又跟服务员低声说了几句。结果，肉丝面上送上来的时候是一大一小两碗，而且是一碗有肉丝一碗没有肉丝。丈夫把大碗有肉丝的面推给妻子，自己留 下了小碗没有肉的，并对妻子说："我和你的一样是大碗有肉丝的。"在旁边的一个小女孩"指正"了丈夫犯的这个不经意的错误。丈夫心慌意乱故作镇静。他并没 有跟妻子辩解，仍然低头吃着。妻子明白了一切，泪满衣襟。

　　谁不会为这种爱而感动？谁不会这种爱而动容？或许有些爱要轰轰烈烈才能表达恋人间的炙热情感，但是有些爱却要细水长流，犹如春风细雨般沁入心 田。是要握住彼此的手牵一生呢？还是仅仅只是彼此生命之中的匆匆过客呢？爱在你的内心深处，爱是用心去体会的。爱的真谛，不只是两三天，也不是几小时间， 它是彼此一辈子的承诺，彼此一辈子的恩爱，彼此一辈子的风雨同舟与相依为命！爱他（她）就要永不言弃，不管他（她）是否富有或贫穷，不管他（她）是否健康 或生老病死，或许这就是所谓的爱的真谛吧！

A Close brush with death

Driving down Mt Albert Road today on my way to work... this taxi van from South Auckland Taxis slowly drove past me... all was fine until he slowed down..

This driver with a van full of passengers started to swirve, and started creeping onto my left lane!!
It came so close .. about 5cm from my driver side door before I took evasive measures swirving left towards the pedestrian path and stepped hard on the foot brake to avoid a collision..

And He just kept on driving... Unbelievable.. I later caught up with that driver and beeped my horn in disgust only to see him respond with a handwave and a smile. Wonder how he got his passenger carrying licence.. not even looking in his mirrors or using his indicators when changing lanes.. not to mention checking the blind spot when driving a big full van of passengers.

What the heck.. This should be reported to the Land Transport Safety Authority... sigh.. only if I had noted down the registration plate number.

A Dummy's Guide to April Fools day 2007

Blog entry type: Incident Report / Moans
Date of Incident: April 1 2007 - Aprils fools day

----------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1.

Local time: 4am NZST
Location: YoshiBedroom™, Auckland

Woke up in the morning, yes at 4am..(not by the annoying sound of my alarm clock.. but) by a familiar sound.. kept thinking what it was.. then I opened my eyes, it was still pitch black.. saw my whole room flashing bright orange! I looked to the right, was I dreaming? .......... No! saw my phone flashing orange (because of the its the colour of the external display wallpaper). I suddenly remembered that familiar sound was the sound of the SMS ringtone I selected. Then I realised... whoa! someone just texted me.. but WHY AT 4AM!? ... *faints* ..

** note to self: always turn phone to the silent mode when sleeping/taking a nap next time. **

I reluctantly reached out, thinking might as well check who in their right mind texts people at 4am in the morning... and guess who it was? yes, thats right, you know who you are. (Because of this is a public blog I will not name names, due to privacy laws and the likelyhood of a class 1 action suit against me for defamation.)
I couldn't even read the text also, it was in chinese which was not supported by my phone, the text sender knew that, I went back to sleep pondering why I would receive such a incomprehensible text, still blurry, I fell back into a deep sleep once again :), which FYI was very pleasant because I was totally exhausted as I worked 13 hours on saturday from 5am til 6:45pm.. lol.

After finally waking up, I decided to check out what the message was, all of it appeared as squares on my phone. So i forwarded it to mum's phone (which supports chinese language).
The Message Read: 愚人节快乐~！不要被别人戏弄哦！
*roughly translated*: Happy April Fools day, dont get fooled by other people!
Yes.. thats right. A perfectly beautiful sunday morning, only to be reminded its april fools.
It was later clear, that the message sender had insomnia, which was understandable, so he/she decided to mass-text people instead. haha. Thanks for Sharing (the insomnia) though.

Apparently, that wasn't the only April fools lesson I learnt the hard way... *to be continued*

----------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2.

Local time: 2pm NZST
Location: YoshiWorkroom™, Auckland

After Arriving home from Church, decided to check my Gmail. Nothing Much caught my eye expect for a *New Feature* from gmail. After reading it, I was flabbergasted how great and wonderful google has really become, now offering free paper print outs of emails, and photos on glossy paper, which are then sent to you FREE of charge in the post within 2-3 days of ordering. See below.. it truly is really convincing.

**Note to self: lightning doesn't strike the same person twice and there is no such thing as a free lunch, but google is an exception :)**

----------------------------------------------------

New! Introducing Gmail Paper

• Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it’s here. We’re bringing it back.

A New Button

• Now in Gmail, you can request a physical copy of any message with the click of a button, and we’ll send it to you in the mail.Simplicity Squared
• Google will print all messages instantly and prepare them for delivery. Allow 2-4 business days for a parcel to arrive via post.

Total Control

• A stack of Gmail Paper arrives in a box at your doorstep, and it’s yours to keep forever. You can read it, sort it, search it, touch it. Or even move it to the trash—the real trash. (Recycling is encouraged.)

Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe

• Google takes privacy very seriously. But once your email is physically in your hands, it’s as secure as you want to make it

Is it free?

• Yes. The cost of postage is offset with the help of relevant, targeted, unobtrusive advertisements, which will appear on the back of your Gmail Paper prints in red, bold, 36 pt Helvetica. No pop-ups, no flashy animations—these are physically impossible in the paper medium.

How about attachments?

• All part of the deal. Photo attachments are printed on high-quality, glossy photo paper, and secured to your Gmail Paper with a paper clip. MP3 and WAV files will not be printed. We recommend maintaining copies of your non-paper Gmail in these cases.

Is there a limit?

• You can make us print one, one thousand, or one hundred thousand of your emails. It’s whatever seems reasonable to you.

But what about the environment?

• Not a problem. Gmail Paper is made out of 96% post-consumer organic soybean sputum, and thus, actually helps the environment. For every Gmail Paper we produce, the environment gets incrementally healthier.

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OK. So I was thrilled, excited and felt like on top of the world... I got hundreds of photos that can be printed out on my computer, and why not?? its free and its environmentally benefitcial. lol!

After using a few minutes of my espionage skills on the internet... and suddenly remembering the lesson this morning *refer to chapter 1*, I concluded... NO! Google is playing me.. on April Fools day! Grrr!!

**Updated Note to self: Lightning does strike the same person twice, especially Yoshi™ on april fools day. there is no such thing as a free lunch, and google is NOT an exception!!**

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Ending with a high note...

There is a word, which a number of people I know use and use very well in situations and on days like these; dear Blog readers, please DO Read and Learn this word. Use it, use it loud, use it often, and use it Well!

English Spelling: CHEH! Chinese Spelling: 切!

Pronouciation: Ch-ea (Ch as in Chop, ea as in yea/cheer)
Meaning: *you don't need to know.. just use it. trust me. Its not a swear word for your information. :) *

Yoshi™ hereby declares of no regrets and is, was, and will always be highly unrepentant after the events of April Fools day 2007.

Thus concludes Yoshi™'s first and *hopefully* last Dummy's Guide to April Fools Day 2007

:)