aishwarya rai

Which Flowers should you buy for Birthdays

It happens every year on the same day and can’t be rescheduled... It’s a birthday! For some people, they are something to try and avoid, for others it’s a time for celebration. Regardless of the birthday boy or girl’s preference, sending flowers are a fantastic way to show a friend or family member how happy you are to help commemorate another year of their life.
Girlfriend’s Birthday
You can’t go past Roses! These gorgeous flowers are the symbol of love and will win you endless brownie points. It doesn’t matter how they are presented, in a box or bouquet, they definitely will make a statement and have people asking her for days, “Who are those gorgeous roses from? You’re so lucky!”
Mother’s Birthday
Lilies are an exceptionally elegant flower and perfect for any Mother. Not only do they come in a stunning array of pinks, purples, whites, oranges and yellows, but they light up a room with their big open blooms and contrasting green stems.
Friend’s Birthday
When helping a friend celebrate their birthday, you can go pretty crazy with your choice of flowers. Bright and sunny gerberas pack a punch in pinks, purples, yellows, reds, oranges and various pastel shades. They look fantastic presented in a contrasting box with a fun balloon attached.
Work Colleague’s Birthday
When you’re in charge of buying flowers for a work mate who’s having a birthday, it’s best to play it safe, that is of course unless you know them really well. Tulips are a classy option and come in a great range of colour including reds, yellows, whites, purples, pinks and oranges. These gorgeous flowers can look great in a bouquet or box and for a personal touch, get the team to sign a card with their birthday wishes.
Daughter’s Birthday
Young or old, everyone loves to get flowers for their birthday! For your daughter’s birthday, a happy bright flower like the daisy is fantastic. Not only do they represent innocence and purity, but also the thought of new beginnings. And when you think about it, every birthday is recognising a new beginning. The pretty and delicate daisy comes in a wide range of colour variations like pinks, purples, yellows and whites.
The great thing about sending birthday flowers is that they can be delivered to loved ones all over the world. There’s nothing better than opening the front door on your birthday and receiving a beautiful bunch of flowers from someone who lives a long way away, or from just around the corner.

Planning Your Wedding Date

Without a date the rest of your wedding planning can be an impossible task. But choosing a wedding date can be an equally impossible and difficult undertaking. Your choice of date will invariably depend on a number of factors.

Wedding Planning Time Setting a date within one month, will not leave much time (if any) to plan a big wedding, in fact it may barely leave you enough time to plan a small one! Your first consideration should be to how much time you think you will need for your wedding planning and to put together the wedding of your dreams. Are the organized type who knows exactly what they want and how to get it? Or are the type who needs time to deliberate and decide on every detail? As a guide the average time between engagements and wedding day is 12 - 18 months.

Commitments Check your diary and make sure your choice of date doesn’t conflict with any other important day. You may want to check for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations or any other event which may conflict with your wedding. It is also a good idea to discuss any potential dates with close family and friends.

Holidays Whilst holidays can be a good time to have a wedding, they are also times when people will travel to be with family and loved ones or will take a much needed vacation at that particular time. It may be asking a lot to invite them to forgo this to attend your wedding. Another aspect about weddings during holiday dates is that you may find it difficult to book vendors, locations and other services. Factor into your wedding planning florists are usually very busy around Valentines Day and hotels may be fully booked at Christmas.

Weekend or Weekday Saturdays are the most popular day of the week to get married, which means you will be competing with every other couple in the area for a Saturday date. Weekdays can be a good choice as they are often cheaper days to book with venues and you are more likely to get a date within your month of choice. If you want a weekend date then be prepared to have to wait a year or more for one that is available.

Wedding Day Expense As mentioned above, vendors will put a premium on popular wedding days, particularly those in the wedding high season - May to September. A date in fall or early spring can be a cheaper option and you may get a better deal than having a date in the summer.

Points to be noted for good friendship

When I ask you to listen to me
and you start giving me advice,
you have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me
and you begin to tell me why
I shouldn't feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me
and you feel you have to do something
to solve my problem,
you have failed me,
strange as that may seem.
Listen! All I ask is that you listen.
Don't talk or do---just hear me.
Advice is cheap; 20 cents will get
you both Dear Abby and Billy Graham
in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I am not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering,
but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can
and need to do for myself,
you contribute to my fear and
inadequacy.
But when you accept as a simple fact
that I feel what I feel,
no matter how irrational,
then I can stop trying to convince
you and get about this business
of understanding what's behind
this irrational feeling.
And when that's clear, the answers are
obvious and I don't need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense when
we understand what's behind them.
Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes,
for some people---because God is mute,
and he doesn't give advice or try
to fix things.
God just listens and lets you work
it out for yourself.
So please listen, and just hear me.
And if you want to talk, wait a minute
for your turn---and I will listen to you.

Listen to Your Friends is important

Some of you may think you do but you really don't. You hear but you don't listen. To hear is to just perceive sound but to listen is to pay attention.

Let's start with the obvious. You can't possibly listen to someone if you are talking at the same time. This bears repeating. YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY LISTEN TO SOMEONE IF YOU ARE TALKING AT THE SAME TIME.

So how does one listen? Dr. Cheryl A. Burton ,LCSW-R, DSW, psychotherapist in White Plains, NY, "The art of good listening involves the ability to hold comments which would interrupt the flow of what the speaker is trying to express, as well as the rush to respond immediately before fully digesting what is being expressed."

Let's say your friend is talking about their lousy significant other and before they can even finish what they are saying, you are interrupting with questions or finishing their sentences because you think they are taking to long to get to the point. That's not listening. That's you talking. It's rude, annoying, ruins the flow of conversation and I'm sure you don't like it when people do it to you.

Good listeners are active listeners. An active listener shows signs that they are actually listening such as leaning forward, giving nonverbal communication, such as facial expressions, smiling, nodding, or saying yes or umm hmm so that they know you are really paying attention. Also a good way to show you are listening is to restate or summarize their points to make sure you understand. A good listener will devote their full attention and not be distracted by surfing the Web, watching TV or looking at papers and claiming that they are listening.

Now you may be wondering why in the world should I be a good listener? What am I getting out of it? "Good listening skills are important because it communicates to the speaker that one is interested in him/her, and what is being said. One can respond more effectively and accurately if one has received the complete message that the speaker is expressing," says Burton.

A bad listener is just the opposite of a good listener. But just in case it is not clear to you, people who have not learned the art of listening will: cut you off in mid-conversation to state their point, totally misconstrue what you said, predetermine what you are going to say, think of what to reply with next instead of listening, have no clue as to what you actually said, and seem distracted or look bored, to name a few.

My biggest problem with people who don't listen are the ones who want to give their unsolicited advice. A majority of the time, people don't need you to always have something to say back. They may just want to vent, confess or just get whatever it is off their mind and out in the open. They don't need you to try and solve the problem or to agree with them. Please, shut up!

Now that you have read this article, think back to your past conversations and be honest with yourself, are you a good listener or a bad listener? I can honestly say I have become a better listener over the years. Instead of inflicting my opinions on people, I've learned to shut my trap and focus on what they are saying. It doesn't always work but I'm trying.

Below is a poem I found while cleaning my apartment. It really gets to the heart of the topic this article. Read it carefully and digest what it is saying and next time someone says they have to tell you something, I hope you will actually sit back and listen.

Some people know a ton of other people. They have huge Christmas cards, mailing lists, phone contact files, and address books. Sometimes we envy them for all their friends. But sometimes those friends only remain in the phone book, memories, or photos. People who have "friendship overload" find it hard to hold onto those friends, to keep them as friends, even if they want to. Yet, there are ways to keep the friendship alive, whether your friends are near or faraway. Like a garden, friendship needs tending, need time and care.

Stay in touch with your friends as often as you can. For long-distance friendships, you can always call on the phone and talk together. Or you could take advantage of email. If there is an event, like birthdays or Christmas, or even if you just want to say "hi," a card works just fine. Online cards are always available on the net. For those friends who are just across town or at school, keep in touch with them by mailing actual cards, letters, and notes. These are some of the best ways to communicate -- and don't forget that handwritten messages tend to be more appreciated because they're more personal.

After you've gotten in touch with them, some may respond and you may get the opportunity to see them personally. Try to spend your time with your friends in a special, meaningful, interesting way, especially for those friends you haven't seen for a long time. Taking a long walk, strolling through a park, or watching a movie are easy ways to have fun. Find a quiet, special place for quiet conversation and catching up. Listening to each others problems is a way to keep your friendships meaningful, and to reassure each other in both good and bad times.

But beware: sometimes spending time with your friends becomes boring when you end up talking about each others problems all day. And remember not to call on your friends for their attention only when you have a big problem or want something from them. That's not the only time you should see or contact your friends. Remember, friendship is a two-way street. If you want them to listen to you, it is reasonable for you to listen to them. Maybe that way you can help a friend over a difficult patch in their lives.

Friendship also means responsibility. They are not friends just because you need them during difficult times, or just to have more gifts or cards arrive at Christmas time; they are friends because you like, you love and you appreciate them. If you are a true friend, you will always make yourself available, especially during their hardest, most difficult times.

Friends play an important role in a person's life. Some say friends are an extension of your family; although you are not blood-related, you share a deep relationship and common interests with each other.

It pays us to treat our friends well -- they're worth more than wealth or property.

Friendship And Love

Friendship and love. Both are so much related to each other. And both are so dissimilar! What are the differences between friendship and love? Is platonic friendship possible between persons of opposite sex? Let us try and understand.

What is friendship? Why do we call a person our friend? When do we call someone a very good friend? If we care for a person, if we are always ready to help that person and if we share most of our thoughts with a person, they are our good friends. We can always count upon our good friends in an emergency. We are always sure that our friend will understand why we acted in a certain way. We need not explain anything to our very good friends. The friendship is so deep and the relationship is so intimate, that most of the things are automatically understood by our friends.

What about love? In a relationship of deep love, all the sharing that we discussed above are taken for granted. But love transcends all this. During love, we are attached with a particular person, while in friendship, one may have many friends. A loving relationship makes one so much attached to the other, that one gets pained if his/her beloved is hurt! Love also involves a physical element. Friendship does not have that. This is a vital difference. Nature gives us love so that the specie can go forward. Nature does not give us friendship.

Your heart beats will never increase in anticipation of meeting your friend. You will not lie awake at night thinking about your friend. You will not feel totally lost, if you don't meet your friend for a few days. You will not have dreams in your eyes thinking about your friend. But in love, you will do all this and much more. Indeed, there is no comparison between love and friendship. As said earlier in the discussion, love goes much beyond friendship. Love begins, where friendship ends.