ZODIACS

Heading Towards Sarikei (Dad's hometown)

Went back to Sarikei for tomb festival on the 20th March 2008. We stayed there, at my aunt's house for 3 days 2 nites..

In the car..on the way to Sarikei.. Took diz at Serian area..

My dad stopped at a bus stop coz the car temperature was goin high..
N i saw diz advertisement at the bus stop..


When my dad stopped at the bus stop, my bros
immediately went to the bridge to check for fishes..
wat can i say.."fish freaks"..


we reached my aunt's house at laz after 6 hours drive..
wow..tiring..


When to my uncle's house..
this bird actually talks n laugh juz like my cousin (tought by him)..
and it will laugh loudly after scolding bad words..lol..


i juz love my uncle's "pond"..
there muz be hundreds of fishes in it..
so natural...


Dad :"something's biting me..", Mum:"wat's dat?"


Mum:"wow..so sunny!!"


Dad:"let me check wat's over here..."


wow..my uncle's orchids grew so well..


My aunts "parrot" fishes..
so cute..kept "smiling"..hehe..

The Day U Were Born

Is your birthday day 1 of the month?
Your Life
You are very curious and dedicative. When you are interested in something, everything else has to wait. This is your quality. But if you learn to be more patient and complete what you have started, you will be successful in life.
Your Love
You believe in love at first sight. You won't wait to learn more about the person. Vise versa, people who fail to impress you will hardly get a chance to be your friend. Your emotion is on the extreme. You can only love or hate, nothing in between and this often shows in your ____expression. Try not to end a relationship in a quarrel.

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Is your birthday day 2 of the month?
Your Life
You have great common sense but usually fail to follow through. This might happens because you are too busy with your mission and shut yourself from the outside world. You are clever and profound so there's a slight chance for self-control problem.
Your Love
Your love progress slowly, and quietly. You seem to be contented with your unrequited love. Your are a romantic and loyal lover.

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Is your birthday day 3 of the month?
Your Life
Although you are innocent and romantic but your ____expression often mislead others that you are an active, fun loving kid. Because of your double personality, it's hard for others to really know the real you. You are careful and patient.
Your Love
Your love is the greatest which often surprises others. No one can bring you to light when you are in love. Your confidence might lead yo u to the track your parents disagree.

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Is your birthday day 4 of the month?
Your Life
You usually think before acting which makes your life quite easy. But you often are the one who give yourself a hard time by being paranoid. People might not truly understand you but you are really nice to be around. You are cheerful and friendly.
Your Love
Still water runs deep, that's what you are. You always surprise others with your new character when you are in love. Your love trap often comes unexpectedly and your love life is full of surprises.

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Is your birthday day 5 of the month?
Your Life
Although you are on the quiet side, but you enjoy excitement and changes. Routine is something you cannot stand. Because of your extreme confidence, you hardly ask others for opinion. You believe in leading your own life, and you have got the gift in doing so.
Your Love
Nothing can stop you from making progress in your love life. Once you are in love, you feel the ownership of your lover. A third party can only makes your jealousy becomes worse.

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Is your birthday day 6 of the month?
Your Life
You are generous with people in need, sometimes to an extreme that people find you nosey. Your hidden courage and dedication often surprise others. Your imagination is extremely unique.
Your Love
Your love life is o n the smooth track because it grows from friendship. Although you may not make a sweet lover but your sincerity bring happiness to your couple.

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Is your birthday day 7 of the month?
Your Life
You are sensitive to changes around you but your feeling is hardly expressed. You hate exaggerations. Under your quiet personality, you are rather stubborn and self-centered. These qualities are the force behind your extreme persistence.
Your Love
You have enormous courage to please your lover. Your relationship often progress quickly.

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Is your birthday day 8 of the month?
Your Life
You have pleasant and friendly personality. People look u to your wit and imagination. You are unpredictable and hardly complete what you started, which sometimes create negative impact to people around you.
Your Love
Falling in love becomes your routine. Most of the time you are lucky. You fascinate people with good taste but you never have enough with one. Although your love progresses very fast, it ne ver lasts.

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Is your birthday day 9 of the month?

Your Life
You often have problem in promoting yourself, just because you don't know how to express your true self. On the other hand, you don't really care what they think. This is why people misunderstand you until they really get a chance to learn about your pleasant personality. Opposite sex find you mysterious and worth searching. Your wit is remarkable but sometimes you are too fast to follow.
Your Love
You won't reveal your fee ling even after dreaming about the same guy over and over. Your first love lasts forever. You are responsible to the feeling of your lover. The chance to betray your lover is none. You have luck with children. You Will be Happy Always with u r Love Marriage. and she

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Is your birthday day 10 of the month?
Your Life
You are very capable. If you are a woman, you have high chance to be a renowned workingwoman. If you are a man, your path to fame and honor is near. As an innovator, you are not a good follower. You are good in implementing your imagination and share it with others. You are always well dressed.
Your Love
You often lose your love ones from being too jealous. You always feel like you own the person you fall in love with and that often blows your relationship.

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Is your birthday day 11 of the month?

Your Life
You are gracious, elegant and prudent. People admire your qualities and some even become jealous of you. You are realistic, flexible and adaptable. You are remarkably kind and moral person.
Your Love
You are willing to sacrifice yourself for the one you love. Your lover will always have your gentleness, care and loyalty. You will always be happy to hand around the one you love.

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Is your birthday day 12 of the month?
Your Life
You are friendly, humorous and full of energy. You are open-minded and do not care for minor details. Your weak point is your hot temper.
Your Love
You are willing to start off in one-sided love affairs because you strongly believe that you will eventually win his/her heart. On the other hand, once you are together, you always want to do things your way, which is often the fire starter. You usually run in and out of love quickly.

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Is your birthday day 13 of the month?
Your Life
You are sincere and easy going. Flattering and charming around are not your style. You care so much for freedom that often leads you to the difficult path. Because of your sincerity, most people find you easy to be around although you are sometimes too straightforward.
Your Love
Your gentleness, care and sincerity make you an attractive person. Even though you don't intend to be charming, but you naturally are, especially in the eyes of opposite sex.

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Is your birthday day 14 of the month?
Your Life
You are so confident that sometimes you forget about the people around you. If you have to be in one of the two teams, you will choose to be in the winning team. On the other hand, you are kind and caring but above all, you care for your own benefits. Your imagination is unique and often gets implemented shortly after it comes across.
Your Love
You will not get soft with the one you don't really like, no matter how hard he/she tri es. But once you feel for someone you have chosen, there's no getting back.

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Is your birthday day 15 of the month?
Your Life
You a re outgoing and love to be at the center of attention. From the outside, you may seem flashy, flirty, and tricky but your true self is strong, full of hope to be the leader. When you fail to convince someone, you will get frustrated, and perhaps let your temper shows.
Your Love
You are emotional. Many can win your heart at once, but not for long. This is why you hardly win a decent relationship.

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Is your birthday day 16 of the month?
Your Life
You always follow the good and the right instead of listening to your heart. Another word, you are a perfectionist. You care for every word people say about you. You often seen isolated while you are, by nature, curious and a dreamer who is ready to get over the edge to make your dream comes true.
Your Love
You often fall in love with a person who is much different from you, in age and other aspects. Your relationship grows on friendship. Love at fist sight is not your style.

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Is your birthday day 17 of the month?
Your Life
You neither want to be interfered nor have the desire to mess with others' life. But you are friendly and occasionally a party animal. You are always in a circle of friends. You often do things in your own way that occasionally go beyond the acceptable limit. People may find you childish and not very attractive in that sense.
Your Love
Your fun-loving character attracts opposite sex. Many of those are great.You often find yourself trapped among a few great guys while you have to choose only one.

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Is your birthday day 18 of the month?

Your Life
At first glance, people think you are quiet type of person. Actually you are cheerful, but conditionally. You will show your joyful character only in good mood. One the other hand, when you are moody, no one would dare to be around. Because of your emotion fluctuation and frank character, some find you hard to be around.
Your Love
You hardly show your feeling towards opposite sex no matter how much you like him/her. Your partner also has similar character so your love affairs often take quite a while to flourish. Time tells it all. Your sincerity makes you very attractive.

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Is your birthday day 19 of the month?
Your Life
You are great in managing everything in your life and this is how you gain respect from others. Because of this quality, you sometimes feel that you are better than the rest. Extreme confidence might lead you to the wrong path. You are a free bird and want to lead your own life.
Your Love
You love life is rather different from others'. When you are in love, nothing can stop you. You may often fight with your partner but, soon after that, you will make up in a way that surprises others.

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Is your birthday day 20 of the month?
Your Life
You are prudent, circumspect and take things seriously. Before you make any move, you will think of a few alternatives that might take a while. You are patient, imaginative and target oriented. You value friendship more than anything else.
Your Love
You usually study your partner carefully before making any move. You never demand anything beyond the natural quality of that person. Your sincerity doesn't bring excitement in your love life but it brings deeply grow n relationship.

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Is your birthday day 21 of the month?
Your Life
You are curious and a true follower. You can please someone so much that it seem like you are trying to charm that person. You hide your disagreement under your smiling face. This is a charming quality of yours.
Your Love
You are quite unlucky in love. You are loved by someone you don't like while your dream man is so far away. Your love life is occasionally under turbulence. Sometimes you don't have the clear view of the guy in your heart.

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Is your birthday day 22 of the month?
Your Life
You have the boss character, but not a leader. Most people look up to you for your capability and confidence although they find you quite stubborn. You should listen more to others. You are a unique and charming individual.
Your Love
You hardly take the moderate track. You either love or hate someone. Whom you call friends are the chosen ones. If any of them betray you, you won't let them get away without having hard time.

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Is your birthday day 23 of the month?
Your Life
You never live your life in the way others want you to. You are an independent individual who loves challenges and excitement. You are ready to face with the result of your decision. You are usually the one your friends count on.
Your Love
Because you love excitements, you occasionally get involved in forbidden love affairs. You may fall in love with a married person and no one can stop you from making progress. You are very charming, although you might not realize it.

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Is your birthday day 24 of the month?
Your Life
You are very optimistic and that's why you always enjoy life. You are gifted in entertaining others. Your friends love and trust you. You'll be the first they come to when they are in need of someone to speak their heart out.
Your Love
Sometimes you fall in love just because you want to be in love, not that you really like that person. You always be seen as a sweet couple but you can't really get over your love ones from past. Your partner is usually crazy about you because you are remarkably charming and romantic.

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Is your birthday day 25 of the month?
Your Life
You are a warrior. No obstacle can stop you from reaching your goal. You always keep yourself busy. This quality plus your responsibility will eventually bring you success.
Your Love
You adore your partner as the number one priority. You value your love one more than yourself. Your love is the greatest of all and your have potential to get married young.

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Is your birthday day 26 of the month?
Your Life You are always curious and responsive to changes. Routine life is not the way you choose to live. Traveling is your favorite hobby because excitement is what you are after.
Your Love
You will not stand being around the one you dislike. Your love comes and goes quickly. You can be deeply in love but soon after you will be looking around for the next one.

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Is your birthday day 27 of the month?
Your Life
You are sensitive and vulnerable. Tears often run down your cheeks even when the matter is not that bad. This might be the result from being to pessimistic. You might seem cold on the shell, but your inner self is a kind loving person.
Your Love
You will be elegantly dressed, no matter how casually dressed your date may be. You are demanding in love and sometimes to an unacceptable extend.

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Is your birthday day 28 of the month?
Your Life
You are a capable person but you usually underestimate your own ability. This is the cause of missing numbers of opportunity to step forward. If you try to give yourself a chance, you can be successful in life. Try to see things on the bright side and you will be happier than ever.
Your Love
You are quite unlucky in love. The one in your arm is not the one in your heart. Your love has so many ups and downs. You of ten chicken out before seeing any progress in love.

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Is your birthday day 29 of the month?
Your Life
You can trust your sixth sense. Life is exciting so routine job is not your interest. You have great ideas and fantastic imagination. You often feel tired of things and people around you.
Your Love
You can tell what's in the mind of another person just from looking into his/her eyes. You are paranoid and jealous and these are the cause of fights between you and your lover. Sometimes the thing you believe in is just your imagination.

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Is your birthday day 30 of the month?
Your Life
You are always surrounded by a circle of friends. You are friendly and fun to be with. Though you occasionally disappoint them by being stubborn, but over all, they love your qualities.
Your Love
You want to have full control of your love and that 's not a nice way to treat your partner. You take your time in saying yes to his wedding proposal or if you are a man, you will not propose anyone until you are certainly confident which might take ages.

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Is your birthday day 31 of the month?
Your Life
Your emotion is hard to predict. You can be sad this minute and happy in the next. People might find it difficult to follow your emotion and understand you. You tend to take things seriously.
Your Love
You take your time to study a person before falling in love. Once you decide that he or she is the one, no one can stop you from making progress, even your partner.

`waT wE atE todaY`

When out for dinner with my best partner a.k.a best collegue, Miss Margret..
we had not much money with us..so we decided to save as much as possible..
so, we ended up like this...

My Salad chicken rice, RM5.00 (promotion price)

Margret's Roasted chicken rice, RM4.80 (promotion price TOO)


wow, look at Mar..she must be very hungry..

We ran out of cash, so we decided to share our $ for a drink..
so, here's our sugarcane drink, RM1.80..
we had our own straws though..


i think we spent too much for one meal that our receipt bleed...
not edited..it's like that when we got it..

Boring day AGAIN

woke up at 11am today, n juz realised dat i forgoten to wash my uniform...so i when straight to the washroom, brush my teeth, washed my face then wash my clothes...i did everything in a rush..den i spin my clothes (lolz..to get them dried faster). after washing my smelly2 uniforms, i hang them in front of the table fan on with maximum speed. hahaha...:)

after all the rush, i when downstairs n make myself a cup of hot milo n bread..so practically, im taking my breakfast at 11.45am..of coz, while eating my bread, i switched on my comp and went online..

after few seconds, my fren smsed me, asking my stuffs about going to TAR college..well, till now, around 6-7 of us r confirmed goin to TAR college for A level..i cant wait to start my lessons..the fact is, working is much2 more tougher than studying..for those who had worked before, u must had realised..lolz..:p

_Tunku Abdul Rahman College_

so i replied her messages but soon asked her to go online so that i can discuss with her through msn, cheaper marh (can say free lar)..hehe..so she went online around 12.05pm and we started discussing about the expenses if we are to study at TAR. She also asked bout other scholarships that i applied for, such as petronas...

_Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)_

after that, i went to get ready for work..the time was around 12.20pm.. i was kinda late so i took my bath real fast, then took my lunch.. unfortunately, it rained heavily all of a sudden.. so today i sat outside waiting for my mum to pick me up "obediently".. actually i thought i wanted to asked my mum to drop me at school so i can get approval form the pengetua for my certs..but then, "the office is not open now lar..it's lunch hour..", said my mum..

so she said she'll pick me up at 10am the next day to bring me to school to get my certs approved by the pengetua.. haiz..wasted another day to apply for TAR..post it tomorrow then...

so my mum dropped me at spring's carpark (lucky me!) coz it was raining heavily..i started work around 1.10pm..it was such a boring day..didn't get to sell any shoes today, no customer at all..
sienz...

i took my dinner at 6pm..wif my fren, Santa. i guessed i gt gastric..i was so hungry that i took lemon chicken rice (RM5.00), onion rings (RM1.70) and sugarcane drink (RM1.80)..i thought i wana save money, maybe use only rm6+- per meal..but den..??? watever, as long as im full..but den, i started to get sick, my head spins..maybe due to the gastric i had earlier on..

around 8.30pm, i cant stand any longer. i called my dad n asked him to pick me up at 9pm..reached home, i got yelled by my mum..and my dad kept asking bout my scholarships applications..and my bro kept asking me how to do this, how to do that...and my aunt called asking my results and when we wana go back to sarikei for the "tomb festival".....

i think im getting feverish........(feeling blue)...

Shoes!! (among de best selling-some are already out of stock)

KEPUTUSAN PERMOHONAN KE PROGRAM MATRIKULASI SESI 2008/2009

KEPUTUSAN PERMOHONAN KE PROGRAM MATRIKULASI SESI 2008/2009

Ditulis oleh Administrator

Friday, 14 March 2008

Keputusan sama ada pelajar berjaya @ tidak akan diketahui pada pertengahan April 2008 @ satu(1) bulan dari tarikh keputusan SPM keluarkan.

Terakhir dikemaskini ( Friday, 14 March 2008 ) source : matriculation division ministry of education malaysia

Some pIcs c0nected To mY NamE

1. This is "Meilin Pavilion", i think somewhere in China.


2. This is an anime, wif a character named "meilin".


3. This is my name..in chinese .


4. This is a China Doll name MayLin (not edited by me, gt it from a web).




5. This is the header of a website.



6. I'm not sure wat this is but i think
it's the cover of an album for a singer name maylin.


7. I got this from a website about a girl name Mei Lin
who's from China but being adopted by European family.

meanings of roses

1 Rose
Exceptional love all concentrated on you.

2 Roses
Two of us deeply in love.

3 Roses
I love you.

6 Roses
I want to be yours.

9 Roses
Love each other eternally.

11 Roses
You are the one I love most in my life.

12 Roses
Satisfactory union and mutual affinity.

13 Roses
Secret admirer.

24 Roses
Remember fondly every moment
(24 hours cannot forget you).

33 Roses
Saying "I love you" with PROFOUND LOVE.

36 Roses
Feeling romantic attachment because you come to me.

44 Roses
Constant unchangeable pledge.

50 Roses
This is "Regretless Love".

56 Roses
My love.

66 Roses
Successful love affair.

99 Roses
Love with understanding makes love eternal.

100 Roses
Harmonious union in a century, remain a devoted couple 'till ripe-old age.

101 Roses
No other love but you.

108 Roses
Please marry me!

111 Roses
Eternal love.

123 Roses
Free love.

144 Roses
Loving you day and night eternally.

365 Roses
Thinking of you everyday, love you everyday.

999 Roses
Everlasting and eternal love.

1001 Roses
Faithful love, 'till forever

wayS tO makE a girL smileS

1. Tell her she is beautiful (not hot, fine, or sexy)

2 . Hold her hand at any moment . . . even if its just for a second.

3 . Kiss her on the forehead.

4 . Leave her voice messages to wake up to.

5 . Always tell her you love her every second of the day.

6 . When she is upset, hold her tight and tell her how much she means to you.

7 . Recognize the small things . . . they usually mean the most.

8 . Sing to her no matter how horrible your voice is.

9 . Pick her over all the other girls you hang out with.

10 . Write her notes. (she loves them)

11 . Introduce her to family and friends . . . as your girlfriend.

12 . Play with her hair.

13 . Pick her up, tickle her, and play-wrestle with her.

14 . Sit in the park and just talk to her.

15 . Tell her funny jokes, tell her stupid jokes, or just tell her jokes.

16 . Throw pebbles at her window in the middle of the night . . . just because you missed her.

17 . Let her fall asleep in your arms.

18. Carve your names into a tree.

19 . If she's mad at you, kiss her.

20 . Give her piggyback rides.

21 . Bring her flowers

22 . Treat her the same around your friends as you do when your alone.

23 . Look her in the eyes and smile.

24 . Let her take as many pictures of you as she wants.

25 . Slow dance with her, even if there isn't any music playing.

26 . Kiss her in the rain.

27 . If your in love with her . . . tell her.

I LOVE U (different languages)

Afrikaans - Ek is lief vir jou

Albanian - te dua

Arabic - Ana Ahebak / Ana Bahibak

Armenian - yes kez shat em siroom

Assyr- Az tha hijthmekem

Alentejano(Portugal) - Gosto De Ti, Porra!

Bahasa Malayu - (Malaysia) Saya cinta mu

Basque - Maite Zaitut

Bengali - Ami Tomake Bahlobashi

Bavarian - I mog di

Bisaya - Nahigugma ko nimo

Bosnian - Ja te volim (formally) or volim-te

Bulgarian - Obicham te

Bulgarian - Obicham te

Burmese- chit pa de

Cantonese - Ngo Oi Nei

Chinese - gnoy oy na
Goi Oi Lei (Hongkong)
Wa Ai Li (Taiwan)

Cambodian - Bon sro lanh oon

Catalan - T'estim (mallorcan)

Croatian - LJUBim te

Czech - miluji te

Danish- Jeg elsker dig

Dutch - Ik hou van jou

English - I love you

Esperanto - Mi amas vim

Estonian - Ma armastan sind / Mina armastan sind (formal)

Farsi - Tora dust midaram

Filipino - Mahal ka ta

Finnish - Minä rakastan sinua

French - Je t'aime

Gaelic - Tá mé i ngrá leat

German - Ich liebe Dich

Greek - S'agapw

Greenlandic - Asavakit

Gujrati - Hoon tane pyar karoochhoon

Hawaiian - Aloha wau ia 'oe

Hebrew - Ani ohevet ota

Hindi - Main tumsey pyaar karta hoon / Maine Pyar Kiya

Hmong - Kuv Hlub Koj

Hungarian - Szeretlek

Hokkien - Wa ai lu

Hopi - Nu' umi unangwa'ta

Icelandic - Eg elska thig

Indonesian - Saya cinta padamu

Italian - ti amo

Indian - Mai tumase pyar karata hun (male to female) Mai tumase pyar karati hun (female to male)

Irish - taim i' ngra leat

Japanese - Aishiteru

Javanese - Kulo tresno marang panjenengan (formal)
aku terno kowe (informal)

Kapangpangan - Kaluguran daka.

Korean - SA LANG HAE / Na No Sa Lan Hei

Kurdish - Khoshtm Auyt

Laos - Chanrackkun

Latin - Ego te amo

Latvian - Es mîlu Tevi

Lithuanian - As Myliu Tave

Lebanese - Bahibak

Lingala - Nalingi yo

Lojban - mi do prami

Luo - Aheri

Macedonian - Te sakam

Mandarin - Wo Ai Ni

Malteese - Inhobbok hafna

Malay - Saya cintakan mu / Saya cinta mu

Norwegian - Jeg elsker deg

Persian - Tora Doost Darem

Pig Latin - I-yea Ove-lea Ou-yea

Polish - Kocham Cie

Portuguese - Eu te amo (Brazilian)
Eu amo-te (continental)

Punjabi - me tumse pyar ker ta hu'

Romanian - Te iubesc

Russian - Ya tebya liubliu

Serbo-Croatian - Volim te

Sign language -
__ ( )
( ) |__|
|__| __ __| |
| |( )( )|__| __
|__||__||__|| | / )
| (__)(__) | / /
| |/ /
| / /
\ /

Slovenian - ljubim te

Swedish - Jag älskar dig

Swiss German - Ch-ha di gärn

Spanish - Te quiero / te amo / yo amor tu

Swahili - Naku penda

Tagalog - Mahal Kita / Iniibig kita

Tamil - Naan Unnai Khadalikkeren

Telugu - Nenu Ninnu Premisthunnanu

Thai - Khao Raak Thoe / chun raak ter

Turkish - seni seviyorum

Ukranian - Yalleh blutebeh / ya tebe kohayu

Urdu - Mea tum se pyaar karta hu ( when a guy says it)
Mea tum se pyar karti hu (when a gal says it)

Vietnamese - Toi yeu em

Vulcan - Wani ra yana ro aisha

Yugoslavian - Ya te volim

Zazi - Ezhele hezdege

Zulu - Mena Tanda Wen

Love letter (P2)

"We loved one another from the first moment we met, though we did not speak of our love until the evening of my eighteenth birthday. All our friends and relatives had come to my party, and in the evening we danced on the big old carpet which we had laid down in the barn. Richard had come with the Van Rensburgs, and we danced together as often as we dared, which was not very often, for my father hated the Uitlanders. Indeed, for a time he had quarreled with Mynheer Van Rensburg for allowing Richard to board with him, but afterwards he got used to the idea, and was always polite to the Englishman, though he never liked him.

"That was the happiest birthday of my life, for while we were resting between dances Richard took me outside into the cool, moonlit night, and there, under the stars ,he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. Of course I promised I would, for I was too happy to think of what my parents would say, or indeed of anything except Richard was not at our meeting place as he had arranged. I was disappointed but not alarmed, for so many things could happen to either of us to prevent out keeping our tryst. I thought that next time we visited the Van Ransburgs, I should hear what had kept him and we could plan further meetings…
"So when my father asked if I would drive with him to Driefontein I was delighted. But when we reached the homestead and were sitting on the stoep drinking our coffee, we heard that Richard had left quite suddenly and had gone back to England. His father had died, and now he was the heir and must go back to look after his estates.

"I do not remember very much more about that day, except that the sun seemed to have stopped shining and the country no longer looked beautiful and full of promise, but bleak and desolate as it sometimes does in winter or in times of drought. Late that afternoon, Jantje, the little Hottentot herd boy, came up to me and handed me a letter , which he said the English baas had left for me. It was the only love letter I ever received, but it turned all my bitterness and grief into a peacefulness which was the nearest I could get, then, to happiness. I knew Richard still loved me, and somehow, as long as I had his letter, I felt that we could never be really parted, even if he were in England and I had to remain on the farm. I have it yet, and though I am an old, tired woman, it still gives me hope and courage."

"I must have been a wonderful letter, Aunt Stephia,"I said
The old lady came back from her dreams of that far-off romance."Perhaps," she said, hesitating a little, "perhaps, my dear, you would care to read it ?"
"I should love to , Aunt Stephia,"I said gently
She rose at once and tripped into the house as eagerly as a young girl. When she came back she handed me a letter, faded and yellow with age, the edges of the envelope worn and frayed as though it had been much handled. But when I came to open it I found that the seal was unbroken.
"Open it ,open it,"said Great-aunt Stephia, and her voice was shaking
I broke the seal and read.

It was not a love letter in the true sense of the word, but pages of the minutest directions of how"my sweetest Phina"was to elude her father's vigilance, creep down to the drift at night and there meet Jantje with a horse which would take her to Smitsdorp. There she was to go to "my true friend, Henry Wilson",who would give her money and make arrangements for her to follow her lover to Cape Town and from there to England ," where, my love, we can he be married at once. But if, my dearest, you are not sure that you can face lift with me in a land strange to you, then do not take this important step, for I love you too much to wish you the smallest unhappiness. If you do not come, and if I do not hear from you, then I shall know that you could never be happy so far from the people and the country which you love. If, however, you feel you can keep your promise to me, but are of too timid and modest a journey to England unaccompanied, then write to me, and I will, by some means, return to fetch my bride."

I read no further.
"But Aunt Phina!"I gasped. "Why…why…?"
The old lady was watching me with trembling eagerness, her face flushed and her eyes bright with expectation."Read it aloud, my dear,"she said."I want to hear every word of it. There was never anyone I could trust…Uitlanders were hated in my young days…I could not ask anyone."

"But, Auntie, don't you even know what he wrote?"
The old lady looked down, troubled and shy like a child who has unwittingly done wrong.
"No, dear," she said, speaking very low."You see, I never learned to read.

love letter (P1)

I was always a little in awe of Great-aunt Stephina Roos. Indeed, as children we were all frankly terrified of her. The fact that she did not live with the family, preferring her tiny cottage and solitude to the comfortable but rather noisy household where we were brought up-added to the respectful fear in which she was held.
We used to take it in turn to carry small delicacies which my mother had made down from the big house to the little cottage where Aunt Stephia and an old colored maid spent their days. Old Tnate Sanna would open the door to the rather frightened little messenger and would usher him-or her - into the dark voor-kamer, where the shutters were always closed to keep out the heat and the flies. There we would wait, in trembling but not altogether unpleasant.
She was a tiny little woman to inspire so much veneration. She was always dressed in black, and her dark clothes melted into the shadows of the voor-kamer and made her look smaller than ever. But you felt. The moment she entered. That something vital and strong and somehow indestructible had come in with her, although she moved slowly, and her voice was sweet and soft.
She never embraced us. She would greet us and take out hot little hands in her own beautiful cool one, with blue veins standing out on the back of it, as though the white skin were almost too delicate to contain them.

Tante Sanna would bring in dishes of sweet, sweet, sticky candy, or a great bowl of grapes or peaches, and Great-aunt Stephina would converse gravely about happenings on the farm ,and, more rarely, of the outer world.
When we had finished our sweetmeats or fruit she would accompany us to the stoep, bidding us thank our mother for her gift and sending quaint, old-fashioned messages to her and the Father. Then she would turn and enter the house, closing the door behind, so that it became once more a place of mystery.

As I grew older I found, rather to my surprise, that I had become genuinely fond of my aloof old great-aunt. But to this day I do not know what strange impulse made me take George to see her and to tell her, before I had confided in another living soul, of our engagement. To my astonishment, she was delighted.
"An Englishman,"she exclaimed."But that is splendid, splendid. And you,"she turned to George,"you are making your home in this country? You do not intend to return to England just yet?"
She seemed relieved when she heard that George had bought a farm near our own farm and intended to settle in South Africa. She became quite animated, and chattered away to him.
After that I would often slip away to the little cottage by the mealie lands. Once she was somewhat disappointed on hearing that we had decided to wait for two years before getting married, but when she learned that my father and mother were both pleased with the match she seemed reassured.

Still, she often appeared anxious about my love affair, and would ask questions that seemed to me strange, almost as though she feared that something would happen to destroy my romance. But I was quite unprepared for her outburst when I mentioned that George thought of paying a lightning visit to England before we were married."He must not do it,"she cried."Ina, you must not let him go. Promise me you will prevent him."she was trembling all over. I did what I could to console her, but she looked so tired and pale that I persuaded her to go to her room and rest, promising to return the next day.
When I arrived I found her sitting on the stoep. She looked lonely and pathetic, and for the first time I wondered why no man had ever taken her and looked after her and loved her. Mother had told me that Great-aunt Stephina had been lovely as a young girl, and although no trace of that beauty remained, except perhaps in her brown eyes, yet she looked so small and appealing that any man, one felt, would have wanted to protect her.
She paused, as though she did not quite know how to begin.

Then she seemed to give herself, mentally, a little shake. "You must have wondered ", she said, "why I was so upset at the thought of young George's going to England without you. I am an old woman, and perhaps I have the silly fancies of the old, but I should like to tell you my own love story, and then you can decide whether it is wise for your man to leave you before you are married."

"I was quite a young girl when I first met Richard Weston. He was an Englishman who boarded with the Van Rensburgs on the next farm, four or five miles from us. Richard was not strong. He had a weak chest, and the doctors had sent him to South Africa so that the dry air could cure him. He taught the Van Rensburg children, who were younger than I was, though we often played together, but he did this for pleasure and not because he needed money.