A Little Note on Epiphyllum

I woke up in the middle of the night, taking a sip of warm water, still thinking about the dreamy (yet vivid) scenes of meeting so and so, taking about this and that, meeting people I have been longing to meet, talking about things I have been longing to talk about… Alright, the dreamy scenes aside, I was looking out of the kitchen window at my neighbour’s gardening area and I was greeted warmly by some blossoming Epiphyllums.

They were mesmerizing. Under normal circumstances, I would have just grabbed my camera and snapped away. But the lighting wasn’t favourable and I just have to rely on what I can kope from the net :

If you are thinking : wait till morning lah!
Then you don’t know much about Epiphyllum. Haha..

Epiphyllum only blossom in the middle of the night. ( 静悄悄的开 )
It withers a few hours later when the sun rises. ( 也静悄悄的离开 )
Hence the phrase 昙花一现 to describe such observation.
Oh, yes, by the way, Epiphyllum = 昙花 .

My mother used to plan Epiphyllum too in the past. I could smell the blossom too and it smells good. Each developed bud only flowers once at night for a few hours and due to the slightly different timing in development, we could see different buds flowering (in the middle of the night) and withering (in the next morning) for consecutive days. I quite like the experiences.

Looking at them and appreciating them, they somehow set me thinking :

- We like beautiful things and like things to turn out beautiful. Even when things are beautiful or turns out to be beautiful, they are not going to last. Many times, they are much more short-lived than we expect or hope to be.

- Yes, please continue to like beautiful things and hope things to turn out beautiful. Cherish the moments (every moment), not just by words and thoughts, but actions too.

- What if things aren’t beautiful or are not becoming beautiful any tme sooner? Have we also learned to accept them bravely and strongly as reality, yet optimistic enough that there are still other beautiful things to look forward to?

- Many opportunities may come by (but) only once. Even our life-time now happens only once. If we are allow to write our own biography, how would we want to begin and how would we want to end?

Aiyo.. I am really long-winded lor. I should not ramble on and make this entry too long. Of course, my writing may stop, but let our thinking continues…

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An inspiration note left by an author :

我们都老得太快，却聪明得太迟。
人人都很愿意牺牲当下，去换取未知的等待 。
许多人认为必须等到某时或某事完成之后再采取行动：
明天我就开始运动；
明天我就会对他好一点；
下星期我们就找时间出去走走；
退休后，我们就要好好享受一下。
然而，生活总是一直变动，环境总是不可预知，
在现实生活中，各种突发状况总是层出不穷。

一个人永远也无法预料未来，所以不要延缓想过的生活，
不要吝于表达心中的话，因为生命只在一瞬间。
每个人的生命都有尽头，许多人经常在生命即将结束时，
才发现自己还有很多事没有做，有许多话来不及说，
这实在是人生最大的遗憾。
別让自己徒留「为时已晚」的空余恨。
逝者不可追，来者犹未卜，
最珍贵、最需要即时掌握的「当下」，
往往在这两者蹉跎间，转眼错失。

有许多事，在你还不懂得珍惜之前已成旧事；
有许多人，在你还来不及用心之前已成旧人。
遗憾的事一再发生，
但过后再追悔「早知道如何如何」是没有用的，
「那时候」 已经过去，你追念的人也已走过了你的生命。
不管你是否察觉，生命都一直在前进。
人生并未售来回票，失去的便永远不再。

将希望寄予「等到方便的时间才享受」，
我们不知失去了多少可能的幸福。
不要再等待有一天你「可以松口气」，
或是「麻烦都过去了」。
生命中大部分的美好事物都是短暂易逝的，
享受它们、品尝它们，善待你周围的每一个人，
別把时间浪费在等待所有难题的「完满结局」上。

找回迷失的生命。
死亡也许是免费的 ─ 但是，卻要付出生命的代价。
我們老得太快，却聪明得太迟。
我们要懂得把握當下，莫等待。