Monday, October 13, 2008

'roti canai...emm yummy..


Roti canai (pronounced "chanai," not "kanai") is a type of flatbread found in Malaysia, often sold in Mamak stalls. It is identical to the Singaporean roti prata and a close descendant of Kerala porotta.Roti means bread in Hindi, Urdu, most other North Indian languages, and Malay.The dish is composed of dough containing copious amounts of fat, egg, flour and water. The form of fat used is usually ghee (clarified butter). The entire mixture is kneaded thoroughly, flattened, oiled and folded repeatedly. It is then allowed to proof and rise, and the process is repeated. The final round of preparation consists of flattening the dough ball, coating it with oil and then cooking on a flat iron skillet with a lot of oil. The ideal roti is flat, fluffy on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside.

Friday, October 10, 2008

romantic story of NODAME CANTABILE...


Based on the hit comic bookby Tomoko Ninomiya, this is a fun-filled quirky romantic story of 2 very opposite people.Megumi Noda, or "Nodame" is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. A n extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend's lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka's top student.Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has a secret ambitions to become a conductor.An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionistwho once lives abroad in the musical capitals of the world of a young boy, he feels mired in Japan because of a childhood phobia.They meet by accident.Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame's unusual qualities.Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow.Because of Nodame, Chiaki transfers into the Conductor Division, leads a student orchestra and begins to have a broader appreciation of people's musical abilities.Because of Chiaki, Nodame faces her fears and enters a piano competition.Opportunities open up as both begin taking risks, stretching themselves far more than they ever though possible.

PUA KUMBU...so beautiful!!!


Pua Kumbu is a traditional patterned multicolored ceremonial cotton cloth used by the Iban, made and used in Sarawak, Malaysia. Pua kumbu are woven by Dayak women and are considered to be sacred objects. They are used for lifecycle rituals and special events including the birth of a child, coming of age celebrations, receipt of an important item to a longhouse, and to screen a corpse that is being laid out in a longhouse prior to burial.Throughout history, women have been inextricably associated with textile arts. No matter what materials are used, no matter what form of culture is referenced, their participation has remained constant in influencing, shaping and evolving numerous varied techniques. When one reviews historical and anthropological literature, this fact is seldom recognised or is relegated to rather insignificant cultural importance. Thus it is not suprising that although much has been written on Iban culture, emphasis has been on male dominated activities. As a result, very little research has been made into women's contribution on the technical aspects of weaving, there has been little study of the pua kumbu in a cultural and social context. Discussion and ensuing interpretation of the symbolism has been limited to the study of individual motifs rather than examining the pua composition as a whole.According to legend, some twenty-four generations ago, Singalang Burong, the God of War, taught his grandson; Surong Gunting the use of the most sacred of all the pua, the lebor api, after a period of warfare. The tradition was established that heads captured in war should be received ceremonially on this cloth, which has to be dyed a deep red colour, and was often woven using a special supplementary weft technique (sungkit). This pua was woven at Batu Gelong the longhouse abode of the goddesses of weaving, Kumang, Indai Abang, and Lullong, Indigo (tarum) and other plants used for dyeing were planted around the longhouse. Beyond the longhouse on the farm, cotton (taya), the most important crop next to padi, was planted

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

keropok lekor..!!!


The most famous local food in Terengganu is Keropok Lekor, which is made primarily from a combination of dough (sago flour) and pounded fish mainly from mackerel and sardines, fried and served with hot chilli sauce for afternoon tea. Keropok Keping (fish crackers) are made from sun-dried slices of Keropok Lekor. Numerous keropok stalls are to be found on the side of the highway that passes through coastal communities.

Rambutan...emm delicious..


The rambutan ( Nephelium lappaceum) is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae, and the fruit of this tree. It is probably native to Southeast Asia, although its precise natural distribution is unknown. It is closely related to several other edible tropical fruits including the Lychee, Longan and Mamoncillo. It is believed to be native to the Malay Archipelago. Rambutan in Indonesian or Malay literally means hairy or hairy fruit caused by the 'hair' that covers this fruit. In Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, it is known as mamón chino. There is a second species regularly for sale at Malay markets which is known as "wild" rambutan. It is a little smaller than the usual red variety and is colored yellow.It is a popular garden fruit tree and propagated commercially in small orchards. It is one of the best known fruits of southeast Asia and is also widely cultivated elsewhere the tropics including Africa, Cambodia, the Caribbean islands, Central America, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Thailand is the largest producer from Surat Thani Province Thailand. Rambutan production is increasing in Australia and, in 1997, was one of the top three tropical fruits produced in Hawaii. It is also produced in Ecuador where it is known as "achotillo".
The fruit are usually sold fresh, used in making jams and jellies, or canned. Evergreen rambutan trees with their abundant coloured fruit make beautiful landscape specimens.

THE LEGEND


Tan Sri Dr P. Ramlee PSM, AMN (22 March 1929–29 May 1973) was a Malaysian film actor, director singer, and songwriter. Due to his contributions in the movie and music industry, as well as in the literary scene, he is often attributed as the icon of Malay entertainment in both Malaysia as well as Singapore.Ramlee was born Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh to Teuku Nyak Puteh bin Teuku Karim and Che' Mah Hussein at his grandmother's house (now opened as P. Ramlee House) in Counter Hall (now renamed as Jalan P. Ramlee), Penang, Malaysia. His father Teuku Nyak Puteh was a sailor from Lhokseumawe in the province of Aceh, Indonesia.
As a child, he studied in several schools, including the famous Penang Free School. During his school days he was very active in sports, especially sepak takraw, badminton, and football.
He was married three times, the last to the singer Salmah Ismail (or popularly known as Saloma) in 1961.On 29 May 1973 P.Ramlee died at the age of 44 due to heart problems and was buried in Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur. In 1986, in honour of his contributions to the Malaysian entertainment industry, the P. Ramlee Memorial was set up in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. In 1982, Jalan Parry in the KL city centre has been renamed Jalan P. Ramlee in his honor. He was posthumously awarded with the Malaysian honorific title Tan Sri in the early 1990s.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

MOUNT SANTUBONG


Mount Santubong is a mountain in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is located about 35 km north of the state capital Kuching.On a clear day, it can be seen from Kuching. The mountain and its surrounding area is a popular tourist attraction.According to the Encyclopaedia of Iban Studies the original inhabitants of Santubong are Ibans the sea Dyak.Si-antu-ubong means 'the spirit boat'in the Iban language.Antu is hantu in Malay which means spirit or ghost.Santubong are boat like coffins made from a single hollow log designed to represent the vesell in which a dead person will travel from this world to afterlife. The name Santubong is derived from "san choo bong" in the Hakka Chinese dialect, meaning "wild pig king" or "king of wild pig".

A legend often associated with the mountain is of two beautiful princesses, Santubong and Sejinjang. Santubong was an expert weaver while Sejinjang was an excellent rice tresher. One day, they had a quarrel and exchanged blows. Sejinjang swung her tresher which hit Santubong's cheek. Santubong threw her weaver at Sejinjang, hitting her in the head. Putting an end to the quarrel, the King of Heaven cursed both of them into mountains. Santubong turned into Mount Santubong while Sejinjang was turned into Mount Sejinjang. It is said that Mount Santubong resembles a woman lying on her back.

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES-ronan keating

Sometimes late at nightI lie awake and watch her sleeping
She's lost in peaceful dreams
So I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark
And the thought crosses my mind
If I never wake up in the morning
Would she ever doubt the way I feelAbout her in my heart
If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to lastIf tomorrow never comes
'Cause I've lost loved ones in my life
Who never knew how much I loved them
Now I live with the regret
That my true feelings for them never were revealed
So I made a promise to myself
To say each day how much she means to me
And avoid that circumstance
Where there's no second chance to tell her how I feel
If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only oneAnd if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to lastIf tomorrow never comes
So tell that someone that you loveJust what you're thinking of
If tomorrow never comes