SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE - NATURE IN ARCHITECTURE

Sydney Opera House

INTRODUCED FROM SOUTH AFRICA

While attending a conference in Johannesburg, S.A. in 1996 I managed to collect seeds of several plants out of which two ornamental plants were successfully grown.

1. This plant can grow more than 10feet, has small, erect branches with yellow, sparsely, trumpet like flowers. Suitable as hedge plant. 

2. Bauhania. Bushy and smaller than the bauhanias (pink and white flower types) commonly grown here. (For some years I lost the plant because the only sample that I asked my brother to maintain was chopped down. Recently, I brought back cuttings widely grown in Stradbroke Island and Gold Coast, Australia. Hope the cuttings will grow).

LAYLA DAN MAJNUN

Kisah romantika Timur Tengah ini pertama kali dibukukan dalam Bahasa Melayu oleh Sheikh al-Hadi.

KU KUNYAH ULAT NI

Ada kawan Melanau di Mukah sediakan makanan sejenis ulat daun untuk ku cuba. Rasanya tidak lemak seperti kalimata [ulat sagu atau siet (bahasa Melanau)] goreng maupun hidup-mentah. 

Rasa ulat ini kepahitan sedikit dan kulitnya agak liat dikunyah. 

Perarakan Maulidul Rasul oleh kaum Melanau, pekan Mukah.

MAKING GULA MELAKA

Basic steps to make gula melaka:

1. Climb a young coconut tree to look for an unopened flower stalk.

2.. The upper petal of the flower-bdearing stalk is bound shut to prevent the bud opening.

3. . The flower-bearing stalk is bent gradually downward and the tip is cut off so that the sap can ooze out unhampered.

4. The sap is boiled until it becomes a thick orange-brown mass which is then stirred until it crystallizes.

5. The mixture is poured into bamboo canes where it cools and turns so hard that you have then to grate or chop it.

A simple way of boiling the sap.

YANG PEDAS ITU CILI

Terdapat beratus jenis cili atau lada dalam dunia. Tempat asal lada ialah America Tengah. Ada yang boleh dimakan sebagai ulam ia-itu tidak pedas. Sekecil2 cili api ia yang paling pedas. Bahan kimia yang terkandung membuat cili pedas ialah capsaicin. 

Sos cili 'Tabasco' ialah pengeluaran ladang cili di Avery Island, Louisiana, A.S. Sos tersebut biasa dibubuh atas masakan steak.

Cili Tabasco 

Lada besar yang di isi dengan ramuan di masak dengan wap.

ONCE A QUEEN SCOUT

Never got to thank the scoutmasters who made me a Queen Scout. So, this posting is more for posterity sake.

By Form V at Tunku Besar Secondary School, Tampin I qualified to be one when En. Kamarudin, a senior Lab. Assistant (rightmost, front) was the Scoutmaster. Your goodself (right row, front, facing camera).

During Lower Secondary at TBS, Paul (centre), a British army personnel  attached the military camp located adjacent to the school was the Scoutmaster. Since he left for England we lost contact. 

He instilled the spirit of adventure in us. We travelled to Singapore in his van, let us trekked and camped at Melaka Pindah (?), brought us to Ulu Bendul and Port Dickson a couple of times. I did not interact with him much for I was shy. I never get to know his last name even.

Thank you Kamarudin and Paul.