Tamarind:Sour but advantageous

Tamarindus indica
syn T.officinalis
Fam Leguminosae

Other Names
Indian Date, Tamarindo
French: tamarin
German: Tamarine
Italian: tamarindo
Spanish: tamarindo
Indian: imli, imlee, amyli (dried)
Indonesian: asam
Lao: mal kham
Malay: asam
Sinhalese: syambala
Tamil: pulee, puli
Thai: makahm

Believed to originate in East Africa, tamarind now grows extensively throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the West Indies. Tamarind means ‘date of India’ In Hindu mythology, tamarind is associated with the wedding of the god Krishna which is celebrated by a feast in November. In Victorian times, the British in Goa kept a tamarind in one ear when venturing into the native quarter to keep themselves free from harassment because the locals believed the fresh pods were inhabited by malevolent demons. This earned the colonials the nickname ‘Lugimlee’ or ‘tamarind heads’, and it has stuck to this day.

The tamarind tree is a tropical evergreen which grows to a height of 20m (aprox 70ft). It has a thick grey bark; the small oval leaves are pale green. Small clusters of yellow flowers with red stripes bloom in May and fruits in October to November. The brown curved pods are brittle, irregular and bulbous; up to 10 cm (4”). The tree grows best in semi-arid tropical regions and is propagated by seed or cuttings. Little attention is required though in some areas, like Africa and the West Indies, insects are a problem, leaving India to export several thousand tons each year around the world.

In culinary uses, usually it is the juice or paste that is used as a souring agent, particularly in south Indian and Gujarati lentil dishes, curries and chutneys, where its flavour is more authentic than vinegar or lemon juice. It may be used to flavour pulse dishes, rice dishes, or as an ingredient in sauces and side dishes for pork, fowl and fish. Tamarind contains pectin which is used in the manufacturing process of commercially produced jams, so it is a natural ingredient in many jams, jellies, fruit drinks, and is vital to Worcestershire sauce. In India, the ground seed is used in cakes. A refreshing drink made from tamarind syrup and resembling lemonade is quite popular in the Middle East.


As attributed medicinal properties, tamarind is considered a mild laxative and digestive. It is used to treat bronchial disorders and gargling with tamarind water is recommended for a sore throat. It is antiseptic, used in eye-baths and for the treatment of ulcers. Being highly acidic, it is a refrigerant (cooling in the heat) and febrifuge (for fighting fevers).

Tamarind leaves and flowers, dried or boiled, are used as poultices for swollen joints, sprains and boils. Lotions and extracts made from them are used in treating conjunctivitis, as antiseptics, as vermifuges, treatments for dysentery, jaundice, erysipelas and hemorrhoids and various other ailments. The fruit shells are burned and reduced to an alkaline ash which enters into medicinal formulas. The bark of the tree is regarded as an effective astringent, tonic and febrifuge. Fried with salt and pulverized to an ash, it is given as a remedy for indigestion and colic. A decoction is used in cases of gingivitis and asthma and eye inflammations; and lotions and poultices made from the bark are applied on open sores and caterpillar rashes. The powdered seeds are made into a paste for drawing boils and, with or without cumin seeds and palm sugar, are prescribed for chronic diarrhea and dysentery. The seedcoat, too, is astringent, and it, also, is specified for the latter disorders. An infusion of the roots is believed to have curative value in chest complaints and is an ingredient in prescriptions for leprosy.

Al Quran :Surah Al Fatihah

Al Fatihah (The Opening)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ {1}
الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ {2}
الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ {3}
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ {4}
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ {5}
اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ {6}
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ {7}

In The Name Of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful (1)
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.(2)
The Beneficent, the Merciful. (3)
Master of the Day of Judgment. (4)
Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.(5)
Keep us on the right path.(6)
The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray. (7)

Ikon-nya seorang selebriti

Terlepas dari perdebatan sama ada seorang selebriti boleh dijadikan ikon atau tidak, saya mempunyai pandangan sendiri.

Alangkah baiknya jika nilai ikon itu kita "sempitkan", dalam pengertian ...seumpama, seorang artis itu dikenal akan kehebatannya dalam industi muzik, maka bolehlah kita katakan beliau sebagai ikon dunia muzik.... hanya dunia muzik...perkara selebihnya seperti kehidupan pribadi beliau tidak boleh dijadikan ikutan secara membuta tuli.Kerana sebagai insan, siapapun tidak akan terlepas dari perbuatan silap dan salah.

Seorang selebriti pun pada hakikatnya "tidak boleh hidup" tanpa digelar ikon. Kerana gelaran ikon secara tidak langsung menunjukkan bahwa beliau mempunyai peminatnya sendiri. Tanpa peminat, siapalah seorang selebriti.

Prinsipnya dalam hidup ini mesti berpada-pada. Menyanjungi atau meminati seorang selebriti tidaklah salah, selagi dalam batasan-batasan positif. Selebriti pula hendaklah pandai-pandai menjaga diri kerana gerak geri mereka sentiasa diawasi oleh banyak "mata". Bimbanglah pula jika perkara buruk yang dilakukan justru menjadi ikutan generasi muda kita. Wallahu'alam.

Hotel Mania VS High School Musical

Segmen Lestary di TV3 kebelakangan ini cukup menarik perhatian saya. Ditayangkan setiap hari Selasa malam, Hotel Mania merupakan satu bentuk drama musikal yang mampu memberikan nafas baru dalam industri hiburan televisyen tanah air.

Meski berbentuk komedi dengan latar belakang hotel bintang 5, tiap scene diselingi dengan lagu-lagu yang bersesuaian dengan tema. Sehingga tak hairanlah jika ramai budak-budak sekolah pun menyukainya. Jalur penceritaan yang tidak terlalu berat dan tidak pula terlalu "dewasa", menjadikan ia cukup layak untuk ditonton oleh seisi sekeluarga....setidaknya untuk setakat ini.....jika kelak di kemudian hari ada perkara-perkara yang tak berapa elok....jangan bimbang...saya tetap akan menjadi pengkriktik yang adil...hehehehehe....

Sangat berbeza jika dibandingkan dengan High School Musical. Maafkan saya jika terlalu kurang ajar, tapi saya betul-betul menyampah dengan HSM tak kiralah ditayangkan dalam bentuk movie ataupun live performance. Meski mungkin lagu-lagu yang ada di dalamnya memiliki alunan melodi yang indah, tapi kalau kita mau jujur pada diri sendiri, apa sebenarnya message yang ingin disampaikan oleh HSM? Kenakalan remaja di sekolah?....atau "kebebasan" bercampur gaul ala foreign countries students?...atau sekedar taktik pemasaran album yang jitu?

Meski tidaklah juga boleh dikatakan Hotel Mania adalah sebuah contoh yang baik dan sempurna, tapi setidaknya keberanian pihak penerbit untuk membuat drama berkenaan patut mendapat pujian. Tidak salah memulakan sesuatu yang unik, selagi ianya tidak bertentangan dengan adat budaya ketimuran kita. Tambahan lagi, penggunan bahasa melayu plus terjemahan lagu dalam bahasa Inggris, sudah cukup baik untuk membuktikan bahwa, drama dan lagu dalam bahasa Melayu tidak kalah hebatnya. Bukan setakat mampu dimengerti oleh segenap lapisan rakyat negara ini yang berbilang kaum tapi juga mampu menyampaikan pesanan-pesanan positif secara lebih tepat kepada para penonton.

Apapun, tetaplah kita menjadi penonton sekaligus pengkritik yang baik. Mudah-mudahan industri hiburan tanah air mampu memberi nilai lebih positif kepada generasi muda khasnya. Wallahu'alam.

How Precious Blood Is

Experiments with blood transfusions, the transfer of blood or blood components into a person's blood stream, have been carried out for hundreds of years. Many patients have died and it was not until 1901, when the Austrian Karl Landsteiner discovered human blood groups, that blood transfusions became safer.

Mixing blood from two individuals can lead to blood clumping or agglutination. The clumped red cells can crack and cause toxic reactions. This can have fatal consequences. Karl Landsteiner discovered that blood clumping was an immunological reaction which occurs when the receiver of a blood transfusion has antibodies against the donor blood cells.

Karl Landsteiner's work made it possible to determine blood groups and thus paved the way for blood transfusions to be carried out safely. For this discovery he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930.

An adult human has about 4–6 liters of blood circulating in the body. Among other things, blood transports oxygen to various parts of the body.
Blood consists of several types of cells floating around in a fluid called plasma.

The red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that binds oxygen. Red blood cells transport oxygen to, and remove carbon dioxide from, the body tissues.

The white blood cells fight infection.

The platelets help the blood to clot, if you get a wound for example.

The plasma contains salts and various kinds of proteins.

The differences in human blood are due to the presence or absence of certain protein molecules called antigens and antibodies. The antigens are located on the surface of the red blood cells and the antibodies are in the blood plasma. Individuals have different types and combinations of these molecules. The blood group you belong to depends on what you have inherited from your parents.

There are more than 20 genetically determined blood group systems known today, but the AB0 and Rh systems are the most important ones used for blood transfusions. Not all blood groups are compatible with each other. Mixing incompatible blood groups leads to blood clumping or agglutination, which is dangerous for individuals.
Nobel Laureate Karl Landsteiner was involved in the discovery of both the AB0 and Rh blood groups.

According to the AB0 blood group system, there are four different kinds of blood groups: A, B, AB or 0 (null).

Blood group A
If you belong to the blood group A, you have A antigens on the surface of your red blood cells and B antibodies in your blood plasma.

Blood group B
If you belong to the blood group B, you have B antigens on the surface of your red blood cells and A antibodies in your blood plasma.

Blood group AB
If you belong to the blood group AB, you have both A and B antigens on the surface of your red blood cells and no A or B antibodies at all in your blood plasma.

Blood group 0
If you belong to the blood group 0 (null), you have neither A or B antigens on the surface of your red blood cells but you have both A and B antibodies in your blood plasma.

Many people also have a so called Rh factor on the red blood cell's surface. This is also an antigen and those who have it are called Rh+. Those who haven't are called Rh-. A person with Rh- blood does not have Rh antibodies naturally in the blood plasma (as one can have A or B antibodies, for instance).

But a person with Rh- blood can develop Rh antibodies in the blood plasma if he or she receives blood from a person with Rh+ blood, whose Rh antigens can trigger the production of Rh antibodies. A person with Rh+ blood can receive blood from a person with Rh- blood without any problems.

People with blood group 0 Rh - are called "universal donors" and people with blood group AB Rh+ are called "universal receivers."
Rh+ blood can never be given to someone with Rh - blood, but the other way around works. For example, 0 Rh+ blood can not be given to someone with the blood type AB Rh -.

Of course you can always give A blood to persons with blood group A, B blood to a person with blood group B and so on. But in some cases you can receive blood with another type of blood group, or donate blood to a person with another kind of blood group.

The transfusion will work if a person who is going to receive blood has a blood group that doesn't have any antibodies against the donor blood's antigens. But if a person who is going to receive blood has antibodies matching the donor blood's antigens, the red blood cells in the donated blood will clump.

Chlorine Poisoning

Chlorine (Cl2) is produced commercially by electrolysis of sodium chloride brine. Chlorine is used in industry and in household cleaning products. Chlorine was also the first poison gas to be used as a weapon during World War I.

Some of the chemical/physical properties of chlorine include:
•Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature.
•Chlorine has a pungent, irritating odor similar to bleach that is detectable at low concentrations.
•The density of chlorine gas is approximately 2.5 times greater than air, which will cause it to initially remain near the ground in areas with little air movement.
•Chlorine is not flammable, but may react explosively or form explosive compounds with many common substances (including acetylene, ether, turpentine, ammonia, natural gas, hydrogen, and finely divided metals).
•Chlorine is slightly water soluble, and reacts with moisture to form hypochlorous acid (HClO) and hydrochloric acid (HCl).
•Chlorine is commonly pressurized and cooled for storage and shipment as an amber-colored liquid.
•Chlorine is a chemical that prevents bacteria from growing. Chlorine poisoning occurs when someone swallows or breathes in (inhales) chlorine.
Chlorine, which reacts with water in and out of the body to form hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid. Both are extremely poisonous.

Chlorine is found in:

•Gas released when mixing bleach with some of the powdered cleansing products and ammonia (chloramine gas)
•Gas released when opening a partially filled industrial container of chlorine tablets that have been sitting for several months (for example, the first opening of a container after a pool has been closed all winter)
•Mild cleaners
•Some bleach products
•Swimming pool water (and tablets used in swimming pool water)

Symptoms of poisoning:
•Airways and lungs
o Breathing difficulty (from breathing in the chlorine)
o Throat swelling (may also cause breathing difficulty)
o Water filling the lungs (pulmonary edema)
•Blood
o Severe change in acid levels of the blood (pH balance) which leads to damage in all of the body organs
• Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
o Loss of vision
o Severe pain in the throat
o Severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
•Gastrointestinal
o Blood in the stool
o Burns of the food pipe (esophagus)
o Severe abdominal pain
o Vomiting
o Vomiting blood
•Heart and blood vessels
o Collapse
o Low blood pressure that develops rapidly
•Skin
o Burns
o Holes (necrosis) in the skin or tissues underneath
o Irritation


Home Care
Seek immediate medical help. Do NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by poison control or a health care professional.

If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.

If the chemical was swallowed, immediately give the person water or milk, unless instructed otherwise by a health care provider. Do NOT give water or milk if the patient is having symptoms (such as vomiting, convulsions, or a decreased level of alertness) that make it hard to swallow.

If the person breathed in the poison, immediately move him or her to fresh air.

Islamic Story 10: Success in this life and the Hereafter depends on your Correct Decisions

Prophet Dawood (as) was a prophet of Allah (swt) and a king. He had nineteen sons and every one of them wanted to inherit his throne. He agreed with one of his wives to nominate their eldest son to the throne. Allah (swt) commanded him not to appoint anyone, but to wait for His order.

One day, he was asked to decide in a dispute between Elia, who was a cultivator, and his neighbor, Yohanna, who was a herdsman. Elia complained that the sheep belonging to Yohanna had grazed in his cornfield and had eaten the vegetables, causing him a great loss. Yohanna admitted that it had happened at night while he was asleep. By the command of Allah (swt), Prophet Dawood (as) called all his sons and told them that whoever decided the case correctly, would become his heir.

Sulayman / Solomon (as), who was the youngest son, ruled that Yohanna would have to surrender to Elia the milk and the wool that he would obtain from his sheep during that year. Prophet Dawood (as) asked him how he had decided in this manner.

Sulayman (as) replied, "The sheep did not eat the plants, but only the fruits; thus only the produce from the sheep should make up for the loss."

Allah (swt) informed the Prophet Dawood (as) that the ruling given by Sulayman (as) was the best and he should be made his heir. Dawood (as) gathered all his sons in the presence of the learned people and chiefs of tribes and declared, by Allah's command, Sulayman (as) to be a prophet of Allah (swt) and his heir to the throne.
Prophet Dawood (as) died and Sulayman (as) became a king at the age of thirteen.

Tudung UMNO.......??????

Minggu lepas saya sempat terbaca beberapa tulisan dalam laman web yang pada saya ianya ibarat sindiran sekaligus ajakan kepada seseorang yang berprofail tinggi untuk memakai hijab, dalam hal ini tudung kepala. Amat disayangkan ada pula yang seakan mempersendakan ajakan ke arah kebaikan berkenaan dengan menyatakan bahwa apabila beliau bertudung kepala, "dikuatiri" ramai yang akan melabelnya sebagai tudung UMNO.

Lama saya pikirkan maksudnya. Pada saya benda ni terlalu remeh nak diperkatakan,tapi adalah satu kesilapan apabila kita tidak membaiki persepsi masyarakat mengenai nilai sebuah tudung kepala. Kalau dalam dunia politik, anda nak "berpecah', mengikut haluan masing-masing, itu saya tak kisah, tapi kalau bab Islam dan pelaksanaanya, jika ianya kerap sangat dipersendakan oleh sesama Muslim sendiri, bimbanglah pula saya, kita semua, hatta yang tak berdosa, terkena "adzab" Nya.

Pada saya, secara pribadi,prinsipnya senang sahaja:
berselendang kepala, lebih baik dari tidak menutup kepala sama sekali.
bertudung kecil, lebih baik dari sekedar berselendang kepala
bertudung labuh, lebih baik dari sekedar bertudung kecil
demikian seterusnya.

Meski ajaran Islam syamil dan kamil sifatnya, tapi dalam pelaksanaannya , tidak boleh terlalu dipaksa-paksakan, selagi dalam batasan yang fitrah. Ertinya, ada hukum hakam yang patut disegerakan, ada juga hukum hakam yang pelaksanaanya bertahap, termasuklah dalam pemakaian tudung kepala ini.

Sepatutnya tidak timbul istilah tudung UMNO atau tudung PAS dek kerana pandangan politik yang berbeza. Hukum Islam hendaklah dipandang dari sudut pandang sebagai seorang Muslim dan bukan sebagai pengamal atau pengikut mana-mana parti politik. Labuh atau tidak, tidaklah menjadi suatu kesalahan 'fatal', yang penting seseorang itu telah pun "berjinak-jinak' dengan hukum Islam.Di kemudian hari, barulah kita perbetulkan, perkemaskan kembali adab berpakaiannya sedikit demi sedikit, agar tidak timbul pula anggapan bahwa Islam itu "terlalu senang' sehingga boleh "dipijak-pijak".

Kerana itu apapun ajakan atau seruan ke arah kebaikan hendaklah kita sambut dengan serta merta. Jangan kerana marahkan nyamuk, kelambu yang dibakar. Sedangkan Tuhan Maha Pengampun dan Maha Penyayang, mengapa pula insan lemah seperti kita hendak berlagak menghakimi orang lain pula. Mari renung-renungkan. Wallahu'alam.