Gawk, Gawp, Gawky

Gawk: stare stupidly

 Gawp: stare stupidly; gape

 Gawky: clumsy; awkward

Places of Worship: National Mosque

Located near the Old KL Railway Station, the National Mosque or Masjid Negara is probably the most outstanding modern mosque in Kuala Lumpur. Standing out from the rest, with its unique star-shaped dome, representing the 13 states of Malaysia and the five pillars of Islam. The mosque, with the capacity to hold 10,000 people, is seated proudly among 13 acres of beautifully landscaped ground, with gardens and fountains. Visitors are allowed into the mosque - but they must dressed in an appropriate manner as a matter of respect in this special place of worship. Robes and headscarves can be borrowed at the entrance; there is a separate entrance for women.

*Jalan Hishamuddin

*09:00 to 12:30, 14:00 to 15:30 and

  17:00 to 18:30 (for tourists)

*Take the KTM Komuter train to the Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.

  The museum is 10 minutes walking distance from the station, overlooking

  the Islamic Arts Museum.

Gum Arabic Glue

 

This glue is used for sticking soft pieces of paste to other pieces of soft or firm paste. It will dry more quickly than egg white. This glue does not keep well so make you are advice to make in a small quantity.

Mix 1 part gum Arabic with 3 part of cold water. Leaves to dissolve.

The truth about MSG

First of all, a message to Ajinamoto: Please call off your lawyers. I am a man of straw. And neither am I well enough known to be made an example of. To set the record straight, MSG does not make mice's head explode. Nor is it in any way toxic, at least no more than, say, salt. The US Food and Drug Administration has indeed given it the all-clear, as have the UN and European Union. It turns out that the studies carried out in the sixties purporting to show MSG had adverse side effects had involved giving mice absurd quantities of the stuff, equivalent to an adult eating half a kilo. So, while even Ajinamoto concedes some people might have an adverse reaction to MSG, it is no more than are allergic to aubergines, say, or sofas. MSG is merely a man-made glutamic acid made by fermenting carbohydrates and sugars, nothing more, nothing less.

          Now, to umami. Umami and MSG are inextricably linked, but are by no means the same thing. Umami is usually referred to as the fifth taste, after salty, sweet, bitter and sour (although some neuroscientists claim there are fifty or more tastes, but let's not get into that. It has taken long enough for the Japanese to convince the world that umami exists). When Ikeda identified it in konbu he wrote: 'An attentive taster will find out something common in the complicated taste of asparagus, tomatoes, cheese, and meat, which is quite puculiar and cannot be classed under any of the well defined four taste qualities, sweet, sour, salty and bitter.' It is not confined to Japanese foodstuffs. Cheese - parmesan in particular - and tomatoes have a powerful umami flavour, as do air-dried ham, veal stock, consomme, and Worcestershire sauce. Baby milk is rich in umami (far more than cow's milk), as is the crust on grilled or fried meat. In fact, it is often easier to describe what umami is by listing the things that are full of umami flavour, as people do tend to tie themselves up in knots on this subject - 'savoury' and 'meaty' are the words most often employed, but often the Japanese resort to translating it as 'delicious', or 'tasty'.

~Michael Booth (Sushi & Beyond: What the Japanese know about Cooking)

Pictures taken with nikon p7000 (2)

presint 11, putrajaya

view at hudaibiyah, mekah

view outside manazel al-waleed hotel, mekah

*** i'm using my own p7000

Pictures taken with nikon p7000 (1)

*** i'm using my own p7000

Explanation of the effectiveness of the Islamic prayer

Here is an explanation of the effectiveness of the Islamic prayer:

1. It strengthens belief in the Existence and Goodness of God and transmits this belief into the innermost recesses of man's heart.
2. It enlivens this belief and makes it constructive in the practical course of life.
3. It helps a person to realize his/her natural and instinctive aspirations to greatness and high morality, to excellence and virtuous growth.
4. It purifies the heart and develops the mind, cultivates the conscience and comforts the soul.
5. It fosters the good and decent elements in man, and suppresses the evil and indecent inclinations.
6. It restrains from shameful and unjust deeds.

~Hammudah 'Abd al 'Ati