Hemigraphis alternata / Red Flame Ivy, spider plant

1. Tumbuhan menjalar, hemigraphis ni sesuai sebg tanaman tutup bumi. Tanam dlm pasu gantung pun cantik. Taken from K. Nosi/Mak Lang's place.

2. At the background, is a succulent (name? Mak Lang gak.) and another one, Spider Plant, chlorophytum comosum (Mak's house).

Euphorbia Milli (betulke spelling?)

Yellow Euphorbia milli. Have 2 plants and planted outside the perimeter fence.
1. Orange canna. Bought 3 plants but just 1 survive.

2 The cordyline fructicosa (red leaves) / jenjuang are at the back. Bought from previous home.
3. In the foreground is Excoecaria spp. with two different coloured leaves.

Majalah Laman Impiana - Hortikultur: Racun Organik.

Dua hari sudah, semasa membelek-belek majalah Laman di R&R Sg Buloh, terpandang segmen Resipi racun dan baja organik di cover page. Lebih teruja apabila 'resipi' yang dihantar, disiarkan pula di m/s 46 Edisi 23 (Nov/Dis 2009). Apa lagi terus dibeli majalah tersebut. Suami pulak tersenyum2...

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Weeding....

It didn't rain the whole day yesterday but the sky was dark. Rain came during the night. Took the advantage to do a bit of weeding. It helped for the soil was a bit soggy and loose thus making it easier to pull out the weeds. But, only a bit could be done. There are lots more.... Anyway, thanks to daughter no 2 and 4 for helping out!! Nanti boleh tolong lagi.
Two of my friends were discussing on gardening in the FB posts and yes, I took the time to interject here and there. Seronok bila cerita pasal gardening ni... Another sis (with her friends) helped to replant serai for a single mom.

Exam, Oh, Exam

Akhir tahun, sinonim dengan exam. Anak2 di rumah, sudah habis exam mereka dan menanti keputusa. Yg di IPT ada yang belum habis. Apa pun, doa mengiringi mereka samada sebelum, mahupun selepas exam. Tadi, di radio ada terdengar antara cara 'release tension' pelajar SPM ialah mengunjungi pusat karaoke. Tak sangka ke situ pulak perginya. Yg beragama Islam, dah penat study selama 2 tahun, apa lagi, marilah kita bertawakkal kepadaNYa. Agar segala usaha mendapat rahmat dariNya. Usaha dah dibuat, ketentuan di tangan Nya.
Kesempatan diambil untuk mendoakan anak2 yang akan menghadapi SPM dan STPM tahun ni terutama pada pelajar2 SPM di SMI Al Amin, Bangi.

Hujung Minggu

Ada rumah terbuka yang dihadiri termasuklah rumah terbuka Persatuan Penduduk Taman. Dua khemah didirikan dan makanan disediakan secara potluck. Alhamdulillah, makanan yang ada berlebihan hingga kami membungkusnya untuk dibawa pulang. Rezeki yang ada di depan mata, janganlah disia2kan.... Rendang yang dibuat dalam 2 ekor, tak habis pun. Dalam melihat2 juadah, terperasan juga akan kehadiran bekas Tupperware.. :-). B2B and Gloria.

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Gotta go back to the laman....

After neglecting the laman for the past few weeks, I think it's time to get back to it.
Dried leaves are everywhere.... Just pruned a few branches, cleared some dried leaves. Tended to the 'bunga kantan' and roselle trees. Time to germinate new roselles!! Will see what next to be done. A lot!!!

Oh yes, we found a new addition to the koi family. A golden coloured baby fish measuring about 5 cm. Paka found it when exchanging the kolam's water. Alhamdulillah.

The pic above shows the fish when Paka was exchanging the water. Can't find the small fry.... Besides the koi, there's one ikan bandaraya (top, left side).

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Bag of Goodies

Had a pleasant surprise yesterday, when we got a bag of goodies from Denso, Bangi at the toll plaza. There was rather a long queue at an off peak time leading to the 'tunai' lane. My children were saying this might be due to people balik kampung for Raya (and we were heading home after school!!). Nope, it was not. The cars had to slow down to get the Denso yellow bags.... Filled with road safety pamphlets. Part of Denso's corporate social responsibility.

We'll be heading to our kampung soon, and will see if we're lucky to get any goodies along the way. :-)

Selamat Hari Raya to all and take care.

Nasi Ulam

We had a simple nasi ulam for berbuka yesterday. The nasi was the usual boiled white rice without any santan added (some recipes use santan). The ulams were either from our backyard garden or bought. The ones that we used were serai kayu, daun gajus (Noni), limau purut, daun sambung nyawa, selasih (basil), mint and we had to get bunga kantan from the sundry shop. All were finely sliced plus also some onions and desicated coconut (tumbuk halus sikit with garam and some people guna gula merah jugak).

My other half brought home 4 ikan keli from Beranang, that had already been washed and he prepared them whilst I, fried them! Our 23rd wedding anniversary had no table laden with exotic food but a simple nasi ulam which each and everyone of us enjoyed!

(**Pokok kacang botol di tepi rumah.**)

Biji Benih Tak Tumbuh??

Dua hari sudah ada yang bertanya. Mengapa biji benih cilinya tidak tumbuh? Mungkin ini boleh menolong....

1. Mungkin tempat semaian terlalu panas, tidak bersiram.
2. Ada ulat, serangga perosak yang memakan biji benih?
3. Pastikan biji benih itu datangnya dari buah yg segar, bukan yang telah dimasak. :-) (seperti anak saya yg ingin menanam biji cempedak dari cucur cempedak!!!!)

Hope this helps.

Tidakkah kita ghairah.... ?

Tidakkah kita ghairah dalam menanti Ramadhan yang bakal menjelang?

Soalan itu membuat diri ini terfikir sejenak... Zaman kanak2 sudah lama berlalu yang mana puasa hanyalah lapar dan dahaga. Dalam usia yang menjangkau setengah abad, masihkah aku tidak ghairah untuk meraih segala pemberian yang tak ternilai dariNya dalam bulan yang penuh barakah ini. Pemberian yang bakal dibawa bersama untuk nun di sana....

InsyaAllah, penuhkanlah bulan Ramadhan ini dengan perkara yang mendatangkan keredhaanNya. Tadarus, tarawikh akan terus dilakukan. Namun, apa perkara lain yang perlu??? Oh ya, time management pun harus diberi perhatian.

Ahlan Wa Sahlan Ya Ramadhan!

Pergi Tak Kembali

Pabila bersendirian, muhasabahlah diri... Agar segala lisan, laku dan bisikan diredhaiNya.

Rabbani
Pergi Tak Kembali

Setiap insan pasti merasa
Saat perpisahan terakhir
Dunia yang fana akan ditinggalkan
Hanya amalan yang dibawa

Terdengar sayup surah dibaca
Sayunya alunan suara
Cemas di dada...lemah tak bermaya
Terbuka hijab di depan mata

Selamat tinggal pada semua
Berpisahlah kita selamanya
Kita tak sama nasib di sana
Baikkah atau sebaliknya

Amalan dan takwa jadi bekalan
Sejahtera bahagia pulang...ke sana
Sekujur badan berselimut putih
Rebah bersemadi sendiri

Mengharap kasih anak dan isteri
Apa mungkin pahala dikirim
Terbaring sempit seluas pusara
Soal-bicara terus bermula

Sesal dan insaf tak berguna lagi
Hancurlah jasad dimamah bumi
Berpisah sudah segalanya
Yang tinggal hanyalah kenangan

Diiring doa dan air mata
Yang pergi takkan kembali lagi

Biskut Oat

Bulan Ramadhan bakal berkunjung tiba... (Semoga aku sempat bertemu Ramadhan yang penuh barakah ini tak lama lagi...), tiba2 terasa nak makan biskut pulak. Hmm... Alhamdulillah, ramuan memang ada di rumah, maka jadilah biskut oat ni. Resipi yang memang simple ie tak payah beracuan.

Anak Selasih (Basil) - RM5 only

Anak selasih (basil) setinggi lebih kurang 1 kaki. Harga RM5. Maaf, gambar belum dimasukkan.

Daun selasih banyak digunakan dalam makanan Siam. Ianya boleh juga dijadikan ulam.

Anak Misai Kucing -- For Sale!!

MISAI KUCING UNTUK DIJUAL

Anak misai kucing #7 (Orthosiphon stamineus - betulke nama saintifik ni) ini disediakan oleh lamanoflife sendiri. Tanah hitam dan baja digunakan.

Setiap polibeg berharga RM5.

Untuk pertanyaan, boleh hantar ke ruang comment.

Produk dari BioHerbs2U

Produk HEBAT yang di cari-cari oleh SEMUA orang!Produk keluaran BioSirih adalah berasaskan Sirih. Sehingga kini terdapat lebih 30 produk kosmetik telah dikeluarkan oleh pihak syarikat. Produk-produk tersebut telah mendapat sambutan hangat dari semua pihak dari dalam dan luar negara seperti Brunei dan Singapura.
BioHerbs2u pula adalah satu rangkaian perniagaan memasarkan produk-produk BioSireh secara ( online ).
Dengan Modal Mula RM 30,Anda mampu menjana pendapatan Sampingan sehingga RM 35,xxx.00!
Untuk maklumat lanjut;
http://www.BioHerbs2u.com/niza

Perniagaan ini sungguh MUDAH. Cuma SMS dan EMAIL laman web anda kepada kawan2. Selainnya, kami buatkan untuk anda.
Anda juga di jemput menyertai kami dalam pemasaran produk HEBAT ini, juga produk-produk lain sebagai alternatif kepada menambahkan pendapatan anda dalam kemelut kegawatan dan kos kehidupan yang makin meningkat.
Terima kasih---
Layari http://www.BioHerbs2u.com/niza Kemudian klik di 'Daftar' untuk mendaftar keahlian anda.

Tanah Yang Sesuai....

Semenjak berkebun ni, ada juga tanah yang dibeli dari nursery yang digunakan untuk penanaman pokok. Ada tanah merah, dan ada juga yang hitam bercampur baja. Yang merah selalunya tiada brand. Boleh dapat dlm RM1.50 - 1.80 sekampit (tak pasti beratnya berapa). Tanah hitam + baja pula, ada yang dalam kampit kuning, ada yang putih dan ada juga yang tiada brand. Kalau tak silap ada yang 'berbrand' Jaya. Harga dalam RM2. Ada juga sampai RM4 dijual di sebuah hypermarket!!! Memang tak jadi beli... Apapun, nursery yang selalu dikunjungi ada 4 di Bandar Baru Bangi dan 1 di Pajam. Dari situ, bolehlah di congak-congakkan harga yang mana sesuai denagn isi poket!!! Agaknya di nursery mana boleh dapat yang murah lagi?

Of leaving the nest....

Another of our daughter left home to continue her studies yesterday. The location is not that far but it reminds both of us on how time flies (very fast indeed!) as we're approaching our golden years. Alhamdulillah, everything went as planned when we left her at her lodging (for the next one year!). The univ bus was already waiting to take the freshies back to campus to start their orientation week (or Ta'aruf Week as it is called nowadays).
Two weeks before were hectic especially for me. Scouted for pink cloth for her freshie's 'uniform'. Went to Nilai Square and purchased the materials. Not wanting to have both from the same material, we bought two types of cloth. Two mini jubahs were made by our long time tailor in Taman Tenaga, Kak Liah. Alhamdulillah, she agreed to make them.
A medical examination was also part of the requirement. We went to have her x-ray taken and other tests taken at Pusat Rawatan An- Nur, BBBangi. The nurses there donned surgical masks in preparation for any N1H1 eventualities. Good move indeed! Better be prepared then sorry...
Next, the LHDN at Hentian Kajang, Jalan Reko, to get 'setem duti' stamped on one of her forms. Paid RM10 per form, whereby we've three forms to be stamped! The process was ok, needed to feel a form, took a Q-number and waited for the forms to be handed back at one of the counters.

Mahallah Ruqayyah

Last week, I went to fetch my daughter at Mahallah Ruqayyah (pic). The semester was ending and she needed to vacate her room. It was like moving out of an apartment with her stuff filling the boot and the back seat! She went up and down, (countless to me), and when everything was done, I was as tired as she was.... Took lunch at the cafeteria... not bad for hostel food. And the TV there was blabbering a P.Ramlee's movie.

During my time, I just left some of my stuff or give it away, for moving places is such a tiring must-do! My tertiary edu involved me moving from Toronto to Waterloo and to Guelph. All in Ontario.
Ahh...the good ol' student days.

Tukar Biji Benih

Dua minggu lepas, anak bongsu mengutip benih ulam raja untuk diberikan pada rakan sekelas. Rupanya mereka bertukar biji benih! 2, 3 hari kemudian, anak pun membawa balik biji benih pemberian rakannya. Katanya kepada saya,

'Ma, ini biji benih daripada kawan adik.' 'Biji benih apa?' tanya saya.

'Biji benih togeh....' sambil menunjukkan beberapa butir kacang hijau kepada saya.

Hmmm... nak tergelak pun ada...

Apa pun, nampaknya mereka bersemangat mengikuti pelajaran Sains Tahun 2, mengenai tumbuhan!!

The White Jasmine

There was a news article last Saturday, on how some women could benefit from the planting of jasmines. It was in Raub, if I'm not mistaken and the function, officiated by Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen. Jasmines could be used in the cosmetic industries.

At home, we have jasmines planted near our kitchen window. In the morning, if there's a whiff of wind blowing, we'll have the priviledge of inhaling its wonderful smell.

The papers too, brought news on how two first ladies, Datin Seri Jeanne and Michelle Obama with their interest in gardening. Jeanne with her Laman Ramuan, filled with herbs while Michelle with her vegie patch. Hey, it's chic indeed to tend to your backyard... Don't you think so?

On your right is the selasih or basil. One of the many herbs that can be found in our edible garden.

Stretching the RM

This morning, we (my youngest and I) planted more kangkung seeds. In the next 7 to 8 weeks, the kangkung will be on the dining able, insyaAllah. From past experience, it seems like the kangkung can thrive in our backyard as oppose to the kailan. Yikes, I hate to describe the kailan..though managed to get a few leaves to add to the vegie dish!!

Now, am waiting to see the outcome of our 'kacang botol' / 'kacang kelisa'. The plant is thriving but haven't seen any kacang!! The roselle proves to be fine. Have been getting its drink and managed to persuade the children to drink them too. Hubby loves it. One way of stretching the RM! No need to buy the cordial in a short time anymore.

Racun Ulat Mesra Alam

Ada yang bertanya tentang racun ni... Dari pengalaman, ada ulat/serangga yang mati tapi ada juga yang survive!! Jadi terpulanglah jenis serangga macm mana... Resipi yang saya guna ialah:

1. Cili padi + bawang putih ditumbuk lumat.
2. Campurkan ke dalam larutan sabun basuh pinggan.
3. Tapis supaya biji cili dpat diasingkan.
4. Masukkan ke dalam botol penyembur dan tambahkan air mengikut kepekatan yang anda inginkan.

Selamat mencuba. Kalau yang lain ada resipi sendiri, bolehlah kongsi ye.

Ulam Raja

Bagaimana membiak ulam raja? Oh, tak susah.... Hanya melalui biji benihnya, yang akan didapati selepas bunganya layu. Gambar sebelah menunjukkan biji benih ulam raja. Apabila kering, biji benih ini akan jatuh dengan sendiri atau terbang ditiup angin. Kemudian pokoknya akan mati... Don't worry, pokok baru akan tumbuh tak lama lagi. InsyaAllah.

Anak2 telah memberi biji benih ini kepada rakan2 yang hendak. Hopefully, they'll grow. But trust me, it's not hard to grow ulam raja!!

Happy gardening....

Ziarah

Minggu lepas. salah seorang jiran telah kehilangan suami. Semalam, beberapa orang dari kejiranan kami ke rumah jiran tersebut untuk mengucapkan takziah dan memberi sokongan moral. Banyak perkara boleh dibelajar disamping pertolongan yang terdaya oleh jiran lain. Ada kalanya jiran mengambil tempat saudara mara yang jauh. Begitulah juga yang dianjurkan dalam Islam. Nasihat dan pandangan boleh diberikan oleh jiran yang berpengalaman.
Setiap dari kita akan menghadapi saat ini. Cuma kita tidak tahu siapa yang akan menyahut panggilanNya terlebih dahulu. Namun, bersedialah dalam apa cara sekalipun.

Majalah Laman Impiana - Oasis Pembaca

'Ma, ada hantar gambar ke Laman ke?' Begitulah ungkapan anak sambil membelek majalah Laman Impiana terbaru, keluaran Karangkraf.

'Ada,' balasku sambil meneruskan pemanduan ke arah Pajam. 'Dah keluar ke?' tanya ku lagi ingin tahu.

'Ha..ah...dahh... Eh, mama letak nama ayah sekali ye?' tanya Mar lagi.

Begitulah serba sedikit perbualan ibu-anak. Gambar laman dan sikit penerangan telah dihantar hujung Jan 09 ke pihak majalah. Tak sangka begitu cepat diterbitkan. Memang seronok bila artikel atau sebagainya di'print'kan. Lebih lagi bila teringatkan waktu jadi 'freelance writer' sedikit masa dahulu. (PS. Those who need writing services, do contact me!)

Yang berminat, silalah ke m/s 12, majalah Laman Impiana, Edisi Bumper, Mac-Apr 2009. Bukan apa, cuma berkongsi kegembiraan.... Mungkin satu hari, pembaca lain pun dapat berbuat demikian, insyaAllah.

Technology - Boon or Bane?

ICT was brought to my doorstep about 13 years ago to facilitate the admin work at school. I embraced it with enthusiasm after finding how it really helps to expedite things, both at work and home.
Next in line was the handphone. I got mine, a Nokia. Never mind, it was a hand-me-down, but it brought me the convenience of getting connected to others. A digital camera makes it easier for me to snapped pictures and having them posted on the Net and share with others.
Ahh... technology, a God-send tool....
God, the Creator, creates beautiful things. But, alas, human beings are known for destroying the beauty of things themselves. Where are our moral standard when we use the tech for purposes out of the norms? We are getting more into justifying our ends rather than the ways used. Are we not sensitive to the need of personal space or privacy among us? Is this the so-called civilised society that we are promoting in line with Vision 2020?
Blaming technology is not the answer. We need to move forward. Do some soul searching and you'll find the answer within yourself.

Alhamdulillah!

It was my birthday yesterday. Got wishes from family and a surprise gift from my daughters. I'm thankful to HIM for giving me the chance to be in this world. And at this age, you'll see life from a different perspective. For the better, I hope.

We Will Not Go Down (Song For Gaza)

Such a beautiful song. Summing up what one's feel towards the war.
======================================================

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)
(Composed by Michael Heart) Copyright 2009

A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

http://www.michaelheart.com/Song_for_Gaza.html

The All Knowing!! Ya 'Alim, Ya 'Alim, Ya 'Alim!

The whole family spent some time watching the eclipse of the sun last Monday (26/01/2009). Starting from 5pm right up to 7pm, we were in the garden whilst having our tea and doing a little bit of gardening!! Old strips of exposed films were used to see it more clearly. I was hoping to see the 'ring' but there was none. Only about 70% of the sun was 'blocked' at one time.

SubhanaAllah. HE is the All Knowing. The Creator of the Universe and far beyond. And yet, we are the Khalifah of Allah on this planet that HE creates. A heavy responsibility indeed.

'Dialah Allah yang menciptakan segala apa yang ada di bumi untukmu kemudian Dia menuju ke langit, lalu Dia menyempurnakannya menjadi tujuh langit. Dan Dia Maha Mengetahui segala sesuatu.' (2:29 Al Baqarah:29)

It's HOT....

Blue skies with no clouds.

Yes, it has been like this for the past few days...and my laman needs a lot of water. Kolam ikan pun nampak surut airnya.

Whew, tropical weather at its best!!!

Semua di alam ini atas perintahNya.

Frugality: A dirty word?

According to wikipedia, frugality among others is the practice of acquiring goods and services in a restrained manner, and resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services.

With a looming large number of unemployment in our country, the buzz words now will be cost-cutting, savings, spend (or the economy won't grow!!) but only on necessary items, just to name a few. Whatever word that you use, it will come back to a little bit of frugality. So, is that a dirty word, in times of economic uncertainties?

Anyway, just wish to point out certain measures taken by others and myself included. These ideas may be of good use for others too.

1. A local bank has sent out its monthly statement using both sides of the paper. Usually, 2-3 pcs of paper were used but the recent one was just a piece of paper.
2. Some cos has resorted to using e-statement ie going paperless. Another membership co had sent materials to both husband-wife in one envelope as opposed to two envelopes before.
3. Plant some veggies and herbs for your own consumption. Use up the idle area in your lawn/backyard. (For examples, you can go through lamanoflife). P/S We've also gotten our share of betik from our parents.
4. Find alternatives to what you've been using all these years (I know it's hard to some), which are cheaper and if you can, locally-made items.

I can only have my hands dirty when doing gardening. Frugality, a dirty word? Think about it and be honest to yourself.

Kangkung - A Tiny Way to Self-Reliant

Don't worry, I'm not about to become another food blogger... But, just sharing something on self-reliant. Hey presto, my 'kangkung masak kicap', with the veggie harvested from my kitchen garden. Yes, why not find a way or two to become less dependent on the kedai runcit, pasar basah or even the big hypermarket. It's not hard to find one way especially if you've the skill, good attitude and willing to learn. Let us be more self-reliant and less dependent.

My daughters' nasi cawan!! They were hushing to each other before we came down for lunch the other day and no wonder.... Our own ulam raja but the coleslaw ingredients were not though. However, it was self-made. This small thing can make eating at home fun and interesting.

Gaza

The dawn of the new year, be it the Muharram 1430 or January 2009, brought along almost misery to all. Barely a few days into them, we are greeted with the launching of fires from the Israelis to the Palestinians in Gaza. There goes again, another round of attack.
I read in the news about how a mom who herself was injured, asked the paramedic to stop treating her but instead concentrate on saving her children. A mother's love knows no boundry, even on her death bed. Pictures of children killed splashed in the news. These innocent children had their lives abruptly terminated when other children in other parts of the world are happy playing together oblivious to the adult's world. The price of being born a Palestinian?
Will this ever end? Only HE knows as to what lies ahead to these gutsy people. To the Muslim Palestinians, what ever happens, don't let this erode your Iman in HIM. May HE always look after all of you. Let this also be a test to your Muslim brothers and sisters worldwide on what true Iman is all about.

Roselle

Have planted 3 roselle plants and alhamdulillah, have used the flowers to get the roselle drink. Without sugar, it's quite sour but full of Vit C, I'm sure. Apparently, the plants are quite hardy when compared to other plants that we've planted. The soil suits them. To get the drink, I've soaked the whole flowers in hot water (not boiling) until the water changed colour to red. Did it 2-3 times until the colour has been fully extracted. The flowers are not thrown but used in the curry that I cooked later on, well ...to replace the asam jawa. Everything is trial and error, though the info on extracting the roselle was taken from an Agri Dept website. Hubby suggested that, the flowers be blended but I haven't come across any lit on it. Furthermore the flowers that are harvested were in small number. Planned to plant more so needs to get some seeds. By the way, a daughter has taken along a bottle of roselle drink to school today!