For William and Kate, 2 cakes are better than 1

Royal wedding plans announced Sunday show an admirable spirit of compromise: The main cake will be a fruity, floral masterwork designed with input from Kate Middleton, but Prince William will get his childhood favorite chocolate biscuit cake too.

When it comes to the future king and queen, two cakes are better than one.

Palace officials said the royal couple have chosen a multi-tiered traditional fruit cake decorated with cream and white icing that will be created by designer Fiona Cairns, a cakemaker to the stars - such as former Beatle Paul McCartney - who has built a thriving business since starting to bake at her kitchen table 25 years ago.

The actual design remains a secret, but the cake will have a strong British floral theme, developed with extensive input from Middleton. The master baker will use the Lambeth Method, a popular English style that relies on intricate piping and scrollwork to create leaves, flowers and other decorative elements.

Middleton asked Cairns to represent about 16 different blooms and types of foliage on the cake, each with a different symbolic meaning, a practice that was popular in the Victorian era, palace officials said.

"She has guided us right from the beginning and has quite strong ideas," said Cairns, whose business is based in Leicestershire, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of London. "That makes it much easier than a bride who has absolutely no idea whatsoever, which has happened in the past. But she knew very much what she wanted and she brought us mood boards and told us what influences she would like us to use on the cake."

Cairns said a number of flowers have already been chosen for inclusion.

"There is the bridal rose which symbolizes happiness; the oak and acorn - which is an architectural detail around the room where the cake will be - and which symbolizes strength and endurance; and there is a lily of the valley, which symbolizes sweetness and humility; and ivy leaves which symbolize marriage," she said.

A flower known as Sweet William is also on the list, she said.

The information about the cake clears up one of the questions about the royal couple's wedding day, but details about the rest of the menu and the wine and champagne that will be served still have not been released.

Cairns would not say how many tiers the cake will have, but said it would include dried raisins, walnuts, cherries, grated orange and lemon, and French brandy to soak many of the fruits overnight.

"This is exactly the same method you would use at home if you were making a fruit cake - we just use bigger batches," she said.

The cake is expected to be prominently displayed at the Buckingham Palace reception for about 600 guests that will follow the April 29 nuptials at Westminster Abbey. But guests will also be able to enjoy the chocolate biscuit cake, made from a royal family receipe and requested by William.

It will be made by McVitie's Cake Company, familiar to generations of British children for their tasty chocolate covered biscuits and other treats. The company has made made cakes for the royal family for decades, including the official cake for the 50th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Paul Courtney, the firm's cake designer, said the cake will have dark chocolate, broken up tea biscuits, and some secret ingredients.

"When Prince William was a young boy he would have it for tea and really enjoyed it," he said.

from: The Star online

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Kurangkan Berat Badan dengan Handfon Blackberry

Seorang wanita, Shelli Henderson telah memuat turun aplikasi untuk menghitung kalori yang berharga £1.99 ke handfon beliau dan bercadang untuk menggunakannya selama seminggu sahaja.

Beliau yang kini berusia 22 tahun telah mengalami masalah berat badan sejak berumur 16 tahun lagi.

Shelli menggunakan aplikasi tersebut untuk mengira pengambilan kalori beliau dengan memasukkan makanan yang dimakannya setiap hari.

Dia menggunakan maklumat tersebut untuk mengawal pengambilan makanan dan melakukan senaman, berat badannya semakin menurun.

Dari saiz 22 kini dia telah turun ke saiz 12, beratnya turun sebanyak 48kg. Dia telah menggalakkan kawan-kawannya untuk melakukan cara yang sama dan mereka pun mengalami pengurangan berat badan yang sungguh baik.

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From: www.thesun.co.uk

Kurangkan Kesan Radiasi

Jangan keluar dan tutup semua pintu dan tingkap. Cuba pastikan rumah kedap udara. Matikan suis gas. Jangan tinggalkan rumah anda.

Kesan radiasi dari Jepun dibimbangi akan hanyut ke selatan ke Taiwan.

Jika seseorang itu harus meninggalkan rumah, pakai topeng wajah, cermin mata hitam dan guna payung untuk menurunkan risiko pencemaran radioaktif.

Saranan lain adalah untuk mengambil pil iodin jika seseorang disyaki telah terdedah kepada pancaran radiasi yang tinggi. Pil yang diberi nama "Iostat" - mengandungi potassium iodide yang digunakan untuk melindungi kelenjar tiroid dari pancaran radiasi yang terlalu banyak.

Namun, seseorang harus mengambil pil iodin jika disarankan untuk melakukannya oleh pegawai kesihatan masyarakat. Mengambil pil ini terlalu banyak tidak akan memberi kesan protektif.

Bahkan, dos besar iodin selama tempoh masa yang lama meningkatkan risiko kesan sampingan seperti ruam kulit, pembengkakan, dan "iodism" - sebuah sindrom yang meliputi rasa terbakar di mulut dan tekak seseorang.

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Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami di Jepun

Pada petang hari tanggal 11 Mac 2011 yang lalu telah berlaku suatu gempa bumi yang kuat setinggi 8.9 pada skala richter. Kejadian berlaku di Pulau Honshu, Daerah Tohoku di kawasan-kawasan sepanjang pantai Pasifik Jepun bahagian timur, terutama di Miyagi, Iwate dan Wilayah Fukushima.

Ia mencetuskan gelombang tsunami sehingga setinggi 10 meter yang menyebabkan kerosakan besar dan korban jiwa manusia.

Gempa itu sendiri menyebabkan kerosakan besar di daerah berhampiran pusat gempa, serta kebakaran tersebar dan kerosakan di Tohoku dan timur wilayah Kanto, walaupun tidak menyebabkan kerosakan meluas di bandar-bandar besar seperti yang terlihat di Kobe pada tahun 1995. Tsunami, bagaimanapun, menyebabkan kerosakan yang luas di luar imaginasi di daerah pesisir di sepanjang pantai Pasifik Honshu timur laut.

Letupan dan kebakaran telah berlaku di loji nuklear di Fukushima Daiichi, letupan di unit 2 dan kebakaran di unit 4, di mana unit 1 dan 3 juga telah meletup sejak gempa kuat dan tsunami menghentam Jepun pada hari Jumaat lalu.

foto credit: www.japaneselifestyle.com

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Menjaga Kehijauan Alam

Pemilik haiwan peliharaan kini boleh menjaga kehijauan alam sekitar dengan menggunakan Kitty's Crumble and Kritter's Crumble keluaran Galuku Malaysia Sdn Bhd dan Progenesis Sdn Bhd melancarkan produk di Hotel Summit di sini baru-baru ini.

Produk pet litter (tempat buang air haiwan kesayangan) ini adalah 100 peratus organik, boleh dikitar semula dan mudah lupus kerana ia dibuat dari sabut kelapa.

Tidak perlu bimbang tentang bau yang tidak menyenangkan sebab produk ini mempunyai daya serap yang tinggi dan kawalan bau.

Produk yang telah digunakan boleh diguna semula di taman sebagai kondisioner tanah atau baja untuk rumput dan sebagainya, ini akan meningkatkan kapasiti tanah untuk menahan air.

Selepas digunakan ia juga boleh dicampurkan dalam proses membuat baja kompos dari sampah. Ini akan mengurangkan bau, mempercepat pembuatan kompos dan memperkaya kompos.

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Dining like a celebrity

ADIBAH-APPROVED! The bubbly artiste gives her thumbs up

It's been said that one of the best ways to appreciate life is to have good food. Of course in that matter, us being Ma­laysians, we can never deny the fact that most of our bitter sweet life experiences evolve around food.

From the simplest dish cooked by our mum and grandmother to the street food found around our neighbour­hood, good food always en­chants us to its serene feeling.

Besides nasi lemak which is one of the most famous Malay signature dishes, nasi ayam is another special delicacy served by the Malays.

Recently, we hung out with a local celebrity who is well known for her soulful voice and bubbly personality - Adibah Noor - who brought us to her favourite eating spot and introduced us to "the best nasi ayam in the world!"

Operating since 1997, Moon's Kitchen located at 10 Medan Selera, Jalan 3/3 Pan­dan Indah, Ampang is owned by Maznah Zulkifli, 60 and her son Mohamad Faizal, 37.

Together they sell nasi ayam during lunch hour and western food at dinner time. Maznah, also known as 'mummy' to her regular customers, starts operating the stall during lunch hour when hungry pa­trons make their way there to queue.

Having customers like Adibah Noor who keeps com­ing back for her nasi ayam is also one of the reasons why Maznah enjoys do­ing her work.

As for Adibah, the main reason why she only chooses Moon's Kitchen is simple. "It is the best chicken rice in the world. Well maybe not to others, but it is good enough for me.

"It's totally different when you have nasi lemak. The most important ingredient for nasi lemak is the sambal, but for nasi ayam, everything must be good and complement each other. The soup must be good, the chicken must be tender and yummy, the chili sauce and the soy sauce must have the great combination, the vegetables have to be fresh and crispy and the most important thing is, the rice must be at the perfect balance," added Adibah.

Ever since she moved to Pan­dan Indah six years ago, Adibah has been visiting the same nasi ayam stall until today. And sometimes when she gets tired of having the same thing, she will order grilled fish from the Asba Corner situated right be­side Moon's Kitchen.

"Sometimes if I don't eat nasi ayam, I will order from Asba Corner where they serve the best grilled fish. My favourite would be the grilled stingray and catfish. They also serve a great number of Malay delica­cies from Negri Sembilan such as Masak Asam Pedas and Ma­sak Lemak Telur," continued Adibah.

The celebrity also enjoys eat­ing out at Sri Paandi when she's in the mood of having banana leaf rice and would also visit Subway at the new complex, Axis Atrium which is also in Pandan Indah.

For Adibah, it's all about good food that satisfies her cravings. It's also not always about what food fills her up but the places that give her a more significant meaning in life.

One of the greatest mo­ments one can have in life is, definitely enjoying the best food with the right compan­ion, according to her.

Adibah who is already in the midst of processing songs for her third album, is now busy with her upcoming project with renowned director, Afdlin

Shauki.Moon's Kitchen opens daily except on Mondays dur­ing lunch hour. For those who would like to try their western menu, they are open everyday from 4pm until midnight.

from: Malay Mail

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Adakah Air Kelapa Baik Untuk Anda?

Air kelapa memang sedap di minum terutama ketika hari panas, dipercayai dapat menyejukkan badan dan menghilangkan toksin dalam badan terutamanya ketika kurang sihat atau mengalami keracunan. Isi kelapa muda lembut dan manis serta rendah kolestrol pula.

Ia juga dapat meningkatkan metabolisme dan anti penuaan.

Air kelapa juga disebut sebagai minuman yang paling neutral di antara semua minuman kesihatan, segar dan memberi tenaga. Ia mengandungi cairan kedua yang paling murni selepas air. Penuh dengan elektrolit, kalsium, kalium, magnesium tapi ia rendah kandungan sodium yang tak baik tu.

Permintaan untuk air kelapa meningkat di United Kingdom. Penjualan Vita Coco tanda laris air kelapa di sana, telah naik 1,200 peratus dalam masa setahun.

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Pewarna Makanan Boleh Akibatkan Kanser?

Ada empat jenis pewarna yang digunakan untuk makanan yang mengandungi karamel.

Karamel biasanya dibuat dari gula yang dicairkan dan dimasak hingga berwarna gelap. Ada juga sesetengah soda dan minuman ringan dibuat dengan memanaskan gula dengan ammonia dan sulfida di bawah tekanan tinggi. Kehadhiran bahan-bahan kimia ini boleh menyebabkan kanser jika diminum untuk jangkamasa yang panjang.

Pewarna makanan karamel tidak unik untuk industri minuman ringan sahaja.
Ia juga digunakan untuk produk berwarna gelap seperti bir, kicap dan wiski, dessert campuran, kuah dan produk bungkusan yang lain - tetapi pewarna karamel dalam beberapa produk ini tidak semestinya dibuat menggunakan ammonia dan sulfida.

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