Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Useful Tips for housewife -

Laundry Tips

Removing Scorch Marks On White Shirts Tips

Some scorch marks can be taken off white cotton by using 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Apply to scorched area with an eye dropper until saturated. Leave on shirt for 20 minutes. If the stain still remains, repeat the process until it disappears. Rinse fabric in water.

Note: Some modern white fabrics have fluorescent brighteners, which react in the sun and may yellow; so read the care labels before treating white fabrics.

Getting Grease Stains Out of Silk Tips

If you get a grease stain on your silk shirt, never fear! Just put baby powder over the stain and let it sit for a few minutes then dust off. VOILA! No more greasy mark!

Burnt Stuff on Iron Tips

Rub iron with aluminum foil to remove burnt on starch, etc.

Baby stain remedy Tips

Take a 12 oz plastic cup and pour it half full of liquid Tide then pour just about equal amount of Dreft onto that and mix it up and apply to ANY baby stain. I use a paintbrush to brush it onto my baby's clothes. Let it dry and wash normally. I've also gotten out old stains with it as well!

Fluffing Down Comforters/Jackets Tips

Put a couple of tennis balls in the dryer with them to reduce static and keep the feathers from lumping.

Cleaning Tips

Cleaning Your Telephone Tips

When you notice make-up and gunk on your phone and receiver, use an alcohol-soaked towelette to get it clean. Wipe weekly to prevent dirt and grime buildup on your phone.

Getting Stickers Off Glass Tips

If you've just bought new drinking glasses, you can remove those annoying price tags/stickers by spraying them with a lot of petroleum-based prewash spray or dab on baby oil. Let it sit for several minutes; then lift off or scrub with a nylon net scrubbie until tag and glue are removed.



Keep Drains Fresh Smelling Tips

Give this a try: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain and follow with 1 cup vinegar. It will fizz up. Wait for about a minute and then let hot water run down the drain. If drain is seriously clogged, you may need to call a plumber.

Stubborn Bathroom Stains Tips

Use a mixture of Cream of Tartar and hydrogen peroxide. By the time the paste dries, the stain should be gone.

Smelly Shoes? Tips

Put some tea leaves into a pair of stockings and stuff each into a shoe. Leave for a day or two and the smell just vanishes.

Getting candle wax out of carpets Tips

Its easy... Just use a cloth or brown paper bag... And iron over the stain... The candle wax will then transfer to the cloth or bag... Just make sure to keep the iron in motion so as not to catch the bag on fire...

Cleaning up broken glass Tips

If a glass item breaks and tiny pieces are lying all over the floor, its safest to pick them up with a handful of wet cottonwool, even the tiniest shards which you cannot see will stick on the cotton wool. I find this more effecient than using a broom and pan

Source : http://usefultips.net/Cleaning-up-broken-glass-Tip-73.htm













Sunday, August 24, 2008

Different Types of Coffee

Take a look at the different types of coffees that you can order in a Coffee House.
Have you ever wondered what they actually were? Below is a list of the different types of coffees you can order at most Coffee Houses.

CaffÈ Latte ......
[caf-AY LAH-tay]


Espresso with steamed milk and in some shops, a small cap of foam. It has less foam than a cappuccino.
Definitions blur easily here.

In Australia: " 'Latte' gets you a _glass_ with a shot of espresso and lots of milk and some foam - half way between a flat white and a cap. Seems to have originated as the breakfast drink of Sydney commuters. Has become infinitely fashionable due to the need for brass glass holders, which only the fashionable coffee houses have (the rest of us wrap the glass in a napkin)"

Kenneth Davids, noted coffee author, says that CafÉ au lait is simply the French name for CaffÈ Latte. He states that in Spain, this same drink is called CafÉ con leche


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CaffÈ Mocha ........ [caf-AY MO-kah]


A term of no small controversy. Depending upon where you are, ordering a 'mocha' might get you a 'latte' or a cappuccino with chocolate syrup or hot cocoa. On the other hand, it might just send the barista thermonuclear -- especially if the word 'mocha' is not on the menu.

Mocha was a port in Yemen -- a major coffee-growing country located in southwest Asia at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula -- and "it has NOTHING to do with chocolate!!!!!"

One contributor states "However, my dictionary lists Mocha as 'a flavoring obtained from a combined infusion of coffee and chocolate' usage as dating from the early 19th century (circa 1815 it says)"

For the record, the American Heritage Dictionary gives the following 5 definitions:

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Mo·cha n.


1. A rich, pungent Arabian coffee.
2. Coffee of high quality.
3. A flavoring made of coffee often mixed with chocolate.
4. A soft, thin, suede-finished glove
leather usually made from sheepskin.
5. Color. A dark olive brown.

Starbucks defines caffÈ mocha as "enough good quality chocolate syrup to cover the bottom of the cup, 1 shot of espresso [...] fill with steamed milk [...] top with a dollop of whipped cream [...] and lightly sprinkle with cocoa powder".

Finally, one reader sends us "When I was in New Zealand a popular coffee was a 'mochachino' which was made by adding hot chocolate to espresso, it was quite foamy (as foamy as the hot chocolate). " The term 'mochacino' (aka 'moccaccino') is also used some places in the US.

The best advice here is to check the menu before ordering or ask for a "cappuccino/latte with chocolate syrup".


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Cappuccino ......... [cap-uh-CHEE-no]


A shot of espresso with the remainder
being 50% steamed milk and 50% milk foam/froth. An alternative description is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 foamed milk. But again, this depends very much on the maker. Many places use more steamed milk and less froth. "Cappuccino is essentially a latte topped with milk FOAM." Another contributor states "The foam should follow the milk to the cup naturally. [if] It is added with a spoon then [it] is _no_good."

But just the opposite is true in other places. "I just started working as a barista, here in Berkeley,about a month ago. When I was shown how to make Cappuccino's, I was told that a Cappuccino has no steamed milk - only foam. The place I work is in a Hotel near UCBerk, and a lot of my customers are European. One Italian gentleman ordered a cappuccino from me, and I hadn't let the foam sit long enough and a *tiny* bit of milk seeped into the shot of espresso. He asked for another cappuccino, saying I hadn't made it right, so I asked him how it was done. He made another one, and it was a jet black shot of espresso with more than just a dollop of foam on top."

Referring to the above description, Geoffrey Maugham writes: "We have always referred to this kind of cappuccino as a "dry" or "light" cappuccino. You can tell the difference between a good 1/3-1/3-1/3 cappuccino and a latte by their weight.

Finally, some interesting history on the word cappuccino, according to the American Heritage Dictionary:

"The history of the word cappuccino exemplifies how words can develop new senses because of resemblance that the original coiners of the terms might not have dreamed possible. The Capuchin order of friars, established after 1525, played an important role in bringing Catholicism back to Reformation Europe. Its Italian name came from the long, pointed cowl, or cappuccino, derived from cappuccino, "hood" that was worn as part of the order's habit. The French version of cappuccino was capuchin (now capucin), from which came English Capuchin. The name of this pious order was later used as the name (first recorded in English in 1785) for a type of monkey with a tuft of black, cow like hair. In Italian cappuccino went on to develop another sense, "espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream" so called because the color of the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a Capuchin friar. The first use of cappuccino in English is recorded in 1948 in a work about San Francisco."


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Espresso Macchiato .. [mock-e-AH-toe]

Some say this is espresso with about
a half inch of milk foam (no steamed milk). But some strongly disagree. One enthusiast writes of the above definition: "Surely not. Macchiato (lit. "marked") is a dash of milk or cream in espresso." Another writes "the chap who serves me espresso, and who has been roasting coffee and selling and leasing machines for several years ....tells me that Macchiato is made with half-and-half."

From Australia: " 'Macchiato' has two variations here - long and short. 'Short' is an espresso (in the mandatory micro cup) with just a dash of milk. This is the default at most trad. Italian mum & dad restaurants. 'Long' is a _glass_ with two shots of espresso, and small amount of milk. The peak of macchiato making is to pour the milk in so slowly that it never makes it to the bottom of the glass. The resulting layered drink has been known to inspire fear in the novice drinker. This the default at coffee houses. Both of these _seemed_ to have started out in small glasses (about 175ml) but the fashionable have demanded ever larger glasses - of about 375ml.

Starbucks defines Espresso Macchiato as "1 shot of espresso in a demitasse [topped with] a small dollop of foamed milk.


******
Espresso ........... [ess-PRESS-o]


A 1-2 ounce drink made in by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Typically, espresso beans are darkly roasted but this is not a requirement.

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CafÉ au lait


Coffee and heated milk in latte proportions, but using 'regular' coffee (a.k.a. "American
filter coffee") instead of espresso. The 'regular' coffee should be brewed 'double strength' to better reflect the heavier brew ratio used by Europeans (in some places double or triple the dose used by Americans). Still another contributor writes "espresso with scalded milk is a unique prep. Someone here recently called this drink cafÉ au lait".


Kenneth Davids, noted coffee author, says that CafÉ au lait is simply the French name for CaffÈ Latte. He states that in Spain, this same drink is called CafÉ con leche.

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Breve
Espresso with steamed "half & half" (or cream)

*

CafÉ con leche
See CafÉ au lait AND CaffÈ Latte

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CafÉ CrÈme
The French name for Cappuccino

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Cafecito
A Cuban coffee drink made from espresso and caramelized sugar.

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CaffÈ Americano
Espresso diluted (after brewing) with an equal portion of hot water. Not everyone agrees: "Not necessarily. In many places an 'Americano' may be a 'regular' coffee from a coffee maker."Some definitions of Americano claim it is espresso being diluted with 'regular' coffee.

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CaffÈ Corretto
Espresso with a dash of an alcoholic beverage, e.g. sambuca

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CaffÈ Freddo
Iced coffee

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CaffÈ Lungo
A 'long pull' espresso. It is an espresso
diluted by allowing a longer extraction
thereby resulting in a weaker drink.

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Doppio
A double shot (4 oz.) shot of espresso

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Espresso Con Panna
[ess-PRESS-o cone PA-na]
Espresso with a dollop of whipped cream.

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Espresso Granita
Frozen espresso, crushed and served in a parfait glass topped with whipped cream. American versions combine espresso, milk & sugar and then freeze the mixture in special dispensing machines. This is also know as a Granita Latte.

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Espresso Ristretto
A 'short pull' (stronger) espresso. "A ristretto is an espresso made with less (half?) the water used for a regular espresso.

"It is a 'ristretto' or restricted shot, where the flow of water is turned off early giving a .75 to 1 oz shot instead of a 1.5 to 2 oz shot. VERY stout."

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Espresso Romano
Espresso with a slice of lemon on the side.

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Granita Latte
See Espresso Granita

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Iced Cappuccino


A single or double shot of espresso over crushed ice with an once or two of cold milk and milk froth.

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Iced Espresso
Usually a double shot of espresso over crushed ice, possibly with whipped cream.

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Latte Macchiato
Author Kenneth Davids defines this as "a glass filled with hot frothed milk, into which a serving of espresso is slowly dribbled. The coffee colors, or stains the milk in faint, graduated layers, darker at the top shading to light at the bottom, all contrasting with the layer of pure white foam at the top."

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Lattecino

Espresso with steamed milk and about a half inch of milk foam on top. (NOTE: This is commonly served as "latte" in some parts of the country.) Some enthusiasts feel this name is a pretentious invention by overly imaginative coffee shops.

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Moccaccino
See Mocha Latte (and also CaffÈ Mocha)

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Mocha Latte
Acording to Kenneth Davids, "a milkier version of the classic [CaffÈ] Mocha. If I were to suggest proportions for this invention, they would be one-quarter properly strong espresso, one-quarter properly strong chocolate, and one-half milk and froth."

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Moka/Mokka
The kind of coffee you get when you use a stove top espresso maker. "It's not quite espresso, so it doesn't really fall under that category." Don't confuse this with 'CaffÈ Mocha' listed above.


Source : Namastecafe.com

Source of Image : Crestock.com

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Bagaimana Untuk Hidup Sihat dan Awet Muda


Sewaktu usia semakin memanjat tinggi, perubahan fizikal semakin ketara. Kedutan di wajah, rambut beruban, gigi banyak yang tanggal, mata menjadi rabun, pendengaran semakin kurang jelas, tubuh badan semakin membongkok, dan kekuatan fizikal yang terhad. Keadaan ini membuat anda takut untuk menghadapi masa tua.

Setiap orang akan menghadapi masa tua jika umurnya panjang. Sebagai persediaan menghadapi usia emas ini, pelbagai usaha dibuat untuk mempertahankan kesihatan dan kecantikan yang ada. Bak kata orang, 'sediakan payung sebelum hujan'. Proses ketuaan setiap orang itu berbeza. Ia bergantung kepada faktor genetik dan kesihatan.

Kini terdapat pelbagal rawatan kecantikan, perubatan moden mahupun tradisional yang menawarkan wajah kekal cantik biarpun sudah dimamah usia. Di samping itu, banyak panduan diberikan untuk tampil sihat dan cergas. Ada yang sanggup membelanjakan wang yang banyak untuk kelihatan cantik, sihat dan cergas.

Ada kalanya gaya hidup seseorang membuatkan dirinya nampak lebih tua, seperti mengambil minuman keras, merokok, pengambilan makanan berlemak, diet tidak seimbang, tekanan, dan mempunyal sikap negatif. Manakala individu bersikap positif dan mempunyai psikologi yang sihat dapat melambatkan proses penuaan.

CARA-CARA MELAMBATKAN PROSES PENUAAN

  1. Diet dan makanan tambahan - Pengambilan makanan secara seimbang dan teratur dapat mengekalkan kesihatan. Elakkan obesiti dengan mengambil makanan rendah lemak, dan lebihkan sayur-sayuran. Dapatkan maklumat piramid pemakanan untuk dijadikan panduan pengambilan makanan seharian.

  2. Pengambilan makanan tambahan seperti vitamin E dapat melambatkan proses penuaan. Ia dapat melindungi kemusnahan sel dan membantu kesihatan sel-sel tubuh. Selain itu, makanan tambahan lain termasuk selenium, vitamin C, beta-karotin, L-Cysteine, asid folik, zink dan sebagainya diambil dengan betul dapat melambatkan proses penuaan.

  3. Herba dikatakan baik untuk pengaliran darah. Antara herba yang popular untuk kegunaan kesihatan seperti bawang putih, ginseng, dan lada. Contohnya bawang putih dikatakan dapat mencegah daripada demam selesema, gangguan pernafasan dan penyakit usus. Pada masa kini herba banyak digunakan untuk produk kesihatan dan kecantikan. Sebelum menggunakan produk herba, anda perlu pastikan kualiti produk dapatkan maklumat daripada pakar berkaitan.

  4. Senaman berterusan boleh meningkatkan ketahanan fizikal dan mental. Ia bukan sahaja mengurangkan berat badan, malahan tekanan darah rendah, mengurangkan tekanan, mengawal tahap gula serta meningkatkan sistem imuniti. Dengan melakukan senaman selalu, anda akan menjadi sihat serta nampak lebih muda. Jangan lupa, lakukan juga senaman wajah.

  5. Untuk menguatkan daya ingatan, amalkan tidur yang cukup, minum air sekurang-kurangnya lapan gelas sehari, makan makanan seimbang, serta melakukan latihan. Sebagai tanda peringatan, senaraikan perkara yang hendak dilakukan dalam buku nota dan rujuk setiap pagi dan kemaskinikan selewat-lewatnya sebelum tidur.

  6. Jika ingin berbadan kurus dan langsing, pastikan wajah anda tidak terlalu cengkung. Ia akan kelihatan nampak lebih tua dan usia sebenar. Ini kerana kulit pada wajah lebih nipis berbanding dengan bahagian tubuh yang lain. Kurus tidak semestinya lebih cantik dan kesihatan diri itu yang lebih penting.

  7. Tetapkan waktu untuk tidur. Ia akan mendisiplinkan diri anda untuk mendapat rehat yang secukupnya. Tandanya, anda rasa segar apabila bangun pagi. Kurangkan tekanan dengan mengamalkan gaya hidup sihat dan bersikap positif.

  8. Banyakkan minum air bersih. Ini kerana kandungan air dalam badan sangat tinggi. Contohnya otak mengandungi 95 peratus air, darah 82 peratus air dan paru-paru 90 peratus air. Pengambilan air yang mencukupi dapat menajamkan pemikiran, mengelakkan penyakit dan kulit menjadi lebih cantik.

  9. Penampilan diri menarik apabila bijak memilih fesyen pakaian dan aksesori. Ia dapat mengawal usia secara psikologi. Anda boleh merujuk kepada media untuk memilih fesyen yang sesuai. Sebaiknya sesuaikan pemilihan pakaian dengan usia, kerjaya, keadaan persekitaran dan latar belakang keluarga.

  10. Gunakan pelembap dan pelindung matahari untuk penjagaan kulit. Sekurang-kurangnya anda perlu mengenakan pelembap pada setiap pagi. Penjagaan kulit secara keseluruhan juga penting untuk menyingkirkan sel-sel kulit yang mati serta daki yang degil. Dapatkan produk penjagaan diri yang sesuai dengan anda. Jika tidak pasti, anda boleh tanyakan kepada ahli farmasi, dan pakar kuit. Penuaan pada kulit disebabkan oeh pendedahan cahaya matahari (dan jam 10 pagi hingga 3 petang) dan keadaan alam sekitan yang tercemar.
Source: Blog Macam-macam

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Mental Feng shui

This is true, even if you are not superstitious, agnostic, or otherwise faith impaired.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely

TEN..
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN.
Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and

great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose,

don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.


NINETEEN.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone
..