Return of Fish and Banana

Well, after the very very long dry spell, the FISH is ready to return into action. Having learnt the lessons about life, human and so called friends, the FISH shall be stronger and better prepared haha..

Reach for the SKY..

How to Apply a Banana Hair Mask

Hair masks are thicker than conditioner and designed to stay on hair for up to half an hour. Banana hair masks are wonderful for your hair's body, shine and manageability. They even help prevent dandruff and flaky skin on your scalp. They tend to contain bananas, honey, and sometimes a few other herbal supplements to benefit your hair. As a result, they can be very sticky and slimy and must be applied with some care. In this article, we will discuss how to apply a banana hair mask.

Things You'll Need:
Thin bath towel
Hair brush
Banana hair mask

How to Apply a Banana Hair Mask

Step 1:
The ingredients in many banana hair masks sound more like dessert than a styling product. Brush your hair thoroughly. You are about to put honey and fruit into your hair, so you need as few tangles as possible.

Step 2:
Scoop a small amount of the hair mask out of the container. The blob should be no bigger than a small egg.

Step 3:
Work the banana hair mask into the roots of the hair around your face. Hold the scoop of product in one hand while you massage your scalp with the other.

Step 4:
Move backward across your head gradually. Right now you are only focusing on the roots of your hair. Your scalp will begin to feel cool and slippery and it will become harder for you to run your fingers through your hair. Scoop out more hair mask mixture whenever necessary. Do not skimp--this stuff will not keep!

Step 5:
Smooth an egg-sized dollop of banana hair mask into the hair above your forehead. Use both hands to spread the hair mask down your hair until it reaches the tips. Continue to do this until you have saturated your hair with the hair mask.

Step 6:
A turban locks moisture in for better conditioning and prevents your hair mask from becoming dry and brittle. Wrap the thin bath towel around your head and the hair so that the hair mask does not drip. Use a thin towel so that it absorbs as little of the hair product as possible.

Step 7:
Allow the hair mask to sit on your hair for 15 to 30 minutes. The longer you leave it on your hair, the more time it will have to interact with both your hair and your scalp.

Step 8:
Rinse the hair mask out of your hair using cool water. Do not use hot water or you risk cooking the bananas. You can either wash and style your hair as usual or give your hair a break by letting it air dry. You should see immediate improvements in dry scalp, shine and manageability.

Source: Carole Vansickle at www.TruthAboutAbs.com

How to Make a Banana Hair Mask

This mask is particularly good for strengthening long, thick hair that can be difficult to manage. Bananas are the perfect fruit for increasing strength, endurance and...shine? That's right, because bananas are the perfect "hair food." Your hair can be dramatically improved by a hair mask the same way that you will see immediate improvement in your face following a facial, and bananas are the number one ingredient in this particular strengthening and volumizing mask. In this article, we will discuss how to make a banana hair mask.

Things You'll Need:
2 bananas
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Essential oils
Blender
Spatula
Tupperware container

How to Make a Banana Hair Mask
Step 1:
Peel the bananas. You can save the peelings for another treatment or throw them away at this time.

Step 2:
Puree the bananas in the blender. Make sure that there are no lumps left in the liquid.

Step 3:
You can still see lumps in this hair mask mixture. It should go back into the blender until it has a smooth, even consistency. Add in the mayonnaise and olive oil. The liquid should become smooth and creamy.

Step 4:
Mix in 2 drops of essential oils. This will make your hair smell a little less like fruit. You can add more than 2 drops if you wish.

Step 5:
Pour the mixture into the Tupperware container. Depending on how much hair you have, you will have enough hair masks for one to four treatments. Save the rest in the Tupperware and store it in the refrigerator. Now, when you have about 30 minutes to spare, you can moisturize and strengthen your hair with your own banana hair mask.

Source: Carole Vansickle at www.TruthAboutAbs.com

Home Made Banana Face Mask for Oily Skin

This is a soothing face mask and great if you have bananas around the house.

Ingredients:
1 banana, preferably ripe (you can keep ripe bananas in the freezer. Let it thaw before using)
1 tbsp honey
An orange or a lemon

Preparation:
Mix the banana and honey together.
Add a few drops of juice from an orange or a lemon.
Apply to face for 15 minutes before rinsing with a cool washcloth or a steaming warm washcloth.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
So Far So Good!, September 3, 2009
By alleszq27

"I literally JUST made this and washed it off, (typing with Honey and Bananas on my hands) =], and so far it's great! All the awesome reviews really persuaded me to try this one. I've had terrible stress acne lately and this really seemed to calm all the redness and sensitivity. I was worried about it reacting negatively to my current face wash and lotion, but it's so mild, it worked very nicely. It does sting while it's on, but nothing terrible. Very nice. Hope it's even better in the morning. May try this a few nights a week."

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
face mask bout oily skin, August 11, 2009
By crystal96092

"OMG i loved it!!! it made my face so great i came out looking like a new person n lots of guys asked me out :) so but my friends noticed and they were surprised by the face mask :)"

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Works Instantly!, July 31, 2009
By paige_nicole

"i just used this face mask about 20 minutes ago. when i first read this, i wanted to do it but once i started making it, i got nervous. if this is you, dont be!! im so glad I did it! not only did it make my skin super soft, but it removed black heads, and my acne breakouts reduced in size and redness instantly. no irritations, no burning (and i have sensitive skin). I will definitely do this again!"

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Gross, but amazing outcome., July 25, 2009
By mirandika

"Erika: Okay, so when we saw all the other reviews we thought it would be really cool and make our skin really clean and soft, and that's exactly what it did, it's amazing. when you mix everything, it kinda looks like puke though, and the clumps are disgusting. it also feels kind of wierd on your face, but it's wayy worth it. It got rid of all our blackheads! yay (:

Miranda: when we first put it on, it looked like some baby barfed bananas all over our face. when we took it off a few minutes later, every single one of our blackheads disappeared! our skin is crazy smooth and I think I'll definitely make it again! =D"

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Banana & honey Mask, July 1, 2009
By Blueangel815

"I LOVE this mask! It REALLY cleared up my acne BIG time the next day. I have really oily skin and I break out with any oily foods. The mask was super easy and was 100% effective for me! If the mask "Stings" while you have it on it's because it's clearing up your acne. It is SO a life-saver for anyone who wishes to have clear and blemish-free skin! I would recommend it to EVERYONE!!!"

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Soft, smooth skin!!, May 18, 2009
By Gababa76

"I have not felt my skin this smooth and soft in years!! I used 1 small banana (bought 3 days ago), the honey and a few drops of ReaLemon concentrate. Mashed it up, caked it on, let it sit for 15 minutes and rinsed with warm water. I even licked my lips while the mask was setting and discovered it tastes yummy! I am going to attempt to salvage the remaining bit by refrigerating and use again in a few days."

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Skeptical, May 15, 2009
By velaineil

"I was really skeptical about this when I read it. Banana's and honey for oily skin? It was nice though. My skin feels softer and not greasy, and now it smells like a yummy banana!"

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
April 25, 2009
By smilinkdog24

"This is a very easy recipe and there was hardly any prep time. I could feel it start to work right after i put it on. It left my face smooth and i noticed less blackheads...although it was a little runny, it worked pretty good. :) I would try it if i was you"

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
banana mask, March 18, 2009
By sk8_boarder

"We did the banana mask we stuck to the recipe kinda. We used a whole banana and a lot of honey and then we put in peanut butter. The mask feels great but it looks really gross. It looks like you have baby puke all over your face. That’s not a good thing to say but it does. So you should try it."

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Yum! Success!, March 4, 2009
By CoLbErTfReAk

"My skin feels good! The face mask tastes as good as it works! I would definitely make it again. At first I was worried about it sticking in my eyebrows, but it came of easily and painlessly."

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Banana Face Mask, July 28, 2008
By KitKatKiz

"I found this very easy to make with lovely results my skin felt noticeably smoother and no blackheads were visible after the treatment. I would definitely recommend it as it is easy to make and has great results."

Source: http://beauty.about.com

Pisang dan Hati (Tazkirah)

Maryam, guru kelas Tadika menganjurkan satu permainan yang sungguh menarik untuk murid-muridnya. Setiap murid diminta membawa beg plastik yang berisi pisang yang tertulis nama orang yang paling mereka benci ke kelas pada esok hari. Jadi, jumlah pisang yang perlu dibawa bergantung kepada jumlah orang yang dibenci.

Keesokan harinya, setiap murid membawa beg plastic berisi pisang masing-masing. Ada yang membawa tiga biji, ada juga lima biji dan paling banyak lapan biji. Semuanya sudah ditulis nama orang yang paling mereka benci.

"Sekarang simpan pisang tu. Jangan lupa bawa ke mana sahaja kamu pergi selama seminggu. Inilah permainannya. Selepas seminggu, kita akan tahu keputusannya" beritahu Cikgu Maryam. Kanak-kanak tersebut menyimpan pisang masing-masing di dalam beg.

Hari demi hari berlalu, pisang tersebut mula berbintik-bintik dan akhirnya menjadi busuk . Kanak-kanak itu mula merungut dan marah. Mereka tidak menyukai permainan itu lagi kerana selain beg berat, badan berbau busuk. Ada yang menangis, enggan meneruskan permainan.

Seminggu berlalu, pagi-pagi lagi murid-murid Maryam sudah bersorak. Permainan sudah tamat. Tidak ada lagi beban dan bau busuk yang perlu dibawa.

"Okey semua, apa rasanya bawa pisang dalam beg ke sana ke mari selama seminggu?" tanya Cikgu Mayam. Semuanya serentak mengatakan mereka benci permainan itu. Mereka hilang kawan, sering diejek dan terpinggir. Lebih teruk lagi, terpaksa tidur, makan, mandi, bermain dan menonton TV dengan bau busuk.

"Itulah sebenarnya yang berlaku kalau kita simpan perasaan benci pada orang lain dalam hati. Bau busuk kebencian itu akan mencemari hati dan kita akan membawanya ke mana saja kita pergi. Jika kamu sendiri tidak boleh tahan dengan bau pisang busuk hanya untuk seminggu, cuba bayangkan apa akan jadi kalau kamu simpan kebencian sepanjang hidup kamu" beritahu Cikgu Maryam.

Maryam mengingatkan anak muridnya supaya membuang jauh-jauh perasaan benci daripada membebani hidup. Kemaafan adalah yang terbaik. Menyayangi lebih baik darpada membenci.

Moralnya, jangan letak pisang dalam beg. Jangan simpan kebencian, dendam kesumat dan apa-apa yang mazmumah dalam hati.. Macam pisang yg makin membusuk, begitu juga hati.

Sumber: Internet

Kertas Pisang

PULAU PINANG , 24 Jun (Bernama) -- Apabila penggunaan plastik disaran supaya dikurangkan, usahawan tempatan Sulaiman Ramli mendapat idea untuk menghasilkan kertas dan mempelbagaikannya.

Hari ini, syarikatnya Pisang Kraf, menghasilkan kertas daripada serat batang pisang untuk dijadikan beg, lampu hiasan, kad ucapan dan kotak hadiah yang mendapat sambutan hingga ke Australia.

Semasa program lawatan ke Pisang Kraf anjuran Kraftangan Malaysia baru-baru ini, Sulaiman, 42, menceritakan bahawa idea untuk menghasilkan kertas daripada serat batang pisang itu ialah daripada anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri Pulau Betong, Mohd Farid Saad.

"Ketika lawatan Mohd Farid ke Chiang Mai melalui program `Satu Desa Satu Industri', beliau berkunjung ke satu kampung dan melihat penduduknya mengusahakan kertas ini.

"Ketika itu Mohd Farid tertarik dan memikirkan jika ia dilakukan di Malaysia, amat menarik sekali, dan mencadangkannya kepada saya," kata Sulaiman.

BANTUAN FARID
"Memandangkan saya memang ingin membuka perniagaan sendiri, dan saya pula menginginkan produk yang belum ada di pasaran, berlainan, serta ada unsur kraf, saya sangat berazam untuk mengusahakan sesuatu," katanya.

Sulaiman berkata buat permulaan Mohd Farid memberikan modal kepadanya sebanyak RM23,000 serta ditambah dengan perbelanjaan sendiri sebanyak RM5,000.

"Selepas berbincang dengan Mohd Farid saya pergi melihat pameran di Pusat Seni Universiti Sains Malaysia dan melihat penghasilan kertas melalui serat batang pisang ini, dan dari situ saya sudah tanam hasrat untuk menjalankan perniagaan ini dan mendalami ilmu tersebut di USM," katanya.

Sulaiman berkata USM turut melabur RM1 juta bagi membantunya membeli peralatan di samping bimbingan yang diberikan oleh dua tenaga pengajar.

"Saya belajar membuat kertas daripada serat batang pisang ini hampir setahun," katanya.

KERTAS SERAT BATANG PISANG
Sejak mula lagi Sulaiman mempercayai bahawa produk yang diusahakannya itu mempunyai keistimewaan dan kraf memiliki potensi besar di pasaran.

"Saya merupakan pelopor pertama di sini yang mengusahakan kertas daripada serat batang pisang dan bagi memulakan usaha ini, lebih 40 hektar tanah digunakan untuk menanam pokok pisang," katanya.

Sulaiman berkata bagi menghasilkan kepingan kertas, batang pisang yang ditebang perlu direndam terlebih dahulu selama dua bulan bagi mendapatkan seratnya.

"Seeloknya gunakan pisang rawak kerana serat batang jenis pisang ini sangat baik berbanding pokok pisang yang lain.

"Kita akan dapat lihat serat yang terkeluar dari batang pisang yang kehitam-hitaman selepas direndam, yang kemudian bertukar kepada warna putih jernih," katanya yang mengusahakan perniagaan ini bersama seorang rakan kongsi sejak 2006 dan kini beliau dibantu tiga pekerja.

Proses seterusnya ialah serat batang pisang itu direbus selama satu jam sebelum di mesin.

"Serat batang pisang yang sudah dimesin akan ditekan menggunakan mesin hidrolik khas bagi membuang airnya, dan setelah menjadi kertas, ia akan dilekatkan ke dinding selama tiga hari, dan jika menginginkan kertas pelbagai warna, ia boleh diwarnakan ketika kertas masih basah," katanya.

POTENSI BESAR
Katanya sekeping kertas bersaiz A3 dijual dengan harga RM5. Dalam sehari beliau mampu mengeluarkan sebanyak 60 keping kertas yang melibatkan lima atau enam batang pisang.

Daripada kertas itu, Sulaiman memvariasikan penggunaannya dengan membuat lampu hiasan, kotak, beg kertas, kad ucapan dan bingkai gambar.

Menjadi adat, barang baru harus giat diperkenal dan Sulaiman gembira kerana Kraftangan Malaysia membantu membawanya mempromosi produk itu dengan menjelajah seluruh Malaysia.

"Setiap bulan saya akan mengikuti rombongan Kraftangan, dan syukur kini, produk ini mula mendapat perhatian," katanya.

MENGINTAI PELUANG DI HOTEL
Sulaiman berkata beliau mengorak langkah untuk menembusi pasaran bagi produk ini di beberapa hotel terkemuka di Pulau Pinang serta butik perkahwinan.

"Kini, kebanyakan hasil barangan saya mendapat tempahan Koperasi Keusahawanan Kampung di Balik Pulau, dan saya kini mula memasarkan produk ini di hotel dan butik di negeri ini," ujarnya.

Di butik perkahwinan, Sulaiman mempromosi lampu hiasan yang boleh digunakan pemilik butik bagi membuat hiasan pelamin buat bakal Raja Sehari.

"Ini satu idea baru dan saya harap lampu hiasan ini dapat didekorasikan di pelamin-pelamin, dan saya akan mengusahakan promosi penggunaan lampu ini di luar negeri," katanya yang meraih pendapatan dalam lingkungan RM3,000 hingga 5,000 sebulan.

TEMBUSI PASARAN LUAR
Sulaiman kini menjadi pengeluar dan pembekal kertas batang pisang terkenal, memandangkan produknya telah pun menembusi pasaran luar negara - Indonesia dan Australia.

"Di Malaysia permintaan kebanyakannya dari Alor Star, Kuala Lumpur dan Sabah, dan kini saya menerima tempahan dari Australia, kebanyakannya untuk lampu hiasan," katanya

"Harapan saya agar produk ini mendapat permintaan daripada banyak syarikat dan ingin mengeluarkan lebih banyak kertas berbanding sebelum ini iaitu dalam sebulan, 800 keping," katanya.

Sulaiman tidak menafikan pendapatannya kini jauh meningkat berbanding menjadi pemandu dahulu.

Sumber: Balkish Awang BERNAMA

Banana 101: The History

Touring a banana plantation in Western Australia about 20 years ago, I learned something that surprised me. Bananas do not grow on trees. They grow on tall herbs. In fact, the banana plant is the world’s largest herb. It’s mostly water held together with a bit of greenery. However, though bananas are herbs, many of their distant relatives are spices, including ginger, turmeric, and cardamom.

Another thing that might seem surprising, especially if you’re reading this in some cold, northern clime where bananas aren’t growing in your backyard, is that bananas, including plantains, are considered a staple food on the world stage. (Bananas are one of the two world’s staples—the other is coconut—that are not cereals or roots.)

The bananas we find in our grocery stores are hybrids—and, indeed, this is true of the hundreds of varieties of bananas found in markets worldwide. In the wild, bananas are full of seeds and not terribly appetizing. Most cultivated bananas today are descended from a hybrid created eons ago using an edible (though not ideal) wild banana known as the “monkey banana,” which still grows in the Malaysian/Indonesian region, and another wild species, this one inedible. Because of the relative unpleasantness of wild bananas, it seems likely that this crossbreeding took place fairly early in human history.

Wild bananas originated in the general region of tropical Asia, though scholars’ opinions vary, placing the point of origin solidly in Malaysia or giving it a range from eastern India through Southeast Asia. Based on recent archaeological evidence, there are even some scholars backing New Guinea, at least as the first point of domestication. Wherever in this region bananas started, they were on the move early, though for much of their early history, we only know where they popped up, not how or exactly when they got there. For the first several millennia, however, they stuck to the warm, wet regions of the Asian continent. The archaeological record indicates that bananas were being cultivated in the Indus Valley—a fair distance from home—by around 4000 BC.

Whether or not bananas started in India or were introduced early on, it is the first place bananas showed up in print—in Buddhist texts in 600 BC and in the Ramayana, one of the holy books of Hindu, in the 4th century BC. Bananas appear not to have ever made it to Greece or Rome. In fact, for a long time, the only European mention of bananas was in reports made by people who simply saw or heard of the fruit. For example, Alexander the Great and his soldiers encountered bananas when they invaded India in the 4th century BC, which we learn from the Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder, who described the fruit when he recounted Alexander’s exploits, though Pliny never saw a banana.

Banana cultivation appears to have been well established in China by AD 200. However, bananas could be grown only in the south of China and remained a rare delicacy in the north until the 20th century. This was actually a pattern that was to repeat wherever the banana moved—almost instant ubiquity in the tropics; rarity in the temperate regions, at least until modern times. Bananas also began to spread into the Pacific islands, moving outward from eastern Indonesia to the Marquesas and then island hopping, in the company of Polynesian mariners, to Hawaii.

Arabs, who controlled the spice trade for millennia, may have cultivated bananas in North Africa as early as AD 650, though no farther south than Egypt. The primary evidence of Arab familiarity with bananas is that the Koran identifies the fruit consumed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as being a banana. However, the banana came to sub-Saharan Africa with the Indonesians who began settling in Madagascar around AD 700. Because the bananas were carried directly from the Malay Peninsula to Africa, the original Malaysian wild species can be found in Africa. By the 14th century, the banana had spread to Africa’s west coast.

In 1402, Portuguese sailors encountered bananas in West Africa. Aside from adopting the fruit (carrying it off and establishing it in the Canary Islands), the Portuguese also adopted the Guinean name, banema or banana. It was from the successful plantations in the Canary Islands that the first banana plants were introduced to the Americas.

Friar Tomás de Berlanga, who would later become the Bishop of Panama, carried banana roots with him when he visited the island of Hispaniola in 1516. From there, bananas spread quickly to Central and South America. Here, as in other tropical regions, bananas, both sweet and starchy, became staple foods. However, bananas remained completely unknown in the United States until the late 19th century. Bananas were officially introduced to the American public at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, but the flow of bananas into the US had actually started a few years earlier.

In 1870, a sea captain from Wellfleet, MA, sailed into Jersey City with a 160 bunches of bananas he’d bought in Jamaica. The captain, Lorenzo Dow Baker, had bought green bananas, so the fruit was just reaching perfect ripeness when he reached port. Each bunch went for the then princely sum of $2—and they were snatched up by a public eager for new, exotic taste treats. Baker began making regular runs to Jamaica and soon, with the help of a 21-year-old Boston produce dealer named Andrew Preston, began to build the fleet of ships and distribution network that would become the Boston Fruit Company.

In 1873, a young New York railroad contractor named Minor Keith headed to Central America to help Costa Rica build a national railroad. This turned out to be a brutally difficult project, with 4,000 deaths, including Keith’s brothers, during the 19 years of construction. To help fund the project, Keith planted bananas along the route of the train and began shipping bananas to the US. In 1883, 110 thousand bunches of bananas were exported from Costa Rica. By 1890, the number exceeded a million. When the railroad was completed, Costa Rica couldn’t pay for it, so they gave it and the surrounding land to Keith. Keith, with his railroad and plantations, joined forces with the Boston Fruit Company in 1899, forming the United Fruit Company. By 1903, the company, which then controlled 75 percent of the banana sales in the United States, was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This was the beginning of what would grow into Chiquita Bananas International.

However, despite the efforts of ship’s captains and railroad builders, bananas were not widely or consistently available in most of North America (or Europe) until after World War I. But with the advent of refrigerated vessels and better communication, that changed rapidly. Today, bananas are the most popular fruit in the U.S., with the average American consuming about 25 pounds a year.

The banana (in its approximately 400 variations, including the plantain) grows in virtually every humid tropical region in the world—130 countries, more countries than any other fruit crop. Surprisingly, bananas are so important locally that many banana-growing countries export little or nothing of their annual crop. For example, India, which is the leading producer of bananas in the world, growing almost a quarter of the planet’s bananas, keeps almost everything for domestic consumption. In East Africa, annual consumption can be in excess of 400 pounds per person.

Bananas are exported chiefly by Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala—the so-called “Banana Republics.” (In fact, when I was in Ecuador, I learned that most of Quito’s taxicabs were purchased from Russia in exchange for a vastly large quantity of bananas, at a time when Russia needed food more than cars.) The only European country that grows bananas, oddly enough, is Iceland, where they are planted in soil heated by geysers.

Banana plants grow very rapidly, then produce one enormous purple to pink flower, which, when pollinated, produces a very large bunch of bananas. The plant then dies, and a new plant starts up from its roots almost immediately. Once they begin producing, the plants can produce continually for 15 years or more.

Of the estimated 85 million tons of bananas produced worldwide each year, approximately 30 million tons are plantains. Unlike the sweet bananas (most commonly designated “dessert bananas”) that we consume as fruit, the plantain is generally treated as a vegetable. It is starchier, less sweet, and needs to be cooked. Plantains can often be found prepared as fritters, battered and deep fried, or prepared like potato chips. Plantains appear in various tropical cuisines as side dishes, fried, sautéed, mashed, or baked. In some places, they take the place of the potato. In many places, immature dessert varieties are also used as vegetables.

So that banana you have on your cereal or in your lunchbox is actually a major player on the world stage, historically, culturally, and economically. Actually, it’s pretty amazing that so many of us get to enjoy them.

Source: http://worldsfare.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/have-a-banana/