Melamine inside: Mali Condensed Milk

The Nation reports that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) today found high levels of melamine in unsweetened condensed skimmed milk with palm oil formula produced by The Thai Dairy Industry, under the Mali brand.



"The FDA said the manufacturing lot of milk, which carries the expiry date of January 16 2009, was found to be contaminated with melamine at the rate of 92.82 milligram per kilogram.

FDA impounded 150,000 cans of the lot and ordered all shops to take the milk from the lot out of their shelves immediately." (The Nation)

From what I've seen in supermarket stores, Mali Unsweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk is sold in tin cans with a Net weight of 405 grams. Its main ingredients are Skimmed Milk Powder 17.7% and Butter Butter 7.8%, but it does not seem to contain any Palm oil. I haven't noticed Mali cans with palm oil formula before, so I guess they might not look the same as in the picture above.

The Mali brand has been sold since many years in Thailand and Mali is commonly used in preparing food, dessert, beverages, bakery and pastry. Mali has been one of my favorite brands all along.

Melamine is making surprise appearances these days, as seen in another report by The Nation after Swiss authorities found a high concentration of melamine in S&P milk cookies from Thailand.

Tough job for the FDA, as it is too busy studying samples of wheat flour, butter, milk-based products, powdered milk and now cookies.

I wish there was a melamine test kit easily available so that I could perform my own testing before munching those cream filled cookies I bought form Indonesia.

Next on the PAD's shopping list

The next item that should soon be added to the PAD's (People's Alliance for Democracy) shopping list is yellow tear gas masks. And lets hope it's not going to be from China if it is to be 100% effective. Who knows what's going to be the next deadly gas released by the riot police?



It should be easier to distinguish them from any third hand(s). They will also be able to maintain strict code compliance with regard to their existing yellow scarves, yellow head-bands, yellow shirts and all the other yellow demonstration accessories, with Ku-Chart "Salvage the Nation" (Thai: กู้ชาติ) words on them.



It's not going to be easy to find yellow gas masks, but the one below should do

Thai gold prices rise, gold rush part deux

People in Bangkok are rushing to Yaowaraj, this time to sell off their gold for a quick profit after the Thai Gold prices have increased to 13,700 Baht per 1/2 ounce yesterday, making it the highest selling price this month.



There was a gold rush on September 11th, after the gold prices fell to their lowest this year, at 12,600 Baht. People who bought gold back then are now making a profit of almost a thousand Baht for every Gold Baht (1/2 ounce) they sell.

Since the Lehman Brothers crisis, investors are investing in gold and avoiding the stock market. Gold prices fluctuated a lot after foreign financial institutions sold off their shares and invested in gold. Fluctuating prices were caused by world gold prices which are changing by 30 to 40 US dollars in a single day.

Jitti Tangsithipakdi, president of the Thailand Gold Traders Association, said the gold situation was critical and price adjustments are taking place twice on some days.

You can check the Thai gold prices daily at the official website of the Gold Traders Association of Thailand (Thai: สมาคมค้าทองคำ). This is a direct link to the English language version of the website, but you can find more news and information about Thailand's gold market in the Thai version of the website. If you want to view the historical gold prices, you can switch to the Thai version and click on the link with the Thai word "ราคาทองคำ" or "ราคาทองคำแท่ง".

Warning: Profit-takers and investors, beware of fluctuating prices!

Gold Rush at Yaowarat as gold prices fall

Bangkokians have been flocking to Yaowarat Road in Chinatown to buy gold since yesterday, after gold prices fell to their lowest this year. Chinatown is an old business district in Bangkok lined up with many small streets and alleys full of shops selling gold and all types of goods around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. It has been the Chinese community's main trading center.



Thailand's gold price fell to 12,650 Baht per 1/2 ounce yesterday, that's the lowest selling price this year. Lots of people headed to gold shops in Chinatown and other parts of Bangkok to purchase gold bars and various gold jewelry. Many gold shops reportedly sold out all their gold bars.

Today the Thai gold prices have dropped by another 50 Baht to reach 12,600 Baht, another new low this year. The real-time gold prices are lower than 12,600 Baht, but most gold shops don't follow real-time prices, instead update their gold prices on an hourly basis.

In Thailand, all gold chains, necklaces, bracelets and other gold jewelry items are called "Baht Gold". Gold is sold as "Baht Units" which is approximately 15.16 grams or 1/2 ounce in weight.

I have personally been to several gold shops in Yaowarat Road and seen gold bars being sold in units of 1 Baht, 5 Baht, 10 Baht and 20 Baht, though the 1 Baht gold bars are sold in very few shops.

Thailand's gold is 96.5% pure gold by product weight (23K), which makes it one of highest gold content jewelry products produced anywhere in the world today. This is why Thailand's gold receives worldwide recognition.

Thai group Labum Lopburi perform at Wellington's first SE Asia night market

Wellington's first Southeast Asian night market at the TSB Bank Arena, Queens Wharf, Wellington CBD, on Saturday night, August 16, 2008, was attended by around 20,000 people.

Performers from the Thai group Labum Lopburi were among dozens of entertainers that made Wellington's first Southeast Asia night market a glittering success.


(Photo credit: Andrew Gorrie/The Dominion Post)

The night market, a feature in many Southeast Asian cities, included food stalls, martial arts demonstrations, puppetry, traditional Asian games, music and entertainment. Amongst the highlights were Wayang Kulit puppeteers from Indonesia, Thai kick boxing, Philippine and Vietnamese martial arts, and a specialist Batik printer from Malaysia.







The free family event, a joint project by Wellington City Council, the Asia New Zealand Foundation and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) focused on Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Cambodia and Myanmar. The arena could hold 3000 people at any one time, and hundreds queued to get into the venue.



Source: The Dominion Post

Bush buys Egyptian shirts from Bangkok's Presidential Tailor shop Rajawongse Clothier

George Bush orders 5 Egyptian cotton shirts in blue and white from a Bangkok Tailor shop called Rajawongse Clothier run by two turbaned Sikhs, Victor, and his father Jesse Gulati. Their shop is conveniently located near Nana BTS Skytrain station in the heart of Bangkok at No. 130 Sukhumvit Road, next to the Landmark Hotel (near Sukhumvit Soi 4). The shirts will be picked up by U.S. Secret Service agents.



The Bush family has had close ties with the tailors, who over the years have turned out clothes for not only the current president, but also his father George H. W. Bush and other family members.

George H.W. Bush stopped by in December 2006 with his wife Barbara in the picture below




"This time, I don't think he will have time to have a suit made," said Victor Gulati. "Besides, we would have to remeasure him.". But just in case, Victor and his father, Jesse, are standing by their mobile phones during Bush's 24-hour visit to Thailand, which ends today evening. "If he does order a suit, they'll tell us at the last minute. They always keep these things quiet," Victor said, recalling the time the senior Bush gave them half an hour's notice before coming to the shop in 2006 to order jackets for his sons and himself.



The president's own previous order of 2 suits and 5 shirts was executed during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2003, when the tailors had 3 days' time for fittings. Jesse, who enjoyed a breakfast with the president during the summit, indicated that the president's shape may have changed since, so new measurements would be needed.

The Gulatis' database of such vital statistics includes names such as one-time presidential hopeful Senator John Kerry and ex-U.S. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge, along with some of the world's top spies, diplomats and secret service agents. "They (secret service agents) like their suits a bit loose," Victor noted.

From reports, the place has earned the seal of presidential approval, now being referred to as "Bangkok's Presidential Tailor" and the price seems to be just right. Bush junior will be presented with a US$150 bill for the five shirts he ordered.

Canon EOS 450D DSLR camera, top on my list!

The Canon 450D (Digital Rebel XSi) is finally here with the Thai price at 27,900 Baht (Kit includes Lens 18-55 mmIS + 1GB SD card). One of my friends is getting one for just 25,500 Baht somewhere in Ladphrao, I think he said Powerbuy Central Ladphrao. I just can't wait to get my hands on this one!

Here are some highlights that make this one interesting:

• 3.0" LCD with Live View shooting
• 12 megapixels
• DIGIC III image processor
• New and improved 9-point wide-area AF system
• 3.5 fps continuous shooting
• SD/SDHC storage
• New higher capacity battery with built-in secondary battery
• Built-in, retractable, auto pop-up flash
• Flash-ready Indicator
• Compact and Lightweight body - 475g (body only no battery)
• Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites
• User-defined My Menu tab for instant access to frequently used settings

All these features make it highly recommended and irresistible.



The EOS 450D is designed to make photography a fluid experience for photographers of all levels and experience. It features an improved grip design that provides a natural, ergonomic fit with the user’s hands. Several custom functions are available to optimise the quality of photos captured in a range of situations. Photographers can also enable additional noise reduction for shots captured at high ISO speeds. A new high capacity battery extends shooting time on a single charge to a maximum of 500 shots!

I'm not a plastic bag, who am I?

Got this bag from Home Fresh Mart at The Mall Bangkapi. It says "I'm Not a plastic bag". It is made out of cloth, looks cool.

Shopping Cart handlers on duty

Shopping cart handlers moving all the carts to its parking bay at a Bangkok retail store called Carrefour

A-Ha Coffee, that's the way (aha aha) I like it

Been drinking this A-Ha brand coffee this entire week! It's a cappuccino + chocolate ready to drink cold coffee (200ml) which is quite tasty, I used to drink it months ago and stopped, and now I'm back at it once again. It's available at every 7-Eleven store! This one tastes unique.

Somebody please take them off the shelves so that I stop buying them, they're just irresistible!

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