What is in the food you are eating?

More than a month ago, I left quarter can of evaporated milk in the kitchen. I opened the top and left it there thinking that mold will grow and ant will come to make a feast out of it. But I was surprised that after a few days, nothing came to have free meal. I continue to leave it there and finally, after more than a month, some black mold formed.  I decided to scrape the brown solid which has now formed.

 So what did the manufacturer added into the evaporated milk to make it so poisonous to mold and other insect? Looking at the label reviews literally nothing!

For the benefit of those who don't understand bahan-bahan (ingredients), google translated it for me: milk solids, refined palm oil, contain stabilizers and permitted food emulsifiers, vitamins A and D3

There is no mention of preservative, etc. Am I right to assume that there are a lot more to the list?

Just in case you are not aware, this "milk" is a vital ingredient in a lot of food - ice kacang, cake, drink, etc. So better eat less! The above is from a very famous brand with two red letters only.

Mangoes and mangoes

In Miri, many households have mangoes. For some reason, mangoes grow very well in the soil here. This year, we have quite a few mangoes, although I wish I could have more.

 Due to the size of the tree, we normally wait for the mangoes to drop. Also, there are so many leaves that we can't even see where are the mangoes. So, if we let the mangoes drop from the tree, ...

 ... the fruits are always badly bruised. With fruits like this, we don't even dare to give them away! Anyway, how do you cut mangoes and gui nin (local mango)? You notice that I cut it along the seed...

 ... and then use a spoon to scoop out the soft flesh, No mess and clean. Literally untouched by hand...

 ... and the cut is clean. But remember to use a spoon that is rather flat and thin. Ok, the ugly part of this mango business is the pests! Birds and rats loves them. I would say that they ate to their fill and the remainder is left for the human....

 ... this is common sight. A real pity! Whatever, God always provide enough. This year will be a bumper crop...

... Literally hundreds of them drop off and there are a lot more on the tree. Forgot to mention that the tree has lots of fire ant and therefore it is not practical for me to climb the tree. Beside, it is also dangerous to climb this tree.

Hasselblad releases H5D!

Hasselblad is to update its full line up of H System medium format camera and lenses, promising better focus features and 'the largest, brightest viewfinder image on the market.' The H5D series is expected to start shipping by December, and will include 40, 50 and 60 megapixel models, as well as 50 and 200 megapixel multi-shot versions. The latest cameras feature an updated user interface and revised image processors for improved JPEG output. The Swedish company will also introduce a 24mm F4.8 lens, equivalent to a 17mm lens on a 135 format DSLR.

The camera is billed by the Sweden-based company as 'the latest step in the evolution of the best high-end camera system in the world'.
ok, this camera is aimed at high end professional users.

Why "better" camera

Perhaps the biggest revolution of photography is the invention of digital cameras. Now, everyone can take photos either with their mobile phones or a digital camera. In fact, every household has an appliance which allows them to take photos.
Many people saw my cameras and asked me what is the difference between one camera and another, or why buy a more expensive camera. I find it difficult to answer except by giving them an analogy that they are all familiar with.
Imagine you have to travel from point A to B which is a few hundred miles by a car. If the condition is ideal, you can use any car and you will arrive in quite a good condition and with a skillful driver the passenger will arrive feeling reasonably good, ie, not giddy/tired. Therefore, in ideal condition, any camera will take a reasonable photo. With some skill, the photos actually turn out very good. However, life is never ideal!
The problem arrives when there are patches of road which are sandy, or smeared with oil, or not level, or badly designed, or encountering heavy rain or wind. Using a cheap car with no fancy electronic, etc, the journey may be interrupted, delayed, accident, etc.  Translate this to challenges in photography like poor lighting, strong back light, poor weather, fast moving object/subject, etc, you now need a better camera and also skill to operate in order to get better photos.
I compared high end camera with a high end car. I leave it to your imagination what you are going to do with them. Why someone buy high end car as oppose to a cheap ones? You tell me.

Sect 114A of Evidence Act

There was a protest by major online publication recently on the amendment to Sect 114A of the evidence act. But I never came to know the exact wording of the act until I read the following which was published by Thestar online paper:

 The amended section reads:

"Presumption of fact in publication 114A.
(1)A person whose name, photograph or pseudonym appears on any publication depicting himself as the owner, host, administrator, editor or sub-editor, or who in any manner facilitates to publish or re-publish the publication is presumed to have published or re-published the contents of the publication unless the contrary is proved.
(2)A person who is registered with a network service provider as a subscriber of a network service on which any publication originates from is presumed to be the person who published or re-published the publication unless the contrary is proved.
(3)Any person who has in his custody or control any computer on which any publication originates from is presumed to have published or re-published the content of the publication unless the contrary is proved. - Bernama

I am not a lawyer but the problem here is quite obvious, as one is presumed guilty until proven otherwise! Normal law is assumed not guilty until proven otherwise.
So rightly claimed by many, if your blog, facebook, or whatever online publication is hacked and offensive wording was published by the hacker, you have now got to prove that you are not guilty! The burden is now shifted to the owner of the "publication" to ensure that everything is secured.

中小学书法比赛 Primary & Secondary School Calligraphy Competition

RRSS was the venue for the school calligraphy competition today. We saw more than ten schools participating. Many VVIPs were there to grace open the events. More photos from my facebook.

 Team from Subis, Niah.

A group photo of all the participants and VVIPs.