"2046" by Kar Wai Wong (2005)

A marvellous movie by Hong Kong director Kar Wai Wong, with an original script, innovative film narrative, wonderful characters and a super-stylish visuals. The movie depicts with realism, nostalgia and lyricism the difficulties and constrictions of the human heart, to love and being loved.

It is a nostalgic view to the bygone loves of Tony Leung's, a part-time journalist and writer of romance novels, who lives in room 2047 in a hotel in Hong Kong. 2046 is the room where some of the stories happen, and also the title of Tony's sci-fi novel. The movie is the continuation of In the Mood for Love, and some references are directly related to the story in that movie.

1/ The visuals
The first thing that will catch your eye are the rich deep colours of the movie, especially the gorgeous reds and greens, but also the beautiful interior cinematography, the dresses, the make-up and hairdos, the colourful retro atmosphere and vintage texture of the film, the super-classy style of the film. Even the smallest detail is taken care of.

2/ The story
Two main themes are explored in the film, love and literature. The movie tells several love stories, but they are not corny, as this movie is a reflection on real love - about how the past conditions our present relationships, about how love obsession can self-sabotage your emotional life, about those people who love us but we cannot love, and about the importance of timing in love.

Secondly, the movie depicts the process of literary creation, how our life and experiences affect our writing consciously or not, and how they are intricately mixed together.

Tony's character is terrific so realistic and sophisticated at the same time, without all his human flaws well visible to the viewer. The women characters are quintessentially female, clever and powerful, and drop- dead gorgeous.

3/ The narrative
The narrative is circular but not straightforward as the different love stories are not chronologically told. The movie starts with one important story that happened in the past, and ends with the same story, as this story is the one that affected Tony's heart the most. Moreover, this circular and hopping movement is affected by the insertion of pieces of the present, in which Tony writes his novel 2046 and reflects about his past.

The narrative breaks the love stories in different pieces, placing them according to the heart, not according to the time in which they occurred. This honours Tony' emotional memory, although emotional memories are never linear, and they are also affected by our present. Moreover, the way the story is told is intensely evocative and full of nostalgia, and really engaging from a mental point of view. I think that a linear script would have ruined the movie and had a soapy effect.

4/ The acting
Tony Leung Chiu Wai (as Tony Leung), Ziyi Zhang (as Bai Ling), and Faye Wong (as Wang Jing-wen and the android) are terrific in their performances, completely in tune with the needs of their characters. This is specially true in the case of y Ziyi Zhang, who looks ravishing beautiful and offers an unforgettable depiction of an emotionally multifaceted woman. One wonders why such a fine talented actress is doing crappy movies in Hollywood while she can really perform.

Kar Wai Wong is a rare example of true artist, and this movie is a perfect example of that. Beware, this is not a movie of mainstream watchers or if you are just looking for a bit of fun.

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Fremantle Council's Anti-Graffiti New Policies

A full page of Friday's Western Australian newspaper was devoted to the new anti-graffiti campaign started by the Fremantle City Council in which everything that is not Art or artistic will be removed. A step ahead with regards to the current erase-all policy of the Council. The Article, among other things, says:

"Any work considered potentially interesting will be referred to other staff, with the city's public art officer and director of community services making the ultimate decision." 

It worries me that an administrative institution considers itself good enough to discriminate Art from non-Art based on the initial evaluation of a group of cleaners or Art Department officers. Unless a group of artists is walking the streets and/or part of the department, the news should be taken with caution. Australia is full, I mean full, of examples of idiotic senseless policies by City Councils. If we knew who these final-decision people are, we might feel more at ease with this new policy and join the clapping party.

Let's be clear. 

I hate my taxes paying for the indiscriminate destruction of private and public property. I hate buses or trains being scratched, painted or destroyed with ugly scrawls and insults, vandalised by young kids who use their spray cans to kill their time or get a thrill by doing something illegal. I hate the front of a household being painted with a scrawl or tag. There are plenty of lanes, back walls, car parks, and abandoned sites where they could do so easily and will save us the expenses of the cleaning up. I do not support or encourage any sort of vandalism.

Still, there are many forms and styles of graffiti. You cannot put all in the same bucket based on the opinion of a group of cleaners or public officers whose knowledge of Art is unknown or dubious. And, to be honest, if the graffiti is not damaging anybody's house or it is not especially ugly, why remove it? It would be cheaper for the tax payer to leave it there, no?

Plenty of "illegal" tagging, sticks and stencils in our State are -I'd dare to say- quite artistic and philosophical, as they are the way in which their creators show their inner world, wishes, frustrations and/or creative side and connect with us. It is a way of saying, I do exist and my opinion also counts and of the readers to share the same feelings or just reflect on what it is said.

If Councils regulate Art, Art is going to become a sheep within a herd, and nothing truly creative or slightly critical will come out. If Councils invest themselves with the power to decide what Art is or should be, they are killing its very core - Art is challenging, provocative, thoughtful and magical, no matter how beautiful it is. Look at Picasso's work. Not all of it is beautiful, easy to look at, or approachable to the vulgus; still, he was the most remarkable artist of the 20th century. If he was painting his work on the walls today, we would find plenty of people, and I mean plenty, that would think that it needs to be removed because it is non-artistic and ugly. If you are a fan of Picasso, think, for example, about Pollock or Rothko?

I am convinced that anti-graffiti campaigns actually encourage illegal graffiti and tagging, sticking and painting. Councils should be diverting the cleaning money to implement policies that let the youth use their cans in ways and places that suit their needs. I think that would be cheaper than cleaning up. So many millions spent on erasing instead of creating something.

Graffiti is a valid form of expression. It shows the pulse of a city, of a generation, and of a Culture. That is why there are remakable differences between the Street Art and graffiti you see in Granada (Spain), Malaka (Malaysia) or Perth WA, just to mention three very different places.

There is an empty wall close to my place, the lateral wall of a building hosting several businesses. A freaking ugly huge wall that I pass by every day to always tell myself that it needs of something painted on it. Last week, however, the wall was fully covered by a sentence -written in white- expressing a deep sense of social alienation. I guess, it was written by an Aborigine or an Immigrant. Or so I thought. I thought that that was subversive, in a good way, and something that lived up the ugly wall. The graffiti has barely lasted a week, now dormant beneath a layer of ugly brown paint that does not make anything lively. 

Many graffiti vigilantes -City Councils included- look with scary eyes at the world and see scary things everywhere, so they need to cover their eyes and ears from anything that subverts their pink unrealistic view of our community. Who is cleaning their way of looking?

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Utopia Bubble Tea (Perth WA)

71 Barrack St
Perth Western Australia 6000
0430 886 066
Official Website
Facebook Official Australia
Facebook Shop Perth


The place is very functional, clean, cool, and open, perfect for both takeaways and hanging around with mates. It is always full of young Asian people from overseas, especially Koreans, Japanese and Taiwanese, which make me want to enter any place because they are  very cool.

Utopia has  a huge range of bubble tea (milked or not), crushed ice concoctions, smoothies and even Lavazza coffee. The taro milk tea is great, made using fresh taro (not taro paste) -or so I was told- and the taste of the tea is there, present, not hidden by anything. Sweet but just a bit, enough to make the flavours come and wander around your palate. Other flavoured teas I have tried, quite a few, are consistently good. My favourites so far being the mango green milk tea and the coconut milk tea. The only one I find too sweet is the newly added Oolong Cheese Latte.

Some of the sago balls they use are humongous, and very chewy-gummy. I love them, but they can overwhelm some people. If that is your case, go for the jelly or other extras, which are equally yummy but smaller. Their selections of toppings varied in shapes, textures and sizes, so, suit yourself. They have some little tubes with some samples on the counter, so you can see for yourself what they area, and how they look like.

Their sweet cabinets and shelves are really eye-catching even if you are not into sweets, with a beautiful selection of cakes, cake slices, pastries, cookies, and sweet and savoury buns. The pieces I have tried so far (hazelnut chocolate -my fav-, Tiramisu cup, egg tart and Pineapple cake)  are good, although they have different degrees of sweetness. A bit expensive for the sizing, but very fresh, good-looking and well-packaged. On the other hand, they seem to be mass produced; forgive me if I am wrong.

Their big cakes are stunning-looking, but again their prices are quite high. There are at least two Asian-style bakeries in Perth CBD hat bake daily and offer good quality beautiful whole cakes at cheaper prices. Ditto re the buns. They are not part of any chain. So I would go to those to cater for your big cake needs. Still the ones here are so eye-candy!

Service is fast and friendly - consistently. Day after day. Always with a smile. I love their wall of wishes, which is in tune with the Buddhist tradition you see in temples around South East Asia. They also have charity programs and donations, specials, free top-ups or size upgrades throughout the year, and new seasonal products are regularly added to the menu. They are really good at marketing what they sell, and do well at attracting and keeping their customers. That is what I call a dynamic approach to sale. That explains why the place is always busy and customers are happy.

Awkwardly enough, I do not have much negative to say, beyond what I have said about the cakes, which is not negative at all. I am getting too soft? :O.

Summer is coming, so pop up at Utopia and bubble around a bit.

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The WA Opera 2013's Poster Photos

Have you seen the posters, photos and images accompanying the program of the WA Opera season 2013? The "Year of the Divo" is the counterpart to this year's "Year of the Diva", and will showcase operas in which male characters are the protagonist. 

If you check the program and photos of this year's season and the ones of the coming season, you will certainly notice a few things:

* The photos are gorgeous. The sort of photo you find in Vogue or Harpers Bazaar with beautiful models, awesome make-up, hairdos, accessories, apparel and backgrounds.

* Each photo has a person representing the main character of any of the coming operas. This year's program has gorgeous women in expressive photos, and next one has gorgeous men.

* The person photographed for each opera is not the leading singer, but a model.

* The models and photos of this year have men in sexy and erotic poses showing a bit of flesh. 

First reaction -  Wow, what a hunky. 

Second reaction - What what what?! 

1 - I do love photos of gorgeous men lightly dressed, even naked :O if aesthetically done, but this is not a fashion or photographic magazine. I hate the objectification of women in Society; should I have a double standard regarding the objectification of men? If it is correct to showcase men in erotic attitudes and slightly dressed for an Opera program, why not doing the same with women? If that was happening there would be much more media attention and social discontent, that is for sure.

2 - If the program and main posters is/are about promoting and attracting public to the Opera, why does the WA Opera need to photograph pretty people whose only talent is being pretty, while those hyper-talented performers are not in the poster? Are they deformed? Are they super-ugly? Are they obese? Some of them are photographed in the inner pages of the program, that is great, but not in the posters that will be reproduced everywhere.

3- I doubt that the general public -those who are not Opera aficionados or hardcore fans- will feel more tempted to go to the Opera after seeing these posters. I won't. If the singer and the hunky were the same person, the answer might be different.

4- If the Opera season is not bringing much people to the theatres, and the WA Opera wants to attract more, why not asking themselves those basic common questions that might help to attract more people. Questions like:

• Are the prices high in general? Are the prices too expensive for students, families and pensioners? Are the season subscriptions too expensive?
• Are the showing times convenient and attractive to different groups of people?
• Is the program  attractive enough in general?
• Are the individual operas attractive enough?
• Are the operas' stage design, wardrobe, lighting and ambience cool enough?
• Is His Majesty's Theatre a good place to represent the specific operas chosen? 
• Do the specific operas showcase themes and stories that connect with the modern spectator?

***

I do love Opera, without me being an expert or connoisseur. I attended several shows last year and even more the previous years. I enjoy the dressing up, His Majesty's and the shows. I have always found myself wowed by the talent of the musicians of the WASO, which plays in most shows. Sometimes, I find myself moved by the singing qualities and performance of the night. I always leave the theatre thinking how fortunate I am to attend, live, a show in which the players needed of years of study, practice, many different skills, plus an unbelievable innate talent to do just that. They should be in the poster photos, dressed in those gorgeous outfits they use to perform in. After all, they are the ones that will bring the public to the Opera, and make you want to return, not pretty boys and girls. Their voices and talent, not their pretty faces or gorgeous bodies.

Still, I understand why Opera is not attracting young people, why many old people snooze soundly while attending -yes, they do!-, and why I, myself, feel sometimes emotionally disconnected from what I am watching and listening to. A reason why I haven't gone to the Opera this year.

I do value the classics and enjoy classic operas and some of their arias and stories, but most classic operas do not speak to modern sensibilities, or my sensibility, beyond the artistic quality of the show as a whole. Sometimes, the scripts are sexist or simplistic, some others are a reflection of the issues, themes, characters, places, ways of living and fashion that were in vogue at the time the opera was written. In fact, those operas were super-cool, the last big thing, at the time - avant-garde or contemporary. 

However, we are not living in the 17th, 18th or 19th century. Our time knows the wonders of experimental and mainstream cinema and theatre, musical theatre and cabaret, TV soap operas, music bands, and much more. Thus, a simple opera needs more than good music, good lyrics, and good performers to move us - to connect. Pretty posters with contemporary fashion-style photos won't turn a program based on old classics into a contemporary thing, simply because the program is not contemporary. Oxymoron!

I think the WA Opera needs of better pricing to attract people with not many means, needs of more shows, more showing times; most importantly, it needs to reinvent itself and start offering operas that, despite not being so popular or known -the favourites- have a more contemporary feeling, modern stage and wardrobe design, and stories that are closer to the world, feelings, worries, and issues of the citizens of the 21st century.

I am not saying that old classic operas are invalid or that do not have universal themes. Some of them are and have. I am saying that the WA Opera, and Opera venues and companies in general, need to think out of the square, think more about the present and the future and less about the past. That would be super-cool. Cooler than investing in a marketing campaign that showcases the beauty of the models and of the photos, instead of the incredible talent  of the persons who are behind the music, voices and theatre of the WA Opera as a whole.

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Fresh Provisions (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

77 Walcott St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9227 6309
http://www.provisions.com.au/
Hours:
    Mon-Sun 7:00 - 22:00

One of my fav suppliers for years, Fresh Provisions is an iconic business in Mount Lawley, where it has been open for + 20 years.

THE POSITIVES
* The Location in the heart of Mount Lawley, with parking on site.
* The long opening hours, perfect for emergencies when the rest of the shops are closed.
* They have a decent selection, and decently priced, of organic produce.
* Their veggie and fruit section has good quality produce.
* Their non-organic pre-packed vegetables, remark pre-packed, are usually good quality and good-priced. They are better quality than the ones you find at IGA and can be even cheaper or the same price.
* Do you want to go bananas without visiting the fruit section? Easy, FP is a perfect place to bring your inner banana out: chocolates, cheeses, gourmet pastas, WA hand-made stuff, International favourites, packaged sweets, packaged barista coffee, gourmet breads (New Norcia's, Lawley's among other other bakeries), cured sausages... the list of gourmet temptations is endless.
* They sell frozen berries and mango, Kale and some unusual veggies. 
* They sell flowers.
* They pack their sweets, cakes, pies, and takeaways properly, so you get them home in a decent state.
* My experience with the staff has been good 99% of the times. Sometimes the guys are a bit tired and sleepy-ish, like on another planet, but many of them are students earning a few bucks, and we have to be understanding. Still, they are always polite, courteous and eager to serve.
* Cash out lines move fast. If a line is forming, they immediately call more people to the cash out area. 
* The Place is  clean and well kept.

THE GO-LUCKY
* Sweets, Cakes, pies and cold salads in the cabinets. Some of them are really good and gourmet, and others are greasy, bland and tasteless. Good luck with your choices!
* Ditto re their hot take-away food.

THE SO-SO
* Their frozen shelves are just OK.
* At times, their mesclun salad looks a bit "mushy" despite the water sprinklers.

THE NEGATIVES
* Their main sin is that most things are expensive or overpriced. We can justify the price of the gourmet thingies, but not of most staples, which are cheaper elsewhere; that even includes chocolates :O.
* They have a small and poor meat section, which does look ugly, not especially appealing to the carnivore in me.
* They sell their hot food by the weight. If you have a normal-size stomach you are thinking about 250 grams per person, and you are going to pay a lot for your take-away meal. More than you would be paying if you visited one of the cheap restaurants on Beaufort St. The cheap stuff, like roasted chicken, hot pies, etc. can be found cheaper elsewhere. 

TIPS
Go for your Sushi takeaway to Yuzu next door. It is way better.
Go to the supermarket across the street for your staples, and for basic hot food like roasted chicken, pork, beef  an roasted veggies.
Go to the Asian veggie grocer for your mesclun and basic veggies.
Go to Antonio's for your continental Italian, Spanish and Mediterranean Gourmet food and antipasti.

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Tayha Designs (Mt Lawley, Perth WA)

Shop 4, Astor Arcade
665 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley WA 6050
(08) 9371 6566
Website
Facebook
Hours:
    Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm

Tayha Designs is a tiny rocket pocket of a jewellery, selling only Western Australian jewels (designed and made in WA by Western Australian designers). It is located at the bottom end of the Astor Arcade, in Mount Lawley. I have passed thousands times by this shop, always sticking my nose to their shop window and telling myself that next time I am going to come in. And here I am to comment on my experience.  

Tayha sells solid silver and pearl designs made by the in-house jeweller Taryn Compagnoni, and by other local artists: Tamara Dixon, Amanda Hasenkam, Elizabeth Hesler, Kate McGregor. Roland Laval, Irvine Hay and Gillian Cordiner. The styles are varied, from the edgy, cool, creative, high design, or classic.

The do not only sell jewellery. They offer much more:
1/ They repair and clean your jewellery.
2/ They will melt your old stuff if you don't like it and turn it into whatever you want: earrings, necklace, ring. Anything.
3/ They will make come true any design that pops up in your head, wedding rings included.
4/ They will reproduce any drawing, mostly simple, you happen to like and turn it into a pendant.
5/ The shop has a workshop inside, where the in-house jeweller works, so they can adjust anything you buy on the spot.

Prices go from moderate to very expensive. Still, you can find unique earrings for 60-70 dollars. They rarely make sales or discounts, which is a pity and a bit inexcusable.

The quality of the silver, pearls and of the design is very good. The earrings I bought from them have caught the attention of many people already and they ask me if I bought them in Europe. No, in WA!

Customer service is excellent, by both the shop attendant and the young lady who happens to be the jeweller.

If you are the lazy kind, you can shop through their online shop, but as it always happens in these cases, what they offer online and in the shop is never the same or look the same.

The place looks posh from the outside, and a bit intimidating for your wallet, but the ladies inside will show and let you try anything you want, even if you tell them you are not going to buy anything. That is cool.

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"Gattaca" by Andrew Niccol (1997)

An elegant retro-futuristic science-fiction film that explores the ethical and social dangers of eugenics. The title Gattaca comes from the initials of the four essential chemicals of the DNA: GTCA.

Gattaca is the story of Vincent, who was conceived the natural way and born with a heart defect in a world that gives social and professional prominence to genetically-perfect humans. Vincent's dream of entering Gattaca -a futuristic NASA- is impossible due to his genetics so he will try to trick the system with the help of crippled but genetic-master-piece Jerome.

Gattaca is set in a retro-future that uses the elements of both noir films and science fiction to offer an allegory on the superiority of willpower and strength of the human spirit over genetic perfection to overcome difficulties and pursue your dreams. Gattaca is also a story about the need of the individuals to remain such, with their virtues and defects, to avoid creating meaningless amorphous societies based on measurements.

A world like Gattaca is not only possible - it is already happening. When the movie was shot, the mapping of the Human Genome was still an unfinished project, and many of the scientific developments that are now a reality were unknown or just fiction at the time. However, the film explores with philosophical depth and creative inventive the possible effects of human genetic selection and improvement. In fact, it posed (and poses) questions that we are already asking ourselves, +10 years later, regarding genetics and its use in medicine and conception. Where is the limit? What is ethical? What is sensible? Does genetic perfection equal personal achievement?

Visually speaking, the film has a terrific cinematography, with a great photo framing, great hues, and a 1950s-60s ambience, architecture, interiors, and wardrobe. Minimal clean lines and metallic textures create a sophisticated atmosphere and mood. The music by Michael Nyman is subtly enveloping, very classy, and creates a perfect mood for the film. Gattica's style is still modern and chic despite the pass of time. 

The acting is good, especially by Jude Law as the sarcastic heavy-drinker good-natured Jerome, and Ethan Hawke as dreamer calculating impostor Vincent. Alan Arkin is very classy as Detective Hugo. Umma Thurman is OK as the shy, clever and elegant Irene; she and Hawke had a great chemistry on camera, which really reaches the viewer. There are cameos by the always terrific Gore Vidal, as Gattaca's director Josef, and Ernest Borgnine, as Gattaca's head janitor Caesar.

On the negative side, the investigation and suspense part of the film is somewhat predictable, there are a few flaws in the storyline, and there are a few lacunas regarding the life of some of the characters that I would have liked developed or hinted.

A sci-fic suspenseful film that will both entertain you and make your think. A modern classic of the science-fiction

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"The Corpse Bride" by Tim Burton & Mike Johnson (2005)

A stop-motion comic-horror-romance musical directed by Tim Burton, which has all the elements and icons of the Burton's quirky universe.

The movie tells the story of Victor (Johnny Depp), who is in love with shy sensitive Victoria (Emily Watson) and finds himself married to the lonely Emily the Corpse Bride (Elena Bonham Carter) due to the release of an old spell. He'll have to find the way to leave the underworld and his unwanted dead wife, and return to the real world to marry sweet Victoria.

The movie mixes the moods of the classic Charles Dickens's novels and the 18th-19th century horror stories, and it is sprinkled with a great sense of humour and lots of winks to the adult viewer. 

The colours and backgrounds are beautiful, with a mix of the dark bright colours and precious quirky design that characterises Burton's world.

The characters are physically well designed, his personalities well-constructed and brought to live, and they are very witty and charming with the very charming old English and Scottish accents. The dubbing is excellent and helps the characters to come to live; you won't recognise the famous actors behind the characters, which says a lot about the good job they did at dubbing them.

The musical numbers are brilliant, hilarious sometimes.

The Corpse Bride is a very entertaining engaging animation movie for both adults and youngsters (not for kids, unless properly supervised) - Very sweet and funny despite the title. A classic of the stop-motion animation, perfect for the approaching Halloween.

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Source Foods Café (Perth WA)

289 Beaufort St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 6468 7100
Website
Facebook
Hours:
    Mon-Thu - 7:30 - 15:00
    Fri - 7:30 - 21:30
    Sat-Sun - 8:30 - 16:00

Source foods is a nice simple café located at the corner between Brisbane and Beaufort St, which offers burgers, salads and simple dishes made using fresh produce. They have an emphasis on vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, organic, and free range food, and affordability. 

 THE PLACE

The café is very simple and small, cozy and welcoming, very quiet, and seems to attract a varied group of quiet interesting people. The place being so small, it is never crowded. Despite the austerity and 1970s vibe, the place has cute decoration elements, and the ambience is luminous and relaxed with a nice background music. They have some of the nicest cutest blackboards in town, painted by one of the lovely waitresses. Their toilets are simple but clean. 

THE FOOD

They have a good selection of burgers (normal, gluten free and vegan), salads, tarts and other simple dishes cooked in the premises. They have a Burger night on Fridays with more than ten different burgers starting from 5.30pm.

Everything I have tried at Source -salads, burgers and sweets- is good in taste and portion size. The  problem I have with their burgers is that they are too big, or better said, the bun is too small to contain all the stuff between its two halves, so it is practically impossible to eat a burger as it should be - with your bare hands without the food slipping out of it. If you have a big mouth and the burger fits in, well, good on you!

They have a small cabinet with sweets, but they do not bake on weekends, so you are going to find what is left over from the week (or so I am been told by the waitress), which is sometimes a poor meagre selection of sweets. I tried the brown rum balls, and they tasted really nice, but were very dry.  

THE COFFEE

Source uses prepares a decent coffee using Antz inya Pantz coffee, a brand that imports the beans and roasts them locally, so they are delivered to the shop in 48 hours. This means that no flavour is lost in the process and the coffee is really fresh. That sounds good. However, the beans are not especially flavoursome or strong if you are into Italian coffees or full-body strong coffee; however, their coffee is perfect for people who like light very smooth coffees with a chocolate-ish sort of taste. If you do not want the ants walking on your tongue, Source's Elmstock teas, smoothies and fresh juices are a great alternative.

 

THE SERVICE

The staff are terrific - a very approachable chatty friendly genuine group of people. They do not have the hype factor, and focus on doing their job and being themselves without any pose or pretence. Re-Source-full people.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

+ They have to figure out the way to have an awesome full burger that can be handled manually. Perhaps they need a bigger pattie, or put less stuff inside :O.

+ Guys, do not over-grill the chicken because it rests juiciness and tenderness to the salads. 

+ They would make a favour to themselves if they baked some desserts in advance for the weekend. Otherwise, it would be great having some easy-to-make-in-the-morning sweets that you serve during the day. Like cream caramel, rice pudding or whatever you want.

TIPS

+ They are serving coffee now from 6am during weekdays.

+ They cater for private functions.

+ They have regular food and coffee specials and offers. Check their website and facebook site to get them.

 +++

Source Café is one of those unpretentious places that caters for people who like healthy food, good portions, decent prices, a chilled relaxed atmosphere and terrific service sans le hype. My kind of place. 

Location: 6/10
Layout: 6.5/10
Ambience 6.5/10
Food: 7/10
Coffee: 6.5/10
Service: 9/10
Pricing: 8/10

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Llama Espresso (Perth WA)

Shop H17 Carillon City
Hay St Level
Perth City Western Australia 6000
0423 153 197
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Hours:
    Mon-Fri 6:30 - 15:00

Pop Up, pop Up, another Café has just popped up in the heart of the CBD, in the Carillon Ctiy, in a temporary shop facing Mazzuchelli's, where they are going to stay for a few months.

Llama Espresso is a very pretty shop, with lovely decoration details and colourful llama paintings by the RedTiki designing team. The place being so small, and the seating area limited to a big common table an four chairs, the place is always quiet. There are plenty of people entering for a take-away, but not many choosing to stay in, which is perfect if you are looking for quietness and an escape-the-world moment in the heart of the city.  

The most important thing is that their coffee is well prepared, good in flavour, and medium strength. Good enough to bring me back. They use fair trade organic coffee beans that are locally roasted by an artisan Perth house called Rubra. They also have a good selection of teas from the same brand, and an eye-catching selection of gluten-free cupcakes, muffins and sweet breads by Catering Green. The cupcakes are really really sweet, not my cup of tea, but perfect for sweetoholics.

The ladies attending to the place are lovely, relaxed and very friendly to  everybody. 

There is something especial about Llama Espresso, perhaps the colours, the quietness and not being that popular. Or perhaps the fact that I like it :O. 

UPDATE 25/02/2013
 Llama Espresso is already settled in its new location within Carillon City on the Murray St level, instead of the shop on the Hay St level.

The place has lost a bit of the charm and special something it used to have, and has transformed into a small coffee corner. Although there are a few stools and a walled table, and the llama motif is everywhere, the place is mostly for takeaways and quick munches.

On the contrary, the food and drink offer has greatly improved, and together with their nice coffee, they have now yummy crushed ice coffee and tea, a nice selection of soft drinks, juices, sandwiches, rolls, wraps, pannini, salads, and winter soups.

The place is still gluten free friendly.

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Boticca (Online Shop, UK, USA)-REBRANDED

 http://boticca.com/

My fashion motto is "Who wants to wear vintage when you can wear the future?"  Then I found Boticca, and she told me "I'd rather wear a unique story" and the friendship was born.

Boticca's motto conveys well the spirit and philosophy of this chic, independent and artistic-oriented market-inspired website that sells unique accessories from emerging International designers.

What Do they Sell?

Boticca has a great selection of unusual creative jewels, handbags and accessories: quirky, daring, shocking, odd, artsy, sophisticated and timeless depending on the pieces.They have an stress on ethnicity and world-wide design, so you can get things from Sudafrica, Lithuania, UAE, Venezuela, Israel, France or USA, just to put mention some countries from where the stuff comes from.

The quality of the pieces and designs is good, classy and edgy. The articles on sale are sold in very limited quantities (1-10 pieces usually) so there are many chances that you get something unique or unique-ish. 

Generally speaking, most pieces are overpriced, although you can find things for 30-40 bucks. There are many things incredibly cheap, but most o them are pricey or expensive. If you are not too carried away by your fashion low passions, wait!

How Does the Place Works?

The place works as a market where the different designers set their stalls and rules. However, they are subject to Boticca's stamp of approval regarding the quality of the design and Customer Service. 

Each designer has different preferences regarding shipping (free or not) and how they ship, which are specified in their personal space; you can always contact them directly for shipping methods, size customisation, ask for out-of-stock items, and any other thing. In "Your Account" area you can easily check the date of order, date of dispatch, find your tracking URL, "received" button, and "leave feedback" button. 

The three items I have bought so far are true to the photo and description of the items on the website, and except for one, they were affordable and good value for money. 

What Makes Boticca Different?

There are similar shopping places on the Internetosphere (new word's alert!!!!), but they sell from well established luxury brands or emerging artists that are chaperoned by the same brands and fashion holdings, not truly independent.

Boticca is in a way, a posh well-groomed Etsy, and shares many things with that vintage and handmade market: internationality, direct contact with the designer, secure-payment, order tracking, clear product details and photos, free customisation, among other things. However, Boticca is more an avant-garde high-design boutique than a handicrafts social-global market. Many designers have accounts both in Boticca and Etsy, but Boticca has a specific market niche and the place is curated by a group of designers, collectors and fashion experts, so it looks and feels different - but it is also way more expensive.

The Dark Side

$$$ As mentioned above, most things are overpriced. In some cases the materials and design justify the prices; however, in most cases they are not justified at all. Sorry, my opinion. Overpricing is a marketing technique I have already mentioned in this blog, so you can get awesome sales when the price is right. This is a global marketing sin, so we have to surf this ocean of nonsense to get to the place we want.

$$$ Many of the items are sent by regular registered mail, so they can take three weeks to get to your place, plus the period required by the designer for customisation if you choose a ring or something sizeable. If you need faster shipping, contact the designer in advance to arrange things differently.  

$$$ They have a small selection of men stuff, but I find it a bit limited and boring. Still, if you are a man, decide by yourself.

$$$ They have a few email notifications options, and they are ticked on by default, so you are going to receive tons of emails from Boticca. They should be unticked by default! They inform of sales, price reductions, new items, and so on, but this is a constant incitation to purchase. Not good for impulsive shoppers and shopaholics!

Tips for Saving

1/ You can get some discount coupons if you invite friends and they join and/or purchase. 

2/ Wait for Boticca's regular free world-wide shipping weekends.

3/ Wait for private sales by the designer of your devotion. Private sales are held on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays; you access to the latter by pushing the "fan" button of each designer you fancy. The sales are regularly scheduled and emailed about, last for 48 hours, and the discounts go from 20-50% and are worth the wait, especially if you are after expensive-ish items. Beware that the sales are not on everything the designer sells, so you could be unlucky and not find what you want discounted.

3/ They give you discount vouchers after your first purchase to use in your next check out. Another invitation to shop, a thing that Boticca does perfectly well.

4/ Sometimes they offer discount vouchers just for joining the site.  

5/ The same item can suffer slight modifications in the price, for reasons that nobody has been able to explain to me. Like, you see a bag one day at X dollars, and next day is 55 more, or vice versa. Sometimes nothing changes, but sometimes it does. I have experienced it myself, so do keep an eye on your prey! 

***

If you want to splurge on unique pieces of jewellery and bags that will not be worn by hundred of women in the city, this is your place to shop from. This is a special need for Perth fashionistas, who have not many high-design places in the city and most of the hand-crafted jewellery is traditional, way too expensive, and mostly branded. To be honest, I think that my fav jewellers in Perth should be selling at Boticca, so the world meets them.
 
Boticca is the sort of secret you do not want to share with your frenemy, because it is way too cool for her, and you could not bear her wearing anything that is very much you. So I am just telling you, not your frenemy. Please, if you buy from Boticca, comment on your experience and the pieces you are buying, so we do not end wearing the same stuff at the Oscars. Mind you?

UPDATE
Boticca was swallowed by Wolf&Badger. It works pretty much the same. But I haven't bought from them since the change.  

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