4/22/2012

Kara Jewellery (Plaza Arcade, Perth WA) - CLOSED

Shop 10 Plaza Arcade
650 Hay St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9221 2699
Hours:
    Mon-Thu, Sat-Sun 9:00 - 17:00
    Fri 9:00 - 19:30

Kara is an unpretentious boutique-like jewellery shop in the Plaza Arcade with beautiful classy pieces and an eye-catching shop window.

Kara is an official stockist for some of my favourite silver brands: Thomas Sabo and Georgini, but also caters for Rochet Bijoux (for men). If you fancy their pieces and style, or you just want something truly beautiful and classy for an special occasion or for every day, Kara is your place.They also have a small corner with pearls, but I did not find them as appealing as the other pieces in the shop.

The shop-attendant is actually the owner of the shop, a very nice kind lady, who will treat you with old-fashioned courtesy, which is so rare nowadays. If you request it with elegance, and show real interest, she will make a little discount or show you pieces within your budget. Most of the items are in locked shop-windows, so you have to ask the lady to take them out for you to try. Don't panic, she is human and won't eat you!

The shop is pricey in general, but many of the charms and tiny pendants are affordable, and will get lots of attention from both your girlfriends, you expect that, and from straight men, the latter being a surprise to me.

The volume of items of display is small, still is more than enough for you choose from. I miss always a standing mirror, and not the hand-mirror they have.

They don't have a website.  

UPDATE 
The shop has closed down permanently. 

4/21/2012

The Invention of Lying by Ricky Gervais (2009)

The Invention of Lying is a modern parable of the sins of human nature and the vices of modern Society, written, directed and lead by English comedian Ricky Gervais.

The movie departs from a similar point as "Lier Lier" did, but explores subjects in a deeper and complex way, moving from a personal extravagant experience to the social one. The movie is actually a parody of our modern world in which lies are sold as the truth from the Church, the Government and the Media, and in which double-faced behaviour is condoned as politeness. TIOL is quite irreverent in every aspect, without being offensive regarding religion; the story of the "man on the sky" really makes a point that everybody will understand (although religious fanatics will certainly think otherwise).

The script is brilliant, very witty and funny, but I don't think will satisfy viewers looking for an easy laugh or a empty comedy. If you go beyond the comedy, you'll notice that the movie is, in fact, very poignant and philosophical. It poses so many interesting questions and dilemmas in a very unpretentious way: Are eugenics the future of society to produce better children? 1/ Does genetic imperfection equal human imperfection? Animals indeed mate the best genetically available mate to give their offspring the best chance of survival, so why humans don't need to follow the rules of Nature? 2/ Is there an uncrossing line in lying that shouldn't be crossed ever? If lying makes happy some people, why telling them the truth? Does Society needs of white lies to be more developed and civilized, or is it the contrary? 3/ Is Religion a white lie that makes us happier and therefore necessary? Does the possibility of God not existing makes God a lie?

The all-star cast members offer very good and funny performances: Ricky Gervais as the fat looser script-writer Mark Bellison; Jennifer Garner as the sweet talented but genetically minded Anna McDoogles; Johah Hill as the depressive suicidal young Frank; Louis C.K. as Mark's best unemployed friend Greg; Jeffrey Tambor as Mark's boss Anthony; Fionnula Flanagan as Mark's mother Martha; Rob Lowe as Mark's nemesis Brad, and Tina Fey as Mark's bitchy secretary Shelley. Gervais rises to the occasion and offers a very balanced performance of an unhappy person, and it is surprisingly believable the whole movie, especially in the most dramatic scenes involving his screen mother. Gervais and Gardner have a great chemistry on camera, despite all odds, and the story is completely believable also because of Gardner's warmth, cheeky and fresh performance.

The movie deflates a bit at the end, and there are a few inconsistencies in the story, that is, things that do not make sense and were unnecessary. For example, if God did not exist in this imaginary world, why there are church buildings in town? There are many examples of the same sort; although unimportant, they rest inner coherence to the film.

A thought-provoking witty original fable not apt for those looking for an easy laugh. Blind faithful of any creed, please abstain.

Never Let Me Go by Mark Romanek (2010)

Never let me Go is the adaptation of the eponymous book by Kazuo Ishiguro. It is an odd science-fiction piece that happens in our past but portrays events that could be positively real in our near future. It follows the lives of a group of three friends from their school days in the English Boarding School of Hailsham to their mid-twenties. It is a wonderful sad love story, and a reflection on the nature of love and the meaning of life.

The movie poses very many dilemmas and interesting philosophical questions: 1/ Is it valid and ethical to create human beings with the specific purpose of saving other people? If so, wouldn't be fair to value the donor's lives by having sub-donors to save them? 2/ Who decides which lives are first class and second class, and on which grounds? 3/ Does the fact that somebody created me in a tube or cloned me, give him/her the right to decide my destiny and my future or the status of my soul? 4/ Is it life more valuable and fulfilling if you have the feeling that you are going to life for a long time, even if you don't, or if you know that your time on earth is short and live it to the fullest? 5/ If we all have to die, sooner or later, why do we need to extend our lives artificially? 6/ Will that make you happier and fulfil you beyond the obvious of saving your life? 6/Can a sick person be mentally and spiritually fulfilled and happy and and a healthy one not? There are so many questions posed in this movie, in such a understated way, that thought-provoking has a meaning here.

Carey Mulligan is truly terrific as Kathy as well as Izzy Meikle-Small as Young Kathy, and the are the very soul of the movie. Kiera Knightly always plays her characters in autopilot, and it is difficult to separate a character from another as she does not seem to believe any of them. Despite being a superstar she turns out to be the weakest link among a cast of actors who really believe their roles. Garfield is good as the sweet insecure Tommy, and his child-like physique really suits his character; his performance is especially good at the end. The rest of the supporting actors are good in their performances.

The whole mood of the movie is timeless, and although the time span goes from the 1970s to the 1990s, I would say it is more the 1950s and early 1960s than anything else. The cinematography (by Adam Kimmel) is wonderful, with a beautiful use of lighting, countryside bucolic summer images and beach painterly images (like the one of the old ship docked on the sand, which poetically echoes the sad docked lives of these young trio), which contrast with the aseptic cold images of indoor hospitals and desolated landscapes. The soundtrack by Rachel Portan is exquisitely lyric and gives its mood to the movie.

Not having read the book, my main critique to the movie is the selection of Keira as Ruth, and the lack of personal background about the separate lives of the trio in their early youth, which will have helped to better understand Ruth's change of mind at the end.

This is one of those movies that you get or you don't get, mostly because the premise is very real, disturbing, awkward and lyric at the same time. To see Never Let me Go, you really have let yourself go and decide that you are going to believe that this alternative reality is possible. Moreover this is not a happy story or a romance "a la Hollywood" and it certainly won't satisfy viewers looking for mainstream silly romantic films. The movie is beautifully filmed, moving and so thought-provoking, so it is difficult to understand the low ratings it has received and its poor distribution.

The movie will make you think. And cry. Not for everybody.

The Painted Veil by John Curran (2006)

The Painted Veil is an American-Chinese co-production based on the eponymous novel by A. W. Somerset Maugham. It is also a remake of the same-titled film filmed in 1934 starring Greta Garbo, and The Seventh Sin filmed in 1957 with Eleanor Parker. The movie tells the troubled relationship of a couple of newly-weds: Kitty Fane, a shallow middle-class girl who marry for practical reasons and without love, and her husband Walter Carwin, a fine epidemiologist going to China to fight an outbreak of cholera, who falls in love with Kitty at first sight. 

The movie goes beyond the usual romance story or period movie, and has a good insight into the historical events occurring in China in the 1920s, but also into the differences between infatuation and true love, which is the focus of the film. This is a story about human connection in a broad level: Connection between different cultures (in this case the British and the Chinese, and how Colonialism affected them) and connection at an intimate level, both with your inner self (seeing a facet of your own personality that you did not know existed), and with another person (husband and wife). 

The movie was completely filmed on location and has a an authenticity to it that is difficult to find nowadays, when most movies are set in a country and filmed in a completely different one. The historical setting, the costumes, and the music create a wonderful atmosphere, very similar to the one old movies used to have. The music by Alexandre Desplat and the cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh are simply magnificent. 

Regarding the acting, I initially thought that the leading couple of Naomi Watts (Kitty)-Edward Norton (Walter) weren't suited as the leading couple, but, after watching the movie, I think t they are, although Norton outshines Watts by far despite this being a role out of his comfort zone. The story would have lost authenticity if the leading actor was a super-handsome glamorous actor, which is not what men were at the time; Norton convincingly portrays the logical man of the time, right in his manners, rational, a foolish romantic, a man of honour, and not very expressive emotionally. Naomi Watts is OK in her performance, but somewhat I couldn't believe she was a woman of the 1920s in her looks, body language or performance; in fact she doesn't have any chemistry on camera with her real life husband Liev Schreiber (who plays diplomat Charlie Townsend). Toby James is very good as the sensitive and common sensed Waddington, as well as Diana Rigg as the very human Mother superior, and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang as Colonel Yu. Schreiber is just correct in his portray of Charlie, whose character is just a mere catalyst in the story. The rest of the cast is good in their respective roles. 

A beautiful and enjoyable old-fashioned love story.

UHA Jewellery (Perth WA)

Shop H15 Carillion City
Hay St Level
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9481 6668

Opening Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Friday: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Sunday: 11:00am - 5:00pm

Bling is certainly the adjective that best define UHA - a small shop in the Carillon Arcade selling fashion jewellery, character mugs, calculators, land-line telephones, and mobile accessories. You have certainly passed-by their shop-window and stopped to look at those wonderful blingy 1960s-style crystal telephones in different shapes. The items on display are from Korea, Japan and, well, can you guess?, China. 

The phones are the best part of the shop, and those cute Hello-Kitty Mugs. The jewellery on display is very pretty, but nothing really wow. The prices are too high for the sort of items they are selling, and you will find similar pieces in Lovisa, Diva, Colette, and other chain shops at cheaper prices. To buy a piece of something there you have to ask yourself: Do I fancy this so much as to pay the price? In my case, the answer was yes, and I bought a pair or artsy creative earrings for 35 dollars, discounted. The real retail price of those should be AU$15-20 maximum. I really love them, but I can buy a simple silver piece for that price at some shops in the same arcade. I think other shoppers will opt for looking at the items on display and going elsewhere. 

My experience with the shop-attendant was very good, and the cute girl attending UHA -so very cute and fashionista herself- was lovely, helpful and very nice. She gave me a personalised shopping experience, so she was attending to me, not to the shop or to her computer or the cashier.

4/20/2012

The Heart's Wisdom The Heart's Wisdom (Double CD) by Bodhipaksa

This is a double CD with four mediation exercises destined to develop your empathy with other human beings (yourself, family members or friends, people we know superficially, and humankind in general). 

The CDs are accompanied by an leaflet explaining the different exercises. 

 Bodhipaksa's voice is simply wonderful. His pacing, his tone and the lack of music help the listener to enter a soft estate of meditation necessary to practice the different exercises of empathy (love and kindness, compassion, joy and Equanimity) and open your heart to the world out there. Moreover, it is extremely relaxing. 

Those people who like music in the background might not like it, but I find that true meditation is only possible with silence and a good "guru".

"Yoga Nidra Meditation CD: Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep" by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (2003)

Easy to follow meditation-relaxation CD without the religious mambo-jumbo. The introduction is very short an and tells you in 8 minutes what yoga nidra is all about, and the other four parts are the exercises of relaxation; you can do them all together, or just two by two. The narrator's voice is very soothing, without music of any sort. I think the lack of music is a virtue as you focus on the exercise not on the music, and facilitates awareness. It certainly achieves what it preaches: deep relaxation similar to the one you get when entering sleep. To be honest my body started to react, physically, as when entering sleep, with my muscles kicking on their own and relaxing almost from the beginning. Most recommended to manage stress or simply to relax or to sleep (which is a contradiction!). The only down of the CD is the poor quality of the sound, especially clear in the 10 silent minutes includes almost at the end.