5/14/2012

Hemisphere for Hair (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

Shop 1/669 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9271 0067
http://www.hemispherehair.com.au/
Hours:
    Mon-Wed, Fri 9:00 - 17:30
    Thu 9:00 - 21:00
    Sat 8:00 - 16:00

This has been my hairdresser for many years. It is a nice salon, very popular with both women and men, with a very friendly owner, desk girl and a creative bunch of hairdressers. They use L'Oreal products

I've never had my hair cut here, but I've had my hair coloured hundreds of times here with great results. In fact, I have always got compliments on my hair colour. The people at Hemisphere know their gild and do a great job at getting your hair looking beautiful and natural no matter the colour you choose. Some of their stylists have got national awards representing the salon, so they are very good.

I have heard people saying that Hemisphere is very expensive. That is true for haircuts, especially if you just want a trimming or simple layers. However, average salons in Perth, with poorer service and quality, demand the same fees for colouring. However, Hemisphere has a reward points system, so every time you pay, points are accrued to you, which then can be exchanged for a discount when it suits you (You can save them for months or use them next time).

The main down of the site is the same you find in most hair-salons, that stupid nonsense of a talk, that they keep asking you the same questions over and over for years without even listening. That you reply to their questions and they have already stopped listening when you started to say Ahhh. Having said that, it is up to the individual stylist, and some are more genuine than others.

Another problem is that sometimes you book with a specific stylist, directly, with his/her diary and mine at hand, and next time you go he/she is attending to another person while you are given somebody less experienced, and they make mistakes but you are still fully charged. Also they don't give you a receipt unless you ask for it. Both things are a big No no no for me. No no no!

I don't go that often now, as I don't like being taken for granted, but, to be honest, they offer a good service, use good quality products and you get your colour properly done.

They have a website from where you can book your next visit online. 

Just Cuts (Perth WA)

Shop 30B, 650 Murray St
West Perth Western Australia 6005
(08) 9218 9332
http://www.justcuts.com.au/
Hours:
    Mon-Thu 9:00 - 17:30
    Fri 9:00 - 21:00
    Sat 9:00 - 17:00
    Sun 12:00 - 17:00

Just Cuts is a no-fuss hair salon that does just one thing. Guess what? Just cuts. Yes, snobby people out there, don't frown at met thinking that I am a 70yo. housewife with a big bottom that has no style whatsoever, while you funky among the mainstream funky cannot put your feet at JC.

Just Cuts is a no-nonsense no-fuss hair-salon with experienced hairdressers that give you a good haircut for a trifle of a price: below 30 dollars if you have shampooed you hair in the last 24 hours and 40 bucks if you need shampoo and dry off with your cut. This explains why the place if full of men,  but also full of pensioners and, well, ME!  Why me, gorgeous creature on Planet Earth? Well, it is cheap, the hairdressers are good (experienced, skilled, matter of fact with their scissors, even some foreign cool dudes and girls), and I get what I want for a third of what I would pay elsewhere. I go to an unpretentious unglamorous cheap place and leave the place as the glamazone I am.  Should I be ashamed?

You can drop by and have your hair cut on the spot, or, if the place is very busy, as usually happens on Saturdays, you can return in half an hour. No booking needed.

My advice to get great results at Just Cuts: 
  1. You need to know what exactly you want,  and suits you.
  2. You need to tell them exactly how much you want cut, how do you want your hair styled. Don't be shy. Otherwise they could be lazy or focus on the conversation.  
  3. If you are happy with one of the hairdressers ask for him/her, although, beware, they change a lot. 
  4. Don't go at peak hours, but at an odd ones, when there won't be many customers around and the hairdressers are more relaxed and can spend more time with you and your hair!

To be honest, if you don't know what you want, or want something super-Oscars go elsewhere. One thing if for sure. If you have a disaster result at least you haven't paid the fortune you pay at other salons where you, indeed, get disaster cuts.To be honest, I always gets asked where I cut my hair, and people are surprised that JC is the place.

Sherlock Holmes by Guy Ritchie (2009)

There is nothing worse that a simple fun oriented film and story that pretends to be an intellectual artistic exercise. I find this sort of pretence not only annoying and deceiving to the spectator, but also artistically contrapuntal as you cannot seat and just watch the movie for what it is. If you want to show off your feathers, better be real! Guy Ritchie, the actors and producers have insisted that this movie not only captures the essence of the original, but also reinvent the, but both statements are delusional. In fact, I thought that the TV series "Sherlock" offers more artistry, inventiveness, interestingness and mystery that Richie's, it is true to the original but still adds elements of modernity that can be enjoyed by modern audiences.

I have read the books, which I immensely enjoyed, and I did not find Sherlock in this movie, or at least the SH I had imagined when reading the books. Robert Downey Jr. destroys the credibility and essence of the original character and turns it into an eccentric clown; he is funny, actually, but is not SH to me. Without a good Sherlock Holmes, the rest is not worth a penny. The rest of the acting is OK: Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong. and Kelly Reilly are Dr. John Watson, Irene Adler, Lord Blackwood, and Mary respectively. Robert Maillet was fun as giant Dreader. Eddie Marsan was unconvincing as Inspector Lestrade, though.

The story is entertaining, as all SH's stories are, has some moments of fun and is visually stunning, full of action and special effects. I liked the visual style of connecting slow/fast motion elements (typical of Ritchie) with SH's deductive way of thinking, which makes clear for the viewer why SH immediately gets what is happening and what is going to happen. The digital recreation of London and the mood of the era are certainly impressive; I especially liked the slum-dog sort of areas and shops, not as much the general views of the city that looked a bit oneiric and cartoon-ish (video-game-ish actually) at times. This is an action-packed movie that relegates to a second place the logical deduction, pace and essence of the original books.

Utterly pretentious, mildly entertaining, easily forgettable.

Unthinkable by Gregor Jordan (2010)

Steven Arthur Younger, an American ex-military man converted to Islam, has built three atomic bombs, and placed them in three cities to explode in 4 days. He has sent his family overseas, sent a video-message to the Government and allowed himself to be captured. He is taken to a secret military compound where he'll be tortured and interrogated to learn where the bombs are.

This movie reflects on the validity of torture against the so-called War on Terror, by indirectly asking these questions:
1/ Is torture ever justified?
2/ Does physical torture produce any piece of information that serves to safe lives?
3/ If you could save the world or a hundred of civilians from a bomb by torturing somebody, would that torture be justified?
4/ If not, why it is allowed?
5/ If yes, is there any limit or point, even unthinkable, that cannot be trespassed?

The main assumption taken by the story is that we live in a double-standards hypocritical world that preaches one thing but does another, that wants the dirt to be removed by using the hands of the others, so those ordering the dirty job have not responsibility on it. The movie brought to my mind many of the questions posed by a recent documentary "The Secret War on Terror" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1866818/).

Australian Director Gregor Jordan, British Actor-Scriptwriter Peter Woodward and Israeli writer Oren Movermam have guts to reflect on the subjects this movie approaches, even more because the movie (a sort of complement to the TV series 24) is filmed and produced in the USA. However, being so, you also expect it to be politically correct, and at a certain point it is.

The good thing of the movie is that uses the different characters as pawns to make its point. Therefore, they are not linear or monochrome - nobody is innocent here, morally, but some of the characters are franker and have more integrity than the others. However, the line that separates them is very thin, and is trespassed back and forward by the two main characters: H., the interrogator, and FBT agent Brody, which are antagonists at the beginning, but two sides of the same coin at the end. H, the interrogator and torturer, actually hates his job, he is cynical about the clean-hands of those who want him to do horrific things without taking moral or political responsibility; H. has a soul, and he is somewhat another victim of the system. Agent Brody is a serious and decent woman, but once the situation turns for the worst outside, she too gets embedded and feels like torturing the terrorist herself; she ends thinking that torture is justified if valid items of info are got, otherwise not, but... that is not a position, really, that is still a dilemma. The terrorist, moreover, is not a dark-skinned middle-eastern, but a white sweet-looking American man, who loves his family, his country and his religion, who is willing and prepared to be tortured to get what he wants.

I found all the leading actors good in their roles: Samuel L. Jackson as interrogator 'H', Carrie-Anne Moss as Helen Brody, and Michael Sheen as terrorist Younger (Yusef). However, Sheen and Jackson outshine the rest. You cannot even believe that Sheen is the same actor who played Tony Blair in "The Queen", so good he is here. Jackson plays a very difficult role with sensibility (if that is possible) and humanity.

The atmosphere of the movie is aseptic and cold, distant and theatrical in a way. There is no warm colours or elements at all (beyond the blood), and it looks like part of a sci-fic grim future movie. However, that cold detachment is needed to follow what happens, because the level of violence is extremely high (although less gory you can expect), very disturbing and depressing. The fact that H. has some humanity and is a loving father, another victim of the system, sends a dangerous message, and unintentionally excuses the torturer.

The tempo of the movie is not good, and that affects it from mid footage until the end. I thought that the search for the bombs by the FBI was going to have more weight in the movie, as it was also challenging and interesting, but soon the viewer realises that this won't happen. A more balanced approach (FBI approach and Military approach combined) was needed, but the movie eventually opts for the second as main focus of the story. On the other hand, when the movie gets really-really interesting and challenging, when a new oh-wow twist appears in the story, the film ends. Ploff! As if the editor had cut the movie before its time by mistake. By doing so, the viewer, or at least me, wonders whether the director and writers had the balls to provide an answer to the moral questions they present in the movie. With this end, the answer is no. However, there is an alternative ending.

The alternative ending, actually the real ending (which is available in the USA Blue-Ray and DVD's extras but not in the one I saw in Australia!), shows that, after all, the writers and directors had the balls to give an answer to their questions and show that torture does not serve for anything if the terrorist has no moral or emotional breaking point, which is always the case. In fact, the end of the movie, the real one, says that the end does not justify the means and it is a waste of time. You better look for the bombs! I guess the American producers and the American establishment, or perhaps just the public, would not be happy with that sort of ending.

A thought-provoking film, claustrophobic and difficult to watch.

Hallmark Inn Hotel (Melaka, Malaysia)

Hotel Hallmark Inn
66, Jalan Munshi Abdullah,
Melaka 75100
Malaysia
Tel: +606-283-8333
Fax: +606-286-2611
Website: http://www.hotelhallmark.com/our-branches/hallmark-inn-melaka

The Good Things
1/ The place is centrally located, at 0 minutes walking distance from the city centre, and at 3 minutes from the picturesque riverside. 
2/ The hotel has decent basic rooms with a comfortable bed and a basic set of toiletries.
3/ The prices are affordable. It is good value for money, and perfect for budget travellers or families that do not want to expend too much money while in Malacca.
4/ The breakfast is included in the price of your room, and they caters for Asian and Western tastes, so it is great.
5/ Most of the staff were really lovely and helpful, always ready to help, especially Theresa in the mornings and the young guys in the afternoon.
6/The place has many traditional eateries around (an Indian and a Chinese), and many shops around.

The Not-so-good Things
1/ the toilet is tiny, even for a small person like me. The shower is not separated from the rest, so once you take a shower the whole toilet and bathroom area is wet.
2/ I missed some tissues in the room and notepad and pen, which shouldn't be that difficult to include in the rooms.
3/ There was a pungent smell in my room, that persisted despite the opening of the window. I am not sure if coming from the carpet or from the plastic curtains.
4/ The fridge seems to get off once you leave the room and remove the room card from its slot, which switches the electricity off, so you can't leave anything under refrigeration while you are away, especially if you out for a few hours. 
5/ There was a problem in my second night at the hotel, that affected all guests. There was a group of teens travelling with a bus that spend from 11pm to 3-4am shouting, slamming doors, running up and down the stairs, put the music loud, collapsed the lift. Teenagers are like that everywhere in the world. However, I expect the hotel to have and implement policies that make sure that these things don't happen, or, if they happen, to put a stop to them. Otherwise, is unacceptable.

    Stayed December 2011

Palanquin Heritage Suites (Georgetown, Malaysia)

Palanquin Heritage Suites
39 Bangkok Lane
Pulau Tikus, Georgetown,
Pulau Penang 10250, Malaysia 
Phone:  +6012-405-5313
Website: http://www.palanquinn.com/

My stay at the Palanquinn is one of the highlights of my visit to Malaysia and Penang. Charlie and Patricia, especially the first, went out of their way to help me, explain me anything, from the price of a taxi, to where to take a bus, give my change for it, advice me wisely where to go and what to do with the time I had at Georgetown. Moreover, they treat you as a person, individually, which rarely happens nowadays in the tourism industry.

I had one of the lofty rooms with balcony, upstairs, and it is like taken out from a colonial movie set. it has an open-concept bathroom, and separate living room and bedroom, all very spacious and with separate aircon. The furniture, the style, and the congruency of the whole decoration make of the place a delight. They provide free wi-fi, too.

The breakfast is always different, purchased from Indian, Chinese and Malay street vendors, and it s served not before 9am. Western breakkie is not available. So, if you feel like need to have breakfast before, buy some food the night before and have it ready, as the hotel won't provide it to you beyond a bunch of bananas or some fruit. Most businesses in Georgetown open at 8am, so if you are an early bird, not even Starbucks will be open.

The whole street is full of colonial houses now hosting with different businesses, five minutes from the seaside walk, and 12 minutes from a Gernay Shopping Centre, Night Food Hawkers area, and western cafeterias. The place is in the outskirts of the city but very close and easy to reach by public bus. It is also very convenient to take the public bus to Batu Feringgi, and at 5-minute walking distance from the beautiful Burmese and Thai Buddhist temples.

Palanquin is the sort of place that independent travellers will love if you have a bit of extra money to spend. If you are a fussy eater, fussy in general, go to your usual boring hotel. You have to leave your "westernism" at the doorstep.

Among the downs, I missed some more sachets of powder milk/creamer, or even a jar of fresh milk in the fridge, to add to the coffee-making facilities. The set of amenities was rather poor and could be easily improved, especially because their prices are those of a five-star hotel in Malaysia.

I would recommend people with mobility problems, or those who cannot carry their ton-weighed suitcase on their own not to book the rooms upstairs as the only lift is the one provided by your muscles. The stairs are also narrow and small and if you are fat, well, can you get stuck.  

Visited December 2011

5/10/2012

The Chemist Warehouse (North Perth, WA)

 412 Fitzgerald St
North Perth Western Australia 6006
(08) 9228 8474
http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/

The Chemist Warehouse in North Perth has, a huge selection of prescription and over the counter medication, beauty and health products cosmetics and perfumes at bargain prices.

They have some of the best prices for prescription medication and generics in Perth metropolitan area, especially useful when you have many repetitions of a drug or have a long recovery. The guys behind the pharmacy's counter are very knowledgeable and caring, and will inform you -sometimes better than your doctor- on the medication you are taking. The down side is that it takes them ages to deliver the medication, from 10-15 minutes. They have one of those beeper calling devices that give to you, so you can move around the store, but you will need of patience if you go at peak times during weekdays and especially during the weekends.

The Chemist Warehouse is also a heaven for natural remedies (the usual and unusual) and beauty products, basic and medium-range cosmetic brands and perfumes. The perfume section does offer more than the celebrity scents, and they do have first-brands items at very reduced prices: Nina Ricci, Versace, Anna Sui, Lancôme, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior, Cacharel, Giorgio Armani, Arpège, etc. You won't find the latest launched perfumes by these houses, but their classics; the good perfume brands change from time to time, though, and they don't always have testers. Still, you will find some classic favourites at a fraction of the price you pay elsewhere. Sometimes you can have a WOW moment, at finding Lancôme mascaras or Ives-St-Laurent's Touch Eclat at half price.

The place is not glamorous at all, and it wouldn't help if they revamped it a bit. However, customers don't go there to express their inner posh, but to get a huge range of products, some of them "poshies", at cheap or bargain prices.

They  have a good service, with most girls being very helpful and friendly to the customer both in the aisles and at the cashiers.

They are open every single day of the week.

TIP
Buy products clearly discounted or on-offer products. Otherwise, you will pay the same price or more than you pay at the Coles or pharmacy across the street.