840 Wellington St
West Perth Western Australia 6005
(08) 9321 2282
http://www.harbourtownperth.com.au
Hours:
Mon-Thu 9:00 - 17:30
Fri 9:00 - 21:00
Sat 9:00 - 17:00
Sun 11:00 - 17:00
Harbour Town is a big promise unfulfilled. It is great having a big shopping centre with discounted prices, still you expect the discounts to be considerable, and have a wider more glamorous selection of outlets. Keep this in mind, if you go to Harbour Town, go with plenty of time, and wanting to find hidden gems, as otherwise your visit could not be as fruitful as your wallet would want.
GOOD THINGS
- It is open every day of the week.
- There are lots of discount shops in one place: shoes, female and male clothing, underwear, sports, homewares, luggage, accessories, gifts, books, vitamins and even a pharmacy and newsagent.
- You can find real treasures at bargain prices. To mention some of the ones I have found: 70% discounted Ferragamo sunnies, 70% discounted Oroton sunnies, +50% discounted Simone Perele lingerie, 70% discounted artsy Scooter sandals, first class trainers at less than 100 bucks.
- Everything is discounted, so, no matter what you buy, it is usually cheaper than elsewhere.
- There are a considerable number of cafés and fast food shops to get a coffee or a light meal and have a rest before continuing with your bargain hunting.
NOT SO GOOD
- The layout of the place is confusing, chaotic and badly designed.
- The offer is mostly of mainstream popular brands - factory outlets.
- You need to be in treasure hunt mood to find a real bargain.
- You might need a bit of time to find your bargain.
- You might find a bargain but not in your size.
- Some of the products on sale are last season's, not the current one, still the discounts are little. You have to be aware of the prices out there before coming in here, so you get a proper bargain, not just a few bucks down.
- The food offer is average in variety and quality.
HOW TO IMPROVE
- The place need a general reorganisation, and make it a bit more glamorous.
- The management should be working to bring first-class Australian designers outlets to HT, so the place gets a bit more exciting. To attract them they need to revamp the place, not the other way around.
- Better directions signing is need. More of them, and more clearly identifiable.
- It would be great having a proper restaurant or good bistro.
Wellington St
GPO Box X2213
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9224 2244
http://www.rph.wa.gov.au/
I was taken by an ambulance to the Emergency Department area of Royal Perth Hospital last year, and I spend most of the day there. So this review is about this department, not about other parts of the hospital.
My impression and experience of the hospital cannot be good, because I suffered in my flesh the deficiencies of the Western Australian Healthcare System, and that is never a good experience if you are sick.
The Emergencies Department is not only run down and needed of a refurbishment and general overhaul, but it is unable to attend properly the constant flood of people arriving at their doors. Since the volume of patients entering is constant and they are understaffed, they have to prioritise your case. Therefore, if you haven't had an accident, aren't bleeding or your life is not in danger, you will be the last person to be treated, examined and attended to, beyond basic painkillers, and electrocardiogram or x-rays if strictly necessary. That is terrible, as in, in my case, it took an hour an a half for a doctor (a student, actually) to come to me, out of human empathy, excused the abandonment and made an initial evaluation. He was eager to help, but he was just an intern - a student. The medication did not work. Finally, being busier with more urgent cases, they decided to take me out of the way and parked me, literally, in the Observation Room. By then, I was crying out of pain, feeling of abandonment, and completely pissed off.
In the short minute that took them to move me from one area to another, my files were lost. I found that shocking, so the initial evaluation made by the intern was unavailable. By the end of the day I was thinking that I would be better taken care off at home than in this hospital.
When a proper doctor arrived he told me about the missing file, was truly apologetic, did a very good examination, and treated me like a human being - finally! I was released that evening, without knowing the cause of my extreme pain (which turned to be a severe root nerve irritation that had left my nerve sort of "raw" and took me about six months to recover off), and bound to a private 400-dollar MRI because they would not do it there, even if needed. I sworn to the Universe that I wouldn't visit that hospital's emergencies if I can avoid it.
I am not blaming the
doctors or nurses. They suffer from the lack of means, they are
overworked, overstressed and, despite everything, do their job well and
go beyond their limit to attend to as many people as they can, the best
they can. Despite my state I was able to see them wanting to help even if they were not able to, running non stop all over the place. Still, this is not enough. Meanwhile our taxes (my taxes!) are dilapidated
in who knows what, and public services of vital
importance are neglected. What a shame. Whom your vote goes to and ends in the local government is to blame, Western Australians.
I advise everybody to avoid the PRH's ER as much as you can, unless you are so bad that cannot decide on your own. Otherwise, insist on being taken elsewhere. You will thank me. If you are taken there, take your mp3 player, really, as music was the only thing that kept me sane in an insane place. I turned the volume up when the space next to mine was occupied by a bleeding woman screaming, while an insane person was shouting and abusing somebody on that floor. You really need music, so you only deal with your own suffering. You don't want to have a heart attack in a hospital because of the hospital, right?
Web of the Movie
A wonderful Australian independent plasticine movie that tells the story of a life-long mail relationship between Max Jerry Horowitz, an old autistic atheist Jew from New York, and Mary Daisy Dinkle, a weird 8y.o. girl from Melbourne. Mary and Max is, above all, a story about social maladjustment and the ups and downs of life, but a happy story about real friendship and personal identity.
Mary and Max are unglamorous suburban people, with mental and social problems who are
wonderful because are imperfect and human. They are not presented as weirdos or as marginal people, but in an accepting humorous way. The intrinsic point of departure of the film is that life itself is dysfunctional; therefore, the dysfunctions of the characters are just normal, part of who they are and a result of what life brings to their lives. It is this approach, and the emotion that the characters convey, what makes the viewer connect to Mary & Max instantaneously, so the viewer feels their failures, successes and worries as if they
were those of real people. This is, however, both a drama and a comedy, and there are many humorous winks to the viewer; the animal characters (both pets and urban animals) are
hilarious.
The aesthetics and
atmosphere of the film are wonderful, with at terrific use of Black and White with red plashes and ochre details, which perfectly encapsulate the mood and personality of the different characters and the different stages of their life and relationships. They are, in a way, the outer projection of Mary and Max's personality, or even a reflection of how they see reality, not the way reality is seen by others. After all reality is about or perception of it. The music is terrific, too.
Most actors are great
in the dubbing of the characters, especially Toni Collette as Mary, and
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max, and Renée Geyer as Vera.
This is not a movie for
children. It touches subjects that are complex and could be
disturbing or difficult to explain to a child: alcoholism, social
failure, mental disorder, bullying, death, homosexuality, suicide, etc.
This is, however, what will attract adults, and what makes the movie so special.
Three things would have improved the film enormously. Firstly, a little bit of more of lightness (less clumsiness) in the movement of the puppets, and also more definition in the facial expressions of the characters would have improved the look and feeling of the film immensely. Secondly, most of the characters' speech is limited, so we see them moving but not talking that much. Finally, and directly related, the third-person narration is overwhelming - too much of it and in the wrong tone. I consider a mistake the selection of Barry Humphries as off narrator, as his dubbing is emotionally misleading; he narrates the story as if this was a fable before bed told to a kid, but this is not a children movie by any means. It would have been great converting part of the narration into dialogues of the characters, which would have given more fluidity and a better pace to the story and the movie in general.
This is a great animation film, with a terrific story, which moved me immensely. The story, is what will captivate you.
Mary and Max was a hit at "Sundance", and has won an accolade of awards since then.
7/189 William St
Northbridge Western Australia 6003
(08) 9123 1234
Hours:
Mon - Fri: 6:30 am - 5:00 pm
Sat: 7:30 am - 3:00 pm
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Love Thy Neighbour - what a wonderful name for a café.
The place is occupying Urbanistar's former location, but the area has been revamped and turned into one of the coolest cafés in the CBD. It is semi-hidden, at the bottom end of the 189 Arcade, facing the car park, still on William St and beside the arty Williams Lane.
LTN is a small open café with a funky intimate ambience - funky classy, mind you. Their wall is fully covered by a wonderful mesmerising mural by Two One Elephant. The seating area is really classy and cool, with very comfy cushioned stools and low tables, plus a long walled table. As the front of the café is the car park, you really need to forget it, so the mural does it for me, as it envelopes your senses, and sucks you into a world of magic. Car park? Where? The sugar bottles and jam and butter jars are so very cute.
Tobi State's beans are not my favourite coffee beans as my taste buds are buddies with stronger and more flavoursome beans. However, the coffee at LTN is creamy and consistently good, a happy medium. If you are into smooth coffees and special settings this is your place. If you like stronger coffee, order yours without sugar.
I haven't tried their food, except for their little brownies, which are very rich in chocolate and very nice. Keep in mind some of their food options (bagels, jaffles, Turkish rolls and cakes) as they for a light meal or brunch, and good priced.
There are so many cafés in the CBD, that it is difficult to choose one. Still, LTN has two things that bring me back to any place, a decent coffee and a terrific service. The
guys attending to the café are very friendly, chill-out and eager to please, call you by your name, and have that warmth lovable attitude that you find in recently-opened businesses. It is like having a new boyfriend, all soft kisses and hugs. They are spreading the love, and so do I. All you need is love plus a coffee. Go and grab yours at LTN.
Just a wish - The "magic door" is quite high, so it would be great having one of those wooden steps stools that old shops used to have, so we can step up and be at the baristas' level without having to use our Alice in Wonderland's cookies. Nobody likes being looked down. ;O
Dreams and love are the subject of the Science of Sleep, a wondrous film by French Director Michel Gondry. This is a very playful humorous movie, quirky and wonderfully weird, easier to follow than Eternal Sunshine, but more difficult to understand, if that makes any sense! It revolves around the relationship between next-door neighbours Stephan and Stephanie, two young creative people living in Paris, and around Stephan's oniric world.
The Science shares some elements with Eternal Sunshine: 1/ The mixing of three different interlinked chronological moments and tempos, in this case the time of reality, the time of dream, and the time of almost sleep but not yet awake. 2/ The depiction of the complexities of the human heart and how difficult personal relationships can be. 3/ An oniric approach to reality, the importance of dreams in real life, and vice versa.
The dream world of Stephan is, like him, childish but delightful; the animators of the movie really succeed in projecting on the screen the personality of Stephen's dreams by using children-style animation made of animals, houses, and other elements made of cardboard, felt and papier-mache, put together like classical puppetry animation does. I loved the 70s feeling
of the movie in tones and style. The visual transcription of the dreams
is really funny and stylishly done using minimal special effects and
using mostly old-school craftsmanship animation.
The cast is reduced, as the movie focus mainly on three characters. I found Gael Garcia Bernal great and natural in his portray of Stephan, a childish young weird artist, emotionally insecure, creative but very destructive, and a little bit insane. The fact that the actor is baby-faced and short really helps to support the childishness of his character. Charlotte Gainsbourg is OK -a little bit hieratic perhaps- as Stephanie, an introverted insecure "artsy" person who shares many things with Stephan's world. Alain Chabat, very well known by French movies lovers, is great as Guy, Stephan's sound, cheeky and matter-of-fact friend.
A few downs in the movie. The analysis of the dreams being the purpose of Gondry's exploration, this fact somewhat dilutes the strength of a wonderful unconventional love story, which is, however, the core of the story. This won't engage many viewers. On the other hand, the end has no emotional closure, but is not open either - unresolved. It is logical as, after all, dreams end abruptly most times; however, I would have liked the movie to have some sort of closure. The scene related to the date at the Café, almost at the end of the movie, is perhaps the most abstract and difficult to understand.
The movie has a mix of reviews, mostly because it is difficult to understand at times and is really unconventional, which is what I love about it.
673 Hay St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9321 8662
http://www.jacquie.com.au/
Jacquie E is one of those unpretentious but classy shops offering fashionable work pieces and trendy day classic outfits for all sizes. They offer good quality items at moderates prices. They have terrific sales and great discounts all year long.
Their style is classy classic but very fashionable, with a focus on colour and textured designs and fabrics, and very girly feel. One of those shops where you go looking for work clothes and leave with a beautiful affordable Little Black Dress. I especially like their skirts, which go from the business-corporate to the organza dressy trendy ones. Their accessories area is limited and not as good as in other clothing shops.
The staff are very helpful and super-friendly, never pushy. You can try things knowing that they won't give you "the look" if you do not buy anything. They are real genuine people wanting to serve and help you. Best gals in town!
The latest celebrity to put his face to the brand is Tara Moss, and, if your think of her, you will get the image of the style and type of clothes that you can find here.
You can also purchase online, through their website, and join their rewards club card.
1 Harvest Rd
North Fremantle Western Australia 6159
(08) 9336 1831
http://www.harvestrestaurant.net.au
Hours:
Tue-Fri 11:00 - 15:00
Tue-Sat 18:00 - 22:30
Sat-Sun 8:00 - 15:00
When you get to
Harvest, you might think that you are trespassing your neighbour's
property and catching them, by surprise, eating in their front yard - so
familiar, cosy and unpretentious the place is. Once you enter, the
suburban home has been transformed into a classy rustic-chic restaurant,
with many different seating areas, a wine-heaven private room, a
wonderful fireplace foyer, an intimate beautiful corner around the front
window (perfect for couples), plenty of unusual decoration elements
organically mixed, and a wonderful courtyard. The courtyard has a special
energy, which completely separates it from the rest, not just spatially -
if the day is sunny and clear, the light cascades in a diffused way,
and the place looks and feels dreamy and ethereal. For a moment I
thought that those red curtains and those tables were part of a famous
scene in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Oh Gosh, if the light
and atmosphere of a place were edible - this courtyard would be a feast!
Their breakfast menu has an interesting mix of edgy egg dishes, some of them mixing savoury and sweet flavours in an unusual way; they also have traditional breakfasts, just in case you do not like surprises on your plate in the morning, but keep in mind that they do not alter the menu to suit your taste. I had a textured mix of eggs mixed with cooked and pureed cauliflower, flaked almonds and raisings - odd looking but tasty.
Serving sizes are small-ish, at least for the cauliflower eggs and the waffle, but the scrambled eggs with sausage & bacon were huge, as well as the bread slices. I cannot understand the reason of the small portions of some of the dishes: Cauliflower or bananas are not rare plants that you need to collect from the Swiss Alps and the other ingredients are not expensive either - be generous when possible.
Their coffee is well prepared and creamy but weak in flavour and aroma, and served in a tiny cup. I almost fainted when I was told they did not have skim milk - unacceptable. Pas possible!
The service was fast and courteous.
Pricing for the breakfast was not cheap but not expensive either. Prices for lunch, tasting menu and dinner are pricey, though.
Their tasting, lunch and dinner menus are very interesting and tempting, and the place is definitely worth another visit, not only for the food, but for the place itself.
Location:6
Layout: 9
Ambience: 8.5
Pricing: 6
Service: 6.5
Coffee: 6.5
Food (breakfast): 6.5
