Esther's Cake Shop (Northbridge, Perth WA)

Shop 4, 364 William St
Northbridge WA 6003
(08) 9228 8783
Hours:
    Mon-Sun 8:00 - 20:00



If you like Asian cakes, buns and pastries on the go, Esther's bakery is a must stop on William St. You will notice the place if you walk along the street because of the lovely smell coming from the shop a few metres before you get there.

The shop itself it is very small, no specially charming, and mostly self-service. Nothing remarkable but for the lovely  sweet and savoury buns, cakes, cake slices, seasonal Chinese sweets, and some traditional European-style cakes and pastries they sell. As in many Asian cake shops, the sweets are mildly sweet, while the savoury stuff is a bit sweet. 

Most times, the pastries and buns are warm, just out of the oven. My fav things there are the mango crepes (with fresh mango and whipped cream, forget counting calories), the custard puffs, their sweet-savoury "odd" pizza slices (not for everybody as it is an odd mix of sweet and savory) and some of the cake slices.

THUMBS UP
Good prices.
Friendly service
Warm fresh stuff.
They open long hours, every day of the week.

THUMBS DOWN
No Efptos.
A place mostly for takeaways.
Some of the shop attendants have a limited English.
If you are not used to Asian bakeries, some of the stuff might taste odd. 

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Pimlott & Strand Café (North Perth, Perth WA) - CLOSED DOWN

Shop 21/391 Fitzgerald St
North Perth, WA 6006 

Ph: 08 9328 5002
Hours:
   Mon-Sat: 08:00 - 18:00
   Sun: 08:00 - 16:00

Website
Facebook

 

Pimlott & Strand is a new addition to the North Perth shopping Plaza. The place has an inner small but polished area with a a long common table, several individual tables, and a long decked table by the window; their alfresco area is quite big and spreads on the upper and lower footpaths. The ambience is relaxed, clean, and modern, with a nice mix of colours. They are an improved version of the old traditional continental deli you find anywhere, but more sophisticated and more expensive. They have a really nice selection of breads, cold meats, cheeses, and oil antipasti, plus a big selection of imported goodies.

Their blend of Bonissimo Coffee is very much my liking. Strong, flavoursome, not bitter. Good! Their ice coffee is also good and very tasty. Their selection of drinks is great, with plenty of flavoured sparkling waters, Bickfords beverages (try the sarsaparilla!) and organic juices to choose from.

 

Their cabinet food has a selection of already-made Italian favourites (arancini, lasagna, frittata, salads, and similar things), and some cooked casseroles, so they have never been appealing to me. I have tried their open sandwich, which was average, their pasta of the day, which was lovely, and the Atlantic Breakfast, which was great. Some of their sweets and savoury tarts are delicious, especially the gluten free macaroons, the tiramisu cup, and the Mediterranean savoury mini-tarts. I have never tried their breakfasts. Their menu of properly cooked food is limited, with classic favourites and Mediterranean ingredients - nothing wow, but nice enough to make you return.

 

Service is always terrific, with very welcoming, friendly, chatty and professional ladies behind the counter. The service was terrific at the beginning, but, unlike other places, their eagerness to please hasn't vanished, and the ladies at Pimlott are consistently delightful no matter how busy they are.

Pimlott & Strand is good place for takeaway coffee, antipasti, imported goodies, sweets and pannini. The relaxed atmosphere, the friendliness of the staff, the convenient location, and a selection of decent hot and cold food options explain why the place keeps a regular amount of patrons of all ages returning regularly.

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"Conspirators of Pleasure" by Jan Svankmajer (1996)

Conspirators of Pleasure is a surreal comedy and Czech-Swiss-British co-production. 

The story focus on the idiosyncratic sensual compulsions and obsessions (aka fetishes) of six different characters: a couple of neighbours, a couple formed by a policeman and a newsreader, a newsagent, and a postmistress. The film mixes surreal scenes, deadpan humour, hallucinogen and gory images, and human-sized puppets. The film has no dialogues, the terrific music and street/ambient noise being the only sound. However, the characters express themselves by non-verbal language. 

Svankmajer's surrealism is both social and individual, not psychological. The exploration of the subconscious world of the characters is not the point of the story; in fact, we see two of the characters hiding in a closet (a metaphor of their personal subconscious), where they find a world of deep secrets that generate their fetishes, but the camera does not go inside and we do not know why, exactly, they develop their specific compulsions. In fact, the fetish objects in the story are objectively quirky, ridiculous, and comic, made of normal things, but they become something pleasurable and erotic because of the personal wishes of each person. In a way, the personal pleasurable compulsions of the characters appear as a clumsy imitation of the human physical contact that the characters do not have but crave. There is no real human interaction between them, and invisible walls of lack of communication prevent them from relating to each other, so at least they have their little pleasures.
 
Despite the story being highly erotic at times, there is not even one sex scene in the movie, and there is limited nudity. The supposedly raunchy scenes have nothing explicitly raunchy; all it is hinted, never explicitly shown. The most brutal scenes in the movie use human-sized straw articulated puppets with facial movement, so there is a detachment and softening of them.
 
Despite its surreal oddity, the story has inner logic and organicity, and the circular interconnection of the story and of the characters makes perfect sense; in fact, the ending of the movie is the beginning of another turnaround - The beginning of of a new round of borrowed fetishes. 

All the characters are wonderfully played by all the Czech actors: Petr Meissel (as Mr. Pivoine), Gabriela Wilhelmová (as Mrs. Loubalova), Barbora Hrzánová (as the postmistress), Anna Wetlinská (as Mrs. Beltinska), Jirí Lábus (as the newsagent), and Pavel Nový (as Mr. Beltinski).

The movie will unsettle and puzzle you, confront you, visually slap you, and put a smile on your face if you have a wacky sense of humour or you are in one of those days in which you fancy anything weird. The result is a thought-provoking film that is still daring and surprising despite its age. However, I would dare to say that you will not find it that erotic, in the traditional sense of the word. 

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Wealthy Nails (Perth WA)

391 Fitzgerald St
North Perth Western Australia 6006
(08) 9227 0545

Wealthy Nails is conveniently located in the corridor leading to the Coles Supermarket at the North Perth Shopping Plaza. I have been going there since they opened. In fact, I was one of their first clients, and they have never failed to do their job properly and do it with friendliness and care. I usually go there for pedicure.

The place is family operated by a hard-working couple and their niece.

The place is simple, not posh, and they offer the usual services of manicure-pedicure, with massage spa chairs, at average prices.

Three main things set them apart from other similar salons.
1/ They treat you as a person
2/ They are extremely friendly and even affectionate.
2/ They do their whole pedicure routine without skipping any step (something that happens quite often elsewhere).

Although bookings are recommended, walk-ins are welcome, especially during weekdays and off-peak hours on Saturdays.

They have specials and discounted prices now and then.

DOWNS
No Efptos available

MIND
They do not open on Sundays

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Modalu (Online Shop, UK)

 http://www.modalu.com/

Modalu is a British brand that specialises in good quality, hand-crafted classic-style stylish leather goods. They do not stock large products of each item, but the ones they have are the classic Pippa handbags, and some more seasonal and dressy bags and wallets. They usually have simple designs, appropriate for work and formal events, although some of the bags have seasonal colours and can be worn casually.  

Modalu's products have very good quality leather, beautiful greyish inner lining, and simple but catchy golden metal-ware touches.

Despite the quality of the products and the classy design, the pricing is quite affordable, even  "cheap", especially if you are purchasing from Australia, and from Perth, where any leather good costs a fortune. 

The brand has a great deal of stockists in UK, Ireland, and a good part of Western Europe, but not in Australia. Their online shop, however, is great.
 
Modalu's website is very clean and easy to navigate, and the ordering system is very simple. You can pay by credit card or Paypal. They charge you a tax fee depending on the area of the world where they are shipping and the weight of the product. Delivery and returns within the UK are free, but shipping to Australia and other  non-European destinations has a flat fee of 15 Pounds.

The shipping and delivery by courier is fast, and takes about  4-7 working days for Australia. The orders are not traceable, but they are delivered so fast that I didn't find this to be a problem. If you register, you can check the status of your order, and see whether your parcel has been dispatched or not.

Customer service is very good. I had to cancel an order on a waiting-list item in the past, and they were very understanding and refunded me immediately without hesitation or questions asked. 

The colours on the photos are very similar to what you get, but a bit toned down, I would say. 

They do have discounts, at the change of season, and online offers. Check the site often, because you could a great leather bag for half its original price.

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Yoko Ono

Years ago, a friend of mine passed some of Ono's records on to me. He always thought that I would like her music and her. Since I did not like her public persona, I did not listen to her music until about two years later. When I decided to listen to it, I knew why my friend had insisted - Ono's music is crazy, daring, experimental and very intimate at times. One of those music styles that you like or hate, not for the masses.

I have always thought that Yoko Ono has/had a sharp aura, if that can be said. That is, something that makes the onlooker uneasy and unsettled despite Ono being quite small and, at the moment, an old lady. She seems to have a very strong edge, something that would cut you into tiny pieces if you dared to look at her in the wrong way or asked her a stupid question. Still, if you look at her photos with John, especially the more intimate ones, she looks like another person, a soft gentle happy lady.

I woke up last Tuesday night thinking about Yoko Ono. I am not making this up. My brain does funny things to me sometimes. It just came to my mind, in the middle of the night, how unjust and unfair Mass Media has been with her. Most importantly, how John Lennon's life and artistic creation changed for the best, after they met.

Doesn't Ono come immediately to your mind when you hear the name John Lennon?  This is my case. Lennon is, to me, Lennon plus Ono - them kissing, embracing, naked, their bed-in interviews and anti-Vietnam protests. I cannot imagine Lennon singing "Give Peace a Chance" without Yoko Ono. I did not live the Beetles-mania, so, to me, Lennon is more Ono's than Beetles'.

Do you know anything or remember Lennon's first wife, Cynthia? I do not. I had to look for her photo and biography on the Internet. She looks like a normal pretty lady, still unremarkable. Like a nice human being, who loved and was loved by Lennon, put up with his crap, and had a baby with. I am not saying that she has to be despised for being an average wife married to a famous person. I am saying that she did impact Lennon in a less powerful way than Ono did. 

Ono was a remarkable woman when she met Lennon. She was an avant-garde artist, an intellectual with a vision, and with much clearer ideas than Lennon on what was to be done in the world of Music. She was a woman who had made a living out of her talent, and had an opinion on everything. At a personal level, she  came from a harsh relationship and a missing abducted child, but she never exploited her personal misery to present herself as a victim. As my friend told me, imagine the impact that a woman like that must have had on Lennon, a normal guy with enough talent to take what she had to say on board. It is true. Ono transformed Lennon into the best possible version of himself at a human level, and that without even trying, without forcing anything, without changing who he was, without putting up with his misogynist crap. He did the same to her. It was like a chemical reaction that, once the right elements are mixed, creates magic. This is perhaps the reason why, unlike other artistic couples, they did not end breaking-up due to abuse, envy or clash of the egos. These two were remarkable fitted for each other at every possible level, despite Lennon's cheating later in life.
   
The Mass Media and the general public have always disliked Ono, or at least  talked or portrayed her in a way that shows a macho misogynist attitude towards any woman who is brilliant, has talent and a brain, and is an individual. It is easier to attach her success to Lennon's halo, blame her for the Beetles' break-up and for Lennon's break-up with Cynthia. When she came into the public scene, she was not especially girly or pretty, had too much wild hair, she did not use make up, she was opinionated, she was not a Westerner - therefore, she was unlikeable. If this wasn't enough, she was not singing "la la la" sort of songs, nothing popular that would make her appealing to the general public. She would be yelling at times, literally. She did not give a damn about what the masses or the Media thought or said about her, so this irritated everybody. Most importantly, she has always used the Media when it suits her, mostly for good causes, and not the other way around. When she decided to lead a private secluded life, she did just that, despite the interest of the Press.  

The question we have to ask ourselves is, would have the Public and the Media reacted and judged Yoko Ono the same if the case was the reverse? That is, Ono a man and Lennon a woman? Of course not.
 
Ono has always been, and still is, a reserved woman, an active avant-garde artist and peace activist. The culture of the 21st century owes her as much as it owes John Lennon, perhaps more, because she was "hated" for just being a female intellectual, a daring artist, an activist, and, most importantly, for not conforming, for being just herself and living her life the way she thought/thinks it should be lived.

I cannot but like and admire Yoko Ono, despite her halo of scary edginess. Yoko Ono was way ahead of her time, even if we do not sing her songs. Although her public image and appreciation has been softened and increased in the last two decades, we will have to wait for her death for Ono to be fully recognised as the great woman she is.

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Undiewarehouse (Online Shop, Australia)

http://www.undiewarehouse.com.au

Undiewarehouse is a Sydney-based online shop that sells women and men underwear, hosiery, and bra accessories, from medium range well-known brands, at reduced prices. Although the range of products is small, the products are definitely up to date and this season's fashion.

This is a perfect place to find staples or fav seasonal fashion items when they are out of stock at your local store, or a bit expensive there. This is especially true in Perth, where some things disappear from the racks to be never replaced, especially if they are seasonal items. I bought a few pairs of my favourite tights from here, which have not been available at David Jones or Myers for weeks. The discounts change from product to product, but are noticeable, especially off the retail sale period.

The site is no fuzz, not especially glamorous, but easy to navigate and shop from. You can check out as a guest or as registered customer, and can order using free normal shipping, which is free (and takes between 2-5 working days), and express shipping for $9.90. Still, you will have a tax figure added to your purchase. 

The tracking system is really good as your parcel will be sent by Post Australia; you can track it by using the Post Office tracking page, but Undiewarehouse will also send you tracking emails with info about your parcel.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Generally speaking, the quality and resolution of the images is poor, which is especially evident when you zoom them in. Moreover, most products, like bras,  camisoles, corsets etc. just have a frontal photo, sometimes the package of the product. The ideal thing is having photos of a model wearing the products on, plus single individual photos of the product. It doesn't cost a fortune to have this done.

Although the site uses SSL encrypted checkout, I couldn't see the lock symbol or SSL sign properly displayed on the page, which always makes me hesitant to shop online. I usually pay through Paypal, but Paypal rejected the transaction from the site three times, and it has never happened to me in other online shops. This needs to be improved.

As many other online shops, they use online shipping lodging, so you get your tracking number immediately. However, this lodging does not mean that your parcel has been shipped. Therefore, the period the site marks as average, counts from the date of shipping not for the date of purchase. 

TIPS FOR SAVING

+ Wednesdays have all shipping costs waved for registered post on orders over $30.
+ Orders over $100 have all free postage. 
+ If you become a member, your get VIP reward points, which are exchangeable for discounts on your next online purchase.

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