new city august 2011 online edition by New City Media

NEWCITY FREE

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GET A LIFE!! spring style:

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NEW CITY MAGAZINE . 1

AUG 2011

Positive, Healthy and Successful Living

NEW CITY

Contents

NEW

city 2 CONTENTS

NEWCITY FREE

monthly magazine

AUG 2011

P o s i t i v e , H e a l thy a n d Su c c e s s fu l L i v i n g

AUG 2011

article

ARTICLE

Faces & Places

REFLECTIONS

article

food review

CD review

movie review

Beyond Surviving: “Anna’s Story”

Tips for a Good Night Sleep!

travel

Natural Beauty of the Islands

motoring

Rolls Royce 102EX

19 22

GET RIPPED THE RIGHT WAY!

- “What is Your Most Treasured Possession?” - Get a Life!

- recipe : Nahm Pla Prik - Longrain

Letter from the Editor Life is tough..., but the tough gets going! Life was never meant to be easy. Even from conception to birth, the mother and baby had to go through uncomfortable things. Not to mention growing up! Even a seed had to stay in a dark and cold soil to die a slow death, before it starts to grow and grow and grow and finally becoming a huge, tall and strong tree, bearing many delicious fruit for many around them.

NEW CITY Magazine AUGUST 2011 EDITION Editor: Ben Irawan Account Executive: Joshua Yanto Art Director: Herlina Widjaja Local Writer: Miguel Ribeiro Office Manager: Yvonne Widjaja Contributors: Clare Heath Anita Heath Samuel Yanto Dea Gunning Samantha Farm Justin Pagotto Katerina A Contact Details: NEW CITY MEDIA PTY LTD ABN: 47 145 474 362 PO Box 1, Arncliffe NSW 2205 Australia Email: contact@newcitymagazine.com Website: www.newcitymagazine.com For advertising: Call Josh on 041 339 1100 or contact@newcitymagazine.com For editorials: editor@newcitymagazine.com

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in NEW CITY Magazine and its website, do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, publishers or their agents. All images and photos are copyright of NEW CITY unless specified in credits. Unauthorised use of any images and photos published in this magazine and its website is strictly prohibited.

So tell me, what have you gone through in life...? No matter, how hard or painful it had been, but the fact is you’re still here... reading this letter from the Editor of this cool magazine! If you have survived all these times of hardship in your life, you can go through anything in life... and succeed! We have been born to win..., we are born survivors!!! Let the pain of the dark past propel you into the bright future. Use the same level of energy and momentum that is trying to get you down or destroy your life to get you back up and slap those demons in your life silly! Did you watch Kungfu Panda 2? If you haven’t, you should go and watch it! When you have “inner peace”, almost anything is possible. The hardest thing is not about fighting our demons but to discipline our minds and emotions that are being influenced by circumstances in our lives. Whatever doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger. So go find true peace... and protect your “inner peace”. It will be more satisfying than fortune or fame. Let me know what you think..., write to me! PS: You should read this edition’s article titled “Beyond Survival – Anna’s Story” by Clare Heath. Hope you enjoy this month’s edition of NE W CITY MAGAZINE! Cheers, Ben Irawan Editor of NEW CITY Magazine editor@newcitymagazine.com

EMAILS TO EDITOR OF NEW CITY MAGAZINE

editor@newcitymagazine.com

What a fantastic message, I so appreciate it, as I have just had a silly little battle, which I realize wasn’t mine. I so want things to change for my beloved, but he thinks all is well. I love your magazine and read it from cover to cover. So keep up the great work. :Margaret WOW Ben... That looks good..., well done!! If you’re looking for articles on relationships let me know... :Peter Great stuff! I believe God has made u write this article. It has made connection with me. I am sure I won’t be the only one. Thank u. :Sansan Thank you for sharing this article. I read this article a few times and tried to understand the article that you wrote. My thoughts are: we need to give unconditional love and always give second chances. :Gunaan Thank u... very insightful :) :Gladys Hi Ben, that was just beautiful! :Esther

Printed by: mpd – printing the news everyday Unit E1, 46-62 Maddox Street Alexandria NSW 2015 2011

This definitely speaks to & for me Ben! Among our lesser problems, my wife’s mum passed away this week so our emotions are sensitive. : Terry Ben, you wrote this because you love us and we love you. May God bless you with overflowing wisdom. : Bjorn.

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NEW CITY MAGAZINE . 3

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Beyond Surviving:

“Anna’s Story”

What a year 2011 has been! And it’s only August. Globally we have faced natural disasters, political upheaval, major policy changes threatening to up the cost of living (*cough* carbon tax *cough*) and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Amongst all this, people face their own individual upsets. How we deal with this is as unique as the individual. I was alarmed to read that up to one in ten returned servicemen and women suffer with a little understood condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While engaging in an impassioned conversation about this the other day, a voice piped up at the table. “It isn’t only combat zone survivors. I have it too.” Shocked silence followed. *Anna (name has been changed) is a bubbly, smart, independent woman. None of us would have guessed she lived with this condition. Though she hid it brilliantly, Anna has decided it’s nothing to be ashamed of. “PTSD isn’t as well understood as other health challenges” she said. “It can arise from any trauma in which the sufferer feels their life, safety, wellbeing (or someone else’s) is threatened. That can be a whole lot of things. It’s a major panic/ anxiety disorder and until I was accurately diagnosed and began treatment, it was immensely difficult to cope with.”

exhaustion that a family member witnessed a major attack. It was horribly scary for them. I still wish they never saw it but on the flip side, it made me get help which is wonderful. I wasn’t feeling depressed. Frustrated yes! I probably had patches of depression but generally I was ok. Then there were these awful patches where something little would happen and I would fall to pieces. I would feel terror, not just fear. When the diagnosis came, I was actually relieved. In a way, I figured out that I’m not a freak at all. I guess it’s just a normal response to really abnormal circumstances.

It’s been called many things over the years, ‘shellshock’ being but one name. Gradually we have learned that those who lived or fought in combat zones aren’t the only ones to get hit with this condition. Any significant trauma can trigger it. It all depends on a number of factors, personality and method of coping among them. In *Anna’s experience, while depression and other mental health challenges are gaining understanding, PTSD is still largely an unknown.

On the symptoms: “So much of what we see, hear, smell or encounter during any day doesn’t register with our brains on an articulate level. There was stuff that I avoided like the plague but I had no idea why little things would send me into a state of complete and utter panic. It wasn’t until I managed to find a Vietnam Veteran who had experienced PTSD and told me his experience that I started to realise that a lot of my little habits are actually common to many suffers: habits like avoiding things that remind us, avoiding highly populated or busy areas like shopping centres, sitting where we can see the door and make a quick exit. We are hyper-vigilant and have a higher startle response. We react a lot more to sudden touch. We are often insomniacs. Control of situations is immensely important. If you feel like you aren’t in control, that alone can cause overpowering panic. It was completely overwhelming before I got help. Tiny things could cause a major anxiety attack. It wasn’t until I got help that I realised this could be because things I had encountered during the day had put my systems on high alert. Then something little would happen, like a kid dropping a book behind me, and it would be like a gunshot going off in my head.

On why she is talking to NEW CITY MAGAZINE: “It’s great when the relief teams roll in after disasters, trauma’s (etc)… but it’s a lesser known fact that there’s often a lag time between the trauma and the mental health crash. In life threatening situations, we kick into survival mode. This can last for months. Then gradually the adrenaline settles, life goes back to ‘normal’ yet nothing is the same. This is when people can start going ‘something is wrong but I can’t put On what a severe panic attack looks like: “It usually starts with elevated my finger on it.’ Often it’s months after heart rate and progresses into hyperventilation or difficulty breathing. If you can disasters that people start to grief, get the blues or whatever. Some mental health challenges are reaching a point where people understand it and there isn’t such stigma. PTSD isn’t there yet. When I was first diagnosed, I did what they told me not to and Googled it. All I found was people saying ‘My case is worse than yours’ and competing over whose case was worse. It took me ages to find a person who had been through it and come out okay. All I wanted to know was that it was possible to get better. All I wanted was a bit of hope that this wasn’t going to be this bad forever. Now I want people to know that, no matter the obstacle, you can get better. I’m not ‘cured’ completely. But I am finding life so much easier and I will get even better! I am hoping I can give someone else hope. On what it took to get diagnosed: “I hid the condition for years with limited success and several very public meltdowns. It wasn’t until I was suffering from

intercept it at this stage, realise what’s happening, get to a peaceful spot and slow your breathing down, things can get a bit more manageable. If you don’t, chest pains, hysteria, difficulty breathing, feelings of fear, terror and inexplicable danger can all hit you. It’s like part of you is reliving a danger long past and it can be confusing for onlookers. Flashbacks were like wide awake dreams for me. It’s a memory that has been buried alive and it’s trying to claw its way to the surface. It’s terrifying. On recovery: “There is a way through! Don’t hit the forums! At first I thought “Gee, this is a life sentence. It will always this bad.” Then I realised that some stories I was reading were from people almost addicted to their pain. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to get better! But I couldn’t do it alone. No one can. All that does is increase your isolation, frustration and sense of helplessness. Accurate diagnosis and professional help is essential. But mindset is so important aswell. You can take it as a life sentence if you want. But you can also take it as a framework for understanding what you are experiencing and getting treatment to either get rid of the condition or vastly decrease its effects on your life. I realised I had a choice: Continue my ‘avoid it, hide it’ strategy or to face up and get help. Tough for a control freak like me, but it needed to be done. There’s work required in recovery and it can be quite confronting. But if you chose to do the work, things can improve. Sure, there are some cases that mightn’t get cured completely but it doesn’t have to be as intense and life-controlling as it is now.

Sometimes I think pain is addictive. I am a bit of a people watcher. I sometimes sit in cafes (still with my back to the wall) and watch the world go by. Sometimes I hear conversations where one person says “How are you?” and the other person replies with “Oh good, but my back is out, I’ve had the flu, my husband is a stubborn such and such, (etc).” We can get so addicted to our own negative situations and associated drama. But all of us have a choice. It’s a choice between the past and the future. It’s a choice between pain and healing. What you set your eyes on is where you will end up.

I’ve had speed bumps in my road, painful ones. But I’m choosing healing. I’m choosing the future not the past. (CH)

Her advice to those facing difficulty: “Life isn’t a tip-toe through the tulips. No-one promised us an easy ride from birth to old age. Things happen. But what I’ve realised through my experiences is that though the past may have been damaging, the future belongs to me not my past. There is amazing capacity in the human brain to rewire itself, to find ways around damage. But we need to take initiative, do the work and find a way through. No one is an island. If you or someone close to you has experienced trauma and you have suspicions that there might be some resulting mental health issue, talk about it. I tried to hide my condition for years and it did more damage than good. But I got help. Now the future is bright.

NEW CITY MAGAZINE’S AUGUST 2011

FREE GIVEAWAYS

Following the eager response of our readers to grab a copy of Robert Kiyosaki’s book we gave away last edition, for this August 2011 edition NEW CITY Magazine will be giving away a total of 3 brand new DVDs by Robert Kiyosaki titled “The Perfect Business”. Each retails for $6.95. All you need to do is go to the GIVEAWAY page of NEW CITY Magazine’s website or just click here http://newcitymagazine.com/giveaways then enter your email address in the box provided. We will choose 3 winners and they will be notified by email.

THE PERFECT BUSINESS by Robert Kiyosaki

“To make money and to enjoy financial freedom, you MUST have your own business!” declares bestselling author Robert Kiyosaki. Millions worldwide enjoy learning from Robert. In this video, he shares with you his revolutionary wisdom, just as his rich dad shared it with him. This video includes: • An overview of the Rich Dad philosophy • Summarization of the Cashflow Quadrant • Evaluate your key values • Why Direct Selling is the Perfect Business! Robert Kiyosaki is a self-made multi-millionaire business owner, investor, educator and author. After retiring at the age of forty-seven, he authored the bestselling Rich Dad Series that has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

WINNER OF THE JUNE 2011

GIVEAWAY:

1. 2.

Alancousins Trainreaction fitness 3. Venusmcdonald Congratulations to the 3 people with part of their email addresses listed below! Each of you will receive a brand new book by Robert Kiyosaki titled “The Business School (2nd Edition) – For People Who Like Helping People”. Each retails for $24.95.

NEW CITY MAGAZINE . 5

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GET RIPPED THE RIGHT WAY!

city 6

Recently, I had this client sit down with me for an appointment. He said “Look I just wanna be shredded and dieseled out! Like ripped you know. I wanna be like 2% body fat and pretty much be ‘the body’. I mean I’ve got the muscle, like I’m pretty big”. Mind you, he (let’s call this fellow ‘Spike’) had ‘done his own research’ and pretty much ‘new it all already’. Spike is a 27 year old male weighing in at 77kg with a 27% body fat percentage. Which really isn’t that bad but Spike was under some illusion that he was already pretty cut and was under the impression that his body fat percentage was around 10%. So you’d imagine Spike was pretty discouraged and well... didn’t really believe me. Spike’s idea of getting shredded and dieseled is going into major calorie deficit! He should be ingesting at least 2000kcal’s per day according to his BMR (Basal Metabolic rate) and how active he is, to keep him kicking. But instead, Spike was ingesting only about 700kcal’s which is next to nothing, loading up on protein in a massive way, taking every supplement under the sun, having ‘apparently’ zero fat and hardly any carbohydrates. This makes me wonder what he was really eating! A lettuce leaf for breakfast, lunch and dinner!? Then on top of that he’s getting his butt into gear something chronic in the gym, lifting the big weights every single day at the crack of dawn, with next to zero cardio, because his theory is “I’ll lose muscle if I do cardio.” Mind you he’s been doing this ‘ripper’ eating plan and exercising every day but just not losing the weight. Now his weight and body fat really isn’t that bad, but if you want to be 2% body fat, then this way of getting ripped is not quite going to work. This is his idea of getting ‘shredded and dieseled out’. Guys, want to hear my guide on how to get shredded and dieseled the right way? Ladies, who would like to get that lovely lean and toned looking body? Well keep reading. In case you haven’t already guessed, Spike has a few wrong ideas. Okay, a lot of wrong ideas! So I’d like to clear a few things up with you all and hopefully this will give you a good idea of how to effectively and healthily reach your goals.

First of all, Spike thinks he can get to 2% body fat – very bad idea. Why, you may ask?

Well, because if your body gets to 6% body fat, it is believed that your brain actually starts to shut down! You might start to go a bit kooky or forgetful. Or turn out like rocky in the last ‘Rocky movie’... just a little slow, forgetful, just not quite all there and unable to concentrate to your full capacity. Your brain actually needs fat to function as well as carbohydrates. Without them, or if you’re deprived of them, you won’t be able to function properly. So lesson number one for Spike is – don’t even try to get down to 6% body fat unless you’d enjoy being slightly... well... stupid! Ensure you get adequate fat and carbohydrates from your diet. Secondly, Spike is not eating enough. His assumption of how much he is eating is about 7 – 8 hundred kilocalories of energy, whereas according to his BMR (basically the least amount of kilocalories you need to consume according to age, weight etc) and how active he is, he should be eating more than double what he is currently consuming! So lesson number two for Spike is – Eat more for starters! Work out how much you should be eating according to BMR and eat at LEAST what your BMR tells you. If you’re not sitting on the couch all day watching a few seasons of ‘Lost’ or ‘Gossip Girl’ then you must eat more. So in theory, if you’re an active person like Spike claims to be, then you need to eat more than your BMR tells you. Thirdly, Spike says his loading up big on protein and supplements, because he thinks that taking these will make him magically gain more muscle and lose body fat. He also thinks that the supplements will make him perform better, lift more, run faster, get bigger muscles, look chiselled etc. Heard all this before? Firstly, supplements are fine to take, but I strongly suggest you check with your health professional before taking any supplements. It’s way, way better to get these extra nutrients and so forth from your diet. There are many more benefits of just having a varied, good balanced diet than taking extra stuff that you don’t actually need! Nutrients from food are better absorbed and used more effectively than pretty much any supplement you’ll ever take! Spike is having a massive amount of protein in his diet, far exceeding his Recommended Daily Intake for protein. There is actually no real need to have more protein in your diet than the average person. Sure, a little more is good but not a bucket load of these protein shakes and high protein foods all the

time! Why? Because if you have had a high protein diet for long periods of time, which is about 6 weeks or more, you could possibly be well on the road to kidney and liver problems. Some people report of having lower back pain which is a side effect of excess protein consumption as well as protein in urine (this is bad), and decreased calcium absorption rates! Believe it or not, mass protein shakes and eating huge amounts of chicken, tuna and beef will not actually make you magically put on muscle mass! Protein is required when the body is forming new tissue and all that sort of thing. When you go to the gym, tear your muscles (which you want to do, micro-tears not liking snapping your bicep in half) you need protein only to restore the muscle and in theory the muscle grows back slightly stronger and/ or bigger. So you really don’t need all that extra protein!

Birthdays

Fourthly, Spike thinks he’s eating zero fat in his diet. Well, I said to Spike “You need fat!!” Like I said earlier, you need fat for your brain to function properly and also so your body can carry out basic functions. Your body needs fat, not too much and not too little: Somewhere in between really! As simple as that. Fifth, Spike does a full body weights workout every single, flamin’ day, and hardly any cardio. How strenuous and boring. My theory is do

cardio (especially if you’re trying to get ripped) and do weights, a full body workout or however you want to structure it, ensuring that each muscle group that you work gets at least a day rest before you work it again. Those torn muscles need time to repair before you rip them again! I also said to Spike “do cardio!” Men and women, if you’re after that ‘dieseled and

Conferences

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Weddings

shredded look’ like Spike, or the commonly desired toned look, then cardio is a key to getting on your way to looking like this. Why? Because you’re more likely to burn a higher fat percentage doing certain types of cardio than when doing weights. You want to burn the fat around the muscle so that your muscles have the chance to shine through! The lower the body fat percentage the more ‘shredded’ you’ll look. A slightly higher fat percentage will give you the lean or toned look! And no Spike, if you keep up a good balance of weights and cardio you shouldn’t lose the muscle. Cool huh! So if you follow these five tips that Spike learned including a healthy balanced diet and a well structured exercise plan with a bit of cardio in it, you are well on your way to getting your perfect body! (AH)

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NEW

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The Lost Art of Letter Writing Where has the language of the written word gone? Writing seems to have largely come down to phrases and symbols such as some of the examples below. Ask any teenager or youngster these days and they can tell you all kinds of text shortcuts and what they all mean.

The art of stringing a series of words together to create a flowing epistle of interest appears to be a dying art. Seriously, how many of us still put pen to paper and write a letter to friends, family and loved ones? Yes, I’m referring of course to the lost art of snail mail. Most of the mail in our physical letterboxes today all have windows and are definitely not fun to read. To labor over a news filled epistle is not as hard as one may think. I like to think of it as conversation – almost as if the person I am writing to is in the room with me and we are having a comfortable dialogue about all that has been happening in our lives and surroundings. It’s even been said that our pen is like a microphone into our heart. Hand written letters can be as individual as we are with the use of stickers, wax seals, beautiful papers, quill pens, parchments and envelopes. We deprive ourselves of a delightful pleasure when we forego this form of communication opting instead for the telephone, email or text messages of today. The sense of anticipation when a hand written letter

arrives in the mailbox when we can curl up on the couch or in the sun with a hot coffee or a tall glass of something cold to read it is indeed a rare pleasure not to be missed. Sometimes simply to know that a loved one has held the letter in his or her hand as they labored over it can be a comfort and joy. Our correspondence represents us in our absence and is a way that we can communicate all that is happening and how we are going to those we love and care about. We can easily voice our affection for one another in a letter where spoken words may have failed us. Handwritten letters can be kept and reread many times over, relived, and enjoyed for many years afterwards and can provide a valuable personal account of events and lives. Letter writing can also be therapeutic in the sense that it gives the writer the feeling of being listened to, and to the recipient a sense of being well cared for and drawn close to the writer. So, to be or not to be – that is the question! (DG)

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The Power of a Focused Life:

The Need for Vision and Focus An ancient proverb suggests “where there is no vision, the people perish!” In order to achieve real prosperity, which we define as peace, wholeness and well-being, you should consider completing the following exercise: Step 1:

Write down short statements and keep concise. Overall life vision - primary life focus. What are you put on this planet to achieve? Life goals: long term goals over 5-10 years and short term goals 3 months to 3 years.

1. Spirituality - knowing who you are and being secure in your identity. 2. Relationally - family and friends. 3. Vocation - having a job you enjoy and feel called to. 4. Using my talents to help others. 5. Financially - spending, giving, investing, saving. 6. Physically - exercise, health, diet. 7. Rest - recreation, downtime, holidays, entertainment.

Step 2:

Write an action plan for practical steps you are going to take to make these changes. Write down the steps you need to take to make your short and long term goals a reality.

Step 3:

Allocate time during the week, in your calendar and guard it jealously. Most people fall down in this category. If you don’t put the time in your calendar to pursue your goals , then it is unlikely that you will be able to make the changes necessary to live your ideal life.

Take the first steps to getting your financial house in order by booking a one and a half hour “financial roadmap consultation” for $99, usually $250. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with your financial roadmap. Make sure you mention this NEW CITY Magazine offer when you book for your appointment! Justin Pagotto is the business owner of Jireh Financial, a financial advice firm that is passionate about helping people get their financial house in order so they can be free to pursue the things that really matter. For more information please see www.jirehfinancialservices.com or call

04038 JIREH (54734)

General Advice warning: The advice provided on this document is General Advice Only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. (JP)

NEW CITY MAGAZINE . 9

REFLECTIONS

NEW

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“What is Your Most Treasured Possession?” If you ever had to choose just one single item from your home, something that you just could not bear to lose, what would it be? Have you even thought about it? With so many fires, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and cyclones happening all over the world I’ve been pondering this question and asking my family what their most treasured possession would be. For each one of us this would probably be a very different and unique thing. Why not surprise yourself and ask your friends and family this question and give it some thought yourself? The answers really are quite surprising. Some may say the family pet, others may say photographs, and yet others may say some item of jewellery or even the car keys. For me it would be some favourite out of print books, for my husband it would definitely be the car keys. None are necessarily better or worse than the other because to each one of us these things are a treasure, but they are also a glimpse into the heart of another and what is important to them. (DG)

Get a Life!

There’s an old saying that says, ‘Don’t count the days, but make the days count!’ This statement says many things to different people, but nine out of ten that I spoke with all basically said the same things. * Use every day to its *

fullest. Don’t waste time.

Endeavour to do things that may have previously seemed unimportant - such as putting priorities on relationships. Knowing what’s important in life, what really matters.

* Making each minute count – being able to see where you’ve been rather than consuming time on self and own pleasure. * Doing what you *

love to do.

Living your life in a way that you will never have to say “If only I had ….”

* Leaving a meaningful deposit in the lives of our children and grandchildren * Giving others the gift of our time and of ourselves.

Isn’t it time you got a life? (DG)

Get Ahead of Spring… Over the past few weeks our home has been a mad rush to get all in order before some of our friends arrive from the USA for a visit. We’ve been painting, cleaning and putting in some new carpet and finishing a few odd jobs that have been on the ‘to do’ list for some time. Marvellous how a few visitors coming can push us into action hey? As I was thinking about all of this I thought why wait... and why not get ahead of the usual spring clean? So I’ve had a great time going through cupboards, drawers, and storage areas having a good old clean out and a heave ho!

None of us really have to wait just for visitors to be arriving but we can do this now! Especially when it’s cold and wet outside and most of our time will be spent inside. You could even curl up in front of the fire and go through a few drawers. You may even like to add some scented drawer liners to your personal drawers while you’re at it! (They make your knickers and socks smell great.) Here’s some of the more unusual and forgotten places you may like to get to –

• Linen cupboard – Have you got any old tea towels and sheets with holes in them? They make great rags to clean with and could perhaps be put in the shed in a bag or under the laundry sink. • Baking ware – do you really use all that stuff? Pots, pans, tins, microwave dishes, casserole dishes…Throw out or give away anything you don’t use anymore. • Bathroom under yours?

vanity cupboards and drawers – this one is often forgotten. What lurks

• Wardrobes – don’t forget those very top shelves where things have been put and forgotten. Any clothes you haven’t worn in the past six months could all go out or be given away. • Office or library – books, books, and more books. Do you have some books lining your shelves or tucked away in a box somewhere that you know you would never bother to read again? • Toy Boxes – It’s amazing what can be found in here! Any old toys that are no longer used, or are there any that are broken? • DVD storage shelves /cupboards – Are there any DVD’s that are no longer watched and enjoyed? • Bed valances and quilts – Take off all the valances, quilt covers, mattress protectors, and pillow protectors and give them a good wash and air in the sun. If you have some lavender bushes in your garden you can hang your linen over these to dry and so they will smell wonderful ready for use again. • Craft cupboards, drawers and boxes – these can sure accumulate lots of stuff. Check it out, have a heave ho, or use it or lose it. • Shed – At our house we have a his and a her’s so we are each responsible to clean out our own shed. I like to put everything in mine into clear plastic storage boxes and label them clearly before stacking them. Go through whatever is hiding in your shed and get rid of anything unused or broken. Put anything into storage containers that you can and label them so they are easy to find and well looked after. (DG)

NEW CITY MAGAZINE . 11

FACES & PLACES city 12 NEW

You could be “shot” next! Your business can also be featured here FOR FREE. Just send an email to editor@newcitymagazine.com and we’ll be in touch soon!

Larry & Juliet @ Sa lon Julieth, Rockdale

dom King l a dale rco Cha Rock

owena @ nna & R e J , e ll es Inc. Danie y Servic Nadine, it n u m Com Kogarah

Satya & Bandana @ FONEDEALS, Rockdale

Jamie-Lee McCabe @ Jamie-Lee Boutique, Brighton L e Sands

hto

rig @B s t arke ds M n e a n eS hzo L s e Fr

Timely Je wellery @ Rockdale

Aus Health Land @ Brighton Le Sands

Madhurani & Jitendra @ Kogarah Indian Bazaar

l Pate ah @ r vin Koga Bha

Shooz To Boot @ Ko garah

ers,

th Bro

Cronulla paper shop Nathan & Harry @ Mr. Stylz, Cronulla

Litsa Zikidis @ Eyecare for you, Cronulla

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roll I ow is h s i Th

Jenn @ Bit s & Boots

Le @ Gym ea Dry Cle aners

The Criminal or Lege nd?

Emma @ Zanzibar Newtown

Jason @ Tr Fitness T ain Reaction aren Poin t

Chris @ N ewscafe Newtown afé e @ C n o m Si ah & wtown Hann Ne

Kaew, Mar Monstert k & Mana @ hreads Ne wtown

Sohail & Cathy @ Dougie’s Flame Gr illed Hurs tvile

Amanda @ fish reco rds, Newtown

d Den @ l hae St Mic King & s e a i Kat Cinem

Man

l i Do

gam Ori @ my ing St K Tam

ie t fr bes

Rheanna & Nicole @ Dolce Vita Beaute Newtown

ry Galle e n o h bile P o M @ Arazi

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Tips for a Good Night Sleep! Ever heard a conversation like this one? “How did you sleep last night?” says person A. Person B replies with “Slept like a baby.” That’s supposed to be good right? But seriously, if you really slept like a baby you would be waking up hungry and screaming every few hours and requiring your underpants to be changed intermittently throughout the night. I am proud to say that, in a literal sense, I do not sleep like a baby. When our lives begin as infants, few things matter. Sleep is one of them and most of us learn to sleep pretty well as childhood progresses. And yet somehow as we progress into adulthood, sleep slips down the priority list and somehow gets a bit more troublesome. Many of us, due to stress, schedules, shift work, over-active brains, medical factors or even bad habits, find sleep to be a difficult thing.

Deal with the frustration factor: for many insomniacs, our bed is associated with frustration at not being able to fall asleep. While there can be many reasons for this, that frustration in itself can stop us from sleeping. Your brain, without you knowing, can be saying “Great. Climbing into bed. FRUSTRATION TIME!” You lie there wondering why you can’t fall asleep and end up counting the dots on the ceiling. An easy way to deal with the frustration factor is this: If you haven’t fallen asleep within 20 minutes of getting to bed. Get up. Get yourself a glass of milk or a herbal tea. DON’T turn on the telly. DON’T check the phone. Just chill. When you are feeling sleepy again, try going back to bed.

I would like to confess at this point that I am a recovering insomniac. I say ‘recovering’ because I can fall off the non-insomniac wagon very easily. I knew I had a problem for quite a while before I did anything about it. I blamed it on being the ‘creative’ type whose brainwaves just happened to come after midnight. But when I involuntarily ended up taking a nap while stopped at the traffic lights and woke up to a complete stranger knocking on my window, I decided to do something about it. Let me clue you in on how to kick the bad-sleep habit and get yourself rested. Recognise the importance of sleep: It is in-

tegral to wellbeing, both physically and mentally. It is the time when cells regenerate, the brain rests and vents through dreams. Though I have tried through the years to replace sleep with coffee or other caffeine, guarana or other caffeine sources but alas none replace a good night of shut-eye. Sleep is worth investing in. You won’t feel as good or be as productive as you can be without it. So what can you do to invest in a good night sleep? It’s a thing called sleep hygiene and it’s made the world of difference to me!

Set up your sleep environment: There are a few basic things that you can do to instantly make your bed a better place to actually sleep in. Noise and light are two major offenders when it comes to sleep hygiene. Dealing with noise can be a bit difficult if you live by a busy highway but total block out curtains can help curb both extraneous noise and light. But other offenders can be inside your room. Ticking clocks can keep us aware of passing time even when our eyes are shut. Digital clocks are great, but if you wake up in the middle of the night and open your eyes, the first thing you are going to see is a bright light announcing to you that you are awake when you shouldn’t be. It’s bad news for your sleep cycle. Easy fixed though. Get yourself a quiet clock or face your digital clock away from you.

Keep your sleep environment stressor free: This is an important

one. Don’t take work to bed. It’s a bad idea. Your bedroom is for sleeping, relaxation and, *ahem* marital relations shall we say? It isn’t the place for computers, televisions or work. All these things make your brain associate your sleep zone with work instead of relaxa-

tion. When you walk into your room, your reaction should be “Ahh. Rest zone.” So set up your work and multimedia/entertainment zones elsewhere. Keep your bedroom a stress free zone.

Cut out electromagnetic stimulation an hour before you head to bed: Yep. I know it’s hard. Switch off the telly. Stop playing

with the apps on your mobile phone. World of Warcraft (or whatever the heck is popular in terms of video games these days) can wait for another day. Multimedia has a tendency to ramp up our brain activity instead of winding it down. Ever played Tetris on the computer only to go to bed, close your eyes and then watch the little shapes float down. You are still playing Tetris in your head! You need to give yourself time to disconnect. Some people read books instead of engaging with multimedia. I don’t, because while the good TV shows finish at 10:30, good books can keep you engaged til well after midnight. (Thanks Dan Brown, Kate Morton and John Grisham for ruining several sleeps for me.) Do what works for you.

Keep a watch on your diet: Sugars, caffeine and other stimulants after midday can do a lot of damage to the sleep cycle. Caffeine stays in your system for between three to seven hours after ingestion. Depending on your medication, this can be even longer. So if you are chugging a coffee back with lunch, that is cool. But try to avoid it when 3:30 rolls around. Get up from your desk and get some fresh air instead. Another mistake a lot of people make is eating a heavy meal late at night. Going to bed feeling sluggish and full sometimes hinders your sleep cycle. So maybe consider eating a little earlier or even eating your main meal in the middle of the day. Learn the difference between rest and sleep: Often I have made the mistake of going to bed stressed about something. What often happens then is that I can’t fall asleep or I dream about all the stuff I have to do the next day or all the things that went wrong on the day that just finished. A better thing to do is establish a relaxation routine to help you get into rest mode before you go to sleep. Some techniques include progressive relaxation, deep breathing, praying or stretches before bed. My preferred method is a bubble bath and a herbal tea or a glass of wine before bed. (You don’t want to get too dependent on the wine though. I only do it once in a while.) Another handy hint is to keep a notebook and pen by your bed. If you think of anything that you are worried about forgetting, write it down. Get up at the same time every day: I hate this one. I hate it. I hate it. But it works. If you are tired, don’t sleep in. Go to bed earlier. You get way more benefit out of it. All of us have a circadian rhythm which dictates biological and physiological activity such as when we feel sleepy and when we don’t. We can keep our circadian rhythm in check if we kick off at the same time every day. It means we are more likely to feel tired at the same time each night as the average circadian rhythm is around 24 hours. Look for the light: One interesting treatment of insomnia is bright light therapy. Many of us work in offices full of artificial light. We might start early. We might finish late. Things aren’t as simple as they were preelectricity when the sun went down and the night routine soon followed. Our brains can easily get confused as to what is day and what is night. My sleep doctor made me set my alarm for the same time every morning (hell for a person like me who hates mornings) and then walk outside and stand in the sun. Imagine my delight when the first week of this new routine had me standing barefoot in frosty grass in the middle of winter. But drenching your brain with sunlight is a great way to help your body know when to rock and when to roll over and go to sleep.

How Big are Your Dreams? In working with various people groups I have been astounded to notice that more and more people are losing the ability to dream. These are people of all different ages from the very young right through to the very young at heart. Why don’t we dare to dream anymore? We could all have varying answers to this question, but the root of them all would probably be FEAR - fear of the unknown, a fear of risk, or the fear of what others may think or say about us. There are many fears that can bind us and stop us from going after and achieving our dreams before we even get out of the starting gate. I’ve always believed that if our dreams don’t scare us, then they’re not big enough. Dare to dream, to think big, to think outside the box or outside the ‘norm’ of what everyone else is doing. We’ve all heard about Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech, and let me say it is well worth reading because if nothing else it will certainly inspire each one of us. But do you realise that a dream is just a dream unless we give it wings. Speak about it, think on it, plan and strategize toward it, and begin to work on it. Little by little you will see the big picture starting to unfold and you will be an inspiration not only to yourself but to others around about you as well. (DG)

A few little adjustments can make the world of difference to your quality of sleep and thus your energy levels during the day that follows. Sweet dreams everyone. (CH)

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RECIPE A recipe is a set of instructions that describe how to prepare or make something, especially a culinary dish.

Nahm Pla Prik INGREDIENTS: - - - - -

5 Tablespoons thai fish sauce ½ cup fresh lime juice 6 sliced birds eye chillies 2 teaspoons, brown sugar 2 cloves of minced garlic

METHOD: Combine all ingredients together.

food review

85 Commonwealth Street Surry Hills NSW Australia 2010

Longrain

T +61 2 9280 2888 F +61 2 9280 2887 E info@longrain.com W www.longrain.com Tucked away just behind central station at 85 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills you will find an amazing restaurant in Longrain, run by a German chef cooking Asian food, makes for a perfect combination.

with their speciality eggnet. There are other great dishes on the menu, which have great texture and balance such as the ocean trout with green papaya salad or the grilled octopus and crispy pork belly with watermelon.

When visiting Longrain, the first noticeable thing is the long communal table that runs almost the length of the restaurant and the awesome smell that wafts through the building, that automatically makes your mouth salivate.

Longrain is a definite must and is much more enjoyable with 4 or more friends (so you can try more of the menu) and now that they’ve opened up a cocktail bar in the basement called Short Grain there’s more reason to go to Longrain for an awesome night out!

With most Asian cooking it’s all about getting the right balance together which involves hot, sour, salty and sweet and at Longrain, they have got it to a tee especially with their Nahm Pla Prik (chilli, fish sauce, eschallots and lime juice) which gets served

http://www.longrain.com.au/sydney_intro.htm

A New Generation is rising... Those who are not content with religion & traditions. A New Generation of Kingdom people... Those who will usher in the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth!

JOIN LIFE CENTREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WORSHIP SERVICES

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NEW CITY MAGAZINE . 17

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FASHION

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SPRING STYLE

70’s Inspired Fashion

One of my favourite themes this coming season is the resurgence of the ’70s, ranging from hippie-chic boho to Studio 54 disco nights. You can dabble in this fabulous trend with a fringe bag or go all the way with wide leg pants, floppy hats and the essential wedge. The list is endless – maxi dresses, maxi skirts and of course we cannot forget the must have jumpsuit. You would be amazed how the jumpsuit is just as adaptable to all body shapes and it takes you from day to night - just like the maxi dress. So what do we have to take us from beach to bar – the sarong. Change your Haviana’s to platforms. Add a wrist full of bangles and hoop earrings and you are on your way. To achieve your inner 70’s lovechild the fabulous Guanabana collection has what you need to take you from then to now. Light a coconut scented candle and start dreaming of the warmer weather. Available in store – Envied Shop 6, 251-269 Bay Street Brighton-Le-Sands Ph: 02 9599 3671 www.enviedonline.com.au Hope you enjoy and remember the secret to chic is to appear as if you didn’t have to try to hard.

Katerina A Personal/Fashion/Image Stylist 0410 301 444 katerinaa@optusnet.com.au

Natural Beauty of the Islands In need of a break? Just want somewhere to relax? Seeking an adventure? Hawaii might be place for you. There’s just something about the fresh air and incredible, natural beauty of the islands that allows people to loosen up and unwind.

Oahu Also known as “The Gathering Place”, Oahu is where the Honolulu International Airport is located, and it is likely where you will begin your experience. It is the third largest island and is the main home of Hawaii’s varied inhabitants. The waters of Hawaii are spectacular, and you would not be making the most of your trip if you did not partake in some water activities. Enrol in a surfing class and give surfing a go! Some surf schools in Oahu offer lessons in longboard, shortboard and standup surfing. And if you don’t know what any of these are, then I guess you’ll have to go and try it out yourself! Surfing is a thrilling and satisfying experience, and it is suitable for people of all ages so nobody is left out. The Diamond Head Crater is one of the most famous landmarks in Oahu. It is

also the most famous volcanic crater in the world. To see this crater, you’ll have to go on a bit of a hike, but it is definitely worth the amazing view at the top. The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Centre has more than 100 shops and restaurants, so there is something for everyone. You are able to purchase unique Hawaiian treasures, and you might even find some souvenirs for your friends back home. Pearl Harbor is another spot to visit and it is one of the most famous. It is a World War II site and you are able to see a sunken battleship as well as enter a museum containing photographs and articles from when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Oahu is the perfect place to begin your Hawaiian adventure.

Kauai Kauai , or “Hawaii’s Island of Discovery”, features some of Hawaii’s most beautiful natural wonders. You can get to know Kauai better by visiting some of the small towns located around the area. Old Koloa Town is the home of Hawaii’s first commercial sugar mill, and you can also learn about Kauai’s multicultural and plantation history here. Kayaking down the Wailua River is a must if you are visiting Kauai. The breathtaking scenery helps you to relax as you paddle down the river and the serene atmosphere helps you to feel calm. Kauai is also where many filmmakers decided to film parts of their movies because of the beauty of the region. You are able to take tours on these locations to see where films like Lilo & Stitch (Hanalei Bay), King Kong (Kalalau Valley) and Jurassic Park (Napali Coast) were captured. The beaches on this island are out of this world. 50 miles of white sand

surround Kauai and the beaches offer private sections of the beach, away from large crowds. Kee Beach provides an opportunity to go snorkelling as the reefs are remarkable. It is also the ultimate location for sunbathing. Lydgate Beach Park is a popular place for children because of its snorkelling lagoon that is shielded from the open ocean by a lava rock wall. Picnic grounds are also available at this beach, so the whole family can go along and enjoy themselves. If you visit from December to May, you are able to take a tour and go whale watching. You can see humpback whales tail slapping and blowing spouts into the air while also experiencing the relaxing views on the ocean. So here are two islands to visit n Hawaii. Maybe you’re a surfer, maybe you’re a hiker or maybe you just want a break. Whatever you are, Hawaii will definitely have something for you. (SF)

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CD review Jessie J: Who You Are Who doesn’t know Jessie J? With her latest single Price Tag that peaked at No 1. On UK charts and has become an international smash hit! We now have her eagerly anticipated album that was actually released a month earlier due to popular demand. She has written songs for great artists such as Justin Timberlake and Miley Cyrus and must have thought to herself, it’s about time that she steps into the limelight. But there is a sense of identity crisis on this album as she seems to have songs that are definitely catchy and cool but so similar to other popular artists. Take the song ‘Do It’ for example, it’s very Rihanna inspired or ‘Mamma Knows Best’ which is reminiscient of Pixie Lott. There’s also ‘Abracadabra’ that’s very similar to Katy Perry and ‘Big White Room’ that’s so Ellie Goulding it’s not funny! With an album named “Who You Are” you would expect that we would be able to see who Jessie J really is through her songs, but sadly this isn’t true this time round. Even her song ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ is a bit vague and doesn’t really explain what Jessie J really stands for. Yes, you get the classic, relevant, cheeky and fresh sound that we have come to expect of her but its like watching fireworks, you get a big flashy bang intitally but then it fizzles out and is forgotten over time! (MR)

Bon Iver: Bon Iver

This is their second album and fans or those new to their music will not be disappointed. Frontman Justin Vernon returns to his emotional roots and is well known for his sublime falsetto voice. This time Bon Iver has collaborated with Kanye West on their new self-titled album! What really comes across is the band’s refined sound and to put it simply, it’s simply beautiful to listen to. What fine chocolate is to the taste buds Bon Iver’s music is to the ear drums... totally delectable and completely satisfying! We now have the delight of hearing Justin with a band comprised of horns, organs, strings and electric guitars. When you first listen to the album it feels as though Justin is taking you on an emotional journey that lifts you into a place of soaring heights. With songs like ‘Perth’ that has rousing horns, ‘Holocene’ is a more delicate track, ‘Hinnom, TX’ with its pulse pounding synth or better yet, ‘Wash’ that features soul stirring piano and strings. Much alike their previous album “For Emma, Forever Ago”, the more you listen to the songs the broader and deeper they get. Seriously, I’ve hit repeat like 10 times already and continue to discover new layers of intricacies in the musical compositions. This is pure gold people, and each song will surely draw you into the next with a sense of anticipation and wonder. If you haven’t noticed already each track is relative to a geographical location and will definitely evoke a sense of joy and freedom to brighten your day. ☺ (MR)

Selena Gomez & The Scene: When the Sun Goes Down Selena worked with some high profile writers and producers on this album, such as Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Pixie Lott, Toby Gad (Fergie, Beyonce), E-man (Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston) to name a few! The music on this album shows Selena’s maturity, that she isn’t just a great actress but has a wonderful voice too. Ok, she doesn’t belt out the tunes like Jessie J, but what makes her great is that she stays true to herself and sings songs that both inspire and give a sense of hope and joy. Take the song ‘Who Says’ a very catchy tune that has feel good lyrics and makes you realise that you have what it takes! ‘Bang Bang Bang’ is an upbeat tune about the memory of old love being replaced by a new one. ‘We Own the Night’ is a more mellow song but it’s still pretty slick and I love the message it puts across, enjoy every moment and don’t worry about the past. Then there’s ‘Hit the Lights’ which is a techno infused track with a great sounding beat, better yet the message is super inspiring and it’s about never giving up on your dreams even though you may have missed some great opportunities. ☺ ‘Whiplash’ is a fun and fast track that is immediately accessible and literally gets stuck in your head over time. ‘My Dilemma’ is Selena’s favourite track and is about every girl’s dilemma... boys, and has a real pop/rock feel to it. This is a refreshing album with some very catchy tunes and a lot of heart. (MR)

Busby Marou: Busby Marou

Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou make up the fantastic band Busby Marou. They are truly a dynamic duo and are hotly tipped to become the next big thing in country/rock music. This is easy listening to the core and has a very Pete Murray inspired sound that actually isn’t cheesy but sounds great. Well it makes perfect sense as Murray is one of their biggest influences and the album was recorded by Murrays’s producer Anthony Lycenko. For those out there who love road trips and surfing, this is a must buy and even for others that appreciate delicate harmonious sounds and great pick me up songs… Busby Marou will not disappoint! ‘Save Some Time for the Others’ and ‘Banjo’ definitely have that old school country/rock feel happening and was a pleasant surprise seeing as some of their major influences are bands like ‘Crowded House’ and ‘Pearl Jam’. When describing what their music is similar to Busby Marou said, “I guess people compare us a lot to Pete Murray – this could be because Pete has helped us a lot with our music journey, also we recorded our EP with Pete at his home studio. You can hear the Pete Murray influences in our music. I however think you can hear a range of styles (artists) in our music from Jack Johnson – Keith Urban – Crowded House etc. I think influences are reflected in the album sounds.” They supported Pete Murray on his 2009 National Tour and have already built up a large fan base from there. This is a solid album and only the beginning of great things to come for the boys from Rockhampton. (MR)

Small Can Be Beautiful There is a trend of urbanites, young 20 something’s and professionals moving into the east, and therefore moving into ‘lifestyle areas‘ where cafes, cool boutiques, fancy bars, clubs and exclusive restaurants (with a six-month waiting list) all happen.

1. Add shelves above doorways.

Sound all fun, until you realize that not all of them live in an apartment the size of the ‘Sex and the City’ girls. Quite the opposite, people are trading space for lifestyle. It’s ok to move into a small cramped space these days, a place to sleep after a long night of partying. The major problem is that folks don’t know how to make a small space seem larger, and don’t make use of all they have. (JY)

Here’s what to do: 2. Get rid of room-darkening shadows with additional light fixtures

Available from Space Furniture http://www.spacefurniture.com.au

6. Choose sofas and chairs with plain or textured upholstery rather than vibrant prints. Think Monochromatic.

Available from IKEA Australia http://www.ikea.com/au

3. Put low bookcases along a sofa back: they’ll double as a sofa table.

Available from Resource Furniture http://www.resourcefurniture.com.au

5. Buy furniture that has a multi functional design.

Available from Resource Furniture http://www.resourcefurniture.com.au

Available from IKEA Australia http://www.ikea.com/au

4. Keep the flooring throughout a small space the same for visual continuity.

Available from Resource Furniture http://www.resourcefurniture.com.au

7. Eliminate obstructions: the further you can see into and through a space, the larger it’ll seem.

Available from Space Furniture http://www.spacefurniture.com.au

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Rolls Royce 102EX

The other day I read Forbes’ ‘Richest people in the world’ list and found something interesting. 80 percent (or thereabouts) of the world’s billionaires are either in mining, crude oil, or commodities… if you don’t know; they are things that are ripped out of the ground to sell like metals and coal. These are the only people in the whole world that can afford a car with a Rolls Royce badge on it. They make profit from depleting and destroying the planet. Now before I get all Bob Brown on you, I am just trying to make a point. Rolls Royce’s are big cars; big giant expensive petrol guzzling limos made for oil tycoons who don’t car about the environment much. With that said, please welcome everybody, the Rolls Royce 102EX, the first fully electric limo. The only people that care about this car are people who can’t afford it. I know I sound sarcastic, but the sad truth is, I like this car very much and know that as a business model I don’t think it would work well. It makes electric that much more cooler and pushes the design boundaries for other cars to come on board. It’s a step forward for electric, and its green disciples. It houses two battery packs (96 lithium-ion cells), which are the heaviest ever, installed in a road car. Yet, it can sprint to 100km/h within eight seconds, and has a top speed of 160 km/h, pretty cool for something that weighs as much as 3 Hyundai Accents. The coolest thing about a luxury vehicle is space and silence… and the 102EX runs whisper quite. With no combustion engine, it’s like nothing else… let’s see if they put this into production, maybe Bob Brown and his ministers will put a deposit on it. (JY)

MOVIE r e v i ew Rise of the Planet of the Apes When I first heard about Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I thought to myself...here we go again another cash-in on an already great series of movies, which seems to be the current trend of some Hollywood producers/directors as of late. But to my delight I was immediately drawn into this reboot of the original Planet of the Apes. What impressed me was the storyline which doesn’t necessarily follow the plotline of the original series but has elements of some earlier movies to make it a truly original origin story. Director Rupert Wyatt said of the storyline, “This is part of the mythology and it should be seen as that. It’s not a continuation of the other films; it’s an original story. It does satisfy the people who enjoy those films. The point of this film is to achieve that and to bring that fan base into this film exactly like Batman Begins.” Another amazing feat is the lifelike realism of the computer generated apes, the way they look and move, their emotions and humanlike responsiveness is truly mind-blowing! ☺ James Franco stars as (Will Rodman), a scientist that resides in San Francisco who discovers a cure for Alzheimer’s by performing tests on apes. Caesar (Andy Serkis) is the first to be tested and becomes completely self aware with humanlike intelligence. He eventually breaks free of his cage after mistreatment by his captors and rallies up an army of super intelligent apes that number in the millions! A war then breaks out between humans and apes and Rodman may be the only one who is able to stop them, otherwise the apes will become the dominant species on the planet! (MR)

Conan the Barbarian With a fresh cast and some truly amazing fight scenes, this new instalment of Conan is looking rather special to say the least! As most Conan fans will remember, Arnold Schwarzenegger took on the role of Conan with gusto back in the 1980’s and even though the fight scenes were quite good, it still came off as quite cheesy at best. Well not with this new version of Conan that boasts a completely original version of the Conan story and a great cast to boot. Jason Momoa (Stargate: Atlantis) stars in the leading role as the hulking brute, Conan and does an excellent job both in his acting and dexterity with the sword. Equally, Rose McGowan (Charmed, Ready to Rumble) really impressed the producers to be scripted in as the evil witch Marique, A role that was previously cast for a male lead. ☺ After Conan’s father is murdered and village destroyed, he then sets out on a periless quest to bring those responsible to justice. The supernatural force that Conan faces is threatening to destroy his beloved homeland of Hyboria. He encounters many strange creatures, warriors, the warlord Khalar Zym and his daughter Marique a powerful witch. Does the legendary Cimmerian warrior really have what it takes to stand up to such ancient evil or will the land be utterly destroyed? If you like movies like 300, Gladiator and Troy then you’re gonna love this, with epic locations, an engaging storyline and excitement plus and best of all it’s in 3D. (MR)

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

The Debt

This is another reboot movie, but one well worth watching with the kids and family. This time around we have the likes of Jessica Alba (Marissa Cortez Wilson) as the stepmother of twin kids Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook). She also has a new baby and is married to a famous spy hunting television reporter, Joel McHale (Wilbur). It’s funny that Wilbur is oblivious to the fact that he’s living with a retired secret agent (Alba) and Marissa is facing her greatest challenge yet... Being a step mum to twin kids that obviously can’t stand her! But wait, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, the maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) strikes with a dastardly plan to take over the world by controlling time itself. Marissa is then called back into action by the head of OSS, home to the greatest spies and where the expired spy kids division was initially created. As the end of the world approaches Rebecca and Cecil are chosen as the new spy kids and you’ll be glad to know that the original kids from the trilogy, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) also appear in this movie. Rebecca and Cecil will have to put their competitiveness aside and focus their efforts with Carmen and Juni if they are to even have a chance to accomplish their mission and save the world! With a whole host of great gadgets, wonderful special effects and even a cute killer attack dog, you’ll enjoy knowing that not only are they trying to save the world but their family as well. It’s being released in 4D Aromascope, so you will also be able to smell what you see on screen. Now that’s cool! (MR)

This is actually a remake of an Israeli movie that was released in 2007 with the same name. With plenty of tension, intrigue, suspense and espionage, The Debt looks set to surprise audiences by its sheer intelligence and masterfully acted scenes. Academy-Award winner Helen Mirren (The Queen, RED) in preparing for her role as Rachel Singer (A former Mossad agent) immersed herself in studying Hebrew, Holocaust writings and Jewish history to bring that added touch of realism and scope to her leading role as Rachel! Other great actors include Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) as former Mossad agent David and Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom, Michael Clayton) as Mossad agent Stefan. All are deeply damaged individuals, actual Holocaust survivors who have been shattered by their own family tragedies at the hands of Nazi’s in Germany. Rachel and Stefan make a shocking discovery about their former colleague David. The Nazi war criminal Vogel, which was the target of their investigation back in 1966, is apparently still alive. They were venerated by their country for decades regarding this case but this new Intel may just have the power to undo all that they had worked so hard for. The seemingly successful mission actually wasn’t as well executed as they had planned! There are enough twists, suspense and thrills to keep you guessing throughout the film and it’s a cat-and-mouse game at heart where the cat and mouse eventually switch roles. (MR)

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Arncliffe Community Life Centre

spring festival SAT, 22nd OCTOBER 2011 11 AM - 3PM

FREE ENTRY

Jumping castle petting zoo ferris wheel face painting laser skirmish fairy floss SAUSAGE SIZZLE music GAMES

for more information go to www.aclc.org.au