Gu4ilan |path of glory...

this is miyazaki rain, which means that every frame was...

We all know only too well that jewellery encrusted with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds costing millions apiece tends to moulder away in strong rooms, deposit boxes and various other safe places, either waiting to be put up for auction or for an executor to dispose of the estate. Only a little of it is lucky enough to see the light of day for longer than when it was on the jeweller’s workbench. The idea of costume jewellery appeared in...

In South Korea there are 16 public holidays scattered throughout the calendar year but everyone has just one week’s entitlement of annual leave. The per capita income of the population of Korea has recently started to overtake that of Japan. Koreans don’t get to call a place their own until around the time they retire – in Seoul property is even more expensive than in Tokyo or Sydney. Have you guessed what I’m driving at? If you’ve got...

Shopping in Florence. The first article – shopping in Florence: No offence Dubai and Singapore, but there are cities where you might as well be blindfolded when you go shopping. You wake up in your hotel room and step out of the lobby into a kingdom of marble, air conditioning and identical-looking shops. It’s all very predictable and convenient for, say, a weary businessman who knows that there’s no way his special lady is going to turn down a...