Registration ends today for forum on curbing suicide

Melinda Sue Chinen said she felt overwhelmed and emotionally drained when she learned a good friend was contemplating suicide. She spent eight hours on the phone with him, persuading him to change his mind.

"There was a heavy weight on my shoulders. I was his last lifeline," said the Mililani High School senior. "I was really shaken up by the experience."

After helping her friend, Chinen found a passion for assisting others touched by suicide or suicidal thoughts, and it became the focus of a community service project that will help her earn the Girl Scouts’ top honor, the Gold Award.

She has organized the "Nothing to Hide: Suicide Prevention and Awareness Conference," scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Kapiolani Community College cafeteria.The deadline to register is today.

"We have several guest speakers who will share their experiences on how to help those who are considering suicide and also how to help, heal and give hope to those who have lost someone to suicide," she said.

Chinen’s mentor, Pua Kaniau-Santos, a social worker at the Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center, is helping her to plan the free conference.

To register, visit www.wix.com/nothingtohidehi2012/suicideawareness. Email melmelmando444@gmail.com or call 352-2048 for more information.

New store’s mosaics reflect seaside life in Kailua

Two mosaics, titled "Seaside Living" and "Kailua State of Mind," have been installed on the new Whole Foods Market building in Kailua town.

The 8-by-8-foot murals, commissioned by property manager Kaneohe Ranch, were created by local artists Bethany Brown and Leah Rigg.

It was a collaborative effort, with Rigg incorporating Brown’s original designs painted on acrylic into murals made of broken ceramic tiles interspersed with glazed tiles and letters.

"I hope that people will enjoy these murals as an aesthetically interesting and attractive snapshot of their neighborhood," Rigg said in a news release. "Bethany put a lot of thought into their content, and I love her use of descriptive words, some even sort of hidden. I like to think people will not just walk by them but take a minute to enjoy the piecing together of the tiles, read the words and appreciate the placement of the mosaics among all the plants."

The mosaics have been installed next to the store’s Living Wall, a vertical art piece comprising Native Hawaiian and tropical plants that was mounted last year.

Whole Foods Market is scheduled to open in the spring.

BEAUTY SPOT

Renowned makeup artists are in isles

International Dior Pro Team artists Galvin Lin from China and Ivan Chiu from Taiwan will conduct makeup demonstrations from 7 to 10 p.m. daily through Sunday at DFS Galleria Waikiki.

Lin, popular among Chinese celebrities, is often featured in fashion magazines such as Vogue, Bazaar and Elle. Chiu is a former photographer who is famed for his ability to find each individual’s beauty and play it up. Both are involved in international runway shows.

While here, they will launch a new patterned eye shadow inspired by the Dior Anselm Reyle Collection, exclusive to DFS in Hawaii, 330 Royal Hawaiian Ave.