MONDAY MORNING MAGIC

There is an everyday ritual which I believe to be greatly underappreciated and underrated by the masses. A sacred tradition frequently overlooked by those in a morning rush, abiding by a bizarre dietary schedule, or those who have been deprived of the magic from a young age: it is the magic of Breakfast. Yes, Breakfast deserves a capital 'b'. Breakfast!

Breakfast is amazing. It is the last thing I think of as I fall asleep, and the first thing I think of upon waking. Breakfast has a serious hold on me. You know, Breakfast is so great and majestic that cafes have it served all day, people even have 'breakfast for dinner' dinners! However, I do think that Breakfast should remain a scared meal, a cherished part of the day, and overindulging is never really a good thing. That is why I encourage everyone to really get into having breakfast; wake up slow, smell the coffee, take in the sunshine, just enjoy the experience.

I know there are those who are doubtful (aka my boyfriend, who is probably reading this right now and shaking his head at the screen), but for those special individuals who appreciate the finer things in life, Breakfast is the winner.

And for your browsing pleasure, here is a blog completely dedicated to 'the art of breakfast'; Simply Breakfast.

Photos by Jennifer Causey from Simply Breakfast.

ALL I CAN ASK FOR...

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Alex Turner; he knows what's going on...

The Only Ones Who Know/Do Me A Favour - Arctic Monkeys

Do Me A Favour:

Well the morning was complete,

There was tears on the steering wheel dripping on the seat,

Several hours or several weeks,

I'd have the cheek to say they're equally as bleak

It's the beginning of the end,

The car went up the hill and disappeared around the bend,

Ask anyone they'll tell you that it's these times that it tends,

The start to breaking off, to start to fall apart,

Hold on to your heart

Do me a favour, break my nose

Do me a favour, and tell me to go away

Do me a favour, and stop asking questions

She walked away, well, her shoes were untied,

And the eyes were all red, you could see that we'd cried,

And I watched and I waited 'till she was inside,

Forcing a smile and waving goodbye

Curiousity becomes a heavy load,

Too heavy to hold, too heavy to hold.

Curiousity becomes a heavy load,

Too heavy to hold, will force you to be cold

Do me a favour, and ask if you need some help

She said, do me a favour and stop flattering yourself

How to tear apart the ties that bind,

Perhaps fuck off might be too kind,

Perhaps fuck off might be too kind

NO SUCH THING AS LOVE

neon tambourine flickr

PARADOX

I am feeling restless.
I am excited because this time tomorrow, I can finally feel calm again.

jess gough's flickr

WEEKEND READING

Today, I came across a couple of note worthy blogs that I thought I should share with my readers.
Lola is Beauty is a blog with actual substance, something to be valued in the blogosphere. Very good reading material for those interested in Style, Fashion, and Pop Culture.
Miel et Cannelle, well the name is beautiful in itself, really. This blog could be a mini magazine in the physical world. It's pretty to look at and if you're in the mood, it's enjoyable to read too.

I shall be trawling through the achives this weekend, despite the incredible sunshine and warmth Melbourne has been receiving lately. My homebody activities have a lot to do with my painfully irritating hay fever, but these blogs make it worthwhile to spend a Spring day inside.

Ph: Ren Rox

I CAN'T GET NO SAT-IS-FAC-TION

Do you wanna know what completely ruins my day, what gives me shivers up my spine, and makes my blood boil? Of course you do! It's bad customer service, it is horrendous stakeholder dissatisfaction. It's when customer service 'professionals' are oblivious to the attrocity of their so called 'service', and practically go out of their way to put a big fat damper on your day.

It's not really very difficult for anyone to treat strangers how they would like to be treated: politely and genuinely. And if you are in the retail or hospitality industry, the heart and soul of your work is customer service. So, why are so many people letting me down? Why am I constantly angered as if the devil lives inside me?

It's because I cannot stand when people are being paid to do something, and are completely inadequate to do so, or simply refuse to do their god damn job. And I ask myself, 'why are these pathetic excuses for customer service not fired on the spot?'. I want to be the one to fire them. I want to charge in like Mister Donald Trump, thrust out my fire gun, and blaze the flames of employee termination on their arses. They have no place in the world of customer satisfaction.

Let me give you a nice and ripe example (I have so many, it's hard to choose). I quit a job I had about two weeks ago. I was a casual, so it was no drama. The reason I left is because a) it was the most unprofessional environment imaginable, and b) I got offered a better job but that is besides the point. So, when pay day came around, I wasn't paid for my last shift. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, and wait to the next week. Week later, still no pay. So then, today I rang up. And, I have to say I really shouldn't of expected anything less from the calibre of managment that reigns over my previous place of employment. Of course they hadn't paid me, three weeks after my last shift. Of course I had written it down in the book for it to be counted in with everybody else's payments. Of course my ex-manager blatantly blamed it on a part-time employee and took absolutely zero responsibility. Of course my ex-manager did not apologise. What else could I have really expected? I must of been hoping for a bloody miracle.

And now, more than a week later after my pay should of been in my account, I am still desperately waiting for my money. I need my money, I am inbetween jobs, and I am revolted by the way my manager has handled the situation; palmed it off to someone else, took no responsibility, and couldn't even be nice/polite/PROFESSIONAL about it.... hrmm, reminds me a bit of the Australian government's handling of the situation with the Sri Lankan asylum seeks and Indonesia.

My aftternoon won't be dedicated to study today, oh no. Instead, I will have to physically go to this retail hell and make it very clear how I feel about this mistreatment of employees. I know that I would never get this kind of treatment at my new workplace, and this is part of the reason why I am so peeved. Professionalism does exist, just not at '(name of ex-employeer)', and I really wish I could type in big fat letters the name of the place I'm ranting on about , but that wouldn't be professional of me, now would it?

Anyway, I know bad customer service doesn't bother half as many people as it should. But you should care, because if enough people start caring, we would all be amazed at the results of complaining power - customer service you never even imagined that could exist.

Oh, and I know I have used customer service and stakeholder fulfillment interchangeably here; these concepts should be transparent and interchangeable. I expect nothing less. But when I do get less, I feel like dear Zippora Sevens, here:

Not very happy.

BABY, IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY HOT OUTSIDE

So, I think we should escape to one of these places. They exist just when we need them...

Photos by Ren Rox (first image is'unkown')

P.s These places really do exist; say hello to Bazil!

BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

Just in, latest looks from Hannah + Landon, and oh my! I really wish everybody would dress like this during autumn and winter. When I see these photos, it reminds me of the atmosphere Melbourne has throughout the cooler months, but it's a shame no one actually chooses to wear such feminine and sophisticated outfits as these. I know I would if it didn't feel like I was playing dress ups; which is why I sometimes wish it was the 1940's. That would be a feminine and sophisticated decade to dress in, for sure!

hannah + landon: the weather outside is weather

ALL THE PRETTY THINGS

I'm not big on accessories, probably because I can't afford the ones I like... and probably because I don't have that inherent sense of style. Naww, this makes me sad. Luckily, it's not a life or death situation - really, who needs jewellery? But then, Obnoxious Owl's recent blog post on being decadent, has spurred a little desire in me to build on my jewellery collection. And this is the kind of jewellery I like.

Hootie ring by Corky Saint Clair

Small feather pendant by Meadowlark

Protea Cocktail ring by Meadowlark

Cocktail ring by none other than Karen Walker

Sweet Pink Lady Apple by Pink Lou Lou

Better start making my list and be checking it twice!

GO-GO-GIRL

I've been sussing out the lineup for Falls Festival, and have come across some musical gems to say the very least. Probably the most interesting artist playing by far has got to be Emma Peel, aka The Girl Bomb. How to describe Miss Peel... 1960's fanatic/DJ/Go-go girl? Yeah, that'll do.

When I visit her myspace page, I feel like I'm in a dizzy time warp, transvestites, musicals and all. Luckily, I like the whole vibe of the 60's - but this girl, she lives it. It's amazing, actually. She plays regularly at a 60's themed nightclub in Melbourne called Blow Up. Never heard of it before, but I'm intruiged. Her mixes remind me of Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 (or the brief obession I had with him, anyway); I really love that Bossa Nova sound. I'm telling you, it is the sound of summer, people!

Also, some of you might recognise Emma Peel from Frankie magazine: she was part of a feature about retro homes/people... something like that. I've included photos of her down below, and if you have that copy of Frankie magazine, you'll probably recognise her right away.

So, to get into the routine of cocktails, Brazil, and coconut oil, here are some video I highly recommend. Some people may call it elevator music, but I call it absolute bliss. Enjoy.

And a mix by The Girl Bomb, for you to have a taste of what I will have the pleasure of dancing to in the mid-day sun, at Falls Festival.

Go Go Boogaloo! by thegirlbomb

And now, presenting to you, Emma Peel:

WOW, I'D LIKE TO THANK...

A bit of an afternoon surprise; Amanda from Here Comes The Sun just passed this blog 'award' onto me. The deal is that I share seven things about myself. Shouldn't be too hard, and I'm in the mood for a little narcissism!

Me (center) with my 'cupcakes'

1) My parents are from Poland, but I'm well and truly Australian (whatever that means)
2) I come up with a new life plan every few weeks. I can never make up my mind
3) I've been learning French for eight years, I've been to France twice, and I'm still no good at it! But I love the French language (and culture) with all my heart, and will never give up on it!
4) I don't take star signs seriously, but I have to say that the typical Aquarius personality profile pins me down nicely
5) I think every single person should learn about philosophy and politics from a young age - just like mathematics or the English language - idealistic, I know
6) I started blogging about a year ago because I was so inspired by Ally from Some Required (and I came across her blog by googling Uffie pictures)
7) I have a lot of mixed ideas in my head, so no one should take me too seriously on this blog (or, just ever)

Hrmmm, if I had to pass this onto anyone, it would be Obnoxious Owl - I cannot get enough of her blog and the advice she posts. So hilarious, so brutal, and so true!