Venting Again!!

Here we go again!!! Has the world gone completely mad??? No, I still don't have a refrigerator (it's now over 2 months!) but that's not what I'm venting about today...

My daughter is in her 3rd year as a Hairdressing Apprentice. Her first 18months in Hairdressing was not great, but we both thought a new start, in a new Salon and new State would get her inspired again.

WRONG!!!

Broken promises, broken contracts, no training, no work ethic, no clue.......That is what her new Employer gave her.

I'll start at the beginning of her apprenticeship with Element Hair Studio, Cannon Hill, Qld.

My daughter spoke to the owner of this business, Nerida, before we relocated from Melbourne to Brisbane in November 2007. She offered my daughter a full-time apprenticeship and promised to send her to do courses in Hair Extensions, Eyelash Extensions, etc., etc., and to teach her all the skills required to become the best Hairdresser she could possibly be.

Yeah, right! When my daughter (Brienna) researched courses for Hair Extension, etc. and passed all the information on to her employer (Nerida), nothing was done to follow up. Hence, the broken promises.

After a lot of mucking about, Brienna finally started trade-school in April.......who would have thought that was the ONLY training she was to receive. Clearly Nerida thought she didn't have to do any on-the-job training, as Brienna never received any.

Now let's talk about the difference between a professional salon and back-yard salon. In a professional Salon, the client is put first and offered the best, most professional service at all times. The client should not be kept waiting over an hour because her Hairdresser is running behind time, due to too much talking and not enough working. Even when it was evident that the hairdresser was running late; not so much as a phone call to the next client to inform them. Yep...that's professional. Oh, and stopping in the middle of a haircut to chat to "Mum" on the phone about some trivial crap that could wait till later....Yep, really professional. Then how about telling the Apprentice to tell the other Senior Hairdresser that she has to start charging her clients the Salon price, and stop undercharging.....Hmm; Isn't that up to the Manager/Owner to do??

But wait.....There's more! If you sign a legal contract taking on an Apprentice, would you not think to read it BEFORE you sign it? As the employer, would you not want to know what your obligations to that Apprentice entailed? Apparently Nerida didn't feel that was important, as was proven when she informed Brienna on the anniversary of her 3rd year as an Apprentice that she wasn't going to pay her as a third year because the college had informed her she was not as competent as she should be at that time. (Mind you, the college then called back to say they made a mistake and given her the wrong information!) Did Nerida think to call the Apprenticeship Board or Wageline to confirm what she had been told? Nah-ah.....That would have required a certain degree of intelligence, which she clearly does not possess.

So, yet again, my daughter makes the calls to the relevant organisations, and the apprentice provides the employer with the information she should have known before opening her mouth.

Six months into the Apprenticeship.......Nope, still no training. (Although, I have to say at this stage my daughter could already do a better job of coloring and styling hair than her employer, and she was beginning to take on board how NOT to cut hair.....but I digress..) Brienna, in the mean time, is doing everything in her power to keep the salon as professional as possible, but to no avail. Clients have to contend with dancing exhibitions in the middle of the salon, Nerida's son eating noodles at reception, and the constant chatter on the phone to her mother.....Yep, this is a Professional Salon alright!

I guess I should add that even though Brienna was completely disillusioned and hated going to work (this occured in January, after only being there for one month) she felt obligated to stay as she didn't want to let her employer down. Although loyal, it proved to be a huge mistake. Perhaps if she had left and gone to work at another Salon she would still want to be a Hairdresser. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

When Brienna decided she wanted to return to Melbourne at the end of this year, she advised Nerida of her intentions (against my advice) some 3 months in advance. She did this as she believed she was doing the right thing by her employer, even though she was legally only required to give one weeks' notice. Once again, doing the "right thing" backfired and with only 6 weeks before Brienna was due to finish at the Salon (working up until 3 days before she was due to fly out), Nerida decides she can't afford to keep her apprentice on full-time as she has now employed a Senior. The fact that the Senior was bringing her own clients with her, and therefore bringing more money into the Salon, seemed to escape her. (Did I happen to mention she's not the brightest crayon in the pack??) So, she tells Brienna she is dropping her hours back to Part-time, but won't be giving her set days or hours; she'll just call her when she needs her. Hmm, now that sounds more like casual than part-time, yet she was only prepared to pay her the Part-time Apprenticeship rate. Wrong again Nerida! Gosh, you really should learn to get all your facts BEFORE you go flapping your gums!

Yet again, Brienna contacts the necessary departments to find out her rights as an Apprentice and once we have this information, we ask Nerida to meet us for a discussion. As Brienna was only 17 years old when the Apprenticeship Contract was signed, I went along with her as her legal guardian. Low and behold, Nerida tells me on arriving that I am not required to be there and that I should leave. This is not a good start. I don't appreciate being dismissed and told my daughters welfare has nothing to do with me. When I refused to leave, she walked away and told me she had "better things to do". No matter. I stood my ground and told her what our enquiries had uncovered, and that she had signed a legally binding document that she could not just terminate on a whim.

Well, what do you know! Now she wants to know "who" we contacted, so she could follow up and confirm what we had told her. Er, you mean you didn't do that already? You said you did....but no.....the Apprentice informs the trainer of her obligations.....yet again.

Now, a week later and not only is she refusing to pay what Brienna is entitled to, but she is also refusing to give her a reference. So, not only has she completely destroyed my daughters dream of becoming a hairdresser, she is stopping her from getting a job and supporting herself. I get it that the meeting didn't go as well as we all would have liked, but my daughter gave 100% during the last 11 months of her employment, and is more professional as an 18 year old apprentice than her Employer; a 38 year old Senior Hairdresser that should still be working out of her backyard.

This so-called adult refused to talk to me again today about my daughter's entitlements, and even called the Police to have me removed. Funny that at 38 it's okay to involve her mother, but at 18, my daughter is expected to go it alone.

I only hope that Nerida is never allowed to employ another apprentice, and shatter their dreams as she did Brienna's. If she thinks this is over, she is in for a rude awakening, as I'm not done with her yet. Her stupidity, incompetence and unethical work standards will surely be her down fall and I truly believe the only reason she has any clients at all is because they don't know the difference between a good and bad haircut. If they did, they would never go back to her poor excuse of a Salon.

Do the world a favor, Nerida, and quit hairdressing. You are a disgrace to the profession!

I need to vent!!!!

Is there no such thing as Customer Service anymore? As a consumer, what do I have to do in order to get results? I've tried being patient and polite, but it seems that gets you nowhere, so what's next? Do you only get listened to when you are loud and abusive, or does that not work either?

Over 6 weeks ago, my 10 month old Samsung refrigerator stopped working. Shouldn't be a problem as it is still under warranty, so I called Samsung to arrange for a serviceman to check it out. They advised me to ring their authorised Service Centre here in Brisbane (Lesside Pty Ltd), which I did. I was told it would be 10 working days before a serviceman could be sent. "10 days!!!" I said, and they said this was their policy. So great! I won't have a fridge for another 2 weeks.....

It actually took 3 weeks before a serviceman arrived, and that was after several phone calls to the service centre to try and get someone out sooner. He arrives on Friday afternoon, and after some 30 minutes informs me the fridge is not repairable and will have to be replaced (under warranty). He believes this will take around 5-7 working days. Great! Another 2 weeks without a fridge......

Now at no stage did I have anyone from either Lesside's or Samsung phone me or contact me in any way, shape or form, to advise me of the status of my replacement refrigerator. I made several more calls to both companies and was not only given the run around, but was actually hung up on by the "Manager" at Lesside! For heavens sake! All I wanted to know was when I would get my refrigerator! It's hot in Brisbane! What the hell am I supposed to do to keep my meat, fruit and vegies fresh?

So, guess what? I STILL DON'T HAVE A REFRIGERATOR and it has now been 6 weeks since I made the first call to have it fixed! I swear if one more person tells me "I understand..." I'm going to scream!! NO!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!! YOU HAVE A FRIDGE THAT WORKS AND I DON'T!!!! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU TELL ME YOU UNDERSTAND???

I've called, sent emails (2 of them Official Complaints to Samsung) and still nothing. No-one calls back. No-one responds to my emails, and yet if I dare to get upset/angry when speaking to them, I am made to feel that I am being unreasonable! What the fuck!!

I am now at my wit's end. Yet again I am waiting for a phone call to be returned....She said she would call back in 30 minutes.....that was an hour ago.....and I'm STILL waiting.

Now I don't know if it's just me, but I would have thought a working refrigerator was a neccessity......not a luxury, yet no-one appears to care that I don't have one.

Lucky I don't have a gas oven, as I reckon I would have put my head in and turned it on by now (though, with my luck, it would probably breakdown and take 2 months for someone to fix it!)

10 Random Facts about Me.

1. I broke both my wrists when I was about 10, after falling from the rafters I was swinging on in the girls' toilets at primary school
2. I used to love Boy George and Adam Ant, and thought Annie Lennox was cool
3. My sister locked me in the garage when I was 12 or 13 years old so I'd leave her and her friends alone
4. I got my first tattoo at 30
5. I started tattooing for a living when I was 40
6. I too have a shoe fetish (I think it runs in the family)
7. The first time I visited a Sex shop I knew the staff and half the customers (I had tattooed them)
8. I no longer tattoo (but still collect them, lol) and now I work at SexyAds and love what I do
9. I miss my catz (Saba and Morrigan)
10. My family mean more to me than all the money in the world

How to look good naked

I know we are a bit slow on the uptake down here in Oz, and most of you have probably already viewed Carson Kressley's show "How to look good Naked" but it has only just hit the TV screen in Oz, and I'm loving it!

After watching the first show, it got me thinking long and hard about how most of us really view our body. I mean, how often do you look at yourself naked in the mirror and say "wow, I'm hot!" (Personally, I have NEVER thought that when I catch a glimse of myself naked, and generally avoid actually looking at my naked body in the mirror....ugh!)

So, why are we so critical of our bodies? Do we honestly believe that we could ever really view our bodies as perfect? What the hell is "perfect" anyway? and perfect by what/who's standard?

The key to "liking" yourself naked is accepting that there is only one "you" in the entire world. Whether that includes lumps and bumps, dimples and tuck-shop lady arms, or knobby knees and flat feet......celebrate your uniqueness for what it is. You are one of a kind in every way!

I was told once, though I don't recall by whom, that when a man sees a naked woman he's more than likely just thinking "wow!!" Not, oh my god, she's got knobby knees or flabby thighs!

So I've decided it's time I stopped being so critical of my body and start celebrating every little bit of me; from the tip of my toes to the top of my head. Just as my thoughts, beliefs and views on things are unique to me, so to is my body. All of it combines to make me the person I am; totally unique and individual.

Seriously, how boring would the people of the world be if we all looked exactly the same? What if we all looked like pin-up girls (skin and bone mostly) or had what we perceive as "the perfect" body (whatever that is, after all, again it's about individual perception of perfect). No thanks!

I have always been proud to be different, yet still battled my own demons with regard to my body shape. WTF! I want to be proud to live in my skin and not focus on the things I don't like about it. After all, it's all the little things about me that make me the person I am. I want to appreciate the good bits and accept the not so good bits and acknowledge the fact that there is now, and will only ever be, one of me. Just as there is only one of everyone of us.

So, thank you Carson! I'm going to continue working hard at accepting me so that I too can look in the mirror and say "I look good naked"! and mean it.

Only another woman would understand

I read this today in a forum I moderate, and thought I would pass it on. It's true - Only a woman would understand!

This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter ….

Dear Mr. Thatcher,
I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse'? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?
As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen 's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong', or are you just picking on us?
Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always. . . Best, Wendi Aarons Austin , TX

Orgasm....the ultimate pleasure....or is it?

Have you ever had a mind-blowing orgasm that took you to the absolute height of pleasure? To a place that must be the closest thing to heaven-on-earth? Well, if you haven't you don't know what you are missing out on. This type of pleasure cannot be put into words; it must be experienced to be appreciated. However, having said that I feel I need to ask another question :

If having an orgasm creates such euphoria, why don't we want to have them as often as we can? Wouldn't everyone like to spend their days in that "special" place that only an orgasm can take us too?

Well, one would think so, but if that were the case I suppose no-one would ever leave home! lol And too, if that were the case, there wouldn't be as many women "faking" orgasm just to get it "over and done with". I mean, why fake something that makes you feel so positively wonderful? Yet lots of women do......(and maybe some men, although I don't think it's as easy for them to fake it.)

Perhaps it's to do with "too much of a good thing" makes you not want it as much, or maybe it's because all that pleasure takes a lot of energy, and we would just be too tired if we did it all the time. I'm sure the economy would suffer too, if we all just stayed home and had mind blowing sex and orgasms all day everyday!

I wonder if the women that fake orgasm do so because they have never actually experienced one; in which case they would have no clue as to what they were missing. Why else, aside from having a totally selfish lover that cannot bring you to orgasm, would you want the sex to be over BEFORE you get to the best part! Kinda like leaving a movie before it ends.....such a waste!

Granted, we all have different needs and our need for sex is often put on a back-burner in this busy day and age, but still.......this is the ultimate in feeling good, and so many find excuses to not participate. Whatever happened to "if it feels good, do it"? It does feel good, but...................

Ok, so there is a fine line between pleasure and pain.............maybe that's the key. Perhaps the fear of crossing that line puts folks off. I don't know; it just doesn't add up really.

It feels good; it burns lots of calories; you can do it with or without a partner; it's free and there is no use by date. What could be better than that? (Besides chocolate, of course!)

Am I the only one that wonders about such things?

Later,
Kazz

Is a woman who calls herself a BBW vain?

I read a post recently regarding women who call themselves a BBW being vain. (For anyone not in the know, BBW is an acronym for Big Beautiful Woman).
Now even though I have given this a bit of thought over the last few days, for me the jury is still out. I guess I'm kind of sitting on the fence in this case.

Part of me wants to cheer these women for accepting themselves for who they are and how they look, and for wanting the rest of the world to know that even big women are beautiful. I couldn't agree more and wish the fashion mags and catwalks would get on this bandwagon and stop brainwashing young girls and teenagers into believing they must be skin and bone to be perceived as beautiful. Frankly, I don't see anything beautiful about looking half-starved but try to tell most teenagers that!

On the other hand, how often do you hear someone refer to herself as SBW (as in Skinny Beautiful Woman)? And what if you're not Big or Skinny but somewhere in between? Are you then a SIBBW? And what about if you're really ugly? Can you still use one of these acronyms?

The truth is, not all Big woman are beautiful, just as not all skinny woman are, and I'm not just talking looks. It really is what's inside that counts, and I reckon there are a hell of a lot of beautiful looking woman (and men too) that are so ugly on the inside their external beauty pales in significance.

So, back to the original question; is it vain to refer to yourself as a BBW? I'm leaning toward thinking it's not. Afterall, if you don't see the beauty in yourself, then how will others see it in you? Should we not be proud of who we are, what we have achieved, and how we treat others? Is that not what makes others want to know us, spend time with us, and love us? Is society so shallow that these things are less important than our looks?

The other thing that concerns me with the use of the term BBW is this; Why do women feel the need to label themselves as one thing or another? Is it really necessary to pigeon-hole everyone? Can we not just be who we are without having to be in some kind of category?

Seriously, there is only one category that is actually relevant to us all and that is : Human Beings. That should be the only one that matters.

What makes a person sexy?

So....what does make a person sexy? Is it the clothes they wear (or don't wear, perhaps) or the way they style their hair (assuming they have hair, lol) or is it more than just the look?

I suspect it is a combination of things, but the major component to being SEXY is, in my opinion anyway, ATTITUDE. Combine attitude and confidence, and you've got sexy down pat!

Having realised that sexy is an attitude and not an action, has helped me to also realise that sexy doesn't necessarily mean slutty. One does not need to be naked or dressed in revealing clothes in order to be seen as sexy. In truth, covered from neck to knee can be more sexy than naked is, provided you are wearing the right attitude, and wearing it with confidence.

I'm sure we can all think of someone we believe is sexy, without having to think too hard. The first sexy guy that comes to mind for me is Michael Hutchence (INXS frontman, sadly no longer with us). From the first time I laid eyes on him, way back in my teens, before he became famous, I felt he positively oozed sexiness. He wasn't necessarily the most handsome man on earth, with his greasy hair and pock-marked skin, but my god! He was sooooo sexy that I just went all gooey inside whenever I saw him. Now none of this had anything to do with him being famous; like I said, I thought he was hot before he was famous. He just had IT.

See what I mean? He's not overly handsome, or physically built like Mr Universe (in fact, he's quite thin), yet he totally oozes sexy!

I rest my case! lol Actually, he is just one of many people that can take the title of "sexy". Sexy people come in all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life. One doesn't have to be famous, or beautiful, thin or have long flowing hair, because none of those things are relevant when it comes to being sexy. The only thing you need is attitude and confidence, and the only way to get that, is to be comfortable in your own skin and with who you are - not what you look like. (I hope you read my first blog, as it is all about Self-image).

Truly, everyone has the ability to be sexy, without having to be cheap or slutty. Male or female, makes no difference. If you want to be sexy, then love who you are and what you are made of, and wear yourself proudly. The rest will follow on automatically.

Oh, and by the way.......you can be sexy without having to act on it, so just enjoy the attention it brings and bring sexy back for everyone!

Catch ya next time!
Kazz

Self-image Brainwashing

I've spent a lot of time lately, just thinking about how brain-washed we are when it comes to self-image.

From the day we are born, the brainwashing begins. Pink for girls; blue for boys; dolls for girls; trucks for boys........... Then there are the Fairytales that are read to us from a very early age; Good = Beautiful; Bad = Ugly

Think about it..... In pretty much every fairytale there is a "beautiful" princess and a "handsome" prince; there is an "ugly" stepmom or step-sisters and an "evil" and equally "ugly" bad man in some form or another. And, ultimately, the good and beautiful win out over the bad and ugly.

Is it any wonder we grow up believing if we don't have a beautiful face and perfect figure, then we will not be seen as "good" and no-one will love us or like us; so we spend the rest of our life trying, striving for even, what we perceive to be perfection.

However, it is a goal that few (if any) will ever attain and the truth is, external beauty and a perfect body (whatever that is) does not make a beautiful person. It IS what's inside that counts. The rest is just a facade.

I'm sure we have all come across a "beautiful" or "handsome" person at some time, that turns out to be so ugly on the inside you find yourself wondering how you ever saw them as beautiful in the first place.

Sure, we generally need to find someone physically attractive before we take the time to get to know them, but what do we measure attractiveness by? Is it an internal guage of measure, or the one that society has set during it's 'brainwashing' of us.

Body image is so overrated that many people cannot get past it.....be it their own body or someone else's. The truth is though, most people do not have a "perfect" body or face, yet we still seek it, not only in ourself, but when seeking a partner.

Moreover, I keep coming back to the same question - What is "perfect"? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then there is no true definition of beauty, nor can there be such a thing as perfect. Perfect to me, means without flaw........and does a person exsist that is flawless? I think not; yet we still try desperately to find it or achieve it.

I wonder if I will live long enough to see the day when children are taught to love and respect others, regardless of their appearance, skin color, religion and so on. A time when how one looks is less important than how one behaves. When little girls don't grow up thinking that starving themselves will make them beautiful and worthy of love, and little boys will know that sharing their innermost fears and tears does not make them any less a person.

Perhaps if we all lost our ability to see with our eyes, and had it replaced by the ability to see with our hearts, the external wrapping would cease to be important.

I know I'm not "perfect" and frankly, I don't want to be. I am happy in the skin I'm in; yep, flaws and all, and given the opportunity to change my face or body for one more beautiful, I'd have to say "no thank-you".

The fact is that even if I had a gorgeous face and a body to die for, I'd still be me on the inside, and that's what makes me who I am..........and I happen to like who I am.