Monday 25 February 2013

Musical meds: Elli Ingram

I've been frustrated recently. It's been a while since I've found a piece of music which has hit me hard. That's until I stumbled upon the track 'Poetic Justice' by Elli Ingram...

I often find myself toying around with a multitude of tracks all of the same genre. Each one somewhat resembles the other...  

Sometimes I'm lazy like that. I just get sick of the same tune all the time and go find myself a 'same same but different' one to keep me partially sane.

But tonight - well I was bouncing around from track to track on Soundcloud... Then out of the blue this tune randomly started playing?!  

How odd. Dr Soundcloud clearly knew I needed some musical medication, I see!

And this is what he prescribed:  

 

This musical beauty, produced by Felix Joseph & Rudi Redz, mixes jazzy vibes and hiphop with the most satisfying proportions. 

It's got everything I need. Bass. Beats. Umph. And I must admit - I'm a sucker for gentle female vocals with the appropriate levels of sass. 

Purrrrrfect!

So thank you Dr Soundcloud... <3 you more and more each day!

Will you be checking out more of Elli Ingram?

Sunday 17 February 2013

Sort your home out on a budget

'New year, new start' was often said in the first month or so of 2013, but how can you start fresh when you haven't updated your home since the dark ages? It may be mid-February ALREADY, but here are 5 simple steps to revitalise your essential living spaces... Let's face it, you probably hadn't got round to doing anything yet anyway! 


STEP 1: De-clutter

Get rid of all your junk. Come on, really? Are you ever going to wear, see, hold or use that ever again? Only if you're moving house in the future, most probably! 

So get rid of it. Car boot sale, Ebay, Charity Shop, whatever - there's plenty of ways to get rid of your endless amounts of crap. Free space, free mind!

STEP 2: Paint

First thing to attack is your walls. You'll most likely have accumulated a load of hand prints, coffee drips, perhaps even puke on your walls. Get it the hell off! 

If washing them doesn't work, re-painting them is your only option. Often a new lick of paint can brighten a place up instantly anyhow. 

For god's sake don't have a heart attack at the prospect of picking up a paint brush! First, invite your friends, relatives, extended friends group - you name it - over to your house. 

Then, disguise the event as some sort of super-fun social gathering and ask them to wear their most imaginative binbag fancy dress outfits. No risk of them claiming they're not wearing the right clothes then is there? Who said anything about deception? It'll be fun anyway!

Next, have a look at your furniture. Is it old, scratched and/or just generally obscene? Get some damn paint on them too! Or even just some gloss to refresh them! I hate that feeling of worn, oldness. This will instantly elliminate that.

After all, bad furniture can make a decent, mould-free house somehow conjure up a smell of dirt in our minds. So get to it.

STEP 3: Hang


Your walls may now be clean and fresh, but are they lifeless, with no pictures, nothing? The 'bare' look may suit the baby's bottoms featured in Pamper's adverts, but not your walls! Get some damn pictures on them. 

All you need is a few decent posters, a frame in a contrasting colour to the picture itself (don't you dare stick the poster straight on the wall - yuck!), hammer in a nail and hang it up. Simple!

Make sure every room has one large statement picture, or a variety of small ones.

STEP 4: Reupholster

If your sofa and chair covers are dirty, gross, and/or dated, get them reupholstered. It shouldn't cost much and will make a huge difference to your home. 

Plus, stick a few cushions in contrasting colours and fabrics to the sofa and throw them on. This will instantly brighten the room up.

If however your cushion covers are as disgusting as your sofas and chairs, you can easily get some new ones for cheap cheap cheap. My favourite places to buy home wares are H&M home, ZARA home, and even sometimes Ebay!

STEP 5: Get new sheets

If you've been hanging on to the same bed sheets for years it's time for a new set! That's like spending years in the same town and never venturing out; same stuff, all day, every day, nothing new - BLEUGH! If you live with other people, your bedroom is your sanctuary. New bed sheets are the icing on the cake and can work wonders with how you feel too!

Get inspiration from some 
interiors I <3 here

Sunday 10 February 2013

Shock horror: Valentine's Day approaches

Valentine's Day approaches once again my friends, and as usual the entire population of the western world commences into frenzy mode. To put things straight, I've responded to a few common reaction to the fateful day. Enjoy!


 

So which number best describes you right now?

1. A depressed person collating a list of potential places to commit suicide?

Chill out. First things first you should never be relying on a relationship to keep you happy. You must first learn to be happy within yourself, way before any other person can join the picture.

Maybe that's why you haven't met anyone yet? You have to have 'me love' before you can have 'I love', or you'll be plagued by jelousy in relationships!

Either way, being down all the time is unattractive. Sure, we all have our insecurities, but a fundamental thing to keep a relationship going is being able to make each other happy. Even if it's just the tiniest little thing. 

Try thinking of the people in your life who DO love you - your family, your friends... Why not spend time and develop amazing relationships with them first?

2. A singleton signing up to dating sites in an attempt to fix a Valentine's Day date at some cringey single-person's-bar?

Again... Valentine's Day is just any old day. If you're serious about being in a relationship then you should be actively doing something about that, yes, but not just for Valentine's Day!

A girlfriend is not just for Valentine's Day!

3. Pooing your pants over whether or not to sign the Valentine's card to the person you're lusting after with your real name, or simply 'your valentine'?

Yeah, OK, everyone gets nervous. But what on earth is the point in giving someone a Valentine's card without revealing who you are? 

If you're serious about this person then what are you waiting for? How are things going to move forward if they have no idea how you feel?

Sign your damn name!

If you're worried they're going to be horrible to you then why would you want to be with them anyway?! 

4. Containing your excitement for receiving loads of gifts and compliments every year without fail? 'Hooray, I'm so in demand.' 

Lucky you! You can't help that you're a gorgeous, beautiful person. Just don't go rubbing it in other people's faces. Bitch.
 
5. A 'taken' girl shopping 24/7 for the perfect gift for your boyfriend? 'Any excuse to shop - yippee!'

Gifts, gifts and more gifts are great. But remember, Valentine's Day isn't just about showering your lover with gifts! You should be trying to make your boyfriend happy every day of the year.

6. A 'taken' guy freaking out over where to take your girlfriend and hoping this isn't the year you're expected to propose?

Do something on the day which you both enjoy! Sure, every girl likes to be wined and dined, but don't think it HAS to be a fancy, expensive restaurant.

Me and James went into London last year looking for a nice place to eat and ended up in Pizza Hut. We had an awesome evening! 

Just because you're trying to show your love doesn't mean you have to start acting like a rich bitch. If she's cool, then you shouldn't have to try and be something you're not. If you're right for eachother, even the most low-key date should be fun!

As for the proposal, don't give in to that crap unless you genuinely both want to.

If you love her and you're happy then what on earth is marriage going to do to help you? Check out my blog 'May Alarm bells ring on the most hypocritical day of your life' for more on how I feel about marriage.

SO EVERYONE, JUST REMEMBER:

If you're single, who cares? Let it ride. Stick with people who do love you. The rest will come in time.

And to those in relationships: It's not about the dinner date. It's not about the size of the card. For Christ's sake, it's about having a great time with the one you love!

I honestly think Valentine's Day means the most to couples who have survived a really tough year together... The ones who come to the realisation that they've been neglecting the person they love, and then decide to make it 'Valentine's Day' every fortnight. Even if it's just setting the time aside to cuddle up in front of the TV together!



Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below :)

Sunday 3 February 2013

The Pret a Manger predicament

DAILY MAIL'S BREAKING NEWS: Pret a Manger expect employees to 'be charming', 'have presence', create a 'sense of fun' and not 'annoy people' or be 'bad-tempered'! Emotional slavery, I say! Or perhaps just normality?


So according to a recent article from the Daily Mail, the 'bizarre' revelations on Pret a Manger's guidelines for employees are somewhat shocking. 

Uhh... Since when was encouraging your employees to provide good customer service out of the ordinary?

Customer Service 
 
Good customer service is being attentive, friendly, positive and helpful. So what exactly are Pret a Manger doing wrong? Surely like any other role which is customer facing - a personable attitude is a requirement in the job description!?

Could you imagine a job interview where the interviewee explains how they are naturally irritable and feel insulted when customers ask them for help? 
I can't.

Would they get the job after insisting: 'If customers want something done, they can do it themselves'? Don't think so.


I hate going into shops where there's grumpy, rude people at the counter! Or having to wait around while co-workers argue or finish their gossip session before being served. That's bad customer service.

Hypocrisy

The Daily Mail then accuse Pret a Manger of taking down the list of things they 'do' and 'don't' expect of their employees from their website because they were so TERRIBLY ashamed.

No.

As expected, a spokesman for Pret told the Daily Mail that 'they are for internal use for staff and the website is an external facing platform for communications with customers.' 


Duh! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that one out.

I can't believe the Daily Mail even published the article after realising that they were dramatising something so far from noteworthy.

Either way, where are guidelines for working with the Daily Mail on their website? Nowhere to be found! Hypocrites.


Get over it

The article can be compared to a little kid throwing their toys out of the pram because Mummy wouldn't give them Haribos... Kicking up a fuss over something which doesn't truly matter - since Haribos aren't vital to the wellbeing of children. In fact, they're bad for them.

The only difference is that the Daily Mail is made up of adults. 


At the end of the day, it's not like Pret a Manger are forcing their employees to continue working there as slaves. If the employees don't want to provide good customer service then they can go attempt to find a job elsewhere. Perhaps a job working in the back-end of some shop sorting out deliveries would suit?

But then again, even that requires some sort of human interaction!


I would love to know your opinion in the 
comments box below...