The Flower Factory

Flowers & Online Florists - Sydney & Australia-wide

The Flower Factory is one of Australia’s most trusted florists, with over 30 years experience delivering flowers to destinations Australia-wide.

Whether your flower delivery is for a special occasion, a friend or ‘just because’, The Flower Factory will help you find the right flower arrangement or flower bouquets for all your special occasions, including Birthday Flowers, Wedding Anniversary Flowers, New Baby Gifts, Corporate Flowers, Valentine’s Day Flowers or Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gift baskets.

As well as their well known online flower delivery service, The Flower Factory also has nine florist shops throughout Australia and is a long serving member of Interflora and Teleflora.

So, when it is time to send flowers or you want to have flowers same day delivery then you can rely on The Flower Factory to provide the freshest, longer lasting flowers.

The Flower Factory specialises in flower arrangements, flower bouquets and gift baskets including:

Fresh Seasonal Flowers
Roses
Gerberas
Tulips
Native Flowers

Order early for your Valentine’s Day Flowers to ensure that your Valentine is spoilt this February. The Flower Factory have some of the best quality red long stemmed roses, accompanied by fine chocolates and french champagne to melt the heart of your loved one.
So if you want to show someone that you care, or wish them congratulations, visit The Flower Factory today to order your flower delivery online.

Improve Work Satisfaction

Here are ways to change your outlook not your job description and improve your work satisfaction…

Can’t get no satisfaction at work? Lack of work satisfaction is one of the major causes for workplace stress, a high rate of absenteeism and a high company turnover. But is it you or the workplace that is making you feel this way and holding you back from achieving workplace happiness? Before handing in your notice, read these seven tips on you can increase your job satisfaction.

Identifying triggers for your personal work satisfaction

Psychologists have distinguished there is a link between your attitude to work and work satisfaction. They have identified three basic approaches to work and what motivates people to come to work. This could be a job, a career and a calling and each brings certain motivators and triggers for job satisfaction.

Job: You do a job for nothing other than the pay cheque at the end of the week. This will have the greatest impact on whether you stay or go and achieve work satisfaction.
Career: This involves a deeper personal investment in work. You mark your achievements through money, but also through advancement. Each promotion brings you higher prestige and more power, as well as a raise.
Calling: A calling or vocation, on the other hand, is a passionate commitment to work for its own sake. The work is fulfilling in its own right, without regard for money or advancement.

Identifying the triggers for your job satisfaction, will help you to identify and adjust your expectations at work accordingly and find a job, career or calling that will bring you the most work satisfaction in line with those goals and aspirations.

Nature of the work vs nature of the job

The secret to job satisfaction? It’s not just about the work you do, but the people you do it with, according to a study published on March 2010 in the online Journal of Applied Psychology. The authors expected to find that the nature of the work affected job satisfaction, but they were surprised that social factors were even more important to work satisfaction.

Frequent interaction with others, office friendships and emotional support were strong predictors of job satisfaction. So the next time you want to skip out on office work drinks or miss out on a birthday lunch, take the time to bond with your colleagues and this may increase your workplace happiness and work satisfaction.

Pinpoint the exact problem of your work dissatisfaction

It’s important to find out why you are unsatisfied at work and the cause of your unhappiness. What exactly are you struggling with? This may be one central problem or a combination of problems.

Is it due to difficult co-workers, a long commute to work, poor working conditions, working excessive hours or your job role? Once you work out the exact nature of your unhappiness, you will be able to work out a course of action and tackle the problem head on.

Accept that workplaces are not perfect

It’s inevitable that you will be working with people where there may be a personality clash or you may not have any common ground or interests. The beauty of being human is we all have different communication styles, personality traits, and ways of thinking and doing things.

You don’t have to necessarily want to party with your colleagues on Friday night although that does help but you do have to maintain a level of professional courtesy, accept the inevitable personality differences and be respectful of your different working styles.

Revaluate your work goals

Perhaps your unhappiness at work is due to unfulfilled personal and professional goals. Remember this may only be a stepping stone to your dream job. Find ways to ease the boredom of your role and create new challenges for yourself within the scope of your role. This may include the following:

taking on a new and exciting project;
volunteering for new tasks;
furthering your education and training;
mentoring a new employee can also improve work satisfaction.

Working with a different team or department, focusing on your career development and improving your skills development may give you a fresh perspective and increase your work satisfaction.

Maintain a work-life balance

Those unhappy in life are unlikely to find satisfaction at work, a new study published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology in March 2010 says.

Keeping a balance in your lifestyle is important; if it’s all work and no play, you may find your enthusiasm starting to wane. In order to maintain balance in your lifestyle, the first step is to take an overview of your current lifestyle and see which areas are out of balance.

You should make for other important priorities in your life such as family, friends and other hobbies and interests such as the gym. Overtime is a necessary evil but if you find that it is the exception and not the rule, you need to take stock of your work situation and bring your life back into balance.

Think positive

Before a lack of job satisfaction turns you to drinking, take a ‘glass half full’ mentality and look at the positives of your workplace. Walking in with an optimistic attitude and see if changing detrimental and negative talk patterns can help you see your situation more clearly – it may not be as bad as you think.

Assess your current state of mind, and make some changes in yourself so that you see things in a more positive light, and you may just find you’re much happier where you are in life!

There are just a few of the things that may change your outlook and increase your work satisfaction. If you’re hopping from workplace to workplace and you find the same problems cropping up, you may just find the common denominator is you! So find out what motiviates you to come to work, what makes you happy or unhappy and face the real cause of your problems.

Cosmos Clinic

Cosmetic Surgery & Plastic Surgery – Sydney & Canberra

Cosmos Clinic is an expert medical practice delivering surgical and non-surgical cosmetic improvements for a wide range of clients.

With a team of very practised plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons, Cosmos Clinic has built a position of excellence whilst offering an understanding and sensitive approach.

The group of professionals at Cosmos are constantly blazing new trails in cosmetic and plastic surgery advancements, specifically in relation to body contouring procedures such as Liposuction.

Many liposuction procedures have been successfully completed at Cosmos Clinic and their Cosmetic Surgeons and Plastic Surgeons undertake up to 10 liposuction procedures every week.

Cosmos Clinic are also one of the first clinics in Australia to offer the new fat reduction procedure CoolSculpting “Fat Freeze”.

Cosmos clinic provides a complete variety of services including:

So if you are looking for caring advice about cosmetic procedures, contact Cosmos Clinic today for a friendly and confidential chat.

Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is a therapeutic specialty focusing on the improvement or enhancement of practical day-to-day human form as well as simple “aesthetics”. Possibly better understood for its aesthetic appeal, plastic surgery also includes a variety of medical techniques such as nasal surgery, microscopic surgery, and the treatment of damage from unfortunate circumstances. The word “plastic” is derived from the Greek word plastikos which generally means to refine or to alter not to be confused with any type of plastic manufacture.

Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic Surgery techniques are more planned around the “augmentation” of appearance applying surgical and medical methodologies, and is specifically oriented towards sustaining a more “regular” appearance, rejuvenating your appearance, or developing to their maximum potential body characteristics such as breasts, abdomen or facial elements above the average level and aiming for aesthetic perfection.

In the last year over 20,000 plastic and cosmetic consultancies were undertaken throughout Australia with Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra topping out the numbers. The 5 most common procedures were breast augmentation, liposuction, nasal surgery, eyelid surgery and abdominoplasty also more popularly called the “tummy tuck”. People from all walks of life, male and female, complete a cosmetic or plastic surgery procedure every year and new advances in technology and techniques have made the situation much less daunting.

Career Development Tips

If you want to fast track your career and you have an end goal in mind for your career development, you might want to consider spending some time looking into some career development tips…

Checking out career development tips is a useful way to move forward in your chosen career and if you are only in the early stages of your employment, planning will help you to create goals to work towards in the future. Career development opportunities should be grabbed with both hands as there is always someone else waiting around the corner to take your place should you stay too static within your job.

Career Development Plan

A career development plan is an ideal way to give yourself a clearer understanding of the ways in which you can move forward within your profession and here are a few useful things you should know:

Universities often use a career development plan to assist students in making their future career goals clearer
They allow a better understanding of a chosen career path
A plan is a good way to give you something to aim towards throughout all the stages of your career
Career development tips can be found online and are a useful for creating fresh ideas about how to move forward

Education and career development

If you wish to develop your career, try creating a list of all the jobs you have had starting with the most recent and make a side note of all of the skills and responsibilities that you had whilst there. This will allow you to see clearly exactly what you have achieved to help you to set out what you still want to achieve. Also make a similar list of your educational background to help you to get a clear picture of what education you have gained as this will be useful when you write or re-write a resume.

Setting goals

Break your plan up into set goals to ensure that you know what you should be doing and when.

See the following example:

Goal 1: Gain the education needed for your role

Goal 2: Graduate at the level that is required

Goal 3: Get a job in your chosen field field

Goal 4: Move upwards in your job by undertaking further training and courses

Continuously refer back to your goals and add in new targets if and when they are relevant. Career development tips can be used at any time during a career and allow you to refocus if you lose your way as well as provide you with something to aim for.

The benefits of career development

The benefits of using career development tips are endless and creating a way of self assessing oneself allows you to concentrate on the specific goals that you have outlined for your future. Having something to aim at every six months, every year or every other year allows ambition to kick in and self assessments are also a good way to ensure you are keeping on top of where you want to be and when.

Last but not least – work hard

Career development tips and plans can only work to your advantage if you push yourself to excel. Break down all of the barriers that attempt to halt your progress and deal with personal issues in a way that you do not allow them to affect your career goals. Outside assistance and advice for creating your career development plan is always available. Combating career obstacles is part and parcel of enjoying a successful career.

Health Screening For All Ages

Health screenings are important at every stage of your life and an important part of maintaining a work-life balance.

Having scheduled health screenings is a great way to feel like we have some control over our bodies. So many health problems depend on early detection for effective treatment, including cancer, heart disease, and many autoimmune diseases. Here are the health screenings, check ups and exams you should have at various stages of your life.

Health checks in your 20s

You’re in the prime of your life, and the last thing on your mind is health problems. And that is exactly why health screenings are so important.

In our 20s, we’re placing our bodies under a lot of stress – from partying, overwork and sometimes pregnancy.

The health checks that most 20-30 year-olds should have include:

Blood pressure checks: High blood pressure is a risk factor in the development of heart disease, and stress, carrying excess weight and being inactive can all contribute to high blood pressure.
Bloodwork: Your blood should be screened yearly for glucose levels (an indicator of diabetes), cholesterol levels, levels of thyroid hormone and electrolytes (abnormal levels can indicate kidney function problems).
Pap smears: Women who smoke or take the contraceptive pill should be especially vigilant about these health screenings, but all women should try to get a Pap smear done bi-yearly.
Dental check and clean: You should have your teeth professionally cleaned and checked annually for early signs of decay.
STI screenings: Sexually active adults should be screened by STIs, especially diseases which show no symptoms like Chlamydia, every year.
Weight assessment: Sometimes it is difficult to know whether you are in a healthy range or not.

Health checks in your 30s

Those first grey hairs and a face that isn’t quite as bouncy as it once was often force us to think more about the condition of our bodies. Most of us are still at relatively low risk for many diseases, but you should get health screenings and check ups in your 30s like:

Regular screenings: Just the same as you have been doing in your 20s, go for a yearly bloodwork, weight check, blood pressure check, dental check, and a 3-yearly Pap smear (if you have the bits required to test!).
Depression screenings: If you consistently have trouble concentrating and don’t find anything to look forward to in life, be screened for depression.
Skin cancer checks: It can be hard to identify, and your 30s are a common decade for skin cancer diagnosis.

Health checks in your 40s

In your 40s, the life distractions of kids and a career in full swing often put your health on the backburner. Even if you do little else, though, make sure you get the following health screenings:

Your regular health screenings: The same one you were getting in your 20s and 30s are still important.
EKG: An electrocardiogram should be done yearly; measuring your heart’s electrical activity can warn of arrhythmia and impending heart attack.
Fecal occult blood tests: This health screening, though it can be embarrassing, is better than dying of fairly common colorectal cancer.

Health checks in your 50s and later

In many ways, people over 50 feel like they’ve hit a second prime. You’re at full earning capacity, and may even be unfettered by your darling children, as many of them will have moved out by this stage. Keep it positive in your 50s by getting the following health screenings.

Regular health checks: Keep going with those.
Bone density checks: To screen for early signs of osteoporosis
Prostate exams: For men over age 50
Mammograms: For women over age 50. These are offered free at periodic clinics around Australia.
Vision and hearing checks: Deteriorating vision and hearing shouldn’t be a normal part of life in your 50s – have them checked regularly.

In addition, immunisations are important to maintain at all ages. Ask your doctor which shots are appropriate for you – most adults get a flu shot every year, tetanus booster every 10 years, and a pneumococcal shot every so often.

Health screenings take time – but they definitely free you from worry! Remember prevention is definitely better than cure and the quicker you are diagnosed for a potential problem, the quicker it can be treated. Doctors love to see people being proactive – so book a general health screening appointment today.

Promoting a Healthy Body Image

Britney Spears helps promote a healthy body image with her new campaign for Candies for Kohls.

Britney Spears, spokesperson for Candies for Kohl’s campaign recently released campaign pictures, before and after airbrushing, to dispel body image issues and promote a healthy body image for her young fans.

There have been significant gains in the last few years in regards to promoting healthy and realistic body shapes and a backlash to unrealistic models being used in fashion magazines and advertising.

Another celebrity to jump on the bandwagon includes Jennifer Hawkins, Myer spokesperson and ex Miss Universe who posed for the February 2010 issue of marie claire magazine sans clothes and airbrushing. This also provided a mixed response from critics who felt it was more of a publicity stunt than trying to promote a healthy body image.

In marie claire’s exclusive interview, Jennifer Hawkins confesses that she never could have done a shoot like this two years ago.

“I would have been worried about what people thought, whether it was the right decision – a thousand different things… But over the past year and a half I’ve grown into myself, and I’m more confident and comfortable within the modelling industry. I did it for the experience… It felt quite sensual and sexy. I felt empowered”.

Bianca Dye who appeared nude in the November 2009 issue of marie claire slammed the magazine and said that pushing a 26-year-old Miss Universe winner as the pin-up for female body confidence is “just not right”.

“She was born beautiful. She has not had to go through any stress to look like that,” Dye told Confidential.

“Jackie Frank is one of the most respected editors in the country and I am in shock that they would say Jennifer Hawkins is a natural role model. It’s like we’ve taken 20 steps backwards.”

In a more positive direction, Sarah Murdoch appeared on the cover of Australian’s Woman’s Weekly last year in an untouched photograph, saying women should be able to embrace the beauty of ageing. The magazine photo shoot coincides with the release of a report by the Federal Government’s body image advisory group.

The Federal Government jumped on the positive body image bandwagon and late last year introduced a new National Advisory Group on Body Image. The Advisory Group will be chaired by former ACP magazine editor Mia Freedman who championed the ‘Body Love’ section in Cosmo magazine.

Members of the advisory group include model and media identity Sarah Murdoch, Girlfriend magazine editor Sarah Cornish, founder of the Butterfly Foundation, Claire Vickery and body image researcher Susan Paxton.

Last year the Government allocated $125,000 to establish the Code of Conduct, which will include consideration of the following issues:

Clearer notification of altered or enhanced images, including digital alterations.
Better representation of diverse body shapes and sizes.
Appropriate industry age limits.

“The Government is committed to tackling negative body image from a national perspective, by helping young Australians to build confidence and resilience against the body image pressures that they face.

“Body image affects the lives of young Australians in very powerful ways and the Government is determined to make a difference over the long term,” said Kate Ellis.

But critics say that Kate Ellis put a four-inch heel wrong and sent mixed messages when she appeared in in Grazia magazine’s annual “Body Image Special”. The young politician donned a pair of killer $1,790 Gucci heels and curve-hugging $695 leather Karen Millen dress that looked more catwalk model than state figure.

Like successful plus-size model Crystal Renn who appeared on the cover of Sunday Life in mid April 2010, only to be upstaged by a stick-thin model a few pages away in the Fashion section, it seems to be a case of one step forward, one step back with designers and fashion editors doing a reluctance dance around the issue of positive body image.

With some designers only providing samples in size six or smaller for photo shoots, magazines can only use models who fit into those sizes.

But with the luxury clothing market taking a major hit in revenue in the Global Financial Crisis while mainstayers like Target and Kmart capitalised on providing affordable clothing, are the elitist designers starting to see the business sense of adding kilos and thus dollar figures to their clothing ranges?

Influential designer Karl Lagerfeld who famously said “No one wants to see curvy women,” seems to have finally embraced plus-sized models and did a photo shoot with the voluptuous burlesque dancer Miss Dirty Martini for V magazine.

Perhaps the tide is finally turning and the fashion industry will do more than pay lip service to promoting a healthy body image.

Negotiating Flexible Work Conditions

Flexible work arrangements can provide a work-life balance but also has its own unique set of challenges.

A lot of forward thinking companies are offering a work-life balance, embracing flexible work arrangements and recognise the benefits of employees working from home. However, before you speak to your manager about flexible work arrangements, find out all the ins and outs of working from home to put you in a stronger negotiating position.

Is flexible work arrangements really for you?

Working from home isn’t for everyone. While some people enjoy the freedom of working in their pyjamas and not having to suffer a long commute to work, others will feel socially isolated and prefer to come to a physical office and enjoy the day-to-day interaction with colleagues.

Before you make the big move, you may want to experiment and test the waters by spending a few days a week working from home to see whether if it is really for you. After the novelty wears out and the boredom or social isolation hits, you may find yourself longing for a traditional work environment.

Have you done your research?

There are many benefits for employees working from home and you need to include these advantages in your proposal to your boss. Some of these benefits include:

increased motivation and productivity
improved retention rate, lower absenteeism levels and increased loyalty
cost savings for the company in terms of office space, stationary and other costs
lower work-related expenses for the employee
improved work-life balance and employee morale.

Is your job suited to flexible work arrangements?

Your role may be a client-facing role or require liaison with different team members or departments or working with technology or machinery and thus may not translate well to a work at home environment. Jobs that are ideal for flexible work arrangements have the following characteristics:

a role that requires little face to face interaction
a role that can work independently of a team such as a copywriter, designer or accountant
a role that requires minimal software and equipment
a role that requires minimal supervision.

Are you suited to working from home?

It’s important to get the runs on the board before trying to negotiate flexible workplace arrangements. While the nature of your role will be a huge factor in the decision making process, other key factors will include your work performance, work habits and personal characteristics. Here are some of the things your manager is likely to consider:

Are you a person who is self-motivated and disciplined?
Are you organised and able to manage your time efficiently?
Are you able to work self-sufficiently and with minimal supervision?
Do you meet or exceed job expectations?

Employees who constantly hit deadlines, can work with minimal supervision and can work independently of their colleagues are good candidates for working from home.

You may find that in order to achieve a work-life balance, you may enjoy a blend of working from home and working in an office. Flexible work arrangements and working from home bring their own unique challenges and isn’t for the faint-hearted so do your research before you transition into working from home.

Nintendo Wii Gadgets

The Nintendo Wii and Wii Gadgets herald the beginning of an era … here are some of the coolest Wii gadgets for all ages.

The Nintendo Wii was only launched in only 2006 but it has quickly become one of the biggest selling console systems in the world and there are many Nintendo Wii gadgets to go with it. The console offers some very fun games for both the young, and young at heart! The Nintendo Wii is one of the most innovative games consoles we’ve seen in the past decade – here are some of the equally innovative Wii gadgets that you buy as optional extras.

Wii Remote controller

This Nintendo Wii gadget isn’t exactly an optional extra … but it is very cool nevertheless! It contains accelerometers that measure movement in any direction, and also translate the speed. The Wii remote controller is called a Wiimote (even though that sounds a lot like toddler talk!), and is what makes it possible to perform such life-like activities with a Wii.

Wii Nunchuck controller

The Wii nunchuck controller is used in conjunction with the main Wiimote. You plug it into the bottom of the Wiimote and (if you’re right handed) use your left hand on the nunchucks, and your right hand on the main Wiimote. Heeee-YA!

Wii MotionPlus

The MotionPlus add-on for your Wiimote makes it more sensitive to the slight wrist movements that are needed for some games. If you want to play tennis, golf, or the Sports Resort games, you’ll need a MotionPlus add-on. This Nintendo Wii gadget doesn’t require as much learning and thinking as the nunchucks, but does require greater precision than you might be used to if you’ve been using the standard Wiimote extensively.

Wii Wheel

It makes sense on paper, but try to say ‘Wii Wheel’ without sounding like you’re talking to a baby! For fans of the original Mario Kart (we’re old enough to buy our own consoles now!), the Wii Wheel is specifically designed for use with car racing games. Some reviewers find that the nunchuck-Wiimote combo works better for particular games, however … even reviewers that never played Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)!

Wii Balance Board

The Nintendo Wii Balance Board is included with the Fit Plus game pack, and it lets you do some pretty awesome things. Skateboard without fear of smashed kneecaps, evade flying cannonballs, hula hoop, throw snowballs … this pack’s main feature is the workout and fitness tracker, but it definitely has something for every taste.

Wii 5-in-1 Fitness Bundle

For grownups who love using the Nintendo Wii as a portable gym, the 5-in-1 fitness bundle is a must have Nintendo Wii gadget. These are all ease-of-use accessories rather than extra controllers (hence the ultra-low price for a 5-pack). The following is included:

Textured foot socks for traction;
Travel Bag;
Jeli Sleeve for the Wii Balance Board;
Fitness Mat;
Rechargeable Battery Pack and USB cable.

Nintendo Wii represents value for money – not only will it amuse the kids from three years up but it also has a lot of games and optional extras for adults that will have you fighting over the controllers. The Nintendo Wii has great games available but also has some great Nintendo Wii gadgets and add-ons and doubles up as an exercise and fitness tool making it a worthwhile investment for the whole family.

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