Challenge January - February 2012

Challenge compiles a handy guide for al l the things you have always wished you knew how to do, but have never gotten round to learning. From getting rid of hangovers to being a geek,

we’ve got you covered.

19 -26 pages of tips to get smarter in life

November/December 2011

TheHow-To

issue

How To DEFEND YoURSELFInspired by the movie Miss Congeniality, we encourage everyone to remember to S-I-N-G: solar plexus, instep, nose and groin. This will def initely leave your assailant singing like a soprano. Ow.

How To ASK SoMEoNE’S NAME...Avoid the awkward mo-ment of failing to recall names with these tips.

The “introduce a friend” trick. Get a friend who doesn’t know the person to introduce themselves. Make sure you perk up your ears at the cru-cial moment.

Start the conversation with-out using any names. Then hope desperately that you will remember their names during the conversation itself.

How To SAVE A wET HANDPHoNEFor those times when your phone goes for an unexpected swim.

Remove the batter y and ev-erything else that can be easily dismantled.

Dr y your phone with a cloth and use a vacuum cleaner to suck all the moisture out of it.

Give it a few hours and say a quick prayer before attempt-ing to switch on your phone again. Good luck.

Um... what's your name?

How To BREAK IN NEw SHoESSave yourself the price and pain of beauty by breaking them in.

Wear them in the house for a few hours daily with a pair of thick cotton socks until they ’re stretched to the right fit. You can also try using sandpaper on the soles to make them less slippery and easier to walk in.

MAKE THOSE SHOES LASTAvoid wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row. Allow at least a day for the insides to air out.

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Groin!

Solar

plexus!

Nose!

Instep!

Uh... do I know you?

How To GET RID oF RED wINE STAINS You’re at a party having the time of your life. Suddenly, you have an unsightly red wine stain on your clothes. Act fast! Blot it off with white wine, club soda, or milk before the stain sets.

Drinking a Bloody Mary is an effective way of curing a hangover. The alcohol in the drink eases your hangover symptoms and the vitamins from the tomato juice replenish those you lost from the night before.

dId yOu KnOw?

THE TI(M)ELINE Don’t commit a fashion faux pas by wearing a tie that is behind the times. Let us bring you through the evolution of the tie with this ti(m)eline.

Mid-1960s – late 1970sTies balloon in size compared to those used earlier in the 60s. Fattest of them all is the kipper tie, which can go up to six inches wide.

1980s-90sNovelty ties see a resurgence and thosemade from un-usual material(like wood) gain popularity.

Mid-2000sGradual return

to narrower ties à la the 50s and early 60s. Phew.

It’s THAT time of the year again, when it seems you have a never-ending stream of parties to go to (or to host).

1980s Designs are less

garish and ties get narrower.

Birth of the power tie, popu-

larised by Ronald Reagan, former

President of the USA.

Be extra careful when trying this trick with carbonated wine. Let the bottle sit for 10-15 minutes before pulling out the cork to avoid an explosion of expensive wine in your face.

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How To oPEN A BoTTLE oF wINE wITHoUT A CoRKSCREw Don’t let the lack of tools stop you f rom sampling that bottle of wine. But be warned, this takes practice to get it right...

Take a towel and wrap it around the bottom of

the bottle.

01 02Hold bottle horizontally ; hit

its base firmly and evenly against a flat surface like

a wall to push the cork out.

03Once the cork is partially out, remove it with your hands or a pair of pliers.

The bowtie has seen a revival of sorts, with many popular TV characters adopting it. Doctor Who and Chuck Bass (from Gossip Girl) are just some of the more recent ones.

dId yOu KnOw?

How To MAKE A CHIGNoN Get this chic Hollywood hairstyle without breaking the bank.

Brush your hair into a low ponytail. Split ponytail in half. Most of the hair should be on top with about a quarter at the bottom. Clip up the top section. Split the bottom into two sections again.

Take the right section and curl it around your fingers like you are curling it around a roller and pin it in place. Do the same with the left section, but pin it in a northwest position.

Unloosen the top section and twist it, wrapping it around the rolls. Pin the ends of the twist wherever it stops wrapping.Still clueless? Watch this video at bit.ly/howtomakechignon

For video instructions, go to bit.ly/bowtiein90secs

Make a simple knot, crossing A which is

slightly longer (about 4cm) over B .

01 02 03Adjust tightness of knot. Hold A away, then fold B

into a bow shape.

Place A vertically over B . Hold the half bow with

one hand.

Using the other hand, tuck A through the

loop behind the existing half bow.

04 05 06Pull A through gently to form the other half bow. Be careful not to pull it

out too much.

Tighten the knot you have created, straighten-

ing it, particularly in the center.

How To DESHELL PRAwNS Out on a date and made the mistake of

ordering prawns? Excuse yourself and watch this video discreetly on your smart-

phone to learn how to peel them with your fork and knife. Disaster averted.

bit.ly/deshell_prawns

ABB

A

A

B

A A

How To TIE A BowTIE

Remove the turkey leg by cutting through from skin to joint, separating the thigh and drumstick at the joint. 01 02 Insert a fork into the upper wing and make a long horizon-

tal cut above wing joint through to body frame.

03 Disjoint wings from body if desired. Then slice the rest of the turkey straight down with an even stroke. 04 Continue to slice breast meat easily by starting the cut at

a higher point each time.

I don’t believe you can ever really cook unless you love eating.– Nigella Lawson, author of How to Be a Domestic Goddess

in the kitchen

Stop those water works. Try placing the onions in the fridge before cutting them up as chilled onions result in fewer tears. Alternatively, try wearing goggles…

Those pesky ants! They just seem to be everywhere. Sprinkle some white pepper in their path and they will be repelled.

FoR CoMMoN KITCHEN NUISANCES

chill

'em!

TURKEY CARVING 101

Ingredients:• 2 large Chinese cabbages, sliced into chunks• 4 stalks of spring onion

Brine • 11/2 cups of rock salt•Enough water to cover cabbage

Sauce• 10 tablespoons of fish sauce• 10 tablespoons of red pepper powder• 1 onion• 4-5 cloves of garlic• 1 teaspoon of sugar• 1 tablespoon of salt• 1/2 tablespoon of sugar• Small touch of ginger

Instructions• Put thecabbage intoa largebowl and pour the brine over it. Leave to soak for four to five hours.• Blendthesauce ingredients.Slice the spring onions into chunks and add to the mixture. •Drainthecabbagepieces,addthe kimchi sauce and mix by hand. It should be reasonably salty but add more salt if needed.• Storethekimchiinajarandleave it in the fridge for three to six days. The kimchi can be kept for months. Read more: bit.ly/learnkimchi

The kimchi will become more sour over time. If it gets a tad too sour to be eaten on its own, use it to make soup or stew!

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How To GET RID oF THE SMELL oF DURIANS Because we know the odour lingers...

Freshen up your fingers Fill up a hollow durian shell with water and wash your hands with it. Check out the science experiment this du-rian enthusiast did to find out why this works. bit.ly/durianexperiment

Spare the driver’s nose Place a bowl of fresh coffee powder in the car and the du-rian odour will be neutralised after a few days.

Clean out the fridge stink Put a slice of bread in your fridge and it will absorb the overpowering durian stench.

JAMIE’S RECIPES Need some inspiration? Use this app that is available for both iOS and Android phones for some ideas on what to serve for dinner tonight!

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How To MAKE KIMCHINow you can be like Dae Jang Geum in your own kitchen.

1. Scrub the wok with detergent and steel wool, then dry it well. 2. Rotate entire wok over high heat to blacken it. Turn heat off once sufficiently blackened.3. Let wok cool down slightly, then spread a thin layer of oil over it using a paper towel and tongs.

4. Repeat step 2withmediumheat until the wok turns brown.5. Wash the wok with hot water after the oil is burnt into the pan.6. Once the wok is seasoned, wash only with water and a natural bristle brush. Soap and scouring pads should not be used.

How To SEASoN A woK Fire up your new wok for some high-heat cooking.

Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.– Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

How To wIN A PAPER AIRPLANE BATTLE Shock and awe the enemy with an impressive, streamlined paper jet. Origami artist Nick Robinson has some cool designs at his website www.origami.me.uk.

Here’s how to fold our favourite plane, the Little Nicky.

How To Do PARKoURWhat is Parkour? Parkour is about moving efficiently and gracefully from point A to point B, overcom-ing obstacles in your path. With roots in the French military, it was popularised by David Belle who was greatly influenced by his fa-ther’s experiences as a rescuer and firefighter in Paris. French film di-rector Luc Besson has made movies based on parkour like District B13 (2004) and Yamakasi (2001).

How To RIDE A UNICYCLE Be adventurous and try out a new mode of transport. It ’s a great way to exercise too.

Tips for beginners•Don’t ride too slowly – it is more difficult to balance when you do so.

•Alwayswearsafetygeartoprotect you from bumps and scratches, even if it makes you look uncool.

•Haveaccesstohandrailsandother support you can hold on to.

• Practise on flat and smooth surfaces.Buy unicycles at www.team-uni.com and learn to ride at www.team-uni.com/tutorials

Q&ASTRUM LIKE A MUSICIANWish you could strum a tune but could never f ind the time? Try the ukulele that has been touted as something you could learn in 10 minutes.  Simon Mok and Glyn Chan of Ukulele Movement tell us why.

Why is the ukulele so easy to learn? What if I’m tone deaf ?It ’s easy because it has four strings and we have four fingers (and a thumb as a bonus!). If you can’t dependon your ear, you can still play by following the sheet music. Get someone to sing while you strum the chords.

Two tips for beginners, please?One: keep practising; it ’s so portable you can even play it while you’re answering nature’s calls! Two: practise your favourite songs so you are more motivated.

Will learning it up my cool factor? Or is this for retirees?Yes! Look at artistes like Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Zee Avi, Amanda Palmer, Sara Bareilles, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and even Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam who are now playing the ukulele too. For retirees, this is the chance to realise your dream of being a musician.

Origins: Theukulele is theHawaiianinterpretation of the Portuguese guitar, the cavaquinho.

Ukulele acts: The Ukulele Orches-tra of Great Britain was formed in 1985andisoneoftheoldestukulelegroups around.

UKELELE TRIVIA

BOHEMIAn RHAPSOdyHawaiian native Jake Shimabukuro plays Queen’s famous song on the ukulele at bit.ly/bohemian_rhapsody

LISTEn

An Introduction to Geekdom

The geeks are cooler than you think. we are 1337. (now if you don’t know what this means, you need to start finding out.)

THE RUBIK’S CUBE Nothing says geek extraordinaire more than being able to solve a Rubik’s cube. And quote trivia associated with it.

THE HASHTAG HANDSIGN What do Twitteratis (avid Twitter users)dowhentheyhaveareal-lifehashtag moment? Why, they flash this handsign of course.

BUILD-YoUR-owN-oSIf you hate Windows 7 and think a Mac is overpriced, chances are, you will love Linux. It is one of the most successful and geekiest soft-ware available since its software de-velopment is undertaken by geeks…for free.

THE HUNKY GEEK So, you looked at a bookcase and decided that it was better off as a sink cabinet. If that sounds like you, check out what your fellow hunky geeks have been up to as well at www.ikeahackers.net.

TOyS FOR GEEKS Go to Thinkgeek.com that sells “stuff for smart masses” for gift ideas.

SHOP

GOd’S nuMBER:

20 is the maxi-mum number of

turns you need to solve a Rubik’s

cube at any given position

yEAR CREATEd:

1974 MOST LAyERS In A

RuBIK’S CuBE: 7x7x7

FASTEST TIME TAKEn TO SOLvE: 5.66 seconds byAustralian teen Feliks Zemdegs

at the Melbourne Winter Open

2011

CREATOR: Hungarian

Erno Rubik

20

1974CALEndAR

SEvEn STEPSFollow these steps to solve it in seven moves. bit.ly/solverubikscube

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