Reader's Digest Asia 12.2021

How do you
recycle CO2 to make
stronger concrete?

Concrete is the most used man-made material on earth.1
But before it can be used, it must first be cured.

We’ve developed a new curing method, storing up to
200kg of CO2 in every ton of cement. Making it as
strong as regular concrete in 3 days instead of 28,
for faster, more efficient construction.

If the whole precast concrete industry switched to our
technology, we could recycle up to 246 million tons
of CO2 a year2,3 – equivalent to removing emissions from
53 million cars.4

See how we continue innovating for a better future at
aramco.com/betterfuture-carbon-curing

1 Source: Global Cement and Concrete Association
2 Annual global cement production in 2019: 4.1 billion tons. Source: IEA.
3 Precast industry is 30% of total. Sources: The Business Research Company &
Fortune Business Insights.
4 Typical passenger vehicle emits around 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year. Source: EPA.

COVER PHOTO: KEITH LIGHTBODY FOR NATURALISTE CHARTERS. THIS PAGE: (BROTHERS) TASHA ALEXANDER; (GIRL & CHERRIES) GETTY IMAGES CONTENTS 52

DECEMBER 2021

36 36 52

Features exclusive interview food on your plate
28
Brother Act Cherries
earth’s heroes
Bestselling author Lee Sweet or sour, there’s
The Mystery Of Child took a risky a delicious choice of
The Southern decision to share his the plump red fruit.
Ocean Orcas writing duties with his
younger brother, DIANE GODLEY
A filmmaker is Andrew. MELANIE EGAN
convinced there’s a 56
wonder of nature 46
occurring out there – parenting
all he has to do is find art of living
it in an immense Let The Quiet
ocean. DAVID LEVELL Go With The Flow Ones Shine

56 Embracing novelty can Here’s how to bring out
make us happier. the best in introverted
and shy children, and
LEAH RUMACK encourage them to
explore their strengths.
50
DR SHELJA SEN
entertainment
66
Jenga!
everyday miracles
A simple tower of
blocks began a beloved No Ordinary Day
game. V. KUMARA SWAMY
Two different people
found how saving lives
changed their outlook.

EMMA TAUBENFELD
AND TOM PARZYK

ON THE COVER: THE MYSTERY OF THE SOUTHERN
OCEAN ORCAS – PAGE 28

rdasia.com 1

CONTENTS 80

DECEMBER 2021

72 92 102

health science bonus read

Fighting Nature’s The Couple George And Tiger
Silent Cancer Who Helped Save
The World The heartwarming
Early warning signs story of the unlikely
of pancreatic cancer The husband-and-wife friendship forged
are hard to spot – but team whose start-up between an old dog
researchers are company developed and an even older cat.
learning more about the first COVID-19
the disease. vaccine. LAURA GREAVES FROM
A DOG’S BEST FRIEND
ZOË MEUNIER DAVID GELLES
FROM NEW YORK TIMES 102
80
98
photo feature
13 things
Making The
World Go Round Scent-sational
News About Smell
The groundbreaking
invention that changed Most of us take it for
the world – and set us granted. Here we
in perpetual motion. make sense of our
extraordinary ability
CORNELIA KUMFERT to smell.

86 EMILY GOODMAN

then and now

Conquering The
Laundry Load

From rivers to
automated machines,
we air the dirty
laundry of washing
clothes through
history.

ZOË MEUNIER

2 december 2021

PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS: (WHEEL, SINGER, BÜNDCHEN, CAT) GETTY IMAGES; (YVONNE AND TIGER) COURTESY YVONNE HONG Departments 18 HAVE YOU
91 VISITED THE
the digest READER’S
18 Pets
20 Health DIGEST
FACEBOOK
1226 News From The PAGE LATELY?
World Of Medicine
115 RD Recommends Constantly
updated, our
regulars Facebook feed
6 Editor’s Note offers stories,
8 Letters videos, advice,
humour, quotable
12 My Story quotes, cartoons,
16 Smart Animals
60 Look Twice quirky
91 Quotable Quotes photographs
101 Tell Me Why
and more.
humour
44 Life’s Like That FOLLOW US
64 Laughter, @ReadersDigestAsia

The Best Medicine rdasia.com 3
96 All In A Day’s Work

the genius section
118 The New Science

Of Passwords
122 Puzzles
125 Trivia
126 Puzzles Answers
127 Word Power



ADVERTORIAL PROMOTION

READER’S DIGEST

EDITOR’S NOTE

Always Better Together

IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT 2021 is a year we’re

all pleased is coming to an end. Across our

readership, individuals and families have been

tested like never before. But, with lockdowns

hopefully behind us, communities are returning

to a new normal with a greater emphasis on

local connections.

In the spirit of Christmas, this issue has stories

about inspiring experiences and perspectives.

‘Melodies Straight From The Heart’ (My Story, page 12) is a gentle

account of how two young sisters and a brother planned the most unique

Christmas gift for their parents.

Siblings working together is also the key theme of ‘Brother Act’ (page 36).

In our exclusive interview with authors and brothers Andrew and PHOTO: BELLA BUSHELL; ILLUSTRATION: KATE TRAYNOR

Lee Child, the pair discuss their unique relationship which has seen the

older Lee hand over the authorship of the Jack Reacher book series to

Andrew. In what is one of the most heart-warming literary partnerships

in recent times, they reinforce the comfort and intensity that occurs when

family members collaborate.

We also marvel at the amazing tenacity and drive of this month’s

Earth Hero, David Riggs, who discovered an annual gathering of orcas

in the Southern Ocean (‘The Mystery Of The Southern Ocean Orcas’,

page 28) and reveal what makes a password hacker-proof (‘The New

Science Of Passwords’, page 118).

We look forward to bringing you more stories about amazing people,

places, discoveries and insights in 2022. LOUISE WATERSON
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Editor-in-Chief

Year from everyone at Reader’s Digest,

6 december 2021

ASIA

Vol. 120
No. 706
December 2021

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Louise Waterson

Managing Editor Zoë Meunier

Chief Subeditor Melanie Egan

Art Director Hugh Hanson

Senior Art Designer Adele Burley

Art Designer Annie Li

Senior Editor Diane Godley

Associate Editor Victoria Polzot

DIGITAL Head of Digital Content Greg Barton

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READER’S DIGEST

LETTERS

Reader’s Comments And Opinions

Return To Glory

For those of us lucky enough to have
visited the Notre Dame Cathedral
before the devastating fire that
almost destroyed it, images of the
ferocious flames roaring skywards,
and the toppling of the spire, broke
hearts not just in France, but all
around the world (‘Saving Notre
Dame’, September). Now more than
two years on, the complex repair,
restoration and rebuilding of Notre
Dame continues in the safe hands of
scientists and craftsmen with
century-old skills, passionate about
bringing new life to the cathedral
that never lost its heart. JUDITH CAINE

Finding A Family they wanted was his hard-earned PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES
money – is so sad.
‘Learning to Love’ by Melissa Fay
Greene (September) has stayed with I think that in the photo of Izidor,
me. For Izidor to have had such a at age 30, there is still a troubled
painful life – unable to comprehend tension depicted in his facial
what love is, not be able to relate to expression. It took the earth-
a loving family and then to meet his shattering shock of his adoptive
biological parents and discover all family’s involvement in an accident

Let us know if you are moved – or provoked – by any item in the magazine,
share your thoughts. See page 10 for how to join the discussion.

8 december 2021

for Izidor to realise how much they Letters
mean to him. BETTY ANN MATTHEWS
A ROSE BY ANY
Ouch! OTHER NAME

Unfortunately, your article on We asked you to think up a funny
caption for this photo.
dental pain (‘7 Common Causes of
Off to the fur ball.
Dental Anxiety’, September) did
NOT address my two biggest causes DANNY FUHRMANN 
of anxiety – jaw pain from opening
my mouth so wide during the CatHatsrophe
procedure and the financial stress.
I have to save up for several years CHRIS MARTIN

for each time I go, even with extras Ready for the ‘Catwalk’!

insurance. ANDREW BEVERIDGE MERRAN TOONE

A Change Of Heart Aunt Mabel was a bit of a sourpuss.

The article ‘Human Hearts’ KEN WISE
(September) resonated with me. It is
touching to see how Firdaus Abdul I’ve always had a head for flowers. 
Hamid contributed to society after
coming out of prison. Firdaus’s DONNA WINTER 
actions show that perseverance
Congratulations to this month’s
WIN A PILOT CAPLESS winner, Danny Fuhrmann.
FOUNTAIN PEN
WIN!
The best letter each month will
win a Pilot Capless Fountain CAPTION CONTEST
Pen, valued at over $200.
The Capless is the perfect Come up with the funniest caption
combination of luxury and for the above photo and you could win
ingenious technology, featuring
a one-of-a-kind retractable $100. To enter, email
fountain pen nib, durable [email protected]
metal body, beautiful rhodium
accents and a 14K gold nib. or see details on page 10.
Congratulations to this month’s
winner, Betty Ann Matthews.

rdasia.com 9

READER’S DIGEST

and compassion go a long way in

shaping our society and world to CONTRIBUTE

become a better place, even in tough R E A D E R S D I G E S TA S I A

times like COVID-19. Strive on, Anecdotes and jokes
$50–$100
Firdaus! LIN ZIHAO Send in your real-life laugh for
Life’s Like That or All in a Day’s Work.
Life Is Short Got a joke? Send it in for Laughter
is the Best Medicine!
As with so many articles in Reader’s
Digest, ‘The Longest Walk To The Smart Animals
Altar’ (My Story, August), made Up to $100
me think about my life. The article Share antics of unique pets
stated, ‘Life is short’ and of course it or wildlife in up to 300 words.
is if you measure a person’s lifespan
in relation to the time humans have My Story $250
been around. Do you have an inspiring or
life-changing tale to tell?
Many would say I have been Submissions must be true,
around too long, I turned 91 in unpublished, original and
November. I have been an RD 800–1000 words.
subscriber for at least half of my life
and I could not count the number Here’s how to reach us:
of articles that have helped me to be Email: asiaeditor@readersdigest.
still reasonably healthy at 91. com.au
Write: Reader’s Digest Asia
BRUCE POWER
Editorial Department
Conversation Starters Singapore Post Centre
PO Box 272, Singapore
‘A Child Reader’ (My Story, October) 914010
Online: rdasia.com/contribute
evoked memories of my own
Include your full name, address,
reading journey. My dad has phone number and email.
subscribed to Reader’s Digest for as Letters: We may edit letters and use them in all
long as I can remember, so it was print and electronic media.
always easily available in our home. Submissions: All submissions become our property on
When both my brother and I payment and subsequent publication in the magazine.
married, a subscription to Reader’s We may edit and fact-check submissions. We cannot
return or acknowledge material not accepted for
Digest was one of Dad’s Christmas publication. For terms and conditions, go to www.
rdasia.com/terms-and-conditions/submission-
presents to us and our new spouses. guidelines. Figures refer to US dollars.

There has always been a copy of the

current magazine in our homes.

As conversation starters, the articles

are outstanding! DIANNE HAINES

10 december 2021



READER’S DIGEST

MY STORY

Melodies Straight
From The Heart

Three children secretly plan a magical
surprise for their parents

BY Patricia Scott

IN 1955, AT AGE 12, I BECAME The Ugly Duckling and The King’s
obsessed with the idea of New Clothes. I remember feeling
recording an album for our the romance and sadness of Hans
parents for Christmas. My Christian Andersen as he dreamed
sister, aged nine, brother, ten, about the lovely ballerina. So moved,
and myself would sing our favourite we chose the song The Ugly Duckling
songs from the era – an unusual from it, as well as God’s Little Candles
undertaking for a child and Open Up Your Heart (And Let
in those days. The Sun Shine In) to record.

My sister and I used to take our The recording was to be kept a
time washing the dishes so we could secret from our parents. I found a
sing our hearts out to the latest local studio, Dunford Recordings,
songs by Doris Day, Pat Boone, not too far from where we lived
Rosemary Clooney and Vera Lynn. in Christchurch. I rang and asked
There were also a few child stars the cost of making a record. It was
at the time, like Shirley Temple two pounds, ten shillings (today’s
and Judy Garland, who gave us equivalent of NZ$95). I also asked
inspiration. how much recording space was
allowed on each side of the disc.
We all loved the movie Hans
Christian Andersen starring Danny To pay for the recording, I saved
Kaye, with songs The Inch Worm, the money I earned from helping my

12 december 2021

My Story

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES Aunty Mae in the school holidays, rang the studio and booked an
placing it in an old cash box. appointment for 10am on a Tuesday,
two weeks before Christmas.
I typed the words of the songs
onto foolscap paper on my I arranged with Aunty Mae,
granddad’s typewriter and pasted in strictest secrecy, to take us to
them on cardboard backing so they the studio at the appointed time.
wouldn’t rustle when we recorded. Carrying the cash box, music and
Then I timed our singing and typed song sheets, we arrived at the
messages to fit the disc. studio, which was up a steep flight of
stairs above Hoyle’s Appliance shop.
I rang a family friend and
persuaded her to accompany us on The studio was in a large room
the piano. We couldn’t practise with and had an upright piano and a
her for fear of being found out, so I microphone in one corner and desk
got my sister and brother together with a control panel on it in another
and we worked out a routine. I then – quite unsophisticated by today’s
standards.
Whether playing or listening, music is
still one of Patricia Scott’s greatest loves. We sang our first two songs a
Patricia, who lives in Whangarei, couple of times so they could select
New Zealand, also enjoys writing poetry the best version, but by the time we
and short stories. got to the third song we were rather
tired, so only recorded it once.

rdasia.com 13

READER’S DIGEST

My brother, Alan, added syncopation, My parents had been secretly

or accent beats, to Open Up Your warned by my aunt about our

Heart and he whistled the last part escapade, and unbeknown to us,

of The Ugly Duckling. Years later, we they were downstairs in Hoyle’s

would remember his whistling as he Appliance shop buying the

had learned to whistle like a canary. radiogram while we were upstairs

We added the message which I had recording. They actually saw the

composed at the beginning of the record roll out onto the street.

first side and wished Many years later

our parents a “Happy when my parents

Christmas” on the divorced, the one

second side. THE RECORD thing they haggled
When the recording over was who should

was finished, it was ROLLED OUT have custody of our
put onto a vinyl disc, OF ITS JACKET recording. While
labelled and placed in sorting out my
a cardboard sleeve. AND ONTO mother’s house in

Outside the studio THE ROAD Christchurch in 2001,
door, on the small I came across the

landing at the top cash box, the typed

of the stairs, my sister argued with song sheet and the pieces of music

me over who was going to carry the we had used, complete with my

record home. I had been holding childish writing on the cover.

it very carefully but she snatched it I’m so happy that she had saved

from me and it rolled out of its jacket, them. The recording has become

down the stairs, bouncing onto the even more poignant for us as we lost

pavement and then onto the road. our brother at the age of 42. Sadly

Gasp! Horror! too, the Hoyle’s Appliance shop

Mercifully, it was undamaged. and Dunford Recordings studio

Christmas Day came and are no longer in existence as the

we excitedly gave our precious building was destroyed by the 2011

present to our parents. They were Christchurch earthquake.

overwhelmed, but they also had a Our recording has become an echo

surprise for us. In the corner of the and wonderful memory of the past.

lounge we discovered a brand-new

radiogram to play the record on. Do you have a tale to tell? We’ll pay
It had never occurred to me that cash for any original and unpublished
we might need such an apparatus story we print. See page 10 for details

to play the disc. on how to contribute.

14 december 2021



READER’S DIGEST

SMART ANIMALS

Emotional encounters with creatures large and small

Elephant Reunion recover and my niece named him ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES
Ramu. Over the next three years
CHANDANA BASUMATARY my niece became very attached
to him and the two were great
When my niece, Keya, was two playmates. But, as Ramu grew older
years old, her father worked as a and stronger it was time for him
senior forest official for the Indian to be reunited with his herd at the
Forest Services in Assam. At the
time there were devastating floods You could earn cash by telling us
and a baby elephant got caught in about the antics of unique pets or
a current and became separated wildlife. Turn to page 10 for details
from its mother. The baby elephant on how to contribute.
was brought to their house to

16 december 2021

Smart Animals

National Reserve Park. My niece building a nest. A few weeks later
was incredibly sad to see him go. she had laid eggs and was sitting
patiently on them.
Fast forward 15 years to March
2021 and my niece heard news of I tried opening the letterbox and
Ramu from her father, who was now her new-found home, which made
working for the Assam government’s the bird irate. So I gave her right-of-
wildlife conservation. way and a peaceful stay.

My niece was very keen to be In the following weeks three
reunited with her old friend – she chicks hatched; she fed them with
had been told so many stories about worms and other goodies such
him by her parents but wondered as flies, moths and other flying
whether he would even remember insects.
her. When they met, Ramu sniffed
Keya and after just a few minutes About four weeks later her babes
there was recognition and emotion left the nest and I was able to
in his eyes. Keya couldn’t help reclaim my property and clean out
tearing up. She was overjoyed that the letterbox. I was sad to see them
Ramu recognised her. leave, and don’t remember seeing
them again, although numerous
Animals don’t forget the kindness swallows fly in and out of my
they receive from humans. garage when the door is open.
Elephants, particularly, are
intelligent creatures with acute
memories and they do not shy away
from expressing their emotions.

Nesting Box

VIRGINIA DE VOS

Our rural property in Kardella,
Victoria’s South Gippsland, had a
large metal letterbox positioned
outside our gate, where the postman
delivered notices and unofficial mail
on his daily round in a car, as we
collected our usual mail in town via
a post office box.

In the spring of 2016, I noticed
a swallow fly in and out of the
letterbox with twigs in its beak.
Peering inside I saw that she was

rdasia.com 17

READER’S DIGEST

PETS

Popular Pet Myths
Debunked

Getting the facts straight on commonly held beliefs

BY Dr Katrina Warren

OLD WIVES’ TALES, MYTHS, AGE-OLD BELIEFS

– call them what you will, there are plenty of
misconceptions relating to dogs and cats. Over time,
some aspects of pet behaviour became ingrained in
our psyche as common knowledge, when in fact this
‘knowledge’ is often quite incorrect. Veterinarian
Dr Katrina Warren shares her expertise to challenge
some common pet myths.

Our regular DOGS ONLY EAT GRASS WHEN THEY FEEL SICK
pet columnist,
Dr Katrina Warren, Dogs sometimes eat grass to induce vomiting when
is an established they are feeling unwell. But there are other reasons
and trusted why a dog will eat grass, such as increasing dietary
animal expert. fibre, to fill a nutritional void, or even because they
are bored. Some dogs may simply enjoy eating grass.
It is not usually a problem if the grass is pesticide-
and chemical-free. If your pet is consuming grass
constantly, or you are worried about a change in their
behaviour, please chat with your vet to rule out any
underlying medical issues. 

CATS ALWAYS LAND ON THEIR FEET Cats are

indeed very good at landing on their feet, and this
is because they have an inbuilt balancing system
called the ‘righting reflex’. This reflex allows them to
turn themselves around when falling from heights

18 december 2021

Pets

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES to land on their feet. They Fact: milk is not the healthiest
also have a flexible spin that beverage for felines
helps them turn quickly.
But not all cats land on their such as dead animals or faeces,
feet all the time – often so their mouth is far from clean.
those that fall from lower Dog saliva may have some
heights don’t have enough antibacterial properties that doesn’t
time for their body to adjust. usually cause harm to humans.
And just because cats land However dog saliva is best avoided
on their feet doesn’t mean around open wounds as it can cause
they are unharmed by the serious disease by transmitting
experience. They can be Pasteurella bacteria.
injured when they land. Falls
can cause a broken jaw, as CATS NEED TO DRINK MILK We
well as fractures and life-
threatening internal injuries. often see images of cats drinking
milk in cartoons, and it is true that
DOGS AND CATS ONLY SEE IN many cats enjoy the taste of milk
BLACK AND WHITE Veterinarians and will happily lap it up, but milk
is not great for cats. This is because
and scientists once thought that dogs many cats are intolerant to lactose,
and cats could only see in black and so drinking milk can result in
white. However, scientists have found diarrhoea. If you like to give your cat
this is not true. Dogs and cats don’t milk, look for lactose-free cat milk
see the full colour range that humans at your pet store or supermarket.
see, instead they have a muted Remember, it should just be a treat
perception of colour, similar to that and not part of their daily diet.
of a colour-blind person. It is thought
that our pets see shades of yellow
and blue but not green and red.

A DOG’S MOUTH IS CLEANER
THAN OURS You can’t compare

the mouth of a dog with ours, it’s
like comparing apples with oranges.
Both dog and human mouths are
full of bacteria, but a dog’s mouth
has a largely different array of
bacteria to humans. Dogs can pick
up and eat some really gross things,

rdasia.com 19

HEALTH

Ankle Pain

Here’s how to tell what’s hobbling you

BY Jessica Migala

Whether you’re potential reasons behind pain, PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES
participating in sport stiffness or swelling.
or just going about
your day, you will no IT’S A SPRAIN Ankle sprains are the
doubt be saddled with ankle pain
at some time in your life. The ankle number one sports injury. When a
absorbs a high level of force. Landing ligament in the ankle tears, that’s a
in an unnatural position or landing sprain. If it’s a sprain, you may notice
suddenly can put excessive strain on bruising and swelling and the spot
the ankle joint. may be tender to the touch. Sprains
can range from mild to significant,
Not all ankle injuries require according to the American Academy
medical care, but here are some of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

20 december 2021

Health

Treatment involves RICE (rest, ice, IT’S A FRACTURE No one wants to
compression, elevation), and in severe
cases, physical therapy or a brace. get the news that they have broken
an ankle. But if your pain kicks in
IT’S A STRAIN While a sprain after a fall or you hit your ankle on
something – and you have swelling
may affect the ligament, a strain is and discomfort that won’t go away –
when the muscle tears, explains the you could have a fracture. See your
National Athletic Trainers Association doctor as you may need an X-ray. In
(NATA). It may also be a stretch in some cases, you may have to wear a
the muscle or tendon. Telling a strain boot or cast to protect the bones and
apart from a sprain can be tough. let them heal.
Consider what other symptoms
you’re feeling. Along with ankle pain, IT’S A STRESS FRACTURE
you may also feel muscle spasms,
weakness, swelling and cramping, Many athletes are accustomed to
says the AAOS. Practice RICE at home the discomfort of training – but they
to treat a strain. still need to listen to their body, says
Dr Parekh. It isn’t until they notice
IT’S AN INJURY SOMEWHERE ELSE swelling that they go to get an MRI,
only to be diagnosed with a hairline
While it’s common to assume ankle crack in an ankle bone known as a
pain means an ankle injury, it may stress fracture. A stress fracture is an
actually be a problem up the chain, overuse injury caused by repetitive
says foot and ankle orthopaedic movements.
surgeon Dr Selene Parekh. For
instance, an irritated nerve in your IT’S ARTHRITIS With chronic
back or knee can show up as pain with
numbness and tingling in your ankle. conditions like arthritis, the entire
joint will be in pain, says Dr Parekh.
YOUR FOOT’S THE CAUSE Because Arthritis commonly afflicts foot and
ankle joints, and along with pain, you
your ankle sits just above your foot, may also experience stiffness.
it makes sense that it can also be
the source of ankle pain. “Having IT’S OSTEOARTHRITIS A form of
really high arches can change the
mechanics in your foot, leading arthritis, osteoarthritis means you
to changes in the mechanics in have damage to the cushiony cartilage
the ankle,” says Dr Parekh. Being in the joint. With bone rubbing on
extremely flat-footed can do it, too. bone, the pain can become worse
Custom orthotics or a change in over time. Lifestyle changes like
footwear may help, he says. exercise and losing excess weight can
help take stress off the joints.

rdasia.com 21





READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH

5 the sulphur compounds that are PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES; 1801 HOME REMEDIES IS PUBLISHED BY READER’S DIGEST © 2007
responsible for breath odour. Or use a
Bad Breath toothpaste that contains tea-tree oil, a
Fixes natural disinfectant.

Avoid social PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR
embarrassment by dealing TONGUE Vigorously scrape your

with bad breath tongue over your teeth. Your tongue
can become coated with bacteria that
FROM 1801 HOME REMEDIES ferment proteins, producing gases
that smell bad. Scraping your tongue
CHEW ON THIS When out at a can dislodge these bacteria so you
can rinse them away.
cafe or restaurant, munch on the
sprig of parsley left on your plate DON’T SKIP MEALS When you
at the end of the meal. Parsley is
rich in chlorophyll, a known breath don’t eat for a long period of time,
deodoriser with germ-fighting your mouth can get very dry. It
qualities. If there’s no parsley, eat becomes a perfect breeding ground
an orange. The citric acid it contains for bacteria.
will stimulate your salivary glands
and encourage the flow of breath- CHECK YOUR BREATH YOURSELF
freshening saliva.
Just how bad is your breath? To
GO NATURAL Breath-fresheners, like find out, cup your hands over your
mouth, exhale heartily, and take a
mints and sprays, are rarely effective whiff. If your breath smells bad to
in the long run. Instead, try using you, it smells bad to others too. You
a mouthwash containing chlorine can also perform the ‘sniff test’ on
dioxide (a gas used in small amounts dental floss after you pull it gently
to purify water). This can dismantle between your teeth.

24 december 2021



READER’S DIGEST

News From the

WORLD OF MEDICINE

THE BENEFIT OF SHORT better verbal fluency compared to PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
BURSTS OF EXERCISE non-singers. This makes sense, since
it’s a hobby that requires attention,
Health experts used to say you versatile information processing,
needed to exercise for at least linguistic output, learning and
ten minutes at a time to gain memory.
any benefits, but evidence has
accumulated that anything is better PARKINSON’S PATIENTS
than nothing. That’s why the WHO’s SHOULD HIT THE LINKS
Guidelines on Physical Activity
and Sedentary Behaviour no longer Exercise is one of the most
recommends a minimum duration powerful treatments for people
for an exercise session. with Parkinson’s disease, but many
patients lack the motivation. In an
Meanwhile, scientists have adopted effort to identify a physical activity
the term ‘exercise snack’ to refer to that’s beneficial, research presented at
bursts of physical activity that take the American Academy of Neurology
little time. Examples include a few compared tai chi – which is known to
push-ups, 60 seconds on an exercise greatly improve balance and prevent
bike, or a jog up a flight of stairs. falls – to golf, a favourite sport of
It’s still ideal to get longer exercise many people over 55. Within ten
sessions regularly, but you’ll benefit
from any amount that you can weeks, the Parkinson’s patients
fit into your day. assigned to playing golf saw

  their balance and walking
ability improve. Just
CHOIR SINGING as importantly, 86
BOOSTS THE BRAIN per cent of golfers
said they were
Lifting your voice in “definitely” likely to
a choir has cognitive continue the activity
benefits, according after the study’s end,
to a Finnish study compared to 33 per
published in Plos cent of the tai chi group.
One. The study found
that elderly singers had

26 december 2021



EARTH’S HEROES

28 december 2021

The Mystery
Of The

Southern Ocean

Orcas

Scepticism over his
claims that killer

whales inhabited the
Southern Ocean

motivated Dave Riggs
to keep searching.
His discovery
shocked everyone

BY David Levell

PHOTOS BY Keith Lightbody for Naturaliste Charters

rdasia.com 29

READER’S DIGEST

arine filmmaker Dave Riggs was on one
of his regular jobs in February, 2006 –
wildlife spotting for an annual bluefin
tuna research expedition in the Southern

MOcean. Departing Esperance, Western
Australia, at 5am, the boat was steaming
through typically rough summer waters for four hours
when around mid-morning, at the edge of the continental
shelf – almost 40 kilometres offshore, where the ocean
plunges from 100 to 800 metres in depth – he saw it.

Keeping a close watch on the tuna The occasional orcas weren’t the
lures trailing from the stern, Dave only oddities Dave encountered. He
suddenly caught movement from the always saw more wildlife, especial-
corner of his eye. He swung around ly wandering albatross (later found
as a huge black dorsal fin briefly rose to be indicative of an orca presence)
into sight, carving through the swells around Bremer Canyon than any-
about 30 metres from the boat. where else the tuna survey passed on
its 2000-kilometre oceanic circuit be-
“What the hell was that?” he said to tween Esperance and Albany. Then
himself, but he already knew. It wasn’t there was the smell; organic and rich,
a swooping shearwater, whose wing- like fresh compost, often detected in
spans can be deceptively fin-like. It the same vicinity. It was an earthy
was a killer whale, or orca, a very rare smell, but also weird and unfamiliar.
sight off the Australian coast.
Sometimes Dave saw a turbulence
Yet this was to be just the first of in the distance, like a furious splash-
the orca sightings Dave would ex- ing underneath big dark clouds, which
perience during his tuna trips in the he took for flocking seabirds. But the
next few years. He always saw them tuna scientists weren’t interested.
around Bremer Canyon, 70  kilo-
metres off Bremer Bay (a coastal vil- ‘No, that’s not splashing or birds,’
lage 180 kilometres east of Albany the skipper would say dismissively.
at the bottom of Western Australia). ‘It’s just raincloud on the horizon.’
One of many deep submarine can-
yons along the Southern Ocean’s con- Four seasons of strange phenom-
tinental shelf edge, it wasn’t known ena continued until 2010, when an
for anything remarkable. But that oil exploration prevented the tuna
was about to change. survey crossing Bremer Canyon that
year. Seeking corroboration of what

30 december 2021

Dave Riggs found what he thought was a killer whale habitat 70 kilometres
off the coast of Western Australia, but no one believed him

PHOTO: BELLA BUSHELL he’d seen there, Dave obtained the sperm whales had drawn them. Ear-
oil venture’s wildlife survey results. ly in 2004, one tag washed ashore
They matched his own observations at Bremer Bay – an amazing coinci-
– more life around Bremer Canyon dence, as its carrier, ‘Shark Alpha’, had
than anywhere else – plus confirma- travelled some 2000 kilometres north
tion that methane was leaking from to Ningaloo Reef and back again.
its seaf loor, and it was potentially
very rich in commercial quantities The tag’s condition and data in-
of oil and natural gas. dicated something had eaten Shark
Alpha, then excreted or regurgitated
As Alice said in Wonderland, things the tag. A high-speed underwater
became “curiouser and curiouser”. chase had occurred shortly before-
hand, but what could catch and de-
Dave added another piece to the vour a 3.2-metre great white shark?
puzzle when he recalled an incident
years before, something he’d long put Shark Alpha’s fate loomed in Dave’s
aside as just another mystery of the mind as more evidence for his grow-
sea. In late 2003 he was document- ing suspicion that Bremer Canyon was
ing the tagging of great white sharks incredibly special, a sea-life ‘hotspot’
at Bremer Bay, where nine stranded with resident orcas. It seemed almost

rdasia.com 31

READER’S DIGEST

A race against time: Dave wanted to prove the orcas’ existence before
an oil and gas venture started drilling

too astonishing to believe. No fixed its existence could be proven.
orca habitats were known in Austral- Putting his film-making skills to
ian waters, and Bremer Canyon was
crossed by an international shipping good use, Dave approached ABC-TV
channel. Dave wondered, how could with a documentary proposal: What
such large, air-breathing animals have killed Shark Alpha? A giant squid?
escaped notice until now? (Orcas reg- Another great white? An undiscov-
ularly surface for air and are, on aver- ered species? Or, as he speculated, a
age, seven metres in length.) killer whale?

He had an idea to help solve the The ABC jumped at the chance.
mystery – and more importantly, help Filming at Bremer Canyon was ar-
save Bremer Canyon from industrial ranged for January 2013. The boat
exploitation. The oil and gas venture set off from Esperance at 7pm one
planned to sink an exploratory well, evening for an overnight trip to the
which would devastate the surround- site. Rough, three-metre swells,
ing ecosystem. If it really was a ma- raised by a strong southerly wind,
rine life hotspot, drilling would wipe meant that no one got any sleep.
out a unique natural treasure before
By dawn, they were about 50 kilo-
metres east of the suspected hotspot.

32 december 2021

The Mystery Of The Southern Ocean Orcas

The boat slowed down so they could from the stress of the trip) plummet

keep watch. By 6am the vessel was at the overwhelming sight. The deck

zig-zagging along the deepwater can- filled as everyone scrambled from

yons of the shelf’s edge. Everyone was below, shouting with excitement.

on deck – anticipating, hoping, cam- Marine scientist Michelle Blewitt

eras ready. began crying with emotion as the sea

The sea showed nothing. No birds, around them churned with frolicking

no visible signs of life. Dave began orcas. They were curious about the

to wonder if he’d imagined it all. boat and in a playful mood.

The frustrated, sleep-deprived crew Dave heard it over and over again:

began to turn on him, some openly “My God, you were right!”

making fun. “You’re screwed,” one They spent the next three weeks

said. “This is the last time you’ll ever filming at Bremer Canyon. Dave com-

work in the film industry.” pared photos of orcas taken during

Everyone else on the boat had given tuna surveys with the ones they were

up. One scientist assured him if orcas filming and recognised the same

really did frequent this busy shipping whales. It was the best evidence yet of

lane, someone must have noticed long a fixed habitat.

before now. More than 200

A couple of hours Suddenly, a shiny killer whales have
later only three of since been iden-
the dozen aboard black-and-white tified as seasonal
– Dave, the skip- bulk flashed into residents of Bremer
per and a camer- view. Then another, Canyon. Today it is
aman – remained the largest known
on deck. They got and another orca aggregation
within 500 metres spot in the south-

of their target, and ern hemisphere.

still nothing. The turbulence on cloudy horizons

Dave was filled with despair, when Dave reported on the survey trips was

suddenly a shiny black-and-white explained at last. It was orcas hunting

bulk flashed into view. Then anoth- in packs, with scavenging seabirds

er, and another. An entire pod was flocking overhead. The ABC crew was

charging through the swells towards now in the middle of that turbulence,

them. The choppy surface was alive filming at Bremer Canyon for the first

with orcas – at least 60. Everywhere time. Crews from passing ships had

he looked there were orcas! probably seen similar orca activity

Thrilled as he was, Dave felt his many times over the years without

heart-rate (which had been racing ever suspecting what it was.

rdasia.com 33

READER’S DIGEST

The Search For The Ocean’s Super Marine Park was created, preserv-
Predator screened in November 2013, ing 4472 square kilometres of ocean
causing a sensation. Its conclusion, around the orca habitat.
that Shark Alpha was most likely taken
by a larger great white, was overshad- Science and tourism continue side-
owed by the amazing revelation of the by-side as Bremer’s reputation grows.
orca habitat. Dave was deluged with Orcas are seen there almost daily from
enquiries from people keen to visit the January to mid-April. Seabirds, pilot
site – scientists and tourists alike. whales and beaked whales abound at
the surface, while below lurk sword-
The first outing took place the fish, sharks and ten-metre giant squid.
following summer, in January 2014, Orcas have even been filmed attacking
thanks to a loaned fisheries patrol a blue whale – the largest creature on
boat and a crowd-funding campaign. Earth, now extremely rare – on three
occasions at the hotspot.
A month later, another boatload
witnessed the first documented pre- Exactly why Bremer Canyon is a
dation of beaked whales by orcas in hotspot remains unproven. Nutri-
Australian waters. Another mystery ent-rich water forced upwards from
was solved: the weird, earthy odour lower depths is a factor, but its causes
was the smell of dying beaked whales, are uncertain. Dave suspects the site
now known as a sure sign of the pres- might have a deepwater ‘cold seep’
ence of hunting orcas. reef, where leaking methane combines
with water to form ice-like structures.
By pure coincidence, Paul Cross, This attracts shelter-seeking crusta-
owner of Naturaliste Charters ceans, and with them a food chain of
whale-watching business, was predators all the way up to orcas.
aboard. Astounded, he offered to join
forces with Dave on regular tours to Dave still wonders how the orcas
the 20-square-kilometre hotspot at went unnoticed for so long, and he
Bremer and adjacent Hood Canyons. marvels at the good fortune leading to
their discovery and protection at the
However, the threat of oil wells very moment their Australian home
still loomed, and four years of lobby- faced destruction by drilling. “It was
ing for the site’s protection followed. like they wanted to be recognised,
Luckily the oil and gas prospec- wanted to be known,” he muses.
tors withdrew, and in 2018 Bremer

Prehistoric Penguins

In 2006, some schoolchildren discovered a fossil on New Zealand’s
North Island. Now, 15 years later, it has been identified as a species of
long-legged giant penguin dating back to the dinosaur era. STUFF.CO.NZ

34 december 2021



READER’S DIGEST

BROTHER

ACT
To secure the future of his
hugely successful Jack Reacher PHOTOGRAPHED BY TASHA ALEXANDER Siblings
crime series, writer Lee Child Andrew
turned to his brother, Andrew (foreground)
and Lee Child
BY Melanie Egan

W ith an estimated worth of over a
billion dollars, the Jack Reacher
thriller series commands enor-
mous reader loyalty. So, the an-
nouncement two years ago that
author Lee Child, now 67, would partner with
younger brother Andrew Grant on the next
few books before retiring, had booksellers
looking anxiously at their bottom lines. Every
year for 24 years, the Jack Reacher series has
delivered like a lavish Santa Claus, with Bad

36 december 2021

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

rdasia.com 37

READER’S DIGEST

Luck and Trouble, Persuader and One into,” he says in an exclusive interview

Shot each topping the bestseller lists. with Reader’s Digest.

Equally, the series’ devoted inter- The Reacher series has sold over 100

national readership expressed hope million copies, there have been two

that the character of Jack Reacher, a movies and an Amazon streaming TV

hard-hitting itinerant investigator, series is in the works. Reacher’s love of

wouldn’t disappear into the wilder- coffee has even led to a roaster brand

ness of small-town America, never to being named after him.

be seen again. But no brand is anything without

“I love my readers and know they its adherents, and in this case, read-

want many, many more Reacher sto- ers live and breathe Reacher or “the

ries in the future,” Lee said at the time. big guy”, as Lee fondly calls his fic-

“I would love to make that promise, tional hero.

but realistically I’m ageing out of be- Lee tells the stor y of an elder-

ing able to keep it.” “WE BOTH LIKE ly woman his ac-
The next best al- TO BE IN CHARGE countant met in an
airport bookshop
ternative was to turn SO WE DIDN’T who was adamant
to his “baby brother” KNOW HOW IT Reacher was a real
Andrew Grant, now WOULD PAN OUT” person who hitch-
53, who has written hiked across the US,
nine well-received spreading mayhem
detective and thrill- and taking care of
er novels. Lee, born

James Grant, adopt- problems in equal

ed the pen name of Lee Child when measure. “Jack Reacher tells his sto-

he started writing. Andrew will take ries to Lee Child and he writes them

on the name of Andrew Child for the down,” she said firmly.

partnership. At one level, her belief might be the

BIG SHOES TO FILL case. When Lee starts his novels, he
doesn’t have a plot or synopsis, and

With two books now behind them, The often figures out the mystery when

Sentinel (2020) and Better Off Dead Reacher does.

(2021), the Child brothers are hitting Andrew found his brother’s writing

their stride. methods challenging. “He’s famous

Stepping into Lee’s, and by exten- for never planning,” he explains. “It

sion, the shoes of 1.96-metre-tall Jack was unnerving, like walking across a

Reacher, has been demanding for An- tightrope without a balancing tool.”

drew. “I don’t think I could have cho- Although not a writer who meticu-

sen or found any bigger shoes to step lously plots out every scene, Andrew

38 december 2021

Brother Act

likes to know where he is go-
ing. “We’d get to the end of
a scene or a passage and I’d
ask, ‘What happens next?’
Lee would reply, ‘Well, I don’t
know.’”

This element of surprise
and divergence from the pre-
dictable comes across in the
novels. “It’s a confidence that
if you don’t have a safety net,
you have to believe that you’re
heading in the right direc-
tion,” says Andrew.

WORKING TOGETHER

PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEE CHILD Knowing that Lee Child’s huge Although separated by 14 years, the
fan audience was waiting to brothers felt an affinity from the start
see what they were capable
of, and Lee’s “unscripted, un- as a Reacher writer,” says Lee. “But se-
charted, unplanned” meth- cretly I feel worried that he’s going to
ods, were the two hardest be better at it than I am.”
things Andrew found working
on The Sentinel. Self-doubt also kept Andrew up at
night. As a writer, he says, you have
The brothers wrote it in the initial to learn to tune out the voice at the
stages of the pandemic. Based in dif- back of your mind saying, “Oh, it’s no
ferent places, they thrashed out how good, no one will like it, your editor
to write together – because neither will hate it.”
had worked with anyone before.
The spectre of the readership wait-
“We’re not the best at playing well ing for the next Reacher novel cranked
with others,” Andrew says. “We both up his fears another notch.
like to be in charge so we really didn’t
know how the collaboration was going “There’s a lot of self-discipline in-
to pan out.” volved in focusing entirely on doing
the job and not second-guessing or
Lee agrees that working well togeth- psyching yourself out.”
er was by no means guaranteed. They
both had private worries. “Secretly, I
think Andrew believes that he’s got to
work very hard to justify his position

rdasia.com 39

READER’S DIGEST

Once their first collaboration had the British forces that had liberated
been published and received with Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
acclaim, Andrew felt more comforta- in Germany in 1945. His mother,
ble writing their second novel, Better Audrey, showed him little affection.
Off Dead. He could concentrate on “I was totally unwanted,” he has been
honing his writing style. “For nine quoted as saying.
books, I tried very hard not to sound
anything like my brother in case Elsewhere, in his authorised biog-
anyone said I was copying him,” he raphy, The Reacher Guy by Heather
says. “All of a sudden, I had to do a Martin, Lee says of his parents: “They
180-degree turn and write in a way had hard lives, and they did the best
that sounded like him.” they could, probably. They did pretty
well in difficult circumstances.”
The brothers made a pact not to
reveal who wrote the various parts What his parents definitely did,
of the books. A very different kind however, was awaken in him a love
of pact, their first, was made when of reading. Teaching himself to read
Andrew was just five and Lee was 19. at a young age, he read voraciously,
whatever he could lay his hands on at
FAMILY DYNAMICS his local library, as well as his grand-
mother’s Reader’s Digests.
With an age gap of 14 years, Andrew
was quite young when Lee left home. W hen he was four, Lee’s fami-
Like Lee, Andrew chafed against his ly moved to Birmingham. Heavily
parents. He felt like a fish out of water bombed during World War II, Bir-
in the family. “But I could look at Lee, mingham in the 1950s and 1960s was
who was doing his own thing, and a bleak and racially divided place. A
see that there was a way forward.” young Lee played football among the
rubble of old bomb sites.
The birth of his younger broth-
er came as a relief to Lee, too, who It is little wonder that he wanted
had sometimes wondered if he was a to escape, perhaps to the wide, open
“changeling”, because he felt so dis- plains of America. Today Lee owns
tant from his family. a sprawling ranch in Wyoming.
Andrew has one close by.
Born James Dover Grant in Coven-
try, UK, in 1954, Lee was the second It was in Birmingham, too, that Lee
oldest of four boys. Andrew was the learnt to fight with his strong fists
youngest. and strategic ploys. Towering over his
schoolmates, Lee offered protection
By his own account, Lee did not and endangerment – something that
get on well with his late parents. fans will recognise in Reacher.
His disciplinarian father, Rex, was
a civil servant who had been among After attending the prestigious
King Edward’s School, Lee went to

40 december 2021

Brother Act

Sheffield University, where he stud- Reacher, who doesn’t go looking for

ied law, although he never practised, trouble, but it nonetheless finds him.

mov ing instead into drama and “No, I’m a man with a rule. People

television. leave me alone, I leave them alone. If

SIBLING BOND they don’t, I don’t,” Reacher says in
Nothing to Lose.

Andrew has a vivid memory of Lee The partnership has been made

comforting him after he had been easier because the brothers think

yelled at by his parents for some rea- and act in a similar way – same DNA,

son or other – and then telling him same upbringing, went to the same

they needed to make a pact to look university and support the same UK

after each other. “We will always have football team, Aston Villa. “We both

each other’s backs,” Lee reassured the get it,” Lee says.

upset five year old. The fact that he was the very first

Meanwhile, Lee “STORYTELLING... Jack Reacher fan
tells “a horrendous HELPS US OUTWIT makes Andrew very
story” of going for a proud. Lee sent him
walk with Andrew OUR ENEMIES the draft of his first
when he was still AND GIVE novel, Killing Floor,
tiny. to see if it was “any
US COURAGE” good”. Andrew was
“A head of me I terrified picking it
saw this neighbour- up. There was a lot
hood bully who had

been picking fights on the line.

with me since primary school.” Lee Lee had been retrenched from

thought, This is going to be bad, and Granada Television where he had

told Andrew to “look at that dog in worked for 18 years, and needed to

the garden”. Andrew toddled off, try- make an income. “Brother to broth-

ing to find the dog. Then Lee hit the er, if I had had to phone Lee and say,

bully, knocking him down. ‘Listen, I’m really sorr y but your

“Andrew came back and said, ‘I book is terrible,’ it would have been

can’t see a dog’,” and they calmly a horrible conversation.”

walked on. Lee felt bad about it af- Fortunately, Killing Floor, which

terwards, because although it may was published in 1997, wasn’t ter-

have been necessary to protect rible, winning both the Anthony

himself and Andrew, “it wasn’t very Award and the Barry Award for Best

civilised”. First Novel. And Andrew became

As he tells this story during our like every other Jack Reacher fan –

interview, I am reminded of Jack “eagerly waiting for the next one”.

rdasia.com 41

READER’S DIGEST

Actor Alan Ritchson plays Jack Reacher be viewed as a ‘knight errant’, who PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
in Amazon’s new streaming series breaks away from the world of his
origin to go off on his own to right
ROUGH JUSTICE wrongs.

Andrew will continue Lee’s tradition “Storytelling is essential to our sur-
of starting to write each new novel on vival as a human race,” writes Lee in
September 1, the date Lee sharpened The Hero, his non-fiction book on the
a set of pencils and wrote the first creation of stories and why human-
paragraph of Killing Floor. kind needs heroes. “It helps us outwit
our enemies and give us courage.”
Reacher, a former US major and a
dispenser of rough justice, doesn’t The purpose of fiction, he tells me,
play by the rules. One reason Reach- is to give people what they don’t get
er is so popular, Lee says, is that al- in real life. According to Lee, peo-
though he’s not a goody-goody by any ple need an antidote to “a constant
means, “he’s fair, he’s honest and he real-world buzz of low-level frus-
will do the right thing”. tration. If their car is stolen, they’ll
never get it back,” he says. “If their
He sees his character as fitting into house is burgled, they’ll never see
a long line of narrative folk heroes. In their stuff again, and the police will
storytelling tradition, Reacher can never catch the burglars. But they
will in a book.”

In The Sentinel, the brothers
placed Reacher in an environment
where he was challenged techno-
logically, taken out of his natural
element, and propelled into a world
of high-tech crime.

For Andrew, who worked in tele-
communications for 15 years before
writing his first novel, Even, pub-
lished in 2009, it was familiar terri-
tory. Although they started writing
the book in 2019, its themes of cy-
bercrime, ransomware and election
fraud have become highly topical.
“Every day there’s a new story in the
press about some website or school
or hospital that’s been hit by ransom-
ware,” says Andrew. The storyline of

42 december 2021

Brother Act

Better Off Dead is closer to the Reach- departure for the Booker Prize Foun-

er his fans know and love, and finds dation, with their judges usually from

him in an adrenaline-fuelled adven- scholarly or literary backgrounds. Lee

ture in a small Arizona town close to and his fellow judges committed to

the US/Mexican border. reading every word of the 162 book

THE NEXT CHAPTER submissions – an undertaking he thor-
oughly enjoyed.

As Andrew starts to do more of the Currently he is an executive produc-

heavy lifting, Lee is looking forward er on the new Jack Reacher streaming

to retirement – which he says is a series, with the first seven episodes

valuable period of life. “People ask if launching in the new year. Alan

I am happy now that I have retired? Ritchson, who starred in the DC TV

The truth is, I retired because now series Titans, is taking over the part

I am happy. The times I grew up in, previously played by Tom Cruise in

and the place and my family, all left the films. As TV is not as star-driven

me with an implacable horror of being as movies, they were able to find the

mediocre. Finally, after all these years, right actor who could not only per-

I have grown to accept I escaped that form, “but look the part!” says Lee.

fate,” he says in The Reacher Guy. This was important after Reacher fans

Certainly, he has a lot to feel sat- weren’t happy to see their hero being

isfied about. Frequently topping the played by the 1.7-metre-tall Cruise.

prestigious New York Times bestseller Heading into the next chapter of his

list, Lee has two honorary doctorates life, Lee plans to read – and read. “I’ve

for literature and various done a lot of travelling as

lifetime achievement part of my job so I’m not

awards, including: author going to travel, except in

of the year in the 2019 my head,” he says. “I’m go-

British Book Awards and ing to lie on my sofa, where

PHOTO: COURTESY OF BANTAM PRESS being appointed Com- I can be anywhere thanks

mander of the Order of to all these authors.”

the British Empire (CBE) As for the new Reacher

in the 2019 Queen’s Birth- books? “I’m really looking

day Honours List. forward to them. I hope

He was also invited to that Andrew is better

serve on the 2020 Book- than me, and that the

er Prize judging panel. BETTER OFF DEAD books carry on for ages,
The selection of such a BY LEE CHILD AND because it means that I’ve
commercially success- ANDREW CHILD © 2021 got something good to
ful author as Child was a IS PUBLISHED BY BANTAM read.”
PRESS. AVAILABLE NOW.

rdasia.com 43

READER’S DIGEST

LIFE’S LIKE THAT

Seeing the Funny Side

“I’ve got about 20 pages of questionable CARTOON: DREW PANCKERI/CARTOONSTOCK.COM; ILLUSTRATIONS:GETTY IMAGES
Internet comments here.”

Blast From The Past Don’t Interrupt, Please

I loved the dress that I bought at a I went to the cinema with my mother
flea market. It fitted perfectly, and and her friend, which was a mistake
the skirt was a swirl of intricate because they kept chatting to each
pleats. I wore it confidently to an other during the film. The man
evening party and glowed when behind us so got fed up he said,
a woman exclaimed, “Oh, how “Excuse me, I can’t hear a word.”
stunning!”
Mum looked at him crossly and
Yes, I was grinning from ear to replied, “I should hope not. This is a
ear, until she added cheerfully, private conversation.”
“Hang on to it, darling. Pleats will
come back some day.” It’s a good job it was dark – my
face was red with embarrassment.
SUBMITTED BY MARY LOU WICKHAM
SUBMITTED BY KIM YETTON

44 december 2021

Not On Her Watch THE GREAT
TWEET OFF:
I walked into our living room and CELEBRATIONS
found our expensive decorative sofa AND KIDS EDITION
pillow in shreds. I asked my teenage
daughter whether she knew which “The best way to see Christmas is
of our three dogs was responsible. through the eyes of a child.” Right?

“It was Cotton,” she said. Or maybe not.
“How do you know?”
“I watched him.” When a toy says it’s designed for
children ten and older, they mean
SUBMITTED BY TONY BUNKER you shouldn’t buy it unless you have

Tastes Differ an engineering degree.

I was at a coffee shop on my lunch @LMEGORDON
break, and the guy in front of me in
line asked the barista if she could According to my kids’ Christmas
crumble up two blueberry scones lists, they think this parenting
and blend them into his drink. gig pays pretty well.
Not sure what his story is, but I hope
he finds peace. @KENDRA A ALEIGHH @S A R C A S T I C M O M M Y4

STATUS UPDATES Yesterday we bought the rocket ship
the toddler wanted for Christmas so it
Let’s face it – social should come as no surprise that today
media is one big accident
he no longer likes rocket ships.
waiting to happen:
@SNARKYMOMTOBE
Accidentally connected
my Fitbit account to It doesn’t feel like Christmas until I
Facebook and now start threatening to cancel Christmas.
everyone knows I
only walked 13 steps @MOMMAJESSIEC
yesterday.
Daughter: And this one?
@THECATWHISPERER Me: Also carrots.

Accidentally changed Daughter: I don’t like carrots.
my Facebook status Me: I know.
to ‘Single’ and my
mother-in-law posted, [How I’ve kept my three year old from
opening the family gifts under the tree.]
“WOO-HOO!”
@HENPECKEDHAL
@BRIANHOP

rdasia.com 45

READER’S DIGEST

46 december 2021

ART OF LIVING

Go With

The Flow
little LaeachtRsumoafckspontaneit
How y can your day
BY

ILLUSTRATION BY KATE TRAYNOR make

T he pandemic has made Socially-distanced burger in the
me a more spontaneous park? Sounds glamorous! Walk with
person. Weird, I know. Be- an acquaintance who lives around
fore COVID-19, I was very the corner? My new best friend forev-
Type  A about my social er! Lawn cocktails with the neighbour?
life: dinner between 6pm and 6.30pm Why didn’t I think of this before?
if I was feeling adventurous – usually
at a restaurant of my choosing that My new “Sure, why not?” vibe has
I’d researched and booked with three been one of the surprising upsides
friends, four weeks in advance. The of this time. I’ve made some new
upheaval of this last year completely friends, seen parts of where I live
changed my Virgo approach to rec- that I didn’t even know existed, and
reation. Now, with so many activi- become extremely good at dropping
ties off the table, whenever there’s a everything at a moment’s notice.
chance to do anything, I jump.
I’ve also learned that embrac-
ing novelty and openness to new

rdasia.com 47

READER’S DIGEST

experiences can make us happier – “It’s just like exercise,” says Pro-
even if it’s confined to small changes fessor Joordens. “You may have to
in our daily routines. Here are some force yourself in the beginning, but
easy ways you can give spontaneity a then hopefully it becomes your new
fighting chance to thrive. habit.”

FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS MAKE SOME ROOM

Someone who’s naturally more in- Having gaps in my day, thanks to the

troverted or anxious doesn’t need to widespread closure of restaurants,

revamp their entire approach to life bars and cinemas, definitely helped

to reap the benefits of spontaneity, foster the creation of Brave-New-

says psychology pro- Why-Not?-Me. I could

fessor Steve Joordens. accept last-minute

The key, he says, is to “THE invites for bike rides
identify which areas FIRST STEP or phone chats, and
are the ones you feel IS ASKING I quickly learned the
could benefit from a small joys of unex-

little more of an off- YOURSELF pected fun.
the-cuff approach WHAT’S According to Ed-
and focus on chang-
ing your habits there. LACKING IN ward Slingerland, a
professor of philos-

“The first step is YOUR LIFE” ophy, the first thing
asking yourself what’s you need to do to

lacking in your life,” nurture spontane-

he says. “What’s your ous experiences is

goal?” Once you iden- to create some space

tify your aim (more friends? a new hob- for them. The author of Trying Not

by?) you then need to identify which to Try: Ancient China, Modern Sci-

habits are keeping you from getting ence and the Power of Spontaneity,

what you want. Maybe your weekend he became interested in spontane-

routine is too packed or too rigid, or ity while studying Chinese philos-

you keep making flimsy excuses to not ophers who wanted to cultivate a

try that new online baking class. state of Wu Wei, or effortless action,

Then you can consciously substi- and saw spontaneity as an impor-

tute those spontaneity-killing habits tant goal.

for ones that will help you achieve “We overstructure our lives and

your goal. If this doesn’t exactly plan too much,” he says. “Most peo-

sound spontaneous, that’s because it ple don’t have any gaps in their day

isn’t – at least not at first. to play.”

48 december 2021