Reader's Digest Asia 12.2021

infected with earlier variants of 6If seeing is believing, smelling
the virus were 27 times more likely is tasting. Our palates are
than non-infected people to exhibit almost entirely dependent on
smell dysfunction – but only 2.2 our ability to smell. While taste buds
to 2.6 times more likely to have a distinguish among broad categories
fever, cough or respiratory difficulty. of flavour, such as sweet and salty,
Some public health experts started it’s the receptors in our nasal cavities
proposing using smell tests – not that differentiate pasta from pastry.
temperature checks – to screen
people for COVID-19. 7 Women have keener noses than
men, perhaps because they
3Loss of smell could also have as many as 50 per cent
be an early warning sign more cells in the part of the brain
of Alzheimer’s disease, that processes smell. Studies have
schizophrenia or autoimmune shown that women are better able
diseases such as lupus. Smell to identify and distinguish among
receptors at the top of our noses are scents than men.
connected to the base of our brains,
and these disorders can shrink or 8Pregnant women have especially
disrupt the parts of our brains that sensitive noses. One theory is
process smell. Smell dysfunction that the increased sensitivity
is also the most common early during pregnancy reduces the
symptom reported by Parkinson’s likelihood of the mother ingesting
patients – even before they begin to toxins. On the other hand, depression
experience motor-related symptoms. literally depresses our ability to smell.

4That said, if your sniffer isn’t 9While no scent is universally
as sharp as it used to be, don’t ‘good’ or ‘bad’, our negative
panic. Our sense of smell response to odours we perceive
naturally declines as we age. A third as foul is detectable during an
of 80 year olds can’t smell at all. MRI brain scan. The smell/mind
connection is such that smell can
5Smoking dulls the sense, too, play a role in the treatment of post-
which is one more reason to traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
quit. But you can boost your Most current approaches try to teach
smelling sense with a bit of training. trauma victims to suppress their fear
Vary what you eat and pay attention memories, but they must first be able
to food’s aromas – our sense is to recall those memories. Suggestive
strongest when we’re hungry. smells can help trigger them.

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10Scent also heightens our 12People with anosmia have
positive experiences – even if no sense of smell. Unable to
Smell-O-Vision movies never detect odours such as smoke
caught on. A Dutch museum recently or spoiled milk, they are twice as likely
took advantage of this by surrounding to succumb to fire and food poisoning
Jan Willem Pieneman’s painting than those with the sense intact. Most
The Battle of Waterloo with a unique cases are the result of illness or head
fragrance combination of gunpowder, injury, with car accidents being a
sweat and 4711 Eau de Cologne, leading cause. Those who are born
which Napoleon wore. with anosmia often don’t realise it
until they are in their teens.
11Humans might not have the
greatest sniffers in the animal 13Companies in France and
kingdom, but we’re sharper Canada are developing home
than we might think. People willing appliances that mimic our
to crawl through grass like dogs are sense of smell. Ovens will be able to
perfectly capable of finding and shut themselves off when they detect
following a scent trail. The species burning, and refrigerators will be able
with the strongest sense of smell, to alert you when your produce is at
however, also has the biggest schnoz: its peak ripeness. Imagine all the
the African elephant. Elephants are so wasted food we could save – not to
sensitive to scent that they can smell mention never burning another
water from 20 kilometres away. piece of toast.

SOURCES: INTECHOPEN.COM, LEARNABOUTCOVID19.ORG, MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM,
MEDPAGETODAY.ORG, NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV, NPR.ORG, NY TIMES.COM, STATNEWS.COM,

THEHEALTHY.COM, THESPOON.TECH, VUMC.ORG, WORLDATL AS.COM,
YOUGOV.COM, ZDNET.COM, YALEMEDICNE.ORG, HMS.HARVARD.EDU

Monument To Love

Some people go to great lengths for love. Bosnian man Vojin
Kusic is one such person. The 72 year old’s wife was not content
with the same views outside her windows, so he built her a house

that rotates full circle. Each day she is presented with a fresh
perspective. “After I reached an advanced age, and my children
had taken over the family business, I finally had time to task myself
with granting my wife her wish,” says Kusic. He designed and built
the house by himself, with no formal training, using electric motors
and the wheels of an old military transport vehicle. HUFFPOST.COM

100 december 2021

We Make A Wish
On Wishbones

Wishing on a wishbone is part and parcel of eating roast

chicken. But where does this tradition come from?

BY Sam Benson Smith

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES M aking a wish after the The order in which the rooster
Sunday roast by splitting pecked the grain would spell out a
a greasy wishbone with a message, such as what lay ahead for
family member while sit- society.
ting around the dining table is a tra-
dition in many families. But did you When the rooster ‘oracle’ died,
know the origins of this wish-making the furcula, or wishbone, was dried
go back as far as the Etruscans, an and preserved – as it was viewed as
Italian civilisation contemporary to being the centre of the bird’s pre-
the Romans (and who were eventually dictive prowess.
absorbed by the Roman empire). They
believed in alectryomancy, or rooster As the Etruscan culture was ab-
divination, a form of prophecy which sorbed by the Romans, the valua-
involved using the movements of a tion of the wishbone remained but
rooster to determine future events. with a twist – the Romans began
the tradition of breaking it to allow
The process was simple. An Etrus- two people to wish upon the bone,
can alphabet would be drawn on the as there weren’t enough birds for
ground by a diviner who would then everyone.
scatter grain over each letter. Then a
rooster was set loose to peck the grain. As the Roman Empire continued
to expand, it carried the wishbone
tradition with it.

rdasia.com 101



BONUS READ

An unlikely friendship leads to
some unexpected outcomes

BY Laura Greaves

F R O M  THE BOOK A DOG’S BEST FRIEND 

PHOTO: COURTESY YVONNE HONG It usually goes without saying that much time with them. “I grew up in
adults whose lives include many Malaysia, in small apartments and
pets were animal lovers in child- with a mum who would never let us
hood. It’s hard to imagine some- have any animals. There’s a lot of
body with a houseful of dogs, or stray animals around in Malaysia,
multiple cats, or a farm on which but unless you live in a house, peo-
dogs are friends with llamas, not hav- ple don’t really have pets,” Yvonne
ing had lots of formative experiences says. “I did have a hamster, but that
with animals growing up. was all I could have. Even then,
Mum thought it was a rat and said,
But that’s not always the case. ‘Get rid of it!’”
There are plenty of people who, for
one reason or another, never had Being a predominantly Muslim
pets as a child. There are people who country, dog ownership is uncommon
didn’t like or were even afraid of ani- in Malaysia. Cats are quite popular,
mals their whole lives. And there are however, but an early experience with
people who thought they weren’t cut a crotchety kitty meant young Yvonne
out for pet ownership until a particu- was decidedly not a cat person.
lar furred, feathered or finned friend
changed their minds later on. “I remember going to a friend’s
house as a child and they had cats. I
IT’S STORIES LIKE THESE that best picked up their cat and it scratched
describe Yvonne Hong’s relationship me and hissed, so I just dropped
with animals. Today, her life is quite it. I was terrified of cats after that,”
literally consumed with the care of she says.
pets – both other people’s and her
own – but it was a very different story Deep down, Yvonne was a dog
when she was a child. She liked an- lover and always longed for one of
imals, but was never able to spend her own, but “it wasn’t something
I would think about because it just
wasn’t going to happen”.

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In 2003, when she was 20 years 2008 and called him Henry. “As soon

old, Yvonne decided to pursue her as we bought our house I got Henry.

dream of a life working with animals. We didn’t even have our furniture,

She moved to Australia to study vet- but we had a dog.”

erinary science at the University of

Melbourne. Sadly, she was forced to AS A CHILD, she’d also had a dream

drop out of the degree after a year be- of one day starting her own charity,

cause her parents were no longer able but unlike her eventual ascent to ‘dog

to cover the cost of full fee-paying mum’ status, that goal had fallen by

international student tuition. But by the wayside as she got older. After

then she had fallen in love with life working in animal welfare and mak-

Down Under and was determined to ing friends in the rescue communi-

stay, so she took on other studies that ty, however, that forgotten ambition

would keep her student visa active began to crystallise in her mind once

while working to fund her veterinary more.

science studies. “I had wanted to start a charity

At the same time when I was younger; I

as working “so many “AS SOON AS just didn’t know what
odd jobs”, Yvonne was WE BOUGHT sort of charity. Then I
also volunteering at an GAOHTOHUESNER, Y. was going to start an
animal rescue. It was I WE DIDN’T animal rescue group
partly a way to indulge with some friends
her unfulfilled need HAVE that I’d met through
to have animals in her FURNITURE, another rescue
life, as well as being a BUT WE HAD group,” says Yvonne.
way to give back to her A DOG!”
adopted community. She ultimately
decided not to join
By now Yvonne had her friends in their
also met her Australian venture because

partner, Jon, and they she had begun to

had bought a house in think about ways

Melbourne’s south-east- to address a dif-

ern suburbs. After years of living in ferent need she saw in the commu-

small apartments, becoming a home- nity. She had started to notice the

owner meant she was also able to re- number of people sleeping rough

alise her lifelong goal of owning her on Melbourne’s city streets – and

very first dog. she also noticed that many of those

She and Jon bought a golden re- people had pets. She began to won-

triever puppy on Anzac Day in April der whether they had the resources

104 december 2021

George And Tiger

to buy nutritious pet food or pay to do something, so I went out and
for veterinary care for their animal bought pet food and handed it out
companions, and started to look into and never looked back. Sometimes
whether there was anything in place the best plan is to have no plan.”
to assist them.
Almost before she knew it, her work
“I wanted to do something with with POTH began to have an impact.
pets and homelessness, so I went She registered the organisation as
around and researched what already a charity and started fundraising.
existed. There was one small group in More and more people started to
Sydney that was essentially just two like the Facebook page. People got
ladies that would hand out pet food in touch asking how they could do-
on their trip to work,” she recalls. “I nate money or volunteer their time
contacted them and said, ‘Is there packing pet food and distributing it
something like this in Melbourne to people in need.
that I could volunteer for?’ It wasn’t
my intention to actually start a char- And growing numbers of people
ity, but they said no, so I thought, OK, began to reach out to Yvonne seek-
maybe I’ll start something.” ing assistance with feeding, hous-
ing or paying for veterinary care for
That was in 2013. It would be an- their pets.
other two years before she was able
to put her plan into action. From early on, Yvonne implement-
ed a policy that POTH would only
IN JULY 2015, she set up a Facebook accept requests for help from social
page called Pets of the Homeless workers, not directly from pet own-
(POTH) Melbourne (later changed ers. Every person at risk of or expe-
to POTH Australia to reflect Yvonne’s riencing homelessness is unique and
ambition of one day going nation- every case is complex. Yvonne knew
al). Its stated mission: keeping best that this way her charity could focus
friends together. on helping pets while confident their
owners were also receiving support
The irony was that when she finally for their other issues.
threw caution to the wind and clicked
‘publish’ on that page, there was al- “People have lots of different
most no planning involved whatsoev- needs, whether it’s mental health or
er. “The night I decided to start POTH financial or something else. We don’t
it was literally, ‘That’s it! I’m going to have the experience to support peo-
do it!’ I just started the page and in- ple in finding housing or finding help
vited my family and friends to like it,” with substance abuse – they need to
she says. “Then I thought, If you have have a social worker, someone al-
a Facebook page you actually have ready supporting them with that,”
she explains.

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READER’S DIGEST

“The most important thing

is having a vision of where

you want things to go. Then,

even if you don’t plan it, you

will do things that lead you

towards that goal anyway,”

she says.

One of the most common

requests POTH receives is

for help finding temporary

accommodation for pets

whose owners have nowhere

else for them to go. It’s a sadly

common situation in the ex-

pensive and unstable rental

accommodation market, as

well as for people leaving do-

mestic violence situations to

stay in refuges, because few

Yvonne gives 17-year-old Tiger, a palliative short-term or crisis accom-

care cat, a cuddle modation facilities will allow

pets.

SIX YEARS ON, POTH is one of the Such was the growing demand that

largest charities of its type in Aus- in late 2018 Yvonne decided to add

tralia, and in 2019 became the first emergency foster care to POTH’s list

in Victor ia to open a dedicated of services. Unlike the launch of the

Pet Food Bank. It has distributed charity three years earlier, rolling out

more than 625,000 meals to hun- the foster care programme required a

gry pets, and has either partially or lot of planning.

fully funded tens of thousands of “Coming from an animal rescue PHOTO: COURTESY YVONNE HONG

dollars’ worth of both emergency background, I knew how much work it

and routine veterinary treatment, is to run a foster programme and to do

from vaccinations to major lifesav- it right. It was months and months of

ing surgeries. And the charity now writing policies and putting the pieces

has two employees and a dedicated together, making sure everything was

group of volunteers. in place before we took on the first an-

Yvonne says she never imagined imals,” Yvonne says.

t hat POTH would g row into t he In the three years since its launch,

organisation it has become today. the foster-care programme has placed

106 december 2021

George And Tiger

more than 200 dogs, cats, and even a she needed emergency foster care for

turtle, in loving foster homes while her dog in the midst of a domestic

their owners get back on their feet. violence situation. She didn’t know

there was a cat in the mix as well.

P O T H O N LY PL AC E S A N I M A L S “She had moved, but her ex-part-

within its own pool of fully trained ner had found out where she was

and vetted carers and works hard to staying. She had to go away for a few

match each animal with the right fos- days to hide and there was no one to

ter home. Sometimes, however, there look after her dog,” Yvonne says. “She

is nobody in the pool of carers that is had actually got the dog because the

quite right for the animal in question. police had told her she should have

When that happens, Yvonne will often one for protection.”

foster the pet herself. After a weekend in foster care, the

That was the case in dog was returned to

the summer of 2020, Megan. On that oc-

when a desperate cat FROM THE casion, she had been
owner asked Yvonne to MOMENT referred to POTH by
take in her senior mog- EYTYVIEOGSNEONRNEWLHAAISMID, a social worker. The
gy. And again in April A SURPRISE next time she needed
2021, when an old PACKAGE help, however, Megan
dog’s foster care place- contacted Yvonne di-
ment fell through and rectly. POTH usually
she had the capacity to only works with re-
step in. ferred cases, but given

But if Yvonne was their previous collab-

worried about man- oration and Megan’s

aging the care of two obvious desperation,

sick, elderly pets on top of her own Yvonne wasn’t about to turn her

animal pack and the relentless de- away.

mands of running a growing chari-

ty, she would soon discover that she UNBEKNOWNST TO YVONNE the first

didn’t need to. Because this dog and time they worked together, Megan

this cat were happy to take care of had a cat as well as a dog. A rather

each other. ancient cat – 17 years old, in fact. His

* NAME CHANGED From the moment Yvonne laid eyes name was Tiger. Megan had been

on him, Tiger the cat was a surprise forced to flee her home again and

package. Firstly, his very existence had had no option but to leave Tiger

was a shock. Yvonne had previously behind.

assisted Tiger’s owner, Megan*, when “It was urgent and she had already

rdasia.com 107

READER’S DIGEST

left the house. She had found a likely only had a few months left, so

friend to look after the dog, but Ti- it was a matter of just keeping him

ger was there alone. She asked me if comfortable,” she says. “We didn’t

I could pick him up that night,” says even discuss whether he would go

Yvonne. “I went to her house at nine back to Megan because I thought

o’clock at night because we had to the few months he had left proba-

find a time to go when it would be bly wasn’t going to make much dif-

safe.” ference for her. She probably still

She agreed to foster Tiger herself, wouldn’t be back on her feet when

rather than placing him with anoth- his time came,” she says.

er POTH carer, both because he was But there was no doubt that Megan

a palliative care case and because adored her cat, and that leaving him

she was sure that she could bring the in POTH’s care was heartbreaking for

elderly feline home without causing her. “She cried when she had to let

too much disruption for Henry and him go and said, ‘Goodbye, my son’,”

her other pets. Yvonne recalls. But then something

“I was confident incredible happened.

in taking an old cat A couple of months

because I thought he THOUGH HIS passed and Tiger kept
would be easier to in- CANCER going. Then a few
tegrate with my pack. more months went by
Any animals that WAS STILL and still he kept hang-
come into my care go GROWING, ing in there. Though
into the laundry or the TRIEGAEDRYWTAOSNG’OT his cancer was still
spare room for a few growing, Tiger clear-
days to settle in,” she JUST YET ly wasn’t ready to go
explains. just yet.

Megan had told “He was so loving

Yvonne that Tiger was and affectionate,

very old and sick, but and ver y brave,”

as soon as she saw him she realised Yvonne says. “He would be in your

his problems were more severe than face, tr ying to steal your food. I

she had anticipated. Tiger was pain- think if he was younger he would

fully thin, and his nose was being have been more successful!”

eaten away by what turned out to be He may have outlived his origi-

an aggressive type of cancer. nal prognosis, but Tiger’s life wasn’t

“I could see straight away that without its challenges. While lit-

there was something wrong with ter-box trained and not techni-

his nose. Megan told me that Tiger cally incontinent, he was prone to

108 december 2021

George And Tiger

developing urinary tract

infections, and whenever

he had one he would uri-

nate outside of his litter box.

Carpeted areas and stand-

ing atop Yvonne’s bathroom

scales were his preferred

locations. Then, in Novem-

ber 2020, Tiger suddenly

took a turn for the worse. He

stopped eating and had to be

rushed to the vet.

“When he came back he

still wasn’t himself and I

had to syringe-feed him

every hour for 24 hours. He

also had thyroid issues – that

was why he was so skinny –

and if he couldn’t eat there

was nothing for his body to

metabolise, so I had to make Yvonne celebrating George’s 15th birthday
sure he was constantly eat- with a special doggy cake
ing,” says Yvonne. “After

a day he started to follow me to the April 2021 when his owner, Robert*,

PHOTO: COURTESY YVONNE HONG. * NAME CHANGED laundry, which is where I would feed was temporarily unable to look after

him, and that’s when I knew he was him. He had been hauled off to the

feeling better.” pound, which is no place for an old

dog with a long list of medical issues,

TIGER’S NEW LEASE ON LIFE un- and faced the prospect of euthanasia.

doubtedly had something to do with “A social worker reached out to us

the company he was keeping. Yvonne and said that it wasn’t Robert’s wish

doted on him, and he got on well with for George to be put down. He want-

the rest of her animal family mem- ed him to go into a foster home until

bers, but more importantly Tiger had he was in a position to take him back,”

made a friend. A best friend. says Yvonne. She had only just fin-

His name was George and he was a ished fostering a dog called Pumkin,

kelpie-Labrador mix. At 15 he was also who was elderly, blind and battling

an elder statesman in his own right. a large and painful bladder stone

George came into POTH’s care in that had required surgical removal.

rdasia.com 109

Tiger would sleep on top of George’s head, using him as a pillow

Yvonne needed a break, so after The following day she rushed to PHOTO: COURTESY YVONNE HONG
springing George from the pound she get him some doggy nappies. It was
placed him with a POTH foster carer. a small step in the right direction, but
there still remained the mystery of ex-
Hours later, however, the carer actly why George struggled to stand
called with bad news. up. He wasn’t yelping, but given his
age the vet Yvonne consulted felt that
“She said, ‘I can’t look after him starting him on pain medication for
because he’s incontinent and he can’t arthritis was a safe bet. It paid off.
get up on his own.’ He would just lie
in his bed and pee himself all the “After we put him on pain meds he
time, and she physically couldn’t lift would get up, and once he got up he
him up,” Yvonne recalls. could walk around,” she says. Taking
advantage of his limited and poten-
So George came to stay with tially short-lived mobility, she took
Yvonne. He was indeed unable to him for walks and trips to the beach,
get from lying down into a standing where the buoyancy of the water
position on his own. “The first night would ease his aching joints. He loved
he came to my house he could not the experience, and also adored the
get up so I would roll him over every daily massages Yvonne administered.
hour or so and then change the tow-
els underneath him. I think I used George was also suffering from a
all the towels in my house,” she says.

110 december 2021

George And Tiger

chronic bladder infection when he concern. Yvonne thought the elderly

arrived. He took antibiotics for that, cat’s unexpected attention was a por-

as well as pain relief and steroids for tent of doom.

his mobility issues. He also had hydro- “I started to notice that Tiger was

therapy and laser treatment to ease always with George, licking him and

his aching joints and improve muscle sleeping next to him. They say ani-

tone. mals can sense things, and I had never

Because he couldn’t get to his feet seen Tiger lick any animal before,” she

unaided when he ar- says. “I thought, Uh-

rived, George received oh, George is going to

a special exemption TIGER’S pass away soon.”
from Yvonne’s usual ATTENTION But George didn’t
‘decompression period’
in the laundry or spare REVIVED pass away. In fact,
bedroom. He was al- GEORGE. with Tiger’s devoted
lowed to meet Henry, MAKING ministrations, he ral-
the cats and his foster FRIENDS lied.
sibling, Tiger, right WITH A CAT
away. RENEWED It was as if Tiger’s at-
HIS PURPOSE tention revived George.
GEORGE’S FIRST He was unwell, in pain,
and undoubtedly miss-
ing his owner, but mak-

INTERACTION with ing friends with a cat

Tiger was uneventful who was doing it just

– but that all changed as tough seemed to give

a couple of weeks later. Yvonne had him a renewed purpose.

begun weaning George off his steroid “From that day on, Tiger would

medication, because it can damage sleep on top of George’s head, using

dogs’ kidneys if used long term. Out him as a pillow,” Yvonne says. “It

of the blue, he began vomiting and didn’t matter where George went,

seemed generally flat and lethargic. Tiger would always follow. It was so

She took him to the vet, who advised sweet. I had never had the privilege

continuing with the steroid regimen of experiencing that bond before.”

because his advanced age would like- She wasn’t the only one who was

ly be an issue long before any kidney surprised by the unusual friendship.

problems arose. George’s owner, Robert, who visited

Even after the medication was re- his beloved dog whenever he could,

instated, however, George just wasn’t was taken aback. “Robert was very

himself. She was terribly worried – surprised because he said George

and it turned out that Tiger shared her used to chase cats.”

rdasia.com 111

READER’S DIGEST

But even when George was able to choose euthanasia for Tiger if it meant

stand up on his own and walk with he would pass away in a sterile clin-

greater ease, he never showed the ic all by himself. She hoped he could

slightest inclination towards aggres- hang in there just a little longer.

sion or even teasing. He didn’t recip- But on June 3, 2021, Yvonne came

rocate the licking, but he definitely home to find Tiger gravely ill. She

seemed to enjoy it. At the same time, knew it was his time.

Tiger was completely indifferent to the “The rest of the night I held him

other pets in the house. That’s why in my arms and I put on the electric

Yvonne is so sure George and Tiger’s blanket to keep him warm,” she says.

friendship was the real deal. “He passed in my arms.”

“Even when I would take George Running a charit y like POTH

and Tiger to the POTH office, I would means that saying goodbye to much-

set up two separate beds for them and loved pets is a sadly common expe-

Tiger would just go and sleep next to rience for Yvonne, but losing Tiger

George every time.” hit hard. “Tiger was the best cat,” she

says simply.

TIGER R EM A INED DEVOTED to George has coped relatively well

George for the rest of his life. In mid- with the loss of his best mate. Bit- PHOTO: (BOOK COVER) COURTESY PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE AUSTRALIA

2021, Tiger’s cancer became signif- tersweet as it may be, Yvonne thinks

icantly worse. He also lost weight his dementia has made things easier

which, given he was thin to begin for George. He continues to enjoy his

with, was a worrying sign. And yet, beach walks, swims and massages,

says Yvonne, “He was still and his easy-going rap-

himself. He was meowing, port with Yvonne’s other

happy, eating. He was still animals. But she knows

grooming himself,” she he will never again have a

says. friend like Tiger.

She was grateful, because Though their time to-

Melbourne was enduring gether was relatively brief,

a series of lockdowns in both of their lives were all

response to the coronavi- the richer for having each

rus pandemic. Vets wer- other in them. The best

en’t making house calls, friends didn’t need words

and pet owners couldn’t THIS IS AN EDITED to express what they
accompany their ani- EXTRACT FROM  meant to each other. As
mal companions into vet George and Tiger proved,
clinics. She couldn’t bear A DOG’S BEST FRIEND  there are so many ways to
the thought of having to BY LAURA GREAVES. say, ‘I love you’.
© 2021. PUBLISHED
BY MICHAEL JOSEPH.

AVAILABLE NOW.

112 december 2021





RD RECOMMENDS

PHOTO: COURTESY © 2021 METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Movies

House Of Gucci Drama

Looking for an adult movie revenge that consume all
with a bit of crime and a bit of whose name is Gucci.
intrigue? House of Gucci should
satisfy. Inspired by the When the marriage between
shocking true story of the Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga)
family behind the Italian and the heir to the fashion
fashion house, the House of empire Marizio Gucci (Adam
Gucci spans three decades Driver) ends in a messy divorce,
and delves into the loves, she plots his murder. Also
betrayals, decadence and starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons,
Jared Leto and Salma Hayek.

COMPILED BY DIANE GODLEY

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Sing 2 Animated/Family PHOTOS: (SING2 AND DEAR EVAN HANSEN) COURTESY © 2021 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

If you saw the first Sing movie, you’ll be rushing off to the cinema to watch
Sing 2, even if you don’t have little ones to take. With the voices of Matthew
McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Pharrell
Williams, Sing 2 returns with big dreams and spectacular songs by can-do
koala, Buster Moon, and his all-star cast of animal performers. Dreaming of
a bigger slice of the limelight, the fun really starts when Buster promises the
theatre promotor that his show stars rock legend Clay Calloway (Bono of
U2), who has not been seen for a decade and Buster has never met.

Dear Evan Hansen

Musical/Drama

A hit Broadway musical, this coming-
of-age story has been turned into
a cinematic event. Tony Award-
winner Ben Platt reprises his role
as an awkward teenager aching to
belong at school amid the cruelty
of the social-media age. His journey
of self-discovery takes off when his
classmate, Connor, steals a letter
Evan is writing to himself for therapy
with tragic consequences. The letter
starts a rollercoaster ride for Evan
which he can’t get off.

116 december 2021

RD Recommends

Podcasts

PHOTOS: AUDIOBOOKSTORE.CM; PODTAIL.COM; CANTWAITFORCHRISTMASPOD.COM; GINA TRIPLLETT RD Talks: You’ll Be A Man, My Son

“If you can dream – and not make dreams your
master...” Behind the inspirational poem ‘If’ by
Rudyard Kipling lies the story of a father’s love and
a son’s sacrifice.

Can’t Wait For Christmas

In a busy world, there’s peace in seeking out simple,
traditional pleasures. This is the place to discover
the top five Christmas songs to sing at karaoke and
recipes for Rudolph pancakes and candy cane pizza,
and learn about a new party game – the White
Elephant Christmas Exchange.

Stay Away From Matthew MaGill

The final months of Matthew MaGill’s life were spent
homeless, living under a tarpaulin in the woods. All
he left behind was a box filled with personal papers
and photos that portrayed an incredible life. Using
the artefacts in the box, award-winning journalist Eric
Mennel tracks down MaGill’s life story.

Pride And Prejudice

Several different audio readings of Jane

Austen’s universally acknowledged 1813 Audio
romantic comedy about Elizabeth Bennett’s Book
and Mr Darcy’s search for love can be found

on YouTube. To enjoy the social trials and triumphs of
the Bennett family, search for ‘Pride and Prejudice’ on

YouTube or in a search engine.

HOW TO GET PODCASTS To listen on the web: In a search engine, look up ‘Stay
Away From Matthew MaGill’, for example, and click on the play button. To download:
Download an app such as Podcatchers or iTunes and simply search by title.

TO LISTEN TO RD TALKS GO TO
www.rdasia.com/podcasts and click on the play button.

rdasia.com 117

THE Darcey Croft owns around ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES
GENIUS AU$300,000 of cryptocur-
SECTION rency that she can’t spend.
“Back in 2012, I bought
Sharpen Your five Bitcoin,” explains
Mind Croft, 42, creator of the sustainable
platform Barenaturals.com. “At the
The New time I had five passwords I used for
Science Of everything but, a few years later,
when one bitcoin had hit AU$5000
PASSWORDS and I decided to cash out, I’d forgot-
ten which one I’d used. When I got
Here’s how to create locked out I thought I could just reset
passwords that are things – only to discover that digital
harder to hack – and wallets are so secure not even the
easier to remember company I set it up with could unlock
it. They’re now just sitting there.”
BY Helen Foster
According to a 2021 study by pass-
118 december 2021 word manager Bitwarden, like Croft,
59 per cent of us rely on our memory
to ‘store’ our passwords (leading to
14 per cent of us needing to change
them at least once a week). However,
if a password is simple enough for us
to remember, it’s usually easy to crack.

“Passwords are hacked in three
main ways – someone sees you enter-
ing it, someone knows enough about
you to guess it or, they use complicat-
ed computer software to hack it – and
the way we set passwords can make
this more likely,” says cybersecurity
specialist Professor Lorrie Cranor
from Carnegie Mellon University in
the US.

According to calculations by data
security company Hive Systems, the
world’s most commonly used pass-
word, 123456 can be hacked in less

The Genius Section

than a second. But even if you’re normally relates to material goods,
sure your own combination is far but in 2019 researchers found it also
more secure, don’t bank on it. “When applies to passwords. The defensive
prompted to create what we think are response it causes makes us less likely
complex passwords most people make to break our bad password habits.
mistakes,” explains Professor Cranor.
“They either create one complex pass- So, how do you create the perfect
word and use it everywhere, or change password?
passwords in predictable ways. For
example the most common number Well, for starters, forget choosing a
used is one, the most common spe- pass‘word’, it naturally creates short-
cial character is the exclamation mark er, easier-to-hack ideas. “Instead, we
and when asked to use a capital letter, should move towards longer pass
almost everyone puts it at the start.” phrases,” says Professor Dillon. While
groups like the UK’s National Cyber
Many of us also choose passwords Security Centre suggest this should
with some kind of connection to be three random words, anything
our lives. “If you know my favourite random is harder to remember so in-
book is Lord of The Rings, you might stead, Professor Dillon suggests “tak-
be able to guess that my password is ing a phrase that is meaningful and
based around that,” says Professor easy to remember for you – but isn’t
Roberto Dillon, a specialist in emo- easy for others to guess”. You should
tional connection and digital media be looking at a phrase of at least ten
at James Cook University in Singa- characters, and more if possible.
pore. “And if it’s the most common
phrase from that book, ‘oneringto However, using complete words in
rulethemall’, it’s even easier to guess.” your passphrase still puts you at risk
Particularly as those ‘fun’ quizzes on of what’s known as ‘dictionary hack’
social media about your favourite where hackers use software that cross-
movie or family names can be used checks every word in the dictionary
for password farming. against a password. So, once you’ve
found your phrase, there are two more
The problem is that changing pass- steps to boost its security.
words, particularly if we are told to
follow specific rules, creates a strong The first is to turn your phrase into
negative emotional reaction that letters. So, say you loved The Rocky
makes us resistant to change. Known Horror Picture Show as a teenager and
as ‘the endowment effect’, this way your current password is timewarp17
of thinking where if we already own (eight lower case letters, two numbers
something we don’t want to upgrade – cracked in about a day), you could
it – even if the alternative is better – change that to the first line from the
song, ‘It’s astounding! Time is fleeting.
Madness takes its toll’ and using the

rdasia.com 119

READER’S DIGEST

first letters of each word (complete telling your brain that it’s important,
with capitals and an exclamation which primes it to remember. Then
mark) you create Ia!TifMtit. Your hack sing or say the password out loud
time goes up to a year. (when alone!) a few times and create
a visual image of it.
Adding numbers will boost this
further so add the film’s release date “Then repeat it a few times over the
1975 (easily googled if you forget) and next few days which helps move it
you’ve got Ia!TifMtit1975 – and that, from short-term memory to the part
according to website How Secure is dedicated to longer-term recall.”
Your Password, would take two hun-
dred million years to crack. “Split the So, that’s one password done, but,
number between the first words and now what? “Use that password as your
it’s even harder,” says Professor Dillon. master password on password gener-
ator,” suggests Professor Cranor. “Pass-
“The more parts of the brain you word managers (like LastPass) are
involve in creating your password the programs that generate difficult pass-
more likely you are to recall it,” says words for every site you access but
Professor Lucy Palmer, a specialist in only require you setting and remem-
memory from the Florey Institute of bering one master password to access
Neuroscience and Mental Health in them. Many people don’t trust them,
Melbourne. “And using more than one but with a good master password,
of your senses does this.” they’re far more secure than
anything your brain can come up
To retain a passphrase, therefore, with,” she says.
she suggests first, focusing on it and

PASSWORD CLICHES

HACKERS LOOK FOR THESE PATTERNS IN PASSWORDS
FIRST. HOW MANY DO YOURS HAVE?

* Keyboard walking: names or the word you enter your
‘love’. password.
Simple patterns on a
keyboard like qwerty, * Repeating * Predictable
123456 or qazwsx – the
first diagonal letters. characters: placements:
Not only is this Don’t use capital letters
* Common words: commonly written into only at the start of your
hacking programs, it’s phrase or only add
These include the very easy to spot if special characters or
names of sports teams, someone is watching numbers at the end.
swearwords, city

120 december 2021

ONLINE

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AND TREATS

Save money and have a lot
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treats to give as gifts.

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DIY from small to big

Whether you’d like to revamp
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READER’S DIGEST

PUZZLES

Challenge yourself by solving these puzzles and mind
stretchers, then check your answers on pages 126.



Crosswise

Test your general
knowledge.

DOWN

1 Ghosts (8)
2 Frozen treats (4)
3 Military rebel (8)
4 Adolescents (5)
5 Windcheater (5)
6 Brine-cured (6)
7 Instrument of
torture (10)
8 Sir Frederick ---,
choreographer (6)
15 Dry red Italian
table wine (7)
16 Page (4)
18 Birthplace (10)
22 Hairy man of
Genesis (4)
24 Frightening (8)
25 Pet birds (8)
27 Commands (6)
28 Posts (6)
31 Time being (5)
ACROSS 23 Cloth (6) 32 Elected (5) CROSSWORD: CROSSWORDSITE.COM
26 Go under (4) 35 Journey (4)
4 Ribbons (5) 27 Ukrainian Black Sea port (6)
9 Visible image (7) 29 Formerly Formosa (6)
10 Pains (5) 30 Part of a military uniform (5)
11 Register (5) 33 Wide river-mouth (5)
12 Pad (7) 34 Popular house pet (7)
13 Entice (5) 36 Martial art (5)
14 Fish covering (5) 37 Wash lightly (5)
17 The Desert Fox (6) 38 Morning (7)
19 Microphone inventor (6) 39 View (5)
20 Pyramid site (4)
21 Literary ridicule (6)

122 december 2021

Puzzle BRAIN POWER
Answers brought to you by

PAGES 126

42 1

9

31 9 86

852 4

93

6 524

74 5 31

8

2 87

Sudoku

HOW TO PLAY: To win, you have to put a number
from 1 to 9 in each outlined section so that:
• Every horizontal row and vertical column
contains all nine numerals (1-9) without repeating
any of them;
• Each of the outlined sections has all nine
numerals, none repeated.

IF YOU SOLVE IT WITHIN:

15 minutes, you’re a true expert
30 minutes, you’re no slouch
60 minutes or more, maybe numbers aren’t your thing

"Write, Erase, Rewrite"

READER’S DIGEST

FAMILY FUN Puzzle
Answers

PAGES 126

Spot The Difference

There are ten differences. Can you find them?

Folded Cube ILLUSTRATION: (DINOSAUR) GETTY IMAGES

When the shape below is folded to form a cube,
which is the only one of the following that can be produced?

AB
C

DE

124 december 2021

The Genius Section

TRIVIA

Test Your General Knowledge

1. What is the name of the extremely 8. When Israel’s spacecraft

violent South Korean drama series Beresheet crash-landed on the

that reached No 1 on Netflix? 1 point moon in 2019, what was it carrying

2. What former name did Thailand that may have since become the

revert to from 1946 to 1948, after first lunar life form? 2 points

which it again reverted to Thailand? 9. Why is Russia’s October

1 point Revolution of 1917 commemorated

3. Which Australian prime minister in November? 1 point

was also a Rhodes Scholar and one- 10. Who is the only US president to

time holder of a world record for have been awarded a Pulitzer Prize?

drinking beer? 2 points 2 points

4. Saffron can be more expensive 11. In 2020, sailor Bert ter Hart

than gold by weight. True or false? became the first person from

1 point North America to sail around the

5. What is the hardest substance in world alone using what method of

the human body? 1 point navigation? 1 point

6. Which New 12. What unusual

Zealand city has the passengers took

highest population? the very first hot air

1 point balloon ride in 1783?

7. The 2020 Nobel 1 point

Peace Prize was 13. Vampire squids,

awarded to which goblin sharks and

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES organisation whose 14. Facing an excess of fangtooth fish are
mascot is a dog all members of what
named Foxtrot? oranges, what did the city of specific ecosystem?
Seville do with its fruit waste
2 points 1 point
earlier this year? 3 points

16-20 Gold medal 11-15 Silver medal 6-10 Bronze medal 0-5 Wooden spoon

ANSWERS: 1. Squid Game. 2. Siam. 3. Bob Hawke. 4. True. 5. Tooth enamel. 6. Auckland. 7. World Food
Programme. 8. Tardigrades (microscopic water bears). 9. Russia used the Julian calendar in 1917 but now
uses the Gregorian calendar. 10. John F. Kennedy in 1957, for Profiles in Courage. 11. Celestial navigation
(charts and sextant). 12. A sheep, a duck and a rooster. 13. Deep sea environments. 14. Create electricity.

rdasia.com 125

READER’S DIGEST

PUZZLES ANSWERS

From Page 122

Crosswise

1S 2 I 3M 4 T A 5P E 6S 7 T 8A

9P I C T U R E A 10A C H E S Sudoku

E E T 11E N R O L U H 697 48 2 3 5 1
51 8736492
12C U S H I O N K 13T E M P T 4231 59786
852341 679
T N 14S 15C A 16L E B O 96427581 3
371 968524
17R O 18M M E L H 19E D I S O N 7495231 68
1 85694237
E O E 20G I Z A C 23681 7945

21S A T I R 22E A 23F 24A B R I 25C

H 26S I N K L E A

27O D E S 28S A T 29T A I W A N

R R 30T U 31N I 32C R A

33D E L T A O 34H A M S 35T E R

E A 36K E N D O I R I ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES; CROSSWORD: CROSSWORDSITE.COM

37R I N S E C 38S U N R I S E

S D 39S C E N E G P S

Folded Cube Spot The Difference

The Answer is C

C

126 december 2021

The Genius Section

WORD POWER

Two-faced Terms

English dictionaries have many contranyms, or words
with contradictory definitions

BY Samantha Rideout

1. cleave – A: loosen or tighten. C: precisely or vaguely.
B: sharpen or make dull.
C: adhere or split. 9. moot – A: together or apart.
B: subject to debate or irrelevant.
2. table – A: climb a mountain C: well maintained or neglected.
or traverse a plain. B: consume
or abstain. C: present something 10. peruse – A: examine casually or
for consideration or postpone carefully. B: use once or as many
consideration. times as possible. C: choose or be
indecisive.
3. overlook – A: regard with suspicion
or with optimism. B: oversee 11. discursive – A: rambling or
or fail to see. C: see well or poorly. proceeding logically. B: friendly
or hard to get along with.
4. ravel – A: grow louder or softer. C: unwritten or written by hand.
B: disentangle or entangle.
C: appear or disappear. 12. nonplussed – A: fluffy or flat.
B: sufficient or needing more.
5. anabasis – A: foundation that is C: perplexed or unbothered.
solid or shaky. B: military advance or
retreat. C: swampland or desert. 13. screen – A: conceal or show.
B: curse or blessing. C: foresee
6. quiddity – A: planned purchase or or deny as a possibility.
impulse buy. B: trivial distinction or
essence. C: flexibility or stiffness. 14. nervy – A: audacious or nervous.
B: charming or annoying.
7. flank – A: stretch or compress. C: shaky or steady.
B: show off or remain humbly quiet.
C: attack the side or guard the side. 15. sanction – A: make sacred
or profane. B: officially approve or
8. literally – A: figuratively or impose a penalty upon.
actually. B: messy or tidy. C: increase or decrease.

rdasia.com 127

READER’S DIGEST

Answers 9. moot – B: subject to debate or
irrelevant. The health effects of
1. cleave – C: adhere or split. The vaping were a moot topic, but for
stump cleaved to the ground, so non-smokers, the debate was moot.
Violetta cleaved it with an axe.
10. peruse – A: examine casually
2. table – C: present something or carefully. After quickly perusing
for consideration or postpone the menu, Aayiz perused Farah’s
consideration. Kim tabled a texts for clues about her feelings
growth strategy, but the board for him.
tabled it until later.
11. discursive – A: rambling
3. overlook – B: oversee or or proceeding logically. When
fail to see. Efraín was so busy Malcolm’s boss called his report
overlooking the renovations that discursive, he wasn’t sure if it was
he overlooked his son’s academic clear or confusing.
struggles.
12. nonplussed – C: perplexed or
4. ravel – B: disentangle or unbothered. Mike was nonplussed
entangle. Julia’s experience by the rude customer but gave his
ravelling out fishing nets didn’t employees a nonplussed smile to
help with her ravelled necklace. assuage them.

5. anabasis – B: military advance 13. screen – A: conceal or show.
or retreat. The mercenaries’ Curtains screened the stage where
anabasis was repelled, forcing the film had screened.
them into a perilous anabasis
towards home. 14. nervy – A: audacious or
nervous. Liz’s nervy habit of
6. quiddity – B: trivial distinction contradicting the boss made her
or essence. Quiddities such as colleagues feel nervy around her.
spelling errors aside, Jo’s essay
captured the quiddity of grief. 15. sanction – B: officially approve
or impose a penalty upon. The city
7. flank – C: attack the side or sanctioned new bike lanes and
guard the side. Suddenly, highway agreed to sanction drivers who
robbers flanked the soldiers didn’t respect them.
flanking the carriage.
VOCABULARY RATINGS
8. literally – A: figuratively or 5–9: Fair
actually. “I’m literally blown 10–12: Good
away,” said Fang about a biscuit 13–15: Word Power Wizard
that was literally head-sized.

128 december 2021