http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/communities/food_home.jsp?ccid=6 Reader's Digest Asia - You Thu, 03 Aug 2006 03:23:00 -0000 http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=972 How attractive are you? It's not just about the clothes you wear or the car you drive. It could also depend partly on your name. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=973 You only brush your teeth the right way when you spend about two minutes to do so in the correct strokes. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=945 Adults who teach themselves how to juggle can increase their brain capacity. Dr Bogdan Draganski of Germany’s University of Regensburg found that jugglers on his three-month study programme boosted by three per cent the volume of grey matter in the part of the brain that processes and stores information about how we perceive and anticipate moving objects. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=941 Hormones may be primarily responsible for your sex drive, but nurturing your passion for your partner will work wonders for keeping desire burning strong. If your sex life has cooled of late, try these tips to help rekindle the flame. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=942 If you're a parent, you know how it is: you have a baby, and suddenly certain things you once took for granted - saving money, sleeping late - disappear. And that includes what got you into the situation in the first place: sex. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=519 Kissing is more important than any gift you could ever buy, says Cherie Byrd, author of Kissing School: Seven Lessons on Love, Lips and Life Force. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=528 Fans of Chris de Burgh and Justin Timberlake beware - a new study suggests that work colleagues form personal opinions based on musical taste. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Palo Alto Research Centre in California studied office workers who shared music via Apple's iTunes. They found that workers were interested in matching playlists with people - so users tried to manipulate their image through their music libraries. One man, sensing his library was "not cool," added more music to create a "balanced" picture. "Sharing music is a strong personal statement," according to researcher Beki Grinter. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=529 Saying something someone doesn't want to hear is never easy, but these tips from The Mind Gym (Time Warner Books) will help. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=391 Headphones seem to be getting smaller and smaller. But are the ones that sit inside your ears worse for you than traditional ones that sit over your ears? http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=392 How do you deal with an enemy at work? Bob Rosner, author of the popular column "Working Wounded," lists some questions to ask yourself. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=393 Oily skin has many causes - heredity, hormones, stress and cosmetics can all play a part. It's also more common among teenagers. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=355 Do high-tech wrinkle creams ("cosmeceuticals") work? We turned to S. Manjula Jegasothy, medical director of the Miami Skin Institute, for an update. Alpha hydroxy acids and retinoids erase fine lines and smooth skin, and should be the cornerstone of any regimen, she says. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=356 When work starts to get on top of you, it can be tempting to stay late to finish it. But it isn't good for you: according to US research, you're 61 per cent more likely to suffer work-related injuries than people who do only their contracted hours. Here are some strategies for getting it all done without the overtime, from How to Do Just About Everything in the Office. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=317 Ever been caught short on a creative idea? Can't think of that niggling last answer in your crossword puzzle or even what to cook for dinner? Here's a hint: put your feet up and lie down - being a couch potato is great for boosting our brain and our creativity. So says Dr Darren Lipnicki from the school of psychology at the Australian National University, who conducted research on how neurotransmitters are released. He tested 20 people, who were asked to solve 32 five-letter anagrams, such as "osien" and "nodru" while standing and lying down. His findings? We are smarter and more creative lying down than standing up. It seems less of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline is released to the brain when you're horizontal, so your creative thinking isn't as impaired. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=318 Working overtime may increase your productivity and boost your paycheque, but it can also trigger illnesses and injuries. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=319 If you've been looking for the perfect fragrance, there's one ingredient you should be asking for: grapefruit. It supposedly makes a woman seem younger to men - six years younger, in fact. In a recent experiment by Dr Alan Hirsch at The Smell and Taste Institute in Chicago, several middle-aged women were smeared with broccoli, banana, spearmint leaves and lavender. But none of these scents made a difference, until the grapefruit came along. When male volunteers were asked to estimate a woman's age, their guess was considerably lower than reality. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=279 Razors are a multi-billion-dollar industry. Some 70 per cent of men and 90 per cent of women who shave typically use a razor; the rest use electric shavers. That's big business, and likely the reason there's always a new razor in shops, promising a super-close shave. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=280 For the closest shave, nothing beats a straight-edge razor. But if you don't know how to use one, you could get hurt. For the next best thing, try these tips from Javier Jaime of Paul Labrecque Gentleman's Salon and Barber Shop in New York: http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=281 Body language makes up 50 to 100 per cent of a conversation, whether we mean it to or not. Since people don't always say what they mean at work, Robert Phipps, a UK body language expert, tells you how to interpret non-verbal clues: http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=101 Strange as it might seem, the shorter a man's index finger is compared to his ring finger, the more inclined he is to be physically aggressive. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=102 It's 7a.m. in my kitchen, and a gentle voice on my CD player is inviting me to focus on the here and now and on each breath as it goes in and out of my nostrils. I'm not to worry if my mind wanders, whether it's to the past, to current worries, to future planning, even to fantasies and daydreams. Each time I become aware of this wandering, I am simply to note where my mind has gone before bringing it back to focus on this particular breath as I inhale and exhale at this particular moment. http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=61 You've just spilled red wine on a white tablecloth, dripped orange juice down your dress and dropped a strawberry on your couch. Apart from being incredibly unlucky, you've also created some stains that can be a little tricky to remove. In The Penguin Book of Keeping House: The Complete Guide to Cleaning and Caring for Your Home, Cerentha Harris suggests these no-fuss tips for removing fabric stains quickly and easily: http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=23 You want to wear sandals, but are your feet up to public scrutiny? Consider a pampering pedicure before baring all. Taking care of his feet doesn't make a man a metrosexual. In fact, 29 per cent of spa-goers are men, and 11 per cent get pedicures. Some good advice: http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=24 The biggest photo complaint: "I look huge!" Bill Hurter, author of The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing, offers tips: http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=25 Almost 12 per cent of people found moving so traumatic they vowed never to do it again, according to a study by Clysedale Bank. Susan Williams of the Finishing Touch, an Australian pre-moving and home unpacking service, offers these trauma-reducing tips: http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/magazine/mag_content.jsp?cid=26 Nothing can ruin a romantic kiss like a yucky mouth. Although lollies and mints can mask the smell, getting to the root of the problem is the only answer for a cure.