Australians love utes.

In fact, the only thing Australians love more than utes is modifying utes: according to a industry report produced for the Parliament of Queensland last year, the Australian 4×4 parts and accessory business is worth over $6 billion annually – and is mostly driven by the popularity of 4×4 dual-cab utes. From bullbars to lift kits, Aussies love turning their humble utes into off-road monsters.

In recent years, ute manufacturers have woken up to Australia’s love of modifying utes, and have started to offer tricked-out performance versions of their most popular models, such as the Ford Ranger Raptor, Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain, Toyota Hilux Rugged X and Volkswagen Amarok W580 just to name a few. With boatloads of features and impressive performance credentials – both on and off the road – these performance utes are hot property.

But they’re also quite expensive, with sticker prices in the $70-80,000 range… And with Australia still in the grips of a new car shortage, you best believe dealers aren’t going to cut you a deal any time soon.

But that might change, if China decides to start offering its impressive collection of performance utes Down Under.

Chinese cars have long been viewed with suspicion by Aussies – and not without reason. Chinese cars used to be plagued by poor build quality, weak engine options and worrying safety credentials. Utes have traditionally been some of the first and only Chinese vehicles launched on the Australian market, such as the Great Wall V240, LDV T60 and JMC Vigus, but they’ve never been that popular, despite their bargain-basement prices. It must also be said that quality issues aside, there’s been a degree of prejudice underpinning some Aussies’ reluctance to buy a Chinese car/ute.

But things are different in 2021. The success of Chinese passenger car marques like MG has proven that not only is China more than capable of making world-class vehicles, but also (or perhaps therefore) Aussies are ready to take Chinese cars seriously.

At the same time, China’s ute makers have also taken note of the trend towards performance utes and are launching a number of seriously cool vehicles domestically – which we can only imagine they’re also planning to bring to Australia.

A Carsguide report from the recent 2021 Chengdu Motor Show suggests that “China has discovered a new passion for utes of all shapes and sizes, with the country now responsible for pushing the dual-cab boundaries further than even Australia or the USA.”

RELATED: ‘Tradie Approved’ Cars Fast Becoming Unlikely Status Symbols For Australian Men

Highlights from the ute-packed motor show have included the GWM Baja Snake, which features a super-high ride height, reinforced chassis and twin spare tyres in the bed; the SAIC Niu Mowang, which features an integrated rollcage, roof-mounted LED light bar, winches and tow hooks as standard; and the Jiangling Yuhu 7 Fishing, which features tanks to put your live fish as well as a built-in tent, fridge, awning, stove and even roof-mounted solar panels.

Also at the show was an electric version of the aforementioned Cannon pickup. Of course, that’s the next big frontier in the ute space: electric utes. As fuel prices continue to rise and Australia’s electric vehicle charging network continues to grow, demand for these vehicles will only continue to rise.

It’s a challenge that Australia’s current crop of ute manufacturers has no answer to, either. There’s no EV Hilux. Ford does has the F-150 Lightning… But the brand recently confirmed they won’t be selling it here. American brands like Rivian and Tesla have plans to bring their EV utes Down Under –  but if GWM or another Chinese brand could beat them to the punch, they could corner the market (as nascent as it is).

RELATED: ‘I Would Have Never Considered Buying A Kia… Until Now’

The real takeaway is this: China’s ute makers are not only in step with what ute buyers want, but they’re actually ahead of the curve. The Chinese can trick out utes just as well as Australians can… If not better. China is finally making utes that Aussies will want to buy, and it’s only a matter of time before these vehicles make their way Down Under.

When that happens, it’ll radically shake up the automotive landscape – and we’re keen to see that happen. Toyota, Ford… You best be watching.

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The post China’s Utes Manufacturers Are Beating Australia At Its Own Game appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Singapore Airlines expanded its quarantine-free Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) network to 14 cities on Saturday. Additional points are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.This news comes as Singapore widened its vaccinated travel lane arrangements to include Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.These are on top of the existing vaccinated travel lane arrangements with Brunei and Germany, which began in September 2021.Singapore Airlines has announced it will operate vaccinated travel services from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, and Rome starting from the 19th of October 2021.Singapore Airlines’ vaccinated travel lane services from Seoul will begin on the 16th of November 2021. Currently, Singapore Airlines operates vaccinated travel lane services from Bandar Seri Begawan, Frankfurt, and Munich.Scoot, SIA’s sister airline, is set to operate vaccinated travel lane flights from Berlin from the 20th of October 2021.Singapore Airlines also announced: “Multi-city itineraries within VTL (vaccinated travel lane) countries are allowed if customers meet the 14-day travel history requirement, which includes transit countries. For example, a traveller may fly from Singapore to Paris, and then Paris to Amsterdam, and still be eligible for the VTL flight from Amsterdam to Singapore.”However, the airline added, “a customer who flies from Singapore to Los Angeles via Tokyo will not be eligible for SIA’s non-stop VTL flight from Los Angeles if the stay in Los Angeles is less than 14 days. Customers travelling on the VTL flights can also enjoy fuss-free transfers via Singapore Changi Airport to 59 destinations within the SIA Group network.”Watch travellers celebrate the opening of Singapore’s VTL in the video below.

It is imperative that all Singapore Airlines customers make sure that they are eligible for Singapore’s vaccinated travel lane arrangements before their flights.Mr Lee Lik Hsin, Executive Vice President Commercial, Singapore Airlines said of the change: “Singapore’s expansion of the VTL arrangements to 11 countries is great news for our customers, who can now reunite with their loved ones more easily or finally go on that overseas holiday.”He added: “The SIA Group supports all measures to reopen Singapore to quarantine-free international travel. This will enable the safe and gradual recovery of Changi Airport as a major air hub, backed by rising vaccination rates and confidence in the robust health and safety measures across the end-to-end customer journey.”Singapore Airlines (SIA) has connected Australia to the world since 1967 and has continued to keep Australians moving about the globe (the ones that had exemptions to travel anyway) during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing customers to undertake essential travel and those needing to return home to do so in a COVID-safe manner.Singapore Airlines is currently operating limited services from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney to Singapore, connecting to 67 destinations around the world with the support of low-cost carrier, Scoot. At the time of writing we are still waiting to be added to the vaccinated travel lane list.

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The post Australia Just Missed Out On A Big Singapore Travel Update appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Richard Mille, in just over two decades, has become one of the most important players in the Swiss watch industry, and one of the most in-demand luxury brands on the planet.

Instantly recognisable thanks to their distinctive tonneau shape, highly technical designs, use of exotic materials and celebrity endorsements from the likes of Rafael Nadal and Pharrell Williams, Richard Mille’s timepieces are often called ‘sports cars for your wrist’. They typically feature incredibly complex movements, most of which utilise tourbillions, one of the hallmarks of haute horlogerie (for an explanation on how this flashy complication works, read our article here).

They’re also just as expensive as many high-end sports cars. Most RMs retail for well over US$250,000, and even the cheapest pre-owned examples start at around US$50,000 on Chrono24. Which is why it’s so impressive that one independent Japanese watchmaker has made a watch that could easily pass for a RM – without resorting to fakery – for around 1% of the price.

Meet the ZEROO Time Co. T4 ‘The Archer’ Full Skeleton Tourbillon: a watch that should have Switzerland feeling rather nervous.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by SYUUDESIGN_ZEROOTIME (@designer_zerootime)

As the name implies, the T4 features a skeletonised tourbillon movement with a 70 hour power reserve, contained within a Richard Mille-esque tonneau-shaped case. It’s a visually very dramatic watch – it even features sapphire crystal windows on the side of the case so you can look at that mesmerising tourbillon from all angles. The watch really speaks for itself… If someone told you this was made by a high-end watchmaker, you’d believe them.

What is rather unbelievable is the price: ¥298,000 (~US$2,650 / AU$3,610). That’s cheaper than most Longines watches, let alone more expensive brands like Hublot, OMEGA or Rolex… And a fraction of the cost of a Richard Mille. Which begs the question: how on earth is ZEROO able to make a skeletonised tourbillon for such a pittance?

Well, the answer’s probably not that revelatory. The movement isn’t made in Switzerland, or even Japan: it’s made in China. That’s not necessarily a dig at Chinese watchmaking, far from it – the fact that China can produce such a complex movement is impressive, price be damned – but if you don’t have to pay Swiss or Japanese wages, you bring the costs down.

RELATED: Why ‘Communist’ Watches Are Just As Cool As Their Capitalist Cousins

The second reason why they’re able to make it so cheaply is that they’re crowdfunding it. ZEROO has previously used Kickstarter to get some of their watches off the ground – this time, they’re using Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake, where you can preorder the watch until October 15th. After that, they plan to make the T4 available to the general public, although there’s a very good chance it might ‘sell out’ (or that they’ll only make enough for confirmed backers, or that the watch will never actually make it into mass production, as is the fate of many crowdfunded products).

Still, that they’re able to offer such a watch for less than US$3k is incredibly impressive. Tourbillon movements have long been the domain of only the most prestigious watchmakers, and thoroughly unobtainable for the vast majority of watch fans. ZEROO’s watches may lack the brand power or refinement of a Richard Mille but the allure of such a cheap tourbillon watch is hard to beat.

RELATED: Nick Jonas’ Favourite Watch Costs Over Four Times Your Annual Salary

What would be even more impressive is if they were able to bring production back ‘on-shore’ to Japan… Ruffle the feathers of Citizen and Seiko, for example. A man can dream…

Speaking of cheap alternatives to high-end watches, check out our guide to the best budget alternatives to the popular Rolex GMT-Master ‘Pepsi’.

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The post Richard Mille Alternative: This $3,000 Watch Is The Best RM Alternative appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

New South Wales residents in Sydney, Australia, have been waiting for the clasp to lift on their freedom for months. Though more restrictions will be released when we hit 80% fully vaccinated, today the state opened up a little, having hit 70% fully vaccinated last week. We can now (if you are fully vaccinated) do things like have 10 visitors in your home, access gyms and make group bookings of up to 20 people in hospitality settings.

This has led to a surge in interest in making the most of life.

It also led, it appeared last week, to a scalping incident. 

The Sydneysider, who appears to be an Eastern Suburbs resident, took to Facebook community group Bondi Local Loop to offer a Tottis reservation for Saturday the 4th of December, for 6 people, at 6:30pm, for $600 “on or around.”

Tottis is a very nice Italian restaurant, which, for popular dates, is notoriously difficult to get a reservation at.

Responses to the post on Facebook were mostly along the lines of: “you’ve got to be kidding me” and “this is kinda insane.”

On Twitter it prompted some to say “Nature (Sydney) is healing” and others to (light-heartedly) worry we are not going to come out of this thing gracefully.

Sydney we’re not gonna come out of lockdown gracefully are we pic.twitter.com/P5H0UlvGbw

— Nick Bond (@bondnickbond) October 8, 2021

nature (sydney) is healing pic.twitter.com/IEthlYN0U5

— Bianca Healey (@biancahealey) October 8, 2021

The post has now been deleted from Facebook, with the man who created it telling PEDESTRIAN.TV that it was a joke. 

“I was in no way expecting so much traction, but it clearly resonated with people,” the man, who is called Joel, said.

“Justin Hemmes reposted it and seemed to think it was funny. I think there’s a lot of emotion going around with lockdown ending and I ended up getting a lot of messages with genuine offers so decided to take it down.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jessie Khoo (@jessie_khoo)

“If anyone does have a booking at TOTTI’s, hit me up!”

Wise words.

If you’d like to see what all the fuss is about, watch the below video, which shows why everyone is so obsessed with Tottis, courtesy of TikTok user @fantasticfeastz.

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The post Australian Man Tries To Sell Post Lockdown Restaurant Reservation For Outrageous Sum appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Formula 1 is one of the world’s most dramatic and high-stakes sports – and we’re not just talking about fast cars.

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As current World Champion Lewis Hamilton famously quipped last year, “cash is king” in the world’s most popular motorsports series. F1 has always been a rich man’s sport but in recent years, it’s become even more of one: to succeed as a driver in F1, you not only have to be incredibly skilled, but you also need to have an enormous amount of cash behind you, whether that’s in the form of support from big sponsors, being connected to one of the big team’s junior driving programs or serious family money/connections.

It’s the latter that’s become a flashpoint in recent years, with a number of so-called ‘pay drivers’ currently dominating the grid. Drivers like Nicholas Latifi, Nikita Mazepin and Lance Stroll all have billionaire fathers who’ve invested huge money in their respective teams, virtually guaranteeing them a seat. The ‘pay driver’ label is sometimes a somewhat unfair one – Stroll, for example, won the F3 title in 2016 and has proven to be a rather competent F1 driver in his years in the sport – but it’s a reality that there’s a lot of very talented drivers in junior formulae that aren’t getting a go in F1, who might have otherwise been able to ascend to F1 if not for ‘pay drivers’ on the grid.

Which brings us to Oscar Piastri. The 20-year-old Melbourne native has quickly built a name for himself as one of the most talented young drivers on the planet: last year, he became the F3 World Champion in his debut year in the series – a feat it looks like he’s about to repeat in F2 this year. Last year, we called him “the next Daniel Ricciardo”, but there’s a good chance he could go even further than that, and be the first Australian F1 World Champion since Alan Jones in 1980.

The only issue is that it doesn’t look like Piastri will be given a go in F1 for a long time yet – which highlights a number of major problems with the sport.

Every year in F1, there’s always a flurry of activity and speculation over different drivers’ contracts. Team changes, retirements, new drivers coming into the sport… 2021 has been a particularly interesting year, with a number of big moves, including young gun George Russell jumping ship from Williams to top team Mercedes, and Alexander Albon – who previously spent half a year at Red Bull in 2020 until he was unceremoniously dropped from the team and F1 for 2021 – filling Russell’s spot.

Question marks still remain regarding Alfa Romeo. Kimi Räikkönen, who’s retiring at the end of this year, is being replaced by outgoing Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, but the other seat at the team – currently occupied by Antonio Giovinazzi – is still yet to be finalised.

RELATED: Finnish Formula 1 Legend Shares ‘Viking’ Secret Behind Succeeding In Life

Many were hoping that Piastri would take Giovinazzi’s place, but Alfa team principal Fred Vasseur has all but confirmed Piastri is out of contention, downplaying his chances and suggesting the Aussie will eventually get his chance with Alpine (formerly known as Renault) in 2022, Nine’s Wide World of Sports reports. Instead, it seems almost certain that instead another F2 driver, China’s Guanyu Zhou, will be given the seat… Despite the fact that Piastri is clearly and quantifiably a better driver.

The first issue is this: the way F2 works is that as soon as you win the title (which Piastri is on track to do), you’re no longer allowed to compete in the series. That’s fine if you can get a seat in F1 after that, but if you don’t, you’re almost punished for your success. It seems perverse that Piastri will win the F2 World Championship and then not only not get an F1 seat for 2022 but also have to leave F2. While the rule makes sense – F2 is meant to be a junior, feeder series, so you don’t want older drivers just sticking around and kerbstomping younger hopefuls (nor do you want winning the F2 title meaning a guaranteed go in F1 – it seems unfair for Piastri.

The broader issue is that there’s an incredibly small number of spots open to drivers in F1. There are only 10 teams racing in F1 currently, and each team is only allowed 2 drivers, so there’s only 20 spots total. There’s just no room for Piastri. This isn’t actually a hard-and-fast rule: there’s been as many as 13 teams/26 drivers racing in F1 in previous years, so if more teams entered the sport, this could change. That said, because only the top 10 teams get a share of the prize money – and it’s so unbelievably expensive to operate an F1 team – this is incredibly unlikely to change.

The broader issue is the one we touched on earlier: that it’s money, not talent, that largely determines one’s hopes in F1. Both Piastri and Zhou are members of the Alpine Academy (the F1 team’s junior driver program) but Zhou is additionally backed by a huge amount of Chinese sponsorship money. If he gets that Alfa seat, he’ll be the very first Chinese F1 driver ever, and F1 is naturally very keen to build more of a following in China…

To be clear, Zhou is not a bad driver by any means – he’s currently 2nd in the F2 standings behind Piastri – but it doesn’t sit well with many fans and current drivers that once again, money is placed ahead of talent in F1.

Mark Webber, former Australian F1 driver and Piastri’s mentor, has said that “it’s a bit of a headache because he can’t race [in F2], because he’s got more superlicence points than he needs… we still have to filter out some of the enthusiasm and passion for some of the [older] drivers that are here, and get that fresher blood in,” PlanetF1 reports. Current Aussie F1 champ Daniel Ricciardo is also a fan of Piastri’s, and reportedly is keen to see him in F1 as well.

RELATED: Daniel Ricciardo’s $2,000 Designer Jeans Are The Real Winners In Italy

It’s not just fellow Aussies who back Piastri. Monaco’s Charles Leclerc, who currently drives for Ferrari in F1 and like Piastri is set to do, won the F2 World Championship in his only year in the sport, has strongly endorsed Piastri as well.

“He is a very, very talented driver… I obviously look at all the F2 races and he’s incredibly consistent, always there when he needs to be,” he shared with The Race.

“It is impressive and he definitely has the merit to be in F1. I really hope for him [to get a seat] – he should be in F1. So, I really hope he will be very soon.”

Alfa still haven’t finalised that second seat, so Piastri might still be in with a chance yet. What’s far more likely, however, is that Piastri will miss out this year and instead head to Alpine in 2023. Current Alpine driver and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso’s has only signed a one-year extension to his contract for 2022 – which means there’s a very realistic chance that Alonso will retire at the end of next year and Piastri will get his spot.

RELATED: Brutal Formula 1 Social Media Experiment Proves There Is Always A #1 Driver In Any Team

Alternatively, Piastri might be being groomed for a spot at an even better team… But seeing as how the vast majority of teams have their own driver’s programs – and no shortage of skilled drivers champing at the bit for a go in F1 – we’ll just have to wait and see.

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The post Upcoming Australian Talent Highlights Massive Problem With Formula 1 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

We tend to look to rich people and assume they have all the answers.But this is one of our greatest moral failings as a society. In fact, there is a Himalaya Mountain Range worth of evidence to show The World’s Most Wealthy are just as messed up (in many cases more) than the rest of us, feeling all sorts of feelings of insecurity, social issues and possessing many self destructive habits.RELATED: Hotel Staff Reveal The Wildest ‘Rich People’ Requests They’ve Ever ReceievedHaving said that, there is one way in which rich people (the self made ones anyway) are typically good to look at for inspiration – making money.Speaking of which, one Redditor, posting in the r/Wallstreetsilver Reddit community, recently shared a piece of gossip which he believes could be true by sheer virtue of it coming from some rich people.“Storytime,” he began his post. “Reflections on observations of the super-rich while on holidays. They seem to know what’s coming.”He continued: “I live in Switzerland and although I am by no means a rich man, I do like cycling and skiing in nice landscapes. So, I visited Davos, St. Moritz, Cannes, Jungfraujoch and St. Tropez this summer… Some of the conversations there really stuck with me and seemed worth sharing with you.”

The man explains he was deliberately “listening out for conversations about inflation and precious metals,” adding, “Remember, by June WSS was very aware of the exploding Fed Balance sheet and low-interest rates, but it wasn’t on the radar of mainstream officials and media as much.”“In St. Moritz, I spoke to a (major) trader in pulses who saw all these staple crops going up in price and said it was very unlikely to stop any time soon. That was around the time when Jerome Powell said inflation would be ‘transitory’. A few weeks later I was cycling along the French Riviera when we stopped to get a drink at a marina for superyachts and an aeroplane flew over with a banner advertising physical gold.”He continued: “The marina had guests from all over the world. I overheard the Dutch owner (I understand Dutch) of a huge superyacht subsequently discussing gold with his friends. One of them noticed the banner and said gold was basically a waste of money when the owner of the yacht said: ‘Yeah well what else are you gonna buy? Stocks are way overvalued, I already own real estate, bonds and savings have useless yields if you subtract inflation. I’ve seen a lot of people lose a lot of money in bubbles and this looks like a big one.'”“Finally, I went on the highest train in Europe (Jungfraujoch, Switzerland) a few weeks ago, which leads to a James Bond-style observatory and restaurant overlooking the Alps. I got into a conversation with some Irish, Australian and British London bankers and the manager of a large pension fund. They ended up talking about their personal investments and how their allocations to bonds are yielding shit returns.”One of the quote he cites from this conversation was: “Negative interest rates? Can you believe it? And life just goes on as if nothing happened!” He also claimed “one of them kept going on about Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) while the other said: ‘Well that if the asset bubble pops and deflation occurs? Then they won’t protect you.'”“Without me mentioning it, they got into precious metals and one of them said he was considering getting a large (7 figures) allocation to physical, allocated gold, vaulted in Switzerland. On the way down I spoke to some climbers who traded in commodities (mostly energy) professionally and said they were surprised about how many paper derivatives are traded compared to the physical stuff, and they were wondering aloud how long the world could keep that up.”

The man then said that, though “these might seem like random, anecdotal stories” he hopes others also see the pattern here. In his view the pattern is: “Every time I went to one of these destinations, it seemed like the richest people there were thinking about best allocating their capital in this crazy monetary environment, instead of enjoying the beautiful landscapes.”Finally, he claimed, “Fed and Government officials told us that the increased debt won’t lead to inflation, but before the official statistics came out, those in the know already knew that wasn’t true.” He also claimed: “Rising input costs get passed down. The official communication went from: No inflation to transitory to sticky but good for us somehow.”“Finally, the super-rich are often just as confused as you and me, and they’re actively looking for actual stores of value, instead of overpriced bubble assets. More specifically, they are interested in allocated, physical storage (like Palantir) in political safe-havens like Switzerland, rather than just buying the big bank ETFs.”He concluded by writing: “I’m not sharing all of this to show off my cool summer holidays, I hope this first-hand account can convince you that we’re not that far from serious money moving out of speculative bubbles and potentially moving into risk-off assets such as gold and silver. The fuel for a commodities boom is there, all we need now is a good spark. Stay calm and keep stacking. Our time will come.”It should be noted that being part of the r/Wallstreetsilver Reddit community it is perhaps not surprising this man is spruiking silver. But there you have it. Food for thought. And food which got the comment section singing.Some choice comments in the thread include: “Good information. Thanks for sharing,” as well as “Thanks. Enjoyed reading that.”Another chimed in: “Also, you don’t have to believe my anecdotal stories, go directly to the source. Michael Burry, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Ray Dalio, Druckenmiller, Jim Rogers, Paul Tudor Jones and Palantir are all examples of ultra-wealthy people that are either: 1. Concerned about the size of asset bubbles, 2. inflation, 3. debt and deficits and potential black swans. They speak about these topics quite openly in interviews and allocate accordingly.”“Sometimes u will learn more from the world by listening then talking.”Another then asked: “Any thoughts/discussions on cryptos from the rich?” to which the poster of the thread responded: “From the ones I met, literally 0. But then again, most of them were over 45. Perhaps their kids are interested.”

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A post shared by Rich Kids Of The Internet (@rkoi)

Finally, one pontificated: “Yeah. I think the wealthy are just as confused as everyone else. Negative interests rates make zero sense and I believe it is a sign that something is seriously wrong with our financial system.” Another Reddit user responded to this, saying: “It keeps cash as a hot potato in theory. Velocity of money I suppose.”Worried about the state of the market? Watch TikTok user @pep_fx explain his stategy for preparing for the next crash as a long term investor in the video below.Preparing for a market crash as a long term investor.

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The post ‘They Know What’s Coming’: Super Rich Peoples’ Warning For Amateur Investors appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

While it’s been extensively reported that men can be pricks, what you may not also have so front of mind is that guys, too, can be made to ‘feel small,’ by insensitive comments in the bedroom. For centuries, men have been required to give off a macho persona, one that can never be dented and that is immune to feelings (so the damaging stereotype goes). And no matter how many times we repeat to ourselves “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me,”  truth is, some comments really can hit us right where it hurts. 

Which is why, when a recent TikTok video caught the internet’s attention, it made such waves.

Posted by TikTok account and podcast Bloody Brilliant Beers, the video shows one Australian man phoning into the podcast to ask: “What’s the most degrading thing you’ve ever heard in the bedroom?”

Before the podcast hosts can chime in, the caller says he’ll go first. “She said to me, is that it?” – in reference to the size of his manhood. 

Trying to make light of the situation, he continued, “I don’t know what she wanted me to say, because that was it.” But, while the podcast hosts may have laughed about the situation, it’s a rude enough comments to give any Small Penis Carrier a case of the willies…

The TikTok video has received hundreds of comments, from both men and women, with many girls adding their own versions of similar comments they’ve made (to men). These include, “you’re kidding me”, “is it in yet?” and “my ex was bigger.”

It also appears that women find it quite funny to make such comments, with one female user adding, “She’s a QUEEN.”

The reality is, having comments such as these said to you, especially if you’re already feeling anxious, or having insecure thoughts about your body, only for them to be confirmed, can really hurt a guy’s feelings. 

So, if you’re faced with such a situation, how should you respond? DMARGE reached out to both relationship expert Samantha Jayne, and men’s relationship coach and founder of School of Attraction, Damien Diecke, to hear their thoughts. 

Damien said there was an element of double standards about it, telling DMARGE: “I’ve always compared women talking about men’s penis size to men talking about women’s weight. It hits at the heart of intense social judgement and shame.”

Both agree that the guy should immediately leave the girl. 

“What a terrible comment, GET RID OF THAT GIRL!!”, says Samantha, “I think it’s important for a man to use that type of comment as a filter and a huge red flag.”

Damien echoes her comments, “If a woman would make fun of your size or look at you with ridicule or disdain, she should be off the books instantly. It’s rude, inconsiderate and immature. With a pun intended, this kind of behaviour is ‘just the tip’ of her personality issues.”

Both also agree that the guy should respond from a place of confidence, although admit this could be hard to do in the height of the situation. 

“In an ideal world, when a woman says ‘is that it?’ to you, you would respond in one of 2 ways,” Damien relates.

“Instead of lashing out angrily from a place of shame, or cowering in shame silently, call her out on the behaviour, ‘You know, that’s a really hurtful thing to say to someone, many men are very insecure about their size. When you say things like that, you make men angry at women and perpetuate a cycle of disrespect between the genders.”

“Or, you could could be confident and playing about it, ‘Oh my dear, you haven’t seen what my tongue can do yet’, with a cheeky grin. But when you’re feeling shame and insecurity, I understand this is hard to accomplish.”

Samantha adds, “You could use humour, ‘haha I was thinking the same thing but I didn’t want to be rude about your…(insert comment), and point out some of her imperfections, but realistically, that is just playing her own game, even though she might deserve to be taken down a peg or two.”

“What I would recommend in that instance is the guy walk her out of the house, or if he is at hers, leave immediately. She won’t expect that, and you deserve better.”

“What truly makes a person attractive is how they make you feel. Sticking around with someone who cuts hard at your expense is a nightmare and could seriously impact your self-confidence.”

Damien and Samantha also both agree that it’s perfectly normal to feel insecure, especially in today’s world where we are constantly flooded with content on social media that gives off the idea that bigger is better.

“Unfortunately with social media, we can live in a distorted reality,” says Samantha. “Look at the filters: you can make yourself smaller, taller, more attractive, but it’s not real.”

“If you feel insecure about anything just know that it’s normal. Everyone, even the most confident, attractive, successful person has their moment. Stop focusing on what makes you feel bad, such as your insecurities, and focus on what makes you feel good.”

“So what if you’re not built like a porn star, not everyone is looking for that.”

Indeed, Damien adds, “I think it’s important for men to realise that very few women will respond this way. I’ve spoken to a lot of women about their thoughts on penis size, and preferences vary wildy. While there are those who prefer bigger, some don’t because it’s uncomfortable, but for many men, the largest category of all is women who really don’t mind particularly, so much as long as he’s a considerate lover.”

“Almost every woman I’ve spoken to has been in a relationship with a guy with a small penis size. It’s not something that will make most women refuse to date. Men should think of it like breast size or bum size, sure, you have your preferences, but if you look at who you actually flirt with and date, you’ll often sacrifice on the sizes so long as she has traits that are sexy to you. For most women, it’s the same with penis size.”

Damien goes on to say, “The hardest but most powerful thing a man can do is own his size.”

“Men often hate this idea, but if you have halfway decent friends, start by talking to them, talk to trusted people about it when it comes up. The more you talk about your ‘shame’ to people, the loess power your shame will have over you.”

“The men I know who have done this, would still rather they were larger, but they longer feel the intense shame that many men walk around with. That means that even the rudest of women can’t hurt him nearly as badly as they previously could have done.”

Samantha agrees, “What you can control and master that can help boost your confidence? Maybe you’re an incredible kisser or passionate and know exactly how to make her feel warm and tingly just by your gaze, touch or words. There are so many things you can do, learn the art of seduction, NLP suggestive languages that drive her crazy.”

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The post Men Share The Most Humiliating Things They’ve Been Told By A Partner appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Adelaide is a city with a strong entertainment, dining and nightlife scene. The city centre, meticulously designed by Colonel Light, has resulted in distinct areas being formed, such as the East End and West End. These defined areas have since taken on their own character, making it easy to decide where you want to go, depending on what you’re looking for.When it comes to pubs, Adelaide more than delivers. While it’s certainly true that the East and South East areas of the city centre are known for their restaurants, bars and clubs, pubs are, in fact, dotted around the entire section between North and South Terraces. Did someone say conveniently laid out pub crawl?Pubs can be separated from bars through the simple fact that they’ll usually have a far more extensive food menu to accompany the drinks on offer. Also, while pubs are slowly transitioning into offering cocktails, they’re not going to rival those that you can drink at dedicated cocktail bars.But which pubs should you be visiting in Adelaide? If you’re a local, you’ll probably already have your favourite(s), but if you’re new to the city, then you’ll do well to sample the service and drinks selection offered by those on this list to establish your new go-to.So here’s our picks for the best pubs in Adelaide...

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The post 10 Best Adelaide Pubs For Beers appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

An American health and nutrition coach has explained why Mondays are so tough. It’s because you’ve gotten “jet lag” from not sleeping properly on the weekend…

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Let us paint you a familiar scenario: Friday arrives, so you go out and socialise with mates on both Friday and Saturday night. But when your alarm goes off on Monday morning, you feel like absolute sh*t; even though you slept in on Sunday to make up for your late-night partying.

First of all, you’re not alone. And second of all, there’s an explanation. According to American nutrition coach Max Lugavere. In a recent Instagram post, the author of The Genius Life claims we should be “consistent with our sleep,” and adds that the way we feel on a Monday morning can be likened to jet lag.

“If you go to bed every weeknight at 11pm but stay up until 3am every Friday and Saturday (not to mention late night eating), you’ve essentially crossed time zones for the weekend, causing you to feel literal jet lag every Monday. And you wonder why Monday’s are difficult!” he captioned his post.

“Emerging research points to a rhythmic flow for nearly every one of our biological functions. This includes metabolism, immunity, and cognitive abilities that are important for feeling sharp and energized!⁣”

Max Lugavere

There’s certainly some weight to his argument, as we’ve previously discussed the importance of keeping a healthy circadian rhythm – or body clock, if you will – which refers to the natural biological process your body goes through on a 24-hour basis.

It has been claimed that one of the factors that has the biggest impact on your circadian rhythm is light, as when your eyes are exposed to it when you wake up, your body suppresses melatonin – the hormone responsible for our sleep-wake cycle – and releases it after the sun goes down. If, for example, you normally wake up at around 6 a.m., roughly around the time the sun rises, your body literally interprets this as the start of a new day. And so, when the sun goes down, melatonin is released, telling your body it’s time to start shutting down.

So if you stay out partying until the early hours of the morning at the weekends, you may be lucky enough to see the sunrise. But, this can essentially reset your body clock, since you pushed through the period of time when your body has expected to be sleeping. Put simply, it’s literally a lack of sleep that then causes you to hate Mondays, because your body is a little confused, and needs to get back into the (circadian) rhythm of things.

This lack of sleep can then have a significant impact on your ability to work, as a previous study conducted in Finland found night owls – someone who stays up late – are “twice as likely to underperform at work.” Although it’s important to note that this doesn’t necessarily equate to being a bad thing, as many businesses can benefit from having multiple ‘types’ of people: some people who are productive in the morning, and some who are productive in the evening, meaning they can finish work in order to meet a deadline, for example.

Of course, another reason why we all agree that Mondays suck is because it tends to signal an end to a few days of fun, and we now have to get serious and knuckle down before we can do it all again. If only the whole world could adopt a similar approach to Iceland and introduce a four-day working week.

Wishful thinking.

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The post Mondays Suck Because You’re Not Consistent With Your Sleep On The Weekend appeared first on DMARGE Australia.