Dating has always tended to follow a set of rules: you meet or match on a night out or through a dating app; you arrange a first date and if there’s a ‘spark’, you continue to see each other until you decide if there’s a genuine connection and if you want to take it further.With the advent of COVID-19 however, those rules have had to take a backseat. And even as restrictions ease, normality still appears a way off, with Australian daters still skipping what used to be an essential landmark in any relationship.At least, that’s according to research conducted by Hinge, one of the more popular dating apps that lets you like someone based on a selection of photos and answers to preset questions.In a “first of its kind” study, Hinge Labs – a new, dedicated team that will delve into the “behaviours and attitudes of what makes a successful dater” – has found that Australian daters are keener than ever to video date with someone, and in some cases, skip the entire ‘few [in person] dates’ process before becoming exclusive.

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A post shared by Samantha Rothenberg (@violetclair) on Apr 29, 2020 at 11:53am PDT

The global pandemic caused mass lockdowns and thus, a major obstacle for single people who were looking for love. In response, dating apps introduced various video chat features. In Hinge’s case, the app ushered in a ‘Date From Home’ feature which lets you signify to your virtual belle or beau when you want to take things to the next level.The next level, as it were, is most likely a video date – which spawned what we like to call ‘co-vating’ – and Hinge has since found that 44 per cent of its users have been on a video date. Subsequently, 66 per cent continued to talk to their match after the first video chat, and 58 per cent of Australian users have said they will meet up with their potential flame once social distancing rules are lifted.But the interesting finding from Hinge’s research is that 37 per cent of its users have said they’re open to being exclusive with their match, after having only dated virtually. We don’t want to use the phrase ‘jumping the gun’ here, but it seems entirely appropriate.However, this data is backed up by the fact a huge 85 per cent of Hinge users said they see a video chat as a better way of getting to know someone compared to a conventional, meet-in-person date. Furthermore, 52 per cent of Hinge users said they would continue to go on virtual dates after the pandemic subsides.Whether that’s because daters can feel more comfortable in their own home and with the barrier of a computer or phone screen is unclear, but it certainly suggests that post-pandemic, single people could become more glued to their devices than ever in the hope of finding ‘the one’.

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• Why Lockdown Could Be The Best Time To Find ‘The One’

The post First Date: Australians Now Skipping This Vital Stage In A Relationship, Researchers Discover appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

We all have heroes in our lives. Whether it’s parents, friends, or someone famous, we can all benefit from having someone to look up to. But it now seems that whoever that person in your life may be, they will likely pale in comparison to ‘Uncle Bunky’.No, Uncle Bunky isn’t a functional character on some classic American Spaghetti Western. He is, in fact, a man from Phoenix, Arizona who passed away on May the 4th, 2020, but who has since gone viral due to the obituary his nephew – Chris Santa Maria – posted in the Arizona Republic newspaper. Even though many who read it won’t know of him, he sounds like a figure we would all benefit from in our lives.The fact Uncle Bunky – real name Randall Jacobs – was 65 at the time he met his demise, only adds to the proof he lived a wild life when you see his picture. Without wanting to sound too harsh, the man looks a good 20 years older than his birth certificate would suggest.

I don't know who Randall Jacobs was, but this obituary makes me hope somebody turns his life story into a movie.

RIP Bunky pic.twitter.com/Zmz29rOjNy

— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) May 20, 2020

But that’s likely due to the fact that Bunky, as his nephew says, “burned the candle, and whatever else was handy, at both ends.” Clearly he was one for living life to the fullest. “A night out with Bunky could result in a court summons or a world-class hangover, but his friends and family would drop whatever they were doing to make a trip out to see him.”Not only did he like to frequent “Arizona dive bars” but he must have been a dab-hand on the snow too.

“He spoke in a gravelly patois of wisecracks, mangled metaphors, and inspired profanity that reflected the Arizona dive bars, Colorado ski slopes, and various dodgy establishments where he spent his days and nights.”

“He was a swaggering hybrid of Zoni desert rat, SoCal hobo, and Telluride ski bum.” We’re starting to wish we could have had the fortune to meet this guy.Chris adds some extra stories on his Twitter account, including this absolute gem:

one time he tried to pick me up from elementary school in his shitty 70’s era Buick LeSabre (a.k.a. The Sled) by revving the engine and hollering expletives out the window

the kids were so terrified, they asked a teacher to make sure I wasn’t getting kidnapped— Chris Santa Maria (@chrisantamaria) May 20, 2020

He comes across as a man who would have had a thousand stories to tell, that would have engaged his audience not just for their content, but for the way he told them. His nephew says he was a “prolific purveyor of Bunky-isms such as ‘Save it, clown!'”. A phrase we’re going to start adopting, no doubt.His cause of death isn’t revealed in the obituary, but it could have been from heartbreak, as he went “just days after his beloved cat Kitters.”He may have known his time was up as well, as his nephew says he was able to relay “one final Bunkyism.”

“I’m ready for the dirt nap, but you can’t leave the party if you can’t find the door.”

Never a truer word spoken.Chris finishes the, quite frankly incredibly well-written obituary, asking people to not send flowers to the family, but to instead “pay someone’s open bar tab, smoke a bowl, and fearlessly carve out some fresh lines through the trees on the gnarliest side of the mountain.”Rest In Peace, Uncle Bunky.

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The post Incredible ‘Uncle Bunky’ Obituary The Ray Of Sunshine Men Need In 2020 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

While most people fret about whether cheap economy flights will still exist in a post-pandemic era, the world’s Pointy End Enthusiasts have their lumbars firmly in the present: as airlines cut non-essential services and brace for the new (commercial) normal, a small group of business class travellers are booking despicably cheap flights to Europe.

Case in point: Immanuel Debeer, prolific points hacker and founder of Flight Hacks, who first alerted our attention to the perverse opportunities now dotting the skies.

“The best deals can be had from Asia to Europe, Europe to Australia and New Zealand and USA to Europe or Asia,” Immanuel recently wrote on his Instagram story.

Based in Perth, Immanuel was perfectly positioned to make the most of this offer, which consisted of a super cheap, AU$741 (return) flight from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Muscat (Oman), which he apparently booked for August this year.

Made possible by Qatar Airways’ flexible new booking policies (you can now make unlimited changes with no fees or the need to pay a fare difference on or before December 31, 2020) and 5,000-mile radius rule (which enables you to change your destination city free of charge as long as it’s within 5,000 miles from the original destination), this is how savvy fliers can fly to places like Europe return, in business class, for (relative) peanuts.

First things first: you’re not really going to Muscat. As Immanuel writes on his website, “Once you have your ticket booked, you will need to call Qatar Airways and request for your destination to be changed from Muscat to whatever European city you had in mind. This is possible since they are all within the 5,000-mile radius from Muscat.”

Of course, before doing this, you need the cash (or points) to get to Colombo from where you are right now (which may prove trickier for Australians and Americans than those who live in Asia). Once you’re there though, Europe beckons.

RELATED: Your Favourite European Destination Is Set To Reopen In July…With A Twist

While the aforementioned $741 Colombo to Muscat deal is not available anymore (when we searched for it this morning, we were met with the rather rude price of AU$6,752), Immanuel reckons there will be “plenty” more like it.

“Play around with ranges on Great Circle Mapper and see if you can uncover some deals routes. The key is to find original routes that are cheap to fly in premium classes; once you have those, you can figure out the options based on the original destination.”

“No doubt we’ll see more deals as sales fares are released. Lots of airlines are following suit with flexibil tickets and destination changes but I haven’t seen anything as generous as the 5k miles radius rule from Qatar Airways,” Immanuel told DMARGE via email.

It’s not just Immanuel either. Aviation blogs One Mile At A Time, The Points Guy and Suite Smile have also reported on outlandish business class deals being snapped up across the globe.

Our two favourite examples? One passenger allegedly booked Philadelphia to Kiev via Doha, and – thanks to the 5,000-mile radius rule – rebooked to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Hong Kong (HKG) via Doha.

Another apparently turned a short fifth-freedom route into a flight from East Asia to New Zealand.

All this said, on FlyerTalk, a prominent frequent flyer forum, users have written about mixed results. As The Points Guy reports, “Many users have reported success in changing their tickets, while some have reported being unable to make the change.”

“We’re assuming that this was due to the policy being so new and that many phone representatives aren’t yet aware of the change,” The Points Guy.

On top of that, especially given expert predictions on when we will return to normal, and the throbbing questions currently bobbing around post-pandemic travel insurance, one wonders whether these flights are really worth booking, if you’re not a professional aviation blogger.

We put the question to Immanuel. This is what he said: “It all depends when Australia decides to open their borders. Europe is slowly going back to normal and many countries want to get tourism back up and running for the summer holidays.”

“While popular opinion believes Australians will be locked up until 2021, I highly doubt this will be the case. Time will tell! People who book these kinda deals usually have a good understanding on how to make them work to their advantage, there is a risk vs rewards ratio because so much is unknown.”

“Deals like this aren’t for your average ‘Karen’ as it does take a small amount of skill and patients to understand the booking rules, find the deal and finally change the fare to what you want,” Immanuel added.

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The post Travellers Now Scoring $700 Business Class Flights To Europe With Sneaky Loophole appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Picture this: you’ve had a sly little blowout, either out or at home. You’ve put back a few too many beers, vodka sodas and tequila shots and the next day, all you want to do is to stay under the covers, repressing any memories you may have and ignoring anything you may have posted to your Instagram story.

But while you may think the vast majority of Australians will get a grease-filled Macca’s breakfast or any other sort of fried food to soak up the pain, there is actually a scientific study to prove the exact opposite is true of some people, and it could soon become a genuine health concern.

Research from the University of South Australia (via Science Daily) has resulted in the coining of the term ‘drunkorexia’, and it refers to the behaviour of not eating anything the day after a drink-fuelled session, in an effort to counteract the copious amount of alcoholic calories consumed.

The results were collected from a study carried out on 479 female university students aged 18-24 years, 82.7 per cent of whom admitted to engaging in ‘drunkorexic’ behaviours within the previous three months of the study taking place.

Researchers also found 28 per cent of the sample group “regularly, and purposely skipped meals, consumed low-calorie or sugar-free alcoholic beverages and purged on exercising after drinking to help reduce ingested calories from alcohol, at least 25 per cent of the time.”

Clinical psychologist and UniSA Alycia Powell-Jones described the pattern of behaviour as “concerning”.

“Excess alcohol consumption combined with restrictive and disordered eating patterns is extremely dangerous and can dramatically increase the risk of developing serious physical and psychological consequences.”

“[These include] hypoglycaemia, liver cirrhosis, nutritional deficits, brain and heart damage, memory lapses, blackouts, depression and cognitive deficits.”

She added, “…many of us have drunk too much alcohol at some point in time, and we know just by how we feel the next day, that this is not good for us…”,

“…but when nearly a third of young female uni students are intentionally cutting back on food purely to offset alcohol calories; it’s a serious health concern.”

As for why young females engage in such behaviour, Powell-Jones suggested it is likely due to cultural and social norms, including “consuming alcohol and thinness”, and to help “manage social anxieties through becoming accepted and fitting in with peer group or cultural expectations.”

While this data is skewed towards the female population, there is partial evidence to suggest it can be carried over to males as well, as Powell-Jones already says in this study”…young adults are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviours, which can include drinking excess alcohol.”

She added, “In Australia, one in six people consume alcohol at dangerous levels, placing them at lifetime risk of alcohol-related disease or injury. This combination of high alcohol intake and restrictive eating behaviours can result in a highly toxic cocktail for the young population.”

We reached out to Alycia for further comment. She referred us to a separate study carried out by Hahn et al. 2020, which also looked at the effect excessive alcohol intake could have on dietary self-monitoring. It too found that both men and women engage in behaviours associated with drunkorexia, however “among women, knowing and counting calories predicted all problematic alcohol use behaviours.”

Read Next

• Scientists Update Alcohol Guidelines To Curb Australian Drinking Tradition
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The post Drunkorexia: Study Provides Best Excuse Yet For Indulging After A Night Out appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Swiss watchmaker OMEGA is no stranger to partnerships, just take its long-running association with James Bond as an example. But, being responsible for one of the most iconic diver’s watches ever made in the Seamster, the company has an ever deeper partnership with the sea.

Which is why in 2021 it will return as the official timekeeper of the America’s Cup sailing race; the oldest trophy in international sport. OMEGA will take the reigns of timekeeping for the third time in the race’s history (which dates back to 1851). To commemorate the occasion, OMEGA has launched a limited edition watch, appropriately called the Seamaster Planet Ocean 36th America’s Cup Limited Edition.

Based on the Planet Ocean we all know and love, this exclusive model – limited to 2,021 pieces – comes with a rubber strap attached, and features helpings of red, white and blue, the colours of the American flag. The ceramic bezel can be used as a five-minute countdown for racing, while the competition name and logo can be found at 6 o’clock and on the counterweight of the central seconds hand, respectively.

Another America’s Cup logo can be found on the sapphire crystal open caseback, through which you can revel in the beauty of OMEGA’s Master Chronometer Calibre 8900.

Although this particular model is linked to the overall competition, OMEGA is also a sponsor of the current title holders Emirates Team New Zealand (since 1995) and has separate Seamster Diver 300M ETNZ watches to recognise it.

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The post OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean: Brand Celebrates America’s Cup Partnership With Limited Edition Watch appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Australians are reluctant to explore their own country. That’s the stereotype. But when it comes to Sydneysiders, the cliches get crueller. As one internet commentator once put it: “If you’re from Bondi you spend half the year in Europe, a quarter in Bali and the other quarter trying to seduce your au pair.”

Though this is anecdotal at best (from a Melbourne hipster at worst), the point remains: given the choice, most Sydneysiders will flee to sun-drenched France or the sexiest spots on The Italian Riviera before renting a caravan and trudging ’round the Jenolan Caves.

Especially in July and August, the most frigid months of the year down here, the consensus seems to be: hit the slopes, hit Europe, bail to Bali or bunker down in the office and amass as much leave as possible for warmer times.

Anything but holiday (unless you’re skiing) in NSW…

 

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A post shared by Sally Mustang (@sallymustang) on Sep 21, 2018 at 2:09pm PDT

This year, as The Bat Kiss brought all kinds of travel to a screeching halt in March, even Jenolan was off the cards. But now, after Tuesday’s announcement travel will be allowed inside NSW in just two weeks, many people are a lot more inclined to take that leave their companies have been pushing them for.

Of course the main issues – like tourist hotspots in underserviced areas feeling anxious about further outbreaks – have been covered by the tabloids. But we’d like to draw attention to a more light-hearted issue.

Sydneysiders’ guiltiest holiday habit… domestically.

While we already know many Sydneysiders would rather sip oat milk flat whites at an Australia-themed cafe in Barcelona than slurp instant coffee outside a bakery in Jervis Bay, the pandemic is set to expose a secondary sin: their penchant for always holidaying – or at least being seen to holiday – even domestically, in places that all look the same.

How do we know this? Apart from being guilty ourselves, the hashtag ‘Travel NSW’ speaks for itself. Of the 44,914 Instagram posts, at the time of writing, with the ‘Travel NSW’ hashtag, we’d argue 99% of them fall into just four categories.

Beachside bliss…

 

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A post shared by Daily travelling inspiration! (@traveling.expe) on May 19, 2020 at 12:40pm PDT

… unruly luxury (glamping, wine, etc.)…

 

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A post shared by Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe (@thevibetribegroup) on May 18, 2020 at 2:57am PDT

… recently single…

 

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A post shared by Charlotte (@charlottepedneault) on May 19, 2020 at 3:49pm PDT

… and ~intrepid~ (‘look at this quirky watering hole we are the only ones to ever find’ etc.)…

 

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A post shared by Beautiful Port Macquarie (@beautifulportmacquarie) on May 7, 2020 at 9:11pm PDT

Not to mention cynical journalists Kangaroos who just watch the world go by and snort.

 

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A post shared by The Peach Farm (@the_peachfarm) on May 11, 2020 at 12:14am PDT

Though not every ‘Travel NSW’ hashtag was posted by a Sydneysider, of the 7.54 million people who live in NSW, 5.23 million of them live in Sydney. So it’s safe to say, if the ‘Travel NSW’ hashtag has an aesthetic, Sydneysiders are probably to blame.

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The post Travel NSW Hashtag Reveals Sydneysiders’ Guiltiest Holiday Habit appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Breitling loves a limited edition timepiece. The Swiss watchmaker frequently collaborates with external partners, such as Bentley, but also releases models with some quirky adjustments to previous designs. Nowhere is that better exemplified than with the Superocean Heritage ’57.

Breitling released a Limited Edition version of the ‘retroesque’ watch just earlier this year as part of its first-ever webcast, held in place of the Watches & Wonders show so that the company could still announce new models during the global pandemic.

The Limited Edition model arrived with rainbow-coloured indices on a black dial and, perhaps as expected, all 1,000 pieces were sold immediately. Riding high on the success of that model, Breitling has just announced a second take of the Limited Edition, combining rainbow-coloured indices, but this time with a blue dial.

Not only is this model, in our opinion, unbelievably cool, with the blue dial perfectly complementing the multi-coloured markers, but Breitling has also made it a charitable piece. By that, we mean a portion of the proceeds made from the sale of the 1,000 units will be given to charities in countries “hit hardest by the pandemic.”

Breitling has already selected six charities (in France, Japan, Italy, Spain, the UK and the USA) and will give a further CHF1,000 to them for the first 100 models sold via its own online store. The company has said it will end up donating a total of CHF 500,000.

CEO Georges Kern said, “We were amazed by the popularity of the Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition, which told us that we could do something for the incredible healthcare workers. They have sacrificed so much and we wanted to make it clear how much we care with this new version of our own rainbow.”

One model of the ’57 Limited Edition II will be auctioned off by Charitybuzz, with the winning bidder not only receiving the watch but also getting to have a live video chat with Kelly Slater, the most successful competitive surfer of all time.

The Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition II is, as the name implies, based on the Superocean Heritage ’57. This watch has a 42mm stainless steel case, bidirectional rotating bezel with complementary blue ceramic bezel.

It can be had with either a gold-brown “vintage-inspired” leather strap or an integrated Ocean Classic stainless-steel bracelet. Breitling also offers six different colours of Outerknown (Kelly Slater’s surf brand) ECONYL NATO straps, but these are available as optional extras.

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The post Breitling Superocean Heritage 57: Brand Launches Limited Edition Watch To Benefit Healthcare Workers appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As men, we've had every fitness and nutrition tip in existence since Sparticus chewed his last bone drilled into us since birth. But when it comes to our mental health, up until the last few years, there has been a dearth of awareness and openness.

The result? Even though attitudes are changing,...

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Owning a car is an expensive habit and is one of Australia's biggest household expenses. If you drive it every day or even if your pride and joy is just a weekend cruiser, everyday expenses like fuel can add up to a yearly lump sum every car owner would rather not be reminded of.

Transitioning in...

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