Month: May 2013

How to dress for a creative job interview

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How to dress

1. Firstly, always dress for the job you want, not the job you have. It doesn’t matter what job you had last, all that is behind you. Think about what you’ll actually be wearing on the job once you get it (which you will) and then smarten it up a little bit.

2. It’s creative, but it’s still an interview, so you still need to look smart. You’d be right in thinking a three piece is a little too far, so for goodness sake leave the waistcoat at home. A standard, single breasted two piece suit is the best option here.

3. I’d say it’s best to ditch the tie. You won’t wear one on the job, so why wear one now? Instead, look for a fun, bold pocket square to give your outfit some life. Use colour sparingly though, you shouldn’t have any more than two in an outfit.

4. Make sure you’re wearing at least one collar. If you’re going to take off the suit jacket, then definitely have a tailored shirt underneath. Please though, don’t ever wear a T-shirt under a blazer. Please. 

5. As a general rule, your belt, shoes and watchstrap should all match in colour. I’m never convinced by anything other than black or brown – it’s best to stick to the classics. Shoes in particular can make an outfit, so put some thought into it.

Meet Luke Todd

Luke is our resident style expert. Each month he’ll be here, dishing out sartorial advice for every possible situation. Whether it’s a funeral, first date, or a football match, Luke has you covered.
At the tender age of 21, Luke is already making a name for himself in the fashion blogging industry. When he’s not chewing the fat with the likes of David Gandy at LC:M, he’s hard at work as Deputy editor of FashionBeans. The website has been the go-to bibliographical bible of style to many men for several years now, and doesn’t show any sign of slowing the pace.
This week, Luke gives us his opinion on how the MANual man should dress for the creative job interview. It’s a tricky one this, suit or no suit? Tie or no tie? Is the tartan trouser a step too far? Probably, but we won’t rule out the idea completely.
If you’ve got any sartorial problems that need sorting, give us an email. We’ll pass them all on to Luke and he’ll do his best to answer as many as possible over the next few months.

 

 

The Mixologist Manual

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Adam G Manning

Adam G Manning

Everyone likes a cocktail, don’t they? We certainly do, and as summer is just around the corner we thought we’d bring you this, the MANual guide to mixology. This month, we travelled to the capital to talk to Adam G. Manning, head barman at the classy South Place Hotel in Moorgate. He knows his stuff…

Talking to Adam G. Manning is an education of sorts. Going into this interview I was naïvely under the impression that I knew quite a lot about making cocktails – I’d dabbled with the odd Tequila Sunrise and shaken (not stirred) up a few Martinis in my time. Walking out of the South Place Hotel however, I was left feeling slightly drunk, and embarrassed of what I had before considered a semi-extensive knowledge of Mixology. Adam had an issue with that word – ‘mixology’ – he said it was overused, but to be honest, ‘bar work’ doesn’t quite do him justice.
The hotel opened in September last year, and Adam has been there from the start. “It has been really exciting watching the hotel grow. It got much busier, much quicker than I had expected because the building doesn’t look much from the outside”. Adam was being modest, though the inside of the hotel was another story – beautiful, modern and effortlessly classy. Adam has been based in the hotel’s ‘Angler bar’, a small bar attached to the hotel restaurant for the most part of his time at South Place.
In terms of the drinks, Adam believed the coming turn of the seasons might bring new trends in what people are drinking. “Summer is coming, and lower alcohol cocktails that still pack loads of flavour are going to be big. People are now more health conscious, and have realised that drinking loads of alcohol on a hot day isn’t the best idea. The Italians have been doing it for years and we’re finally catching up”.
No more Long Island Iced Teas then, lads. But to be honest, aren’t we all a bit past tiny umbrellas and marascino cherries? After an hour talking to Adam, I certainly was. Inspired, I asked him to make up four cocktails that I’d never heard of before – and no surprise he came through. See the results opposite!

www.southplacehotel.com

 

Adam’s Top Tips

1. Always have plenty of ice, but make sure it’s good ice. Small, wet ice cubes will not be nearly as effective as fresh, cold, sticky ice. It sounds fussy, but you’ll notice the difference.

2. Equipment helps, but it isn’t essential. A pasta sauce jar and a sieve will work almost as well as a cocktail shaker and strainer for the beginner.

3. Don’t go to your local off-licence and buy every spirit they have. Start of one drink at a time and become a master of it – then go on to the next one.

How to make an action movie

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Sylvestre Stallone

Sylvestre Stallone

The new Die Hard movie came out this month, did you know that? Of course you did, you’re a man. Like us, you probably went out to see it straight away, and like us, you were probably very disappointed. Sorry if you haven’t seen it, I’d say we’ve ruined it for you but the script writers were miles ahead of us on that front. So what is it that makes an action movie good? Big stars, big bangs and big bucks? It probably helps, yes, but it has to be done in the right way. Expendables 2 had the A-Z of action superstars in the cast and still managed to flop at the box office. Maybe people just don’t want to see the face of Sly Stallone projected high, wide and floppy anymore? Is the face of old man Rambo the downfall of the action genre? I for one, refuse to write off the suggestion. 

I expect you’re all thinking, “well if you think you could do better, why don’t you make one”, and you’re probably right. I’ve no doubt that if I did make the effort to produce an action movie on my student budget then I’d have no end of international film award nominations, but the fact is I simply don’t have the time. I’m far too busy working on an experimental horror-comedy at the moment.
Instead, I’ll give you lot a few tips. Tips that will probably launch you into the dizzy heights of well over 10 YouTube views. That’s right.
There is a definite formula for the action genre, and it really shouldn’t be messed with. A few have tried, most have failed. So here we go, pay attention and I shall see you at the oscars young man!

The Hero

Without a hero, your action movie is a disaster waiting to happen – both at the box office and for the world as we know it. From Achilles to Detective Lieutenant John McClane, your hero will be willing to do anything it takes to protect the interests of the greater good. Obviously, he (or indeed, she) will have a ‘very particular set of skills’, but that’s not to say they can’t have their faults. It just makes everything more interesting (to be clear, we’re talking selfishness or greed, not a lisp).

The Villain

Just like the hero, a villain is crucial to your movie. They’ll have a chip on their shoulder about something, and will (for some reason) try to destroy the entire world because of it. James Bond has faced some of the best ‘bad guys’, and seen off them all so far – touch wood. Take Jaws for example, he had a bad experience at the dentist, and his life took a terrible turn for the worse. In the case of the action movie villain, the badder the better.

The Explosion

No action movie would be complete without this true staple of the genre. Usually at the end of the film, the hero will walk away from a gigantic explosive inferno that would have any normal human in tears (of course, your hero is far from normal). There’s only one rule that your leading man must follow when using this trick – don’t look back. Never look back. Ever.

The Car Chase

At some point in your movie, the hero will be in hot pursuit of the villain. It is of vital importance that both drivers have a total disregard for the lives of pedestrians and all nearby buildings. A red light is no different to a green light, and handbrake turns are essential. It really goes without saying, but just to be clear, a fruit stand will be demolished by an American muscle car – failure to include this will result in the death of the genre. 

The Kiss

It goes without saying that your hero is god’s gift to women, and of course, he will take advantage of that privilege to the extreme. At the end of the film though, as the action comes to a crescendo, there will be a kiss. It’s what all the women in the audience have been waiting for from the start of the movie, and it’s a must for your film. Go on, get in there son.   

 

Icon: Justin Timberlake

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Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake

The SingerNot all child stars turn out bad, you know. Justin’s career started out as a teenager at the Mickey Mouse Club, in the company of such stars as Ryan Gosling and err… Britney Spears – there’s always one. The next step for JT was slipping effortlessly into the role of lead vocals for NSYNC, consistent suppliers of guilty pleasure tracks such as ‘Bye Bye Bye’. In 2002, Justin launched his solo career with his debut album ‘Justified’. The album didn’t do badly either, selling seven million copies worldwide. After an all-too-long seven year break from music, he’s recently come back with a bang. JT’s new album, ‘The 20/20 Experience’ is one of his best yet, selling 968,000 copies in its fist week alone.

The Actor

During Justin’s hiatus from music, he put a lot of concentration into his acting. Breaking into Hollywood with the box office hit ‘The Social Network’ as Napster whizz-kid Sean Parker, JT’s agent has provided him a fine service over the years. 2011 was a fine year for Justin, with major roles in films such as ‘Red Riding Hood’ and ‘Friends with Benefits’ earning him serious acting stripes. It was perhaps these roles that earned Justin a job on his first film as leading man – In Time.  Starring alongside Amanda Seyfried, the film took an impressive 12 million dollars on its opening weekend. Singer, dancer, actor – our Justin is a triple threat!

The Comic

If you’ve somehow managed to avoid watching any of the several ‘Lonely Island’ videos on YouTube, then you’ll be doing yourself a favour by getting online now. In 2007, Justin joined the team for a cameo on the hilarious ‘Dick in a Box’, which featured on the Lonely Islands first album, ‘Incredibad’. The video is currently pushing 40,000,000 views on YouTube – not quite as many as Gaga, but then their not quite as funny as her either. The follow up, ‘Motherlover’, is a MANual favourite. Considering the name of the track, lyrics such as ‘If doing it is wrong, I don’t want to be right’ were a brave choice for our beloved Mr. Timberlake. Good on you JT, we and 50,000,000 others think the risk paid off.

The Man

There are not many men in the world that can rock a noodle haircut, go through a relationship with Britney Spears and expose Janet Jackson’s boob to the world and come out looking like the perfect example of a modern man.  JT has taken life in his stride; he’s become a fan favourite in all forms of entertainment where many critics were eager to write him off as a failure. So hats off to you Justin, you’ve just received the MANual seal of approval.

CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness

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ThaczukEugeneAndrewsVisitsCFCanmoreCrossFit is a strength and conditioning program designed to help people gain a broad and general fitness. CrossFit programming concentrates on constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity to achieve overall physical fitness, so people are prepared for any physical challenge.
CrossFit training method is a relatively new form of physical training, but the definition of the technique goes much further. It is seen as a way to build whole-body functional fitness coupled with preparing a person for most physical challenges. The method employs various exercises and equipment such as free weights, gymnastic rings, kettlebells, and pull-up bars.
The goal of CrossFit training is to create the “Quintessential Athlete” meaning representing the perfect example of quality and acheiving your purest and most concentrated form.

“The magic is in the movement, the art is in the programming, the science is in the explanation, and the fun is in the community.”

The method and techniques of CrossFit is being adopted by an increasing number of sports teams worldwide. Currently there are five different adaptations of the CrossFit Method, ‘in the park, for combat athletes, for kids, for seniors, and for soldiers in challenging environments.’ Additionally, there are introductory classes for beginners called “Boot Camp”, and “Elements of CrossFit”.
CrossFit first started back in the 1970’s, but has only recently kicked off as a worldwide renowned training regime for achieving complete fitness.  Greg Glassman, former gymnast and creator of Crossfit originally started the training regime in his garage at home but now the brand and his training programme has spread to over 450 gyms worldwide.
This rapid recent growth in CrossFit has led to it being recognised on a global scale, Business News Network of Canada has been quoted as saying that:

“CrossFit Training technique is now the fastest growing fitness program in the world.”

Whilst the focus of CrossFit has developed in the USA it is also a growing trend within the UK. There are now 65 affiliated gyms who offer all the equipment and expertise to undertake CrossFit training.
Along with the increasing amount of training gyms, the growth in CrossFit as a brand has been substantial. The brand now offers online assistance and education in relation to the process. Tools such as the ‘CrossFit Journal’ and ‘CrossFit Community’ have been set up to spread the personal stories about the training, offering advice to those looking to get involved or progress. Media clip and photos are also distributed for users to copy and use in there progression.
The CrossFit idea and concept is something that will only continue to grow and if you are looking to achieve optimum fitness and be the best you can be, then join the increasing number of participant and acheive your physical peak.

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