Staff Favourites August 23 – 6 Things We Loved This Week

Man of Many’s Staff Favourites is back to brighten up your weekend as we celebrate the products, services, entertainment, and experiences that have caught our eye over the week.

We get to try so much of the cool, novel, and curious on a daily basis, but these encounters don’t always result in full write-ups or reviews. So we collect them here in the hope you’ll find something new and exciting to give your week a lift.

This week features something for the kids, some new music, a whisky for those with a sweet tooth, a gym, and another delightful entry from Ervin, our intern.

1. Lovevery Hands-On Maths Skill Set

Rob Stott – Editor in Chief

There’s been a huge shift in my house recently – Gabby’s Dollhouse is out, and Number Blocks are in. If those words don’t mean anything to you, then you’re probably not the parent of a four-year-old.

As anyone raising a toddler knows, they’ll wake up one day as a totally different person to the one they were the day before. In our case, that means our daughter has suddenly developed a love of maths and numbers. The first thing she does in the morning is count to 100 (badly), and her favourite show is Number Blocks, on ABC iView.

A new addition to our house in recent weeks has only helped to develop her interests further, after I was given Lovevery Hands-On Maths Skill Set for review. The set is a series of games and puzzles that makes learning fun for kids. The games are made up of all the typical stuff kids love doing anyway, like playing café or learning about the planets. At the same time, they’re learning the basics of addition, subtraction, spatial awareness and logic. A perfect way to pass a few hours on a rainy weekend, and she doesn’t even realise she’s learning.

Best video of the week: Check out the trailer for Man of Many’s new parenting podcast, Daddies, coming soon.

2. Sheep Dog Peanut Butter & Jelly Whiskey

Elliott Barsby – Commercial Director

I’m a big fan of the original Sheep Dog, so when a bottle of the new Peanut Butter & Jelly Whiskey arrived in the office, I was keen to see how it would stack up.

Is it a serious whisky? Probably not. Is it a bit of fun? Absolutely!

The familiar warm whiskey notes are still there, but the peanut butter has been pulled back and replaced by a strawberry jam flavour that makes for a very different experience. It’s definitely on the sweeter side, with indulgent butterscotch, caramel, and nutty notes coming through as well.

We kept things simple and sipped it over a bit of ice in the office, which worked nicely. But I think it would also work really well as a dessert drink – poured over vanilla ice cream or turned into an affogato-style treat.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth and like the idea of a dessert-style drink with a bit of whiskey warmth, Sheep Dog Peanut Butter & Jelly is definitely worth a try.

Favourite article of the week: TAG Heuer Taps Team Ikuzawa and Bamford for a 1980s Racing Inspired Carrera Glassbox

3. UBX Training Gym

Frank Arthur – Co-founder

After a decade of boxing training and a couple of amateur fights, my workout routine completely fizzled out over the past five years as life shifted to raising two young kids while running a business. Trying to get back into shape, I decided to give my local UBX Training a shot. The Alexandria location, just a short walk from home, makes it easy to stick with, and it’s been a practical way to ease back into decent conditioning without overcomplicating things.

The main draw for me is the lack of fixed class times. It runs on a continuous 12-round, 12-station circuit, so you can walk in whenever your schedule allows and jump straight onto an open station without rushing to make a deadline. I could easily head to a regular gym and put together my own session, but having the workout already laid out means I don’t have to plan anything. I can just show up, get a solid workout in, and punch a bag while also getting some good strength and conditioning work in.

Favourite Article: Lumistar Carry Is an AI Basketball Training Partner

Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration

Scott Purcell – Co-founder

I have fallen back in love with Pokemon. Not ironically, and not for a story. I am a grown man with a business to run and I have spent more evenings than I will admit looking at cardboard (mostly on YouTube I might . Maybe I am a kid. I have made my peace with that.

There is a whole corner of YouTube built on exactly that, and my favourite is a series called “Should I Open it? Or Should I Keep it Sealed?” by ShortPocketMonster. Vintage packs, old blister packs, things that have survived twenty-odd years in someone’s cupboard. I have watched an embarrassing number of them.

The timing is about to get worse for anyone else circling this. Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration lands on 16 September and drops worldwide on the same day, which almost never happens for us down here. Every card in the set is foil. Every booster pack is guaranteed one of 30 different Pikachu cards, each with its own illustration and artist. There is also a new rarity called Futuristic rare, starting with Mewtwo and Mew drawn by Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN.

In the meantime, we are giving away a Charizard ex Super-Premium Collection valued at $333, with ten booster packs, a foil Charizard ex promo and a display figure with translucent fire effects I would happily put on my desk. Straight up, this comp has not pulled the numbers our whisky and travel giveaways do, which tells me most of you have not caught the bug yet. Your gain. It is free to enter, so if you fancy a crack, go for it.

Disclosure: I bought my own Pokemon cards. The Charizard ex Super-Premium Collection giveaway is run by Man of Many.

Favourite Article of the Week: Kith and BMW Unveil One-of-One Manual, V10-Powered X5
Favourite Video of the Week: Check out the new Polestar 4 Coupe

5. DUTI Dance Class

Ervin – Intern

One of the most important things I’m learning about being a writer is the act of observation. Observing how thoughts move around and bounce off each other and observing the world around me to find small moments of whimsy I can attempt to channel through language. A lot of the time that requires sitting still and moving around the margins.

I’m not very good at staying still. So, I had to find an outlet to control my energy levels. One of my main hobbies before moving to Sydney last week was yoga and dance. It grounded me in moments of stress. Movement, dance, became a catalyst for my unending energy while letting me observe the physicality of my body.

I haven’t been able to do much of that kind of movement until this week. My friend and I went to DUTI studio in Newtown. We signed up for a commercial class. The choreographer had more of a foundation in hip-hop that made warm up and the class intimidating. I don’t have much experience in that style. I had to move in ways that felt unfamiliar to my body. Trying to balance precision and attitude so the moves looked natural on me. It was hard. But I loved it.

I felt reintroduced to an old part of myself. They’ve changed, grown bolder and self-assured. I’m not calling myself that, yet, but I can see that version growing into someone I’d like to know.

6. Sunshine, a New Album Jungle

Jackson Langford – Digital Editor

Well after a weekend away for a Buck’s celebration with a bunch of lads who have children, this week I had, to the shock of no-one, taken ill with some sort of sinus-y plague. Not fun. I’m the poster boy for Man Flu, so I view even the mildest of coughs with the agony usually reserved for otherwise-eradicated illnesses like the bubonic plague or polio. Now, putting ginger and lemon tea as a staff favourite feels like a bit of a waste, so I want to plug the other thing that got me through this week: Jungle’s new album Sunshine.

You probably know the UK outfit from attending festivals 13 years ago, or you heard their song “Back On ‘74” absolutely everywhere in 2023, but their new album is a real return to form. It feels so smooth and effortless, nostalgic but not cheesy. It’s sun-drenched enough to get you through a winter chill, but restrained enough to not have you sweating (yet). This is exactly what I’d want to listen to on the next long-haul to a European summer I take. Now, someone fix me an Aperol, STAT.

Favourite Article: Justin Bieber Enters His Yeezy Season, Teases New SKYLRK Sensory Runner