How Sez Sees It

I thought it was about time I updated my list of favourite things. Here we go: Author: Haruki Murakami. I love him so much and I have almost completed my collection of his novels. That will be my aim next pay day and then I will be on to his non-fiction works. I thoroughly recommend you read anything by him to be honest. Book: It has to be a Murakami novel to be honest and it is Norwegian Wood. I know that sounds cliche and like everyone would pick that novel because it is the one that made him a household name around the world. It was even adapted into a movie around six years ago and Murakami wasn't too happy about the explosive level of fame it bought him at the time. I love all his novels but this one keeps drawing me back to read it again and again. I can't explain it but it is so beautifully written and it is so easy to read and enjoy. It is the story of a young man as 1969 turns to 1970 and is a kind of coming of age story. One girl represents his past and one ...

The common cold has struck again. I used to pick one up all the time and it has been a while for me, over a year in fact. The timing couldn't be worse as I am going wedding dress shopping tomorrow, but hopefully I will be better by then. I have a feeling I will be and I will explain that in a moment. 1. What's the difference between a cold and the flu There are some similarities between the two but there are ways to tell them apart. Cold: Runny nose Blocked nose Sore throat Cough Sneezing Flu: Sudden fever 38c - 40c Muscle aches and pains Sweating Feeling exhausted Dry, chesty cough Symptoms from NHS . 2. What about unexpected symptoms? Anything totally unexpected you should go to the doctor with. If you are coughing up blood or coloured mucus then you should go. If you have a rash that doesn't go when you press a glass to it then you need immediate medical attention. I have a symptom every time I get a cold or the flu which is a heat ...

There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Honestly, if they were all terrorists do you think any of the rest of us would be alive or living the way we are now? Seriously? There were some odd, dangerous and hurtful comments after the latest wave of attacks in Ankara, Turkey and Brussels, Belgium. All along the lines of all Muslims being terrorists or freedom of movement in the EU leading to arms and terrorists moving around too easily. This kind of comment only incites hatred and not just from the groups you would think. For a start it is totally inappropriate to use the attacks in Belgium on 22 March to make comments like ‘free movement means free movement of Kalashnikovs’, which was a wonderful comment by Nigel Farage of UKIP just moments after the news broke. Of course he is hoping that Britain comes out of the EU but when so many people lost their lives or were injured that was really not the time to make a comment like that. Totally heartless and not at all funny. Of...

In a few months time Britain will have a choice. Do we stay in the European Union (EU) or leave it? I am firmly in the yes campaign and believe that we are generally better off staying in the EU and that is where my vote will be going. I am happy to wear that out and proud. I would personally like even more involvement in the EU and would actually like to go and join the euro and stuff like that (imagine not having to go to a bureau de change to get your holiday money for somewhere like Spain). That is not going to happen any time soon though so what reasons do I believe we have for staying in. I have done the research and found some prime examples. These are by no means exhaustive but these are some damn good reasons for staying in. 1. For every £1 we put in to the EU we get £10 back. That comes back in trade, commerce and things such as tourism and students coming to study. That has to be considered worth it. Where else in the world can you get a good deal like that? 2. 400,000...

There have been some high profile cases about women recently. Actually that appears to be all the time. There seems to be a fascination with women and by that I don't hint that it is all positive. Two women recently received death threats for posting pictures on social media of their period blood (as if half the population bleeding once a month is a scary thing), Kim Kardashian-West posted a naked selfie and either pissed everyone off or didn't and a model turned actress rightfully pointed out that a male counterpart was never described as an 'ex'stripper' like she was. The other big one of course is the fact that America might be about to have its first female presidential candidate for the Democrats in Hilary Clinton. Considering even the UK had a female PM in the 1970s - 1980s (not that it went particularly well in my opinion but that had nothing to do with her being a woman and everything to do with her being the most evil Tory to ever walk the Earth) it see...

Is post-gig depression a real thing? If so, why does it exist? Urban Dictionary describes it thus: ' The feeling you get the day after you see a really fantastic gig. You get depressed that it ended, and want to go back in time and relive the moment, even though you know you can't. Can last up to a week, depending on the awesomeness of the gig.' -  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Post+Gig+Depression Anyone who has been to a gig will know the feeling. You have been to see one of your favourite bands, they played a blinding set and then you got to meet them afterwards. It was one of the best nights of your life and you would love to relive it. The build up went on for weeks or even months and then, in the space of a couple of hours, it was all over. You wake up the next morning and your ears are still ringing, you are tired and happy and then the day wears on. You slowly come back down to earth and realise that you are re-entering normality. You know the ...

There are so many reasons why we need International Women's Day. Here are just a few reasons why this day is so important. Pay gap: Between 1997 and 2015 the pay gap remained the same . As wages appeared to rise the gap stayed the same between men and women. Last year it was reported that the gap was so wide that from 9 November until the end of 2015 women were effectively working for free ! Exact details are hard to put here because there are so many different sources, but the facts in the articles linked above speak for themselves. Rape statistics: Around 85,000 women and 12,000 men are raped in England and Wales every year! That is shocking statistics. The sad fact is that many victims of rape will know their attacker and they are often not strangers. Victim blaming means that many people worry about the reaction of others should they come forward and many more rapes are not reported. Yes it would appear that more women than men are raped and that is very likely the case...