How Sez Sees It

Annus horribilis - Latin for a year of disaster or misfortune. This would certainly seem to be the case as I can see it. I was going to make this blog about the high profile celebrity deaths we have seen but when I stopped to think about it I realised that there were other things that fit this category and are in need of a mention. I will come to the celebs last. I want to mention the other things first. 2016 has been described as annus horribilis in the press recently in regards to the high profile deaths but there are other events that have happened in recent months that contribute to that title. The most recent events have been the two massive earthquakes in Ecuador and the two massive ones in Japan. Both have happened over the last week and have brought wide spread destruction, death and injury to both locations. Japan had only recently marked the five years since the large earthquake and tsunami that struck in 2011 and caused death and destruction on an unprecedented scale and...

It is time for a round up of things I learned this week. It has been interesting to say the least and I feel I have picked up enough stuff to share with you. 1. Ovens are really hard to repair by yourself In fact we had to give up and resort to calling out an engineer. The element on our fan over went and in 9/10 cases you can fix this yourself. Ours was screwed in from the back and we were not prepared for the responsibility of trying to sort this out ourselves. So, nearly £90 later, we have an oven that works better than ever before! 2. People get really angry when you point out how stupid they are Through Dave I was able to display why someone was stupid in their argument for leaving the EU. Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't be of that opinion but you must be able to back up your argument with evidence. Saying: 'we should leave the EU because I think we should' is not a good argument. I was able to explain all of the benefits of staying in the EU and the ri...

I was prompted to do this after a discussion with my work colleagues. They were talking about how boring it was to go out with friends while they were pregnant and not drink, as if you can't have fun without alcohol. This is fine if you are used to drinking but if you are like me then you don't need to drink to have a good time. For many years I was the designated driver for two reasons. One was that I was living with my parents miles from anywhere with no way of travelling by public transport. The last bus home was 18.30 and taxis were too expensive going that far from a town to home. The other reason was that I was the only one of my friends for a long time who could drive. As a result I would become the taxi service and they would buy me drinks or food in payment. The other thing with me is that I have never been a big drinker. I was really drunk until I was sick when I was 18 and I hated being drunk and I hated the hangover the next day and said never again. I am no the...

I thought I would review some of the things I have been passing my time with lately. I have been ill this week and I have been occupying myself with some of the following things and this is what I make of them. Mario Party 9 This game for the Wii is an interesting combination of levels, minigames and characters. Nothing is too taxing and if you have four players it is a lot of fun. Solo mode is infuriating at times as dice throws seem skewed towards the one 'com' player representing Bowser. The story is fun though as Bowser has stolen the mini stars from the night sky and you have to battle to get them back. It wiles away a few hours and is quite good fun. We bought this second hand a couple of week's ago because we felt like buying one that was compatible with the Wii that was on all the recommended lists and this was the one for the Wii that came out highest (most were for the Gamecube). Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami This book is one I keep going back to. Toru ...

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...