Skip to main content
All Posts By

Antony

Robin Williams Tribute Video & My Thoughts About Poor Mental Health

By Health, Thinking2 Comments

Robin Williams, the Actor & Comedian recently committed suicide after suffering from severe depression undiagnosed Dementia with Lewy bodies (see Blog Correction: Robin Williams’ Cause of Death). Like people around the world, I was shocked and saddened by the news.

Here’s a brilliant Tribute video to Robin Williams; that’s just 1 minute long:

Click here to display content from YouTube.
Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy.

Open video directly

1 in 4 people will suffer from poor mental health at a least one point in their lives. And it is said that poor mental health runs in families. When I’ve talking about poor mental health, I’m thinking about the following conditions: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bipolar, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders and suicidal thoughts.

I have suffered from poor mental health in the past. Looking at my close circle of family and friends, I know that most of them have as well. Yes to varying degrees of severity, but their poor mental health has effected their life. So I think the 1 in 4 statistic must be at best conservative. Yet there’s still a stigma attached to mental health, which seems to make it a taboo topic of conversation.

It’s time that things changed. We should talk about mental health. We should know how to look after our own mental health and how to best support our loved ones that are experiencing poor mental health. Too many people die because of their poor mental health. Robin Williams was one of these too many people.

If you are experiencing an episode of poor mental health, two useful websites are: Mind and SANE. If you are feeling suicidal please visit your nearest A&E Department for crisis support, before putting your thoughts into action.

Take care,

Antony

Edited: Monday 5th February 2024 at 07:00.

mental-health-wisdom-banner

Share on Social Media:
Saturday 16 August 2014

100 Days Together Photo Book – My Surprise from Boyfriend-A

By Happiness & Joy, Life, Love & RelationshipsNo Comments
100-days-book-boyfriend-a

Photo Book: First 100 days together by Boyfriend-A

 I arrived home from work today, checked my mail and found this. A surprise from Boyfriend-A. It’s a photo book, kind of like a diary documenting our whole relationship so far.

Inside the book is a series of visual representations of our first few months together in chronological order. Including: key dates, screenshots of messages we’ve exchanged, maps of places that we’ve been to together, photos of things we’ve done together (such as Manchester Museum, Lancashire Science Festival, Blackpool: Madame Tussauds & Sealife Centre, visiting Rivington and Liverpool Pride), photos of gifts we’ve got for one another, Facebook status updates, screenshots of some of my blog posts, screenshots from Skype, photos we’ve messaged one another on WhatsApp and it ends with a really romantic hand written message.

I had no idea that he was collecting memories, as I am, or that he’d do something as wonderful as this.

Both the photo book and surprising me with it were: Romantic. Awesome. Terrific. Clever. Original. OK, I’m going to stop now, otherwise I’ll run out adjectives.

I wont be showing the inside the book on the blog, as it’s far too personal and for our eyes only. Our first few months together have flown by. And do you know what? I cant wait for the next few months and beyond.

This photo book is one of the loveliest things a boyfriend has ever done for me. It’s amazing how someone relatively new in my life can mean so much to me.

Write soon,

Antony

Share on Social Media:
Thursday 14 August 2014

Book Review: World War Z – An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
world-war-z-book-cover I bought World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War after watching the World War Z film. I loved the film and was looking forward to the book. But it’s taken me over a year to read it.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is written in an interview style, interviewing people from across the world, their memories unfolding what happened in the fictional zombie war. I had a huge problem with this style for two reasons.

Firstly, the reviews were set post World War Z. This meant that the reader knows from the outset that the characters being interviewed would survive, even if they be damaged physically or emotionally (which was usually apparent at the outset of the interview).

Secondly, there were so many different characters interviewed that I simply didn’t care for any of them. When the reader finds it difficult to connect with an ever-changing cast of characters it makes it difficult for you to care about their loss of family members, friends, colleagues, etc.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is well researched. Brooks has considered the politics, culture, society and economic operations of each country his interviewer visits. He demonstrates his exceptional knowledge of traditional warfare. The plot starts with the initial actions countries would likely take to a Zombie War. When these inital reactions don’t work Brooks moves the plot on to more extreme actions.

Brooks explores the entire globe (and beyond) through the interviews showing how the human race overcome the threat of extinction by coming together and working together. Humanity working together differently and creatively. The ending of the book is satisfactory; filled with hope for humanity, but is a little over sentimental for the genre.

Some people will love World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks; others will hate it. I neither loved or hated it. If anything it was mediocre and unexceptional.

We’ve all imagined what we’d do in a zombie apocalypse and for this reason alone I still want to read The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks is available to buy on Amazon.

Review soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


Share on Social Media:
Monday 11 August 2014

Book Review: Light by Michael Grant

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
light-michael-grant-book-cover Light is the sixth book in the Gone Series. The first book was Gone, which I have reviewed here. The second book was Hunger, which I reviewed here. The third book was Lies, which I have reviewed here. The fourth book was Plague, which I have reviewed here. The fifth book was Fear, which I have reviewed here.

In Light the barrier has become transparent and the outside world peer into the strange world of the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). A world without adults and where some kids have powers. The darkness has taken a body, the child of Caine & Diana, calling herself Gaia.

Gaia is bent on bringing death and destruction; for no other reason than the fact that she’s evil. It’s the EndGame and what an awesome one it is. Some characters will live and others will die. The characters are prey being hunted by Gaia, an enemy who aims to hunt them to extinction.

Light is anything but predictable and so much happens. The plot is as we’ve come to expect from Grant, fast-paced.

Light is thrilling, captivating and a book that was so good I didn’t want it to end. A brilliant finale in the Gone Series.

The ending includes the aftermath, what happens once the barrier comes down. I’m not ashamed to say that some of the final scenes brought a tear to my eye including: Sam & Quinn getting their friendship back to how it was, the ending for the two gay characters – Edilio & Roger, what happened to Brianna (Breeze) & Dahra and Orc’s redemption.

Overall Light is the best in the Gone Series, closely followed by Lies. The Gone Series is worth reading from start to finish. Here are the books in order: Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague, Fear and Light.

Review soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


Share on Social Media:
Sunday 10 August 2014
×