January is – after November – the most unpopular month. But I have a cure to fight the January blues. Every week this month I have a great  give-away. So instead of just thinking of a nice place where you’d rather be, you should visit this nice place. I have a SWISS flight for two people (Economy Class) to a European destination of your choice to give away. Just send me an e-mail.
Happy January, Ron

Since the summer, Zurich’s University of the Arts (Zürcher Hochschule der Künste ZHdK) have had their campus rehoused in the refurbished Toni Areal building, where students can study design, performing arts, filmmaking, art and music. At the end of each semester, the jazz and pop students get together to perform at the Output Festival in Mehrspur. Forty bands will be playing over six nights with a range of styles that include not just jazz and pop but also funk, country, rock and soul, as well as a grunge band called 95% Nirvana, and an a cappella group covering Coldplay songs. Entry is free.
Thursday (8th & 15th) Friday (9th & 16th) and Saturday (10th & 17th) 6.30 pm, Mehrspur

As glitzy and prestigious awards go, the Fuck You, You Fuckin’ Fuck Award is pretty much up there with a Pulitzer and Nobel. Voted on each year by the readers of RCKSTR magazine, this year’s winner of the most annoying Swiss person was won by Luzern fitness model Anja Zeidler. Don’t worry if you’re not up to date with all of the great and good of Swiss celebdom, the award ceremony (for which Anja has received an invitation to attend) is only a part of the evening’s fun at the Gonzo Club, it will be followed up by a party of RCKSTR dimensions and a promise of surprises galore.
Friday 10 pm, Gonzo

Friday sees the start of Photo(15), the largest annual exhibition of Swiss photography. Across the five halls of the Maag Halle will be the best examples of Swiss photographers work from the last twelve months, gathered from the disciplines of advertising, arts and press. As well as the exhibition itself there will be a daily photoFORUM where world-class photographers such as Oliviero Toscani and Peter Lindbergh will be discussing their backgrounds, careers and experiences. If you’d like to go, I have 5 x 2 tickets to give away. E-mail me.
Friday until Tuesday 11 am to 8 pm, Maag Halle

The role of Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader of the American Civil Rights movement is well known, as is his electrifying ‘I have a dream’ speech in Washington and, unfortunately, his assassination on the balcony of a Memphis motel, but a man’s life is always more than just the peaks that can be seen from a distance and to truly know a life’s journey you must also travel the valleys and roads that are often hidden from sight. America: Dreams and Nightmares - The Life and Death of Martin Luther King is a powerful new play at the Bernhard Theater by the American Drama Group Europe, which explores his path from humble beginnings to 20th Century icon.
Friday 1.30 pm and 8 pm, Bernhard Theater

James Joyce is perhaps the greatest and most quintessential of Irish writers, so I’ve always enjoyed the strangely close links he has to Zurich. There’s the James Joyce pub, whose interior was shipped over, piece by piece, from Dublin to Zurich, and was frequented by Joyce in his youth and mentioned in Ulysses. You can visit one of his favourite locations in Zurich at Platzspitz and he is, of course, buried in the Friedhof Fluntern. You can now enjoy the works of Joyce at the Helsinki Klub in Pure Joyce as an Irish singer, a Dutch percussionist and a Swiss actor perform extracts of his writings, interpreted through music, song and rhythm.
Sunday (11th and 18th) 5 pm, Helsinki Klub

Ok, so Christmas is done, the New Year’s here. What’s on your mind? That’s right. Getting away from it all on that much needed holiday. If you know where you’re going but want some insider tips or haven’t got a clue and would like a little inspiration then the Dream.Plan.Go event at Langstars on Tuesday should be your first destination. Organised by the Beyond Travel people, it’s a chance for the holiday-enlightened to pass on their, and your, wisdom before you get the hell out of Dodge for that much needed down time.
Tuesday 7.30 pm, Langstars

Since the beginning of September, restaurant Mühletal has been closed due to renovations. But the team found a new location at Heinrichstrasse and just opened their new locale under the name Holzschopf. They offer simple Swiss dishes in an unpretentious environment: a great mix of  traditional, modern and local. If you’re curious to see the place then this Saturday is their opening apéro, starting at 4 pm.
Restaurant Holzschopf, Heinrichstrasse 112, 8005. Opening hours; Monday to Friday 10 am to 2 pm for lunch, Wednesday to Saturday from 4 pm to midnight for dinner

Brrr, it's freezing. So here's a few tips on how to stay warm. Sauna: Badi-info lists all public saunas in town with pictures and detailed information. So it should be easy to find one that you like. The sauna with the best view remains Seebadi Enge. Hammam: If a sauna is too hot for you, try a hammam - Asia Spa, Migros (at Niederdorf) and Volkshaus have the facilities for a Turkish steam bath, where you can warm up your cold bones and treat your skin to a nice rub down at the same time.  Don’t forget the latest addition: Basar in Seefeld. Spa: Hürlimann Areal is always a nice option - with views over the city - for a spa day. And I can also recommend the Float Centre at Wipkingen for a peaceful warm-up.

Fancy a time out of your grey daily routine. In the new Rituals-Boutique you can choose your personal beauty programme. Shop in a relaxed atmosphere, soft music in the back ground, add a nice cup of tea and a hand massage. You can test all the products before you buy them and the range includes hair and body products, scented candles, clothes, perfumes, mineral make-up and tea for him and her.
Rituals, Marktgasse 20, 8001. Opening hours: Monday to Wednesday and Friday for 10 am to 7 pm, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm

What did mankind do before search engines? They asked a smart person or the New York Public Library. A while ago, they found a box filled with questions from the 1940s to the 1980s, which they put on their Instagram Account. Here you'll find a summary of the highlights.