topic Re: WRITE A REVIEW ... in Community Spirit

WRITE A REVIEW ...

katydidthat — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 04:06:09 GMT

Write a review ... of anything ... a product, an item of clothing, a holiday, a hotel, a car, a song, a play, a poem, a book, a work of art ... whatever you like. It can be positive or negative, long or short, in prose or in verse.

This thread was inspired by a description of a hotel in a book I am reading which reminded me of the "best hotel in the world I have ever stayed at".

My hotel is in Phuket, Thailand. We went to Bangkok in around 1991 for my brother's weddings and then joined him and my ex SIL on their honeymoon. They already had a kid or two ... we weren't invading their privacy.

There were my parents, my brother and ex SIL, my other brother and his ex floozy, 3 or 4 kids, and me and my ex. The others had all booked into the same rather modest hotel, but me and the ex got a lucky bargain with the airline and for something like ten dollars a day we stayed at this 5 star resort.

Pools, restaurants, bars, the sea ... Thai masseuses and elephant rides on the beach ... local markets in the hotel grounds ...

Because our hotel was nicer than theirs, the rest of our family made it HQ. The kids would play in the (smaller) pool, and the adults would hang out drinking beer and watching the kids and planning the day. We'd walk into town and check out the shops and buy beer for $1 a can (the hotel charged $5).

In the evenings we'd go check out the bars. We usually settled for the Kangaroo Bar, and we played Connect 4 and Jengha with the staff.

One of the best things was the room. It was enormous. The bath was about the size of our bathroom, and the balcony was bigger than my unit. We could sit on the balcony and watch the people, the biggest pool and the sea.

But, the absolutely BEST THING about this hotel was their breakfast. For $14 you could get a full cooked breakfast (bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes etc), rolls and pastries, and an enormous fruit basket ... and the juice of your choice (tomato) and the hot beverage of your choice (mine was hot chocolate). All cooked beautifully and presented magnificently.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

bright.ton42 — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 05:15:55 GMT

Good Will Hunting movie - Matt Damon and Robin Williams

i saw this for the first time yesterday and was blown away. Not only by the acting , but the outstanding script.

I had no idea what it was about and didn't know what to expect.

Apparently this was the first movie Robin played a serious part in and he won an Oscar for his efforts.

Robin played a very moving and beautiful role and it touched me so deeply as I thought in many ways

he would have been like that in real life.

Matt Damon's acting was superb and I thought he should have won an award too (maybe he did).

Below is a video of Robin Williams' acceptance speech at the 1998 Academy Awards

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/robin-williams-watch-his-1998-oscars-acceptance-speech-2014128

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

katydidthat — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 07:54:12 GMT

Thanks, Bright.

I was never a "horse person". I might have read a few books about ponies when I was a pre-teen, but I probably read the same amount of books about becoming a ballerina or a princess (LOL).

I discovered Dick Francis by accident ... I can't remember how or when or where ... but the first one I read was one of his early ones.

I got hooked.

As he continued writing, I loved that he could move away from novels solely relating to horse racing, and take on so many other areas ... hurricanes, glass blowing, toy making and so on.

He was also pretty good at characters and plots.

If you haven't read any Dick Francis novels, pick one up from the second hand bookshop near you.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

this-one-time-at-bandcamp — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 03:56:43 GMT

I've written quite a few reviews for Amazon and Yelp!

I can second your Dick Francis review.......I was introduced to him by one of the war department's cousins, back in 83..........at first I pooh-poohed the concept of horse racing as a background for suspense novels, but was quickly educated........

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

love*today — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 04:26:47 GMT

I just bought the Stubby Strip!

Quick delivery, was kept up to date with the whole delivery process.....good item but no good for cans. VB just fits over the lip of the holder, so more suited for a longer necked beer.

I have a discount code if anybody is interested.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

katydidthat — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 05:01:43 GMT

I'm glad you agree on Dick Francis, Band. Have you read any of the more recent novels in collaboration with Felix Francis?

Love*today, I get the gist, but what exactly is a Stubby Strip?

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

love*today — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 05:25:27 GMT

A gimmic I wish I thought of!

It's like six stubby holders joined together, one rips off so you can drink with it. It rolls up and has a handle. Easier to cart around instead of the esky.

If I was on the comp I'd post a pic, or attach the ad as I don't sell it as good as it 😄

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

katydidthat — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 05:44:00 GMT

Thanks, Love*today ...

Review of tonight's dinner ... big salad, no meat ... there you have it 😉

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

this-one-time-at-bandcamp — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 06:02:35 GMT

Not only have I read his collaborations with Felix, but even those authored by Felix alone.............not the same.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

this-one-time-at-bandcamp — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 06:08:29 GMT

Magic Mesh........an inexpensive alternative to constantly opening and closing doors for the pups, that lasts all summer. Easy to install, tacks and velcro fasteners, magic mesh uses magnets to hold the two halves together. It took all of 30 seconds for the dogs to realize its function. What's amusing is when the door is actually shut, and the kids try to leave..........

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

katydidthat — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 06:48:49 GMT

I haven't read the three Felix Francis solo novels yet. Did you think they were good ... or worse?

Ah, the salad was good ... small amount of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, red onion, green beans, fetta cheese, black olives, and ranch dressing ... a knock off of a Greek salad.

The kid, who doesn't eat vegetables, ate more than I did ... he wants more later, but shhhhhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

love*today — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 07:18:10 GMT

Hmmmmm I really should've double checked before doing a review.....it is good for vb stubbies (incase people think it's not from what I wrote) the holder comes to just above where the vb neck starts.

We have recently bought a decked out bus, I'm thinking of buying those mesh doors for it. Are they long?

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

love*today — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 08:01:53 GMT

Who has tried "original source" body wash?
Bloody amazing smelling stuff.....word of warning for the guys though, don't use the strong mint one 😉

This winter my skin on my legs was dry and nothing would help until I bought "jeval infusions" argon oil and hemp seed skin butter....smells great too!

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

electric*mayhem*band — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 08:56:25 GMT

'The Hoover Hurricane Light Vaccum Cleaner'.

You'd be better off using a Dustpan & Brush.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

bright.ton42 — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 11:23:24 GMT

Katy thanks for the recommendations for Dick Francis. I'd always thought his books were about horse racing so I'll get him next.

i love thrillers and could go on and on about favourite authors but I've just reread recently 3 books by Ian Rankin (his Rebus ones) and

that man can sure write. the settings are usually in or around Edinburgh and shows its underbelly all too clearly. I love the way he gets inside the heads of his characters.

I tried watching the TV series of Rebus but couldn't get the accents, very broad scots. .

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

katydidthat — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 02:32:55 GMT

Thanks, Love*today.

One hint I'll throw out there is using moisturiser just before you finish in the shower. Throw it on like a coat of soap, and then rinse ...

EMH, that sounds like my vacuum cleaner ... and I use a broom and a dustpan and brush rather than drag it out.

Bright.ton ... how long is it since there was a book thread here?

Minette Walters is difficult to categorise, but she has written some books that could be called thrillers. She's another explorer of the underbelly. She tells a great story, and best of all she writes beautifully.

Oh, and if you like a bit of humour with your novels, try the Emily Pollifax stories by Dorothy Gilman. Ms Pollifax is old, and widowed, and BORED. So, off she toddles to join the CIA.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

bright.ton42 — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 06:51:15 GMT

Katy I think there was a book thread here a few months ago.

I love Minette Walters too and the tv series was very well done.

Books I could talk about all day (when I'm not reading, lol)

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

katydidthat — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 07:23:29 GMT

Hey, not often I get to talk to a fellow Walters fan. Isn't she wonderful?

Have you read anything by Richard North Patterson?

He's another writer who you can read not only for the great plot, but also the wonderful writing of it. While he writes about America and American politics, a lot of his themes are universal. I loved his book "Protect and Defend" about the issues of late term abortion.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

bright.ton42 — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 10:27:05 GMT

Yes I've read some of his books but can't remember if I read that one. I read so many I get a bit mixed up. I also like

James Patterson though I think they went off a bit when he started writing with other (unknown) writers.

Re: WRITE A REVIEW ...

this-one-time-at-bandcamp — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 18:19:27 GMT

Back 20 years ago, when I had my home built, I installed a Moen kitchen faucet. Since then,I've replaced the cartridge at least a dozen times, to stop a constant drip. All is well for six to 12 months, then the drip reoccurs. Of late, the cartridges haven't been lasting 3 months.

I'm ready for a change.