The Chaser by John Collier -- Review

A young and poor man came to the seller of a love potion. He needs to get this potion for a girl - his lover, and it costs only one dollar - but for some reason, the old merchant tells him something completely different …

This story is funny. It is good for making predictions both optimistic and pessimistic, depending on what you are focusing on in the reading.



Here is the link to the text of the story: 

http://ciscohouston.com/docs/docs/greats/chaser.html

The Romantic Young Lady by William Somerset Maugham -- Review

"The Romantic Young Lady" is a short story about a beautiful girl who fell in love with the coachman of her mother's worst enemy. The mother tries to dissuade her daughter from a rash act. The rich marquis asks for her hand in marriage. But the daughter does not want to listen. The mother had to concede to her rival and ask for help ...

There is no romance in this story. Although the name does not necessarily reflect the essence of the story; readers may expect something cozy, naive and subtle seeing the title. But expectations are not met with reality.

Here is the link to the text of the story:

https://royallib.com/read/Maugham_Somerset/sixtyfive_short_stories.html#614615

The Jockey by Carson McCullers --- Review

A jockey named Bitsy stares at his trainer, a bookie, and the horse's owner who is sitting at the table and eating. His friend, another jockey, got seriously hurt on the track. He calls these three men “Libertines”. They are left speechless after his departure. The plot represents a great contrast between the meal and the tension of the conversation.

The author creates an atmosphere of impending horror. The reader is constantly looking around, running ahead, feeling that something will happen.



This is a link to the text of the story:
https://biblioklept.org/2012/02/19/the-jockey-a-short-story-by-carson-mccullers/

Grease - Iconic American Musical - Review

Grease is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy film. The film shows America in the 1950s, where there was still no oil crisis, no Vietnam war. An atmosphere of celebration and wellbeing was present everywhere.

All of the aspects in the movie are perfect: music, dances, costumes, acting. The movie portrayed adolescents. There are all the recognizable signs of this age: fearlessness, lack of self control, emotional and changeable mood. See for example how Travolta deliberately walked showing - I'm cool!). This iconic movie may be rewatched again and again, great mood guaranteed!



This is a link to the article in Wikipedia about the movie:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(film)

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell -- Review

The main character of the story “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connell, is the famous hunter; he appeared on the mysterious island.

The hero of the story didn’t know how the beast, the object of his hunting, feels and he will soon know that feeling.

This is a link to the text of the story:

http://clarkscorners.weebly.com/uploads/5/9/8/9/59890725/the_most_dangerous_game-withsupport.pdf

Virtual Trip To Hua Hin Railway Station (Thailand)

Google Maps combined with the screen sharing feature may be used for virtual journeys. It is a great option for online meetings. It gives freedom to move in any direction. Here we can see the world as it is.

During the online chat, we discussed the Hua Hin railway station in Thailand.

This is a view of the station from the railroad. The shape of the roof and red and yellow colors remind us more of a cathedral than a train station.

It is interesting to compare the words in English and in Thai languages. Notice in the picture below that the word 'Tickets' spells longer in Thai, but the next words have the opposite result in a comparison of sizes.

The next picture represents the interior view inside the station. The window on the left is for buying tickets and the window on the right is for complaining to the police :) 

This is a link to the article in Wikipedia about this train station:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Hin_railway_station

Who Dealt? by Ring Lardner -- Review

The story is “Who Dealt?” by Ring Lardner and was written in the first person. The wife was talking, during a bridge game, about her life and the lives around her. She pretends to be seen for readers as a poor fool and maybe for the others who have to live with her. However, her narration is much deeper because of her innocent thoughts. The author describes the society, relationships within the family and with friends in a lot of detail.

The story is full of colloquial phrases which can be interesting for English learners. For example; 

• to stay on the wagon - a colloquialism generally referring to an alcohol abuser's sobering up time;
• to go the limit in everything -  to be extravagant;
• to rave about something - to give wildly enthusiastic praise for something;
• to worm out of something - to try and get information from someone that they are trying to keep secret.

The story is good for readers who like descriptive stories, without definite plot, where life is presented as it is.

This is a link to the text of the story:

https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1925/12/15/who-dealt