Cuối tuần này gia đình bé nhỏ của tôi sẽ qua Cali hội ngộ cùng đại gia đình bên vợ nên tôi chuẩn bị mốt số nhạc đem theo nghe. Cái playlist gồm có Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Jay Z và một số đĩa Việt Nam gần đây. Tiện tay, tôi làm luôn một playlist nhạc nhanh gồm những bài dưới đây:

1. “In The Club” by Tuấn Hưng
2. “Độc Thoại” by Tuấn Hưng
3. “Cầu Vòng Khuyết” by Tuấn Hưng
4. “Vì Sao Anh Ơi” by Đan Kim
5. “Tình Xa Khuất” by Đan Kim
6. “Chia Tay Trong Mưa” by Đan Kim
7. “Tôi Đi Tìm Tôi” by Ưng Hoàng Phúc
8. “Cô Đơn Một Vì Sao” by Ưng Hoàng Phúc
9. Bạc Trắng Tình Đời Non-stop by Thanh Thảo

Even though e-books are on the rise, I still enjoy having a paper book on my hands, especially when I want to be completely disconnected from the digital world. Since I have become obsessed with reading and collecting books, I wanted to put together a library section of all the books I currently own. These books, ranging from typography to design & development to music to grammar and fiction, are my favorite. Most books I have read first from the library before buying them; therefore, these are the ones that I will be revisiting in the future. There are a few books that I still have yet to buy (the ones with the word “acquiring”). These books are still on my Amazon’s Wish List. So if you would like to buy me a book or two (for whatever reason I don’t know), I definitely appreciate it.

Dear Donny,
I am Bạch Yến. Today, I stumbled onto your blog at visualgui.com and read with great interest your comments on my new CD “Bạch Yến hát Tình Ca Lam Phương.” Your writings show that you have very profound appreciation for the music of Việt Nam, and in particular, great affinity for the music of Lam Phương. I am touched by your very flattering remarks about my new CD, and would like to express my sincere thanks.
With best regards,
Bạch Yến

Thank you, Cô.

Since I plowed through the summer reading list already, I now got a handful of books on typography.

• Alphabets to Order: The Literature of Nineteenth-Century Typefounders’ Specimens by Alastair Johnston
• Bruce Rogers: A Life in Letters, 1870-1957 by Joseph Blumenthal
• The Complete Typographer: A Manual for Designing with Type by Christopher Perfect
• An Introduction to the History of Printing Types by Geoffrey Dowding
• Printer’s Type in the Twentieth Century: Manufacturing And Design Methods by Richard Southall
• Twentieth Century Type Designers by Sebastian Carter
• Typographers on Type : an Illustrated Anthology from William Morris to the Present Day edited by Ruari McLean

Chasing after the kids in the morning. Watching some World Cup matches in the afternoon. Reading some typographic books at night. Listening to Bob Dylan in the wee hours. Eating shit load of food and drinking massive caffeine in between to stay awake. Sleeping is not even an option. Life is too short to sleep and sleep is the sibbling of death.

For two decades, Eric Meyer shared his CSS knowledge to the world. His clear technical writing taught us the skills we needed to make web site. Last year, Eric shared his daughter’s battle with cancer to the world. His thoughtful, courageous writing moved us to tears.

Rebecca lost her life to cancer when she just turned six. Being a father myself, I can’t even begin to imagine what Eric is going through, and yet he gives us a piece of his mind through his blog and his tweets. I could feel his love, grief and pain in every word he has written.

Today Rebecca will be buried. To celebrate Rebecca, I turned my site to purple, her favorite color. Rest in peace, sweet little girl.

(Updated)

• Type & Typography: Highlights From Matrix by John Randle, John Berry
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
• 30 Years of Swiss Typographic Discourse in the Typografische Monatsblätter by Louise Paradis, Francois Rappo
• Typeface: Classic Typography for Contemporary Design by Tamye Riggs
• Designing Design by Kenya Hara
• Anatomy of a Typeface by Alexander Lawson
• White by Kenya Hara
• Letters of Credit: A View of Type Design by Walter Tracy
• Typographie: A Manual of Design by Emil Ruder
• What They Didn’t Teach You in Design School by Phil Cleaver
• Book Typography: A Designer’s Manual by Michael and Susan Wightman Mitchell

Had a relaxing week in North Carolina. Even though the vacation was short, I am grateful for the time spent with my love ones. We went to the beach a bit and ate a lot of food. I had a chance to read a book. Thanks to my in-laws for the wonderful moments we shared. I am now recharged for an excited project at work.

This is not a brag, but a celebration. I was surprised to learn that I have received an A+ for my graduate course on Professional Design Practices. It’s the first A+ I have ever earned in all my academic life.

Even though grade matters, I didn’t care much. In my undergrad, all I ever hoped for was a C. I had to drop two classes (U.S history and literature) and made them up over the summer at community college simply because I couldn’t even get a passing grade. Those were the embarrassing moments. Needless to say, my undergrad GPA was just a bit above average. Fortunately the type of work that I do don’t require high GPA. I focused most of time building my portfolio to land me a job. It worked out well for me.

When I started the graduate program, I didn’t expect much either even though I put tons of effort into my projects. My grades have been good so far, but A+ was the first time ever. With Professional Design Practices, I knew that I have many weaknesses even though I have a strong portfolio. I came in to learn presentation skills, how to best present my work, how to speak up and state my opinion. It opened up my door for me to be more confidence.

Last year I convinced my supervisor to send me to An Event Apart in Washington DC. The conference was approved and I was excited to learn from best minds in the industry. I attended the first day, but couldn’t make it to the second day. I had to drive back to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to pay my last respect to my aunt who lost her life to cancer.

Looking at the schedule for An Event Apart Washington DC this year, I wanted to go again, but the school doesn’t have a budget for it. So I contacted the organizers, explained to them the situation, pointed them to a tweet I posted last year, and asked if I could attend one day of the conference this year to make up for last year. If one day is not possible, could I just attend Jonathan Hoefler’s presentation?

If the organizers turn down my request, I would understand completely. Business is business, but I did’t think it would hurt for me to reach out to them. Less than 12 hours, I received a respond stating that they make an exception for me this time even though they don’t typically allow attendees to transfer part of their pass to another event.

I was in awed and grateful that they would make the exception. Again, they had no obligation to do it and I would be fine if they said no, but they have shown that An Event Apart is not just about making money. I respect them for that.