Skiing is fantastic and I still love skiing. Last season, I learned all I could and reached my goal. I went from green slopes to double black diamonds. I will keep on skiing, but I also want to try snowboarding again this season. Last season, I took one lesson, snowboarded for one day, and gave up.

Several months ago, I bought a used board for Đán, but he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to change. Since he was comfortable with the last year’s board we rented, he ended up renting the same board again. The board I bought is a bit too long for him, but might be good for me. I sharpened the edges, fixed the base, and gave it a good wax. The board is now pretty slick. I bought a pair of brand new thirtytwo Zephyr boots on sale for a decent price.

Now that I have everything I need, I am going to make the commitment to snowboarding. I will learn on my own via YouTube. I will take my time to get it right this time. I will document my progress on here like I had done with skiing.

Bài thơ này bà xã gửi cho tôi đọc vì thấy tôi viết tiếng Việt sai chính tả như điên. Đọc thấy cũng học hỏi được nên copy lại quyên bài về đây. Không biết tác giả là ai.

Mũm mĩm béo, mỉu mỉm cười.
Củ quả dành để biếu người cũ xưa.
Khiễng chân, chậu khiểng đu đưa
Kẻo hết, kẽo kẹt đêm mưa võng buồn.
Hổ thẹn chưa hỗ trợ lương.
Gã kia gả bán người thương vì tiền
Hảo tâm lo chuyện hão huyền.
Đi buôn lỗ vốn, nước màu lổ loang.
Phủ phê chừ mới phũ phàng
Nửa đường gãy gánh, gảy đàn tìm vui.
Gãi đầu tính ngược, tính xuôi.
Còn lưng nửa vốn nữa thời tính sao.
Giãi bày giải nghĩa dễ đâu
Chưa kịp ẩu đả qua cầu đã xong.
Run rẩy phát rẫy dọn nương
Gỡ rối điềm gở rộng đường nhân sinh.
Chú rể bứt rễ cây quỳnh
Ra sức bửa củi cho mình bữa ăn.
Bẩm thưa, bụ bẫm con người
Nói năng tao nhã, chim kia nhả mồi.
Mã ngoài mồ mả xinh tươi
Nhường cơm sẻ áo cho người sẽ vui.
Linh cữu vĩnh cửu ai ơi
Cữ kiêng cử động bệnh thời sẽ qua.
Tẻ nhạt, gạo tẻ của ta
Gần mà giữ kẽ thà ra kẻ thù.
Khẻ mỏ, nói khẽ như ru
Cỗ bàn, cổ kính công phu phụng thờ.
Bỗng dưng trầm bổng bất ngờ
Bĩu môi dè bỉu ai chờ đợi ai.
Bắt bẻ, bẽ mặt tía tai
Lẻ loi lý lẽ gạt ngoài chẳng nghe.
Ngoài vườn chỏng gọng chõng tre.
Cải thiện, cãi lại khó mà hoà nhau.
Chĩnh (hũ) tương nghiêng, chỉnh sửa mau.
Củng cố lời nói cho nhau cũng đành.
Cỏi trói cỡi (cưỡi) ngựa phi nhanh
Xem ai cứng cỏi được dành cõi tiên.
Bảo ban, bão tố khắp miền
Hảnh nắng, hãnh diện tuỳ duyên tuỳ thời.
Hồ đầy xả nước cho vơi
Giữ gìn xã tắc kẻo thời suy vong.
Chèo bẻo, bạc bẽo dài dòng
Quê hương rất đỗi đổi thay phố phường.
Nghĩ mình ngơi nghỉ dưỡng thương
Tĩnh tâm tỉnh ngộ tìm đường ẩn cư.
Tiểu đội còn bận tiễu trừ
Ngỡ rằng bảnh tẻn thành dư tẽn tò.
Sải tay chú sãi thập thò
Nhân sự thừa thãi bị toà thải ra.
Đứng sững, sửng sốt sợ ma
Trẻ thơ nói sõi nhặt sỏi đá trôi.
Trả nợ bằng một trã xôi
Nãy giờ còn đợi hạt thôi nảy mầm.
Ẩn sĩ, sỉ nhục giận căm
Giả dại giã gạo thăng trầm cho qua.
Quẫn trí nghĩ quẩn sa đà
Chấp nhận xúi quẩy hơn là quẫy đuôi.
Đâm thủng, thũng xuống thấp rồi
Đòn bẩy được dịp lên đồi bẫy chim.
Đội ngũ giấc ngủ lim dim
Ân sủng ướt sũng nằm im chờ thời.
Tủm tỉm, đánh tũm không lời
Vĩ cầm, vĩ tuyến… vỉ ruồi giúp ta.
Rác rưởi gấp rưỡi hôm qua
Đẩy xe, đẫy giấc người ta chối từ.
Đảng phái, đãng trí ưu tư
Dở hơi, dở thói tật hư dỡ nhà.
Lẩn quẩn, lẫn lộn tuổi già
Đỉnh chung, đĩnh đạc cũng là đỉnh cao.
Để dành, hiếu đễ về sau
Cô bé tròn trịa thật là dễ thương.
Dỏng tai, dõng dạc khiêm nhường
Rảnh rỗi san lấp rãnh mương trước nhà.
Qua ngõ, ngỏ lời hát ca
Quảng cáo – thực tế cách ba quãng đường.
Rủ rê quyến rũ nhiễu nhương
Rổ sảo, rỗ mặt vấn vương một thời.
Chửa đẻ, chữa bệnh ai ơi
Trường hợp hãn hữu xin thời bỏ qua.
Phá cũi làm củi bếp nhà
Xén bớt công quĩ, quỉ ma chẳng từ
Hạt dẻ, đất dẽ suy tư.
Sàng sảy ít gạo đến giờ chưa xong
Rửa nhục thối rữa mặc lòng.
Hen suyễn, suy suyển đợi mong bao ngày.
Cưỡng đoạt chim cưởng trong tay
Xin đừng cà rỡi… rởn gai ốc rồi.
Sửa chữa, sữa mẹ em ơi
Sẫm màu, sẩm tối xin mời ghé thăm.
Mẩu bánh dành biếu mẫu thân
Đắt rẻ, ngã rẽ bao lần em qua.
Sỗ sàng, sổ toẹt chẳng tha
Giả thật, giã gạo cho qua tháng ngày.
Gây gổ, cây gỗ chuyền tay
Cánh hẩu chầu hẫu ngồi chờ đổi ngôi.
Mưa rỉ rả mệt rã người
Rão gân cốt, rảo bước thời đi nhanh.
Cây sả, suồng sã là anh
Tả thực, tã lót để dành trẻ con.
Chàng hảng ai mở hãng buôn
Kỷ luật kỹ xảo mình luôn ghi lòng.
Hủ tục, hũ gạo ngày đông
Hỏi ngã khó, chớ ngã lòng ngả nghiêng…!

The wool’s removed and now I see
My leg was pulled, the joke’s on me
So heartbreaking, like loving a whore
Might hurt ya once, but never no more
It’s like trying to fly but they clipping your wings
And that’s exactly why the caged bird sings.

Malice (An excerpt from “We Got It for Cheap”)

While browsing through the Vietnamese section in Fairfax County Public Library, I came across a children poetry book titled Cây cối quê hương (Homeland Trees). The book has ten poems selected among the best in the treasury of Vietnamese literature for children. The poems were compiled by Lê Phương Liên and translated by Hiếu Trần.

After reading a few poems on the spot, I have to include them in my samples for Vietnamese Typography. The beautiful, innocent, and poetic words lit up my soul and brought me back many childhood memories. For the kids, these poems will bring them closer to nature and help with their language development in Vietnamese and English.

I spent my rainy Saturday being stuck inside and whipping up a simple webpage. For typesetting, I combined Lang, designed by Stephen Nixon, and Gimlet Sans, designed by David Jonathan Ross. For visual presentations, I got the photos from Unsplash.

Enjoy!

Update:

Rob Blake tweets:

This is beautiful and inspiring. Amazing to see the web mature as a medium for both poetry and typography.

I really appreciate that.

Thị trường âm nhạc Việt Nam hầu hết là phát hành album mới cover lại nhạc xưa, nhất là những tình khúc nổi tiếng. Nghe đi nghe lại riết cũng ngán ngẩm nếu như không có gì mới mẻ trong cách hát hoặc sáng tạo trong phần hòa âm phối khí. Tuy nhiên cũng có những album thu âm lại nhạc xưa với sự đầu tư kỹ lưỡng trong phối khí lẫn tiếng hát như album đầu tay, Trăm nhớ ngàn thương, của Hồng Nhung Đỗ.

Đây là lần đầu tiên tôi được nghe tiếng hát của Hồng Nhung Đỗ. Tuy không biết gì về cô nhưng tôi thích ngay chín ca khúc cô thu âm trong album. Cô có chất giọng tốt và hát rất có hồn nhưng vẫn chưa đủ nếu như thiếu đi phần hòa âm phối khí sang trọng và sáng tạo. Từ bài mỡ màng “Giọt mưa thu” (Đặng Thế Phong và Bùi Công Kỳ) đến bài cuối “Ai đi ngoài ngoài sương gió (Nguyễn Hữu Thiết), Hồng Nhung Đỗ cũng những nhạc sĩ phối khí, Lưu Hà An, Hoàng Trung Đức, và Hoàng Anh Minh, đem đến cho người nghe một trải nghiệm âm nhạc trọn vẹn qua những âm hưởng bán cổ điển. Đặc điểm là cô cover lại những ca khúc của hai cây cổ thụ của nhạc Việt: Phạm Duy và Lam Phương. Tuy hai người nhạc sĩ với hai phong cách hoàn toàn khác nhau nhưng album vẫn giữ được sự liền lạc chứ không bị chi phối.

Tối thứ Sáu trời mưa dầm dề và thời tiết se lạnh, còn gì hơn được ngồi ở nhà thưởng thức một album Việt Nam cùng một chai whiskey Nhật Bản. Không cần mồi cũng đủ phê.

It’s the time of the year when I dread the most. This year, I have a new supervisor and I also have to review the Web Content Specialist who is reporting to me. I am not good at writing review of my own performance, but I am just going to plow through it. Here we go.

Job Function 1

My main responsibility as Director of Design and Web Services is designing, updating, and maintaining the main law school website.

1. The contents on the main school website are being updated on a daily basis. I work closely with our Web Content Specialist to make changes according to requests. We also make sure the contents are accurate and accessible.
2. I make incremental rather than drastic changes to the design of the main law school website. The small changes improved the user experience without catching the users off guard. Redesign is in progress and it is being rolled out in components.
3. Maintaining the backend server is the crucial responsibility in this role. Keeping the technologies up‐to‐date is essential in longevity as well as security. I implemented content delivery network (CDN) to speed up the site performance and web application firewall (WAF) to prevent hacking attempts.

Job Function 2

My second responsibility is maintaining a network of websites for the Scalia Law community. The WordPress Multisite is powering almost 50 sites ranging from intranets to centers to institutes to faculty members to student organizations to marketing sites. We let stakeholders updating their own sites, but we assist them when they need new functionalities or troubleshooting WordPress issues.

Job Function 3

As Director of Design and Web Services, I serve the Law School community with their websites, print marketing materials, and content updates. I work with outside agencies and vendors on their behalf to make sure they have all the resources (web servers, social media access, analytics) to do their job.

Accountability

• I take full responsibility for my role in keeping our web presence attractive, up‐to‐date, accessible, readable, and secured.
• I take my supervision responsibility to make sure we’re on the same page. For example, our HTML markups and coding must be cleaned, organized and readable. Our content on the web must be clear, accurate, and error‐free.
• I take full accountability in all of my areas of responsibility in order to meet the mission and goals of the law school and university.

Collaboration and Civility

• I work closely with everyone at the law school as well as colleagues in the University to provide the highest services to meet the Mason standards.
• I am a team player and I always listen respectfully to others.

Self-Development

• I always seek to learn latest web developments.
• I continue to hone my writing skills.
• I reach out to colleagues within our department or the university for projects we can collaborate.
• I always stay on top of new technologies in my field.
• I seek out new, exciting projects, which benefit the law school and also enhance my self development.

Diversity and Inclusion

• As a minority member, I understand the important of inclusive and diversity.
• I listen, respect, and contribute to diversity and inclusivity.
• I have a strong and deep understanding of the value of diversity and models inclusiveness in working with our diverse staff and all members of the law school and university community.

Leadership

• I encourage my web developers and content web specialists to reach their goals. In addition to the work for the law school, I encourage them to take on projects that will help them grow their career.
• I provide leadership to the law school community in my areas of responsibility. I make sure that my goals for the school’s websites and print projects align with the goals and mission of the law school and university.

Mentors and Coaches

• I am always opened to help others who need feedback on graphic design and web development.
• I continue to update the web design and development blog to provide in‐depth documentation on MODX and all of the special features that I have implemented over the years.
• I also encourage the staff who work for me to contribute to the blog, which allows them to improve their analytical skills.

Stewardship

• I look for resources offered by the university before considering outside vendors.
• I maintain confidential information related to work.
• I maintain the highest integrity in his work and interactions with others and adheres to law school and university core values.
• I hold myself to the highest ethical and professional standards and encourages and inspires others who work with me to do the same.

You revisit old wounds for the same reason
birds will come back to the places
their nests have been destroyed
The mind walks into the same room
because it wants to know how to fix
those floorboards, paint the walls,
turn this into a more habitable place
if it tries something different from the last time.
This is survival.
This is learning how to live through pain
once the skeletons have decided to walk out
of the closet and refuse to go back in again.
Call it the worst story you have ever owned,
a car crash within your bones
that you cannot stop staring at.
But the only way to understand pain
is to look at it and feel it
without turning away.
There is no shame in this.
Eventually, it will scab over and heal.

Nikita Gill

Responding to Đán’s teacher about his interim report:

Dear Ms. B,

Thank you for your comments in Dan’s interim report. Last night, we talked to him about his unwillingness to speak Spanish in Spanish class. We’ve learned that his lack of confidence in Spanish has prevented him from speaking the language.

We encouraged him to do his best. All we are asking from him is to put in the effort. We’re also asking Dao, his older brother, to speak Spanish as well to give Dan more exposure to the language outside his class. Dan has promised that he will speak Spanish in class. Please keep us updated on his progress.

As for math, what is he learning and struggling with? We can’t help him with Spanish, but we can definitely help him with math. Please let us know what you are teaching in class so we can follow up with him at home.

Thanks once again for bringing up your concerns to our attention about Dan’s progress. We also appreciate your compliments. He is indeed a kind and thoughtful child. With your guidance and our collaboration, he will have a successful year.

Regards,

Donny Truong

yesterday was wonderful
everything is new now
neighbors, house
i feel comfortable here
one step at a time
i find my way (sometimes)
the rest of the time is just learning
my morning routine?
wake up, go for my coffee, and
write in pencil on paper
today i wrote this
different from english
surely i will make a mistake
but that’s okay too
this is unusual, trying to
write vietnamese
i like it very much
patience
thank you, v

dipika kohli

As the youngest boy in the family, he gets all the love and attention. Despite being home with his mom and grandmother most of the time, he isn’t shy away from meeting new friends. He is outgoing and he has such an infectious smile. He is articulate for his age. He knows exactly what he wants. He is also an independent child who likes to do things for himself without getting any help for his parents and brothers.

In contrast, he isn’t quite ready to put breastfeeding behind. He still latches at night time to get his fix. He is still potty training. He doesn’t wear a diaper until he needs to do the number 2. He would request a diaper instead of sitting on the toilet. I am sure he’ll get over these two things this year.

Now that he is 4, I can start cleaning up all the toys he no longer plays with. They have been piling up in the basement for a long time. In retrospect, I don’t see him playing with toys too much. He is a digital-screen baby. He isn’t picking up sports as fast as older brothers. He seems to like skiing. I can’t wait to hit the slopes with him this coming winter.