Whether keeping a journal or writing handwritten letters, Novelist and Journalist Anna Quindlen makes the case why you should Write for Your Life. From Anne Frank to the Freedom Writers, Quindlen demonstrates the importance of everyday writing. She argues, “When you write, you connect with yourself, past, present, and future.”

I have been writing on this blog on a daily basis for almost two decades. It is not easy sharing your deepest thoughts and feelings to the world. I often questioned myself if this is the place for me to write, then this sentence she writes hit me, “Writing is undoubtedly interaction with another human being, even if that human being is only yourself.” I have been writing to myself all these years.

If you want to get some inspiration to write, read this short, page-turning guide.

The dramas started with me. I couldn’t hold my emotions. I screwed up everything. I am a monster full of rage. My wife is trying to tame me. She is helping me to move beyond it. I love her for that. She understands me like no one else does.

The reality is that things can no longer go back to normal. We can no longer pretend nothing happened. By being frank, I opened up everyone’s true feelings. We no longer have to mask or hide how we truly see each other. We don’t see eye to eye, but we can’t heal what we never reveal.

I would rather be awkward than not be honest. My emotions might have been channeled in the wrong place, but my heart is always in the right place. If I could take things back, I don’t think I could have changed anything. I am who I am. I can either hold it in or let it out. I spent way too long holding it in. It is time to let it all out so I can learn to live with the consequences. It is not easy and might be lonely, but I want to stay true to myself.

Life’s a bitch and then you die. Why should I live a lie? I am just trying to keep it real. I’ve been doing some soul searching and like Ye said, “Doctors say I’m the illest ’cause I’m suffering from realness.”

My kids joined Liên Đoàn Hùng Vương, a Vietnamese Scout Pack in Northern Virginia, a few years ago. During their weekly activities, they often sang Vietnamese Scout songs from a small booklet. The kids and adults often lost these booklets; therefore, I wanted to create a digital version they can use on their phone. For friendly reading, I chose Bree, designed by Veronika Burian and José Scaglione. For the design, I took the colors from the Liên Đoàn Hùng Vương logo. I also used the details element in HTML to reveal and collapse the lyrics quickly. It’s a fun, little project that I can reference when I join them to sing. I hope I can memorize all the songs. Take a look.

Với cuộc sống luôn vội vã của hiện tại lúc nào cũng gắn liền với điện thoại thông minh, được cầm một quyển sách trên tay là điều rất thú vị. Đọc truyện Ngồi khóc trên cây của nhà văn Nguyễn Nhật Ánh như được sống chậm lại với thiên nhiên. Ông đưa chúng ta đến một thiên đường bình yên và thơ mộng chỉ có hoa cỏ và các con vật hiền hoà. Cách viết của ông nhẹ nhàng và hồn nhiên cho ta chứng kiến được tình cảm giữa loài người, động vật, và cỏ cây cũng có “thứ ngôn ngữ đi trực tiếp từ trái tim đến trái tim”. Tuy cốt truyện nằm trong vòng dự đoán của người đọc vì không có gì ngạc nhiên cả nhưng tác giả đã cho đọc giả những giây phút được thoát khỏi một đời sống đầy phiền muộn.

Last week, I took two trips, which turned into unforgettable vacations. When my niece told me that she, her dad, and her brother were taking a short trip to Wildwood, I asked if I could join them. I haven’t seen them in a long time; therefore, it was a perfect opportunity to spend some time with them. I am glad that they let me crash their party. We biked on the boardwalk, visited the casinos, dined in various restaurants, drank a few cocktails, and took many trips down memory lane.

Time had flown by so fast. It felt like yesterday, my niece and nephew were my kids’ age now, but they had grown into adults. Samantha finished college and spent her time teaching kids English in Taiwan. Eric will start Drexel in December. I am so proud of the fine young woman and man they are becoming. I also had a chance to reconnect with their dad. No matter what happened, he is still my brother-in-law and I have nothing but love and respect for him. Although the trip was only from Sunday to Tuesday, it gave me just enough time to spend with them. I am glad that I invited myself to the trip.

I spent most of last Wednesday packing for the camping trip in First Landing with other Scouts’ parents. Since it was our first time, I didn’t know what to expect. We brought two tents: one for my wife, Vương, Xuân, and me and one for Đạo and Đán. We brought some instant noodles and food. I brought two cases of beer to share with everyone. It turned out that one of the leader’s wife brought Phở, grilled beef, and pork for all the family. I had so much respect and admiration for her. We didn’t have to worry about food from Thursday to Sunday morning. We spent time on the beach, drank beers to keep us hydrated, and ate whenever the meals were ready. It was like living in paradise on budget. The campsite was affordable and the food was free. I wanted to chip in for the food, but she didn’t take it. All I could do was show my appreciation for her generosity.

Because of the extremely hot weather, we (mostly the men) drank cases after cases of beers. I have been quite reckless with my gout, but somehow I am not getting attacked yet. I got a mild case a few weeks ago and two pills of Aleve knocked it right out. The kids had their own fun and I was surprised how well they played together. There were no conflicts nor fights. They played in the water, ate, and watched movies together. They enjoyed catching crabs and fish at night. The men drank and talked until 2 am in the morning. Maybe it was the Scout spirit that drew us closer together. I felt like we were a big family. We put our differences (mostly politics) aside and just enjoyed our companies. We had a fantastic time with our own little family as well as the extended friends.

I am so glad for these two trips. They were my much-needed breaks to clear my mind as I am dealing with some personal dramas. I still need a lot of work to repair the damages. I am thankful for my wife for keeping it real with me as I sort out my issues.

Qua giọng hát hồn nhiên và sâu lắng, Ngọc Lan nhẹ nhàng bày tỏ nỗi đau nội tâm trong ca từ của nhạc sĩ Vũ Thành An qua những “Bài không tên” bất hủ của tác giả. Chẳng hạn như cô mở đầu “Bài không tên số 2” với một nỗi buồn tràn đầy tự sự: “Lòng người như lá úa, trong cơn mưa chiều / Nhiều cơn gió cuốn, xoay xoay trong hồn”. Ngọc Lan phát âm chữ “xoay xoay” nghe xao xuyến vô cùng. Với “Bài không tên số 3”, cô “buông xuôi” một cách nhẹ nhàng nhưng đầy nghẹn ngào: “Đêm sâu mái tóc em dài / Buông xuôi, xuôi theo dòng đời”. Phần điều khiển dàn nhạc giao hưởng của nhạc sĩ Thanh Lâm với dàn dây, đàn dương cầm, và tiếng kèn saxophone sát cánh bên giọng hát của Ngọc Lan rất chặt chẽ. Hơi đáng tiếc là cô quyện hai ca khúc này lại với nhau nên người nghe dễ bị lẫn lộn không biết khúc nào là của bài nào. Phải chi cô hát riêng từng bài.

Những “Bài không tên” khác, Ngọc Lan đem đến khán giả những nỗi niềm chua xót trong ca từ của tác giả. Với “Bài không tên số 4”, cô hát với tâm trạng đầy chất chứa: “Đời con gái cũng cần dĩ vãng / Mà em tôi chỉ còn tương lai”. Với “Bài không tên số 5”, cô thả nhẹ như đang tự trấn an mình, “Hãy cố yêu người mà sống / Lâu rồi đời mình cũng qua”, và cô lên thật cao để nhấn mạnh, “Lâu rồi đời mình cũng qua”. Với “Bài không tên số 7”, cô xuýt xoa, “Thân em giờ hoang phế / Lê theo thời gian giông gió”. Với “Bài không tên số 8”, cô chạm vào nỗi đắng cay của tác giả, “Vắng nhau một đêm, càng xa thêm nghìn trùng / Tiếc nhau một đêm, rồi mai thêm ngại ngùng”.

Ngọc Lan hát “Bài không tên cuối cùng” cũng tốt nhưng phải chi cô giữ nguyên lời của tác giả và đừng đổi “em” thành “anh” như:

Này anh hỡi
Con đường anh đi đó
Con đường anh theo đó
Sẽ đưa anh sang đâu
Mưa bên chồng, sẽ làm em khóc, sẽ làm em nhớ
Những khi mình mặn nồng.

Khi Ngọc Lan sửa đi đại từ, lời hát không còn đúng với lời tâm sự của nhạc sĩ Vũ Thành An nói với người yêu của mình khi cô lấy chồng. Qua phần trình diễn của Ngọc Lan, người con gái muốn trách người yêu của mình rằng anh có chọn lựa nhưng anh lại không chọn em mà để em đi theo chồng. Lời gốc của nhạc sĩ, “Mưa bên chồng có làm em khóc, có làm em nhớ”, chỉ có thể thôi nhưng lời đổi là sẽ khóc và sẽ nhớ “những khi mình mặn nồng”. Đó không còn là lời trách móc nữa mà lời nói khiến cho chàng trai phải đối diện với tội lỗi và trách nhiệm về hành động của mình khi đã “mặn nồng” với nàng.

Tôi đùa tí cho vui thôi chứ không có ý mổ xẻ gì hết. Nếu bạn hứng thú muốn biết về những câu chuyện đằng sau những “Bài không tên”, tìm đọc quyển sách Chuyện tình không tên của chính tác giả. Sẵn đây, tôi xin trích một đoạn thư tình nhạc sĩ Vũ Thành An viết:

Em yêu dấu,

Em bỏ đi làm anh hụt hẫng, nhất là không còn biết tin vào ai nữa. Anh đã tin những lời Em hứa, thế rồi Em bỏ đi, anh trở thành kẻ mất Đức Tin không còn biết bấu víu vào đâu. Đức Tin là quan trọng nhất cho một đời người. Chính Đức Tin sẽ cho ta Hy Vọng, có thể giúp ta chịu đựng được những điều phi thường và vượt lên khỏi sự bình thường. Mất Đức Tin ta sẽ rơi xuống hố thẳm của tuyệt vọng.

Em đã từng muốn anh ghi lại kỷ niệm cho cuộc tình chúng mình. Và anh đã viết nhưng anh chưa bao giờ nghĩ rằng Bài không tên cuối cùng anh đã viết ra trong sự thảng thốt khi Em đột ngột bỏ anh đi, sau đó lại được phổ biến rộng như thế! Chắc chắn những lời ca đó đã gây ảnh hưởng đến Em. Anh hoàn toàn không muốn như vậy.

Chắc chắn là câu “Mưa bên chồng, có làm em khóc, có làm em nhớ / Những khi mình mặn nồng” đã khiến cho người nhạc sĩ tài hoa hối hận những gì ông đã viết. Sau 25 năm, ông phải viết lời thứ hai cho “Bài không tên cuối cùng”. Dù sao đi nữa, tôi vẫn quý mến phong cách nhẹ nhàng và nét đẹp êm dịu của Ngọc Lan khi cô hát những “Bài không tên” của nhạc sĩ Vũ Thành An.

My supervisor’s position has been filled. I am so happy that one of our colleagues has stepped up to replace our previous boss. She is the new Assistant Dean for Library & Technology. She is young, flexible, and understandable. I have had a great working relationship with her; therefore, my position won’t change much.

My Web Content Specialist is moving on. I had a feeling that she wouldn’t stay long, but everyone loved her. Fortunately, I was able to reach out to the candidate that I wanted to hire and make the offer. She accepted the position. Unfortunately the Web Content Specialist position might vanish in the future.

We’re going through changes and turnovers. For now, I am still part of the Library and Technology group. I hope it will stay that way, but I am just a small fish in the pond. I don’t know where I will be moved next. I am not going to stress over it though. I’ll adapt or move on if necessary. Once the kids all grow up, I’ll have more options since I wouldn’t need the flexibility anymore.

The Law School, the Library and Technology group in particular, is still a fantastic place to work and raise my family. At this point of my life, my only concern and responsibility are my family. My career takes a backseat in term of trying to move upward. I am content where I am at.

On a whim, I transferred all my domains from GoDaddy to CloudFlare. I should have made the move a long time ago, but I was afraid I might screw up my domains. It turned out the the process was so darn easy because I have been using CloudFlare free services including SSL certificates, security measures, and speed benefits. All I needed to do was to select the domains and to get the authorizations from GoDaddy. CloudFlare takes care of the rest.

I registered all my domains with GoDaddy since 2003. While GoDaddy has been reliable, I wanted to support CloudFlare for the great services it offered for free for many years. CloudFlare has been a trustworthy tech company. It definitely helps making my websites more secure and faster.

Now that all of domains are all under CloudFlare, I couldn’t be happier. It is much easier to have everything in one place. I hope that CloudFlare won’t turn evil in the future.

Ngọc Lan was a multilingual musician. In addition to her native language, she could sing French, English, and even Chinese. Her Vietnamese was impeccable. She knew that the diacritics were as essential as the letters in a tonal language; therefore, she made a clear distinction between her hook above and her tilde in her phrasing. Her effortlessness on accenting the tilde, in particular, was unmistakable. She also articulated her “tr” and her “ch” with distinguishable nuances.

For Chinese, she only recorded a few songs; therefore, I won’t get into that. Besides, I don’t know Chinese. As for French, she had been praised for singing with fluency. My French is very limited; therefore, I’ll leave that one out too. Since I know English and love my second language as much as my first, I would like to focus on her English singing, which fascinated me.

I have spent years listening to jazz legends, including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O’Day, and Lena Horne, as well as modern jazz vocalists, such as Tierney Sutton, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Sophie Milman, and Diana Krall. I love them all, but one particular singer has me hanging onto her every word is Stacey Kent. I adore the way she enunciate each syllable. I could listen to her records all day just to learn English. Similar to Ngọc Lan, Stacey Kent can sing French fluently. If you want some relaxing French jazz ballads, check out Stacey Kent’s Reconte-Moi.

When I wanted to put together a collection of Ngọc Lan’s English recordings, I had trouble finding them. Fortunately, Ngọc Lan still has many devoted fans who know her repertoire inside out. One of them is Nguyễn Quốc Anh who I had reached out through I Love Ngoc Lan Facebook Page and he provided me with a list of sixteen songs recorded in English and Vietnamese. Although incomplete, the list gives me enough materials to pore over.

I was not impressed with her early English works, particularly her new wave covers. From John Christian’s “Ebony Eyes” to Optimal’s “Kimi Ga Suki” to John Farrar’s “Magic,” the uptempo productions drowned out her soft voice. With Brenda K. Starr’s “I Still Believe,” the bass-pounding r&b beat overpowered her vocals. I could barely make out what she was singing in English. With Bertie Higgins’s “Casablanca,” she mispronounced the lyrics quite a bit. When I heard her sing, “Popcorn and Cokes beneath the stars,” I almost fell out of my chair. I had to repeat it several times to make sure I didn’t mishear the word Cokes. The mispronunciation was just hilarious, but it might make sense with, “Making love on a long hot summer’s night.” I am kidding.

Fortunately, Ngọc Lan’s English improved tremendously in her later works, starting when began recording for Mây Productions. Her rendition of Alan Nguyễn’s “Whenever You Come to Me” was damn-near perfect. I love the way she enunciated truth in these bars: “It’s time to tell the truth, please tell me what to do / Someday I’ll find the way to get to you.” Her cover of The Beatles’ “Yesterday” would have been excellent if she adhered to the original pronoun. Changing from “she” to “he,” she lost that sweet s sound: “Why she had to go? I don’t know, she wouldn’t say.”

Her interpretation of The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” worked surprisingly well. She kicked off the tune in Vietnamese and she sounded lovely. Saxophonist Thanh Lâm played a soulful solo at the break. Ngọc Lan picked up the second half in English: “Woah, my love, my darling / I’ve hungered for your touch.” I love how she ended the word touch. She pulled off the high note, “Are you still mine?,” with ease and wisely departed from the famous climax, “I need your love.”

Although her accent had not completely gone, she had proved that she can adapt and adjust to English. As someone who still struggles to learn English after 30 years living in the United States, I admire how quickly she picked up a new language. At first I was not impressed, but I found her accent to be charming and intoxicating. Her take on Paul Anka’s “Diana” puts a smile on me every time I hear her sing:

I’m so young and you’re so old
This, my darling, I’ve been told
I don’t care just what they say
’Cause forever I will pray
You and I will be as free
As the birds up in the trees

Yes, fly freely my love.

Lâu lắm mới đọc một quyển tiểu thuyết tình cảm lôi cuốn. Thường thì tôi sợ đọc truyện tình cảm ướt át và dây dưa lắm nhưng cách tác giả Lệ Thu Huyền dẫn những câu chuyện ngắn gọn nên đọc không bị nhàm chán. Tôi chỉ góp một ý kiến nho nhỏ là cô dùng từ “sex friends” nghe hơi bị thô. Tôi nghĩ “friends with benefits” (bạn có lợi) nghe hay hơn. Tôi không tóm tắc nội dung ở đây. Ai thích đọc những câu chuyện tình cảm nhẹ nhàng nhưng sâu lắng hãy đọc quyển này nhé.