It is an honor to be part of the “AAPI Heritage Month Creatives Spotlight.” I am humbled to share the spotlight with such talented Asian-American designers. I am also glad to see Vietnamese Typography is being recognized beyond the type design community. Speaking of Vietnamese typography, I recently added two new typefaces that support Vietnamese.

Albula Pro

A charismatic, geometric sans, Albula Pro lends versatility, legibility, and readability to contemporary designs. Albula Pro supports a wide range of languages. For Vietnamese, its grave and hook above stack to the right of its circumflex while its acute stacks left.

Forma DJR

Started out as a refresh of the Italian neo-grotesque sans, Forma DJR takes on a life of its own with irregular details, tight spacings, and Swiss alternates. For Vietnamese, Forma DJR comes with straightened and curved horns. Its acute, grave, and hook above stack to the right of its circumflex.

Matthew Krishnan joined George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School as Backend Web Developer in February 2017 and quickly became an essential member of our team. With his technical knowledge, including PHP, MySQL, HTML, and CSS, he played an important role in maintaining and managing our content management systems: MODX and WordPress Multisite.

His skills in communication were even more impressive. He worked well with everyone around him in a professional manner. He went out of his way to support any law school member who needed web-related help. He even offered WordPress training to faculty, staff, and students who would like to update their own website content.

As someone who had been working closely with Matthew in the past four and a half years, I appreciated his patience, independence, and reliability. These qualities were so crucial in a remote environment; therefore, we were able to work in an effective, sufficient collaboration during the pandemic.

In addition to his work for the law school, Matthew studied tirelessly to earn his BS, with Magna Cum Laude, in information technology from George Mason University Volgenau School of Engineering. I admire his hard work and educational dedication. I have tremendous respect for him not only as a colleague but also as a friend.

Một người Việt sống ở Mỹ không tin vào việc chích ngừa nên đã không cho cả gia đình chích. Vài tuần trước anh tổ chức một buổi tiệc hoành tráng mừng thọ 85 tuổi của cha mình. Hai ngày sau, cả gia đình bị nhiễm COVID và cha anh đã không qua khỏi.

Nghe thật đau lòng. Đáng lẽ ra chuyện của người ta tôi không muốn kể lại nhưng hy vọng đây là một bài học cho những người Việt trong cộng đồng chúng ta không tin vào khoa học. Đừng nghe tin bậy bạ trên YouTube, Facebook, hoặc mạng xã hội rồi cho rằng chích thuốc là việc chính trị. Đừng đem mạng sống của mình và người thân ra để đặt lên Cộng Hòa hay Dân Chủ vì con virus chẳng tha thứ cho ai cả.

Nếu bạn vẫn chưa chích ngừa, tôi mong bạn hãy suy nghĩ cho thật kỹ. Cả thế giới hiện nay đang cầu xin được mũi thuốc dành cho bạn. Đừng lãng phí nó vì nó cứu được mạng người và mạng của bạn. Dĩ nhiên chích hay không chích hoặc tin hay không tin vẫn là quyền cá nhân của bạn và sự chọn lựa của bạn.

In the past few months, I had been looking forward to our Tuesday nights’ ice skating lessons together. While Đạo and Xuân attended their classes, Đán and I just chilled out. When they were done with their classes, we would skate for 20 minutes in between before Đán and I took our classes. Then I would try to get them to practice every other day or on the weekend in public sessions.

Lately Đạo and Đán refused to go or they would go with a frowning face. I was disappointed and finally told them they didn’t have to go anymore. They had virtual school all day and all they wanted to do after school was to play games on their computers.

Đạo broke our trust once again by playing games or watching YouTube during class time. He didn’t pay attention in class. Not only he didn’t participate, but he also didn’t reply to his teachers when they called on him. We received complaints from his teachers that he didn’t put much effort into his assignments. When we brought up the issue, he didn’t give us the straight answer. He took our trust for granted. To make sure that he understood the consequences, I told him if his report for the final quarter were slipping and his teachers were complaining, he would have to spend his entire summer without any screen time.

Yesterday, I asked them to go ice skating before they took their test and they both refused. They have great potential, but their hearts aren’t in it. We give them the opportunity, but they don’t want to take it. We decided not to waste our money and effort anymore if they aren’t into it. It’s a shame because ice skating is a great sport and we had a great time, but they wouldn’t get anywhere without much practice, especially as we progress into higher levels. I will just have to go on my own or with Xuân. I am not sure how long Xuân will continue. I was hoping ice skating and rollerblading were activities that we could do together as a family. I am sad to see that the squad is broken up.

Hai tuần nghỉ làm nhanh chóng trôi qua. Tôi chẳng đi nghỉ mát cũng chẳng có kế hoạch gì nhưng đã toại nguyện được một điều nho nhỏ nhưng rất ý nghĩa. Đó là dành thời gian với hai đứa nhỏ, nhất là thằng con trai út.

Thời khóa biểu hằng ngày của tôi trong hai tuần qua rất đơn giản. Sáng dậy sớm, khuấy cà phê đá, ăn điểm tâm nhẹ, chạy xe ra công viên trượt (skatepark), trượt patanh lên xuống đèo, hít thở không khí trong lành của buổi sáng, và thưởng thức tiếng ve kêu. Loại ve cicadas đặc biệt này chỉ lên mặt đất mỗi 17 năm nên phải dành thời gian chiêm ngưỡng.

Khoảng 9:30 sáng về lại nhà để chuẩn bị rước Xuân và Vương đi khám phá sân chơi (playround). Mỗi ngày tôi tìm một sân chơi với điều kiện là phải rộng lớn và sáng tạo để hai đứa nhỏ không bị nhàm chán. Khoảng 11 giờ chúng tôi lên đường. Lái xe từ 30 đến 40 phút. Trước khi đến sân chơi, tôi tìm chỗ ăn trưa. Gần tiệm Việt Nam thì ăn phở hoặc cơm sườn. Không gần tiệm Việt Nam thì ăn McDonald’s. Ăn uống no nê thì ba cha con đến sân chơi khoảng 2 tiếng đồng hồ. Trên đường lái xe về thì hai đứa lăng ra ngủ.

Qua hai tuần liên tiếp như thế chúng tôi đã khám phá được 10 sân chơi khác nhau và mỗi sân có mỗi đặc điểm riêng. Ngoài đi sân chơi, tôi cũng đi trượt băng thường xuyên với mấy thằng lớn. Được hai tuần nhưng thế là niềm vui và hạnh phúc của tôi. Thứ nhất là để cho vợ và mẹ vợ những giờ phút không bị quấy nhiễu. Thứ nhì là tôi được bên cạnh hai đứa nhỏ. Thường ngày thì Vương không chịu xa mẹ nhưng mỗi lần hỏi nó đi playground không thì nó tự động đi lấy giày và vớ.

Có những phút giây cùng hai đứa nhỏ rong chơi bỗng nhiên làm tôi nhớ đến ba. Những ngày tháng được sống bên ba quá ngắn ngủi và điều đó đã ảnh hưởng rất nặng nề trong suốt cuộc của tôi. Tuy là cha con nhưng hai người đã sống trong hai thế giới khác nhau. Người sống ở quê nhà, người sống ở quê người. Giờ đây hai người đã cách xa mãi mãi. Người đã vĩnh viễn ra đi, người còn ở trọ trần gian. Nếu có duyên xin hẹn gặp lại ba kiếp sau.

Barbara Demick’s new book is a powerful and challenging read on the ruthless colonization of the Tibetans by the Communist Chinese. Tibetans, particularly in Ngaba town, do not get the fundamental rights like most Chinese citizens. They have no right to study their own language nor the right to practice their religion. As a result, Tibetans turned to self-immolations. Demick’s reporting on auto-cremation is soul crushing. It gives me a chill just to imagine drinking and soaking yourself in gasoline then lighting yourself on fire. With Demick’s meticulous, brave investigative reporting and articulate storytelling, this book is hard to read, yet harder to put down. I am grateful for her work and this book will stay with me for a long time. The human rights crisis in Tibet makes me realize how fortunate we are living in a democratic country. We need to defend and protect our democracy.

R.O. Kwon writes for Vanity Fair:

For now, until and unless more changes, the attacks will keep happening: I hear about new attacks on Asian people almost every day. And as long as our gun laws are as lax as they are, there will be more mass shootings; most likely, there will be more hate-based atrocities targeting marginalized groups. In other words, we need one another.

The entire essay is worth reading.

When I started ice skating group lessons in December 2020, I took one class then I had to leave town for a while. I asked Đán to take over my place. He started in Beta with his group age. Since then, he continued to take group lessons with the same classmates. He befriended a girl named Reece.

Before their class began, they spent twenty minutes skating together in the rink and chatting. During class, he shaved the ice with his skates to make snowballs because he got bored. He gave them to her and she smashed them.

As they advanced into higher levels, she excelled in figure skating. He was only interested in speed for ice hockey. He could perform most of the skills, but he couldn’t do the ones that required figure skates. For months I begged him to switch to figure skates, but he refused. He put them on and skated around the rink twice and gave up. He was determined to go into hockey.

Last Tuesday, I accidentally put his right hockey skate and Đạo’s right hockey skate in the same bag. They both have the same hockey skates. When we found out, it was almost time for his lesson. I asked Đán to use Đạo’s figure skates instead and he agreed to give it another try. I laced him up and let him skate around a bit before class so he can get a bit comfortable in them. Reece joined him and showed him the jumps and spins she learned in private lessons. I talked to her mother and she informed me that Reece is taking both group and private lessons. No wonder she excelled so quickly.

Đán did well in class using the figure skates. His transition was much quicker than mine. He could do inside 3-turns, inside-outside edges, and lunges. The only thing he could do was the bunny hops, which required the toe picks from figure skates. After his class, I complimented him on how well he did and he told me he would like to continue with figure skate lessons. He wanted to do both figure and hockey.

Last night, I took him to the rink for the 8:30 PM public session, which was way less crowded than the 5 PM session, to learn the bunny hop. Using Coach Julia’s video, I showed him the technique and he could do the bunny hops in a few minutes. Then we spotted Reece and her mother skating as well. The two kids went off on their own. I chatted with her mother a bit. It was the second time we talked and she was very friendly.

Đán and Reece will have a test next week and that would be it. Since Đán expressed his interest in continuing figure skating lessons, I asked her if she would sign her daughter up for the next level. She told me that she won’t because they will spend six months in California. The kids continued to skate together and I practiced my inside 3-turns for the entire session. It was cute watching them skating and talking.

As we drove home, Đán said that Reece told him that she will be gone for a while; therefore, she won’t be taking anymore lessons. He asked me if he could talk to her over the phone or if he could text her. She is the only friend that he could talk to. My heart melted. He has just found a friend and now she won’t be around.

I am planning to ask her mother next week for her phone number so they can stay connected. I hope it won’t be too weird or too awkward.

As I was pushing my kids on the swing at the playground, a white man, in his mid 70s, sat on a bench blowing his cornet. His tone was sweet and mellow. He was with his granddaughter. I complimented him, “Your playing is beautiful. You have Miles’s touch.” He replied, “I met Mr. Davis at a jazz workshop in 1964 and I asked him if I could shake his hand and he said ‘hell no.’” I smiled and responded, “Yes, that’s Miles.”

We talked about Pops, Bird, Trane, Cannonball, and other jazz legends. I said to him that in addition to Miles, I also love Brownie, but he didn’t know Clifford Brown, the golden boy of jazz trumpet. I told him that Brownie was one of the best bebop trumpeters in the 50s. Unfortunately he died in a car crash at the age of 25; therefore, not too many people knew about him. He asked me for my age and if I played any instrument. He was surprised that I knew so much about jazz. Although I am 43 and don’t play any instrument, I listened extensively and read voraciously on jazz.

He told me that he served during the Vietnam War and he played for hundreds of funerals for fallen soldiers. I also told him that I am Vietnamese-American. We talked about Nam a bit then he asked for my wife’s name and he improvised a short tune for her. I asked him if I could record him so I could share it with my wife. It would be a nice gift for her since we reached our thirteenth anniversary yesterday. He agreed. His improvisation was beautiful.

We talked some more about music and Vietnam then he switched to politics. He said, “The current president is a mess. He looks half drunk most of the time. Donald Trump was a great president who loved every American, but I don’t want to get into politics.” I replied, “Let’s not go there.” I thanked him for the tune and for his service.

My kids like to drink Yakut and they would pop one bottle after another. To reduce the amount of bottles they consume, I mix them with lemon or hand-squeezed orange juice and ice. I liked the orange mix. It has a fruity flavor. The other day, I dropped in two shots of Chung Ha (Korean Saké), and it tasted so much better. As a result, I called it Daddy’s Yakut. Here are the ingredients.

• 1 fresh hand-squeezed orange
• 2 bottles of Yakut
• 2 shots of Chung Ha (Korean Saké)

Put all ingredients in the shaker and add ice. Shake well and pour everything into a highball glass and enjoy.