Couldn’t fall asleep last night so I dived right into the “Shrimp & Crawfish” episode of Dave Chang’s Ugly Delicious on Netflix. I started with this particular episode because I wanted to learn the Viet-Cajun cuisine in Houston.

When Chang visited New Orleans he was turned off by the traditionalist. Even a crawfish joint ran by a Vietnamese-America family refused to change the recipe. The chef just cooked the crawfish the way he was taught many years ago. It’s a missed opportunity.

When Chang visited Crawfish & Noodles in Houston, chef Trọng Nguyễn brought Vietnamese rich flavors into the crawfish. Chang doesn’t reject the tradition, but he is also into experimentation and creating new creative fusion. He is an open-minded chef and individual.

The most striking moment of this episode is the conversation he had with a Vietnamese-American shrimper. The man referred to himself as the Vietnamese redneck. He and his family were given an opportunity to pursue the American dream, yet he criticized the other half of the country for taking handouts instead of working hard like them. It’s quite patronizing coming from an immigrant himself.

Chang, on the other hand, simply wanted to give new immigrants an opportunity like we had a couple of decades ago. WhatI appreciate about Ugly Delicious isn’t just the mouthwatering food, but also the political, racial, and cultural perspectives, and most importantly, the openness and acceptance. I am looking forward to watch the rest of the episodes.

I love the art of stand-up comic and I have watched as many specials as I can, but this is the first time reading one. Grossman’s novel revolves around a 57-year-old Israeli comedian with a wounded soul trying to tell jokes for almost 200 pages. He started off with a few funny jokes, but then delved deeper into his bizarre, terrifying personal stories. His materials got darker and harder for his audience to tolerate. He even beat himself up and broke his glasses. It’s a tragic yet terrific read. Jessica Cohen’s translation does Grossman’s fiction its justice.

The plot of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin is hard to follow, but it doesn’t matter. The experience is slow and splendid. The cinematography is stunning and Mr. Hou makes damn sure that you are not missing a frame of it. As for the title character, Shu Qi’s cold beauty and virtuosity in martial art make her irresistible. A visual masterpiece.

Finally got a chance to watch Steven Spielberg’s breathtaking Lincoln. It’s a political masterpiece that makes me wonder how the fuck we got here. In 1864, Lincoln fought hard to end slavery. In 2018, Trump is fucking up our democracy. Lincoln was intelligent and well-read. Trump is neither. Lincoln, gave me hope in one of his eloquent conversations:

All we’ve done is show the world that democracy isn’t chaos. That there is a great, invisible strength in a people’s union. Say we’ve shown that a people can endure awful sacrifice and yet cohere. Mightn’t that save at least the idea of democracy to aspire to? Eventually to become worthy of?

Democracy is still strong.

The new iLoveNgocLan.com has shipped. It needed a fresh look as well as cleaner and leaner codes. I took out a handful of divs in the markup and rewrote all the CSS.

For the homepage header, I wanted to pair up typography with photography. I returned to one if my favorite display typefaces Memoriam by Patrick Griffin. Its elegant curves and swaying rhythms are a perfect match for Ngọc Lan’s styles. The name of the typeface also fits well with the purpose of the site: remembering one of the beloved Vietnamese singers.

For the text face, I wanted to switch it up a bit. I went with Nunito Sans, which is based on Nunito by Vernon Adams. Jacques Le Bailly has done a phenomenal job of extending the typeface to a full set of weights. Nunito Sans is not only clean and beautiful, but also supports the Vietnamese language. The best part is that Nunito Sans is an open source typeface.

Furthermore, I had incorporated some subtle animations into the banners and wordmark. The site is still powered by WordPress. I hope Ngọc Lan’s fans will enjoy the new design.

Đây là lần đầu nghe tiếng hát Út Mai. Những bài nhạc xưa rất hợp với chất giọng soprano cao sang và tuyệt đẹp của Mai. Phải chi Mai được hát với dàn nhạc orchestra thì nghe phê biết mấy. Giọng hát hay nhưng cần phải đầu tư thêm vào âm nhạc như Đức Tuấn.

Blitt is the political cartoonist behind many brilliant satirical covers of The New Yorker. In his latest book, Blitt shares his published works (“Resolute Smokers” and “The Politics of Fear”), his process (rough sketches), and his rejected pieces (a cartoon of Anthony Weiner about to hang himself with a string of wieners). With contributed writers from David Remnick, Frank Rich, Steve Brodner, Steven Heller, to Françoise Mouly, this book shows and tells the humorous genius of Blitt’s body of work.

I didn’t think I would enjoy Marlon Wayans’s latest Netflix special because my impression of him has always been clownish. At forty-five, Marlon is still energetic, charismatic, and goofy as fuck. Surprisingly, his materials are quite good. If you can get past his silliness, you might like his spin on the N-word, hip-hop music, police, Trump, and dirty sex. His conversation with his gay daughter is passionate and honest.

Răng non của thằng Đán lung lay cả tuần nay. Nó bảo tôi nhổ cho nó. Tôi lắc lư và ngọ nguậy mãi nhưng nó không chịu ra. Khi giựt hơi mạnh thì nó than đau. Máu đã chảy ra nên tôi sợ bị nhiễm trùng.

Hôm qua thấy chổ đó xưng lên và nó than đau mỗi khi ăn nên tôi cũng xót ruột. Tối qua tôi lo lắng ngủ không được nên sáng sớm gọi lấy hẹn nha sĩ cho nó. Trưa nay khi mẹ nó đến trường rước nó đi thì nó gọi video cho tôi khoe rằng nó đã tự mình giựt ra.

Thằng con trai giữa này của tôi cũng lì thật. Mai mốt tôi để cho nó tự mình nhổ lấy luôn.

Céline Sciamma’s Bande de Filles is a gripping, wrenching film that explores the life of a young French girl growing up in an abusive, broken home. Marieme (Karidja Touré) whose low grades could not get her into high school joined a girl squad—led by the fine-looking Lady (Assa Sylla). Marieme’s life changed in a significant, surprising way. It’s an oldie but goodie and now available on Netflix.