Two memoirists died of cancer and their spouses fell in love. Nora Krug reports:
“I’m still surprised,” said Lucy Kalanithi of her relationship with Nina Riggs’s widower, John Duberstein. “I’m surprised by how ridiculous it is and how natural it is at the same time.”
Tập truyện ngắn của Phan Việt viết về đời sống người Việt trên đất Mỹ được mở đầu với câu chuyện sex táo bạo. Phan Việt diễn tả: “Tôi cứ đàng hoàng để cho các cô gái ve vuốt dương vật và làm tình với tôi. Tất. Oral Sex. Anal Sex. Tóc vàng. Tóc nâu. Tóc đen. Tất. Fucking America”. Tuy ngôn ngữ thô tục và câu chuyện chỉ là hư cấu nằm trong fantasy (khả năng tưởng tượng) của tác giả, đọc cũng phê phê. Bài “Cách mạng baby” rất hài, nhất là cảnh tả về công việc “baby making”. Tuy nhiên có phần ngôn ngữ tiếng Anh viết rất phô trương. Chẳng hạn như khi vợ dùng câu “Fuck thiên hạ” còn chồng thì nói vợ “Bullshit” và “Yes! Fuck you”. Dường như tác giả viết với cái nhìn của một người mới đến đất Mỹ và còn chưa nhập vào cuộc sống và văn hoá Mỹ. Tuy nhiên không phải bài nào cũng viết về sex.
The model-minority myth exists alongside another dangerous and limiting idea — one that is consistent with the alt-right’s misogyny and core anti-feminist values. The main problem with white women, as many alt-right Asian fetishists have noted, is they’ve become too feminist. By contrast, Asian women are seen as naturally inclined to serve men sexually and are also thought of as slim, light-skinned and small, in adherence to Western norms of femininity.
Nowadays Đạo and Đán play together most of the time; therefore, I just sit back and observe. When I hear a funny line, I try to write it down. For instance, here is what Đán said to Đạo: “Why can’t I have a normal brother like everyone else?” or “Why can’t I have a brother that’s nice and not weird.” His impression of Charlie Brown is just hilarious.
The other day, we were at my sister-in-law’s house and the kids played Thomas trains together. Khôi chastised Xuân for not playing the way that he wanted. Đạo schooled him, “Khôi, you are being mean to my little brother. He is a baby. Would you like it if I am being mean to your baby brother?” Khôi stopped being mean to Xuân and I didn’t have to step in. My approach is that I let the kids work it out unless they get into a physical fight. Some parents jump in to defend their own kids by yelling at other kids without giving them a chance to talk things out.
As for little Xuân, he is picking up the speed fast and he is not even two yet. I don’t even have to feed him. When he got hungry, he simply climbed up his chair, buckled his belt, and said, “I want cơm (rice).” When he wanted more, he simply asked, “More please, cơm.” When he wanted me to help him find his toy phone, he held my hand and said, “Phone. Phone. Daddy, please help.” When he wanted to be breastfed, he took his mom’s hand and said, “Muốn bú (wanna suck).”
Tôi đang bị nghiện loại Doubleshot Expresso của Starbucks. Phê chất đắng, ngọt, và lạnh. Một can rất nhỏ chỉ có 6.5 oz.Mỗi buổi sáng chơi một can trước khi đi làm. Chiều thèm quá thì chơi thêm một can nữa. Những ngày cuối tuần làm bà bốn can là chuyện thường.
Lúc đầu bà xã chỉ order trên Amazon mỗi tháng 1 case (12 can). Nhưng chưa đến một tuần là hết sạch. Tôi bảo vợ tăng cho anh 2 case đi. Thế mà hai tuần cũng hết. Thôi thì mỗi tháng uống bấy nhiêu đủ rồi. Uống hết thì đợi tháng tới.
Sáng hôm qua đang thưởng thức thì thằng Xuân đòi uống. Tôi cũng cho nó thử. Không ngờ nó hớp một ngụm lại đòi uống thêm. Bây giờ mỗi lần nó thấy cầm cái can là nó đòi ké. Nên giờ uống phải giấu nó.
Đạo and Đán got into a scuffle. Đán got angry when I asked him what happened. Here’s our conversation:
Đán: Đạo said he wants to kill me.
Dad: I did not hear he say that and I am sitting right here.
Đán: Yes, he did. He’s a killer.
Dad: Why do you make up such story? And I do not want you to use that word.
I was irritated with Đán’s language and I thought he made up the story. I knew Đạo wouldn’t say such thing so I asked him what happened.
Đạo: I was playing with my train and Đán pushed my [Lego] mini figure off the train.
Dad: Did you say you will kill him?
Đạo: No, I said [to him] what if you were on the train and would you like it if I push you off?
Đán: See, he wants to push me off and kill me.
Dad: OK so you did not make up that story, but you made it way more dramatic.
Should I be worried about this? After reading this article, “Is Your Child Lying to You? That’s Good,” I am a bit relief. Alex Stone writes:
Why do some children start lying at an earlier age than others? What separates them from their more honest peers? The short answer is that they are smarter.
He goes on:
Other research has shown that the children who lie have better “executive functioning skills” (an array of faculties that enable us to control our impulses and remain focused on a task) as well as a heightened ability to see the world through other people’s eyes, a crucial indicator of cognitive development known as “theory of mind.” … Young liars are even more socially adept and well adjusted, according to recent studies of preschoolers.
I sure hope these studies reliable.
David Remnick sums it up in one sentence:
The President of the United States has become a leading security threat to the United States.
Taylor diagnosed with melanoma at sixty. She planned her death with an euthanasia drug she bought online from China and a suicide note before her brain surgery. Taylor’s memoir, however, is not about her dying days. It’s a reflection on her life, childhood, and relationships with her parents and siblings. She writes:
A slow death, like mine, has that one advantage. You have a lot of time to talk, to tell people how you feel, to try to make sense of the whole thing, of the life that is coming to a close, both for yourself and for those who remain.
Instead of focusing on the gruesome details of dying, Taylor chooses to celebrate life. It’s a brief, beautiful read.
All these years for some odd reasons I have not thought of getting my own domain for my name until this past New Year’s Day. I can’t even recall how it came to me, but I was surprised to find out that Donnytruong.com was available. I guess no one wants it, except me. Without much thinking, I snatched it immediately.
In the past two days off from work and one sleepless night, I migrated my portfolio from ON Designs to my new domain. ON Designs is now redirecting to my new domain until it expires in June. ON Designs was one of those ideas that came to mind as the moment, but then it became too gimmicky. Omit Needless Designs plays off omit needless words. It is not that clever after all.
In the migration process, I made some design changes as well. I converted one-column layout to a grid-based design. I reduced the number of projects down to just six pieces that show varieties and my design sensibility. For typography, I set Roslindale Text as text face and Bild as headings. Both of these typefaces designed by David Jonathan Ross. I am trying to put my Font of the Month Club membership to good use.
There are more tweaks to be done, but I just want to put it out there.
Sáng nay trời lạnh thấu xương không muốn dậy nhưng phải lôi tụi nhỏ đi học. Tôi còn được nghỉ hôm nay và ngày mai nên cố gắng dành cho mình những giây phút yên tỉnh nghe nhạc, đọc sách, và xem standup comedy trên Netflix. Tôi rất mê môn văn nghệ này. Nhất là được nghe những câu chuyện có chiều sâu.
Năm mới đã bắt đầu nhưng năm nay tôi chẵng có nghị quyết gì cả. Không cần kiêng ăn. Muốn ăn gì cứ ăn. Chừng nào hết ăn được tính sau. Tôi cũng chẵng có mục tiêu gì. Được sống vui vẻ nhẹ nhàng là đủ. Không cần phải đi du lịch xa. Được thời gian đọc sách và chơi với con là đủ.
Nếu có cải tiến, tôi muốn viết tiếng Việt nhiều hơn và ít sai chính tả hơn. Tôi muốn dùng những trang xã hội ít hơn và chỉ tập trung vào trang web cá nhân này. Twitter tôi đã bớt dùng rất nhiều. Facebook thì cần giảm đi nhiều hơn. Tôi muốn ít đọc tin tức chính trị hơn và chỉ đọc sách.
Chỉ vậy thôi là đủ rồi.