My Dearest Đạo,

It is hard to believe that our firstborn turns 16 today. Time flies by so fast. Even though you are taller than me now, I still can see the tiny baby I once held in my arms. I wish you are still a baby, but I have to accept the reality. You are becoming a young fellow. As far as I can see, you can do anything when you want to. You can be a wonderful son when you want to. You can be a great brother when you want to. You can be a great student when you want to. The only question is whether you want to or not.

Taking responsibilities is part of growing up. You are old enough now to think for yourself and your own future. Your mother and I already gave you more-than-enough information to succeed in life. We stressed the important of getting a good education because that how we grew up and that how we knew how to survive. That’s just our views. It is time for you to determine your own path, but don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need our feedback. We are here for you and we will always be here for you until the day we die.

As parents, we always want all of our children to live a good, happy, healthy live. We will do anything for you, but we also want you to do things for yourself. I hope that you understand where we stand and why we did what we did in the last 15 years of your life. Our love for you will never change and our door will never shut you out. We will always welcome you with open arms and hearts, but we also want you to spread your wings and soar as high as you can.

Despite some roadblocks, you are still on the right track. Don’t let digital disillusion pull you off the rail. Stay positive and stay focus. We love you and we are proud of who you are becoming. I don’t know what the future will hold for you, but I can’t want to see it.

Happy 16^th Birthday!

Love,
Dad

Tôi được biết đến tiếng hát Lưu Hồng vào đầu thập niên 90 (lúc tôi mới định cư ở Mỹ) qua những liên khúc cô cộng tác với những ca sĩ cùng thời như Ngọc Lan và Kiều Nga. Trong khi giọng hát Ngọc Lan dịu dàng và ngọt ngào, Kiều Nga mạnh mẽ và trong sáng, thì giọng hát Lưu Hồng có chất sương khói và một chút bất cần. Tuy cô không nổi tiếng như Ngọc Lan và Kiều Nga vào thời điểm đó, tôi vẫn nhớ mãi giọng hát khá riêng biệt và quyến rũ của cô.

Cách đây 20 năm tôi có viết về album Ðêm mưa ngoại ô của cô. Tôi cứ ngỡ rằng cô không thu âm nhiều cho đến gần đây tôi mới phát hiện trên Spotify, cô đã sản xuất những sản phẩm riêng của cô. Năm 1988, Lưu Hồng phát hành album đầu tay cho riêng mình với tựa đề Nhạc vàng chọn lọc. Mới đó mà đã 37 năm rồi.

Album mỡ màng với “Giáng Ngọc” của Ngô Thụy Miên qua nhịp điệu tango lả lướt. Tiếp đến với “Người tình và quê hương” của Trịnh Lâm Ngân qua nhịp điệu boléro mượt mà. Với chất giọng khàn và bụi bụi, Lưu Hồng trình bài ca khúc nào cũng đạt. Đáng lý ra cô nên giữ nguyên đại từ chỉ ngôi của Phạm Duy viết trong ca khúc “Tình hờ”. Khi cô hát “Khi tôi tìm đến anh là tìm vui trong chốc lát” nghe hơi giống kĩ nữ.

Tuy Nhạc vàng chọn lọc không có một chủ đề nhất định, nhưng vẫn đáng được thưởng thức. Những tiếng hòa âm của nhạc sĩ Lê Văn Thiện đưa tôi về với những chuỗi ngày mới chân ướt chân ráo đến Mỹ.

Tesla’s profits fell 71 percent compared to the first quarter of 2024. Thanks to Elon Musk, Tesla went from iconic to garbage. Big props to everyone who participated in protesting Tesla. Your efforts worked. Let’s continue to defend our democracy.

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Last week, I spent five days skiing and snowboarding with my family in Vermont. Today I am still recuperating as I am turning 47. My body is telling me that I am getting old. I was still killing it on the pistes though.

I love skiing and snowboarding and I hope I will continue to do so for many years to come. Being active on the snow helped my beat the winter blue. When I was shredding on the trails, my mind was clear and at ease. I was close to nature and far away from digital. As the weather warming up, which is great for most people, I get a pang of sadness.

I am not taking good care of myself as I should. I haven’t given up alcohol. I haven’t changed my terrible diet. Thankfully I am still healthy at 47. Gout is my only enemy, but I might have it under control with a daily dose of Allopurinol. I hope I won’t get a flare up again.

As for family, my wife and I are on good terms. She gets grumpier over time, but my love for her is still strong enough to tolerate it. My kids are growing fast. I try to spend as much time as I can with them even though they rather spend time on their digital device.

As I am aging, I need to take better of myself physically and mentally. I am more active now than when I was younger. I can’t stress myself out. I can’t fall into depression. I don’t want to deal with anything out of my control. I can’t worry about losing my job. I can’t worry about how my kids will turn out.

For the most part, I am happy. I am lucky to have what I have now. I strive to improve myself incrementally everyday. I hope I will do better at 47. Happy birthday to me.

I was on vacation last week; therefore, I hadn’t followed up with the state of our democracy. I am glad to see Harvard upholds its values and defends its university against the Trump Administration. Harvard also sues the Trump Administration for its unlawful act of freezing federal funds for research in care and treatment for cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes. By standing up to the Trump Administration, Harvard is standing up for our democracy. All other schools should follow, especially Columbia University.

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After watching Parasite, I wanted to more of Joon-ho Bong’s films. Okja, which is available on Netflix, is both cute and cruel. I love the fictionalized superpig, but also can’t get the animal cruelty out of my head. Bong is an animal activist, or he had proven so through Okja. I would love to see Bong make a movie on Trump.

Tập thơ Đời mãi ở phương đông của nhà thơ Du Tử Lê phát hành năm 1974 lúc ông 32 tuổi. Ông viết trong tình trạng ưu uất và vốn đã nên những bài thơ tình của ông nói lên sự đau đớn: “tình như một đường gươm / ngực đây, gươm hãy ngập”.

Hạnh phúc lúc đó đối với ông cũng rất sầu muộn. Trong “Khi ở biển với T.C”, ông viết:

hạnh phúc ở trên cao
ta đào sâu dưới đáy
hãy vỗ lên đời tan
Những ngày mưa lệ nhạt

Và ông kết thúc rằng:

hạnh phúc không có chân
cách gì ta đuổi được
tình yêu không có cánh
làm sao ta bay theo
tất cả ở tim người
cõi hư vô thần thánh

Lớn lên vào thời điểm chinh chiến, ông thèm thuồng da thịt như thèm thuồng hòa bình:

ta trở về nha trang
thấy trời ôm biển lạ
bỗng anh thèm ôm em
thấy nụ hôn rất ngọt
thấy ngực thơm mùi trầm
ôi hòa bình hòa bình

Và “Giữ đời cho nhau” là bài thơ quen thuộc vì được nhạc sĩ Từ Công Phụng phổ thành ca khúc:

ơn em thơ dại từ trời
theo ta xuống biển vớt đời ta trôi
ơn em, dáng mỏng mưa vời
theo ta lên núi về đồi yêu thương
ơn em, ngực ngải môi trầm
cho ta cỏ mặn trăm lần lá ngoan
ơn em, hơi thoảng chỗ nằm
dấu quanh quẩn dấu nỗi buồn một nơi
ơn em, hồn sớm ngậm ngùi
kiếp sau xin giữ lại đời cho nhau

Tôi đọc tập thơ này sau những buổi trượt tuyết để thư giãn. Những lúc đó thân thể mỏi mệt và đầu óc cũng không tỉnh táo. Tuy nhiên tôi cảm thấy thích những lời thơ sâu sắc của ông. Nếu có cơ hội tôi sẽ tìm đọc thêm thơ của ông.

As we wrapped up our spring break at Stowe, our 2024-2025 season had also come to an end. I spent 57 incredible days on the mountains skiing, snowboarding, and teaching. I am grateful for the opportunity to do what I love and to make long-lasting memories with my family.

This season started my journey as an instructor and I had the great pleasure of introducing many newcomers to the world of snowboarding. No matter at what age they started out, my goal was to get them over the learning curve with the minimal amount of falls. I incorporated my own learning experience into the lesson to provide an enjoyable progression for my guests. By the end of my two-hour lesson, most of them could link their turns.

As for my own progression, I made the goals I set out for myself. For snowboarding, I carved better than last season. I nailed down my stance, balance, and turns. I could ride faster with better control. My turns were smoother and my edges gripped deeper into the snow. Last season, I struggled to ride down Liftline, the double-black trail at Stowe, but I enjoyed it so much in the last few days. I figured out the flow of dynamic turnings and the ability to get my board from toe to heel swiftly.

For skiing, I also carved better than last season. I could ski faster with more confidence. I had a much better control on my outside ski when I made my turns. My inside ski, however, couldn’t quite match up with my outside ski yet. I enjoyed carving on wide open trails leaving the train tracks behind. I still need to figure out how to switch edges without breaking the tracks.

My goals for the next season will be focusing on fine-tuning my carves. For snowboarding, I would like to get my edges higher, especially my toe side. For skiing, I would like to make better initiations and sink low. This season, I started going into the woods with my kids and doing a few jumps in the park. I will try to improve in these areas next season so I can hang out with them. Setting out goals will push me to get to the mountains and I won’t get bored.

I will continue to teach next season. I couldn’t pass up the generous perks as a Vail employee. Skiing and snowboarding are incredibly expensive. Being an instructor helped easing the costs for our family’s seasonal passes. Without a doubt, I love skiing and snowboarding and plan to continue to do both for as long as my body will allow. I love them even more when I don’t have to pay.

In retrospect, these sports paid for themselves. My wife made the initial investment when she forced me to learn to ski so I could go with the kids. Now she regrets introducing me to the game. She should have known better. Once I get turned onto something, I can’t stop.