Yesterday morning was just another day of commuting to work. The weather was nice and I was just doing my business as usual until the cop pulled me over before the intersection of Columbia Pike and Oak Hill Drive. I have been driving on this road everyday for almost three years and I had never had any speeding issues. It’s a quiet road with lots of trees. In the summertime, I usually slow down every Thursday to enjoy the farmer market.

In the past few months, the road has been reworked; therefore, the road has been very bumpy. I hate driving on bumpy road simply because I feel bad for my car; therefore, I even drive slower than normal. Yesterday was no exception. There was no way I could have driven 50 miles in a 35-mile zone. I am definitely going to court again to fight this false accusation.

Whenever I get pullover I usually get stress out even though I tell myself that it’s part of life. I have to deal with every four or five years. I shouldn’t let this type of obstacles get to me. I have more important things to think about. I know that there’s not much I can do. I just need to be patience and deal with it when the time comes. For now, I just let it out of my system and writing a mundane post on this topic should do it.

Similar to Alexander Lawson’s Anatomy of a Typeface, Type & Typography is an invaluable book on learning the history of typography. The articles, selected from the Matrix archive, covered a wide range of topics including early Indian typography, the Colum Cille Irish type, Greek types, Treyfold type and music type. The body text of the book is set in Hermann Zapf’s Comenius, which is beautiful, legible and readable.

(Updated)

• Type & Typography: Highlights From Matrix by John Randle, John Berry
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
• 30 Years of Swiss Typographic Discourse in the Typografische Monatsblätter by Louise Paradis, Francois Rappo
• Typeface: Classic Typography for Contemporary Design by Tamye Riggs
• Designing Design by Kenya Hara
• Anatomy of a Typeface by Alexander Lawson
• White by Kenya Hara
• Letters of Credit: A View of Type Design by Walter Tracy
• Typographie: A Manual of Design by Emil Ruder
• What They Didn’t Teach You in Design School by Phil Cleaver
• Book Typography: A Designer’s Manual by Michael and Susan Wightman Mitchell

Had a relaxing week in North Carolina. Even though the vacation was short, I am grateful for the time spent with my love ones. We went to the beach a bit and ate a lot of food. I had a chance to read a book. Thanks to my in-laws for the wonderful moments we shared. I am now recharged for an excited project at work.

Now that the hype has subsided, I got around to read Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs. In contrast to the negative criticisms from the tech community, I find Isaacson’s writing to be engaging, particularly in demonstrating Jobs’s design sensibility. Jobs had picked the right author to write his biography. I am glad I read it after all. The book is also way better than the movie played by Ashton Kutcher.

Lê Khôi’s debut Cho Một Lần Quên is a predictable but pleasant ballad record. He covers standards from Diệu Hương, Phú Quang and Trường Sa. His charming baritone jelled the most with Diệu Hương’s simple, melodic compositions. He delivers “Để Mặc Tôi Yêu Em” with honesty and empathy.

His most successful take on Phú Quang’s is “Có Một Vài Điều Anh Muốn Nói Với Em.” Trường Sa’s compositions are too mature for him. His take on “Một Mai Em Đi” and “Xin Còn Gọi Tên Nhau” shows that he lacks the experience to truly express the writer’s emotional lyricism.

One of the major setbacks of the album is the musical productions. The pre-arrangements were stale and lacking of dynamics. While Lê Khôi’s voice has potential, he needs to step further than being lumped into Quang Dũng’s group.

When Hitler took over power in 1933, many innovators including Jan Tschichold left Germany. It was also the period that marked a significant change in the world of graphic design and typography. One of the graphic design journals that helped bring Swiss Typography to the international level was Typografische Monatsblätter. This book focuses on the historical influence of MT from 1930–1990. The concise overview combined with rich visual documentations make it a fascinating study.

Mới đó đã sáu năm chính thức nên vợ nên chồng. Sáu năm trải qua bao sóng gió và thử thách trong đời sống. Cả hai luôn bận rộn trong công việc và nuôi nấng con cái. Trong tình cảm có lúc vui lúc buồn và lúc thương lúc giận. Cái quan trọng là nhường bước và cùng nhau giải quyết mọi khó khăn.

Để kỷ niệm sáu năm sát cánh bên nhau, tôi muốn tặng vợ một món quà nhỏ tôi tự làm lấy. Nhìn lại những lúc không vui hay nản lòng, tôi nhớ lại thuở ban đầu yêu nhau và hứa hẹn nhau. Lời khuyên mà chúng tôi ghi giấu sâu sắc là của cố nhạc sĩ Lê Uyên Phương: “Rồi mai đây đi trên đường đời / Đừng buông tay âm thầm tìm về cô đơn.” Người nhạc sĩ tài hoa muốn nhắc phải cố gắng và không buông xuôi.

Tôi thiết kế một poster tặng em. Cám ơn những tình yêu và cảm thông em đã giành cho tôi. Tôi xin được yêu em suốt đời.

Although the cover is a bit overwhelming, Tamye Riggs’s Typeface is filled with beautiful typographic visuals, unique character highlights, and a bit of history. It’s a perfect coffee table book to look at and to be inspired.

Even though Dan Auerbach’s voice is too thin and girly for my ears, I really enjoy the productions on The Black Keys’ latest release Turn Blue. Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton plays a key role in those sounds. The Bo Diddley beat, forceful riffs and feedback on “It’s Up to You Now” are so damn addictive. The “Fever” groove is also captivating. Even the slow-burning album starter, “Weight of Love,” is sensation. Listening to this album makes me wish Burton and Norah Jones reunite for another collaborative project.