For the record, uncle Đức Huy just released one of the lamest pop albums of the year. He tries too hard to be hip and the result shows just that: an old fart trying to be hip. In making Tình Tính Tang Tiếng Đàn Ghi-Ta, uncle Huy goes against every suggestion he gave to the contestants when he was one of the judges in Thuy Nga’s singing competition. Someone is not taking his own advice.

The title track opens the album with uncle Huy singing and strumming his guitar, which is fine and dandy until he applies some Auto-Tune to his vocals. Not only the track loses its rawness of storytelling, it also makes him sounds quite creepy. Speaking of rawness, no one has surpassed the original version of “Đừng Xa Em Đêm Nay.” Something about the boléro rhythm and the effortlessness of Thảo My’s delivery that made the song such guilty pleasure. Around the time the song released, I had a friend who taped it on both side of a cassette and just let it played again and again. Thảo My came across so damn convincing that it was impossible for any man to leave. I used to envy Đức Huy for that. They seemed to be such a perfect couple until the divorce.

On the new release, uncle Huy covers “Đừng Xa Em Đêm Nay” himself with the help of Auto-Tune. Not only his singing is bad, but also his rapping is terrible. The result is that he singlehandedly fucked up his own song. The first version of “Giống Như Tôi” was arranged in a decent cha-cha flavor and he sang the tune with his true voice. It was not spectacular, but it was fun. The new remix is a total disaster. No one wants to hear a grown-ass man whining about being jilted in a club.

“Lời Cuối Cho Em” gets doses of Auto-Tune as well and he turned this sad song into a happy, sunshine tune with fake Jamaican groove. Again the rapping/reading is corny as hell. Uncle Huy, please stop trying to imitate young pop album. Leave it to the kids.

Lately I have added more podcasts that aren’t related to web design and technology. Terry Gross’s “Fresh Air” has been one of my favorites at the moment. Really like her interviews as well as the diversity of topics. The one that I was trying to go through as many episodes as I could when I was on vacation was Grammar Girl’s “Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” She has so many great tips on grammar. I get a taste of latest music through NPR‘s “Music Interview” and the New York Times‘s “Music Popcast.” I am also subscribing to “TEDTalk.”

A week-long vacation at the beach went by quick even though I tried to stall as much as I could. Can’t fight time. It was an eventful rather than relaxing week. Can’t be relaxed with a four-year-old, an eighteen-month and a fourteen-month boy. Though I managed to listen to some podcasts, jazz (mostly Wynton Marsalis) and read a few books. I had to wake up around 4:30 in the morning to do my things before the kids got up.

The good thing was that I only opened up my laptop twice for about half an hour each time. Getting away from my computer allowed me to do other tasks. I still had my iPhone though to do some online reading, posting on Facebook and checking email. I was not completely disconnected, but somewhat. I was going to use my vacation time to work on a freelance project, but I just wanted to focus on other things instead.

Had lots of fun time with my in-laws and the boys. Cu Dan is a handful. He ran around everywhere on his own. He didn’t like anyone to hold his hand or carry him. He just liked to run and fall all by himself. Dao was good at holding hands when we crossed the streets. He was a lot more cautious than his little brother.

One of the things that I liked about the time off was that I was able to spend time with each boy separately. Dan usually woke up early so I could take him out to the boardwalk in the morning. When Dao woke up everyone went down to the beach to play with the water. After lunch Dan would take a nap and I would take Dao out for a tram ride and play some mini golf or spend time at the arcade.

It felt nice to have time alone with each kid, especially for Dao. Giving him the full attention is something that is lacking when we were all together. Dan is still little and he requires so much tentative care. He would jump off the boardwalk or running himself into bicycles if we didn’t keep an eye on him. Spending time with each kid was not so exhausting and allowed bonding time with each one.

With Dao, we could just ride the tram car for hours on the boardwalk. I can just sit by his side and have a conversation with him. With Dan, I had to hold to him tight. He didn’t like to sit still. He would stood up tried to break free from me.

I had a lot of great time even though it was way too short. On our way back my mom called to let us know a terrible news. One of my aunts is diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer spreading to liver. So we headed straight to Lancaster to pay her a visit. Every time I hear the word cancer, I get a chill, especially with someone in the family. We just dealt with this tragic disease not too long ago.

Loc Duong, a dear friend, wrote in:

Hey Donny,
Your entry about your childhood in a temple was very tender and touching! You might enjoy this video filmed in Hanoi a few years ago. I am writing this email in Vietnamese because I know you can read/write in Vietnamese and it just feels more natural for me when writing about subjects like this one:

Here’s his fantastic review of Hương Sen Mầu Nhiệm.

Chương trình nhạc với chủ đề nghe cổ xưa nhưng được thực hiện trong phong cách rất avant-garde bởi phần mise-en-scene và hòa âm do Việt Tú và Trần Mạnh Hùng, 2 nghệ sĩ trẻ được đào tạo ở Mỹ thực hiện. Trần Mạnh Hùng đã từng viết nhiều bài blog diễn tả cảnh phố xá New York thấy được từ cửa sổ cô đơn của một apartment ngay trên con đường bụi đời Canal của Manhattan.

Phần mở đầu (phút giây 5:20) có lẽ là phần “đã” nhất cho những ai thích tìm hiểu mối hỗ tương giữa lễ nhạc Phật Giáo và nghệ thuật Việt Nam. Thật kinh ngạc khi thấy các tăng ni miền Bắc hát Chèo “pro” đến như vậy. Màn này làm nhớ đến một người quen Thái Lan đã nói “Phật giáo tiểu thừa Thái Lan không có những lễ nghi nhiều nhạc tính như bên đại thừa, vốn tụng kinh như hát và được phụ họa bởi nhiều nhạc cụ.”

Tươi mát nhất có lẽ là phần Anh Quân đệm guitar cho con gái Anna hát một ca khúc do bố sáng tác, sử dụng độc có 1 câu bằng tiếng Phạn. Ana quá giống mẹ, nhưng không biết chiếc mũi Trung Đông đến từ đâu?

Màn kèn, trống của các vị sư nữ nhắc ta nhớ đến sự chớm nở của Phật giáo Tây Tạng tại miền Bắc những năm gần đây. Có lẽ vì vậy nên Trần Tiến đã viết trong ca khúc Ra Ngõ Tụng Kinh:

Âm dương nằm ngang ngũ hành nằm dọc
Em chưa biết đọc, em nằm nghiêng
Em vẫn nằm nghiêng ngó mặt trời xanh em đợi anh
Mặt trời xanh, hai đứa chúng mình
Một ổ rơm ấm, tu thiền mật tông
Mặt trời xanh, hai đứa chúng mình
Một ổ rơm ấm, tụng kinh thánh hiền

Một tiết mục rất nhiều sáng tạo (có thể bị cho là khó hiểu bởi những ai không hề xem/nghe nghệ thuật hiện đại) là nhạc cảnh Bến Giác (phút giây 44:15). Phần múa hiện đại diễn tra trên nền nhạc của Quốc Trung, tác giả trường ca Đường Xa Vạn Dặm. Chiều sâu không gian và độ dài lịch sử được tạo ra bằng cách bố trí ánh sáng thay vì những hình vẽ lòe loẹt thường thấy trên các sân khấu của người Việt. Một lần nữa, tiếng tụng kinh hòa lẫn với âm giai chèo và chầu văn khiến cho ta giật mình cảm thấy nguồn gốc tâm linh và văn hóa Văn Lang vẫn còn sống một cách kín đáo trong huyết quản mình.

Phần phỏng vấn nhà sư đến từ chùa Hương cho nghe lời người xưa: “Chẳng thơm thì cũng hoa nhài. Dù không thanh lịch cũng người Tràng An.” Khiến một sư bà tươi cười, khoe cả một hàm răng nhuộm đen.

Đức Tuấn đến từ Sài Gòn hát một ca khúc thật xưa của Thẩm Oánh. Ca từ bị lỗi thời nhưng bù lại phần múa và tác dụng ánh sáng quá đẹp!

Vượt trội hơn tất cả về giai điệu lẫn tưởng là ca khúc Chắp Tay Hoa của Phạm Duy, phổ từ thơ của Phạm Thiên Thư do Mỹ Linh trình bày. Con người thích phá lệ của Phạm Duy đã mạnh dạn bước ra khỏi trường phái Phật giáo cổ truyền nơi đình chùa để hòa mình vào vũ trụ của “không nhơ không sạch, không thêm không bớt” của tinh thần Bát Nhã.

Bài hát sau cùng có vẻ nghiêng về lịch sử Thăng Long trong ý tưởng, và đươm vẻ âm nhạc Tây Phương nên đã thích hợp với kỹ thuật thanh nhạc của Đức Tuấn và Mỹ Linh.

Chắc chắn có người thích và kẻ ghét chương trình này, nhưng ít ra đây là lần đầu tiên âm nhạc Phật giáo được chính thức giới thiệu trên cùng 1 sân khấu từ 2 góc độ riêng biệt: sự gắn bó giữa lễ nhạc Phật giáo với truyền thống âm nhạc, sân khấu Việt Nam và khả năng được làm mới của nó trong hoàn cảnh bành trướng của âm nhạc Tây Phương. Cả 2 lĩnh vực trên, trong chương trình này, đã được làm tròn một cách xuất sắc bởi những thế hệ trẻ như Quốc Trung, Anh Quân, Việt Tú, Trần Mạnh Hùng: đầy sáng tạo và không bao giờ đi trở lại một cách lười biếng con đường của những người đi trước.

Tim Wright’s Learning JavaScript is very approachable. Wright doesn’t teach you everything about JavaScript, but just what you need to know to understand the language. If other thick, complicated books overwhelmed you, give this one a try.

Robin Landa’s Graphic Design Solution (5th edition) is surprisingly comprehensive. From a brief history of graphic design to typography to the design process to grid systems, Landa has done a thorough job of introduction these important design subjects.

In my early days, I learned design from a variety of resources. It’s nice to have a preview of everything in one source. This is a great read for beginners to learn the basic of design. To dig further, you’ll need to find books that are focused on a particular topic. Typography, for instance, needs a book or several books of its own.

I must confess that I didn’t realize the cost ($153.95) of this book until I checked it on Amazon. I just picked it up at George Mason library.

Five years ago, I left the lovely Poughkeepsie, New York and followed my heart to the Metro Area. Then I married the woman I love. Just like that and half a decade had passed.

We stood the test of time. We had gone through ups and downs. We have our differences, but we compromise. We’re not perfect, but we embrace our imperfection. We work hard everyday to build our lives together.

In retrospect, the past five years had changed our lives forever. I am grateful everyday that she had given me two beloved boys. The journey to parenthood has just only begun. The road ahead of us is still rough and unpredictable. We will have many challenges waiting for us, but we would pull through if we hold on tight. Love will conquer and unite us all.

Happy five-year anniversary. Thank you for all the love, laugh, sacrifice and support.

Michael Evamy’s Logotype demonstrates the art of transforming words into visuals. Through an extensive collection of over 1,300 examples, this is an invaluable resource for designers who are interested in crafting memorable, recognizable typographic identity. Added to my bookshelf.

Next month Dan will join his brother for the summer camp. I am sure he’ll have a much easier time adjusting to the new environment than Dao. He seems be to be less emotional than his big brother. I still recall the days Dao cried every time I dropped him off to daycare. It took him almost a year to get over that issue. We’ll see how Dan do.

I used to have to fight with Dao every time I brushed his teeth. On the other hand, Dan is a breeze. Each morning he gets up and greets me with a smile. I take him to the bathroom, brush his teeth, change his clothes and diaper and let him go over to his mom and brother’s room while I do my things.

As soon as we go downstairs, he goes to the shoe rack, picks up his shoes, sits on the steps and waits for me to put his shoes on. We go outside and I let him roam around for a bit before putting him into the carseat and go over my sister-in-law’s house. Once we arrive, I take him out if the car and let him walk around enjoying the beautiful morning before taking him into the house. I really enjoy those moments with him. Once I take him inside, his little cousin is very happy to see him. Then I stay with them for a few minutes before heading to work. Dan doesn’t seem to even notice that I am leaving. He’s very closed to his grandma and cousin.

Next month that routine will changed. Sending him to daycare is good for him and for us as well. The only problem is… there goes $2,600 each month for both kids.

I am now rocking with a brand new MacBook Pro with Retina Display and a 27-inch Thunderbolt Display. The Retina quality is simply stunning. Spent all day at work transferring all the software and files. Using the Migration Assistant would have been much faster, but I wanted to start fresh rather than bringing all the old junks over.

I had the old MacBook Pro for almost two years, but I actually don’t have much in it. I tried to keep my baby as clean as possible; therefore, starting from scratch isn’t a big deal. Google Chrome rocks. All I have to do was logged in and everything I had from the old laptop are there on the new one. As far as softwares go, I only had a handful. My IT man installed Office and Adobe Suite for me; therefore, I only had like a few programs to install.

The performance of the new MacBook Pro is doubled my previous one in term of memory, processor and storage and yet, the new laptop is even lighter. Very impressive.

About six months ago, I took my computer bag out of the trunk and accidentally dropped the old laptop on the driveway. One of the corners has a dense. I thought I broke it, but it still works great to this day. I am still glad to have it replaced though. My boss rocks, too.