Nghe tên tưởng tác giả là phụ nữ nhưng là đàn ông. Tập thơ phát hành năm 2005 có được bài “Về gặp lại em” ấn tượng:

Ta về em gái một con
Đường xưa cỏ úa lối mòn êm chân
Nằm đêm ngó ý bâng khuâng
Tay ôm em bỗng châu thân rã rời
Giòng xuôi nước ngược chia đời
Tám năm ai có trách lời đợi mong
Má xưa sắc vẫn nắng hồng
Mắt xưa mi vẫn nét cong tuyệt vời
Thì thôi cũng một nụ cười
Kệ đời mưa gió tả tơi bước về

Còn nhiều bài thơ khác đa số là về người mẹ còn ở lại quê hương. Đọc cũng được nhưng phải phê bình rằng bìa sách thiết kế không được ấn tượng nhất là cách dùng chữ.

I went to Bryce yesterday to kick off our skiing/snowboarding season. I also wanted to test out my new gears to make sure I can ride them. Since we are getting serious about these sports, we might as well invest into new equipments.

Over the past several months, I sold my used gears and replaced them with new ones. Although they were brand new, they were at least 50% off. I took my time to do my search.

For snowboarding, I bought a 2023 Salomon Super 8 board ($265), 2020 United-G1 Rome bindings Rome Bindings ($110), and 2021 DC Men’s Laced Lace snowboard boots ($164). The whole set was $539.

For skiing, I bought 2023 Fischer RC Fire SLR Pro skis with RS 9 SLR bindings ($215) and Lange RX 120 ski boots ($355). The whole set was $570. Both set for just a bit over a $1000 is not bad.

Since Bryce is running an early-season discount on lift ticket for $40, I decided to drive an hour and 45 minutes to test out my equipments. Unfortunately, the condition was icy hard yesterday. I couldn’t initiate or turn my board at all. I was falling on my ass and knees. Fortunately, I had my Soared 3D Protection short pants on, but my knees were brutal. I need to put on my knee guards. The board performed well despite my horrible skills—I couldn’t get my front-knee steering down. This will be the technique I will learn this season. The DC boots worked really well. The stiffness held up well. I didn’t feel any pain at all.

I also tested out my Fischer skis, but I couldn’t do much under the hard-ice condition. They worked. I can’t wait to spend a week at Stowe starting this Saturday.

Out of the Chainz-Wayne duo, the veteran flows far more superior than the rookie. Right off “G6” and “Big Diamonds,” 2 Chainz can’t keep up with Lil Wayne’s virtuosic deliveries. Wayne maneuvers his way around the beats with effortlessness. It’s easy to enjoy the way he raps than what he raps. On the other hand, 2 Chainz has a few hilarious punchlines like, “I went to paradise with a pair of dice with a pair of dykes.” Unfortunately the album loses its momentum halfway in. “P.P.A.” is just misogynistically horrendous.

Nắng đi
để lại chiều tà
Người đi
để lại xót xa một đời
Đêm đi
để lại sương rơi
Tình đi
để lại giọt vài khoé mi…

Thương Anh

I was about to make a special announcement on a consulting project I landed, but I had to suppress my excitement after reading the NDA. Oh well!

One of my favorite rollerblading techniques is the ability to drop in. The highest I can do is an 8-foot, curved ramp. Anything higher than that is just out of my league. Đán, on the other hand, has mastered his dropping techniques and he has the confidence to pull it off. Here are some of his awesome drops:

1. Wakefield Skatepark (1)
2. Wakefield Skatepark (2)
3. Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark (1)
4. Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark (2)
5. Powhatan Springs Skatepark (1)
6. Powhatan Springs Skatepark (2)
7. Scott D. Eagles Skatepark (1)
8. Scott D. Eagles Skatepark (2)
9. Scott D. Eagles Skatepark (3)
10. Scott D. Eagles Skatepark (Slo-mo)

I admire his skills and confidence.

Tập thơ của Thương Anh đọc như “Người đẹp và quái vật (Beauty and the Beast)”. Em là người đẹp và quê hương giờ đây như quái vật. Đùa tí cho vui thôi. Hoàn toàn trân trọng cảm nhận riêng của tác giả về đất nước Việt Nam. Thơ viết về em thì thơ mộng và lãng mạn. Chẳng hạn như “Lục Bát Thiết Tha”:

Ru em đã có anh đây
Gom mây đan lại chiếu mây em nằm
Hái sao anh kết thành chăn
Giữ cho em khỏi giá băng đêm nầy

Gối đầu bằng mảnh trăng đầy
Mong em nhiều mộng đắm say giấc nồng
Đời em đã có anh trông
Hãy ngoan giấc ngủ tươi hồng cánh môi

Bờ mi khép lại quên đời
Anh ru em ngủ trong lời gối chăn
Dù cho đời có bâng khuâng
Ngủ đi em nhé! anh ngăn muộn phiền

Nhìn em trong giấc ngủ yên
Tim anh giữ trọn dáng hiền thơ ngây
Mong đừng gió thoảng qua đây
Cuốn đi giấc mộng lấy đâu anh đến

Những bài thơ in trên chữ hoa hơi khó đọc một tí. Lời thơ thì đẹp, trôi chảy, và dễ hiểu.

The Snowman is back and he might forgive, but he never forgets. Jeezy delivers 29 tracks all by himself. He raps the bars and the hooks. His flow is still slow and eerie. His storytelling is still captivating. I didn’t I could finish 29 tracks, but I had gone through at least three times. I could quote his rhymes and punchlines on any track, but I leave you with this one: “They wouldn’t let you in the door, but I walk you in the buildin’ / Only thing I’m takin’ care of, nigga, is my children.” Glad to hear a hustler’s taking care of his kids.

Last Friday was my last of work for 2023. I will return on January 10, 2024. I need a long break.

As soon as I found out about the release of Playpen Sans, designed by Laura Meseguer, Veronika Burian, and José Scaglione, I typeset the “Cổ tích nhi đồng” sample page again. Playpen Sans has an organic handwriting quality that fits well with the folk tales for children.

When setting the stories in Playpen Sans’s regular weight, I was surprised how well the text can be read. The TypeTogether team had done an exceptional job of keeping the authenticity of the handwriting style without compromising readability. Striking that balance requires research, time, and skills. The final product shows that they had invested in all three.

Playpen Sans comes with Vietnamese diacritics right from the initial release. The combinations, the stacks, and the positions of the marks are spot on. What I love the most is the bottom tail of the hook above, which adds a handwriting touch to the mark. In my type reviews, I always recommend the bottom tail.

While admiring the diacritical marks, it occurred to me that I have seen this typeface before. I went back to my font review archive and there was Playpen Sans, but under a different name. José Scaglione had sent it to me a while ago to review. I almost forgot all about it until now. It is incredible that they made Playpen Sans free for anyone to use.