Let’s keep it real. There is no diversity in an environment runs by white men, white privileges, and conservation agenda. Any promotion of diversity is just for marketing purpose. Death of diversity.

I updated all my photo galleries with the browser’s built-in loading="lazy" attribute:

<img src="image.png" loading="lazy" alt="">

Learn more at web.dev. I didn’t realize lazy loading has been widely supported in the browsers; therefore, I am a bit late. I love it when browsers implement elements like this so we don’t have to rely on JavaScript to do the job.

I spent my beautiful morning commute with the Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins. The clarity and dexterity from his tenor backed up by the crisp drumming from Shelly Manne and the bass thumbing from Ray Brown brightened my day on the opening “I’m an Old Cowhand.” The following track, his emotional reinterpretation of “Solitude” almost made me weep. The vibe continued throughout the box-set collection.

Seth Godin is a voracious blogger. He keeps his prose short and to the point. The Practice reads more like a collection of his blog posts randomly slapped together. I am 60 pages in and calling it quit. I just can’t retain any information from the book; therefore, I just can’t finish it. I am not sure why I had it on my Amazon wishlist when it just came out in 2020. Three years later, I picked up a copy in the library to give it a try. I removed it from my wishlist.

My house by the bridge over the water
You come visit me one day
Many forest birds flock together,
All over the spring harbor.
Pairs of wings fluttering white,
Singing in quiet delight:
U ú ù u ú
The cherry branch glistens with sunshine
The birds singing song of love and affection
Their voices resonating in the far distance
U ú ù u ú
Feeling ecstatic with the season’s spirit and its fragrance.

Helping each other onto the hill’s steep path
We see the birds envying our words of love
On reaching here, we both hesitantly stop
Your eyes like the shape of a boat reflecting in the water
Your dress swaying in the caressing breeze of the spring harbor.

A vast mist covers the hills and mountains
O The brown sails on the sea waves in the far horizon…
The orioles singing,
The swallows entering the clouds,
Those away from their hometowns,
Their hearts filled with nostalgia…

My house feels empty and I, disoriented
When you’re away from me one evening
The water harbor’s deserted,
But your lovely face and figure
Still reflected in the water.

Pairs of birds in the sunshine
quietly sing a lullaby
U ú ù u ú
Like the teardrops of the season, the leaves are falling
The birds twitter sounds of longing,
Their voices resonating in the far distance.
U ú ù u ú
Where’s the season’s spirit returning to?

He departed years ago on a rainy and windy day
Today, with wandering feet, he returns to this place
Here, the horizon’s filled with hills and mountains and clouds
The willow trees and their swaying leaves over the river,
the golden sunshine and the clear water,
welcome, and wash the dust-covered shirt
of the spring harbor’s visitor.

Translated by Vương Thanh

Bến xuân

Nhà tôi bên chiếc cầu soi nước
em đến tôi một lần
bao lũ chim rừng họp đàn
trên khắp bến xuân
từng đôi rung cánh trắng
khe khẽ ca
U ú ù u ú
Cành đào rung nắng chan hòa
chim ca thương mến
chim ngân xa
U ú ù u ú
Hồn mùa ngây ngất trầm vương

Dìu nhau theo dốc mới
nơi ven đồi
còn thấy chim ghen lời âu yếm
đến đây chân bước cùng ngập ngừng
mắt em như dáng thuyền soi nước
tà áo em rung trong gió nhẹ thẹn thùng ngoài bến xuân

Sương mênh mông che lấp kín non xanh
ôi cánh buồm nâu
còn trên lớp sóng xuân
ai tha hương nghe
ríu rít oanh ca
cánh nhạn vào mây thiết tha
lưu luyến tình vừa qua

Nhà tôi sao vẫn còn ngơ ngác
em vắng tôi một chiều
bến nước tiêu điều còn hằn in nét đáng yêu

từng đôi chim trong nắng
khe khẽ ru
U ú ù u ú
Lệ mùa rơi lá chan hòa
chim reo thương nhớ
chim ngân xa
U ú ù u ú
Hồn mùa ngây ngất về đâu

Người đi theo mưa gió xa muôn trùng
lần bước phiêu du về chốn cũ
tới đây mây núi đồi chập chùng
liễu dương tơ tóc vàng
trong nắng
gội áo phong sương
du khách còn ngại
ngùng nhìn bến xuân
Bèo dạt mây trôi

Văn Cao & Phạm Duy

Mason News:

Born in Nha Trang, Vietnam, in 1945, Duong earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Law from the University of Saigon in 1966. She started her career working for the Ministry of Social Welfare before joining IBM in 1968, where she worked until she escaped from the communist government in 1975. She came to the United States with just $30 in her pocket.

Congratulations, Ms. Dương

Hôm nay kỷ niệm 20 năm ngày thành lập trang iLoveNgocLan. Thời gian trôi qua nhanh quá. Cũng không ngờ rằng, tôi đã chăm sóc ngôi nhà này suốt một chặng đường dài đến bây giờ.

Để tưởng nhớ một dấu mốc, tôi cũng không biết làm gì ngoài việc đổi nét chữ mới với một chút chữ viết tay và chữ dễ đọc. Giờ đây trang nhà không còn tiếng qua lại như xưa nữa. Năm ngoái tôi cố gắng viết thường xuyên hơn nhưng vẫn không thấy động tĩnh gì cả. Những người vẫn hâm mộ Ngọc Lan đã chuyển sang Facebook và những trang mạng khác.

Năm ngoái tôi ngồi đọc lại một số bài cũ và những lời bình luận. Thì ra đã có xảy ra những lời bàn cãi mà lúc đó tôi đã không có thời gian giải quyết. Kết quả là chắc các bạn hâm mộ tiếng hát Ngọc Lan cũng đã không quay trở lại. Đành phải chịu thôi. Biết làm sao bao giờ. Cuối cùng iLoveNgocLan vẫn chỉ là một trang nhà tưởng nhớ tiếng hát vẫn luôn tồn tại trong tim những người yêu Ngọc Lan.

Tuy giờ đây trang nhà không còn sinh hoạt gì nữa, tôi vẫn giữ gìn cho đến lúc tôi không còn điều kiện gì nữa.

Last Friday evening, I took Đán, Xuân, and Vương to Camp Wilson to start our camping weekend for the Cub Scouts. The campsite prohibited vehicles from entering; therefore, we had to carry our gears from the parking lot to the site. Fortunately, the three boys were huge helpers. Even Vương carried pillows and sleeping bags. Đán had to set up the tent and take it down all by himself to prove to the leaders that he could. He passed the test.

Once other Cubs and their parents poured in, we started dinner. My wife came to take Vương home. He didn’t want to sleep in the woods without his mom. Around 9:30 pm, Đán and Xuân went to bed. I stayed up chatting with leaders and other parents until one in the morning.

On Saturday, the kids had advancement activities all day. After sending the boys off in the morning, I went back to the tent to catch some sleep. I got back out around 10 am. We had lunch and I joined the kids for the afternoon activities, which included playing games and hiking for two miles.

Right after we had delicious phở for dinner, the rain poured down hard. Đán, Xuân and I ran into our tent. We kicked back, relaxed, and listened to the rain crashing against the plastic tarp. The sounds reminded me of my childhood in Việt Nam. I felt like a kid again and I wanted to freeze time. It was such a special moment with my kids. I don’t know if they will remember it or not, but I definitely will never forget the moment. Then I realized that it would be the last scout camping trip with Đán as a Cub. He will be joining the Troop next year. I don’t have any doubt that he will survive on his own.

I am still going to be part of the Cubs for a while with Xuân and Vương. Through Liên Đoàn Hùng Vương, I was able to connect with other parents and make friends. We have many things in common including family, culture, and language. When not scouting together, we like to hang out, enjoy food and drinks, and make jokes.

Is Life a verse or a flash of a dream?
A glorious morning or the night shadow falling?
A passing moment of picking on the guitar strings?
Is Life like the sea mist or the wandering clouds,
Or a touching moment of waiting in the evening?

Please let Spring blooms, and never wither
Let Summer be filled with golden sunshine,
Autumn with cool breeze,
And Winter not so frosty.
Let Winter brings a warm fragrance
And Life always beautiful as poetry.

Is Life infinite or is it a moment of forgetfulness?
Is it the sunset with fading sunshine still lingering on the terrace?
Is it grief burning the heart each night?
Is it just a dream shadow or is it Hope lighting up the soul,
or is it the aching sorrows buried in the heart’s?
O Life! O the sorrows and joys.

Translated by Vương Thanh

Ảo ảnh

Đời là câu thơ hay đời là thoáng ước mơ?
Là bình minh rực rỡ hay bóng đêm mờ?
Hay phút ơ thờ nắn phím buông đường tơ?
Đời là khói sóng hay mây bồng,
hay phút rung động chiều ngóng trông?

Xin cho mùa Xuân thắm không tàn.
Mùa Hạ nắng tươi vàng.
Mùa Thu gió nhẹ nhàng
Và mùa Đông không lạnh lắm,
Mùa Đông mang hương ấm
cho cuộc đời còn mãi mãi nên thơ.

Đời là Vô biên hay đời là chút lãng quên?
Là hoàng hôn nhạt nắng vương vấn bên thềm?
Hay nỗi ưu phiền đốt cháy tim từng đêm?
Đời là chiếc bóng hay hy vọng,
hay những cô đọng sầu bên lòng?

Cuộc đời ơi ! Vui buồn hỡi.

Dương Vân Châu Trúc Ca

Macklemore’s latest release kicks off with three happy-go-lucky tracks. “Chant” has an infectious Latin groove. “No Bad Days” features Collett’s sun-shine hook. Even the word “bullshit” sounds so damn cute. Then Macklemore parties like it is “1984.” The album, however, busts a sharp turn on “Maniac,” in which Macklemore talks about his drug addiction. The album turns darker on issues such as social media, depression, and death, and yet, the beats never turn grime. Macklemore is a lyricist on his own right.