We bring nothing into this world
except our gradual ability
to create it, out of all that vanishes
and all that will outlast us.

Les Murray

I haven’t listened to Nas since his 2008’s release Untitled. His outputs were lackluster as he suffered from King’s Disease. In “Ghetto Reporter,” the opening track on King’s Disease 3, he admits: “King’s Disease: most of us catch it at one point or another, but evolve, find a new formula. One that takes everything in you to make.” With Hit-Boy locking down the beats, Nas rhymes as if he has been cured from the disease. The entire album is a banger.

On Saturday, our whole family headed back to Liberty. The kids skied with their cousins. I skied with Vương for one run on the bunny slope and several blue and black terrains with Xuân and my nephews. I also taught my wife some basic skiing skills. We arrived around noon and left around 4pm. I didn’t get a chance to snowboard.

Today, we went to Roundtop. I skied with Vương for two runs on the green terrains then switched to snowboard. I did two runs on the green and headed up the blue. I was a bit nervous, but I made my way down with a few falls. This video from SnowboardProCamp helped boosted my confidence. I need to learn quick turns to get around the moguls. At least I made a bit of a progress on snowboarding.

After four weeks off, I will be returning to work tomorrow. I definitely need some adjustments for the reentry.

On Thursday, I wanted to take Vương to skiing, but he didn’t want to go. We ended up taking the Metro to Smithsonian’s National Zoo. We had a wonderful bonding time together. He enjoyed seeing the animals and I enjoyed being with him. I just wanted him to get off the digital devices and spend more time outside. He is growing up too fast. I am going to miss him at this age.

Today, I headed back to Liberty early in the morning to practice snowboarding. My feet were still in pain when I turned, especially on my toe edge. I am not sure how to overcome this. I managed to make early edge changes and narrowed down my path. I picked up a tip from Malcolm Moore’s “Garlands” exercise—the front foot initiates the change the back foot follows. Here’s the rhythm: 1, 2 (heels), 3, 4 (toes). Once I mastered my edge changes, I will be ready to hit the blue and black terrains.

Of course, I had to hit two runs on ski before leaving the resort. I now have to carry both sets with me. Instead of having to choose one over the other, embrace both sports. Even though they share the slopes, the two sports are completely different. I like how my brain can switch back and forth for both. Snowboarding is still new to me; therefore, I enjoy the learning challenge. I am not an expert at skiing, but I am at the level where I can comfortably go down the steep terrains.

Last year I got myself into hot dramas because I couldn’t control my outbursts. I spoke up because I cared too damn much and I gave a fuck. It turned out that caring and giving a fuck only made me into a human volcano. I erupted when caught fire.

In retrospect, what the fuck was going through my mind? Why did I even give a fuck? I made a promise to myself that I would not get myself under fire again. Fuck rumors. Fuck dramas. Fuck politics. In fact, fuck all controversies.

It’s better for me to keep my mouth shut. Focus on my family. Do what I have to do to feed my kids. Zone out anything that doesn’t involve me or my family. Life is too fucking short to give a fuck about anything else. The less shit I let into my head the better.

I am tired and exhausted to give a fuck. I don’t give a fuck if people hate me. I don’t give a fuck if people don’t like my work. I won’t put up a fight unless it affects my family or me. I just want to live a smooth life free of conflicts. It’s all good, baby, baby!

Life is the bitch, and death is her sister
Sleep is the cousin, what a fuckin’ family picture
You know Father Time, we all know Mother Nature
It’s all in the family, but I am of no relation
No matter who’s buyin’, I’m a celebration
Black and white diamonds, fuck segregation

Lil Wayne (an excerpt from “6 Foot 7 Foot”)

Mother Nature hasn’t been nice to us all week with rain and warm weather. Despite 60°F today, I went to Liberty to see if the trails were still skiable. As expected, the ice was slushy. I couldn’t snowboard down the green trail without stopping to rest my feet. They were excruciatingly uncomfortable. I was using Đán’s rental boots because he took mine. After five runs, I couldn’t continue.

Because my feet hurt so bad, I didn’t make any progress on snowboarding. I wanted to work on the torsional twists and the pole drills, but I couldn’t do them. I ended up switching to skiing. I went up to the blue trail and skied around moguls. I still love skiing.

Climate change is making a huge impact on skiing and snowboarding. If the weather continues to get warmer and warmer in the winter, we won’t be able to ski in the next few years. I hope that won’t be the case.

When it comes to building a brand, Bobby doesn’t beat around the bush. As a brand clarity expert who has been in the business for over two decades helping his clients clarifying their brands, Bobby keeps it fucking real. By focusing on the core message, he taps into the heart and soul of a brand. In his new book, he brings the same authenticity, audacity, and personality onto the page. From success stories to unforeseeable mistakes, Bobby puts everything on the line because his brand is his reputation. His writing is as authoritative as it is informative. If you give a shit about building your brand through leadership and compassion, this book is for you.

After countless falls and frustrations, I am getting a hang of snowboarding. I can do the toe turn thanks to Tommie Bennett’s turning techniques. Bennett’s ultimate guide to changing edges was also helpful.

I learned to avoid catching edges by squeezing my board. When an instructor explained to me the squeezing technique last year, I didn’t understand what he meant, but I get it now. What clicked for me was that I had to remember to constantly put my weight on my front foot. Kevin Pearce’s “Slow to Fast Snowboard Turn Progression” demonstrated this technique.

Learning snowboarding is definitely harder than skiing. I fell so much that my body was immune to the pain. Out of frustration, I almost gave up, but I kept going. I thought I might be too old for snowboarding, but what I really needed was patience.

I still love skiing, but I am ready to take on the snowboarding challenge. I still have a lot to learn, but snowboarding is unlocking a whole new world for me.

This year I read 47 books, 2 more than last year. I read way less nonfiction than fiction. Now that I am into novels with imaginative stories, I can’t go back reading facts. I get bored to quickly.

I read Vietnamese books (fiction and nonfiction) way less. The Fairfax Public Libraries acquired less and less each year and the collection was not engaging. I am hoping to pick up more engaging Vietnamese books so I alternate between English and Vietnamese or read them simultaneously. Switching between two languages sounds like fun.

Whether fiction or no fiction, I chose to read more Asian-American authors. I started to read poetry much more this year. Reading poetry to me is like learning a new language. Even though I know most of the words, I cannot understand the entire poem. Reading poetry reminds me of reading English when I first came to America. I just keep reading the words until I can figure out what the heck I am reading. I also created a poetry category to archive all the poems and rap lyrics I came across that I liked.

My goal for 2023 is to keep reading.