After yesterday’s disappointment at Big Snow, I was debating whether to come back for another two hours or not. I asked Đạo and he was cool if I wanted to go back. Since I already paid for the time slot, why not? It would have been the last time we were there.

Our time was 1:00 pm and we arrived at noon. We saw a senior gentleman already waited in line. He told me if I come back, the line would have been long. We set down our skis in line and waited. I had my book with me and it was a perfect way to kill time. He was right. By 12:30 pm, the line was long. I didn’t know if it was worth the waiting or we should just head home.

Since I snowboarded yesterday, I switched to skiing today. I tried to get my carving back, but then I decided to try the terrain park. To my surprise, I enjoyed skiing on the boxes and jumping on the hills. After an hour or so, Đạo got bored and went into the cafe waiting for me. I kept on going until my two hours were up.

The experience was not as bad as yesterday. The terrain park offered plenty of things for me to do instead of skiing down the hill in 30 seconds. The two-hour session was good enough. The four-hour was too much. I might take the kids back here if Big Snow offered 50% off again. $30 for two hours were reasonable. $60 would be a bit too pricey.

I can’t wait until Virginia builds an indoor ski resort in Lorton. It seems like nothing is moving toward that goal.

I heard about the American Dream mall and Big Snow, America’s first and only indoor ski resort, and always wanted to check them out. Since our camping trip was canceled and the admission price for Big Snow dropped from $60 to $30 for two hours, I decided to go at the very last minute.

Xuân couldn’t join me because he will have a swimming competition coming up. Vương wouldn’t go anywhere without his mother and he wanted to stay with Xuân. Đán would rather spend time with his PC than his dad. It’s so disheartening, but his choice. Only Đạo wanted to join me.

It turned out to be great because I hadn’t spent time alone with our first born in a long time. When we traveled in a big group, the bickering, arguing, and screaming were nonstop between the brothers and the parents. We are a chaotic family.

With just me and Đạo, it was so quiet and relaxing. We arrived at the American Dream quite early and our schedule for Big Snow was at 2 p.m. As a result, we wandered around the big mall. There was a train that took kids around the mall. It reminded us of when Đạo was a baby. When Ðạo got kicked out of the daycare for having a bit of a high fever, I would take him to the mall to ride the train. During the afternoon weekdays, the two of us were the only ones riding the train. The driver drove us an extra lap sometimes.

I took Đạo to the high-end section of the mall just to let him know how ridiculous the prices were. The Ferrari store had no price tag. We had to ask the sales associates. A kid about 10 to 12 years old asked about a leather wallet in a glass display case and the price was $520. The boy thanked the sales associate and walked out with his mom. Đạo dropped his jaw when he saw the $2,000 price tag on a Gucci handbag.

We walked around the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but Đạo is too old for these rides. At 1:30 pm, we checked into Big Snow and changed into our skiing clothes. Đạo was skiing and I was snowboarding. As we entered the skiing area, there was a small tubing and learning center. The main hill was divided into a green/blue slope and freestyle terrain. That was it. We took the lift up and then skied down for probably about 30 seconds. I was working on my carving so I didn’t mind as much, but Đạo got bored quick. Nevertheless, he stuck with me for about 3 hours. We only stayed an hour for our second session. I got bored and tired as well.

I also booked another session at noon for the next day. I am not sure if we will come back or not. Since the booking is not refundable, we just have to use it or lose it. That says a lot about the resort. Big Snow, big disappointment.

Then again, I was so glad to spend some quality time with Đạo. He is such a sweet, caring son. I am sure even after he goes away for college or work, he will come back and spend time on the slopes with me. I hope I won’t be too old to ski or snowboard.

Eminem is back. At 51, he is still at the top of his game. His flow is still sick. His punchline is still sharp. His sense of humor is still twisted. He applies similar tactics that worked for him throughout his long career. He uses Slim Shady, his alter ego, to push his controversial, lyrical content. His usual targets include MGK, Ja Rule, Diddy, and Christopher Reeves—Em is still obsessed with the Superman actor. Em’s only heartfelt record is “Temporary,” in which he writes for his daughter when he’s no longer on this earth. He made the right choice to let Skylar Grey sing the hook instead of himself. Remember “Mockingbird?” I still can’t stand his singing even though I dug his storytelling. The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is not a new concept, but an enjoyable one.

I made an appointment with Priority Toyota Springfield last Friday at noon for an inspection on our 2018 Toyota Sienna SE. The service rep told me it would take 5 hours. He advised me to come early in the morning without making an appointment. I took his advice.

I woke up early this morning, packed my laptop to work remotely, and headed to the Priority Toyota Springfield. I arrived 10 minutes before 7:00 am, which was its opening time, and I was the first one in line. The inspection still took 3 hours to complete.

I was taking advantage of the free inspection, which was part of the deal for purchasing a car at Priority, but the wait wasn’t worth it. I should have just taken it to a gas station. It would cost me $20, but the waiting time would have been shorter.

While waiting, the inspector at the dealer informed me that the 2 front side marker light bulbs were out. Each bulb cost $3.26. The labor for screwing in two bulbs, which took 5 minutes, cost $70. These costs are just insane. I could have replaced the bulbs myself. Even with a free inspection, they still got me.

Next time, I will check all the lights first before taking my car to be inspected. Here’s the complete checklist:

• Brakes
• Headlights
• Signal lights
• Other lights
• Steering
• Suspension
• Exhaust system
• Tires
• Hood latch
• Emission control
• Windshield
• Windshield wipers
• Other glass
• Mirror
• Doors
• Seats
• Seat belts
• Floor pan
• Defroster
• Horn

It’s official. I fucking hate the summer. The heat and humidity make me lazy and guilty.

The house constantly needs improvements and tidying up. I am overwhelmed with the growing list of things to do, and I haven’t done much. My wife is chewing my ears off every single day.

The cars need fixing and maintenance. More mileage, more problems. They just never stop. I hate dealing with cars. I am just going to drive them until the wheels fall off.

The kids aren’t reaching their potential. With the exception of Xuân, they aren’t playing any sports. They spend way too much screen time. I am failing to get them off their devices.

The job is uncertain. I am not worrying about AIs replacing my job. I am worrying about blue eyes replacing my job. Five white guys have taken over my responsibilities. Nevertheless, I still have some roles to play until I become useless.

Fuck it. I am just riding it out. I will deal with each issue when it comes up. I am losing all the joys in life and I am wasting my time worrying. My time in this world is too damn short to be stressed out.

I am thinking of seeking therapy, but I am too damn cheap to pay for someone to talk to me. As a result, I am writing this here as a form of therapy. I just needed a space to get shit off my chest. I will be fine. Even if everything around me falls apart, I still have myself to depend on.

With over 25 years of experience, I have designed and developed all kinds of websites. In the past 10 years, however, what I enjoyed crafting the most were web-based books.

With the adoption of responsive web design and web fonts, web-based books can be accessed anywhere and read on any device. Furthermore, web books can be preserved. All of the books I have coded using HTML and CSS; therefore, I still have all the files if my books go offline.

As I was reading about Writebook, a tool from 37signals for writing and publishing online books, I realized that I had created a handful of web-based books on my own. I wanted to collect them here for your reading pleasure.

Pro Web Type was published as an independent study for one of my graduate courses in graphic design. This book combines theory and practicality on the emerging support of web fonts. My goal is to prove that typesetting is fun and rewarding—not intimidating. Web typography remains a craft that is honed, nurtured, and acquired over time, with patience and practice. Join me in a journey to explore this craft.

Thơ Mưa is a poetry collection written by Cao Nguyên. To celebrate the book’s twenty-fifth anniversary, the author wanted to release a digital edition to share with his friends, family, and readers around the world. To reach as many readers as possible, making a responsive website for the book was the ideal solution. Anyone with an internet connection can access the book.

Vietnamese Typography was published as my final thesis for my MA in graphic design from George Mason University School of Art. This book had quickly become an essential guide for designing Vietnamese diacritics. For the second edition, I turned the online book into a rich visual experience. Completely redesigned, the new website offers prominent illustrations, in-depth references, and new typefaces.

The Familý Stories was written by my mother’s youngest sister, Lý Minh Anh. She wrote about her parents and siblings as if she was sitting next to me and telling me our family stories. I loved her writing so much that I asked her to allow me to put it together in a web book so our family around the world could learn about our family stories. Since the stories are personal, I had to password protect the book.

Cây cối quê hương is a children book of poetry on homeland trees. These beautiful, innocent, and poetic words will light up the young readers’ souls, bring them closer to nature, and help with their language development in Vietnamese and English.

Truyện Kiều, by Nguyễn Du, is recognized as the masterpiece of Vietnamese national literature. Structured in lục-bát (six-eight) couplets, Truyện Kiều, which consists of 3,254 lines, is not only a literary Bible but also a national epic that has inspired political debate, social critique, and revolutionary spirit. The book has been translated into English by Vương Thanh.

Cổ Tích Nhi Đồng is a collection of Vietnamese children folk tales with English translations.

Pete the Cat’s Groovy Guide to Life, by Kimberly and James Dean, collected inspiring quotes to live by. I translated the quotes into Vietnamese and created web book for fun.

Làm Đĩ is a novel about prostitution written by Vũ Trọng Phụng. Although it was published in 1936, the book is still a refreshing read. Vũ Trọng Phụng was such a great writer who was ahead of his time. Even though I only read it in recent months, I loved the book so much that I decided to create a one-page web book to preserve it.

badòngthơ, by physician-poet Cao Nguyên, is a collection of three-line poems. The form is similar to the Japanese haiku, but Cao Nguyên also plays with three, five, and seven syllables. When he asked me to bring badòngthơ to the web, I jumped at the opportunity. As of this time, only 15 poems are online, but the printed book can be purchased on Amazon.

Truyện tiểu thuyết nói lên sự gian nan, đau khổ, thiệt thòi, và chịu đựng của những cô gái bán thân cho đàn ông mua vui. Còn đàn ông thì toàn những kể khốn nạn, dâm đãng, và vũ phu. Chỉ biết dụ gái, chơi gái, lấy tiền gái, và đánh gái. Tôi đọc mà còn hận đàn ông huống chi mấy cô làm điếm. Sung sướng gì trên nỗi nhục nhã và đau đớn của người khác. Đọc để giải trí cho đỡ căng thẳng trong cuộc sống. Văn của Nguyễn Văn Học dễ hiểu và cảm động.

I am sending in the documents and receipt to Toyota Brand Engagement Center. I also wrote the following note:

Dear N,

Thank you for responding to my 2018 Toyota Sienna’s airbag issue back in March, 2024. Unfortunately, the airbag light went on again in June (Memorial Weekend), which was just two months after it was fixed.

I took our Sienna back to Ourisman Fairfax Toyota again. As you can see in the documents and receipt, the new cost to fix the issue the second time was $3,483.06.

I am providing you with all the paperworks to show that I have met your “offer of $750.00 towards future service(s), using genuine Toyota parts at an authorized Toyota dealership.”

I am looking forward to hearing back from you.

Current owner of two Toyota Siennas
Donny Truong

Let’s hope Toyota will keep its words.

Vũ Thành An is a talented Vietnamese songwriter whose music is well-known for his series of nameless love songs. In 1997, he published his first book, Chuyện tình không tên (Nameless Love Stories), in which he shared stories behind his nameless songs through personal letters.

Even when I was a kid, I always marveled at the beauty of cursive handwriting, especially through letters. In the Vietnamese culture, honing cursive handwriting has been an essential, life-long skill. I have been wanting to create a sample page to showcase a quality handwriting typeface that supports Vietnamese and Vũ Thành An’s letters fit the bill. I chose “Tình thư thứ ba” (Love Letter #3), in which he included the original version and the updated version of “Bài không tên cuối cùng” (The Last Love Letter).

After playing around with a handful of cursive typefaces, I settled on Playwrite Việt Nam, designed by Veronika Burian and José Scaglione. Playwrite Việt Nam is based on the Mẫu chữ thảo tiếng Việt (Vietnamese official cursive script) provided by the Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo (Ministry of Education and Training). Take a look.

I can’t stand the excessive heat. I am done with the summer. I can’t wait to get back to skiing and snowboarding. I don’t care much about the beach and the water.

I haven’t been to the skatepark for a month due to the gout attack. It is finally going away. I can returning practicing snowboarding in the basement. I am focusing mainly on my body position for carving. I hope it will help once I get to the slopes in the winter.

I still have so many projects to do for the house. Getting rid of things we don’t need is one of them. I don’t want things to pile up to the point where we just give up.