Each year I have to take the dreadful mandatory IT security training. It’s 40 minutes long interactive video. Luckily, it provides a pre-test to determine how much I already know. I got a perfect score within 15 minutes thanks to AI. I only had to watch a few minutes of the intro and the conclusion. I don’t use AI too often, but this is an exception.
Even though Ann LT has a presence on social media, such as Flickr, Instagram, and Facebook, she would like to have her own website. She posts her works on social media, but they get lost in the infinite scroll of materials. In addition to moving at lightning speed, these social platforms dictate how her photos are displayed.
On the other hand, her own website gives her complete control to present her works, in which she has meticulously selected each photo for the homepage and the galleries. Her website also gives her viewers a chance to slow down and absorb her works without constant distractions including annoying ads and third-party scripts.
One of the many advantages of having her website is the freedom to tell her own story. Owning her personal website is owning her personal brand.
I invite you to visit annlt.com.
Ann Lưu-Trọng is a storyteller. Through her len, she captures the beauty of isolation, displacement, and solitude. Her photography is often mysterious and ambiguous—leaving her visual narratives open to interpretation.
To showcase her work, I settled on a dark mode. The user interface recedes to the background to put the attention on the photography. The homepage features an automated slideshow to display a wide range of her work while the individual galleries showcase specific themes.
For typography, I chose Roboto Flex, designed by David Berlow, Santiago Orozco, Irene Vlachou, Ilya Ruderman, Yury Ostromentsky, and Mikhail Strukov, for its robustness and no-nonsense finesse.
The site is designed and developed using HTML, CSS, and bit of PHP. The galleries are powered by Flickity, developed by David DeSandro.
After another year at First Landing, I am done with camping. I hate bugs. I hate the heat. I hate the rain. I hate packing.
Because of the weather, I could barely sleep at night. I didn’t bring an AC. Most families brought their AC. As a result, the kids ended up either staying in their tent, EV, or RV to stay cool and to be on their phones. The phones ruined the kids.
The backstabbers talking shit behind your back were annoying, but I decided a long time ago. Never let anyone’s words get me down. What people say or think about me has no effect on me—friends or foes. That’s my survival mechanism.
On the bright side, I had a great time with food, liquor, and friends.
I always thought
they were small—
my breasts.
But they filled
my baby’s mouth.
& my lover’s tongue
loves them,
& my memory is
filled with all
the pleasure they gave
over the years,
while my mother’s
100-year-old breasts
still hang
waiting.
For what?
For the tongue
of God?
For the spinning Fates
to release them
into the clouds
so she can remember
how to paint
again?
The sky awaits,
& earth itself.
She used to say,
we all
go back to earth
& become
beautiful tomatoes,
peas, carrots.
She was an
ecologist
before the term
was invented.
O Mother
I love you
despite everything.
Peas, carrots,
cauliflower.
Even cabbage.
Erica Jong
This cute couple broke my YouTube Short record with over 11k views.
In 2021, I bought my first pair of skis through Facebook Marketplace. I paid $35 for a pair of 2008 Head XENON Xi 5.0. Then I had to spend $55 to get it tuned up. To complete the set, I bought a pair of Lange Comp 80 Team junior ski boots for $40. I spent $130 on mine and multiplied that by 6 for our entire family, which was around $780. Then we had to shell out $3,000 for our Epic passes. Yes, skiing and snowboarding are too damn expensive.
When I took my skis to the local shop to tune up, they made me sign a weaver because my skis were old and my bindings were no longer indemnified. I signed the weaver. With my first pair of skis, I went from the bunny hills to the double-black-diamond slopes in two seasons. Not only saving money, I also avoided the hassle of waiting in long lines for to rent skis.
The tuning costs were expensive and the services took at least three days; therefore, I decided to learn to tune them myself. With YouTube and a few pairs of old skis to practice, I have become proficient at ski and snowboard tuning. I tuned all of our equipment. It turned out to be a good skills to have.
As we got serious about skiing and snowboarding, we decided to invest in new equipment—at a steep discount price, of course. Even then, they were still pricey. For newcomers who are still on the defend about skiing and snowboarding, buying used equipment is one of the cost-saving methods to try out.
I had been hunting for used skis and snowboards. Of course, the condition still had to be good. I cleaned them up and sanitized them with rubbing alcohol. I then removed all the rust and sharpened the edges. I then patched up the cracks on the bases and gave them a good wax. I then checked the bindings to make sure they still popped out and tightened up all the screws.
When people buy skis or snowboards from me, they can be reassured that the quality is still good and they are ready to ski or ride at the resorts. That is how I differentiate myself from other sellers. While people are trying to get rid of their old equipment, I am trying to give it a second life. Most people don’t take care of their equipment. They either stored them in their garage or shed. Most of the time, the edges were rusted and the bases were scratched up. There were even some kind of bug nests and eggs around the bindings and in the boots.
The efforts I put in were more than what I sold, but I found it gratifying when I revived old gears.
I like drinking even though I know damn well it is not good for my health. I made a bit of a change. I don’t drink at home and when I go out with my family. I only go out drinking with friends. It seems to work out well. I hadn’t had a drop of liquor when I was at home or with my family.
I have no beer at home. I still have a couple of wine bottles, but I rarely drink wine anyway. I still have a couple of whiskey bottles, but I only bring them to a party or a gathering with friends. I’ll still buy liquor, but only for going out.
I used to have a couple of drinks at home with a meal or if I were out to a restaurant. That was when I didn’t have friends to drink with. Now I have a couple of folks to drink with, I need to make a change.
The change is good for me. When I go out to drink I can enjoy it and not have to worry about drinking too much. Gout flare used to warn me if I was drinking too much, but now that I take Allopurinol I haven’t had an attack. I don’t want to take it for granted or abuse it.
Maybe when there’s a time I have to stop drinking completely. Until then, this is a happy medium.
The Virginia hip-hop duo brothers are back again after 16 years. While Pusha T remains relentless, No Malice returns to coke rhymes after his unsuccessful attempt as a Christian rapper. With Pharrell Williams holding down the productions, the Clipse slings cocain rhymes on their latest release Let God Sort Em Out. The Clispe brothers have been known for their lyrical skills and they still got them.
The album opens with “The Birds Don’t Sing” with John Legend on the hook. The Clipse brothers unveil their emotions about their dying mother. Pusha pours out his heart, “Sayin’ you was tired but not ready to go / Basically was dying without letting me know.” Malice reflects: “Birds don’t sing if the words don’t sting / Your last few words in my ear still ring.”
From the production to the rhymes, “Chains & Whips” is menace as fuck, especial Pusha: “You know I know where you’re delicate / Crush you to pieces, I’ll hum a breath of it / I will close your Heaven for the hell of it.” Malice references the bible: “You’re gaspin’ for air now, it’s beautiful / John 10:10, that’s my usual / Mamas is fallin’ out in funerals.” Kendrick Lamar drops a dope guest verse too.
“So Be It” sports a Bollywood vibe. Pusha continues with his chilly punchlines: “Fuckin’ with P, get somethin’ immediate / Your soul don’t like your body, we helped you free it.”
Although Malice drops the bible, he still draws his rhymes from it. On “All Things Considered,” he rhymes, “The only sin left is to flirt with vengeance / Made my exit just to make my entrance / Revolving door, maybe I can make a difference.”
What the fuck is “M.T.B.T.T.F.”? Pusha explains on the hook, “She want Mike Tyson blow to the face / Slalom ice, she wants snow on a plate.” Malice reveals his reason for returning to dope rap: “This is the result of my vision / React with precision / But God only knows my intention / But selling dope is a religion.”
On “E.B.I.T.D.A.” (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), Pusha and Malice take me back to my childhood memory: “Grew up playing real life Contra / ‘Never give up,’ that’s the mantra.”
“Inglorious Bastards” is the definitive dope rap brought to you by the Clipse. Malice reflects: “I was fine getting rich under their noses.”
On the gospel-inspired “So Far Ahead,” Malice is back at it again, “Ain’t no referees up in Heaven / No mistaking me for the reverend / Ushering the money, my confession.”
Then comes the title track, “Let God Sort Em Out/Chandeliers,” Pusha and Malice trade lines, “The feeling that you get when you realize / It was really you that died and we are so alive / Conspiracy theory, you can’t believe it’s us / Soul leave your body like a fentanyl rush.”
Damn! I am so glad Clispe are back after 16 years. They are still on top of their dope game. The Neptunes no more, but Pharrell Williams still bangs out bomb-ass beats.
I was in Walmart when my wife called asking me to buy a bag of small potatoes. I looked around, but couldn’t find it. I asked an employee nearby, “Excuse me Miss, where do I find a bag of small potatoes?” She replied with a Spanish accent, “Over there, they took after you.” Then she laughed. I looked down at myself and wondered, “WTF? How does she know?” I picked up a bag of “Little Potatoes.” She said, “See, they are laughing at you.” I was like, “Oh yeah!” I definitely need some hearing aides.
By the way, Little Potatoes has a cute brand.