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Rainy day women #12 and 35

This song was playing in my mind yesterday while I was listening to my friend’s stories about recent racist attacks on her and her friends in Melbourne. Some were thrown eggs and broken glasses at. Some were stabbed on the way home. My friend was chased and kicked in front of her door. It is [...]

Google Platforms rant by Steve Yegge

A rare inside look at Google and Amazon’s cultures and products written by Steve Yegge yesterday (2011-10-12). Long but very interesting. He accidentally published it, deleted, but the full article is still available here at Rip Rowan’s Google+ page. This is a must read if you’re interested in computing and company culture.

If you’re interested in platform, [...]

One art (Elizabeth Bishop)

One art
Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it [...]

Biển Đông Việt Nam trong phương chí Trung Hoa

Khảo luận này bước đầu đặt vấn đề nghiên cứu có hệ thống các sách Phương chí, một loại hình trứ tác quan trọng trong thư tịch cổ Trung Hoa, bao gồm Nhất thống chí, Tỉnh chí và Địa phương chí. Phương chí nói chung là loại sách lịch sử địa lý tự nhiên và [...]

Funeral blues

Funeral blues
W.H. Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic [...]

Văn minh vật chất của người Việt

Buổi tối chúng ta đi ngủ, buổi sáng chúng ta thức dậy và đi làm, một trăm năm sống trên trần gian nếu cứ thế cuộc đời con người thật nhàm chán không có gì đáng nói. Nếu so với tuổi của trời đất, thì trăm năm của đời người chỉ là cái chớp mắt. [...]

Island blues (Koop & Ane Brun)

Hello my love
It’s getting cold on this island
I’m sad alone
I’m so sad on my own
The truth is
that we were much too young
And now I’m looking for you
or anyone like you

We said goodbye
with a smile on our faces
Now you’re alone
you’re so sad on your own
The truth is
that we run out of time
And now you’re looking for [...]

Secret Garden – Swan

Finally, a cool and breezy morning after 2 months of terrible heat and rain

The hurt locker (2008): suck

We had a great lunch with friends in Marché 313@somerset, a long and fun cafe-then-swim-wear-shopping afternoon, a great night swim with friends. Then “The hurt locker” spoiled the day.

It just sucks. The first 5-10 minutes made me almost throw up with all of their camera shakes and totally random in-and-out zooms. District 9 uses similar headache [...]