After two nights losing my sleep, and two days walking around like a zombie, last night I went to sleep at nine and slept through.  I did not know if there was a rain or how heavy.  I just knew when I woke up I heard water dripping from the leaves to the roof and window.  I could “hear” water rolling from window to gutter.  Cool air.

I am working on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.  I “pity” anyone who translates this book because it is tremendously toiling work.  Junot Diaz’s language is very “colorful.”  Almost in every page readers can find words such as fuck, bitch, tons of slang, Spanish, and Spanish slang.  Tons of idioms, references from Comics, and The Lord of The Rings.  It is a very good book.  Pulitzer winning.  It locks me in as soon as I start.  I do not use foul language, except when I am extremely angry.  When only cussing can describe my anger and prevent me from slamming the one who angered me.  I never, or almost never call someone a bitch.  A witch maybe but very seldom.  Here in this Oscar Wao book, bitch, fuck, motherfuckers etc… are casually used, like a comma or a period in a sentence.  It is like the “like” or “you know” in the every-day-teenager talks.  For a translator, he/she has to make a choice how much colorful words can be brought to different audiences in a very different culture.  How well these “foul language” terms will be received and perceived?

I do not use foul language often. I do not have the need or think it is necessary to use it.  But Diaz uses this language to describe not only a person, but also describe himself and his class in depth, culturally and socially.  When you are exposed to something so much, to perceive it as normal daily life, you lose your sensitivity.  What people think it is normal can be perceived as unrefine, rude, raw, blah blah.  I can start to imagine the pen of editors in Vietnam and the criticism of literature folks.  A translator in this work must walk a fine line.  Bring enough the feeling of the work and choose when to use foul language in what form.  The normal daily talk of American, low income parent college students in this book is parallel with rough, street talk and I wonder how it can be perceived in Vietnam.

Although I am very sensitive to loul language, I think Diaz is a shrewd writer.  His writing skill and how he structures the book are marvelous. 

Here I cited a few sentences I came across.

These days I have to ask myself:  What made me angrier?  That Oscar, the fat loser, quit, or that Oscar, the fat loser, defied me?  And I wonder:  What hurt him more? That I was never really his friend, or that I pretended to be?

He wrote these sentences after he wrote many pages about how Yunior had tried to help Oscar to lose weight.  This kid was 307 lbs, shy, nerdy, wanted love and be loved.  If Oscar can lose weight, he will look better and can get a girl friend.  But after awhile, Oscar quit.  Yunior prodded.  They fought, physically and their friendship broke after that.  Oscar was just being Oscar, gentle, nerdy.  But Yunior and his friends being popular are brutal.  Teasing.  Putting down.  Calling names.  The things could drive kids in Columbia Highschool to become killers.  He did not mention what was going to happen to Oscar that would happen further down in the book, but he offered Yunior‘s thought about himself and Oscar.

Someone gave me a harsh criticism of my translation.  Just thinking my best was not good enough, or I did not take great care of my doing, I was upset enough to lose my sleep.  So I am tired.

It is Wednesday already.  I realized that as I saw the farmer’s market once again was on.  It is already a week since the last time I bought an old lady lunch.

Have a great hump day.

I woke up one morning and received a message from Microsoft.  There were 5 updates they recommended me for security.  I clicked yes and allowed.  The Word 2007 automatically came in.  I HATED it.  I had a hard time to look for those features and functions that I normally used.  I think Microsoft is drawing legs and feet for a snake.  It means these things are unnecessarily done, because without legs and feet snakes still can move sufficiently.  The new legs and feet may actually hinder the movement of an old brain snake.  I want to undo it but I am afraid it will corrupt my files.

Lunch time I took a walk as I normally did.  I went around the park as usual but I decided to go inside the library across the park.  I went from room to room and visited the computer room.  There I witnessed a fight.  Two young men sitting in front of their computers.  They were not next to each others but there were three other people between the two young men.  Perhaps they exchanged words earlier but when I was there one challenged the other to come outside to settle their business.  The challenged person refused to go, so the challenger took off his shirt and à-la-assault.  They fought hard, hitting each other heads against the desks and computers.  I ran and told some one, hurry up and get security, please.  As I was heading to the door, the security person who came in was a morbidly obese woman.  I wondered how she could defuse two black bulls charging each other.  

I got out the library and went around the park again.  All my acquaintances were there.  A guy who I never saw his face sat on a newspaper on the same spot almost every day.  Four guys were chatting by the fence.  A guy slept under the shade of a tree with his bag under his leg.  There was a new person who lay flat on the ground without anything to cover the ground.  A large flock of small birds were new to me but more than a dozen pigeons followed a swollen leg bag lady to eat her popcorn were acquaintances of mine.  Sometimes when I grew very tired in my walk, I thought; being able to take a nap under the tree, in the summer breeze, to hear pigeons cooing on the green lawn around me while the world was fighting for weatlth and fame and privilege and some other stupid non sense reasons, would be fantastic.

My company has updated new train cars which have two levels.  Other lines have the two level train cars for a while but my line which has fewer riders just recently have test run at certain hours during a day.  Today I took the 5:17 pm to go home so I got to ride the new car.  The cars look nice and modern.  The seats are roomier.  I was reading the second book of the triology “The Lord of The Rings.”  Each time the train got into one of its stations it did not blow its horns the same way the old cars did.  It had some digital sound quite strange but charming.  I sat on the upper level for a short time.  The train gently swayed as it zoomed fast forward.  The lower level was steadier as its gravity center was nearer to the ground, perhaps.  The seats of the lower level car are a few inches above the car floor.  I am so used to with the old car floor which is the same level as the seats.  It means when I stand up and get out I do not have to step down.  As the train got into my station, I got up and tried to get out.  I did not remember where I stood was a step higher than its floor, so I missed the step and fell.  I was embarrassed although everyone showed their concern.  Ouch, my back, my left leg and ankle, and my left writst are hurt.  Someday, an older person may fall and break a bone, then they will sue my company.  I think they have to get rid of that extra step.

Hằng tuần thứ Tư, trong công viên Washington phias trước thư viện Newark ở đường Broad có nhóm chợ ngoài trời, còn gọi là chợ của nông dân (farmer’s market).  Gọi là chợ của nông dân vì có lẽ người ta muốn cho khách đi chợ có cảm tưởng là rau trái được hái từ vườn nhà đem ra bán, tươi hơn, giá rẻ hơn vì không phải tốn tiền chuyên chở.  Có tin được điều này là chuyện thật hay không đó lại là chuyện khác, nhất là cái chợ ngoài trời này lại ở ngay thành phố lớn nhất nhì của tiểu bang New Jersey. 

Những thứ người ta bán trong chợ này có bắp, cà chua, đào, táo, blue berries, bánh mì.  Có trình diễn âm nhạc và những hàng bắp rang, thức ăn nóng làm sẵn như thịt nướng, hot dogs, baked pasta, hot subs, v. v. . . .

Lúc này thời tiết ở đây rất đẹp và dễ chịu.  Cả hôm qua và hôm nay buổi sáng ra khỏi nhà hơi lạnh chừng 54^oF.  Trưa chừng 70^oF.  Tôi hơi ỷ y mặc sundress đi làm, buổi sáng mặc cái jacket thì ấm.  Buổi trưa đi bộ cất áo khoác trong văn phòng, gió từ bờ sông thổi lên thấy hai cánh tay hơi lạnh.  Hôm trước đi ngang thấy bầy ngỗng Canada quay về đậu dọc theo bờ sông con nào cũng mập ú, mấy hôm nay không nhìn thấy chúng chắc là đã bay về miền ấm rồi.

Trước khi đi bộ tôi đã ăn hai trái chuối và hai trái đào trắng.  Định bụng đi xong sẽ về hâm nóng thức ăn để ăn trưa.  Nhưng khi đến chợ ngoài trời tôi bỗng thấy đói ghê gớm.  Do đó tôi đến hàng bán hot dog để mua một cái nhỏ.  Giá hơi mắc hơn mấy cái xe bán hot dog một chút.  Hai đô la trong khi mấy chỗ kia chỉ bán một đô la rưỡi thôi.  Khi tôi vào chỗ xếp hàng, trước mặt tôi là một người đàn bà da đen.  Nhìn thấy khá lớn tuổi có thể vì đã rụng răng hết.  Bà rất gầy, ăn mặc luộm thuộm nhưng không dơ hay có mùi.  Ở khóe miệng của bà có dính nước bọt trắng.  Khi thấy tôi đứng xếp hàng, bà đứng dạt qua một bên rồi ra hiệu cho tôi đi trước.  Khi sắp đến phiên tôi được mua bà nói với tôi giọng khá yếu ớt.  Bà hỏi tôi có gì cho bà ăn không vì bà đói lắm.  Bà chỉ tay vào bụng vì sợ tôi không hiểu.  Tôi bảo người bán hàng, một người thanh niên da trắng rất trẻ, là bà này muốn ăn gì xin cứ bán cho bà tôi sẽ trả tiền.  Bà chọn mua bánh mì với thịt viên sốt cà và một lon sô đa.  Cả phần của tôi cái hot dog và phần của bà tổng cộng bảy đồng.  Bà ôm tôi hôn lên má và xin chúa phù hộ cho tôi.  Tôi chúc bà ăn ngon và đi về chỗ làm.

Lòng tôi bỗng rưng buồn, cho bà.   

Một nhóm người biểu diễn võ thuật kết hợp của Brazil và Phi Châu.



Đồ dùng để biểu diễn.

Tôi đi ngang concourse thấy hoa đẹp nhưng không biết tên hoa, màu hồng thật dịu mắt nhưng sao giống như hoa giả.

Greenfields
Brother Four
Music & Lyrics : Terry Gilkyson – Rich Dehr – Frank Miller

Once there were green fields, kissed by the sun.
Once there were valleys, where rivers used to run.
Once there were blue skies, with white clouds high above.
Once they were part of an everlasting love.
We were the lovers who strolled through green fields.

Green fields are gone now, parched by the sun.
Gone from the valleys, where rivers used to run.
Gone with the cold wind, that swept into my heart.
Gone with the lovers, who let their dreams depart.
Where are the green fields, that we used to roam ?

I’ll never know what, made you run away.
How can I keep searching when dark clouds hide the day.
I only know there’s, nothing here for me.
Nothing in this wide world, left for me to see.

Still I’ll keep on waiting, until you return.
I’ll keep on waiting, until the day you learn.
You can’t be happy, while your heart’s on the roam,
You can’t be happy until you bring it home.
Home to the green fields, and me once again

Every year, my company sends me to a two-day seminar which teaches me to work safely in the railroad.  So this morning I had to leave home an hour earlier for Hoboken where the seminar is held and starting at 8:00 am.  The seminar ended at 2:00pm so most of the attendees could make to the 2:13pm train.  The next train that would connect to Newark Penn station would be 4:13pm.  I did not have lunch so I was a little sluggish, took a wrong turn, and also walked too slowly to the Hoboken terminal.  I missed the train by 30 seconds.  I had nothing to do while I was waiting for the train.  The book the Lord of the Rings I also finished.  I had a sandwich and decided to explore around Hoboken a little bit.  I walked along Sinatra Drive to view the great Waterfront and the Park along the Drive.  I also visited Steven Institute of Technology part of the great landscapes in Hoboken.  The late and heavy lunch made me really tired.  Walking under the intense sun was a little hard but I got back on time for the 4:13pm train.  Here are a few pictures of Hoboken terminal, Sinatra Drive Park, and Steven Institute of Technology.

One of the cafes within the Hoboken Terminal.  A flower shop sells this bouquet for 12 dollars.  The stain glass ceiling and the decorative handrails inside the terminal are recently restored.


The new clock tower.  Sidewalk cafe along Sinatra Drive


The Cafe near Steven Institute of Technology.  The Institute locates on the top of a hill.  The wooden stairway leads from the Drive to the college.  One of the buildings of the college and the waterfront view.



The sculpture is on the lawn of SIT.  The door of a classic building.  One of its ends is round like an ancient Greek theater.  The stone fort was built since 1835.  This kind fort always reminds me of knights, and princesses in legends or movies.




The Sinatra Park.  A view of New York city Skyline.  The facia of Hoboken Ternminal which was once Lakawanna Railroad.

Sunlight



Loneliness



Sweet!

Lòng em như đóa hướng dương

I went to the field for a pre-bid meeting.  I also take half day off.  On the way home I see this silk tree.  This is the first time I see it in the front yard of a house.  Previously I saw them along the railroad tracks.  After the last post about silk trees someone posted a comment that its name is mimosa.  The next day I read the Star Ledger and there was a column about this tree, mimosa.  The article also mentioned of a different kind of mimosa that the leaves fold up when they are touched.  We think, it is basful.   This kind of mimosa is very thorny and covers the ground unlike the silk tree.  I have a few pictures of leaves, flowers and pods.