School has to evolve and complexity is not an excuse anymore because we have the tools to allow every child to learn and progress at his own personnal speed.
Author Archives: martinphamdinh
A gift for my son…
The best gift I can give to my child to help him grow up well and become a good person is to find my happiness, to be honest and generous with myself and the people around me. Original post Facebook, 2016
The cycles of life…
On the last hour of the last day of a memorable 10 day family vacation, as i’m driving between Montebello and Gatineau, i am thinking…The late afternoon sun is slowly setting in the sky. We are listening to classical music in the car. Zack and Liam, the young cousins, are reading quietly. After an entireContinue reading “The cycles of life…”
On slowing down…
I was a cottage yesterday evening. I was drinking a glass of good Cuban Rhum and talking with a good friend while we were hypnotized by the flames dancing in the fire and warmed by it’s radiant heat. We had a cottage day with the kids: no TV, no internet, no cell phone, no emails,Continue reading “On slowing down…”
Fatbike basics 101…
I just came back from a superb long bike ride in the Gatineau park with a friend. I notice the popularity of fat bikes is just exploding and it is easy to understand why… Cross country skiing on 1,5 cm of snow sucks. Downhill skiing is complicated with all the safety rules. What’s left: fatbikeContinue reading “Fatbike basics 101…”
A dance with death…
In the flow of the emergency room… and another dance with death… Recently i was working in the emergency room, doing this wonderful job that i love so much and doing what i do best: serving people, helping them, relieving pain and suffering. Every day is different but still, there is a certain routine inContinue reading “A dance with death…”
On kid’s happyness
Happy kids are all about love and time. Love them. Spend time with them.
The pearls of solutide….
One evening last week after dinner, i took my mountain bike and headed for the Gatineau park. It was a beautiful spring evening. The sun was low in the sky and the light was creating a magical atmosphere in the forest. The colors were vibrant. The woods felt alive. I felt alive. I remember vividlyContinue reading “The pearls of solutide….”
The ER on Christmas evening or the magic of ROSC…
Do you know what ROSC means? This is the reason we work. It means Return Of Spontaneous Circulation. It means that someone was dead, without any circulation and came back to life. This is beautiful. A rare miracle that we got to enjoy on this Christmas day. For this to happen, one must have aContinue reading “The ER on Christmas evening or the magic of ROSC…”
Why I write?
This reflection is recurring in my thoughts and it evolves over the years. It changes as I do. Tonight, a friend took the time to write a nice comment on my writing style, basically saying he appreciated my thoughts, my post. My answer was short “My writing is just an honest expression of how IContinue reading “Why I write?”
My first Christmas dinner one-on-one with my son…
Despite the pandemic, despite the distanciation orders, I decided to make this a memorable day for me and my son. Despite the rain, we went skiing. It was pouring rain and we had so much fun! When the rain started, everybody left…except us and it felt like we had the mountain just for ourselves. MyContinue reading “My first Christmas dinner one-on-one with my son…”
The chick project 2016
I am a future Dad, in 2 weeks I will have laid chicks.You can see that I still have the heart of a child… (…) The miracle of life, the hatching of a chick… A moment of great beauty and so simple. (…) (…) (…) Goodbye little chicks… My little chicks, you are like myContinue reading “The chick project 2016”
The great canadian bungee…
Again, let’s visit the discomfort zone. This second time, i am much calmer than 10 years ago. It is always an intense feeling to look down 200 feet and just throw yourself down, feel the acceleration, see the ground coming then feeling the strength of the elastic band pull you up. Why bungee jumping? ThroughContinue reading “The great canadian bungee…”
Powerful words on pain, distress and sadness…
This is so profound, I need to share it. “Beyond the very extremes of fatigue, pain, distress and sadness, we may find amounts of ease and power that we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength not taxed at all, because we never pushed through the obstruction” – William James
On longevity, happiness and the people of our lives…
80 years ago, Stanford researcher started to follow 1500 children to determine what would make them live longer. 80 years later, the longevity project finds health has more to do with happiness than cholesterol. http://www.howardsfriedman.com/longevityproject/ 75 years ago, Harvard researcher started to follow 700 young men to determine what would make them happy. 75 yearsContinue reading “On longevity, happiness and the people of our lives…”
How sometimes we touch other people’s life…
A lady comes to see me in the emergency room with tears in her eyes. I have just hospitalized her mother in palliative care and I took the time to call her to tell her the news, her mother’s decision, her condition, her expected death soon. So she went to her bedside. She told me:Continue reading “How sometimes we touch other people’s life…”
About fresh food…
One of the person who inspires me when i think about cooking is Geoffroy Charbonneau, chef at L’Indocile. He is like a brother to me. Over and over, he reminds me of one thing: cooking with fine fresh food is one of the most important step when we are preparing a food for the family.Continue reading “About fresh food…”
Another dance with death…
Another busy shift in the ER brings another series of surprises. Such is emergency medicine, filled with the unexpected… This man i saw yesterday with abdominal pain, he feels much better this morning but i must tell him that his pain, it’s not his gallbladder stones, it’s cancer, terminal metastatic, inoperable cancer. He is inContinue reading “Another dance with death…”
The magic moments of childhood…
All winter, i wanted to bring my son Liam do some night skiing after school. Bad weather, lack of time, exhaustion from being a single father, there were so many reasons not to go… But i could not let the winter end without sharing with my son this experience. So last week, i promised himContinue reading “The magic moments of childhood…”
Seven pounds of decadence…
4 pounds of french fries1 pound of duck meat1 pound of goat and Saint Paulin cheese1 pound of duck gravy.A very large decadent poutine to share with friends and family after a day of ski.
The maple season…
Do you know what it takes in spring to please a dozen neighbors and as many children? Answer: Three cans of maple syrup and snow. Tonight at my house it was the maple feast and I transformed myself, for an hour, into a “taffy maker”. As usual, to become an expert, I just asked GoogleContinue reading “The maple season…”
On fostering autonomy…
Last week, i had a moment of recognition… I was preparing our luggages for the family ski weekend planned at my brother’s cottage and i suddenly stopped and asked myself a very important question: Why am I doing this alone? Why do i do (almost) everything for my 7 year old son? I tend toContinue reading “On fostering autonomy…”
About teaching kids bravery…
This is an awesome TED conference. I agree with everything said by Reshma Saujani with one exception, the title. I’d say teach everyone to be brave. Yes focus on girls because the difference is notable but this is also important for boys. The big concept to embrace is: enjoy the process of making a mistakeContinue reading “About teaching kids bravery…”
Vietnamese spring rolls recipe
This is one of my favorite recipes and it is very simple. I make an fondue with shrimps and petoncles. I use seafood to make spring rolls with a little rice vermicelli, coriander, basil, lettuce, shredded carrots, bean sprouts, thin slices of mango and red peppers. It is dipped in a mixture of Nuoc MamContinue reading “Vietnamese spring rolls recipe”
The risks of extreme sports and my road to recovery…
I have always been a risk taker. I’ve always enjoyed adrenaline sports. In the last year, i’ve been taking more and more risk. I love life and i believed that risk is the spice of life. I don’t do crazy things but still, i like to go fast, jump, etc… This morning, i had anContinue reading “The risks of extreme sports and my road to recovery…”
Martin Pham Dinh 