July 3rd, 2009
I’ll be spending July 4th in the great state of Colorado. Chances are, there won’t be any posts until late next week. I may tweet my trip if I have time. If not, I’ll be sure to upload lots of pictures when I get back. Have a great 4th of July.
June 30th, 2009
Her name is not really Michelle. In fact, she’s not even a person. She’s my dear old car Altima. But it sounds a whole lot more romantic calling her Michelle.
Michelle was my first car, a hand-me-down from my older brother. Throughout our 10-year affair, she never caused any problem at all. Mile 1 or mile 139,890, she ran cool and smooth. Her alignment was always perfect, her AC always freezer cold. She braved the road with me every hour of the day. Sometimes when I couldn’t sleep, I would take her out at 3, 4 o’clock in the morning and just drive. We would return 5 hours later. That’s how much I trusted her.
Sadly after acquiring a new car, I had to let her go although she still has at least another 1500 miles left in her. She was 15 years old. Goodbye, Michelle. You will be missed.
June 25th, 2009
I’m not thrilled with 3 images on the cover, but love the photography work on them.
June 21st, 2009
I hate sending “textes” (I’m sure that’s not a Webster-approved word, but neither are OMG, ROFL, and LOL). It takes me 8 minutes to send an 8-letter text. By the time I finish toggling between letters, T9Word, symbols and numbers, I forget what I wanted to say in the first place. Plus, I haven’t a tiny clue on the accepted text messaging decorum. Educate me if you will. How long do I wait to send a reply? And once the conversation starts, who has the last word? If I don’t reply, I seem rude. And if I do, it could go all day. Pretty soon, I find myself texting while driving, texting while working, texting while eating, texting while, well, wasting. I can’t tell you how many mid-conversation texts I have on my phone.
As much as I hate sending text messages, I can’t seem to escape it. It very much has become a social exigency in this iEverything world.
June 19th, 2009
Whenever I get fed up with the vocally retarded screamers calling themselves singers these days, I revisit this clip. It comes bundled with a first-class line up and hilarious improvisation and role playing.
June 19th, 2009
Many of you are probably dying to know what kind of pen I use at work. In fact, you’re so anxious to find out you can hardly sleep at night. OK, maybe not, you don’t give a damn. But in case you do, tucked snugly inside my right pocket 10 to 12 hours a day, 3 to 4 days a week is the Pilot G2 07, known by many as the Lexus of pens (when I said “many” I meant just me).
This gel pen writes like you wouldn’t believe. Its ultra smooth writing makes it ideal for taking phone-in prescriptions, especially from big-mouthed nurses talking at a rate of 600 wpm while giggling and stuffing their pie hole with food at the same time. It is almost smear-proof, dries extremely fast, and never ever leaves nasty globs of ink behind. Most importantly, it comes in, besides 8 other colors, pink, turquoise, and my favorite, purple. I refuse to use any other pens. That’s like driving a Corolla when you already have a Lexus. Who would want to do that!
June 15th, 2009
I’ve always liked a good parody. I’m surprised Chi Tai or Hoai Linh didn’t think of this. Here’s the original song by Truong Quy Hai.
Hà Nội mùa này phố cũng như sông
Cái rét đầu đông, chân em run ngâm trong nước lạnh
Hoa sữa thôi rơi, em tôi bơi cả chiều trên phố
Đường Cổ Ngư xưa, ngập tràn nước sông Hồng
Hà Nội mùa này chiều không có nắng
Phố vắng nước lên thành con sông
Quán cóc nước dâng ngập qua mông
Hồ Tây, giờ không thấy bờ
Hà Nội mùa này lòng bao đau đớn
Ta nhớ đêm nao lạnh đôi tay
Cho đến đêm qua lạnh đôi chân
Giờ đây, lạnh luôn toàn thân
Hà Nội mùa này phố cũng như sông
Cái rét đầu đông, chân em thâm vì ngâm nước lạnh
Hoa sữa thôi rơi, em tôi bơi cả chiều trên phố
Đường Cổ Ngư xưa, ngập tràn nước sông Hồng
Hà nội mùa này người đi đơm cá
Phố vắng nước lên thành con sông
Quán cóc nước dâng ngập qua mông
Hồ Tây, tràn ra Mỹ Đình
Hà Nội mùa này lòng bao đau đớn
Ta nhớ đêm nao lạnh đôi tay
Cho đến đêm qua lạnh đôi chân
Giờ đây, lạnh luôn toàn thân
June 14th, 2009
It’s probably safe to say that 90% of Tango songs are good. No matter how sad, lonely, or indifference I feel, they always get me on my feet, tapping and singing. There are many, but here are my 10 favorites.
1. Kiep Ngheo - Lam Phuong
I first heard this song when Kim Cuong sang it live during one of her “cai luong” productions back in Vietnam. I was only 9 at the time. Yet, it moved me to tears. I developed a soft spot for it ever since. Even now, I play it on my drive home from work, especially on a dark, rainy night.
2. Nguoi Tho San Va Dan Chim Nho
Forget songs of war and heartbreaks, here’s one about humanity’s insouciance about nature’s repose. With flowing melody and sweet lyrics, it could very well be about cockroaches and still remain on this list.
3. Dung Buoc Giang Ho - Hoang Trong
I travel a lot, especially now as a floater. Whether I’m far or near, in a 5-star or 2-star hotel, I always look forward to coming home. Hoang Trong perfectly reflects that sentiment: “Đã bao năm qua / Sống nơi phương xa / Về phương cũ đành dừng bước chân giang hồ.”
4. Tango Tim - Anh Bang
A great song, a great singer, and a great arrangement. What’s not to love.
5. Thu Ca - Pham Manh Cuong
Among the many great autumn songs, this one ranks towards the top. I can see autumn leaves falling and feel them crackle under my feet just from listening to the song.
6. Pho Buon - Pham Duy
Pham Duy so vividly paints a relentless rain in a deserted neighborhood, draped in darkness with but a single light from afar. The imagery makes it also one of my favorite “rain” songs.
7. Xa Vang - Nguyen Van Hien
Xa Vang catapulted Thien Kim’s career in Vietnam. She was amazing. Quang Dung’s rendition isn’t bad either.
8. Tango Di Vang - Le Minh Bang
Y Lan’s warm vocal and soulful delivery takes this Tango ballad to whole new level.
9. Co Be Ngay Xua
My sister played this song every day when I first came to the US.
10. Tien Buoc Sang Ngang - Hoang Trong
Hoang Trong beautifully scripted a heartfelt song about seeing an ex on her wedding day. I could only imagine the heartache.
