Dang Minh Thong – Lang Le Noi Nay

The album has more variety than a bag of Skittles and the mechanical productions brought down his slightly hoarse voice.

Lam Vu – Hay Tin Vao Tinh Yeu Cua Anh

Lam Vu’s new, trendy album, Hay Tin Vao Tinh Yeu Cua Anh, is a like a brand name handbag you could pick up at Canal Street. The cover adorns a counterfeit LV brand and the music—from the beats to the lyrics to the vocals—feels cheap.

Quach Tuan Du – Tinh Ho Pham Duy

Pham Duy would get a heart attack if he listens to this record.

Le Tan Quoc: Duong Xua Loi Cu/Thanh Pho Buon

Both of Le Tan Quoc’s instrumental albums are perfect for Vietnamese café shops with comfortable couches and without sexy servers.

Duong Thu is Mad as Hell

I have tremendous respect for Duong Thu. Through his lyrical virtuosity and his appreciation for nature, I imagined that he is one calm, humble individual. After reading his article, “8 mẩu suy nghĩ về giới trẻ và Élite trẻ,” however, I get a different vibe about the man. He is mad pissed off at the younger generation and criticizing heavily their attitude, lifestyle, music taste and even rhetoric.

Although I don’t disagree with his view on the use of English into the Vietnamese language (like replacing “anh yêu em” with “I love you” in writing), I find it rather amusing that he does it himself. What the heck is “Élite trẻ?” Can’t he find a Vietnamese term for Élite? Duong Thu shows his age. He just sounds like a grumpy, bitter, angry old man.

Auto Repair Recommendation

Dealing with car gives me a headache. My wife’s 2003 Toyota Camry (V4) has failed inspection. The front exhaust needs to be replaced. The water pump and the oil pan are leaking. The dealer’s price is just ridiculous. Does anyone know a reliable, reasonable shop around Virginia area for these type of services? Please advise.

IITS Redesigned

The International Institute of Tourism Studies gets a new look. I always liked this peachy scheme, but it has been passed up until now.

Beauty Shots of Ha Noi

I have a concept for a motion piece that requires beautiful photographic of Ha Noi. I have the song in mind already, but don’t have any photos to work with. If you are a photographer and would like to collaborate, get in touch with me. If you know any photographic works, please let me know as well.

International Business Redesigned

Way before I came on board, the International Business department went out on its own when the School of Business couldn’t provide what it needed, which is PHP and MySQL. Since the school server runs on ColdFusion and the department had everything tied into PHP and MySQL, the challenge was to bring the site back to the school and keep everything else running. As a result, I worked closely with the department’s web developer who resides in New Zealand to redesign and remerge the International Business web site.

Goodbye Michael Jackson

The king of pop had left the building. May his soul sets free.

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