Chinese Buffet

Somehow I have been craving for Chinese buffet all week. It must be the rain and the darkness after work. We’ll definitely go to a Chinese buffet tomorrow, but don’t want to go to our usual places. Any good recommendation around Virginia and DC?

Married and Old

New Year day, we went to a friend house for a little get together. The place was packed with about five or six couples and about half a dozen of kids. There was one single lady in the house. Guess what happened? That’s right, she left early. She probably got bored of all the kids’ stories and wanted to do her single thangs.

The next morning, we went to Thanh Truc for some rice dishes. Sat next to us was a little chubby kid about seven or eight years old. He ate the pork chops first then literally cleaned up the dish full of rice. His mom ordered him another dish and only allowed him to eat half. In the meantime, I was struggling to clean up my first plate. For a whole day, I couldn’t eat anything else. Damn, I am getting old.

Free Prostate Cancer Screening

If you live in D.C. Metro area, come to GW Cancer Institute this weekend for free screening of prostate cancer. For more information, head over to GW News Center.

Dianne Reeves on Jazz

“You know, people always talk about ‘what jazz is,’ and it’s really hard to describe. But one thing I do know is that it’s a very intimate exchange between everyone on stage, giving inspiration and ideas to each other; and the other part that’s magical for me is when the audience is in on it.”

From Ben Ratliff’s The Jazz Ear: Conversations over Music, the book I am enjoying during my train ride.

Advertise Here

The big, billboard-like banner you see at the top is the most prominent place on Visualgui.com. I use it mostly to enhance the visual of the site or to showcase my latest work or to point to something important. I want to try something new with it. I would like to rent it out as an advertising space.

For a set amount, you can have an exclusive ad (800×250 pixels) displays right on Visualgui.com for a whole week. Since the billboard is the most dominate part of the site, the design has to meet my expectation and the content has to pass my approval. I can help you put together the ad free of charge.

The ad will go up in the beginning of the week. So if you’re interested, please contact me for more information and pricing.

Hip-Hop Jams

Q-Tip’s “Gettin’ Up” (funky video)
Scarface’s “High Note” (matured video)
N.O.R.E.’s new track: “NY Groove.”

The Boy’s Name

Coming up with our own kid’s name isn’t as easy as I thought. Obviously we want a cool name for him. We don’t have much restriction except that we would like to give him a Vietnamese name to remind him of his root. Our first shot was Trương Công Đức, but Đức is too popular.

After many attempts, Dana and I didn’t come to an agreement, so we consulted my father-in-law for advice and he nailed it. Trương Công Đạo is just perfect. I am sure Đạo is not an uncommon name, but it is not often heard of, at least for me. I love the sound of Công Đạo and I hope that he will hold truth to his name—benevolent, honorable, and respectable—throughout his life.

I also would like to nickname him Duke after one of my favorite jazz geniuses Duke Ellington. But then again, nothing is set in stone. We still have a few more months until he comes out to lock in.

Hip-Hop Listening

Biggie’s “Microphone Murderer” (he got an ill flow)
Eminem’s “Crack a Bottle” with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent
50 Cent’s “Get It In

Facing My Obsession, in the Flesh

Benoit Denizet-Lewis confesses his sexual addiction.

The Myths of Chinese Food

Jennifer 8. Lee breaks down the mysteries of Chinese food that only exist in America such as beef with broccoli, egg rolls, General Tso chicken, fortune cookies and chop suey. Very interesting presentation.

Contact