It’s hard to believe this year is almost over. 2008 has been a major change for us. It seems like last month that Dana and I started our new job in a new town. It seems like last week that we were married. It seems like yesterday that Dana has been pregnant. (I am not exaggerating. You can’t tell by looking at her.) Needless to say, we are very excited about our first boy. Seeing him through ultrasound and hearing his heartbeat through monitor make us even more eager. We can’t wait to hear his first cry.

Even though the boy has yet born, all the attentions are on him. Dana and Donny had put together our Christmas wish list for this year. Her wonderful sister and brother-in-law have already ordered the crib and the bedding set for us. We have been holding off our baby shopping because we’re scrambling to get ourselves a place. Buying a home is quite an experience, especially a foreclosure one. Joy of a home also comes with work—lots of work.

Next year will definitely come with new challenges, but we are grateful at this joyous time of year. Thanks for stopping by to read my muses and dramas. We wish you happiness and hope your holidays are filled with peace, love and prosperity. Merry Christmas!

A collection of striking photographs in 2008. Check out the bows and arrows in the battle field shot.

Updates have been sporadic lately. I know I still owe you guys a review of the latest Paris by Night, but it won’t happen this time. I can’t concentrate on anything else right now, but closing out the house. It turns out to be the good time to buy. The house is still in decent condition and is located in a quiet neighborhood close to George Mason University.

I can’t wait to get the key to the place. I have already come up with all the colors I wanted to paint the house. Being a visual guy, I am trying to come up with one color for each room to spice up the place. Colors bring me vibes and emotions. So depending on my moods, I could stay at different room. When my boy grows up, I can just walk him around the rooms and teach him colors. So far my wife is the only one who supports my decision. My mom thinks that I will make the house lose its value even though I am not planning on reselling it anytime soon.

I am actually taking my mind of the damn house tonight to digitize my music collection. I just brought a 750G hard drive at Costco over the weekend. Between the new one and the old 500G hard drive, I am going to keep two copies of my music. If one decided to fuck up, I still have the other one. I’ll keep one at work and one at home. Why didn’t I think of this before? I am also going to make my boy listen to jazz when he comes out. Hope he’ll like it.

While going through my collection, I came across Operatica: Christmas Classics, an album Joseph had sent me a few years ago. The fusion between Opera and Electronica

The new design for Accountancy goes live.

A real-life female robot built by Le Trung. She’s a bit freaky though.

In the cold morning commuting to work, Johnny Hartman’s romantic baritone warms up our hearts with “My One and Only Love.” The lyrics say it all:

The touch of your hand is like heaven.
A heaven that I’ve never known
The blush on your cheek,
Whenever I speak,
Tells me that you are my own
You fill my eager heart with
Such desire,
Every kiss you give
Sets my soul on fire
I give myself in sweet surrender,
My one and only love.

John Coltrane’s saxophone is no less lyrical and sensual. Thanks both for a romantic morning. Big shout out to my lovely wife at work. Can’t wait to see you this evening at GWSB Christmas party.

The house hunting is coming along. The contract will hopefully be ratified today. In the mean time, I am shopping around for mortgage loan. My preference loan consists of no origination fee, low lender fees, and of course, low interest rate with zero point. If you have any recommendation, please leave a comment or contact me. Thanks!

The rock remix of “Jocking Jay-Z” is banging. Gotta love his punch line: “Haters like ‘Hov, why you still talking money shit?’ / Cause I like money, bitch.”

Ao Trang’s new calender is out. Some of the shots are quite curvy.

Listening to Hartman for Lovers on my way home from work gave me a holiday spirit. His lust, romantic baritone and straight-to-heart flow over the simple, slow (sometimes light-swing) jazz rhythm bring a sensational sound of the holiday. Christmas is coming.