The Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls was gunned down a decade earlier on this day. Unlike his murder case, his music has not yet been forgotten. From the hypnotizing “Juicy” to the juicy “Hypnotize,” “Big Poppa” is remembered as one of Brooklyn’s finest rappers who were recognized as a virtuoso of flow.

Dolce & Gabbana pulled their controversial ad campaign right after the strong protests from Italy and Spain. The company wanted to convey “an erotic dream, a sexual game,” but misinterpreted as gang banging or violence toward women. D&G shouldn’t have pulled their ad. What they should have done is following up with another one with the gender reversed. Five women with one guy laying down on the ground is no doubt a sexual fantasy (at least for me, it is).

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese Web site at Berkeley is simple in layout, bold in typography, and refeshing in visual.

The New Yorker, one of my favorite magazines, Web site is redesigned. It’s about time they make the columns wider and have RSS feeds available.

Besides his incredible acting in Black Snake Moan, I was quite impressed with Samuel L. Jackson’s blues singing, particularly “Just Like a Bird Without a Feather.” He has a voice of a bad-ass motherfucker just like most of the characters he portrayed. Although he doesn’t sing in “Stackolee,” his foul-mouth charismatic of telling a story is right on the money: “You know that bartender gave me a dirty look and a dirty glass. I said, ‘Say it motherfucker, do you know who I am?’ He said, ‘Hell no nigger, I don’t give a goddamn.'”

A crisp new theme for iLoveNgocLan.com. I was going to post this alluring theme yesterday in memory of her death, but it didn’t seem to be appropriate.

It may not sound right listening to “Con Mua Ha” in the winter time, but the cold-ass temperature plus the bone-crushing wind make me yearning for summer. The time when we hid from the rain and sat in the park until three in the morning on a weekday and still got up and went to work the next day. Although Lam Thuy Van was known for this tune, Don Ho poured more soul into it than her. Somehow he sounded more natural back then with his laid-back flow and unrestrained delivery.

Thought that I am done and through with the “Khong” songs, but they are jamming in my headphone again and again. What makes Thy Dung’s “Lien Khuc Khong” is so damn addictive is the hipnotic arrangement. That country-style violin is so effective in such a strange way.

Tierney Sutton‘s rendition of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” is such a novelty. This beautiful ballad has been covered numerous times from Frank Sinatra to Diana Krall, but never in an idiosyncratic approach like Sutton. She reinvents the melody, speeds up the tempo, and scats the shit out of it. Damn, just love it when a singer takes a well-known standard to where no one else had taken it before. The live performance is taken from Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz program on NPR. (You’re the best, baby!)

Loan Chau’s live performance proved that she’s one of those eye-candy babes that you enjoy watching more than hearing. She tripped up several times on one of the most simple, straight-forward ballads, “Mua Tren Bien Vang,” and tried to played it off on Don Ho.

Here’s a tip for you, Ms. Chau. Next time if you forget the lyrics, start scatting.

Cam’ron’s HP Commercial (parody)

EPIC (Evolving Personalized Information Construct) 2015 (Very intriquing. Must see)

Kanye West’s “Classic” video with Rakim, Nas and KRS-One.

“Built Like That” (Scott Storch disses Timbaland)

Real big ole ass. Yuck!

Them pillows look real comfy.

Nice collection of logo design.

Melting Globe, a graphic for global warming awareness.

From Speak Up: Idiocratic Design and Nissan and the Black Experience

Haven’t been to Full Sail for a while. I have no reason to other than to see if they have a new design. The homepage looks hot.