oh, don’t forget… to text your girl telling her how much you love her or else she’ll get a fist. Ask Tim, he knows what’s up! Thanks for the link, man.

A year ago, I acquired William Zinsser’s On Writing Well at a garage sale. Last week I took a crack at it and couldn’t put it down because, obviously, he writes so well. His advice on “Who am I writing for?” alone is worth the price of the book:

You are writing for yourself. Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person… Don’t worry about whether the reader will “get it” if you indulge a sudden impulse for humor. If it amuses you in the act of writing, put it in. (It can always be taken out, but only you can put it in.) You are writing primarily to please yourself, and if you go about it with enjoyment you will also entertain the readers who are worth writing for. If you lose the dullards back in the dust, you don’t want them anyway.

I feel like an idiot for leaving this book in a box all these times without reading it, but at least I am not the one who sold it for a buck.

The new Brown University homepage is slick, edgy, clean, and organized. Nice work, Brown and Pentagram!

Aimi Kobayashi, an eight-year-old (at the time of the performance) pianist, knocks the amazement out of me with her unbelievable talent. Watch for her hand gesture and facial expression on the Mozart Concerto.

Trinh Cong Son’s lyrics are damn near impossible to grab, especially for those who weren’t around his time to comprehend his references. I’ve been listening to “Chi Co Ta Trong Mot Doi” and still not sure what was the man up to. My only conclusion is that he was producing a musical painting with this composition. Because he was also a painter, he could have wanted to connect the two art forms together. The first stanza, “Doi ve toi ten muc dong / Roi ve them con ngua hong / Tu do len duong phieu linh,” painted quite a dreamy, fantasy image. I would love to hear your view on this song, and if you come across any articles, please share.

Too fat for camera? No need to worry, HP cameras “instantly trim off pounds from your photo subjects with the slimming feature.” What a fantastically sick artistic effect! What worse is that the demo shows both women (no men) who look great without the slendered illusion.

In Dieu Huong’s “Tinh Xua” (performed by Quang Dung), the chorus begins, “Yeu de dan vat nhau suot ca kiep nguoi.” Is she refering to mental abuse or physical pleasure? I prefer the latter, and can see why most guys (Quang Dung, Tuan Ngoc, Nguyen Khang, and Don Ho) love to sing her songs.

David Levinthal uses toys as models for his photography. His works are both imaginative and provocative. The “XXX” series gives an illusion between real and fake or women and dolls. Ladies with plastic surgery might identify themselves with the models.

Finally copped an official copy of Don Ho’s Vi Do La Em last weekend. Yes, I actually purchased a legit album, surprising isn’t it? Even though his packaging idea—wrapping the sleeve around the outside cover—is different, it is so damn cumbersome, and will get dirty mighty fast as well. Design wise, he needs some courses on typography. The type choice for the title “Vi Do La Em” is horrendous, and it doesn’t go with a contemporary feel he has going on. He also needs to uncomplicate his design. On the back cover, the decorative ornament doesn’t enhance the layout. Does he need to list Don Ho sings every song? A “featuring Thanh Ha” is all that needed for “Hat Cho Doi.” Why does he put the lyrics of “Vi Do La Em” in all caps and big above the black box while the contact information is so small that is hardly readable? On the credits page, why does he needs the dash in between words? It’s good that he designs his own album, but he is designing for design’s sake instead of communicating the information. One more thing, go light on the Photoshop touch-up, will ya?

While driving in the rain, Quang Dung’s “Anh Xin Lam” touches my soft spot, and Mai Anh Viet’s lyrics sink in, especial on the refrain: “Anh xin lam co dai don buoc chan em / Anh xin lam tang cay che mat than em.” Even an insensitive, vulgar motherfucker like me appreciates romantic shit sometimes. But like Pac said, “Only God can judge me. Nobody else. All you other motherfuckers get out my business.”