On “You Got to Love It,” Killa Cam is firing off on the Jiggaman. The first round isn’t so great, but Cam has fourteen more rounds to go. Can’t wait to hear Jay spits back.

Kanye West’s underground, pre-College-Dropout joints:
“Dreams Of Fucking Lil’ Kim“
“Untitled“
“Hey Mama” (Demo)

eDatarack is an evil web-hosting provider. Please stay away from them if you are looking for reliable host and responsible customer service. And if you are currently with them, my suggestion is to get out now, or else your site will end up like iLoveNgocLan.com, which was removed from their servers without a notice even though our contract isn’t expired until May 2006. I won’t even bother to ask them for the refund because they haven’t answered my email for two days.

Below is a list of xuan (new-year) songs performed by Thanh Thuy that I have come across on the web. Enjoy!

“Ben Xuan“
“Canh Thiep Dau Xuan” (via Nam)
“Cau Chuyen Dau Nam” (via Nam)
“Chan Thanh“
“Hanh Phuc Dau Xuan“
“Mua Xuan Hoa Anh Dao“
“Ngay Xuan Tham Nhau“
“Ngay Dau Mot Nam“

Jazzy’s “Toi Thu Sau.” Her solo piano is hypnotizing because of the strange syncopation and eccentric chords.

Tim’s Winter Break design. Vassar’s first black-background frontpage I have seen.

WordPress 2.0, the “Duke” (in honor of Duke Ellington) release, with jazzier user interface. Visualgui.com is now running with the latest version, and I am loving the Akismet spam plugin. Big up to the WordPress crew!

A sketch of Ngoc Lan by Vu Uyen Giang.

How do you like Visual-gui Santa (see logo above)? Thanks Chris, my fellow designer, for the Lego dude. You probably wondering why there is no cable connected to the lights. It was left out intentionally because I prefer wireless.

So what are your plans for the holidays? As for me, I’ll be hanging out in Lancaster, PA with family and friends. Then fly off to Austin, Texas for my cousin’s wedding on New Year. Anyway, wish you all a holiday season fills with joy and happiness.

I am going to leave you with Bill Evans’s rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Enjoy!

“Christmas in the Ghetto” by The Real Untouchables.

Finally founded a full version of “Giot Mua Thu” performed by Thanh Thuy. Too bad the quality is incredibility low.

Anh Tuyet’s rendition is also breathtaking. The quality is much better here.

I also come across an English translation of the lyrics by Jason Gibbs, a composer, performer, and researcher of music. His essay on Vietnamese popular music is worth reading.

Outside on the veranda, the
autumn rain is gently falling.

The somber sky is quieting,
suspended clouds are
scattering.

Amidst the muffled wind
blowing past in the autumn
rain, who’s crying? who’s
grieving?

A couple of young birds chirp
from the branch as if
auguring blue skies:

“Stop wind, why bring sad
rain to a plaintive heart?”

Autumn’s spirit arrives,
announcing the sadness it
brings along

Feelings empty on all sides,
for there’s no screen to block
the returning wind

Who’s sobbing, lamenting
life, teardrops rush down?
The world’s immeasurably
sad.

We hope the clouds will
scatter bringing sweet gentle
breezes. The clouds open up
to blue sky

Could such happiness be?
The rain continues to fall,
how many more incarnations
until this melancholy
subsides?

The distant wind still returns,
the unyielding rain spreads
its gloom

Oh sky, for how many more
years will tears pour from the
sky because of autumn?

What a friday morning? Cold and icy rain, but I made it to work anyway. After taking care of business (changing today’s frontpage banner), I just kick back and watch Minh Khang’s “Dua Be.” The lyrics are moving, and the music is mesmerizing. Yet, the best part is the collaborative effort between many singers. Big up to Minh Khang for his incredible work, and mad kudos to all the performers for their exceptional presentation. Thanks to Justquan for sharing it.

When I first heard “Chung Mot Vong Tay,” a Thai Dang’s hip-hop joint, I thought these guys and gals were on crack. The funk-inflected production is groovy, and the flows are straight bugging—even the ladies sound like they are high on the hook. After listening to the lyrics, however, I am impressed. Underneath the zoned-out delivery is an encouraging message to the youth. It’s quite original. Big up to Thai Dang, Thanh, Bao Tan, and Xanh Ai. Keep the positive vibe alive fellas (homegirls too). I am diggin’ it.

When it comes to decoration, our friend Patrick who is an ingenious florist goes all out. Went shopping with him once, and I was amazed at every little things he picked up to provide his work artistic visual details, like what he did to this gorgeous wedding cake. Not only he is skillful in arranging flowers, but also in other decorations as well. The perfect example is what he did recently with the scintillating Christmas tree, the simple but luminous dining room, and the lovely stairway ornamentation. He has given our uncle’s crib the spirit of Christmas. Patrick, you’re the best!