Am I the last one in America who have watched R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet” videos? I have to give it to him. The twisted storyline is not unpredictable, but still clever.

Words get out fast on the Internet. I am delighted that Jazzy accepts my criticisms as well as my praises on her debut. An artist like her is the future of our music. Keep on generating original works, girl. We’re rooting for you.

Visualgui readers, your encouraging words have motivated me to see a specialist regarding to my nosebleed problem. The doc slipped a tube up my nostrils to examine them. I felt a bit discomforting, but no sign of tumors or anything is serious as far as he can see; therefore, he cauterized my vessels. The process burned like hell and caused a few tears in my eyes. Can’t remember when was the last time I cried. I have also dropped the Henessy and picked up the water for my walking. The experience is not the same, but I am still enjoying my strolls with jazz on my earphones. Currently drooling over Art Blakey’s and Max Roach’s delicious drum solos. If I have a chance, I would love to take drumming lessons. Playing the drum has always been my dream. Thank you all, once again.

Notice the subtle differences in the background on each page? After getting rid of the big and bold flowers and went with complete minimal, I wanted to bring back some visual to give the site a bit of individuality; however, I decided to play with muted graphics to maintain simplicity. I am also at a point of my life where I appreciate nature more than anything; therefore, I would like to reflect that on my personal site.

After looking at the Vault, the Beauty and the Unmatched, I determined to incorporate the graphics into the whole composition instead of just the headers like many sites have been showcased. There is also extra bonus for those with large screens. Hope you’ll dig the new changes and that you won’t find the backgrounds interfere with readability.

Popular Vietnamese tune combined with sophisticated jazz rhythms: Peter Zak’s quartet plays Trinh Cong Son’s “Nghe Nhung Tan Phai.” The track is from Peter’s Purple Refrain.

Renowned classical melody get rejuvenated with blazing Cuban beats: The Klazzbrothers and the Cuba Percussion give Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” a fascinating makeover, and I thought ring tones have killed this song. The track is from Classic Meets Cuba.

Between Vassar Music Library and Pougkeepsie Public Library, I have collected over 200 jazz recordings. I spend most of my evenings listening to them. Instead of just staying in bed and enjoy jazz, I figure I should do something more productive. So after dinner, I take a shot of Hennessy, put on my earphones, and let jazz walks me through the neighborhood. Lately Bird is leading my way with his amazing alto saxophone. His intoxicating sounds combine with a little buzz from the liquor stimulate quite a pleasure strolling experience. I have been walking until the record stops, which is forty-five minutes to an hour each day. It’s long enough to break some sweats. The cool breeze of the evening feels so nice. After the walking is done, the buzz is also gone, and I get more energetic afterward. Because of this little exercise, I have been able to sleep better. I have been doing this for the past three weeks; however, if I want to continue, I need to drop the Hennessy or else I’ll become an alcoholic. A shot a day keeps the doctor away, right? Speaking of doctors, mom keeps bugging me to see my doctor about my bleeding nose. She gave me some pills, but they don’t help at all. I told her I am getting better so she is not so worried, but my nose has been bleeding tremendously. I am wondering if it is the heat or the alcohol.

A special night to remember Ngoc Lan will be held on Saturday, Agust 27, 2005 in San Jose, CA. The event is not only an opportunity for iLoveNgocLan.com fans, but also for everyone who loves Ngoc Lan to get together. There will be food, music, and dance with special guests: songwriter Nam Loc, singer Thanh Lan, and journalist Truong Ky. Come out, relax, and enjoy. Check out the poster, design by AngelNgocLan who is also the organizer of the special night.

Browse the AIGA’s Design Archive

Watch the documentary video on David Carson

Read Inspirability

Listen to Thirteen Pictures: The Charles Mingus Anthology, especially the first track on disc one, the twenty-eight-minutes “Cumbia and Jazz Fusion” is filled with delightful sounds.

Hong Hanh gives Nguyen Anh 9’s “Mua Thu Canh Nau” an inebriating rendition of the blues.

“Trang va Em” (Moon and You), a smooth-jazz performance from the soft-and-sweet Jazzy Da Lam. Thanks Joseph for the link.

Even a week of relaxing and hanging out with the family zoomed by in a flash. Thanks to those who sent the kind words to my mother. She is doing well now, or else I would not leave her. Although a week was to spend for mom (surgery and doctor visits), I benefited from it too. I needed the time off to clear my head, but now I am back to work.

Just added a slideshow for the McCaskey Alumni Association. I had to select 50 from 900 images from a disk, and the photos reminded me of the good old days. I also upgraded Visualgui.com to WordPress for tighter security. Although I am not taking anymore freelance projects, I can’t turn down my cousin. So I’ll be working on a website for Suzanne Shu after my two major projects for Vassar winding down. The redesign of the entire Development website is going smoothly. The new design is approved but the site is nowhere near completion. As for redesign of German Studies, it is going back to the drawing board.

On another note, Delta Tango Bravo has put together an impressive favicon collection. See if you can spot visualgui.

Mom’s Blepharoplasty (eyelids surgery) went smoothly, thanks to the wonderful Day Care’s staffs at Lancaster General Hospital. They deserve the recognition for their professional manors. Their work is deeply appreciated it.

Mom is back home now, but she is still unable to eat and keep on vomitting because of the anesthesia. During this time, I am so glad to be by her side like she has always been by mine. She still needs to recover as well as follow ups to do in the next couple of days. I am praying that she will get better soon. Looking at her swollen and bruised eyes, I am wondering why would people go through all these pains just to look good? If it was not for medical reasons, mom wouldn’t put herself into this position.