Duong Dua are worms that eat coconut shoots. They choose the most prosperous coconut trees, bore themselves into the peak, give birth, and together (about 100 at a time) they suck the brains out of the coconut shoots. By the time they are full and satisfied, even the strongest coconut tree could not survived.

When I was nine, my cousins dared me to try them, and I did. They were delicious. Of course, I did not just picked them up and eat them alive. They were grilled inside the bamboo until crispy. Took them out and dipped in fish sauce that was mixed with tamarind, sugar, and hot peppers. Because Duong Dua ate the best part of coconut, they were fat, creamy, and juicy. Along with herbs, vegetables, and the special tamarind fish sauce, Duong Dua is a great dish for drinker. Not sure if I can eat them now.

Although I was only nine at the time, I still remember the vivid details of helping my cousins preparing Duong Dua fries. Picked him up, inserted a peanut into his belly, the milk oozed out, then threw him on the fryer. I called him “Duong chip with tons of protein.”

Imagine throwing a fattest Duong Dua into a bottle of Gusano Rojo Mezcal. I’ll be drunk in a quickness.

Thanks to Pieman for good old memory.

Vy-Thao Nguyen writes, “Hieu Thao is a word that is ingrained in every Vietnamese. It means showing loyal reverence to one’s parents.” The more I think about these two words, the more migraine I get. No matter how hard I try, I am never as “hieu thao” to my mother as my cousins or the children of my mom’s friends to their mothers. The responsibility of being a Vietnamese child is not easy. Check out Vy-Thao Nguyen’s essay on “Hieu Thao – The Filial Piety of Today’s Generation.”

Hong Nhung is right. Everyone should have a quiet garden. So allow me to present mine. While she shares her quiet garden through her voice, I share mine through my design. The white background brings the site back to the basics. Playing off her album, I added several graphic elements on the bottom right including the dewdrops (Giot Suong) and the woodpecker (Con Chim Sau). Clever huh? Let me pat myself on my back.

As you can see, the layout is not completely redesigned. It is more like a make over. With the Vietnamese tradition, cleaning up the house before New Year is to get rid of the bad luck and prepare for a fresh start. So the site is as clean as it gets, not just only the look and feel but the coding and the structuring was well. I also recreate all the screenshots on the sites section because the old rectangular curves are not pleasing to my eyes anymore. All images on the entire site are now converted to PNG to take the advantage of its transparency. So if I get tired of staring at the white pages, I can change the colors instantly on my CSS file and not having to deal with color matching issue. So don’t be so shock if you see the site fills with purple haze. If that is the case, you know I listen to that Killa Kam’s 1970s heroin flow way too much and not because I smoke cracks.

So there you have it. The cleaner and crisper site is here to celebrate the year of the Cock. No ladies, I am talking about chicken, not dildo. Oh boy! I need a quick nap. Enjoy your staying and have a great Lunar New Year!

Thanks Hong Nhung for the inspiration.

Kristine Sa’s reBIRTH is an album that will attract the Asian boys with their supped up cars. They can just pump it in their rides and nod their heads to the Asian prides. The remixes are catchy, but her inexperienced breath control on the slower tracks disappoints me. She respires hard in between the lines. The sugarcoated tunes are great for club joints but won’t stay too long. Sorry sweetie!

“Giot Suong Tren Mi Mat” weaved into my dream last night. I could not see clearly, but definitely heard the music because when I woke up at 2:09 in the morning, when Hong Nhung screamed near the ending, my stereo was still playing. I forgot to put it to sleep. I have heard countless versions of “Giot Suong Tren Mi Mat,” but Hong Nhung’s interpretation swept me off my feet. She accomplished the high notes perfectly and, at the same time, rided beautifully with the dynamic arrangement. The voice and the beat left a deep sound in my dream.

Here is Patrick Gallagher’s translation of Thanh Tung’s “Giot Suong Tren Mi Mat.”

Dew Drops On My Lids

How could I know
Each time the sun rose
The sun dropped its tears
On my ma and my pa

Now I am grown
Buds bloom in my heart
Dew drops on my lids
So that’s love, tears of first love

With my first words
I yelled out at life
My moods like the wind
So some things don’t change

Just now I see
Some years have piled on
Tear drops all dried up
Still life seems, life seems so hard

When I smile and think sad thoughts
Why don’t I cry, make light my dark mind?
Because sometimes, looking at life
Joy shines in my eyes and my tears shine on my lips

Please let my cry
Soft sounds from my voice
My tears in a flood
Would drain my sad mood

Each time I’ve won
A smile in my heart
Dew drops on my lids
That’s sun drops, tears from the sun
Dew drops in my lids
That’s sun drops, tears from the sun

“Saigon 1952” – which is Van Cao’s “Thien Thai” – is the song that brought me to Hong Nhung. When I first heard it while watching The Quiet American, her dramatic vocals along with the intensity of Craig Armstrong’s musical score strike me. The experience was breathtaking and I could not wait to find out who the performer was. Once the name Hong Nhung came up and got my hand on Thuo Bong La Nguoi, the rest is history. Recently, Pat sent me a version of “Thien Thai” recorded by a Vietnamese arranger. The experience is less dramatic, but the vocal is no less significant. Speaking of Pat, make sure to bookmark this page and enjoy the songs he has translated.

“Thousands are still getting discovered each day / how dare you compare a life to a week’s pay?” Jin responses to the “Tsunami Song” and the racist radio jocks. He’s damn right. Mad respect and support for Jin. He is the voice of our people and he responses intelligently as a battle rapper. Keep doing your things, man. We’re right behind you.

Also big up to HipHopMusic.com for fighting the battle. Miss Info, keep your head up, ma! For those who haven’t pick up Jin’s The Rest is History, now is the time. Here is my take on the album.

Inspired by Patrick Gallagher’s “English Words for Vietnamese Songs,” I attempt to translate Trinh Cong Son’s “Toi Dang Lang Nghe (I’m Listening),” a vivid performance by Cam Van on Xin Cho Toi. Although Trinh’s words in this song are simple, the poetic lyrics create beautiful images; therefore, I stay closely to the original context as well as try to fit in the same musical syllables. So listen to the song, follow along, and enjoy!

I’m Listening

Quiet of nights, I’m listening
Quiet of days, I’m listening
Quiet of lives, I’m listening
I’m listening
A lonely heart, as nights passed by
Quiet of folks, I’m listening
Quiet of mines

Quiet rivers, I’m listening
Quiet hilltops, I’m listening
Quiet breathings, I’m listening
I’m listening, quiet breathings
After the storms
Quiet faces, hear many wounds
On palm of hand

I’m listening, quiet of loves
A love has passed, I’m listening
When flowers dried, quiet of buds
I’m listening, I’m listening
I’m listening, my quiet life

Making fun of the Tsunami victims is the most despicable thing to do, yet only in America where we would do such thing. I am sure we would not be so pleased if someone in another country makes fun of our September 11 crisis. Learn to respect others if we want some respect. Fortunately, only a few fools at Hot 97 who think the “Tsunami Song” is funny while the rest of us don’t.

What the heck is wrong with these radio stations making racist jokes? Two weeks ago, Power 99, used to be my favorite hip-hop radio in Philly, called an Indian woman “dirty-rat eater” and threatened to “choke the f out of [her].” It’s not her fault that big corporations move to India. That sucker should have taken his anguish out on the company instead.

Like my man Elton John says, “It’s sad, so sad / It’s a [fucked up] situation / And it’s getting more and more absurd.” I just happen to listen to this song while writing this post, but it fits well with the contents.

In my recent review of Cam’ron’s Purple Haze, I ask listeners to not pay attention to the content but focus only on the aesthetic qualities. Why? A few of his lines below demonstrate the reason:

“Your budget on my neck, your spouse on my dick” from “Get ‘Em Girls”

“You’re a dickhead, not dildo” from “More Gangsta Music”

“Put your meat on my stick like a shish-ka-bob” from “Hey Ladies”

“Pluck ya ace take ya girl fuck her face / She’s dealin’ with Killa so you love her taste / She swallowin’ Killa cause she love the taste.” From “Down and Out”

“And you know I’m in the buildin’ mister / with the Olsen twins, or the Hilton sisters / And I haul ’em in to the Hiltons, mister / I milked them, I killed them, you quilt them.” From “Girls”

Cam’ron is not the only misogynist jerk in the game. Even one of the best lyricist MCs does it too. Here are some of Nas’s lines from Street’s Disciple:

“I had bad chicks that blow cum bubbles like bubblegum.” From “Nazareth Savage”

“I squeeze nipples like pimples to get the puss.” From “Nazareth Savage”

“She’ll scream as I pushed in her freezin’ cold pool / When she piss she gon’ bleed in the whole stool / That’s how much I wanna bang and touch her pretty thing.” From “You Know My Style”

“Chelsea used to tell me choke her while I stroke her / Stuck a Heineken bottle up in the ass, a real joker.” From “Remember The Times”

Chris Rock loves rap but hates to defend rap. The lines above are impossible to defend rap as a form of art. I love rap too but I go for the aesthetic experience, not the misogynism.