I made through an entire week without my laptop and the Internet. All I did was relaxing with Dana, Duke and Davis. Yes, Miles Davis’s albums were the music on my iPod. Each morning Duke got up around 6:30 so I got up as well to change him, brush his teeth and feed him. Around 8am, Duke and I hit the boardwalk. Half an hour later, Duke fell asleep on the stroller thanks to the morning cool breeze from the shore. For two hours straight, I just let walked and enjoyed the coolness of Miles’s records. Now that is what a vacation is all about. All that we did was eat, sleep, and hang out by the beach with Duke’s grandparents. Duke’s aunts and uncles also joined us on the weekends.

The first weekend, I also picked up Sammy and Eric (my niece and nephew) in Lancaster to spend some time with us since I don’t get to see them often. I love the kids, but I am a little worried about Eric. He is a smart boy, but quite introvert. He is very emotional, but damn near impossible to know what’s on his mind. He just doesn’t tell you. The more you ask the more taciturn he gets. He was even more challenging than Duke. After returning him back to my sister, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I wish I could spend more time with him to win his trust so he could talk to me and to change his McDonalds’ diet as well.

I am back in DC now and still have another week off. I did get to go to the Newseum the previous Friday before with Duke before we headed off to the shore. Duke loved the Metro ride and he was very good at the Newseum even though he still doesn’t have the patience for it. The Newseum was quite inspiring, especially for a designer like me. Lots of gorgeous newspaper designs with great use of typography. I will definitely come back again in the near future for longer observations. Tomorrow I have to organize the house so I am not sure if I can get to other attractions in DC.

According to Argentina’s Dr. Donato Vallani: “The players can have sex with their wives and girlfriends during the World Cup.” Not just wives or girlfriends but both. No wonder Argentina is always at the top of his game.

Starting tomorrow I will be on vacation until the World Cup begin. We will be spending a week chilling at the shore in Wildwood, New Jersey with the in-laws and burning some cash (without a lighter) in Atlantic City.

The following week Dana will head back to work so I’ll just hang out in DC. I’ve been living in the Metro area for two years, yet I haven’t been taken advantage of the local attractions. I will try to hit at least one art museum a day with Cu Dao. He’ll get to experience the Metro ride for the first time as well.

This is a take-it-or-lose-it vacation since June 30th is the end of the fiscal year. I also need to relax and refresh myself before the the launching of the unified web project, which is also on June 30th. Two weeks before that will be crazy, but it gets even crazier after that since I have to migrate all of the School of Business web pages to the new template. So this is a very good time for a break.

Not because Simon Cowell is leaving, but because Lee DeWyze won over Crystal Bowersox. I have nothing against Lee, but Crystal blew him away in all three songs yesterday. Crystal is clearly a stronger singer, but then again I was wrong last season as well when Adam Lambert lost to Kris Allen.

Accompanied and composed by the classical guitarist Walther Giger, Camille Huyen gives a fascinating musical recitation of Han Ma Tu’s “Anh Dien – Em Dien.” Love the way Mr. Giger glides and crushes the notes. Mr. Giger is no doubt a classical virtuoso, but what makes this piece stands out is the Eastern aesthetics he brings to the song. As for Ms. Huyen, I am so glad that she takes on a path of her own. “Ruot Trang” is another sensational interpretation of HMT’s poem.

Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” was chosen as the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup and she is encouraging fans around the world to upload clips of themselves on YouTube dancing to the tune.

When I read a piece in Dep magazine slaughtering Quang Dung, I thought he overreacted for suing them. I just read another article in the same publication titled “Quang Dũng chứ không phải Mr. Đàm,” I could see why Quang Dung got offended. Comparing to Dam Vinh Hung sure is a blow in the face and the writer is completely goofed up on this one. True, DHV also covered standards like Quang Dung, but there is a different between reinventing old songs and fucking them up. DVH has done the latter. His Trinh Cong Son album is a sacrilege. His other covered albums are horrendous from the mechanical productions to belt-out vocals. The writer simply doesn’t understand the art of reinterpretation. To him, singing louder and fucking up every note is better. To me, that is disrespectful. Although Quang Dung hasn’t been creative, at least he has been respectful to the timeless ballads and I am glad that he is not Mr. Damn.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is coming in two weeks. I am very excited that ESPN360.com will simulcast 52 out of 64 matches online. It’s about time the US pays attention to the sport that the whole world loves. I am pretty sure Viet Nam would be an exciting place to be. Since I can’t be in Viet Nam, Eden Center will do. As you already noticed, I put together a banner to start the countdown. I will try to blog about the World Cup as much as I can, so here is the Nike commercial to start off the excitement.

Quang Dung takes Dep magazine to court for an opinion piece (“Quang Dũng – Chàng tỉnh lẻ lên phố thành sao“) that literally slammed him. From his stilted enunciation to lack of innovation to formulaic music production, the article doesn’t point out anything we haven’t already known. Quang Dung just couldn’t take the negative comments and demanded an apology, which is ridiculous. The author doesn’t attack Quang Dung’s personal life; he only writes about his musical style. It’s called the art of criticism. Quang Dung had made a mistake of making the case even bigger.

We’re returning Cu Dao’s grandma back to grandpa this weekend after spending more than a year with us. Gone are the homemeals after work. Gone are the beautiful flowers around the house. Gone are laughter and the joy of having her around.

A year later and grandma remains the closest to Cu Dao. In a year she had spent more time with him than any of us. I can’t thank her enough for what she had done for us. At times I felt so guilty that she had to look after him for me and Dana to catch some sleep. We were just too damn tired. I don’t know how she could keep up with his energy for ten hours a day and I never see her fuss or complain. Duke smiles often and grandma has something to do with that.

After a year of living in the same house with grandma, one thing I had learned is her easy approach to life. She doesn’t allow anything to stress her out. She lives and works with what she has. For instance, she cooks with whatever we have in the kitchen. Unlike my mom who has to have all the right ingredients, she just substitutes whatever that needed to make the dish taste right. In way her, her cooking is quite creative. She approaches to anything else that way; therefore, her life is very laid back. She doesn’t need much to feel happy. I really admire that quality of her and I am learning to apply that lifestyle into my own.

Thank you mom for a wonderful year. We will miss having you around. If you miss Cu Dao, you are welcome back any time.