As you have noticed, the top navigation of VisualGUI has changed a bit. I want to make it more visible and colorful. Spice things up a little. I am quite hapy with the visual impact.

Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” is a powerful work of art. The film depicts the last twelve crucial hours of Jesus Christ’s life on earth. Gibson makes sure we experience the suffering of Jesus by focusing on the details of scourging, beating, nailing etc. The hardest scene to view is when Jesus flesh being rips off from the whip. I’ve always heard of stories about Jesus die on the cross but never truly understand pain he went through until watching “The Passion of the Christ.”

Is it a good movie? Absolutely. Watching it from a non-religious point of view, I fully appreciate the aesthetic experience. If it does nothing else, “The Passion of the Christ” brings me closer to Jesus.

Hov! The Grey Album is simply a work of art. The unity between Black (Jay-Z) and White (The Beatles) is off the hook. What more can I say? Go to Grey Tuesday and cop yourself a copy. Save the music y’all.

Producer Kanye West demonstrates his rap skills on The College Dropout. I am not too crazy about the way he flows but he has some nice lyrics and dozens of blazin’ beats. Glad to hear West raps about his personal experiences such as: college life, work at the Gap, and a car accident instead of the typical gangster life, bitches, and cars. With his consistently good lyrics and dope beats, the album is enjoyable from start to finish.

“Get Em High” is the best track on the album. The beat is mad wicked and I like the way West flows on this one. Specially the first two lines where he spits out fast and clear. Talib Kweli and Common also drops their ill verses on this track. In “All Falls Down”, it’s funny how he tells the story of a girl who drops out of college to become a hair designer, “The concept of school seems insecurrr. Sophomore three yurrrs ain’t picked a carurrrs The beat is hot and Syleena Johnson’s voice is beautiful. “Never Let Me Down” featuring Jay-Z is pretty hot too. West talks about the car accident, “But I can’t complain what the accident did to my left eye… Cause look at what the accident did to Left Eye. First Aaliyah… now Romeo Must Die.” In “Spaceship”, he talks about how he quits working at the Gap and starts making his own beats. The “New Workout Plan” is pretty funny too. I like the hip hop/club beat and how the girl said, “6pac Shakur.” I like the fresh and new vibe in “We Don’t Care.” The lyrics in “Two Words” is decent and the beat is mad kool, especially the violin at the end. Mos Def and Freeway also give a wonderful performance on their part. “Jesus Walks” has a nice tune with a positive message. “Slow Jamz” featuring Twista is nice for a little bump amd grind. The beat on “Through The Wire” sounds familiar but pretty catchy. Finally, West tells the story of how he got hooked up with Jay-Z on “Last Call.”

With the solid list above, The College Dropout is a pretty damn good album. It’s unique, entertaining, and well produced. It would have been a perfect album if Kanye West flows stronger and clearer (or I am not just digging his style). Still, go grab yourself a copy, definitely worth it.

Have you ever like a movie so much that you wish it would never ended? That is how I feel when watching The Station Agent. I feel like I was part of the characters. The story is basically about Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) who is a dwarf and a loner. The only thing that interests him is train. Because of his height, people usually stare, pry or make fun of him; therefore, he just wants to live alone. Although he tries to be alone, he couldn’t shut out Joe (Bobby Cannavle) who “won’t take no for an answer” and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) who almost ran him over twice. Three people with three different circumstances but eventually become close friends. The interaction between these three characters is what makes the film engaging. The Station Agent is a beautiful work of art with some laughter, emotional and memorable moments through out the film. Every character gave natural performances of everyday life, which makes the film so realistic. The Station Agent is highly enjoyable. This is a film not to be missed.

The coolest thing about being gay is not to have to get married. However, the gay community is fighting for the right to get married. Massachusetts and other states should pass law. Give the gays the equal opportunity to experience the sorrow life of marriage.

Remember the adorable 6-7 years old kid performed in Bien Nho’s production Tuyen Chon Nghe Si? His name is Chau and he was mimicking Hoai Linh in Tra No Tinh Xa where he acted like an old man. In Hay Cho Toi, he dressed like a little pimp and danced like Nguyen Hung. Of course, as cute as he is, everyone loves him. Unfortunately, his music and video are being banned in Viet Nam because he dressed and acted inappropriate for his age. Give the kid a break. Give him a damn chance. This is why kids in Viet Nam do not have opportunities. Instead of encouraging kids to do what they like, they shut them down. Meanwhile in America, Lil’ Romeo and Lil’ Pow Wow make millions rapping about girls and wearing Hip Hop baggy clothes. Oh well, life is never fair. If you can read Vietnamese, check out the article at VNExpress.

Ms. Julia, who inspired me with her poem Your Beauty, is back and dropping some dope rhymes for Solitude, a theme I recently designed for Ngoc Lan. Not only Julia is fluent in English, she can write in French and Vietnamese as well. Wish I had half of her skills. If you’re interested in reading more of her beautiful poems, go to iLoveNgocLan.com’s poem page and check out: Beautiful Maria, If Only I Could, In The Night…, Like a Star. They all dedicated to Ngoc Lan. Isn’t Ms. Julia a greatest fan of Ngoc Lan?

What do you like the most about Hip Hop? Is it the dope beats, the ill rhymes, the bootilicious, the hot rides or the gangster lifestyle? For me, the lyrical content interests me the most. Like any other music genre, Hip Hop artists come and go just like that except for the one with the lyrical skills. That’s how artists like 2pac, Nas, Eminem, Rakim and Jay-Z still holding on to the belts. Not only these artists have the lyrical skills, their unique styles allow them to stay strong in the game. If you ask me to rank these artists from 1-5, I can’t do it but I can break down what I have learned from listening to their music.

Let’s start off with 2pac. He has always been my inspiration. 2pac probably has the biggest mouth in Hip Hop. He speaks from the heart and spits out whatever is on his mind. You can just pick out any lines from his song and understand clearly what he talks about. For example, “I ain’t a killer but don’t push me. Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to getting pussy.” -Hail Mary. You can play 2Pac’s music in any random order and still appreciate the power of his words.

In contrast to 2pac, Nas carefully crafts his songs into stories. It’s a like book of rhymes where you flip through page by page. Whenever Nas drops his knowledge there is always a message behind it. You can always learn something from him. In I Can, Nas lays down some Black History:

Before we came to this country
We were kings and queens, never porch monkeys
It was empires in Africa called Kush
Timbuktu, where every race came to get books
To learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans
Asian Arabs and gave them gold when
Gold was converted to money it all changed
Money then became empowerment for Europeans
The Persian military invaded
They learned about the gold, the teachings and everything sacred
Africa was almost robbed naked
Slavery was money, so they began making slave ships
Egypt was the place that Alexander the Great went
He was so shocked at the mountains with black faces
Shot up they nose to impose what basically still goes on today.

Listening to Eminem is like watching a movie. His attention to details is amazing. With his descriptive words and wicked rhymes, you can visualize the motion picture in your head. In Loose Yourself, Em gives you an open shot of a nervous white boy before he picks up the mic:

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
to drops bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
what he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth but the words won’t come out.

Jay-Z is a clever MC. He makes sure every word counts. So when he drops a verse, it cuts straight to the heart without needless words. That’s his weapon and no one can do it like he does. He always come correct even when battling with other rappers, “I am all about the dollar, what the fuck is 50 Cent?” In Moment of Clarity, he spits some tight ass rhymes,

If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be lyrically, Talib Kweli
Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
But I did five mill’ – I ain’t been rhyming like Common since
When your cents got that much in common
And you been hustling since, your inception
Fuck perception, go with what makes sense
Since I know what I’m up against
We as rappers must decide what’s most impor-tant

Rakim is the poet of Hip Hop. The way he drops his lyrics is aesthetically beautiful. For instance, in Lyrics of Fury, you can hear the sounds from his verbs.

Strike like lightning, It’s quite frightening!
But don’t be afraid in the dark, in a park,
Not a scream or a cry, or a bark, more like a spark;
Ya tremble like an alcoholic, muscles tighten up,
What’s that, lighten up! You see a sight but,
Suddenly you feel like you’re in a horror flick,
You grab your heart then wish for tomorrow quick!

So what do you think? Who else would you consider a lyricist MC? I know there are many more but I enjoy these five top dawgs the most.

Nguyen Nhat Huy’s Van No Cuoc Doi is rather successful because of Dam Vinh Hung and My Tam performances. It was a smart decision for Nguyen Nhat Huy to choose these two extraordinary artists to perform his music. His lyric is more for older (40s) folks but Dam Vinh Hung and My Tam attract the younger crowds. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

Dam Vinh Hung starts off the album with Hay Song That Long. His strong and smoky voice is perfect for the slow rock beat. Follows by My Tam’s striking voice in Loi Hua Chong Phai. Dam Vinh Hung once again brings out his uniqueness in performing Nhac Tru Tinh (Vietnamese Love Melody) in Tren Nhung Tan Phai. It’s the perfect mix between a beautiful melody and a handsome voice. My Tam gives a radiance touch on Xin Doi Cho Co Do while Dam Vinh Hung gives all his soul in Thu Tha Mot Lan. With Hat Ben Troi Lang Quen, My Tam lets her sweet voice ring through without hitting a high note. Uoc Mo Xa Tam Tay is another track fits Dam Vinh Hung nicely. He is good at starting out soft and gradually screams on top of his lung at the end. Specially the emphasis on the line, “Ai da mang em sang ben kia Dai Duong?” Nguyen Nhat Huy probably dedicated this song to his lover who left him for someone oversea, a Viet Kieu (Vietnamese American) maybe. Speaking of dedication, Tinh Me (Mother’s Love) is an inspiration and My Tam gives a mesmerizing performance. I just love the lyrics, “Khi tho au con nao dau co biet, me lang le trong ngan noi muon phien. Du bao gio mua, tinh me van thiet that em dem.” This song hits straight home for me and my mother, in particular the line, “Me da co phut giau nuoc mat cho con tho ngay nu cuoi.” Which literally means, “There are moments when mother hid her tears in order to give her innocent child a smile.” I am so glad Nguyen Nhat Huy wrote this song. In contrast to Tinh Me, his dedication to his father in Nghi Ve Cha (Thinking of My Father) fails miserably. Although Dam Vinh Hung gives all he can, he still can’t pull off this song. Finally, Van No Cuoc Doi wraps up the album. This is another beautiful lyric that touches on life. Nguyen Nhat Huy acknowledges people, places, and things he owes in life.

This is the first time I get to know Nguyen Nhat Huy’s music. I have listened to this album several times and each time it brings me closer to the lyrics. Not only I like the music, I also like the packing design of the album. It puts together like a book where you can flip to read the lyrics and look at the photos of Nguyen Nhat Huy, Dam Vinh Hung, and My Tam. Because of the well-designed format, Van No Cuoc Doi is a perfect gift for a friend who appreciates Vietnamese music.