We are now rocking with Macromedia Studio MX 2004. Just done installing and exploring Dreamweaver. So far so good. I am so excited.

The Geology and Geography department website at Vassar get recoded. I stripped the entire site out of tables and replaced with CSS layout and XHTML structured. On top of that, I touched up the visual design and rearranged the layout to make it clean and attractive. We are currently in the process of retrofitting old sites by clean up codes, get rid of font tags, and reorganizing the layouts. This is where all my energy are devoting to. So much fun isn’t it? It would benefits the school and at the same time doesn’t make us (web designers) look bad so I am actually motivated by it

Finally get to see Lost in Translation. Bill Murray is flawless in his character. I always see him as a “lazy actor” and this role is exactly that. He is in the midlife crisis and too tired to do anything. Scarlett Johansson is also great with her performance. The film is driving by the relationship between two people who have nothing in common except they are being lost in Tokyo. Their relationships eventually grow even though they both married. Unlike other Hollywood romantic comedies, they communicate with each other without sleeping together. So where does the relationship end up? Sofia Coppola, the director, cleverly let the viewers decide. At the end, where Bob and Charlotte hug goodbye in the middle of the street, he whispers in her ear but the audiences can’t hear what he is telling her.

Beside the storyline, the cinematography is gorgeous. If you think Time Square nightlife is beautiful, check out Tokyo by night. It is amazing how they use the building glass windows as a gigantic video commercial. Of course, there are funny moments in the film. Such as the Japanese hooker in the hotel orders Bob to “lip” her stocking when she actually means rip. The acting part from the Whisky commercial is quite hilarious. The only silly part was when they are at the raw meat restaurant. All you have to do is dip the meat into the hot boiling soup until the meat is cooked and juicy according to your liking. Take it out, dip it in soy sauce and eat. That’s the kind of restaurant I like but Bob said it was horrible because, “What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?” It just shows how narrow-minded some people are. They never appreciate exotic food and the authentic of it. Just looking at the hot boiling soup and the fresh juicy meat make my mouth watery and they just wasted it. Anyway, it’s a great movie though.

I finished reading Eric Meyer on CSS, Mastering the Language of Web Design in several hours and fully understood the concepts presented. The book is concise, informative, and straight to CSS which makes it a valuable resource. Now I know exactly where to find the answer when I run into CSS troubles. On top of that, the companion website provides all the codes for readers to break apart and experiment with them. At the end of each chapter there is a “Branching Out” section which challenged you to go beyond the concept presented in the chapter.

Actually, I read this book when it first came out but didn’t appreciate it because my knowlegde of CSS was limited. Now that I work with CSS on all of my projects, this book has open up many more possibilities and now I am much more comfortable with CSS than before. So if you’re a web designer, you must pick up this book. However, if you are new to CSS, I suggest that you get familiar with the basic before delving into this masterpiece or else you wouldn’t get much out of it.

If you’re reading chapter one and find it confusing or hard to understand, don’t worry just move on. In fact, I would skip the first chapter altogether. Even though, Eric did a great job on covering how to convert an existing page using CSS, why bother? It is taking way too much time and energy. It would be much faster and easier to start from scatch. It would save you time and headaches. That way you know for sure your codes are correct. Anyway, if you’re serious about web design, this is the book you need by your side next to Designing With Web Standard.

Baxley Design is clean and elegant. Gabe Kean, ex-designer at Second Story, launched his beautiful Flash portfolio with lovely background pattern. Lastly, check out the “A” Cut, the Sexy, the Boyfriend, the Curve, the Cargo, the Extreme, the Fray, and the Easy from Victoria’s Secret demin line. Which jean is your favorite? I like them all.

OK, I am heading out to Boston with my family but before I go, “Happy birthday dear Lele. Happy birthday to you!” You rock!

Swimming Pool is a suspense that makes you think after watching it. The movie is a little bit slow. The thriller picks up at the last half hour. So what makes you sit through the first one and a half hour? Yes! The nudity and the sex. Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) is either half naked or completely naked throughout the film. Not only she adds so much visual elements to the feature but her performance is exceptional as well. She got a banging body but doesn’t care the type of guys she bangs with. Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) gave a superb performance in her role as a crime novel writer. My favorite moment is when she desperately flashes herself to the old pool cleaner to distract him from …. Sorry, I don’t want to ruin the film. To be honest, I think I know what happened but I am not so sure if I am correct. If you watched this film, I would love to hear your interpretation.

We’re in the final stages of development of the Vassar’s new design and it would help tremendously to get your feedback.

Art Eyes made a come back slicker than ever. Watching Pirates to the Carribbean reminding me of Brittle Bones. Let’s head in the Lexus for some sexes. The new site is nice and smooth but the navigation is not working correctly on my Mac.

Finally went to see Pirates of the Caribbean after Keish has repeatedly recommended it. Well, I gotta say, the film is quite entertaining. Geoffrey Rush gives a wonderful performance. His sense of humor carries through the entire film. I am suprise to see Johnny Depp pulls it off so well with his character. His Donnie Brasco’s character stuck in my head but he surely impressed me with his ability to take on different roles. Keira Knightley, what can I say? She is blazing. After all, Pirates of the Caribbean is a nice little escape from a long day at work.

Joined Provance:Oh-Moi.net, a nice promoting community. The site is slick and sexy as well. Dodo rocks at php. Wish I have that much knowledge. Her new Grass theme is beautiful also.

Daily Juan is simple and clean with table-less design. Loan Chau is mad hot in ao dai (Vietnamese Long Dress). Check out her photos under calendars section. She is blazing from head to toe. Modulo 26 is simple and subtle with CSS and XHTML. Dvine Lotus is off the hook with exquisite graphics and great typography.

Please, please, please! Don’t go see it. Go experience it. Together is a masterpiece that you definitely don’t want to miss. It’s so touching that caused almost everyone in the theater broke into tears. It’s a perfect film with great acting, beautiful cinematography and an inspiring story. On top of that the exquisite musical score provided an aesthetic experience in the entire feature. I am not going to give away any details. You have to experience it for yourself. I haven’t seen a film this great for a while. This is definitely an awarding work of art. Hopefully it will reach all the theaters. Right now it is only showing in selected theaters. It was my first time at Upstate Films. The theater is really different. It’s warm, cozy and friendly. I will definitely come back to it more often to experience great independent films. In fact I am ready to experience Together for the second time.