Sophie Milman’s previous release, one of my personal favorites, Take Love Easy, proved that the twenty-something vocalist could swing, scat and seduce even within a straight jazz combo setting. Her recent release, In the Moonlight, added another layer of sophistication with the backing of luscious strings.

The first two tracks, “Do It Again” and “Oh Look at Me Now,” show once again that Ms. Milman still has the swag to swing gently. The third title track, however, displays not only her deep sensibility for bossa-nova rhythm, but also her sensual confidence with lush orchestration. Yet the sexiest track on the whole joint has to be her interpretation of “Ces Petits Riens.” Her flirtatious French-singing backed up by sensational Spanish arrangement is like Alizé blended with Patrón: sweet yet delicate, strong yet smooth. The guitar and accordion solos are like adding lime and fresh mint leaves to the mix. There goes my very own recipe for “Ces Petits Riens” cocktail inspired by Sophie Milman.

Although I prefer Ms. Milman’s straight swing and ballad translation over orchestral flourish, In the Moonlight is a perfect accompaniment for the cool autumn season. It’s definitely a romantic record.

Dao was being a very good boy today. He helped me clean up the toys and organize the house; therefore, I took him out for a treat. First we went mini-golfing and he made a hole in one. Then he ate almost an entire jumbo hotdogs and popcorns. After that we headed over to the ghost train. We had to wait for half an hour just to get on the train. Though the ride was filled with fun Halloween spirit, Dao was ready for a nap.

After the ride was over, I gave him milk and drove around town enjoying the beautiful red and yellow autumn leaves and listening to Sophie Milman’s latest album In the Moonlight. I got this album a few weeks ago, but haven’t had a chance to really listen to it in its entirety until now. I liked the album so much that I stopped by Starbucks drive-through, grabbed me a venti cup of coffee frappuccino, turned off the engine and wrote a review on a piece of napkin. I really miss blogging about music now that I no longer have the luxury to do so.

After that I drove around bait more and then headed home. As soon as I put the car into park, he woke up. He didn’t want to go back in and wanted to go table train so we headed to Barnes and Noble. He played train, lego and read some books. Before we knew it, it was already 7 p.m. so we better headed home. It was indeed a fulfilled father-and-son day. I can’t ask for more than these precious moments together. I did leave all of my own issues behind while I was with him.

Sorry for the lack of updates. My new job requires quite a bit of learning. I started on Tuesday and I have been eating, sleeping and dreaming of Linux command lines. My predecessor who is writing his dissertation for a PhD in computer science is a hardcore programmer. The only tool he used was PuTTy. He turned off every graphical user interface to save resources. He also shut down everything including graphical control panel, FTP and PHPMyAdmin.

The good thing is that my new supervisor is very understanding. She gives me time to catch up on all of these new responsibilities. The folks in the building are also very awesome. I am very glad and can’t ask for anything more. These days after work I just wanted to relax and crawl into bed. I don’t even touch my brand new MacBook Pro. Definitely looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. We have garage sale tomorrow so I am thinking of getting rid of many of the things we don’t need in the house.

Today marks my first day at George Mason School of Law. I am excited and looking forward to make a huge change to the website.

I am pleased to announce the new launch of Theatre Arts Workshop, “a professional performing arts teaching facility for students of all ages, ambitions & abilities.” This project is a collaborative effort between me and Ryan Dellolio, a very talented web developer who was a colleague at GW.

Ryan brought me in to do the design and front-end development. I worked with the client on the visual layout and created the HTML5 template as well as the responsive design. He took care of implementing WordPress and everything else. The partnership worked well and the client is very happy with the new site. I hope to get the opportunity to collaborate with him again in the future.

Back to reality after five days of being a lazy bump. I tried to stall as much time as I could by not going anywhere ad doing anything. All we did was sleep, eat, play by the pool and beach. We were served when wanted to eat. Even our plates was carried to our table after we picked out our food. Our room was cleaned when we hit the beach or pool. Drinks and cocktails were served whether we lounged on the beach or the pool. I had at least a dozen of mojito a day.

Speaking of mojito, after about six or seven glasses, the staff asked me to play some soccer on the beach. It was a five-minute game and I almost passed out. They had to laid me down and gave me water. That really hit me. For the past few stressful months all I did was having burgers for lunch and didn’t do my jogging. After this week I need to watch what I eat and hit the track again.

As for Dao, he got fresh milk everyday from the staff. The teacher in the Kid Club adored him, but he was into the swimming pool more than spending time with a hot babysitter. Still, he enjoyed his time in Catalonia. We had a very relaxed time as well. Food is the only thing that was not so great. The buffet featured too many similar items from day to day

We were definitely being privileged. I don’t know if I want that life everyday, but definitely a moment to treasure for five days. Mad props to each and every staff at Hotel Catalonia for the outstanding service and accommodation.

Today I finally got my hand on an iPhone for the first time at my new job and then I heard that you had gone to a better place. Although we had never met, I felt a great loss. Your vision and your work have changed the world. Thank you for leaving us the true meaning of innovation. RIP.

Before we part, I want to say thanks for everything you have provided me over the past few years. I couldn’t do what I do without you. You were my intimate partner in my waking hours. We worked and played together. You were my inspiration. You gave me the power to do my work, the fuel to boost my creativity and the quiet space to write. How will I move on without you? You were part of my life and had always been by my side. I am very proud of you. You were so sexy that I loved to show you off to all of my friends.

Unfortunately the time has come and we will have to say goodbye for good. I know it is very painful for both of us and I will miss you dearly. To help you move on, I will erase all of your memories of me like the movie Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind. Please forgive and forget me. Once the operation is done, you will be fresh and clean and I’ll be out of your mind forever. I really hope the next guy will treat you well.

Love always,

Your Mac Daddy

After reading a few of Dao’s favorite books, I turned off the light to go to sleep.

Dao: Dao co [have] sticker.
Dad: O dau Dao co sticker? [Where did you get the sticker?]
Dao: Co Jeannette cho Dao. [Ms. Jeannette cho Dao.]
Dad: Tai sao co Jeannette cho Dao sticker? [Why did Ms. Jeannette give Dao sticker?]
Dao: Dao helped clean up… Dao bo [put] train vo ro [in the basket]… Dao shared toys voi ban [with friends]… Dao shared train, truck and airplane.
Dad: Good boy. I am so proud of you.
Dao: Thank you, daddy.

Charlie Parker’s classic fits perfectly with my current mood. “Now’s The Time” to pack up. I am very excited about the new job. While I missed taking graduate classes, I’ll get on-the-job experience that will be unmatchable.

Before I embark on that new endeavor, however, I will be spending five days in Cancun to clear up my mind. Relax, sleep, food and booze will definitely sanitize the mind. Thanks to my lovely lady for the trip. I will be traveling with a pregnant lady, a two years old and a senior who has a foot problem. Yes, it will be fun just to get away with the love ones (wife, son and mom) for five days.

I am looking forward to the trip as well as a fresh start from a new job. Nope! Life ain’t all that bad.