Thanks For Keeping the Restrooms Clean

I am loving the new janitor. I have seen him around for a couple of months and the bathrooms have been spotless clean. Not only that he helps make the school look good, but he also helps employees like me enjoy the working environment.

Plenty of time I see him coming into the elevator and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate his work, but I am not sure how to bring it up. I don’t want to offend him or he might take it the wrong way. Would it be ok if I just say, “Thanks for keeping the restrooms clean?”

I don’t know. I think I just buy him a cup of coffee or something.

Jay-Z on The Daily Show

In an unedited interview, Jay-Z talks about his new book, Decoded, and longevity of hip hop with Jon Stewart.

SEO Warrior

Need a bootcamp train on search engine optimization? Look no further than John Jerkovic’s SEO Warrior. Jerkovic has done excellent job of balancing the art and the science of SEO to help readers understand how major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, see web sites. From registering domain to taking advantage of tools like Google Webmaster to building links to avoiding spams, SEO Warrior is the ultimate guide for anyone who interested in making his web sites play well with search engines and therefore increasing visibility and findability. Definitely a recommendation.

“Passport to Love” on Hulu

Vietnamese romantic comedy Passport to Love (Chuyen tinh xa xu) could be watched in its entirety on Hulu. I’ll view it tonight.

Abandoning My Mother

That’s it. I am announcing the severing off all ties with my mother. I am sick and tired of her. Just because she takes care of me all my life doesn’t mean that I have to take her in. I don’t want her to ruined my life. I have a family to look after. My wife and kid are my priority. I don’t have time for her. As a mother, her responsibility was to raise me so I don’t owe her anything. I just want her out of my life.

Shocking isn’t it? I was shocked too and thought it was a satire. The last time I talked to my mom was twelve hours ago and we had a good conversation. I had to call her again this morning to make sure we’re still cool. I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry at these ridiculous accusations. They disturbed me in the past, but I don’t let them get to me anymore. As long as she knows where her place is in my heart, I don’t give a damn about any else’s opinion, even the close ones.

I don’t need to prove to anyone that I love my mom, but let it be crystal clear. The day I abandon my own mother, that will be the day I am no longer a human being. The day I want her out of my life, that will be the day I am no longer existed in this world.

The Fresh Air Interview: Jay-Z ‘Decoded’

Jay-Z shares his rapping techniques without writing down rhymes:

As I got further and further away from home and my notebook, I had to memorize these rhymes — longer and longer and longer. … By the time I got to record my first album, I was 26, I didn’t need pen or paper — my memory had been trained just to listen to a song, think of the words, and lay them to tape.

Vistaprint

Thanks to Vistaprint for placing a text ad on Visualgui for a year. I have used Vistaprint to design my business card and recommended its service for simple, economical online printing.

All By Himself

After hitting the publish button on my last post about my dad, my phone rang. A cousin in Viet Nam called and we talked briefly about my dad. Since his retirement, he seems bored and lonely. He doesn’t go anywhere and just stays in the house his older brother provided to him.

One of the strengths on my dad side of the family is that they take great care of each other. Even my gambling uncle is provided with care. As long as he doesn’t gamble, he could have a place to stay. I appreciate the family’s structure and foundation. We respect the elders from the top down through many generations. My dad once told me that his oldest brother is like his parent after my grandparents passed away. The problem with my dad though he doesn’t know how to balance between his big family and his immediate family. The result is that we always come second to his big family.

That was his decision and as a son all that I can do is respecting his choice. Even now when is all by himself, he doesn’t even express that to me. Our communication is totally wrecked. I was thinking to myself yesterday. What if I just take two or three weeks off go back to Viet Nam and just lock myself in with him 24/7. We’ll just hang out and travel together as father and son, something we had never done. Will that help reconnect our relationship?

Thu Phuong Bangs Bangs

Thu Phuong’s rendition of “Bang Bang” is kind of hot. She is pretty wicked on stage and the “lesbian flesh show” is a bonus. I would pay to go see Thu Phuong performs any time.

The Distance Between My Dad and I

While driving home, Dana said to me, “You and your dad doesn’t have much to say to each other, huh?” I nodded my head agreed.

My dad calls my mom every Saturday morning. Since we were in town, mom handed me the phone and I did the same thing I do every time I talk to him. I asked him about his health and then the rest of his brothers and sisters. After that we just stayed silence and I handed the phone back to my mom. She then passed the phone to Cu Dao so he could say, “Hello Ong Noi” (Hi grandpa).

My relationship with my dad is actually better than ever, but the distance between us physically and emotionally is still far away. Even though the time we spend apart is way too long, he is still my dad and I will do anything I can for him. He never asks me for anything since he must have felt that he has not done much for me. I learn everything about him through my mother. Even after we spoke over the phone, I had to ask my mom about his health and if he needed anything.

Plenty of time I told myself to get over the past and let just pick up where we left off, but then where do we start? We are now living in two different worlds. Will our worlds ever become one again? Will we ever be under the same roof again? Right now I don’t have an answer and I don’t think he does either. We’re just letting time passing us by.

Contact