I watched Asia’s Anh Bang – Dong Nhac Luu Vong last week, but couldn’t bring myself to write anything about the video. I am tired of Asia’s political theme, the lip-syncs and the recycling of arrangements, but most of all, I was dramatized by the theatrical actings. Lam Thuy Van’s “Ke Chuyen Dem Vo Cung” damn near gave me a nightmare. The images of people and boat sinking couldn’t escape my mind.

Yesterday, I rewatched the DVDs to “commensurate April 30,” the day the communist took over power thirty six years ago. With the MC parts skipped, I found entertaining moments from the video. I am not sure if the timing was right or the liquor did the work, but I enjoyed both Bang Tam’s version of “Dung Noi Yeu Toi” and Y Phung’s “Sau Le Bong 2.” Both of these tracks had the same arrangement used for Son Tuyen many years ago, so all I did was letting Bang Tam and Y Phung lip-synced over Son Tuyen’s tracks. Vocal wise, neither Bang Tam nor Y Phung could match Son Tuyen, but visually, both of them surpassed Son Tuyen. As a result, I got the best voice to go with the good looking chicks.

I have read quite a bit of complaints about Ho Hoang Yen showing her boobs in her performance, but I have to thank her for her sacrifice. She understood how painful it is for viewers to go through this entire program; therefore, she had to do something to take the viewers’ mind of the heavy content. It worked for me. They sure were a distraction from her performance. What was she singing again?

One of the most powerful tracks on the program was “Nuoc Mat Que Huong” performed by Dang The Luan. Anh Bang lyrics were so moving, specially the closing line: “Con co anh em noi giong Lac Hong doi lai bien dong.” The only problem was Dang The Luan didn’t come across as a fighter. He looked as if he would be the first guy to run off if he was sent to battle.

My personal favorite track on here has to be “Nhu Em,” not only because of Nguyen Khang’s smoky voice and Vu Tuan Duc’s sensational orchestration, but also Do Trung Quan’s wordplay: “Gia troi dung mua, anh dung nho / Troi khong mua va anh khong nho, anh biet lam gi.” Subtle but very clever, good choice Nguyen Khang.

That’s pretty much the highlights from Dong Nhac Luu Vong for me. After all, we need to understand Asia’s strategy for running down the political route. Asia has shown over and over again, that the production can not compete against Thuy Nga for entertainment. It has to carve out its own niche to stay strong in the game.

I almost forget what today is until we headed to Pho 75 this morning. The joint was closed to commemorate April 30 (the fall of Saigon). We drove to Eden around 10:30am and they were setting up the stage for the event titled “Ky Niem Quoc Han.” We had some noodle soup and headed to Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum.

The museum is located in Baltimore so it took us an hour to get there. The good thing was that Dao fell asleep for 45 minutes. When we arrived, he woke up and fully charged. We wanted to take him on the “Day Out With Thomas” ride, but the tickets sold out weeks ago. Even though we didn’t get to ride the train, Dao had a fantastic time at the table train with older kids and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside.

We took him out to the station so he could see the big Thomas Train. As Thomas departed he wanted to be on the train as well. He cried when I held him back and tried to tell him that Thomas would come back. A few minutes later he calmed down and told me, “Thomas di roi. Dao khoc” (Thomas already left. Dao cries). He sounded as if a girl just broke his heart.

Four hours later, we headed back home, but with some extra time, we headed to Costco. He felt asleep again from Costco to our house, but woke up when got home and changed him. He remembered that I promised him that we would mow the lawn when we get home so he was all excited. We spent an hour and a half to mow the lawn. I used to hate doing this this, but with him next to me, I didn’t mind at all. Love spending time with him and Dana.

We’re planning on taking him to the National Zoo tomorrow. I am sure, he’ll love seeing the animals. At the age, he has many curiosity and so we’ll let him expose and try out new things. The other day, he tried snail and kept asking for more.

When Miles Davis formed his second quintet with saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, he knew that they were “going to be a motherfucker of a group.” In just three and a half years together, the quintet recorded some of the most brilliant, innovative masterpieces in the history of jazz.

From E.S.P. (January 1965), Miles Smiles (October 1966), Sorcerer (May 1967), Nefertiti (June 1967), Miles in the Sky (January and May 1968) to Filles de Kilimanjaro (June 1968), Keith Waters analyzes in depth The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68 “through their compositional, melodic, harmonic, formal, improvisational, and participatory strategies.” With Waters’s detailed assessments such as motivic organization, meter and hypermeter and circular tunes, this book isn’t suitable for casual listeners.

While I find the technical analysis intriguing, I am more interested in the feelings these men had created and the personal connection between a group of talented musicians. The emotion and the sound in Davis’s trumpet, the melodic and harmonic beauty in Shorter’s saxophone and the inventive, expansive rhythmic from Hancock, Carter and William still mesmerize me every time I return to these albums.

I was up late last night finishing up laundry so we can spend the weekend out. While waiting for the clothes to dry to put in another load, I spent time on Facebook rather than reading an exciting book on Miles Davis Quintet. I wasted two hours checking people I knew from high school. Some became doctors; some guys went back to Vietnam to married and some are still playing with cocks. Cockfighting never seems old to some people.

I went to bed around 12:30, which was about 15 minutes later than usual. I got up early this morning and got ready for work. Today Dao has doctor’s appointment for two years check up so I didn’t have to wake him up and brush his teeth. After getting all dressed up, I went back into bed saw him and his mom all cuddling up together. He loves to sleep in Dana’s arm. He took over my favorite spot. Dana needed a bathroom break so I lay down next to him. He got up but his eyes still closed so I quickly grabbed him and pulled him into my chest with his cheek rested next to my cheek. What a soft, smooth cheek on his face. He felt back into sleep and I just held on him tight. The weather was a bit chilly today and he felt so warm. I closed my eyes and enjoyed half an hour that I will never forget.

For some odd reasons, he always gets up early and jumps all over us when the weekend comes. Let’s hope that he won’t up early tomorrow and Sunday so we could have more cuddle time like that. Priceless.

By the way, here’s a video of Dao playing Chuggington Bowling. Pretty creative idea, huh?

After releasing 101 Paris By Night videos, Thuy Nga finally steps up its game. Except for a few up-tempo performances, Paris By Night 102: Tinh Ca Lam Phuong were recorded live. The sound quality was a bit rough, but the singers were much livelier than before. Ngoc Anh whose voice is so rugged and raw benefitted the most from singing live. Her version of “Em Di Roi” was poignant and soulful. Thu Phuong also brought down the joint with “Bai Tho Khong Doan Ket.” If you haven’t seen Thu Phuong in concert, I highly recommend you check her out.

As for most live performers, they held up pretty well. Luong Tung Quang was passible, but the chicks were mad hot. Not sure why Nhu Loan needed a mic since she was clearly lip-singing, but the worse part of the show was the comedy routine by Hoai Linh and Chi Tai. The sexual references were just plain tasteless and disgusting, way beyond porn. Watching the skit with the whole family felt wrong on so many level. Skip it if you’re going to watch with your folks.

Hoai Phuong’s arrangements brought a new change even though they weren’t all that great. What makes Paris By Night 102 stand out were the passion from the singers for performing live. They showed the real connection to the lyrics, particularly Mai Thien Van on “Den Khuya,” and their appreciation for Lam Phuong. He only exaggerated a bit when he said that the show was the best thing he had heard in his life. With this new direction, let’s hope that other productions, especially Asia, will follow.

You turn two today my boy. What a wonderful joy seeing you being thrilled. Love the look on your face when we sang the birthday song for you and your eagerness to blow out the candle on the beautiful Thomas Train cake Bac Tram made for you. Love the excitement you displayed when you opened up the presents. Love to see you interacted with other kids and participated in egg-hunting activity and painting. Love to see you ran on spare battery until 6pm without an afternoon nap.

Son, it’s still unreal that you are two. Seeing you progress has been one of the greatest joys of being a dad. When folks asked me what do I do for fun and I would tell them “raising my son.” At first, it is just an excuse to hide the boring side of me, but being with you makes my life exciting. You’re my aspiration. Before you came into my life, I thought that being a parent is all about taking care of his kid, but you have proved me wrong. You have been there for me when I need you the most. I feel rejuvenated just being with you. The smile on your face always brights up my day. You’re the little pillow I hug on to at night. You’re the little fellow that could magically lift me up whenever I felt down.

Thank you for everything you have given me so far. I can’t wait to see what you’ll have next for me in the years to come. Happy birthday, dear Dao. I love you.

In her latest post, “Kids Want to be Heard!,” Jen Karin writes:

And so, I learned valuable parenting lesson #2,362,580: kids just want to be heard. In fact, they are dying to be heard. In fact, shut up and let them talk, already!

Reading her blog reminds me of my own almost-two-year-old boy who wants to be heard. At night he would choose the same book, Hooper Humperdink…? Not Him, but he wants to read to me instead. The first time I tried to read to him, he cut me off. Dao is not yet interested in the text. He’s more into the illustrations, but with his own interpretation. For instance, when he points to the house, he would say, “Nha Bac Tram” (Aunty Tram’s house). When he points to the bridge, he would say, “cau… i” (bridge… taking a dump). You have to be Vietnamese to get that joke. He learned that from me. What they say is true. You tell the kids once, they remember forever. When he points to the airplane with people inside at the dinning table, he would say, “bay bay (airplane)… eat your food.”

I can’t hardly wait until he becomes an independent reader to find out what stories he would tell me. That day will come pretty soon. He’s turning two in just three days. I can’t believe it’s two years already. If time goes by this fast, being parent isn’t so bad at all. In another sixteen years, I could probably head back to the club and get my groove on again.

I am pleased to announce the new launch of Jen Karin Writes, a blog for an award-winning writer and imagination advocate. Ms. Karin approached me right after Writerhead went live. Big props to Ms. Bair O’keeffe for the referral.

With Jen Karin Writes, I was presented with a challenge: a very close-crop portrait of the writer. Meg Silliker of Bluelime Photography has done a great job of capturing a natural smile from the writer, but the vertical portrait is difficult to work with for the web.

To make the layout work, I anchored the photo to the left in a fixed position (no scroll) and let the contents flow next to it. The photo is served as a starting point for building small layout first. I used 320 and Up along with HTML5 Boilerplate and WordPress’s Toolbox as a framework. I also referred to Tim Brown‘s Modular Scale for headings.

Many thanks to Jen Karin who is such a fantastic client for giving me the full creative freedom to put the site together. I am very proud of Jen Karin Writes and hope that she’ll enjoy using it as much as I had enjoyed crafting it.

Raymond’s Toys & Music, which locates inside Hoa Binh Plaza in Philadelphia, is one of my favorite shops for Vietnamese music. I used to kill time in the store while waiting for my mom doing her grocery in the nearby supermarket. Yesterday I went back for the first time in many years and the place hasn’t changed much. Outside the door, I was greeted with two tables of CDs ranging from trendy pop to Vietnamese opera for as low as $2.50 a pop and a small-screen TV playing Cambodian music video. Paris By Night 102 was blasting inside on a huge flat-screen TV.

What I love about the place is that I could find some original classics for a cheap price. I discovered Peter Zak’s Purple Refrain in the bargain pile for $3 or something. I didn’t know who Peter Zak was, but Purple Refrain was an instant love and has been my favorite Vietnamese jazz album of all time. I could have paid $20 for this album and it is still worth the price. I also found out about Thien Phuong through Tro Ve Mai Nha Xua in this store (though not at a bargain table).

Yesterday I dug through its jungle of CDs and came across Thanh Ha’s Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong. The back cover doesn’t give any credit to the musicians so I didn’t know what to expect, but Thanh Ha sings Trinh’s music for $5 is definitely a bargain. The three-hour drive from Philly to Fairfax was just awesome thanks to the incredible arrangements and Thanh Ha’s sensational delivery. As soon as I got home, I opened up the album sleeve and bam, Duc Tri was the man behind the project. Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong released in 2004 and yet I haven’t heard of it until now. I should have kicked my own ass for this, but it’s better late than never.

Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong puts her recent albums, Chia Khoa Tinh Yeu and The Evolution of Thanh Ha, to shame. The title track is marvelous thanks to Luan Vu’s lush violin and Duc Tri’s luscious keyboard accompanying Thanh Ha’s sexy voice. “Roi Nhu Da Ngay Ngo” kicks off with Nguyen Khang’s smoky intro and Thanh Ha rides the bossa-nova flavor as smooth as CSL-class Benz. Likewise, her bluesy version of “Rung Xua Da Khep” is intoxicating. Love the way she maneuvers her way around the walking bass.

The whole joint is a tight set track for track with no wasted space and no filler. The atmospheric vibe on the exceptional album-closer “Tien Thoai Luong Nan” makes you wish that Thanh Ha would bring back the classic good taste and fuck Evolution.

Despite the pouring rain, our little family hit Pho 95, our only current favorite spot for hot Vietnamese noodle soup, as part of our Saturday morning ritual. What makes Pho 95 stands out is the wonderful fragrance of pho as soon as you open the door. Pho 95 is generous with meat and its noodle is just right (not too soft or overcooked), but the best part is that even after you finished your pho, the broth is still hot.

What makes pho unique is the customization. You can order pho according to your preference, but for an adventurous enjoyment, check out the following tips.

First you have to order a large size because that is the Vietnamese style. Only a buck more to upgrade to a large bowl. We love more for less. You can order the special with everything in it, but I prefer tendon, meatball with raw beef on the side. Add a side dish of fresh onion soaked in vinegar and a bowl of fat with scallion root.

When the soup comes out, add chilly sauce to the onion bowl depending how much you can tolerate the spiciness. Add chilly, hoisin sauce with pieces of basil into your raw dish. Squeeze lime into the raw beef as well to let it cook. With the bowl of fat, dump the whole thing into your pho if you don’t care about cholesterol. If you do, just two or three tablespoon is sufficient. Taste the broth and you can tell the tremendous different.

With your hot pho, put in bean sprouts and basil, but do not stir. The trick to keep the pho hot is not to disturb the noodle. Just take what you can eat at a time. Work gently into the noodle to prevent it from expanding. With raw beef, hot and sour rings of onion and fat-soaked scallion, that’s how you enjoy your pho.

Even with the pouring rain outside, people where standing in line to get into Pho 95. People must like to eat pho when it rains as if the wetness and the cold temperature make pho even more delicious. Another great part about Pho 95 is that it located right next to Banh Mi DC, my favorite spot for iced coffee. I happened to pick up a banh tieu (hollow bread) that was fresh off the stove. I let Dao tried a small piece and he wanted the whole thing. In the car, two little kids (Dao and Donny) were fighting over banh tieu. It was just awesome.