Reading while riding the Metro makes commuting much faster. Lately I have been interested in SEO stuff. The Art of SEO is quite comprehensive on search engine optimization. It’s a great reference for anyone who is interested in this topic. Building Findable Websites released in 2008; therefore, the information is a bit dated. I skimmed through it and found some useful tips. I am a third way through Google Advertising Tools. The book offers some good practices to review.

I also pre-ordered Khoi Vinh’s Ordering Disorder. I am looking forward to reading his grid-based design. I also want to show my support for a Vietnamese fellow.

What if the Web goes away tomorrow? What will I do? The Internet doesn’t just play a big part of my life. It is a big part of my life. I make a living off it and I spend more than half of my days on it. I interact with more people online than offline. I met my wife through the Internet. Actually, she found me through the Internet (conceited I know). I met a few great friends online. I wrote to big bro HmL the other day mentioning how wonderful it is to have met him through the Internet and his response was, “In this day and age, it’s not how we meet; it’s that we meet, no?” True that, true that.

Someone once said to me that I blog to gain popularity. If that is the case, now it’s the time to prove that person is wrong. Based on the number of comments nowadays, this blog is not doing its job to boost popularity, but I am still blogging. I still like the ability to just write things down. It’s cool if people could charm in, but it is also cool if they just read or not. This is the digital part of my life even though it is not an exciting one.

So what happen if my digital life is taken away tomorrow? Will I survive? Of course I will. I have to do whatever necessary to support my family. I am sure my creative mind will come up with something when the time comes. For now, let’s just enjoy the wonderful life the Internet have to offer.

Yes you, my lil hot boy. You love to throw around the word “nong” (hot) lately. Trying to put you into the bathtub, you’ll say “nong.” Trying to feed you some soup, you’ll say “nong” even though I made it warm. Trying to wash your butt, you’ll also say “nong.”

At night I want to hold you in my arms, but you just stick to your mom like a leech. The other day you woke after an afternoon nap and still hanging to mommy. I walked in and asked, “di tu tu train khong?” You jump over and hang on to me.

It seems like you no longer interested in toys at home. Instead, you find something else to play with. You went into the kitchen cabinet, took out a pot cover, rolled it around the house. You play with anything you could get your hand on except for your toys. I guess we can stop spending on toys. We actually don’t buy much toys for you. Grandparents, aunts and uncles always get something. You’re a lucky boy.

After a family meal dinner last night at a Vietnamese restaurant, I felt ill. Not sure if it was the fish in the sour soup (canh chua) and caramelized pot (ca kho) or I simply ate too much and too fast. There were quite a bit of food left on the table so I tried to cleaned up everything.

When I got home and got Duke to bed, I was shivering even though I covered myself with a thick blanket and I had a really nasty taste in my mouth. I had to put my hand down my throat and let everything out. Dana scratched my back with a coin and the oil helped calmed down the cold. Made it to work this morning. My stomach is growling but I don’t feel like eating.

Didn’t realize that I forgot to tip our waiter last night until we almost got home. I feel horrible. Thinking of driving back today to tip her. She was very nice, but probable was cursing me out. Sorry lady!

When you spend three times at Dunkin’ Donuts with your American Express Card in November, you can get a $5 Dunkin’ Donuts Card. Enroll your card at the American Express Network. I am heading over to DD for a dozen of Boston cream, Glazed and French cruller.

When Miles Davis formed his new quintet with tenorman Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and the young drummer Tony Williams, he knew that they were “going to be a motherfucker of a group.” He was absolutely right. I have been playing their materials again and again starting from E.S.P, Miles Smiles, Sorcerer, Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky and Filles de Kilimanjaro. Except for the last two, in which Miles started to move toward fusion, the rest of the albums are just incredible acoustic jazz. If your haven’t picked up Miles Davis: The Complete Columbia Album Collection already, you definitely should. You’re missing out on great stuff.

Paul Krugman on Obama’s economic plan:

Mr. Obama’s problem wasn’t lack of focus; it was lack of audacity. At the start of his administration he settled for an economic plan that was far too weak. He compounded this original sin both by pretending that everything was on track and by adopting the rhetoric of his enemies.

The aftermath of major financial crises is almost always terrible: severe crises are typically followed by multiple years of very high unemployment. And when Mr. Obama took office, America had just suffered its worst financial crisis since the 1930s. What the nation needed, given this grim prospect, was a really ambitious recovery plan.

After many hours of converting PDF articles to clean, HTML formats, GWbusiness online magazine is now live. I need a drink.

Inspired by GWbusiness, GW Arts & Sciences also offers web format instead of just PDF. Nice job, Ryan.

Poor lil Duke vomited several times last night. Woke up this morning with a huge pain in my head. The commute makes it worst. Not sure what causes it. Might be catching a cold or didn’t have any coffee yesterday. Took an Aleve with a grande bold and let’s see if it helps. Not a good start for Friday.

Since Thuy Nga and Asia videos are filmed with pre-recorded materials, they often repackage those tracks and release them on CDs. They kill two birds with one stone and cut out expenses.

Thuy Nga just released Bang Kieu’s Xin Dung Quay Lai with a collection of his lip-sync performances on Paris By Night including “Em Oi Ha Noi Pho,” “Chi Toi,” “Phut Cuoi” “Ban Tinh Cuoi” and “Buon Oi Xin Chao Mi.” If you’re a fan of Bang Kieu and do not watch Paris By Night videos than this album is for you.

Asia recently released Nguyen Khang’s Mot Lan Trong Doi, which featured songs right from his DVD Mua Tren Hanh Phuc Toi such as “Dem Dai, “Thoi” and “Se Hon Bao Gio Het.” The nice thing about the album is that you don’t have to hear the fake clapping and cheering, which gets really annoying on the DVD.

Personally I find these repackaging releases to be a lazy way of making money. If they don’t have anything new, don’t put anything out. I would rather listen to unreleased materials then already-released materials, but I doubt that there are any unreleased recordings in the vault.