When Kristin Bair O’Keeffe approached me to design a web site for her debut novel, Thirsty, I was excited, but also a bit hesitant. It’s the story of one woman’s journey through an abusive marriage, and I wasn’t sure if I could convey the message. The only way for me to understand the story was to read the book. Although Thirsty is not yet published*, I requested the manuscript. After reading through fifteen pages, the concept jumped right out at me. I wasted no time putting the mockup together, and it was exactly what the author had envisioned.

What helped me to come up with the visual design for the web site also kept me engaged to read the entire book: the cinematic scope and lyrical force that Bair O’Keeffe brings to the novel. Right off in the first few pages, her way with words is illustrated through the description of the woman’s eyes: “They were odd, but beautiful—green like the skin of a grape just before picking. Bright and luscious.” Her writing gets juicier in the scandalous sex details: “She put his hands on her ass and begged him in deep throaty pleadings to bite her nipples, harder, she said. That redhot fire crawled up her thighs and spread through her pussy so hard and so fast that she nearly tipped over taking off the petticoat.” Her ingenious, filmic storytelling comes to life in the dark moments of the book like the battering scenes and the accidents that occur at the steel mill.

Though Thirsty is a dramatic novel, Bair O’Keeffe manages to lighten up the gloomy corners with a sense of hope and humor. I still get a kick out of her very hilarious “Amen” story. Through her poetic pen and literary sensibility, Bair O’Keeffe has penned an art of fiction that taps into human emotion, brutalization, and compassion.

(Thirsty will be published in October 2009 by Swallow Press.)

“Tinh Viet Kieu” alone is worth the price of the album, which amounts to a cup of Ramen.

Moving from Chinese-translated ballads to Vietnamese sentimental ballads, the dull duo collaborated on an album that primarily designed to let people take an afternoon nap.

George Washington University professor Mark Lynch has an insightful piece comparing Jay-Z’s power in the rap world to the U.S.’s power in the world:

As Jay-Z got older and more powerful, the marginal benefits of such battles declined and the costs increased even as the number of would-be rivals escalated. Just as the U.S. attracts resentment and rhetorical anti-Americanism simply by virtue of being on top, so did Jay-Z attract a disproportionate number of attackers. “I got beefs with like a hundred children” he bragged/complained on one track.

NPR picked up the story as well. “Rapper Feud Mirrors World Politics” is worth a listen.

If you want to learn the art of swinging and singing behind the beat, the virtuosity of timing and the mastery of storytelling, just listen to every track on Billie’s Best. The album has been in heavy rotation on my iTunes even though I usually don’t like this type of compilation.

New study reveals how kids can easily learn two languages at once according to AP:

Scientists now know babies are born with the ability to distinguish all of them, but that ability starts weakening even before they start talking, by the first birthday.

I’ve been speaking both languages to Cu Dao, more Vietnamese than English. We’ll see if the study actually works.

Ha Thanh Xuan has a dark, smoky voice, but her delivery is not dramatic enough for sentimental ballads. She should consider switching to romantic ballads.

Cu Dao gets his first experience of the beach over the weekend. Saturday morning, we headed to Virginia Beach with grandma, aunt and uncle. Half way through the 3.5-hour drive, we got pulled over for tinted window for the first time. Unbelievable!

The nice thing about driving was that Cu Dao slept the whole way through. We arrived around noon and headed toward the beach. He slept some more on the beach under the umbrella. When he woke up I took him into the water. I dipped his feet first and he cried. I pulled him up and he stopped crying. I dunked his entire body in and he screamed his lung out, but stopped immediately when I held him tight into my arms.

Cu Dao slept again when we took a night stroll along the strip. We enjoyed all types of entertainment from jazz to break dance. He slept quite well that night and woke us up at six the next day. We walked along the boardwalk and breathed in the morning fresh air

We hit the beach again before checked out. Dana held him in her arms and walked along the beach. It was a priceless image. I then took him into the water again. The water seemed to clean up some of his acnes.

The traffic on the way home was horrendous. Cu Dao slept for three hours. Woke up, screamed, got fed and then got back to sleep for two more. The result was that he wanted to play at one o’clock in the morning with daddy. Being a parent is a tough job. I feel like I am on cloud nine most of the time due to lack of sleep.

Ly Hai is one of those old heads who refuses to leave the young-pop game. His new release is another instant mediocrity.

The album has more variety than a bag of Skittles and the mechanical productions brought down his slightly hoarse voice.