Grandparents went on a cruise yesterday. Cu Dao got a fever and running nose. Dana and I worked from home to babysit him until we pick up my mom this weekend.

We were doing our work at the dining table and suddenly heard a big drop right above us then followed by a scream. I dashed upstairs and the little guy was underneath his crib. I pulled him out and held him my arms. Dana came up with tears in her eyes. Luckily we have carpet so he wasn’t hurt so bad. I did a little peekaboo and tears turned into laughter.

What happen was Dana didn’t pull the rails all the way up. Usually we don’t have to because the rail would still be too high for him even it’s halfway down. Somehow he managed to get himself over the rail. We have lowered his mattress and will remember to pull the rail up because the little guy can’t seem to stay still. He wears both of us out every night trying to put him to sleep. The good thing about the accident is that his temperature has also dropped. He’s now doing a bit better. No pain no gain.

Thai Bao has apparently been around for a while, yet this is the first time I’ve heard of her and it didn’t take long for me to be hooked on her raspy, intimate voice and effortless yet emotional delivery. Her fifth volume, Nghe Giot Nang Phai, is a tight set that could be enjoyed straight through with many savory repeats.

The leadoff track, “Khat Vong Tinh Yeu,” doesn’t impress me at all. The way she stretches the words and her stilted phrasing come off awkward. The silky-smooth sax doesn’t help either. The second track, Diep Minh Tuyen’s “Canh Hoa Luu Ly,” however, is a complete turnaround. She took my breath away with her soul-stirring rendition of the war-sentiment ballad. Accompanied by acoustic picking guitar, she soars like a lonesome bird with despondency and solitude on Thanh Tung’s “Mot Minh.” On Pham Minh Tuan’s “Thanh Pho Tinh Yeu Va Noi Nho,” she pours her heart out on one of the most moving red-music tunes from Viet Nam. (They didn’t grant her the NSUT title for nothing.)

Her version of Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Rieng Mot Goc Troi” comes closest to Tuan Ngoc’s if not as good. Although she couldn’t grab the high notes like him, she could reach the low notes deeper than him. You can feel the complete isolation when she phrases “Toi da choi voi / Rieng mot goc troi.” On Trinh Cong Son’s “Lang Le Noi Nay,” you can hear that she has lived the lyrics and tasted the bittersweet tang of love: “Tinh yeu mat ngot mat ngot tren moi / Tinh yeu mat dang mat dang trong doi.” On Thuan Yen’s “Chia Tay Hoang Hon,” the inexplicable bleakness of her voice makes you want to slit your finger and write “Please don’t go” on a mirror with blood.

Duc Huy’s “Va Con Tim Da Vui Tro Lai” is a perfect album closer. Her voice lights up the dark corners and brings hope to love and forgiveness to life. What makes the album so addictive is that most of the arrangements are kept to the minimal to allow her vocals to do the seductions. The end result is just pure magic. The title of the album is taken from a line from “Rieng Mot Goc Troi” to suggest her voice as “a drop of fading sunshine” but far from waning. To me, her voice is like fine wine that gets better and spicier with age.

Despite the rain, the George Washington University community flocked to the Smith Center to listen to Jon Stewart stand-up performance and he didn’t disappoint. Stewart wasted no time getting into politics: “These are exciting times to be in Washington, D.C.! Change is in the air. Hope!… When does hope turn to change? How long does that take?” While complimented Obama as “the greatest speaker our generation has ever seen,” he swiped at Bush’s speaking skill as a “cocky six grader who tries to give a book report we know he didn’t read.”

Stewart’s supportive of gay marriage earned him the uproarious claps from the audience. He voiced his disappointment with Obama’s stand on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” His only concern with gay men serving in the military is when a Captain tells his man to shoot the enemy and the Private replies, “Oh no, he’s too gorgeous.” Of course, he was joking. Stewart also made fun of religions, diversity and Jews: “Black people made the blues. Jewish people just complain. We don’t have the rhythm to make it into music.” My favorite punch line: “Black people make beautiful jazz music. Give it to Kenny G and he fucks it up.”

Stewart connected with me the most when he talked about being a father. His biggest fear is that one day his son will find out that his daddy is not a superman but just a regular guy. He has two kids and he was glad that the boy came out first. His daughter is so advanced that if she came out first he wouldn’t know what to do with his idiotic son.

“Beautiful love, you are a mystery / beautiful love, what have you done to me?” These two bars, sung beautifully by Sophie Milman, captured my feelings for you. You are a mystery because I never know what you are going to do next. I don’t know what have you done to me, but you’ve been on my mind 24/7 since the day you were born.

Each night you give me something new to look forward to. Last night, you were jumping and laughing with joy on the Sassy seat for the first time. The night before, you were grooving to Shakira’s She Wolf like a little snake. The other night, you made me kissed your cheek a hundred times in order for you to go to sleep. I really don’t mind using that technique again and again.

You melted me when you woke up in the middle of the night, rolled over, pulled your head up, looked at me, cracked a smile, dropped your head and went back to sleep. Both your mom and I loved to watch you sleep. You looked so adorable and we can’t help caressing your back and kissing you on your head. You have brought us way too much joy. Thank you for being such a beautiful love.

Let’s make it official: No rapper could balance pussy and poetry as skillful as Ghostface Killah. Ghostdini, his new release, is the proof. On “Stapleton Sex,” Ghostface takes hardcore pornographic rhymes to a new ground. He spits like a horny bastard on doses of viagra: “Yo my, face is wet, got hair on my tongue / Cause I’m a greedy nigga, absorb pussy juice like a sponge / Feel the pretty warm dick, rub it on your clit / Oh, right before I bust, I spray it on your tits.” Elsewhere, “Do Over” and “Baby” with Raheem DeVaughn on the hooks, Ghostface comes off raw yet strangely charming. Ghostdini is choked full of R&B guest spots, but they don’t get in his way.

In a recent interview, Pham Anh Khoa claims that Lam Sao Noi Het is his best album ever. Giving that he only released two CDs, what he really mean is that he can’t make any record louder and more obnoxious than this. On the title track, he can’t seem to say everything so he wails over the noisy rock guitar riffs. “Throw Away” would be a more suitable title for this album. Yes, please throw this shit away.

The rumors of Chinese people eating babies have been circulating on the web for a while, but I can’t bring myself to believe any of that deranged craps. The Soeul Times confirms with disturbing photos (click on the link at your own risk) that “A human baby is being made into soup for sexual power in China.” I still hope this isn’t real and people aren’t that sick for sex. I rather cut off my dick than doing such fuck-up shit for sex.

A man and a woman busted into a fight over a cup of coffee right in the nail salon. They argues back and forth. She pinned him to the wall and chased his ass around the place and no one got fired. Don’t ever fuck around with a nail chick. (via MsNguyen)

Hendrik Hertzberg:

[Obama] may have saved the world from a second Great Depression and all that, but the jobless rate keeps on climbing, the planet keeps on heating up, Guantánamo keeps on not getting closed, and roadside bombs keep on exploding. He’s had eight whole months, and he still hasn’t signed a comprehensive health-care bill. Given that his perceived political problem is exaggerated expectations, does he really need a Nobel Peace Prize before he has actually made any peace?

Watching Cu Dao sleeping last night made me think of my father and our relationship. Once in a while the little guy would open his eyes halfway, stare at me to make sure I was still there, crack a half smile and then close his eyes again. Just the joy of seeing that is indescribable. I thought to myself: there is nothing in this world that could keep me away from him. Then I thought of my father who was hardly around me when I was a kid.

There’s a saying that you give your children what you never had. If that’s the case, the first thing I will give Cu Dao is a fatherhood. Even when I lived in Viet Nam, I never felt what it was like having a father. He would go to work (mostly charity) for a few weeks or months and only stay home for a day or two.

When I left Viet Nam, our relationship was disconnected as well. Growing without a father was hard. I didn’t know who to turn to when I was bullied at school. No man around the house to teach me how to become a man. Mentally I was weak. I lacked the confidence in myself; therefore, I could never make a decision on my own. Sometimes I wish I could be strong like him. I wish I could do whatever I please and fuck everyone else. I envy him and despise him for that. He made his decision to go back to Viet Nam to live his life even though his wife and kid needed him here the most.

I am now walking in his shoes and I could never see myself doing the same thing that he did. I will be there for my son. I want him to have the confidence I never had. I want him to not only make his own decisions, but live and be responsible for them. I would like him to take risks and to follow his heart. I will be satisfied as a father if I could accomplish these goals.