GW Magazine profiles alumni Kerry Washington:

While she took some acting classes, most of her coursework at GW focused on anthropology, sociology, and psychology, subjects that she says gave her the ability to analyze, critique, and understand human behavior.

Bill Maher slams Obama for being a celebrity and too soft to get the jobs done. Obama needs a bit of George Bush in him. I am too getting wearisome of hearing Obama’s speeches. He needs to execute them.

A review of my motion piece, “Ao Dai Trang A Oi,” posted back in 2006:

and we also can’t forget Donny Truong – the designer of this clip. As the digital art day by day becomes better and better, making a video clip does not necessarily requires a cine-camera, a script and actors. All it needs are ARTISTRY and CREATIVITY!!!…

futhermore, a pride of my little Vietnam, of the Ao dai, especially Ao-dai-trang (to me, the white one is always the most beautiful one)!!! Yeah… my Vietnam is like this song: pure, feminine, romantic, sweet and moreover, simple (the lyrics repeats itself many times and the song last no more than 1 minute and 40 seconds)!!!!!!!!!! Its simplicity is its beauty!!! And I love that innocent beauty!

Thanks Huong for the motivating thoughts.

Lately, I have been interested in getting a bike to ride to the Metro. I consulted my big brother and he gave me a few recommendations including the now-my-favorite Dahon. I went to the bike shop yesterday and the sale guy asked what I was looking for. After telling him what I need, he recommended an old, ugly bike so people won’t steal it and he doesn’t have something like that. Since then I have been looking for an used bike. I actually found one on Craigslist this morning, but it was already sold before I get a chance to check it out. While surfing online, I found the world’s coolest bicycles and I want one. I am sure people won’t even look at it when I lock it up at the Metro station.

Do you have any favorite site for promoting books? Nam Le Online is an example.

Anh Reiss who was diagnosed with leukemia called myelodysplastic syndrome is waiting for a donor. Houston Chronicle‘s Claidia Feldman reports:

Some 7 million Americans have signed up to be potential donors. But of those registered with the National Marrow Donor Program, only 15,000 share Reiss’ Vietnamese heritage, which is key to finding a match. Already, she has struck out with all of them.

My Vietnamese friends, please consider becoming a donor by signing up to be the Match Marrowthon.

I just put together an infopage for GW Sport Management MBA. Broke down the image brochure and included texts for search engines to pick up as well as accessibility. Hopefully when someone type in “GW Sports management masters,” she won’t land on a Georgetown’s page.

Dana and I left our little Duke yesterday for a few hours with his grandmother so we could head into D.C. to see the Dave Brubeck Quartet performed at Warner Theatre in concluding the Washington Performance Art Society’s 2008/2009 jazz season. It could be our last chance to see one of the jazz living legends. At 89, Brubeck could barely walk by himself, yet his playing showed no sign of aging.

He could still swing hard on Duke Ellington’s “Let’s Take the ‘A’ Train” even when he just played staccato chords on his right hand. With Bobby Militello (alto saxophone and flute), Michael Moore (bass) and Randy Jones (drums), Brubeck took Fred Waring’s “Sleep, Sleep, Sleep” into another direction like he had promised not to put us to sleep. With Brubeck’s virtuosity in both jazz and classical, he brought the two worlds closer through his brother Howard’s “Dialogues for Jazz Combo and Orchestra.” His classical piano solos were some of the most hypnotic moments of the show.

While the crowd was pleased as soon as Brubeck struck the “Take Five” chords and saluted with standing ovation at the end, I was left a bit disappointed. It’s unfair to compare Bobby Militello to Paul Desmond, but Militello’s playing was not as fluid as Desmond’s. The band completely dropped out when Jones soloed. Brubeck didn’t do his signature obstinato behind him either. Jones’s improvisation was a long and energy and I was anticipating in hearing Brubeck and Moore to follow up, but the band came back and took the tune out instead.

As we were leaving, I overheard a man telling a woman that if he were a musician, he would be glad if he could play like Brubeck, even in his 50’s. I am sure many musicians wish they could play a fraction like Brubeck, even in their 30’s.

Dana and I used to follow Jon & Kate Plus 8. We adored the kids and admired the parents for putting up with all the craziness. I could barely survive with just one. With all the hardship the couple had been through, we thought that nothing could break the two apart. We were wrong. Cheating damn near ruined such a perfect family. I wonder how Jon going to explain to his kids what he did. Well, mommy wasn’t around and daddy had to have his needs.

Cheating is bad, but it’s even worse when you get caught and you will get caught. Even the formal president Bill Clinton and former governor Eliot Spitzer couldn’t get away with cheating. Actually, Spitzer was just paying for some pussy. Again, a man has his needs.

I don’t cheat because I haven’t heard of a successful cheating story. Even if the fish is on the chopping board, I don’t dare to bait it. I have worked too damn hard to earn her trust since the first day we met. Once you lose that trust, the relationship will be cracked forever. Even if she forgives, she never forgets. It will haunt you for the rest of your life. In addition, I can’t betray Duke. I can’t let our problems to affect his life and I don’t have to explain to him later on why I cheated on mommy.

So if you like to cheat, don’t get married. If you want to get married, don’t cheat. It’s not a game.

This year alone, the ladies are dominating the jazz vocals. Here are the five albums that are heavily rotating on my iTunes:

Madeleine Peyroux’s Bare Bones
Tierney Sutton’s Desire
Melody Gardot’s My One and Only Thrill
Diana Krall’s Quiet Nights
Jane Monheit’s The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me