Updates have been sporadic lately. I know I still owe you guys a review of the latest Paris by Night, but it won’t happen this time. I can’t concentrate on anything else right now, but closing out the house. It turns out to be the good time to buy. The house is still in decent condition and is located in a quiet neighborhood close to George Mason University.

I can’t wait to get the key to the place. I have already come up with all the colors I wanted to paint the house. Being a visual guy, I am trying to come up with one color for each room to spice up the place. Colors bring me vibes and emotions. So depending on my moods, I could stay at different room. When my boy grows up, I can just walk him around the rooms and teach him colors. So far my wife is the only one who supports my decision. My mom thinks that I will make the house lose its value even though I am not planning on reselling it anytime soon.

I am actually taking my mind of the damn house tonight to digitize my music collection. I just brought a 750G hard drive at Costco over the weekend. Between the new one and the old 500G hard drive, I am going to keep two copies of my music. If one decided to fuck up, I still have the other one. I’ll keep one at work and one at home. Why didn’t I think of this before? I am also going to make my boy listen to jazz when he comes out. Hope he’ll like it.

While going through my collection, I came across Operatica: Christmas Classics, an album Joseph had sent me a few years ago. The fusion between Opera and Electronica

The new design for Accountancy goes live.

This is a very different record of Trong Tan. For one, he doesn’t pound the songs with his sledgehammer-like voice. For two, he tries to sing northern folk music that requires tremendous versatility. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the chops to maneuver his way around the nuances of Quan Ho. Sort of like banh beo without fish sauce; his flow misses the key ingredient to deliver the folk tunes. Standout is the title track thanks to the jazz tinge and Thanh Thanh Hien whose vocals give colors to song.

When I first heard that Danny Boyle’s new film Slumdog Millionaire has something to do with the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, I was kind of turned off. After seeing the film, however, I was stunned. Boyle has incorporated the game into the story in such a brilliant manner.

The contestant Jamal Malik (a fantastic performance from Dev Patel) answers the questions not based on his book knowledge, but his past experiences. Every time a question is asked, we get to see the flashback of Jamal’s life in the slum of Mumbai corresponding to the question. Right from the first scene, we get to experience the ghetto part of the city through a breathtaking chasing scene (polices go after the kids) with M.I.A.’s blasting beat.

With an incredible cast, stunning visual, brutal violent and sweet romance, Slumdog is simply irresistible and every scene will leave you breathless. Highly recommended.

With seventeen tracks clocking in around an hour and twenty minutes, Ho Ngoc Ha’s latest release, Noi Em Gap Anh, is unnecessary long. The record goes into one ear and out the other. Except for her timbre, which has become raspier, nothing is worth noting. While her sentimental vocals on Trinh Cong Son’s “Bien Nho” try to capture your heart, the glossy, poppy production tries to capture your feet. Not sure if you should break down and cry or break down and dance. Still, nothing beats her duet with Duc Tri on “Van Biet The.” Like the title suggested, he already knew he can’t, but he still sings. Do us all a favor by staying behind the board and away from the booth, dude.

A real-life female robot built by Le Trung. She’s a bit freaky though.

In the cold morning commuting to work, Johnny Hartman’s romantic baritone warms up our hearts with “My One and Only Love.” The lyrics say it all:

The touch of your hand is like heaven.
A heaven that I’ve never known
The blush on your cheek,
Whenever I speak,
Tells me that you are my own
You fill my eager heart with
Such desire,
Every kiss you give
Sets my soul on fire
I give myself in sweet surrender,
My one and only love.

John Coltrane’s saxophone is no less lyrical and sensual. Thanks both for a romantic morning. Big shout out to my lovely wife at work. Can’t wait to see you this evening at GWSB Christmas party.

The house hunting is coming along. The contract will hopefully be ratified today. In the mean time, I am shopping around for mortgage loan. My preference loan consists of no origination fee, low lender fees, and of course, low interest rate with zero point. If you have any recommendation, please leave a comment or contact me. Thanks!

The rock remix of “Jocking Jay-Z” is banging. Gotta love his punch line: “Haters like ‘Hov, why you still talking money shit?’ / Cause I like money, bitch.”

Ao Trang’s new calender is out. Some of the shots are quite curvy.