Although I had enough of Kanye West’s Auto-Tune singing, I haven’t had enough of his beats on 808s and Heartbreak. Kanye is not only a talented producer, but also a very imaginative one. His productions are inventive and futuristic. As I am listening to the record, I can’t help but imagining what if he had handed these beats over to Bjork who is a pretty space-out chick. The collaboration would have been fantastic. I can’t wait to hear someone put out a mashup between Kanye West and Bjork.

I haven’t been following politic closely lately, but I have heard of the recent controversy between New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and the Asian community on the case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee. If you don’t think Governor Richardson should be a part of Obama’s Cabinet, go and sign the petition. I did.

An amusing and witty ad from Adidas.

Sniffing glue to get high among kids in Viet Nam is on the rise. One girl said, “the cheap glue could produce feelings of euphoria and was less costly than other drugs.” Holy smoke.

Before the electric rice cooker took over, the best part of cooking rice in a pot is the burnt layer at the bottom. All you need is some caramel sauce from the simmering fish to go with the burnt rice. Recently my mom brought back from Viet Nam some rather fancy version of com chay and I have been addicted to it. Can’t get enough of the crispy and crunchy burnt rice with a thin layer of shredded pork (thit cha bong) sprinkled on top to add a bit of sweet, spicy and salty taste to the rice. Unfortunately mom didn’t bring back much and she gave me only two paddies. I have been trying my hardest not to eat them all at once. Everyday after work, I would feel hungry and the only thing on my mind would be com chay when I get home. In fact I am munching on it now in the morning instead of cereal and milk.

How does Pink deal with a heartbreak? She rocks it out. Right from the opening lines of her latest album, Funhouse, Pink wastes no time addressing her breakup: “Guess I just lost my husband / I don’t know where he went / So I’m gonna drink my money / I’m not gonna pay his rent.” Pink has divorced from her husband, but not from the pop hook. Even her emotion is married to the hook. For the most part, Pink buries her bitterness under the sweet beats and punchy lines with the exception of “One Foot Wrong,” in which her powerful voice becomes raspy and husky as she bares out her soul and raw emotion.

Not a bad start at all for a Vietnamese jazz record. Le Thanh Hai’s Shadow in the Dark gives Vietnamese ballads a jazz interpretation. The good thing about covering old tunes is that listeners are already familiar with the melodies. The only challenge part is to take the tunes out of their written notes with improvisations.

Van Phung’s “Toi Di Giua Hoang Hon” gets a simple, straightforward, mid-tempo swing. The keyboard and guitar kick off with the original melody on the first two sections. The keyboard returns with a solo and then back to the melody. The band drops out to let the keyboard continues its brief improvisation. The bass, guitar and drums take their turn to solo, and then everyone come in to take the tune out. Except for the stilted, forced guitar solo, the tune as a whole works out well on the minimal structure. The smooth saxophone on Huynh Anh’s “Thuo Ay Co Em” is on the verge of being jazzy, but the infectious bass lines save the track. Likewise, the thumping bass brings rhythmic and liveliness to the bluesy vibes on Nguyen Anh 9’s “Co Don” and Duc Huy’s “Con Mua Phun.”

Although Filipino singer Arlene Estrella has a dark, smoky voice, her English takes on Duong Thu’s “Bong Toi Ly Café” and “Em Di Qua Toi” aren’t convincing. The authenticity is lost in translation. The tunes should have sung in Vietnamese. Nevertheless, the direction in Shadow of the Dark is definitely an excellent initiative in merging jazz and Vietnamese music. It sure beats the kind of crap that have been pumping out by big productions lately.

No surprise after all. The question keeps popping up from our family members and friends. Since this is our first baby, we figure we need the time to prepare. We went ahead and found out the baby gender today even though Dana and I saw the little boy in our dream.

It didn’t take the ultrasound technician very long to figure out the baby’s gender. His thing was displayed prominently. She even said, “He is showing off.” What can I say? That’s my boy. The kid is doing good weighting in at 10oz.

I was kind of worried because if you look at my wife, you wouldn’t know that she’s pregnant. Even her dad complaint that I better feed her right. He actually believed that all she is eating is instinct noodle. I wouldn’t blame him. I feel the same way when looking at her. Now this is what I call pregnant.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my cousin who is raising a beautiful boy shared with us some of the challenges she didn’t know about and no one told her until she had the kid. They sounded very daunting, especially in the first few weeks. I was there when Samantha was born, but I didn’t hold her until she was months old. I didn’t want to break her neck. I can’t even begin to imagine giving my boy a bath in the first few weeks. I am going to need all the mercy I can get.

You can put lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig. No, I am not comparing Nhu Loan to a pig. She looks too damn sexy to be a pig. I am referring to her limited vocals. Unlike her breasts, which are visually stunning thanks to augmentation, her voice remain unchanged no matter how much digital enhancement it has gone through. She can hide, but she can’t sing.

Once again, her sophomore release, Trai Tim Da Duoc Yeu, testifies that a hot chick can’t make a hot record. The title track begins with her Auto-Tuned acappella. (Trust me, you don’t want to hear her voice naked.) The smooth, snoozing saxophone picks up and her cottony voice floats like air over the tiresome, shiny beat. Her voice gets thinner and lighter on Christian Bautista’s “The Way You Look at Me.” On Sy Dan’s “Hat Nang Con Lai,” the producer has to incorporate fart noises to distract attention away from her weak vocals. “Que Huong,” a dedication to her mother, is the most horrendous rendition ever recorded. Her emotionless flow and monotonous phrasing make you feel like her homeland is an extremely boring place where you just want sleep.

Don’t give me wrong. I am not a hater. In fact, I have mad love for Nhu Loan. Thuy Nga’s stage wouldn’t be the same without her presence. I am sure many of the fellows will miss her too. Although she can’t bare her soul, she has something else to bare.

To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story is an extraordinary box set that captures Simone’s artistic personality, versatility and audacity. Through 51 tracks, listeners will get a taste of her boundless musical repertoire ranging from jazz, blues, folk, funk, pop, soul, rock, reggae, Broadway, movie soundtracks, French chanson, standards to protest songs. With her smoky contralto, fearless interpretation and limitless imagination, Simone mastered all the styles effortlessly. Although the collection features a handful of studio hits, the real treats are the live recordings. Simone was not only an amazing live singer, but also an astonishing pianist. This fine set is not to be missed.