A young hoodrat chick acting like a fool on the train disrespecting an older lady. Where is the stick? This chick needs some serious whipping.

Viet Bistro seems like a nice hangout joint in the summer. The spot is kind of hip—actually it is the best decorated restaurant in Eden Center—and it opens later than most places in the strip. We were there last night around 9:30 after a long evening of going through the contract. I ordered the Clay Pot Rice with Baby Clams (Com Tay Cam Hen) and a Long Island Ice Tea, and they were the perfect combos to cool off the night. The portion was huge and I was going to save half of it for today’s lunch but the crunchy rice and mild spicy baby clams were irresistible; therefore, I shoved down everything while enjoying the Cleveland and Celtics on three large-screen TVs. The alcohol in the Long Island also enhanced the flavor. It was only last night and I can’t wait to go back for another pot already.

As long as Asia Entertainment still around, the war will forever be reminded. Its new release, La Thu Tu Chien Truong (Letters From Battle Fields), conceptualized around the theme that the production has beaten to death already; therefore, it would be pointless to hear what the MCs had to contribute.

Musically speaking, the show only had two or three standout performances. It’s about time Asia brought a real talent on board. Not all that physically attractive, but Bich Van (whose voice mesmerized me two years ago) gave an exceptional rendition of Pham Dinh Chuong’s “Anh Di Chien Dich.” She hit the high notes right on the spot and her enunciation was flawless. By the time she finished, there was no room left for Y Phuong to match up. It’s the musical director’s fault for the unfair pairing. Bich Van’s performance should have been grouped with Nguyen Hong Nhung’s version of Hoang Trong’s “Nguoi Tinh Khong Chan Dung.” Again, Nguyen Hong Nhung was so damn hypnotizing that she left Thien Kim out in the cold. Nguyen Hong Nhung looked great too, but the sexiest chick of the show went to the new-but-blazing-hot Ho Hoang Yen. If there were a dress (military-inspired color with plenty of open space to display cleavage) like what she had on in the army, there will be a lot of jerking off in the boot camp. What song was she singing anyway?

That’s all I could walk away with from the show. The rest were just same old shit.

I had the best five years of my career at Vassar. So if you’re looking forward to design and grow, Vassar is the place to be.

“Bye Bye”

“Too Real“

“Damn I’m Cold“

Alisa Bowman’s “Grill, Interrupted“:

Researchers have found that some of the most common cooking methods–grilling, frying, and microwaving–and the way we process some of our favorite foods (lunch meats, hotdogs, potato chips) react with sugars and fats in those edibles to create destructive compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These molecular pests can shift our aging process into fifth gear.

A cute clip of Ngo Thanh Van as Tam (in Tam Cam).

Mariah Carey’s new album E=MC2 uses the same formula from her big success The Emancipation of Mimi: party first; pray later. Although the same ingredients were applied, E=MC2 sounds more generic than her previous work.

The album kicks off with a club-friendly “Migrate,” a Jermaine Dupri production, in which her voice and guest appearance T-Pain’s were digitally distorted. Both of their vocals are equally annoying. In addition to JD, she also brings in hitmakers like Swiss Beatz and Scott Storch on board to assist with the production, yet what the album is lacking is octave-grabbing Carey. “I Stay In Love” sounds robotic until near the end where Carey battles out with Carey on the simultaneous low and high vocals.

Like her previous effort, Carey likes to crossover to give her music more flavors. On here, her collaboration with dope-rapper Young Jeezy is much more effective than with reggae-crooner Damian Marley. Jeezy actually puts his crack tales aside and offers Carey some words of advice as she deals with the “Side Effect” her ex-husband left her with.

After all the bumps and grinds and dramas, Carey closes out the album with “I Wish You Well,” in which she flights her high range over the accompanying piano with a gospel choir backing her up. Still E=MC2 couldn’t hold up to Mimi, but more like leftover from Mimi.