The number is buried somewhere in my email’s inbox. I know it is in there somewhere because I have saved it. I was heading out the door but I kept thinking I should call. I went back to my office, fired back my Mac, and searched for the number again. I wrote it down on a little red sticky note, put in inside my wallet, headed home to make the call. Why shouldn’t I make the call? I have nothing to lose. What if it turns out to be good? Who knows what will happen. I got home, picked up the phone, starred at the paper and prepared a speech in my head: What am I going to say? What is the reason for calling? Why just out of the blue? I dialed all the digits except the last one. I was sweating. I was shaking. I hung up, took a deep breath, and then dialed again. One ring, two ring, three ring, four ring, five ring. “Hello.” I quickly replied, “Hi, is this…”

Samantha is no longer my little niece. She is growing up and scary fast. Not too long ago when I complimented her: “You look beautiful.” She would be blushed and said “Thank you.” Now I am giving her the same compliment she rolled her eyes and said. “That’s so boring. Everyone says that. Can you say something new?” Wow! I was in disbelieved. She has no interest in hanging out with me and her little brother Eric. I am wondering how long will it take for Eric to do the same? Right now, I am taking him everywhere with me whenever I spend the weekend at my sister’s house. All I have to say is “Eric want to go?” He just grabs his shoe and goes, doesn’t matter where I take him. As long we go. I still love him for that.

On my way from Lancaster back to Poughkeepsie, I stopped at McDonald’s to grab a quick bite. I was greeted by a blond cashier.

Cashier: May I help You?
Me: A chicken Caesar salad please.
Cashier: Would you like any dressing? Caesar?
Me: No, I want Cleopatra.
Cashier: What?
Me: Caesar’s fine. Thanks.

Another employee who prepped my food asked the cashier.

Employee: Does he wants croûtons?
Cashier: I didn’t know it comes with croûtons.
Employee: Are you serious?
Cashier: I never eat salad.
Employee: Are you from Alaska or something?
Cashier: No. I am not a rabbit.

I was speechless.

The overpriced jeweler Tiffany & Co. web site gets a complete makeover. The new layout uses web standards, but breaks on scalability. The homepage looks somewhat similar to Apple‘s.

In his lengthy article, which appeared in The Journal of Asian Studies, John C. Schafer explains what makes Trinh Cong Son a phenomenon (PDF):

[T]he freshness of his early love songs, the evocation of Buddhist themes, the rhetorical context of South Vietnam during the American war, the ethos or persona that Trịnh Công Sơn projected, Sơn’s discovery of the talented singer Khánh Ly, the emergence of the cassette tape recorder, and Trịnh Công Sơn’s ability to adapt after the war to a new political climate.

Highlight of the piece is where Thai Kim Lan, an old friend of TCS, discussed “Moi Ngay Toi Chon Mot Niem Vui” (“Each Day I Choose a Peace of Happiness”):

Despite its rather upbeat title, she felt that it revealed the songwriter as having to work awfully hard to be happy—it showed him trying to make do with little freedoms because larger ones were denied him.

Now it’s time to crack open Trinh Cong Son 1939-2001: Cuoc Doi, Am Nhac, Tho, Hoi Hoa & Suy Tuong, a special gift from a Visualgui.com’s reader. Thank you. I appreciate it.

Through clear musical analysis, accessible language and engaging narration, Ben Ratliff, The New York Times jazz critic, captures the sound of Coltrane onto the pages. The first half of the book focuses on the development of Trane’s sound including his lustful ballad playing and his spiritual exploration. The second half delves into the influential as well as the controversial of Trane’s power. From Giant Steps to My Favorite Thing to A Love Supreme, Ratliff points out: “[Coltrane] helped people freak out; he gave them extramusical ideas.” How did he do that? Coltrane: The Story of a Sound will answer that question.

Not sure when Google will take it down, but Thuy Linh’s sex tape has been passed all over the Internet. (View at your own risk.)

Jennifer Lopez’s new album, Brave, reminds me of a fascinating story from my colleague. To cut time reading her MBA’s course materials, she would scan the texts, drop into a text-to-speed program, and then export to audio so she could listen while on the road. She even doubled up the speed, which, she said, sounded like a chipmunk, to keep up with her overloaded homeworks. Ms. Lopez sings like a speech reader with a mild Spanish accent. On the up tempos, she reads at a double time. On the mid tempos, she shows no range or emotion. Maybe she has no relationship dramas with Marc Anthony and just wanted to make an album to beat her marriage boredom. Not sure if the couple would last forever, but for now: “Stay together is the new breakup.”

“Blue Magic” featuring Pharrell Williams

Besides the minimal design of Bags web site, I love the simple animation at the bottom.