Tuan Ngoc is a bravura singer, but he isn’t at his best without Duy Cuong behind the board. Duy Cuong simply knows how to take the unfathomable melancholy of Tuan Ngoc’s voice and places into his classical-inspired orchestration. Du Nghin Nam Qua Di validates another sensational collaboration between the two. They have reached into the core of Dang Khanh’s compositions and touched upon the writer’s impulses. So when Tuan Ngoc croons, “Tu ngay ta co nhau / Cuoc tinh gieo noi dau / Mot chieu moi ke trao / Nghe cay la xon xao” in “Yeu Dang Em Xua,” you could feel the inexplicable compassion as well as the power of love.

Although I only get to know you through your words, I have a great deal of admiration for you. Both of us are active bloggers, but I am nowhere as vivid or expressive as you when putting our personal life out in the public. Reading your posts, I feel as if you have welcomed me into your world. It takes courage to pour your heart out on the page the way you do, and you still have the freedom to write whatever you like. So don’t let people take that away from you. Give them the middle finger if they don’t feel you. Life is full of dramas, but like my man Trinh Cong Son said, “Hay yeu ngay toi du qua met kiep nguoi. Con cuoc doi ta cu vui.” So let the wind blows and go with the flow, baby.

Not sure if these women’s shoes are walkable, but they sure will boost up your altitude.

A white man who sings and translates Trinh Cong Son’s music. Not bad, Richie!

For a book that teaches you to stay creative, the horrendous illustration and typography on the cover of Curt Cloninger’s Hot-Wiring Your Creative Process do the opposite. But don’t let the design of the book throws you off. Cloninger has enough useful materials, including guides to creative process, bypass your inertia, draw inspiration from art and design history, and unblock your imagination. One of the activities he recommends that I also encourage is to maintain a personal design playground in order to keep your motivation moving.

The judges had done Thuy Nga a huge favor by selecting Trinh Lam as the winner of 2007 PBN Talent Show. With a reminiscent of Duy Manh, Dam Vinh Hung, and Tung Duong rolled into one, he kills three birds with one stone. His self-produced album, Tai Sao, demonstrates his amateur skills at best.

With word choice such as why, weak, sorry, foolish heart, promise, love and break up, his writing on the title track is no less banal than anything Duy Manh has penned. His delivery on “Men Say Nong” is dead-on Dam Vinh Hung. He belts out his voice every chance he gets. When he reaches the high register, the volume becomes distorted because of the bad mix down. Worse is when he attempts to give his flow an intoxicating vibe like Tung Duong in “Hay Uong Voi Ta,” an awful blues-turn-swing arrangement. Again, the rambunctious mixing on top of the bottle-breaking screech of his voice is too painful to the tympanums.

Thuy Nga folks still get the best bargain (three for one) with Trinh Lam, even though they would aim for a better appearance. If they had a choice, they rather picked Quynh Vi (who came in second, but without a contract) than Trinh Lam. At least she has something to look at. As for David Meng as the people’s choice, enough bombs had been dropped.

Bitch is a feminist and a lesbian. Bitch writes poetry, plays several instruments (violin, ukulele, electric bass, percussion), and sings about “Pussy Manifesto.” I heard of Bitch through WNYC and I like Bitch. Check Bitch out. You might like Bitch too.

Japanese people sure have some sense of humors in their English-learning video. “Hey Toshi, Come On! My grandmother gives good head.”

George Lopez made his solo debut, America’s Mexican, on HBO last night. He was hilarious, but mi hombre used way too much Spanglish that you don’t get some of the inside jokes unless you know Spanish. He also refurbished some of his old materials including his previous appearance on Comic Relief 2006. Lopez’s weakest point was that didn’t delve deep into a certain topics like Chris Rock. He only touched on the surface and moved on. The coldest part was when he imitated the way governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks English. Fuck That Puto!

Banh Cuon
Banh Mi (wow, looks so good)
Banh Mi
Bo Bia Ngot (damn, I miss this one)
Bun Cha Ha Noi
Hot Vit Lon
Muc Nuong (I can smell that lovely fragrance)
Pho Ha Noi
Ran (Cobra heart, baby)
Ruoi (not sure if it’s the right word for some type of water worm)

Ripped from Noodlepie