As the temperature goes up, my motivation goes down. Lately all I do is hiding in my air-conditioning apartment, sleeping, relaxing, and listening to jazz. I have collected about 150 jazz albums and give each one at least a spin. Of course, I need more time to digest them all, but here are a few albums that jump right at me.

Benny Goodman’s The Best of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra
Billy Holiday’s Lady Sings the Blues
Carmen McRae’s Carmen Sings Monk
Charlie Parker’s Cool Blues
Clifford Brown & Max Roach’s At Basin Street
Coleman Hawkins’s Body and Soul
Diana Krall’s Steppin’ Out
Dinah Washington’s How to Do it
Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown And Beige
Ella Fitzgerald’s The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong’s best of Fitzgerald and Armstrong
Jane Monheit’s Taking A Chance On Love
John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme
Lena Horne’s Love Songs
Lester Young’s Kansas City Sessions
Louis Armstrong’s I Like Jazz: The Essence of Louis Armstrong
Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew
Norah Jones’s Come Away with Me
Ornette Coleman’s Change of the Century
Sarah Vaughan’s Embraceable You
Thelonious Monk’s Criss Cross

I can’t wait for the weekend to come so I drive up to Dorchester for my favorite Bo 7 Mon at Pho 2000. Even though Bo 7 Mon is being served at several Vietnamese restaurants in Dorchester, Pho 2000 stand out the most, thanks to their incomparable Mam Nem (Fermented Anchovy Dip). Based on Mekong’s style, their version of Mam Nem includes fine chopped fresh lemongrass and pineapple.

Beef is the main part, but the meal would not be complete without the savory dip and fresh vegetables. My favorite dishes are Bo Nhung Dam (Beef Fondue), Bo Chien Bo (Butter-Fried Beef), Bo Tai Chanh (Rare Beef With Lime), Bo La Lot (Grilled Beef-stuffed Leaves), and Bo Mo Chay (Fatty Beef). I am not too crazy about Cha Dum (Beef Pate) and Chao Bo (Beef Congee). Fortunately, switching dishes are allowed.

I like the way they serve each course one at a time, instead of throwing everything on the table at once. I also like the self-serving part of the meal. Some like it rare, some like it cook, some like a certain vegetables, and some don’t. So the best solution is to let each person does it the way he or she prefers. My rolls are always packed with vegetables, which required two spring papers to hold them together. Obviously a glass of cold beer is the best choice for washing down the beef and Mam Nem, but they don’t serve alcohol at Pho 2000. So a glass of durian shake is not a bad supplement.

Anh Hong, a newer restaurant also in Dorchester, offers Ca Bay Mon (seven-course fish) as an adaptation. Although the dishes are not so bad, they just don’t flow together as smooth as the original Bo 7 Mon.

Share your deepest secrets at PostSecret. This confession is so wrong.

Ngoc Dai’s “Doc Thoai Thang Gieng” is strange but exotic. Love the sounds and the voices. I believe the performers are Tung Duong and Ngoc Khue.

Watching Truc Lam and Truc Linh perform “Toi Ngan Nam Doi” feels like I am in a strip club instead of a concert hall.

Thanh Truc is definitely not a live singer. So show me some skins when I watch you perform because your voice won’t do it.

Nhu Loan wonders why everyone just stands there quietly. Well, duh! I would stand still and stare too.

Tu Quyen actually looks decent here, and her singing isn’t so bad either.

Jin is “Bridging the Gap” with his pop on a freestyle. His flow is tight, yet the interesting part is what his dad does on the mic: “I was born in China, moved to the USA, opened up a restaurant. I worked there every day. Then I had a son, Jin in his name. Now he’s an MC, one of the best in the game.” Unfortunately, Jin is throwing the towel on his rap career. Good luck with Hollywood, bro.

Hang Thu Pham is representing Viet Nam in Miss Universe; however, the Vietnamese officials said, “she hadn’t earned the sash” via The Star Online. From the interview, the only things she seems to be good at are shopping and watching movies.

As a guest appearance on Kanye West’s “Get Em High,” Common flows with anguish, “How could I ever let your words effect me? / They say hip-hop is dead / I’m here to resurrect me.” Now with his latest album, Be, Common resuscitates himself with poetic rhymes and narrative deliveries weaved together by West’s soulful samplings.

Like Jay-Z’s Black Album, Common’s Be is structured in a minimal setting to provide audiences an intimate listening experience. The arrangements are subtle but carry enough strength to hold the album together. From “The Corner” to “The Food,” every song has a story to tell, and Common tells it like it is: “The corner where struggle and greed fight / We write songs about wrong cause it’s hard to see right / Look to the sky hoping it will bleed light / Reality’s a bitch and I heard that she bites.”

Misogynist rappers, such as 50 Cent, Eminem and Cam’ron, often refer to women as bitches and hoes. Common envisions women as something else, “What if god was a her?” Even after breaking up with his girlfriend, Erykah Badu, Common never trashes her like what Em does to Kim and 50 does to Vivica. He is the man to respect, and Jay-Z did that on his song, “Moment of Clarity.” To show Jay the same respect, Common responses with, “My man retired, I ma take over” on “Chi-City.”

Common is a lyricist and he uses his wordplay to elevate the art of storytelling. Scored by West’s lively arrangement, Common built an approachable scene on “Testify” with his cinematic-driven concept. Other than two tracks come from DILLA’s production, West is responsible for all of the beats, and his finest work is the jazz-inflected groove on “Real People.” Because the horn riff is so intoxicating, trying to follow the lyrics is nearly impossible. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Common scats to the arrangement with his scratchy voice?

Be is undeniably a success and almost, but not quite, perfect. The flaws are in some of the hooks. For instance, the repetitive chorus of “Go!” is annoying, and all John Mayer brings to the track is the echoing of “go.” To rhyme with the word “kids,” West raps over the hook, “So I had to did, what I have to did” on “The Food.” Real clever, Kanye. Despite the nursery choruses, Be – be simple, be free and be yourself – is a true hip-hop work of art.

Alan Favini, the chef we adore, is back. Despite his packed working schedule (eighteen hours a day), he managed to squeeze in a few hours to give us an exceptional graduation dinner. Once again, Alan wowed us with his mouthwatering and aesthetically compelling dishes.

After a typical party-starting scene: chatting, drinking, taking pictures, and congratulating the graduates, the dinner kicks off with Roasted Beet Salad with Shallot and Balsamic. What makes Alan’s salad distinctive is the way he pulls off the basic taste-essence: bitter, sweet and sour. The initial taste of the popcorn shoots (white strips on top as shown in the photo) is bitter, but the flavor becomes a sweet sensation almost instinctly inside our mouth. He added a slightly sour Balsamic dressing not only to complement the sweet and bitter tang of the fusion vegetables, but also to balance the visual presentation by providing a yellow element to the green composition.

The visual aesthetic only gets better, and the Lobster Bisque with Brie Toasts is evidence. The beautiful orange soup is creamy and rich in texture. My favorite part of this portion is not only the soup but also the crunchy piece of bisque topped with cheese, cherry tomatoes, and lobster meat that had been flamed by a splash of Cognac. Dipping the bisque inside the soup and put it my mouth is just heaven-sent.

The main course, Stuffed Lobster Tail with Mushroom Risotto and Baby Vegetables, showcases Alan’s culinary style and a passion for his craft. The dish has a delicious savor and exquisite presentation. Like a painter who captures his art on a canvas, Alan captures his art on a plate. The arrangement is simple but striking. Obviously, the lobster tail is the best part, but the rice, which enhanced by the fragrance of wine, is no less impressive. The wine flavored rice is a perfect accompaniment to the tender, sweet, and meaty lobster. The only thing I needed to wash down these great food is a glass of wine.

As a visual guy, I love the process of making art; therefore, I did not waste an opportunity to watch Alan in action. From the timing, to the precision in measuring, to the meticulous attention to the details in seasoning and decorating, Allen gave me a deeper appreciation for the art of culinary. Just from watching him cook, I wanted to become a chef; however, I am more of a taster than a baker, and I can’t handle eighteen hours a day like he does. What inspires me the most is the way Alan controls his production in professional manor. He prepped up twenty fresh and hot dishes on the spot without breaking a sweat. With his level of skills, he could easily start his own catering company for small parties like ours. In fact, he should open a restaurant to push his art to a higher level.

iLoveNgocLan.com turns two. A new theme (Glamour) has been added and a few essays (in Vietnamese) have been posted. Drop by to celebrate the special event with us. Champagne is on me. Cheers!

You saw Eric gets down, and now you’re about to see a spectacular performance from his sister. If you think Uma Thurman got the groove in Pulp Fiction, you ain’t see nothing yet. So crank up your speakers and enjoy watching Samantha gets her twist on.

Many readers ask, “Who is the visual guy?” Well, here he is. Dissapointed huh?