Just recoded the one page site for the Outreach programs at Vassar. The beautiful layout was designed by Keisha.

Reading Patricia T. O’Conner’s Woe is I is an invigorating experience of learning English. O’Conner has done an extraordinary job of making grammar easy to understand. Her refreshing, clear and thorough writing makes this book an enjoyable reading, as well as an invaluable resource for writer. With the latest edition, Woe is I is not only updated, revised but also included a chapter on writing emails. I am as guilty as charge when it comes to writing quick and awful emails.

Pick up Woe is I if you want to learn proper grammar. It is highly recommended for ESL students too. This book has been added to my English favorite collection, which includes: William Struck Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style and Ann Longknife and K.D. Sullivan’s The Art of Styling Sentences.

The top navigation has been modified once again. The thick black bottom borders make them look a bit chunky; therefore, I get rid of them. Unfortunately, CSS validator doesn’t like the round corners in Mozilla. I didn’t get rid of round corners just because CSS validator didn’t like it. I am more interested in the aesthetic quality than the technical aspect. Like I said, this site is an experimental space so I make changes whenever I want and not have to get any approvals from anyone. That’s the beauty of personal web site.

Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass takes us into the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, a young intelligent writer at the New Republic. Glass wrote unbelievable stories that are truly not believable. As young kids, we think the sky is the limit. If we can get away with one, we can get away with many and we don’t think about the consequences. Glass’s case is no exception. He gets caught after written more than 25 pieces of made up facts.

Shattered Glass is not only skillfully written and directed but delightfully acted as well. Hayden Christensen is charming as Stephen Glass and Peter Sarsgaard is convincing as Chuck Lanes. In addition Christensen and Sarsgaard, the supporting roles also do a wonderful job of keeping the film engaging. What a terrific film about the art of lie, fraud and journalism.

Someone better gives Big Sty a record deal before he blows up. His “It’s a Problem” is way sicker than 50’s “How to Rob an Industry.” This MC rhymes his way into the game and no one can stop him. Not only he disses Jay, Nas, Em, 50, Ja and Puff but Big Sty also digs up Big and Pac and fuck them too. This guy is way too ill.

Eminem is still holding down the fort with his lyrical skills. Have to give it to him on the way he flips the scripts on “Bully” slicing up Benz, Ja and Irv into pieces. The third verse, where he acknowledges the controversial of Hip Hop, is well put, “It’s like a never ending cycle that just seems to come full circle. Everybody’s gotta be so fucking hard. I’m not excluding myself cuz I’ve been stupid as well. I’ve been known to lose it when someone says something smart.”

Even though the Source and Benzino exposed Eminem’s old school freestyle dissing Black girls, he is still untouchable. In fact, Em fires back with an apology as well as an insult (to Benz and The Source) on Green Latern’s Invasion 3. With Em’s flawless flow and Green Latern’s bomb-ass beat, the freestyle is furious. I can’t wait to hear what this white rapper has on his mind on the next LP.

If you want to hear the tracks mentioned above plus many more disses, check out P-Cutta’s Street Wars 9. It’s off the hook.

A new theme was created for iLoveNgocLan.com, check it out.

Just relaunched the retrofitted Biology site. I also did some minor design tweaking to further enhanced the minimalist look and feel.

“If the message is bad then the design has no value; if the design is bad, the message suffers. So design must be enhance, and good responsible design makes people think, question, learn, and act.” -Steven Heller, who introduces John Cranmer and Yolanda Zeppaterra’s Conscientious Objectives, a book that aims at responsible design or design that matters. Similar to independent film, responsible design is honest and true to its content. Furthermore, responsible design educates the audience. Where as Hollywood film or commercial design is mostly interested in visual eye candy, exaggerated the message, and created false perceptions.

Obviously, commercial design is where the money is but John Cranmer and Yolanda Zeppaterra will help you find the balance between commercial design and design that matters. They provide tips on how to choose the right clients and employers. They also encourages you to educate your clients and raise their awareness of ethical problems.

At the heart of Conscientious Objectives is the showcase of the 10 real world projects that deal with political, social, ethical, and environmental issues. The book gives you insight look at the process and challenges designers faced when working on these projects. My favorite design is the pullout pen for TrueMajority’s political campaign, which created by Stefan Sagmeister. It’s creative and definitely will stick to your mind. I also find the process shares by S-W-H and Eat is useful. They had to work with limited resources but managed to educate their client (Ecover) to effectively market the products focusing on the environmental friendly direction. Of course, other projects are inspirational as well.

Although design that matters might not win you any graphic design awards, it does make a different. True design is always remembered. So buy it, read it, study it, and apply it to your own work. Conscientious Objectives is an invaluable and inspirational source for graphic designers.

This is an unforgettable work of art. Watching Dat Phuong Nam makes me proud of my beautiful country, especially the people, the lifestyle, the folk music, the rivers, the mountains, and the forests. Wish these aesthetic qualities could be shared with the American audiences and others around the world.

Although Dat Phuong Nam is more than 10 hours long, the cast does a remarkable job holding up the series. Hung Thuan gives a flawless performance from beginning to end as a young boy, An, who exposed to many things during his adventure in searching for his father. His adorable appeal and charming personality is his secret weapon that allows him to conquered difficulties. Everyone loves and protects him wherever he goes. In return, he respects and cares for everyone around him. Along side with Hung Thuan, Phung Ngoc also does a compelling job as Co (An’s best friend). Phung Ngoc brings joyful to the table. Even though both of these young actors are talented, not one overshadows the other and together they bring in an engaging experience to the adventure. Watching these two innocent kids laughing and enjoying life – even though life is ruthless – makes me want to be part of the crew. The cutest part is when they shaved their heads to become little monks.

Beside those two, the supporting cast deserves recognition as well. Director Vinh Son does a fantastic job at casting appropriate roles, noticeably Thuy Loan as Ut Trong. Thuy Loan’s countryside beauty and her charisma mesmerize me. Her acting is convincing as well. The love story between Ut Trong, the sweetheart, and Vo Tong (plays by Quang Le), the hero, is both tangible and relatable. Another standout character is Kieu Oanh’s Co Dao Nam Xuan. Kieu Oanh amazes me with her ability to take on this serious role. In my mind, she is always a crazy comedian yet she pulls off this one nicely.

Whenever I watch a Vietnamese film, the script always throws me off because of the awkwardness in the dialog. Fortunately, Nguyen Ho does a fantastic job of providing natural and realistic conversations between the characters. It’s nice to hear the southern accents that I can relate to. Of course, the rich and exquisite cinematography is one of the major accomplishments for this film. If you have never been to Viet Nam, watching this film will make you consider where to spend on your next vacation.

To fully appreciate Dat Phuong Nam, you might have to look past the preaching, put away the political point of view, and just enjoy the aesthetic experience. Emerge yourself into the beauty of nature, the timbre of the musical instruments, and the simple life. Once you let the characters take your breath away on a remarkable journey of adventure, drama, romance, and a little bit of magical, I am sure you won’t even noticed the message behind it.

As you step inside the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, prepare yourself for doses of adrenaline rush. This film is definitely one of a kind romantic comedy with imaginative screenplay and brilliant performances.

The process of erasing your unwanted memories using technologies intrigues me. So which memory do you want to defragment? The “love” drive, please. Ouch! That hot chic I stored in my memory two years ago is corrupted and she is infecting my brain cells. Let’s drag her ass to the trashcan to free up some memories for MP3s. Sorry, I am getting a bit carry away here but mad props to Charlie Kaufman (screenplay) and Michel Gondry (director) for this creative work of art.

Of course, the cast gives topnotch performances in order to hold the viewers attentions for two hours of craziness. I have never liked Carrey until this film. I just can’t stand his goofiness in other movies. Even though Joel Barish is a dramatic character, Carrey’s goofiness still slips through a couple of time. Kate Winslet is outstanding in a role that she is not known for. Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Woods and Mark Ruffalo enhance the film with their part.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is creative, original, engaging and fun. My only complain is the jerkiness of the camera. I was having trouble focusing because of motion sickness. Thankfully the acting and the storyline kept me in tuned.