Today is the last day of June. Yipeee yo kai-yay! It should be a beautiful weekend with sunny skies and highs in the lower 80s. You can't top that after a week of very humid and somewhat wet weather. Fahim said it was very wet and "tropical-like" in Dallas. I'll be there next weekend. Let's hope for dry weather and no humidity. I read that Phoenix has become the fifth most populous city in America. The weather is hot there, yet remains fairly dry because of the desert.
Is this month over yet? This has been the longest month in a very long time. The hot weather towards the end has not helped. Oh, today was surprisingly cool. The office decided to dress down today. I came in with shorts and a t-shirt. I don't think I have a meeting today. I left my keys at the office last night. Luckily Agnes was still at the office to keep the door open. I realized this after checking my bag at Palladium. The Malice Palace had its good share of film festival fanatics. I was slightly buzzed off of one Budweiser. I normally drink Bud Lights. Angelina Jolie's new movie is out. I hear it's an Oscar contender. My movie vouchers should come in handy. Can we get any more pictures from last week? It's like a bad virus that continues to infect everyone. It's non-stop! Below is the funniest clip ever...wait for the baby girl to show up. That's when the real action starts!!
Zhang Zhiyi was awesome in "The Banquet". She played a deceiving, evil empress.
She was coronated twice. That was how evil she was. Besides the gruesome violent scenes, the movie's love story was
a bit complicated, yet kept me on the edge of my seat. The movie was definitely a tragedy. I enjoyed Tan Dun's music
and lyrical vocals. Chinese people can be so dramatic some times! 
Joel, the hottie is Cat Tien. She is a Vietnamese singer. Truc An, thank you again for dinner. Vy, have a safe trip back to Cali and all my best to your family. Tien, enjoy your time off in Vietnam. Don't forget that your wife will be waiting for you when you return. After an orientation meeting for the AAiFF, I took the 6 train to Chinatown and met everyone at Xe Lua. I ate the usual bo luc lac. The food came out quick and was delicious. To top it off, the entree was only $5. You can't beat that! I think it's cheaper than restaurants in New Orleans. With so much competition in Chinatown, restaurants need to lower their prices to stay competitive. Bao, you have amazing pictures as usual!
Have I ever posted anything philosophical? I don't think I have. All I talk about is how I get great deals on groceries, constant complaining of the hot weather, and random shout-outs to my peeps. Yes, I said my peeps. What is the meaning of life? Where did we come from? Why are we here? What's the purpose of life when eventually you die anyway? Well, the answer is very simple. I actually don't know. I have no clue. If you want answers to those questions, I suggest you look elsewhere. "Last night...I didn't get an answer...I tried to call...my pride won't let me dial...I'm sitting here...with this blank expression...cause the way I feel...I want to curl up like a child"...fade to FEMALE VOCALS!
I got yelled at a couple times last night. If you're very important, next time wear a badge on your forehead that says VIP so I know you are very important. Cat Tien sang Mel C's "I Turn to You". A Vietnamese Liberace sang his heart out proclaiming his love for I don't know what. The dual rappers kept telling us who we are. A pageant queen looked more like a drag queen as she(he) paraded around the room with a glass of Heineken. Phung and Ngoc did not kiss as demanded by the rowdy crowd. Apparently, I am not the last "bac ky". We keep forgetting that there are countless others in the former Soviet bloc nations. Chang was the hostess of the night. Khanh and "Tam Doan" looked more like a couple than childhood friends. Our dancers and models worked it once again. The F train took forever. The connection from the F train to the uptown 6 sucks. It involves getting out onto the street and going back down to the 6 Bleecker stop. According to Alex, I am more open and less constrained when intoxicated.
Hello Hoa Hau Bich Lien! It was a pleasure driving you. We had to wait for a few hours
before moving, but it was all worth it once we rode down 6th Ave. I think I saw an oscar-winning film today. It was french,
but had all the qualities of an award-winning film. The weather could not be nicer. I am a proud Vietnamese American who
does not support the corrupt, socialist government of Vietnam.
Doing laundries on Friday nights is taking a hiatus at the moment. I'm having to wash my clothes during the weekdays now. Instead of getting my Gain detergent from K-mart at regular price and schlepping it from Astor Place to the UES, I got Gain on sale just down the street at Associated. Driving in Manhattan is a lot of fun. It's even better with a Ford Mustang convertible. I tried calling a couple natives here to see if talking on your cellphone is illegal. Not even a minute into the phone call, a cop next to me told me that it is illegal to talk on the cellphone while driving. I told the cop I did not know since it was my first time driving in New York. The cop was okay and left me alone. I was lucky enough to find a parking spot right outside of my apartment. Chang had to get to the LES so I drove her down there. When I returned, it took me quite a while to find another great parking spot.
Yesterday was the longest day of the year. In other words, the sun stayed up in the air longer yesterday than any other day in the year. It was the official start to summer. "Celebrate la Musique" was the theme at Spotlive Live in Times Square. France's former minster of culture was at the event. According to Sandrine, he created the summer holiday back in France 20 years ago. Organized by the French Tuesdays people, the event had a mixed crowd of french people and asian women. Yes, I said asian! A boring piano singer performed first followed by a rock band who reminded me of France's version of Third Eye Blind. An African drum group did their thing after the rock performance. A guitar player performed his solo act. The DJ finally played some music, but it was very loungy. It rained briefly yesterday afternoon. M&M's store was okay. They make you climb up to the second floor for the real candy. Across the street was Hershey's. Nothing special to write about. Congratulations to Chang-a-lang for making the cut! Have fun tonight and all weekend!
How does one commute to work and not have his clothes wrinkled by the time he gets to the office? Every piece was nice and crisp when I left my apartment. When I got to the office, everything was wrinkled. It's as if I never dry cleaned or ironed anything. Even my polished shoes needed some buffing. Maybe I'm not buying high quality clothes. I'll make sure to leave the apartment with all four bars on my cellphone. Sorry for the scare little girl!
Mayor Bloomberg just announced that he is leaving the GOP and will become the Independent Party's newest member. He announced this breaking news at a conference in California with Governor Schwarzenegger. People are speculating that Bloomberg will run on a bipartisan presidential candidacy with Schwarzenegger as his running mate. Sorry, Hillary! My vote will definitely go to Bloomberg. Bloomberg would run on the following platform, "My father never earned more than $11,000 a year. I have had a different experience in this land of opportunity and have tried to reflect that through a lifetime of public philanthropy and public service - but public service of a particular kind. I paid for every penny of my two political campaigns for the mayoralty of New York, and I will do so were I run for the presidency. I would not take one penny, one nickel, one dime, one quarter, or one dollar from any of the financial interests or lobbyists whose financial contributions have given them an undue role in the legislative process under both parties that has produced a system of legal corruption through the dependency of our candidates on their financial contributors, not to speak of the illegal bribery of politicians. You won't get that under a Bloomberg administration." Isn't that powerful? My neighbor from upstairs knocked on my door last night at 11PM asking if he could use my fire escape to get to his apartment. Apparently, he locked himself out. I was hesitant because I have never seen this guy before. He said he has seen me walk my dog. I told him that he was referring to my roommate, Joe, who has a dog. After a few minutes of going back and forth at my front door, I allowed him in to use the fire escape. I did not see any weapons on him so I felt safe. If he tried to kill me, I would have used my karate moves on him. He climbed up the fire escape and came back down asking if I could climb into his apartment because he was too big to fit into the window. The a/c unit took up half of the window. I told him that I would not climb into someone's apartment. I was still not sure if he was legitimate. He tried to climb into the apartment again and was successful. He came back downstairs and showed up at my front door. He showed me his ID, wallet, and keys to the apartment. He thanked me for letting him through my fire escape. I later heard rumbling upstairs. He lives right above me. Perhaps he killed his roommate, chopped her up, and accidently dropped her body parts onto the floor. I'm kidding! I have heard his footsteps before. The familiar footsteps proved that he is my neighbor upstairs, even though I have never seen him around the neighborhood.
I went crazy at the fruit stand yesterday. I bought apples, bananas, and oranges. I must have spent over $5 worth of fruits. I ate almost all of them last night. It was either buying fresh fruit or getting a smoothie from a local deli. The price would have been the same. Walking and the hot weather have made me incredibly thirsty. Carolyn, I still can't see your house. Your realtor added some privacy block on it. Carole, is your house okay? Today's paper said that two people died yesterday in and around Gainesville, TX due to dangerous flooding. I also got your voicemail as I walked home yesterday. Congratulations to Brian! It's about time he went to a real college...kidding! To my two Loan's in Houston, how are you guys? I think you guys are total opposites. You know which end of the spectrum you belong. Joe, my beer drinking days are over. Thank you for the invite, but I'll pass. I'm starting to act like Anh Hoang. He used to drink a keg and stay up all night. When he was here in New York a few weekends ago, he called it a night at 11PM. I guess it comes with age for all of us OR NOT! I have been wait-listed for my Interpersonal Communications class. I was looking forward to that class. I want to improve on communicating with others. Addison likes to say, "I Preshi Ate It!" Did he get that from Grandpa?
Good to hear from you, Sasha! The wheels are slowly turning. You'll be back in cajun country before you know it. Yesterday's program was good, but not perfect. Is any show perfect? Our MC worked the stage and introduced our dancers and models. She had some technical difficulties, but handled it well. Mr. Councilman went out of his way to acknowledge your existence. LOL The traditional song was played from an MP3 player causing the lyrics to go bad. The dancers were right on queue...according to my side view. Sandrine enjoyed the fashion show more. She felt the audience's enthusiasm and the lively music. We have next week's parade and an after party. The food was good. I left the BBQ guy to manage the charcoal. I'm sure they had the flame going. Mr. Bao looked like a professional photographer with his white t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes. Yeah, I paid attention to every detail. Central Park was filled with people, but not as crowded as if everyone is stepping on one another. The space is way too big and open to feel like 5th Ave. on the first weekend of holiday shopping. I slept like a baby with aches in my feet.
Why did I wake up at 6AM this morning? Today is also a Sunday. I am supposed to sleep in like everyone else. I remembered waking up extremely early on MLK Day earlier this year. My friends and I met in Times Square at 6AM to be members of Good Morning America's studio audience. Times Square was dead. We left the taping early to get breakfast. We took the train to TL's hood (the West Village). By this time, it was already 8AM. The streets were still dead. No one worked on MLK Day here in New York. How strange! Coming from Dallas, almost all private companies worked on that day. I realized that conservative, republican Dallas was not about to designate MLK Day a holiday. New York, on the other hand, being the most liberal town of all liberal towns out there (aside from San Francisco), did not operate on the day to remember the civil rights leader. It's one of the perks of living in the northeast. However, I'm not too happy with the local city tax that's deducted from my paycheck. It's great that Central Park is a few blocks away, but do I ever visit the park? My allergies prevent me from experiencing the splendid natural resources of Mother Nature's. That reminds me...I will be embarking on a camping trip during the last month of July. It should very interesting. I have not done one of these "outdoor" weekend trips since I was a kid. I've done an all-day water tubing near Austin, Texas, but never an overnight expedition such as the one in July. I'll make sure to bring a good supply of Benadryl. Carolyn, good luck on your bid. I hope you get what you want. Lewisville is not bad at all. It's just a short drive up 35. Chang, let's kick some serious butt today! Happy Father's Day!
I woke up ridiculously early this morning. Zertec is making me extremely drowsy. I end up getting a very good night of sleep. The current president of Vietnam will be visiting America next week. His trip is to discuss the increasing trade and business deals with American companies. He will also meet with President Bush in Washington later in the week. Protesters from the Vietnamese American community will be at every venue visited by President Trieu (Vietnam's President). The latest crisis on hand is the incarceration of Vietnamese human rights activists, mainly lawyers. Congratulations to Anh Tri and his wife!
It's Friday! Time flies when you are having fun. How does one control his urge for sweets? I get out of the train and I immediately see Starbucks. A few feet away one would find a street vendor selling yummy pastries and donuts. Closer to my office is a McDonald's where they sell three cookies for $1. I may end up with diabetes by the time I am 40. I have "Vang Trong Khoc" on repeat at work.
Dinner at Boyd was yummy. Dessert was by far the best. We had sweet mango with
warm sticky rice. We also indulged in banana pudding with creamy pandan sauce and whip cream. Many thanks again to
Bao and Vi for the "intrusion". Let's not forget the emerald green ao dai and perfect shoes. It was unusually cool last night
and this morning. At this time last year, we had a brief spout of cold air earlier in the month. I remembered having to
buy a jacket to keep myself warm. The a/c was turned off last night. I woke up this morning and it was turned on. I need
to stress this again...it's not nice to participate in a conversation while someone is sleep talking. My supervisor's last day
of work is today. We had lunch at Cafetasia and cupcakes at Crumbs. My favorite cupcake is the vanilla cake with
chocolate frosting and sprinkles. I used to eat the regular size cupcake, but have recently downgraded to the mini size. I
feel like napping now as opposed to finishing off the rest of my day. Please see my "picture of the
week" below. Notice how Vi's head is literally on the table. 
Sorry for the late posting today. I went to work early to finish up on some things. Before you know it, it was already noon time. I totally forgot to add today's entry. I missed opera in the park last night. I hope it was not rained out. I just ate dumplings from Vanessa's dumplings. It's the next best thing to eating at that $1 dumplings place in Chinatown. I spent close to 30 minutes shredding documents that have been sitting on my desk since the beginning of the year. I can't imagine how many trees I killed because of wasted paper. America is the #1 economy in the world. We are also the #1 consumer of resources: natural and man-made. Furthermore, we are the #1 producer of waste. Hopefully China will take over one day and the world can start hating them for killing the planet. I think they are on their way. My guestbook has been removed from the website due to some unfortunate events. If you wish to contact me or respond to a posting, e-mailing me is your best choice. Marc, thank you for jumping in. The Houston trip should be fun. It would be more fun with Carolyn coming along. Let's hope she cancels her Essence trip to New Orleans all together. I'm only kidding!
I get to mention your name whenver I want. There are no restrictions to this so-called blog. Do you understand? Go ahead and contact your lawyer friend. Let's see what he can do. I'm kidding! Don't forget to view other components of this website. Tonight is opera in the park. Let's hope the rain won't come pouring down like it did yesterday. I wonder if the grass is dry. Ron is now on the facebook. Welcome aboard! It's about time! We have our final rehearsal this Saturday. The show needs to be squeaky clean before we can call it a night. I bought a big bag of Doritos cool ranch this morning. The deli where I buy the smaller bags no longer sells Doritos. They are sticking to the generic brands. I'll pass. My co-workers and I ventured to Chinatown yesterday to get some banh mi for lunch. It was a nice stroll. It didn't take too long. We knew what we wanted and were back in our office within 30 minutes. You can't beat a cheap, fast lunch!
I just saw Bao's pictures from Saturday. His camera is amazing. I should have stayed for the WII. I always wanted to try that out. I seriously need a haircut. My hair has never been this long. I'm starting to part my hair to the side. Now I look like Pee Wee Herman minus the fair skin and red lips. Lan and Sham, I decided to stay on the platform and continue living. Fahim made me want to jump. He was too much for me to handle. Khanh aka Kevin, I'll join you out in Brooklyn for your next BBQ. Just let me know when and where. Brad saw Alec Baldwin in the Hamptons. I was very hungry this morning. I got myself a sausage biscuit sandwich with honey from McDonald's. The fruit parfait would have been the healthier choice, but it's always better to satisfy your guilty pleasure. Never do laundry on a Sunday after 2PM. It's chaotic!
Yesterday was a packed day. It was dumplings and a mango smoothie at Vanessa's dumplings to get the day going. Afterwards we went by Yen's office for the fashion show rehearsal. We skipped our way to Forever 21 for a wardrobe change. I bought a $7 t-shirt. Trader's Joe is where we picked up brownies and chips for Bao and Vi's picnic. We ate at the picnic. A couple jello shots later, Alex was the last person to see the pattern. He can now buy Alizee and apples. We sang karaoke thanks to Quyen's english version. I think Bao, Vi, and I were the only ones down with Lam Truong. TL returned with beaucoup tan. Rob made his way in while we left with the smokers. Sua flirted with the cab driver before we were dropped off at Astor Place. Sua will get most of her deposit back. Sorry for the scare!
Yesterday's turnout was huge. I had no idea almost everyone would show up for rehearsal. I think we are halfway done with the fashion show. The same goes for the traditional dance. It was Pastafina again. This time we ordered only water bottles instead of soda and water. I did not get a chance to bake cookies this morning for Vi and Bao's picnic. I'll end up stopping by Trader Joe's to pick up something. Last night's noodles at Menkutei was good, but quite depressing. We were one of two customers in the restaurant. We ate around 12:30AM. The place closes at 2AM. I was expecting a late night crowd. Everyone was at Kenka. You can't beat $1.50 Sapporos. Hopefully we will come up with a script for the MC today. Apparently, my accent is still very northern (bac ky). One guy traced it back to Haiphong. "I am bac bay muoi lam, not bac nam muoi tu."
Fahim got in safely. He got ripped off by a car service because he paid $25 to get from Bryant Park to the Upper East Side. Brad is off to the Hamptons this weekend for a poshy wedding. I am back in my office. I have been away on an audit a couple blocks away. I can't disclose the nature of the audit, but the auditee was very accomodating. Sandrine, sorry that I had to cancel tonight. Maybe we can meet up later tonight. I will call you. Tammy, I'm still waiting on that e-mail from you know who. The week is almost over. Carolyn, I'll be in touch about the U.S. Open and the living arrangement. Chi San, you should come on your own. Chang will take you around town. Hi Addison!
Mel can get us tickets to the women's final for the U.S. Open. Tickets are not that expensive. I guess we will be sitting all the way on top. Yesterday's weather was perfect and so is today. Tomorrow we are getting a high of 90 degrees. I am leaving my jacket and tie at home tomorrow. I refuse to sweat. Gloria, you can help me with speaking and I can help you with pinyin. I am taking a break from Mandarin right now. I'll probably take another class this coming Fall. How is the fortune cookie business? I have two bags of men's clothes sitting in my office. A charity was supposed to come by and pick up the clothes, but they keep giving me the run-around. If you are in town and need men's clothes (for short guys like me), please let me know. The items are a bit outdated, but in great condition.
Third Floor Cafe was awesome! I was impressed with the turnout. I'm glad Joe and everyone enjoyed the all-you-can-eat-and-drink deal. I had one beer just to get in the mood. I am cutting back on drinking because I get way too tired when I drink over my limit. Vi got rowdy. I like it when she starts yapping away in Vietnamese. She reminds me of my relatives at a family gathering when we are at the table eating and yelling at the top of our lungs. TL, we missed you. We agreed that you are the next to get trashed because your b-day is coming up. Alex (Mr. Mexican) and his tanned girlfriend returned from the Bahamas just in time for Joe's shindig. Yumiko chopped off her hair and looked amazing. Sua walked home instead of taking the PATH. Rob looked more like a "Vietnamese" now. He also talked about his money shots. Tammy called for an order of soju to end the night. The strawberry cake was decorated with whip cream and sliced kiwi. I think Chang and I were the only ones not drinking. Joe rambled in the subway and was slowly gliding along 79th street until we made it to the second to last bus stop. We got on the bus just to get dropped off at the next stop. We received a letter from the postal service that our zip code is changing from 10021 to 10075 in July. I'm not too thrilled about the change because it means new address labels. Rob, there you go...I updated my website. Where you at?
Bush wants to put five missiles in Poland and install a missile detecting radar in the Czech Republic to protect the U.S. military stationed in Europe. Russia sees this as a threat to its security. Putin intends to point missiles in response to Bush's actions. Why is Bush creating another front? Has he not caused enough madness in the Middle East? He should just go back to Crawford and stay there until his term ends. I'm reading a book about civil liberties and how the current administration spends way too much money on overseas interests. I cannot wait for the next president to reverse what Bush has done. It will likely take more than two terms to see results. Oh, I forgot to vote this morning. I should have left a post-it note on the bathroom vanity. My district is having a special election to fill a vacant seat in the state assembly. I would not be surprised if it's another democrat. I can't vote later tonight because I am off to Joe's birthday shindig at the third floor cafe...all you can drink and eat! For those who want to sleep well, I suggest taking Benadryl right before you go to sleep. You will start to halluncinate and say crazy things while asleep. Do not have a conversation with someone who is sleep talking. It's not funny, Chang! Express trains only stop at the white circles. Local stops are the black and white circles. Got it? The best feeling in the world is coming home to a freezing apartment as you peal the sticky and sweaty clothes off of you. After five minutes of standing with just your underwear against the a/c vent, you are ready to put on "home" clothes i.e., shorts, loose t-shirt, pajama pants, etc. It's almost like Mister Rogers changing his shoes and sweater when he walks into his house.
Japan Day in the park was a lot of fun. The only bad thing was the small venue. There were too many people in such a small place. The food was FREE! Actually, everything was free. There were green turf and red velvet ropes everywhere. The karaoke singers were not amateurs. We missed the drums. Ron, I got your message later in the day. I think you would have enjoyed this one more than the one in Brooklyn because this had more to offer. Then it was off to the 2nd Avenue street fair. I got my spicy corn on the cob. If you are ever at one of these street fairs, be sure to get the corn on the cob and ask them to sprinkle it with chili pepper. I had dinner with Brad at Cafe Deville. The waitress charged us $1 for extra toast even though we did not get it. Of course I told her and she apologized. A dollar was removed from our ticket. My nicely-pressed pants walked in the nasty rain this morning.
Ron, I got my days totally messed up. Yes, I will be at Japan Day today in the park. I'll call you when I am there. Yesterday's trip to Ridgewood (Brooklyn) was interesting. While waiting on the platform for the L train, an automatic announcer informed us of when to expect the next train. It was nice knowing when the next train will arrive. The MTA needs to install this for all subway lines. The L train was a bit wider than the 6 train. The Brooklyn-bound cars were not crowded. We were given the wrong address. A Chinese lady yelled at us for attempting to enter her apartment. I called Tien to confirm the address. He gave us the wrong one and we had to walk several blocks back to where we came from. The streets were filled with 99 cent stores. The neighborhood was ethnically diverse with a majority of Hispanic residents. I was impressed with the community center. The sign on the door states that the center has been in business for over 30 years. Chang and I substituted as dancers for a traditional dance while our team leader for the fashion show was in transit. Mylinh did an awesome creating the backboard of lyrics and dance positions. I wish we could have stayed, but we had another commitment to fulfill. Jimmy did not get good sound in the first interview. Therefore, we are trying it again later this morning. Addison and Luna, thank you for filling my page with graffiti. Carole, you'll just have to put your comments in the guestbook. My daily entries are monologues.
I can't believe I did not get an invitation to go see "Knocked Up". I could have flown into Dallas.
Are you still without a cellphone? I'm off to Brooklyn again today. I think the actual town is Ridgeview. It is off of the L train after 11
stops from Union Square. Speaking of Union Square, there is a Forever 21. There are clothes for men at Forever 21. Long sleeve button
down shirts are only $20. Wait for the shirts to go on sale and you will only pay $10. I donated two bags of old clothes to NYU's Clothesline.
They were supposed to come by last month to pick up the clothes. The clothes are still at my office. My co-workers are starting to think
I am using the office to store my winter clothes. The air mattress under the real bed is working out just fine. Shoving the air mattress
under the real bed takes some effort. Mel, stop checking out my website during the day. You need to be teaching your kids instead of being
up in my business. David, got your postcard! Good luck with the new place in Denton. Isn't it nicer living near civilization? Ron, I won't be
able to make it to Japan Day today in the park. I would have gone since it's just a few minutes from my apartment. I am going to
be on the L train today heading towards your borough. Have fun! Oh, Chang moved to New York to open a nail salon. See
pic below. 
Not much to report today other than it is getting very hot. I hate riding the subways and having to walk many blocks. It is obviously so much better when the weather is cool and crisp. I wouldn't mind cold weather either. Addison and I talked last night. He is such a chatterbox. I did a good deed yesterday. I helped an old lady carry her package from the management office to her apartment. She has been living in the same apartment for over 11 years. She signs a 2-year renewal every two years so she is assured the rent stays the same during the two years. I may do that next year. My apartment is far from the train station, yet it remains quite affordable. The best part is that I do not pay for utilities, other than the $23 monthly fee for owning an a/c unit. Happy Friday!