Prettier park draws less people; awesome Indian restaurant

 The park near our house has been decorated with countless potted plants with flowers in preparation for Tet. It looks nice. The security guards have waved off soccer players so the plants don't get destroyed. The little grass areas are off-limits to anyone older than about 6 years old, so soccer has been essentially banned from the park during Tet. It's a welcome prohibition for me since soccer balls have hit me in the back while chasing my kids around, and one whizzed past my wife's head the other day. The kids playing laughed at the close call. Older kids and adults don't relax their intensity even if younger children like Elijah or Joanna wander into their playing area. Serious soccer, or even just kicking the ball back and forth with velocity, reduces the amount of park for people who want to walk or jog or ride a bike, and increases the odds for injury. I'm not a huge supporter of bike riders unless they're children, and even then I have my doubts because kids like to zoom and show off.  And many older riders (and joggers, come to think of it)  don't yield to anyone, sort of like soccer players, expecting others to humbly scurry out of their way. Because of the numerous potted plants, not many people have been coming to the park -- a couple of cyclists and joggers, and a few families with young children. Even the litter is reduced. I wouldn't mind if the flowers became a permanent addition. It's so pleasant now going to the park every afternoon with our kids.
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The Bay Leaf restaurant on Vau Thi Sau serves outstanding Indian food, as good as any I've had, and it's within easy walking distance of our house. I usually get some type of spicy chicken dish and my wife gets mutton tikka masala. We always get saffron rice and naan -- cheese and garlic. Covid  hasn't helped business, but the owner, a really good guy, stays the course. I want this place to thrive because the food is top-notch. I highly recommend the Bay Leaf. Don't fear the spice. They'll work with you and adjust dishes at your request. We go once a week, every week. 
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Covid remains very much on people's minds here, even with a reported 79 million people vaccinated in Vietnam; the country's population is about 97 million. I got my booster shot Friday morning with much pushing, shoving, shouting and line cutting taking place. The numbers say Vietnam is adding around 15,000 new cases a day; schools remain closed, which for the time being makes my daughter's situation moot. Homeschooling rolls along and we just finished shark week, and my daughter was intrigued with this ancient fish. She read quite a bit of factual material about sharks with no protest and she enjoyed a true story about a New Zealand surfer who survived an attack. Her math is up and down but clearly improving and her reading excels and is even becoming expressive.
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I'm not sure what the issue is, but our children won't go to sleep before 9 p.m. no matter what we try. Joanna has never, ever napped and sometimes sleeps late (9 a.m. wakeup on occasion), but she usually wakes up before 8 a.m. and often goes to bed around 10 p.m. or later. Elijah has started staying up past 9 p.m. and gets up around 7 a.m.  He'll nap, but his naps are getting shorter, about an hour or so. I think the brutal heat creates long periods of inactivity for our kids, so when the air conditioners go on at night, the kids get more active and sleep becomes an intrusion on their frolic time. I've talked to other parents here who have told me their children stay up later than what many parenting websites recommend. But maybe that's the new normal. For me, no nap means more coffee and sugar, and longer walks with Joanna. Pretty good alternatives, really.