Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s The Mountains Sing weaves together the family’s story of wars in Việt Nam from two personal accounts. Hương, the teenage granddaughter, recounts the conflict between North and South with the involvement of the American. Diệu Lan, the grandmother, recounts the French colonial period with the involvement of the Japanese. Although this is a historical work of fiction, the book provides a clear and balanced view of all parties involved. Ms. Nguyễn turns a blind eye to no side’s agenda, greed, or viciousness. The book is beautifully written, yet it is a heartbreaking read. Like Ms. Nguyễn, I have heard similar stories from the people around me. The cruelty, the grief, the loss, and the suffering hit too close to home.

What draws me into this novel is the way Ms. Nguyễn incorporated Vietnamese proverbs throughout the book. She uses phrases like, “Đừng ăn cháo đái bát.” (“Don’t eat porridge then piss into the bowl.”) or “Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước lã.” (“One drop of familial blood outranks a pond of water.”) I also appreciate the use of Vietnamese diacritics in English text. If diacritics were omitted for the sake of English readers, the Vietnamese proverbs would have been so darn hard to decode.

In Vietnamese-relate books where the authors claimed that they intentionally left out Vietnamese diacritics to make non-Vietnamese readers feel less intimidated, the authors either didn’t know their Vietnamese or they tried to please their English readers. Diacritics don’t make any different to readers who do not know Vietnamese. Without diacritics, however, readers who can read Vietnamese are compromised. In her uncompromising way, Ms. Nguyễn has written this book for readers who appreciate both languages. I love her translations of the proverbs, which showed her mastery of both Vietnamese and English.

This is the first time I read the entire novel on my iPhone using the Kindle app. Although I still prefer a physical book, what made me stick with the Kindle was the Bookerly typeface, which I selected specifically for long-form reading. As I was reading this book, I discovered that Bookerly, designed by Dalton Magg, has excellent Vietnamese diacritics; therefore, I had to add it to my Vietnamese Typography recommendations.

With Ms. Nguyễn’s lyrical writing and poignant storytelling, The Mountains Sing is a page-turner. In my case, it was a screen-swiper. It is one of the most level-headed historical accounts of the Việt Nam Wars I have read in recent years.

I woke up around 6 am and read for an hour and a half. Around 8 am, I drove to the park nearby my sister-in-law’s house. The basketball court was empty. The court’s smooth surface was perfect for rollerblading. I sported my new Triple Eight Saver Series Pad Set with Kneesavers, Elbowsavers, and Wristsavers.

From now on, I won’t be skating for rollerblading without these guards. They are like seatbelts for me. At 42, I can’t gamble with my life, especially for something that is supposed to be pleasure. I fell a couple of times and as long as I didn’t land on my butt, these guards had protected my knees and wrist. Of course, helmet is a must.

I could only rollerblade for half an hour. I am still not breaking in to my new shoes yet. My feet still hurt like crazy. I hope it will go away. I used to have this issue with ice skating. By the time, my feet got comfortable with the shoes, the pandemic hit. Now I have to go through all the pain again. I guess it is true. No pain no gain. I am starting to get some of my groove back. It’s good for me to do some kind of exercise rather than sitting in front of the screen and snacking all day long.

I am trying to make this into my morning routine until it gets too cold to do so. I am hoping to recruit my kids to join me.

Biden thanked the commender-in-chief and crushed the coward-in-chief in his speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention:

Thank you, Mr. President [Obama]. You were a great president. A president our children could—and did—look up to. No one will say that about the current occupant of the office. What we know about this president is if he’s given four more years he will be what he’s been the last four years. A president who takes no responsibility, refuses to lead, blames others, cozies up to dictators, and fans the flames of hate and division. He will wake up every day believing the job is all about him. Never about you. Is that the America you want for you, your family, your children? I see a different America. One that is generous and strong. Selfless and humble. It’s an America we can rebuild together.

Truth be told, I had not been excited about the Biden candidacy. He has his share of flaws and gaffes. After hearing his personal story; however, I have changed my mind. Joe is kind, compassionate, and caring. Joe had been through pain and grief. He lost his first wife, his daughter, and his son. Joe understands the struggles. He goes out of his way to help Brayden Harrington, a thirteen-year-old boy, to overcome his stutter.

We need a president who has sympathy, decency, and generosity. We need a president who takes care of all the people, not just himself. We need a president who unites instead of divides us. In the past four days, look at the people he is surrounding himself with. The Biden administration will be filled with diverse, qualified, and competent members.

Truth be told, I had already made up my mind to vote for Joe. After tonight, I will be excited to be voting for him. He will save America from the pandemic and he will save our democracy from fascism. I urge you to vote for Joe as well.

Pete Buttigieg gave a convincing speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention:

Beau Biden lived a life of service, in office and in uniform. When you put your life on the line for your country—especially this country—you do it not because it’s a country you ​live in​,​ b​ut because it’s a country you ​believe in​.

I believe in this country because America, uniquely, holds the promise of a place where everyone can belong. We know that for too many and for too long, that promise has gone unrealized. But we also know America has been at its best whenever we make that circle of belonging wider.

He made the case for Biden and Harris:

Every American must now decide. Can America be a place where faith is about healing and not exclusion? Can we become a country that lives up to the truth that Black Lives Matter? Will we handle questions of science and medicine by turning to scientists and doctors? What will we do to make America into a land where no one who works full time can live in poverty?

I am making very little progress with rollerblade. The first pair my wife bought hurt my feet way too much. I could barely skate for few minutes. I tried out my son’s K2 Skate Youth Raider and it felt much better. She ordered me a new K2 pair just like my son’s since I have small feet and could fit into a youth size.

Yesterday after work, we went to George Mason field house to tried rollerblading on the bike route. Since the route is somewhat flat and has grass right next to pavement, we could run into the grass if we couldn’t break. I used that quite often. The K2 Skate Youth Raider Pro Pack includes knee and elbow pads as well as wrist guards. We definitely needed pads, guards, and helmet for safety. Rollerblading seems to be much more dangerous than ice skating.

I still have a lot of practicing to do to get in the groove for rollerblading like I had with ice skating. I am glad that my sons are joining me in this sport.

Elizabeth Warren dropped a hidden message to BLM and a not-so-subtle message about the orange idiot at the 2020 Democratic National Convention:

Donald Trump’s ignorance and incompetence have always been a danger to our country. COVID-19 was Trump’s biggest test. He failed miserably. Today, America has the most COVID deaths in the world and an economic collapse—and both crises are falling hardest on Black and Brown families.

Millions out of work. Millions more trapped in cycles of poverty. Millions on the brink of losing their homes. Millions of restaurants and stores hanging by a thread.

This crisis is bad—and didn’t have to be this way. This crisis is on Donald Trump and the Republicans who enable him. On November 3, we hold them all accountable.

I still wish she was the nominee.

Kamala Harris gave a passionate speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention:

And we’ve shown that, when we vote, we expand access to health care, expand access to the ballot box, and ensure that more working families can make a decent living.

I’m so inspired by a new generation of leadership. You are pushing us to realize the ideals of our nation, pushing us to live the values we share: decency and fairness, justice and love.

You are the patriots who remind us that to love our country is to fight for the ideals of our country.

In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We’re all in this fight.

You, me and Joe — together.

What an awesome responsibility. What an awesome privilege.

So, let’s fight with conviction. Let’s fight with hope. Let’s fight with confidence in ourselves, and a commitment to each other. To the America we know is possible. The America, we love.

Let’s do this!

Obama gave an exceptional speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. He talked about democracy:

Tonight, I am asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala’s ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back better. But here’s the thing: no single American can fix this country alone. Not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional—you give me your vote; I make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So I am also asking you to believe in your own ability—to embrace your own responsibility as citizens—to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure.

Because that’s what at stake right now. Our democracy.

Well, here’s the point: this president and those in power—those who benefit from keeping things the way they are—they are counting on your cynicism. They know they can’t win you over with their policies. So they’re hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn’t matter. That’s how they win. That’s how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life, and the lives of the people you love. That’s how the economy will keep getting skewed to the wealthy and well-connected, how our health systems will let more people fall through the cracks. That’s how a democracy withers, until it’s no democracy at all.

I deeply missed our Black President.

With COVID-19, we haven’t done much this summer. All vacations had been cancelled. To give our boys some activities, my wife bought two Intex Seahawk 2 Inflatable Boats. We took them to the lake and just let them paddled for an hour or two. The boys loved it.

With three air chambers, the Seahawk 2 is comfortable. Its high-output hand pump makes inflating the boats with ease—even my four-year-old son can help pump up the boats quickly. The two Boston valves make deflating fast and easy to store away.

What I enjoyed the most about the boating experience was just lying down on the boat and read a book. The Seahawk 2 is so comfortable; therefore, I just let it float away. It was such a great way to enjoy a book or take a nap. I can spend all day doing that. Of course, wearing a life jacket or a floating device is a must. I would not let my kids get on the boat without wearing one even the two older kids already know how to swim.

Michelle Obama gave another outstanding speech at the Democrat National Convention. She delved into empathy:

[W]henever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy.

Empathy: that’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. The ability to walk in someone else’s shoes; the recognition that someone else’s experience has value, too. Most of us practice this without a second thought. If we see someone suffering or struggling, we don’t stand in judgment. We reach out because, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” It is not a hard concept to grasp. It’s what we teach our children.

And like so many of you, Barack and I have tried our best to instill in our girls a strong moral foundation to carry forward the values that our parents and grandparents poured into us. But right now, kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another. They’re looking around wondering if we’ve been lying to them this whole time about who we are and what we truly value.

Her entire speech is worth-watching.