What I am giving up on this Lent

Creamer

I am giving up putting creamer in coffee. If I am feeling fancy in Lent, might add some milk instead.

This is a pretty minimal penance, and I am sure I can kick Lent up a notch with a clear conscience.

Port Wine

I buy a bottle of Port every year. I bring it to a group of friends in a traditional annual party. I bring the Port, someone else brings the cheese, someone else provides the venue.

I bought Port in Incheon in 2021. It is 2023, and no one wants the party anymore.

Matt has heard my private backstory behind Port parties (this was in 2022, at a separate party where I brought the myrtle liquor from Croatia). He said I should shed the old baggage. I have decided to heed his advice, therefore for Lent 2023 I am drinking the whole bottle on my own. I have another bottle of Khvanchkala red wine on the rack; if the party happens it would be that one instead of Port, and it will no longer be annual.

Bus Drivers

I am resolving to greet every bus driver I meet. I just think it is a nice thing to do

Things from last weekend

Restarting the blog and now writing small things to add to the lore (while writing at the level of a 10 year old). Yes

I will start from last Sunday, when they celebrated 10 years of Pope Francis at Cathedral. I brought Jamie along and we were made to sit outside because a fat bunch of diplomatic delegations are assigned the inside seats. The delegations of Ireland, Costa Rica, and the Philippines were there. The second Minister of Law was there. The bishop of Phan Thiết was there. The Papal Nuncio was there; the car with the Vatican flag was parked, even though his embassy was so close, he could have just walked over.

I said to Jamie that the Spanish ambassador will show up mañana — tomorrow — and be like "am I late?"

We sat behind a French family with two small children and were majorly distracted by them. The boy coloured into a colouring book, first a whale, then a jellyfish, then a stingray. He liked to colour the whites of the eyes orange, for some reason. William Tjhi was also in this congregation.

A large team of people who looked like Islamic scholars walked into the annexe and walked out 5 minutes later. The greeters seemed to know them. I asked them about it after mass and it turned out they did not know them at all. I gave up asking and bought souvenirs from them.

I went to Beauty World to kill time before Krav lesson. I got back the coin pouch from the dessert shop auntie with 65 cents and quite a lot of emotional attachment. Chirashi-Ai, the café I liked to sit in, was very crowded even at 2pm. At Krav lesson I was absolutely manhandled because coach didn't want to use the ladies for demo on the first go. So that was all for this very ordinary Sunday.