So Long 2020, and Thanks for All the Coffees

Hi everyone! I hope this finds you in good health and high spirits. Stay safe as always!

I'm excited to start our brand new trip around the sun, and likely so are you! The year 2020 has been nuts, to put it mildly. For example, I've been in my comfy pajamas for the past six months or so. (Not the same set, mind you!)

But this post is not about all the crazy things that happened. Rather, it's about one of a few that has remained unchanged for us to appreciate.

Coffee.

That's right. Why coffee? Or maybe the real question is, what do we do without it?

Dong and coffee

Well, I probably wouldn't survive at all. Seriously.

That's because I generally don't eat breakfast or lunch. Instead, I drink a cup of coffee in the place of each. Most days, I even skip "lunch." I've been doing that for more than 10 years now. Way before the idea of "intermittent fasting" became a trend.

No, I'm not crazy or anything like that. And I put milk in my coffee, so there are probably a decent number of calories in the cup.

One thing, though, I don't do this because of the weight issue or body image. Things have been in excellent shapes and sizes. (Or—in the language the modern elites used in the past four years—my hands are big. And they indeed are!)

So, coffee, for me, is a matter of efficiency. Breakfast and lunch take too much time! A cup of Joe wakes me up, makes me sharp, and doesn't take long to make.

Also, having just a coffee or two a day, then a good workout in the late afternoon makes dinner extremely rewarding. I speak from experience.

Indeed, my routine aims to end my day with genuine appreciation and even celebration of food. And it has always worked. My dinner, no matter how simple, is the happy time I look forward to. And I give myself that every day.

By the way, my dinner tends to be a tad more than simple. I love cooking and am pretty good at it. And the only thing better than eating when you're starving is to watch your loved ones also enjoying that same food you cook.

But, again, I can't do all that out of thin air. The point is that coffee is probably more near and dear to me than how it's generally popular to everyone else, which brings us to the main reason I'm writing this post at all: My Ko-fi page.

Dong Knows Tech's Ko-fi page

I started the Ko-fi page on September 15, 2018, exactly seven months after I had launched Dong Knows Tech. Ever since, thanks to your generosity, I've been able to maintain my coffee-based lifestyle with ease. And a bit more.

Specifically, this year, I upgraded from drinking Costco's Kirkland brand, which is not that bad, to a bourgeois kind from Whole Foods, my wife's favorite. (Boys, what a difference that makes!)

And I did that without feeling guilty about the hefty extra cost. (In all fairness, it's still cheaper than going to Starbucks daily.)

We've also added more fancy ways of making coffee, including using Italian Moka pots, complete with chocolate source and all. The homemade cappuccinos have never tasted better! (So, again, don't be too concerned about me not eating anything all day!)

Once in a while, though, I still make mine the Vietnamese way. It was how I started with coffee years ago anyway. It's a bit slow, but it's worth the wait.

That's "Cà phê sữa" or "Cà phê nâu" using a traditional filter set and condensed milk.

By the way, I like it hot, but sometimes, I put ice in and turn it into a "Cà phê nâu đá." It's an excellent drink on a hot summer day. Try it yourself sometime.

In short, so far, I've been spoiled on the coffee front.

Thank you!

My Ko-fi page was never meant to be a source of real income, and it's still not today. Instead, it's been much more meaningful than just some extra dough.

Each time I get a Ko-fi notification, I know there's at least one person out there who appreciates my hard work and honest intention behind this blog. That's the best feedback a tech writer could ask for.

And there's no better way to appreciate that feeling of being appreciated than turning that notification into a favorite drink that keeps me going.

In more ways than one, this helped me (and my family) through 2020. Emotionally intact and physically strong. One morning, if not one sip, at a time.

So, thank you for making that happen. Repeatedly and regularly. I'm keeping your coffee—and all that implies—with me in 2021 and beyond.

With that, Happy New Year, everyone!

Thank you all for your support, via a Ko-fi or not. Here's to a new and much better decade!