When Starbucks first opened in the Philippines, the caffeine-operated robot that I claim to be moi got ecstatic. I was in college then. And while cab fare alone from UP to Makati was enough to get me a Venti of my favorite frap, I didn’t mind, despite the fact that my monthly allowance from home required an austere lifestyle, I still couldn’t stop my Starbucks urges. And so there started my love affair with the specialty coffee biggie. Of course it didn’t take that long for Starbucks to mushroom all over the place. I used to hang out near La Salle Taft because I once had a boyfriend who lived somewhere thereabouts and because I lived in the dorm, we hung out in his place. So when the branch in Torre Lorenzo opened, I did somersaults!
When I went home, a huge part of then overly huge moi missed Starbucks.
After a year or so, I moved to Cebu. And there, I reunited with the big S. Meetings, meet-ups, get-togethers and whatnots were always held in Starbucks in Ayala. I tried another coffee shop. But they couldn’t get the Coffee Crumble right and they don’t cancel orders the way Starbucks lets you.
After around 3 years, I moved again to where my parents have moved. Nope, we’re no gypsies. Not that I don’t suspect that we are. And I so miss Starbucks. It’s Christmastime once more and I’m sure Starbucks fans are busy filling their cards with stickers to get the much coveted Starbucks organizer. I guess I won’t be getting my 2008 copy. Sigh…
But more than anything else, I just miss Starbucks. There’s a coffeeshop near my place but I don’t think it’ll give me satisfy my cravings. I do not want to sound shallow and elitist but I just want to indulge myself with at least the idea of really missing Starbucks. I’m sure they have Crème Brûlée now as part of their Christmas specials. I can even smell it now. Sigh…
Oh well, guess I’ll just curl up in bed with a book to forget about things that I can’t have…I’ll just drink black coffee in my Starbucks mug. That would give me the illusion that I’m there.
Ok, nuff of this shit. I just miss it! Grrrrh!
And that my friends, is how the coffee crumbles…
Spellbound Speller 
Don’t they have starbucks near your place?
As pour moi’, I’ve learned to like other brands, as well. You wouldn’t be;eieve it but some local brews are a lot better.
Ciao!
Nada.
Yep, there are really nice, some even nicer, blends out there. I like Seattle’s Best too. But I don’t think it ever reached Cebu when I was there so ours was but a fling.
And there’s this super local bag of coffeebeans that we call Dragon, now I don’t wanna make any connections to any entity here, but it smells and tastes really good when you work it up real well.
But Starbucks is Starbucks and it’s different. And well, I don’t have to do anything except order and pay up and enjoy the place and my circle and everything else.
There’s a local coffeeshop in Cebu (I’m not sure if it’s originally from Cebu though) that I like every now and then but as I said, there were times when the coffee simply crumbles instead of moi getting a coffee crumble. And they don’t let me cancel my order or replace it or whip something else up—something that Starbucks readily does. So yeah, I’m beginning to sound like the typical cheerleader, operative word: typical, but who cares? I lurv it. It’s not just the brew—it’s the blend, the people, the atmosphere, the customer service and the feel, NOT even the brand.
What do YOU care? LOL. Kidding. Can I get one of those gold cards? LOL.
Thanks for dropping by.
You missed Starbucks? Last time I looked it has become a hang-out of sleezy girls that go in team and tug along with some foreigner to a nearby hotel..LMAO!
Just kidding for the lack of better words to say..nice weblog..made me dizzy going thru it..but its kewl!
Thanks for dropping by. Sorry, I’ve just noticed your comment. Oh, and I used to hang around Starbucks for the coffee and the feel of the place. I can only surmise that that’s the reason why some foreigners chill in there too. Guess that has made our friendly neighborhood girls’ biz more flourishing, eh? 🙂 Can’t blame them. We all have to earn a living! LOL.
its not just a living..
look at Spitzer! $1,000 an hour! OMG
they charge even bigger than lawyers… a few hours could easily finance all my expenses for the bar..hehehe
it does have its perks, huh. makes you want to think if you’re in the “right” profession.
what do you mean?
its just the disparity that makes it shocking..
it doesn’t last long though, they retire at around 21-25. nyahaH!
i mean it makes US think every now and then if WE are in the right profession. it certainly does not have the “security of tenure” but if one’s smart, one can always be a madam or something like it. after all, this seems to have become a lucrative industry.
come to think of it, in one way or another, we are prostituting ourselves in a million and one ways. it’s just that the real ones get paid more. 😉
are we?
i don’t think it applies to me..LOL
i stand my ground and i’m a very principled man.
wala akong sina-santo.
i agree to some extent as an aspect of being flexible.. to meet half-way or to strike a good bargain.
however, to sacrifice one’s dignity or integrity.. is beyond me.
let’s just say then that it’s just me. 🙂
i get it..
nothing can be so bad if one looks at the positive side of things..
couldn’t agree more.
i like my coffee black, btw, not so strong and not so sweet..
hey..where do you get those smileys? 🙂
It’s in the settings somewhere. You’ve got one!
it goes with the page.. 😛
come to think of it, in one way or another, we are prostituting ourselves in a million and one ways. it’s just that the real ones get paid more.
you are proly refering to call center employs and doctors who become nurses..true.. sad, all for the simple reason of at least having the chance to survive..