starbucks

what's the big fuss over this coffee? this branded coffee swept the philippines like a storm maybe 6 or so years ago, and it's here to stay. i tried it once, and i got hooked right away. i started with the cappucino, and now i always order the coffee frappucino. "one venti coffee frap please." it's really good, especially if you want to cool down a bit, bum around, and have a smoke or two. me and my friends, even my family, would go there after a movie, drinks at a bar, or after eating out. and also, where else but here, can you brush shoulders with foreigners, speak in english, and hang out with your "barkada" like you were in some rich foreign country, right? never mind the astronomically high prices of these flavored, ice-blended, or simple brewed coffee. it's pay-day anyway. or, i'm celebrating the start of the christmas season. or the unbeatable excuse: i'm gonna start budgeting my money starting tomorrow. yeah right.

my cousin who lived in baguio city before, was a barista for a year. he now thinks he's some kind of coffee guru. he claims that he knows how to make coffee in such a way as to have a customer come back and specifically ask for him. hmm...maybe he mixes something else in there besides coffee beans when he prepares them.

last year, i tried weaning myself from this addictive concoction. my housemate and i made an agreement to go here when we're with other friends only. we figure, if we can discipline ourselves to just go for a dunkin donuts coffee when we feel like kicking back with a cup and some smokes, then we'd get to save...let me see...lots of money! but then, where would we be able to lounge around while sipping, smoking and people-watching at the same time, but here at these starbucks stores? it seems all of 'em have an al fresco area just for coffee-smoke-addicts like myself. if i get filthy rich, i'd have a starbucks bar inside my own house. how's that for being extravagant?