Over the weekend, I thought about starting to blog about coffee shops and their beverages since it’s my thing. This isn’t the official start of it but, I guess, I gotta make a post regarding this new drink. I haven’t posted in weeks!
Even before my day started, I thought of buying myself a coffee smoothie from Chatime. It’s a block away from my workplace which is not that long a walk. But it rained! And it poured hard! So, I thought of splurging and just buy a Hojicha with Earl Grey Tea Jelly Frappuccino at Starbucks which is located in the building next to ours.
Little did I know that my favorite coffee shop launched their new beverages today! New non-frappuccino drinks named Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus. Refreshing beverages! They don’t quite fit our local weather as it’s raining all day for the past few days! But it’s summer in the States so I guess that’s why they offered it now here in the Philippines. But a little cold drink in this season won’t hurt you, would it? 🙂
So, I tried Very Berry Hibiscus with green coffee extract and real blackberry fruits. I ordered the tall one for P115. I’m not a fan of sweet drinks. Well, lucky me it’s not that sweet. Of course, it’s got its fruity taste on it but it’s just right for my taste buds. But if you want it sweeter, ask your barista to add a little classic syrup. You gotta love it with more ice! I might as well try Cool Lime the next time I visit.
It’s a great alternative if you’re palpitating from ordering frappuccinos, lattes or macchiatos! Well, that’s why it’s called a refreshment, right? 🙂
Plus, I got a complimentary beverage at the store opening nearby! It pays to be a good customer!:) Go, try it and be refreshed!
(Branch I visited: Starbucks, Net Quad Bldg, 4th Avenue corner 30th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig)
I honestly did not know why I was so eager to buy this book! I was in Greenbelt last weekend and my friends and I visited Power Books. It caught my eye since the cover’s really attractive. But that’s not what really got my attention. It’s the title. I swore to my friends I have encountered The Perks of Being a Wallflower before, I just can’t remember where, when and how. To cut the story short, I bought the book clueless of what it’s offering.
But I didn’t start reading it until I was lying in the bed the next night, almost calling it a day before waking up to a working day. At first, I thought, “Nothing extraordinary. Just another teeny-bopper novel.” But seriously, stopping from reading it almost pained me! It’s everything but ordinary! It tackled issues of family, sex, relationship. I brought this in the office and I read some parts during my downtime. And, three days later, I’m done!:)
First, I like the Chbosky’s writing style. I was curious about who Charlie was writing to but in the end during the course of reading. How he did not spoon feed us, readers is quite clever. Who do you think he was writing to?🙂 Towards the end, I felt he was writing to me. I think that’s what Chbosky wanted us readers to realize. Also, I love how personal it was. Reading from the Charlie’s perspective isn’t too over the top. I felt his sadness whenever he writes about Aunt Helen and Michael. I was moved with how important family is to him. But most of all, I can’t help but smile whenever he shares his moments with Sam, Patrick and the rest of his friends.
Somehow I can relate to him being a wallflower myself. But I’m not always like one. Of course, when I’m comfortable with the lot I’m with, I can be as crazy as Sam and Patrick. But there are moments, like during first day in school and work, when surrounded by strangers, I am like Charlie and just occupy a tiny space.
“You see things. You keep quiet about them. You understand.”
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
These are but two of the great words this book has to offer. Believe me, it has a lot. My personal favorite would be the poem Charlie read for Patrick. At first, I didn’t like it but, towards the end, I got chills. I needed to stop reading for quite a while. But, the very last thing I would forget about this book is the part in which he wrote about a book he has read, The Fountainhead. The protagonist was told by his best friend that he is a cold man. I was so moved by the main character’s reply contextualizing a boat sinking. He said, “I would die for you. But I won’t live for you.” I did not stop myself from smiling though I was alone. It’s very simple yet the impact is overwhelming.
This book showed both sides of being a wallflower. They are, or should I say we, remember the littlest of detail when it comes to somebody we like. Simple words matter and usually meant more than it’s construction. However, you cannot expect a wallflower to make the first move. Coz if they do, they won’t be wallflowers anymore. They usually put the interest of the other party before theirs which sometimes is not really helpful.
Go on, read this book and see what life is in the eyes of someone who rarely converse but understands what others usually take for granted.
—
When I arrived home Sunday morning, I immediately Google-d this book. Voila! I knew it! Here’s the reason why I was so into buying it.
It starred familiar faces! Of course, Logan Lerman who portrayed Percy Jackson is now Charlie, Emma Watson’s coming out movie (from the Harry Potter franchise) as Sam. And this movie got more interesting with Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries’s Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce) as Charlie’s sister Candace and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice’s Dr. Addison Montgomery) as Charlie’s mum.
So last Saturday, I went out with my college friends for a post-birthday celebration. Headed to MOA and took advantage of the end of quarter sale (bought a Maldita shirt for P300 only!). Esprit-filled, I went around the mall, took a halt at Fully Booked and bought my friend Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational, the one I promised to buy her back in college!
Fin’lly, they all came and we had our very late lunch at Racks! What we’re gonna do next is unplanned yet and nobody really made a fuss out of it and so we just let time pass as we enjoy our premium boneless pork cuts. Then, we went to Greenbelt with my kontrabida personality on. Since Call It Spring in Rob Manila and Resorts World have already disappointed me, we visited their GB branch (but no, this is not really the reason, really it’s because @^#%!) 😀 What happened next should not be written because %^#%@! Haha!
Then, we hit the movies to see Abraham Lincoln: The Vampire Hunter. We were occasionally jumping from our seats! We were sitting in the second row and seemed like all their faces were zoomed just like my Twitter DP! Okay, but we didn’t really talk about it afterwards.
It’s a bit forgettable, I must say. It was a good food for the eyes while you’re inside the cinema but it lost its magic the moment you step out.
I shared the cab with Aly going home. It was still an early night so we decided to visit her unit in Raya since I haven’t been there before. We called Da and invited him over for a pizza night but it took hours of looooong talks until we made a deal. So the bottom line? We went back to Makati and stayed in Da’s pad, ordered pizza, talked about the relationship between crunchy cockroaches and reflex, etc.!
What this day proved? I can be very pushy :D, I have a “rare” common sense, LAW OF ATTRACTION and #kep!
Missed these guys so much after long weeks of working! Looking forward to the next hop!:)
… most popularly known as Birdy, gave me chills because of her voice! She’s only 16 years old and a product of a singing competition in UK. Her voice resembles that of Leona Lewis’s but hers is way, way better. Skinny Love and Shelter are two covers featured in the soundtrack of The Vampire Diaries. I did not notice it in the series until my sister downloaded the tracks. You gotta listen to her! She’s a bit creepy, I think but really, really, really good. 🙂
I was getting a bit nostalgic about college as I watch the UST singers, dubbed as the Choir of the World, in YouTube. But here I am, blogging about an entirely different matter as I stumble upon these unbelievable performances of foreign choir groups singing our homegrown songs. There are a lot of ’em but here are a few stand-outs.
Ikaw Lamang – Infinito Singers
Bituing Walang Ningning – Infinito Singers
Good Lord! This gave me goosebumps! Fave part was when the tenors take over the soprano in the middle part of the song.
Ikaw – University Choir of Pardubice, Czech Republic (with Ateneo College Glee Club)
Paru-Parong Bukid – Zionsville Community High School Chamber Choir
I chuckled when I heard them sing, “… ng pakendeng-kendeng! Uy!“
Bayan Ko – Libera
I really have to say that I got teary eyed with Libera’s Bayan Ko. This is my favorite! They kind of fired up my Filipino pride. I agree with one of the comments in the video that Filipinos are very hard to please “musically”. I seldom witness a standing ovation from the audience. I can’t blame the audience for the applause during the performance as some may think it’s rude or unethical. This song brings everyone back to a very defining moment in our history. Seeing them on their feet as the boys end the “unofficial national anthem” (got this from the video’s description) affirmed that they were hit straight to the heart by the heartwarming performance.
Great songs sung by great singers. Music is the only language that everyone understands. Hearing them foreign tongues sing the Filipino masterpieces made me proud. 🙂 But there’s nothing else like our own.
Limang Dipang Tao – UST Singers
Pangarap Ko ang Ibigan Ka – Philippine Madrigal Singers
Little Pockets of Venti Experiences 