Seattle's Best Holiday Giveaway

"Because you deserve more than just a planner..." - written on the shirt of a Seattle's Best Coffee barista. Coffee wars, as it should be. Again, just like in my previous blog, Father Christmas is tweaking and checking his naughty or nice list. (I was nicely naughty this year…Hehehe) The café industry was not spared from competing with each other through sure-fire gimmicks and promos for coffee-lovers out there. Seattle’s Best Coffee comes out with its own version of Holiday giveaway upon completing stickers through purchase of their coffee. SBC also launched limited holiday-inspired flavored beverages. Theirs are Hazelnut based, though. Just two drinks to choose from: Hazel Crème Mocha and Hazel Javakula.

After weighing things over, in my opinion, Seattle’s might probably win this year. Imagine, upon completion of 20 stickers (yes, just 20 against Starbucks’ 24) you get a gift bag worth P1,500. That’s 14 stickers for regular drinks and just 6 for their Holiday themed beverages. The gift bag includes a personal planner (no surprise there), a metal case pen, a personal SBC mug (cool), a canvas tote bag (holds them all), and dig this, a year-round perk coupons. Now, that sounds way cooler than just one single giveaway. And the coupons are definitely the icing on the cake. In 2006, when Starbucks’ started this whole planner mania, they included year-round coupons for 2007 use with their planner. I, being the sentimental fool that I am, never used any of them. For reasons that I was waiting for the “right” time to avail my discounts and freebies and they all went to waste as they expired come December of last year. But now, I have learned that valuable lesson: coupons are to be used and enjoyed. So I say that that is SBC’s best bet against that hype that we know of as Starbucks’ Christmas Blends.

Hmm…I have decided to join the coffee promo craziness and probably fill my cards with stickers. Half a year has passed anyways since the doctor told me to lessen my caffeine intakes. This afternoon, I tried out that Hazel Javakula. It’s good, but nothing compares to Toffee Nut Latte. And I distinctly don’t like choco chips and bits in my drink. Feels like I’m chewing gravel. But hey, it’s all good. So where does my loyalties lie? For the coffee: no one replaces Starbucks’ Christmas Blends in my heart. For the giveaway: Seattle’s Best Coffee hits it big this year.

You couldn’t call this coffee war, actually. Bit weird, really, as Seattle’s Best Coffee is owned none other by Starbucks Corporation.

Christmas Blends

Holidays is just around the corner and it only means one thing in Tim’s world: Starbucks Christmas Blends is yet again up for grabs for coffee lovers out there. I’ve noticed people carrying these new fancy Starbucks red paper cups all over the metro. This year, Starbucks introduces a new flavor from its roster of Christmas Blends: Praline Mocha (sounds nutty) and old favorites, Peppermint Mocha and Toffee Nut Latte (my personal favorite…hence the theme of my blog) was retained from last year’s blends.

Starbucks Christmas Blends can only mean one thing too = Starbucks Planner 2008. People will once again turn into this manic hordes of coffee monsters and flock into the nearest Starbucks coffee shops and collect stickers to redeem the much-awaited planner that they hardly ever need nor use. If I sounded ranting, I wasn’t. See, chances are, you’ll spot yours truly in one of those shops purchasing coffee. The only difference is…I ain’t after the planner. It’s the coffee that I’m interested in. Just so happens that I get them planners from the number of cups I consume the whole season. What should I do with those stickers and stubs? Every coffee-lover I know collects and aims for the prize, and they take pride in achieving their goals with their own blood and money. So might as well, right? This year the stub needs 24 stickers: half regular drinks, half Christmas Blends. Promo starts November 6, 2007 until January 15, 2008.

Last year, there was a shortage (oh please not this time) of Toffee Nut Latte by mid-December and planners were out of stock even before Christmas time came. This year, it’ll probably be the same. I just hope that like last year, those wonderful people who gave me P2,000-worth of Starbucks Gift Certificates remembers that I was “good” the whole year. Hehehe…(--,)

I'm a Pure-Blooded Bedan

* Bedista ka ba?
- Pureblood Bedan (GS,HS,College)

* Anong year and course mo?
- College of Arts & Sciences Degree Holder ata ako..wahahaha

* San ka madalas tumambay?
- Sa covered court during my younger years before they replaced it with a gym

* Snack bar o Dom?
- We simply call it "Cafeteria" back then

* Alam mo ba kung bakit pogi lane ang tawag sa pogi lane?
- To entice passerbys.."Pogi, burger ka dyan!!"

* Close ba kayo ni Mang Roger?
- Sino ba hindi ka-close ni Mang Roge =)

* Nanonood ka ba palagi ng NCAA kahit hindi required?
- Ever since HS..sweet di ba? Back to back!

* Gwapo ba si Pong Escobal?
- Hihihi. .di hamak naman..

* Eh si Sam Ekwe?
- Ang galing magbasketball ni Sam Ekwe!

* Sa tingin mo, “skwater” ba talaga ang Letran?
- Of course not..they gave a good fight last finals..itigil na natin yung asaran..sino mas "squatter" kapag pumapatol?

* Ano dapat “Beda” o “San Beda”?
- Don't even get me started on this one..it's "SAN BEDA" not Beda! X-(

* Kung bibigyan ka ng 1.0 sa major mo pero gagayahin mo ang hairstyle ni menor, payag ka?
- Ilang majors? bat hindi? it'll grow back, right?

* May kaaway ka ba sa San Beda?
- Petty fights and teasing..nothing serious!

* All boys o Co-Ed?
- Not like we can do nythn about it..but I miss traditional San Beda

* Tingin mo bakla si Matitu? Bakla ba?
- Hahahaha! Itim ba uwak?

* Bakit lahat ng may laptop nasa St. Maurs?
- Ngaun na lang nauso yan..nuong araw Magic cards lang okay na ang St. Maurs

* Kaya mo ba i-translate ang Indian yell sa Tagalog / English?
- Hindi..basta unique yun and I'm proud of it..

* Kung hindi ka Bedista, ano ka?
- Errr..honestly..euggghh..LSGH!

* Ano ang sigaw ng Bedista?
- For San Beda, our country, and God!

Café Mediterranean

I went all Greek last night and found myself dining in this small café aptly named “Café Mediterranean.” As the name of the resto states, its menu consists of Mediterranean food that is for us, of course, considered exotic. It’s not actually all Greek because I don’t think the Olympians were served kebabs during their time. Their dishes are fusion, I guess, from Middle Eastern cuisine.

I’ve been meaning to eat in this café for a long time now; I just haven’t had the chance or the opportunity to do so. Last night, after hearing mass with Monette at Greenbelt Chapel, I met up with mom and tita for dinner. They wanted something light for dinner and opt to go for sandwiches instead rice meals. Since, we’re already in Greenbelt and Glorietta’s a little unstable at the moment, I suggested that we go with Café Mediterranean as they serve sandwiches and other light delicacies.

It’s the perfect size for a café. Not too small yet may, and will, accommodate café-goers out there. I felt like wearing togas and reciting excerpts from Homer while I was choosing from their extensive Mediterranean menu. I decided to go with Hummus. Hummus is a spread with ingredients such as chickpeas, sesame, lemon juice, garlic, and a whole lot of olive oil. I just heard about Hummus just this week from a file I was working on in the office and I decided to try it out. It comes with pita bread for pure dipping enjoyment. I also ordered Pizza Margherita or pizza that’s simply made up of cheese, basil, and fresh tomatoes. It was served in thin crust form, which I prefer over them thick crusts that’s too filling. Mom and Tita opted to order chicken and tuna Gyros, or Greek sandwiches. It’s like Greek tacos and pita breads. Together with the chosen meat, its fillings include tomatoes, onions, veggies, and, believe it, French fries.

They don’t just serve sandwiches and pizzas; they also have rice meals and entrees such as lamb steaks and kebab dishes. They would certainly go great with those two special sauces that every table has in the café. One, I think may be guacamole, and the other, a spicy one that must sample with caution. And it’s not that costly, in my opinion. What’s a couple of additional pesos for something new and exotic experience?

What Timee loved: Food and ambience, made me feel like I was dining in some Grecian café with all the authentic decoration and furnishings.

What Timee resents: Oil. I know Olive oil is good for you and it’s the healthiest one, but too much of it made me all whoooooo!

Papers with dead presidents to spare: Between P150 to P300. You'll get a decent meal and a drink for two. Remember, it's a cafe, not a smorgasbord.

All in all, I have enjoyed my dining experience last night. Monette, next time, you come with us. Hehehe. This café will surely be included in “Timee-recommends” list. So, look for your Megaera or Helen, make like the Oedipus and travel to Greenbelt, sit at the tables outside, order falafels and some Baba ghanoush, some mint tea from Morocco, and dine like Grecian gods!

A “Happy Endings…” original review

San Beda Competes in SIFE World Cup '07

Back in my college days, I was approached by a blockmate and asked if I was interested in joining this organization that he just started. Being the nonchalant guy that I am, surprisingly, I said yes. Being in my senior year, I need to try out something different at least before leaving the halls of my beloved Den. That organization is S.I.F.E. or Students in Free Enterprise. It’s a non-profit type of organization that networks business students from around the world, to be trained as future leaders with a promise of making the world a better place to live in. Seriously! I was in over my head. I was actually a part of something, for a cause. I feel like a hero, out to save the world. Or, it was just a convenient way of meeting new people, (which “partially” turned out to be, at first). Their cause is obviously, so not me. But then again, this a good chance for someone like me to make a difference, or at least get good credentials to beef up my resume.

Of course, that was not the case. As it turns out, I actually learned something from it, and unexpectedly enjoyed the cause. Proud of being a pioneer officer of the organization, we did our best to make our school proud. Together with some juniors, namely Aika, Jikkie, Rona, Cathz, with Ryan as our president, it was an all-star roster. See, S.I.F.E. hosts a competition for all its members around the world. Different schools from six continents compete in their own respective Nationals, and ultimately, for the S.I.F.E. World Cup. Sounds sporty, but it’s really not. Students are to look for a local area that needs to be developed and improved, with the help of their school and corporate sponsors. Sound simple, but again, it’s really not. The preparation for the competition, the training for the presenters, all the paperwork needed, begging for big-shot people to sponsor our cause, sleepless nights, are just some of the things that we considered and did back then. The motivation: the one who wins the Nationals gets to compete with international schools in an “international venue.” Now wouldn’t you work hard for that? Especially after finding out that that year, the S.I.F.E. World Cup will take place in France . If that is not motivation for you, then I don’t know what is.

The first year of S.I.F.E. as an organization in San Beda, we actually cleaned out the Nationals but lost to some unknown school from the South. Our project then involves a fishing village in Talim, Rizal. Using our entrepreneurship skills, we taught the villagers simple business ideas and ventures that they can use and do for means of living. It was my first and last chance for that World Cup experience as I was graduating that year. No matter, we left the organization in good hands, as two years after; San Beda College S.I.F.E. Team did our country proud.

The article below from Inquirer.net relates the story of SBC-SIFE 2007.

After winning the recent SIFE National Exposition, the San Beda College Students in Free Enterprise (SBC-SIFE) will represent the Philippines in the SIFE International Word Cup Exposition (visit www.sife.org), to be held at the Hilton Hotel in New York, USA on Oct. 9-13, 2007.

SIFE is a global organization of schools promoting student leadership and community self reliance by teaching entrepreneurship, financial literacy and independence.

The group presented their program on promoting self-reliance and community development among residents of Pagsanjan, Laguna, through the promotion of entrepreneurship and financial literacy, environmental awareness and health. The project was implemented in cooperation with the local government of Pagsanjan headed by Mayor Jeorge E.R. Ejercito Estregan.

57 SIFE member schools nationwide participated in the exposition. The elimination round was held at the San Beda College Campus on July 10, 2007. Other finalists were the Divine Word College of Calapan, Mindoro; Mindanao State University, General Santos; and the Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic College.

The San Beda College SIFE presenting team is composed of the following students: Jikkie Lee, team captain; Patricia Salang, Irish Soria, Joshua Dino and Kester Sarmiento. The team was coached by Dr. James Loreto Piscos, SIFE adviser and assisted by the following faculty members: Albert C. Oasan, Malu Jimenez and Lester Toribio as technical advisers.

The Team will be headed by SIFE Philippines CEO Dr. Bobby Galindez and former SIFE President Dr. Ramon Ricardo Roque, also representing San Beda as Chair of the Board of Trustees.

It's pretty obvious that we left SBC-SIFE in good hands considering the glory they brought not just for the Den, but for the whole country as well. Being in that organization was one of the most memorable things in Tim’s life. Exposure to the real world, to the people that needed help and saving, met lasting friends, and developed my skills. Regrets? None, as I don’t believe in regrets. But I sure would like to be in that team who stayed in Hilton and a taste of 10 days of the Western life. Hehehe.

Images taken from FilAmImage…

Inside Timtee's Wallet...

Ah, yes. Another tag. And an easier one this time. So don’t expect deep revelations and reflections with this entry. Just a simple tag question from my ghostly friend, Kads. “What’s in your wallet?”

If you really know me, you’ll notice that it’s really, really rare that I bring bags whenever I go out. Even when I was studying, my family often wondered how I got through schooling without any notebooks and books (but that’s a different story…hehehe). Bottomline, I just don’t like carrying things. Same goes for wallets. I’m more of a money-clip type of person than those bulky wallets, which really are small purses, me thinks. I don’t remember buying any of my wallets nor my previous ones. I usually get them as presents, especially in the Holidays. Showing in the photo are the two latest money holders that I’m currently using. One is a two-year old Girbaud wallet that my Tita gave me two Christmases ago. This one holds most of my trash, I mean, stuff that I don’t really need and must be sorted and cleaned. Girbaud don’t usually leave my headboard as I’ve said, I don’t like bulky things. The other, my “Magic Wallet,” was given by a friend. This is what I really wished for from my last birthday, so I literally made “kulit” to everyone. Na-da. Good thing my friend gave me one over summer.

Inside Timtee’s wallet, you’ll find: money bills, my driver’s license, credit cards (which I never use to the delight of Mom), Chinabank ATM (this one’s really important especially on 15ths and end of the month), some back receipts and withdrawal slips (which really composes most of its contents), used prepaid load cards, notes and slips of papers with important stuff written on it that I don’t know the purpose (hehehe), a St. Benedict medal and my Guardian Archangel birthstone coin (to ward off evil elements), old I.D.s, my Oishi wallet calendar, and pictures that I consider precious treasures. Those pictures are: my graduation photos (red toga, corporate, and creative shot…hihihi), a picture of me and my bestfriend, my cuzs, kada pics, and I haven’t had the chance to have a picture of my colleagues and me developed, but there’s a place for that in my wallet, swear.

There you go. All that it needs is a wallet-sized portrait of me and a significant someone. Wanna have that honor?

Oh, I almost forgot, I wanna know the contents of Bes’s, Hannah’s, Viveca’s, and Talla’s wallets!


Also available in "Happy Endings..."

Forlorn Creature

When does one feel that he is longer wanted nor needed? When opportunities are passing by in front of you but you can never seem to reach it. When you are concerned about the well-being of everyone and yet they don’t trust you. When you are thrown into the graveyard for some ridiculous reason that you are the only person who can handle it. When they they tell you you're destined for greatness and yet they never really mean it. When you are transferred to some “opportunity-laden” project without even one measly heads up. When you are on your own even if your colleagues cares for you.

Oh, it’s just like vampirism. They suck you dry, every pint of your blood and worth. If they turn you into one of them, good for you; congratulations. But most of the time, they leave you to die and fend for your survival. Shrewdness, making you think that you are one of them but never really acknowledging any of your merits. Through the course of my stay, so many comrades have fallen and lots have fled to greener pastures. Will you really call them cowards? No, they’re the smart ones. They are not quitters but rather, they just sought out for cures and they probably found them.

For the whole month of October, the feeling of uneasiness never really left me. It’s like any moment; another change is going to happen in a single heartbeat. Fiends are lurking around and they are out to get you without any hesitations. They take away things that you consider precious and they leave nothing but emptiness and loneliness. I am nor scared or intimidated. But the fact that I’m not in anyone’s league right now and I’m by myself to survive in this jungle that we call work, doesn’t really help, at all. No bitterness, surprisingly. Just a lot of awkwardness and apprehension. Any moment now, the sun will shine and I’ll be dust. They half-turned me into one of them but never really sealed the deal. I’m more of a wandering zombie with no one to turn to and have but one goal in mind: survive.

Thankfully, even if I’m not in anyone’s team, some beings care. Friends are what they are. Gives you a reason to not succumb to the hunger and flee like those before me. A new month lies ahead, a better one? Grim chances. Nevertheless, it’s full of hope for a nomadic creature like myself.

Drawing from suckatlife.com

When Timmy Blogs

If I don't go all classic me and my creative juices continues to flows smoothly, then expect updates from this account...Since I've been writing a lot these days, I've decided to make use of my Google privileges and sign in with Blogspot.

So much things to write; so little time...