ANG PINOY AT ANG STARBUCKS

I got this from teentalk. I find it funny and true! Agree!

DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to offend anyone. But the truth hurts. So let's just deal with it!

1. Only in the Philippines will you see people ditching the comfort of sipping a cup of Starbucks coffee inside the airconditioned store and preferring instead to sit outside and be soaked dry by the heat of the tropical sun.

The reason? Kailangan makita ng friends/classmates/kakilala ko na nandito ako sa Starbucks! Magpapakasosyal na lang, e di i-todo ko na.

The lesson? Sit where you would be seen easily the most.

2. Only in the Philippines will you see people bringing their laptops inside the Starbucks store and staying there for hours and hours just to avail of the free Wi-Fi.

The reason: Para mukha talagang sosyal, kailangan busy-busyhan gamit ang laptop habang sip ng coffee. Makikisaksak pa yan para maki-charge at naka cross legs pa sa upuan para feel at home. Feeling bahay ko na itong Starbucks. I own it, you know?

The lesson: Make sure to bring your laptop no matter how heavy it is. The attention you will get is priceless, anyway!

3. Only in the Philippines will you see people giving strange names when asked by the barista for their personal name to be written on the cup. The names oftentimes teeter at the brink of being lewd and/or profane (e.g. Lucky T T or Ba Hoko).

The reason: Siyempre kapag sinigaw ng barista yung name, magtatawanan kami ng circle of friends ko. I got the attention I am so craving for again. They are all looking at me o! Bwahahaha!

The lesson: Be prepared with the most attention-grabbing name (those with sexual innuendos are most recommended) to be written on your cup and later on to be shouted by the drop-dead gorgeous barista who would melt in front of everybody after shouting Lucky T.T. or Ba Hoko.

4. Only in the Philippines will you see people taking pictures of themselves all the time and from all possible angles while sipping their favorite ice-cold frapp. You will be surprised to see how the Starbucks logo is almost always part of the frame!

The reason: I need to upload this in my Multiply, Friendster, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Blogspot, Faceparty, hi5, Livejournal, Plurk accountssss-sssssss! I need to anonymously view and comment para maraming views at laging nasa top ako ng page sa updates! My friends need to see na nag Starbucks ako! Sayang P120 ko kapag hindi nila nakita picture ko! Huhuhuhuhuhu....

5. Only in the Philippines will you see people getting a lot of extra sugar, cream and tissue. And when I say a lot, it means its damn too many!

The reason: I paid P150 for my venti java chip mocha frapp, I should at least deserve to get a year's supply of that fiber tissue with the Starbucks logo on them! Sagarin ko na yung binayad ko, and mahal kasi eh! Penge na rin extra, extra, extra sugar ska super extra, extra, extra na cream [Tapos biglang tago sa bag!]

The lesson: Everybody knows that the coffee is overpriced. So get your money's worth! Grab as much fiber tissue, sugar and cream sachets that can fit in your bag! And dont forget to bring a huge bag to begin with!

6. Only in the Philippines will you see people gulping on twenty venti cups of frapp in one night just to get the oh-so-precious Starbucks planner!

The reason: !@#$, lahat may naka display na Starbucks planner sa kamay nila! Dapat ako rin! [Sabay tungga ng dalawampung cups ng venti frap] Kahit mejo tinamaan doon sa coffee overdose, makikipila pa rin para ma claim ang Starbucks planner [khit gaano pa ito ka-cheap tingnan]

The lesson: Secretly ask your friends for their stickers to complete your collection. In that way, you won't be spending 2500 pesos for a stupid-looking planner which you do not intend to write on anyway. Your life is a mess dude! What on earth would you do with a planner/organizer you dumbass!

7. Only in the Philippines will you see people holding on to their Starbucks tumblers while they are, well, practically everywhere - on the streets, inside the train, inside the comfort room, etc. What is ironic is that when nobody is watching, they put in their Nescafe 3-in-1 coffee mix inside their Starbucks tumblers and drink their heart away to cheap coffee. Aaahhhhh, sarap talaga ng 3-in-1!

The reason: Basta may Starbucks logo, sosyal! Kaya kailangan dala-dala ko ito lagi! Keber b nila kung Nescafe 3-in-1 yung nasa tumbler ko! Starbucks ito o! Ayan yung logo, tingnan mo!

The lesson: Never ever let anyone catch you put that Nescafe 3-in-1 coffee mix into your Starbucks tumbler. That will so ruin your reputation among all the Embassy-going folks and ecstasy-sniffing elites out there.

Just as when hundreds of Starbucks stores have started to close shop in every major city around the world, at least three new stores open their doors in Manila [or at least in a lighted street corner somewhere around the city] every month. A bit anomalous isn't it? The truth is that we are perhaps just in the middle of a brewing (pardon me for the intentional pun) coffee craze, or perhaps Starbucks obsession / Starbucks mania / Starbucks phenomenon - call it by any other monicker, but Filipinos are definitely in love with the Seattle-based coffee chain. Now, how on earth could an American export selling coffee for P120 per cup be such a hit in a third world country like the Philippines where half of the population lives on less than P100 a day?

I was once a csr and having coffee is one of your weapon before going to work. I however can't have as much as I want to. I'm acidic and humiliating to admit it whenever I drink coffee I experience gas problems. (Don't want to continuously fart while working and in an airconditioned place. LOL!! X]] ) Anyway, being in this industry and based on my experience, there's really a lot of "show off". No doubt that our pay is higher that the usual minimum wage. That is why, a lot of CSRs are going to starbucks to buy coffee. I just really find it funny sometimes.

Pupunta ka lang sa starbucks kasama ang buong tropa ng naka ID pa sabay usa usap ng English ng pagka lakas lakas tapos picture picture.

OO na. Ikaw na. CSR ka na. Englishera ka na. Sosyal ka na at may pambili ka na ng branded na kape.

Yabang.

its depressing to go home

It’s been a month of no work for me. Rest. And of course, no money. I decided to resign from my work because of a lot of things. First, I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Second, the schedule (I have split off which is tue/fri but my mom has only one off which is sunday). Third, I had to go home because my mom is getting depressed.

It all started with the typhoon ondoy. During that particular storm, I wasn’t really aware that it’s gonna be that destructive but anyway I woke up and my dad shouting on the top of his lungs like he always does to get what he wants. I had to get up. I went outside first to see what was the commotion about and was shocked to see that I was raining so hard and the river water beside our house is rising up fast. Flood. I immediately went to the garage to get the clothes and put my cellphone down. To my surprise my dad went and come to get it. He wouldn’t let go and insist that I go fix his fucking tv. There was a typhoon - HELLO. Bottomline - he smashed my cellphone into pieces. It wasn’t much; the value of the phone BUT it was given to me by my auntie from states. All the sentimental value, shattered plus the fact that all my contacts were stored in that particular phone. Stupid of me not to save it in my sim. I was crying and very angry. I have had enough. To make the long story short, I left home. It’s not worth it to stay. I have a stressful work and when I go home it’s still loads of stress for me. I can’t even have a decent sleep. I was earning and I rented. I can support myself. I would only go home, only once a week. I was happy and even gained weight.

Christmas came. I had to work. As the end of the year approaches, some of my workmates already decided to resign. I too was thinking of the same thing. I sacrificed a lot of things and I wasn’t really earning much. In addition, my mom keep texting me that she is getting depressed. Why wouldn’t she be? On Christmas day she didn’t prepare anything and my brother next to me went to Lumban (Laguna) to spend the Holiday with his achay girlfriend. It’s gonna be the new year and am I still going to work? I felt guilty because I’m happy while my mom suffers alone. Forget the double pay. January 30, I passed my resignation letter. After two months of being away, I went home.

It’s been a month that I don’t have work nor money but NO regrets. I’m still looking for a job and so far I’m hoping to get one soon. I don’t want to stay at the home like I used to.

The first two weeks of me not having a job is sort off like a rest and a vacation. As the weeks pass by, its becoming torture. Honestly, I can’t sleep normally anymore. So, daytime I’m asleep and during night time, I find it very hard to sleep. When I went back, it’s different. Dad is quieter now because somebody attends to him already and the he doesn’t remember me anymore which I find convenient. He’s still hyper during the morning though. He and my mom is my alarm clock during the morning. Shouting and curses flying everywhere. There’s no TV and there’s no DVD. There’s no computer and there’s no internet. I would die of boredom.

In order to spend my time, I go outside. I’m either I’m at my boyfriend’s house or in the 24 hour internet cafe. It’s useless to go home anyway. It’s just way too depressing for me. I feel that I’m not part of my family. I don’t get along with my dad or my brother. I just wanna leave. My mom never understands that. I understand her circumstances that she feels like she’s a single parent. I tried complaining and what I got was just sumbat. Maybe I am selfish but I’m sick of it already. I know that she is my mom and worrying for her child will never go away.But when will she realize that someday I would have my own family and live somewhere else. We can’t be together 24 / 7. *Sigh

Highschool

Yesterday I found a couple of highschool pictures hidden in my photobucket account. Looking at it actually bring me good and bad memories. To start it off, highschool days didn't actually went smooth. If i would compare my highschool with college, I would say that definitely i had more fun with college and gain more friends. Honestly, back then i was a mess. I didn't actually make friends because of my attitude. My classmates would always be pissed off at me.

It was third year was actually an eye opener for me which made me changed. As I recall during that period, I was in a different school and a different people. I couldn't fit in or again more friends. I was in constant fights but then again I've learned my ways.

As a look back, should I regret having these memories? Like I said in my past entries, no regrets. These experiences made me who I am. It doesn't really matter if the bad parts of it are more than those of the good parts. The bad parts actually made me more stronger and more mature. Atleast, I'm here to say I've survived, lived on and evolved. I analyze myself, I'm actually nicer now and some of my values have changed. To me, it doesn't matter if I loose friends or don't have one as long as I know that I'm doing right based on my moral and doing my responsibilities then I'm fine. Sometimes, it's lonely but this is my way. I'm actually more of the go with the flow person and doesn't really want to use force. I just stand for my actions and decisions. Anyway, you can't please everybody. People will come and go. Friends, parents and love ones and even me will eventually die. It's a given fact but they will forever mark our memory. We may forget them but its what pictures are useful and thankful for. They make us remember the treasure we have in our mind which is memories.

When I went to college, I met more people; be it in class or the online world. Then comes work where I made more friends. Up until today, I'm still meeting people that will potentially be my friend or another person that will pass my life. Makes two things; stranger or friend. It doesn't matter to me because life isn't really of contest of having millions of friends. It's about leaving a mark that will make the people remember you for the rest of their lives just like our Hero's did.

PS.
I do not intend of becoming a Hero. Hehe. :]

Lots,

mapi