The Last Hurrah

Just one more day to go before I get back to work; and what better way to spend it than by going to Tagaytay for the New Year for the last hurrah this holiday season.

Tagaytay is just about an hour away by car from my place. Situated at the top of a mountain, Tagaytay City is among the best tourist destinations in the metro. Unlike other travel destinations, Tagaytay City is pretty much urbanized with dozens of shopping stores, restaurants and clubs any yuppie would enjoy hanging out in. It is paradise for those of us who wanted to get away from the city yet still feel the urban life. Since Tagaytay City is located on top of a mountain, the wind breeze is pretty cold this time of the season. Temperature can drop up to 15 degrees Celsius- just like in New York except for the snow!

Since it's only an hour away from the City, my family and I left at around 5:30PM. Tagaytay is well known for it's very cold weather and tonight was no exception. Jackets and scarf in hand, we traveled for over an hour and a half (thanks to the heavy traffic- seems like everybody is either on their way up to Tagaytay or going down from it); our destination- the Summit Ridge Hotel; a hip place for yuppies, families and businessmen who wants to cool down and relax while taking in a marvelous view of the city.

The Robinson's Summit Ridge Hotel & Promenade

Summit Ridge Hotel boasts a large promenade filled with various stores, restaurants and recreational activity spots for the whole family to enjoy. This evening, there was a bazaar set up near the fountain and hundreds of guests loiter around the area, checking out the different items for sale or dining at the finest restaurants in the area. Since I'm a shopaholic, I couldn't resist from taking a peek at the bazaar and see for myself if there are any items I might actually be interested in getting for myself. Necklaces, bead bracelets, scarves and animal hats adorned several stores. Though I found nothing really interesting and unique, I was fascinated with the animal head caps they have on display. I thought only kids wear those stuff- but I was wrong. Adults and grannies loiter the area wearing different animal heads on their heads! It was hilarious. I wouldn't try one because I'm afraid it will mess up my hair. 

The Top View Of The Promenade

There were two spacious floors to the summit promenade. Restaurants and shops are littered all over the place. The second floor balcony is a popular picture perfect spot for people who brought their cameras. A sucker for good pictures myself, I had several shots of me taken on the balcony and the bridge way.

Kids won't get bored with the place. An arcade area is set up on the second floor with several games for the little brats to enjoy. I'm not big on kids so I just let my uncle and my mom bring my nephew there to play while I stroll around the area enjoying the gust of cold wind and the snaps of the paparazzi wanting to take my picture with other tourists and guests.

A Paparazzi Who Took My Picture

My & My Famous Mom By The Arcade

Another Paparazzi Took My Picture While I Was On The Phone

Since the place was jam packed with people and an acoustic band was set up by the fountain on the ground floor, it's quite difficult for us to find a good place to eat. There are about more than 10 restaurants on the promenade: Giligan's Island, Sanctuaryo, Inasal Bacolod Chicken, Pepper Steak Lunch and even Starbucks to name a few. We found an empty table at Cows On Fire- a grilling and steakhouse and I'm glad we did. It's not very often we go to Tagaytay so I'd rather try something different here rather than the old usual restaurants I can find and dine in the metro. Besides, I'm in the mood for burgers and steaks anyway and Cows On Fire is just the perfect place to enjoy it.

Starbucks & Giligans At The Summit Ridge

Cows On Fire- I Love It!

The meal was sumptuous and not very expensive. I ordered the Cheese and Chicken Strips for appetizers which costs P255 and for the main course, Salisbury Steak which costs only P279 and a glass of bottomless Iced Tea. They also serve beers and wines that goes best with your steak. My uncle ordered a bucket of San Miguel Lights and I had 2 bottles for the evening just to experience the perfect steak-beer dinner the way the Australians do. I wasn't disappointed at all. The whole meal was excellent!

We headed back home at around 02:00 AM since the traffic almost wounded down. The whole trip was fun and relaxing. It was the perfect adventure to close the holiday season. Next year, we might go somewhere different to celebrate the last hurrah- but as far as I'm concerned, this was one of the best I had experienced.

Happy New Year Everyone!

What's Your Starbucks Pose?

I find it so amusing how some people would go so far just to have a picture on Facebook that say's they're sosyal. It's like whenever I go to Starbucks, there would always be one or two people taking pictures with their camera phones or with their digital cameras. At first, I thought they were just taking pictures of themselves- but then when I turned around and looked; they're actually taking pictures of themselves WITH  their "very expensive" Starbucks coffee on hand! 

It's really funny- since I also saw some people post these pictures as their profile pic on Facebook. You don't believe me? Try looking at these pictures on for size:

People Caught With Their Starbucks Pose

So what is a typical Starbucks pose?  First, you take your camera and zoom the lens right in your face. You take your Starbucks coffee/frap and put it beside your cheeks (you may also try the pose of sipping your frap while you're doing this- or probably a kinda-stolen shot). Make sure that the Starbucks logo can be seen when the picture is taken otherwise this defeats the purpose of having a Starbucks pose. Then you tilt your head or show your best angle and... voila! You just had a Starbucks pose!

I find this to be very funny since nobody on the Upper East Side ever does this. Have you ever seen Serena or Blair take a picture with their coffee on hand? It's absolutely ridiculous!

People must think that once you hang out at Starbucks that already makes you part of the "in" crowd. Listen up people- hanging out and drinking coffee at Starbucks does not make you SOSYAL! It doesn't matter whether you buy all the coffees on the menu or you take a picture of yourself with every Starbucks flavor you can imagine-  it doesn't make you sosyal! What's irritating about this is that with this kind of behavior, more and more people go to Starbucks just to have that authentic Starbucks pose! Left and right, I can almost see ever flash and click of their cameras go off- it's absolutely pathetic!

People go to Starbucks to drink coffee- not to take pictures. That's the idea. So if you're guilty of this; go take your camera somewhere else where you can't bother people who are genuinely trying to enjoy their coffee in peace!

The next time I go to Starbucks, never let me catch you taking that Starbucks pose. And if at any point of this entry have you ever thought of asking me if I already have a Starbucks pose... No way! Over my dead body!

Tis' The Season For Starbucks Planner

December is finally here- and while most people are busy rushing to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones this coming holiday season, some are busy collecting sticker stamps- for a Starbucks Planner that is.

Starbucks 2011 Planner

Every year, Starbucks comes up with different designs and themes for their annual promo that has millions rushing to every Starbucks coffee shop for a copy of their planner. The planners this year carry the the theme “My Third Place,” which refers to Starbucks as the place people have a special connection with, after home and work or school. The planners contain well-composed photos of different Starbucks stores in the Philippines, which gives it a more personal feel.

I have been an avid Starbucks goer for years now and I must admit I have been one of those people who constantly go to Starbucks everyday just to buy coffee, collect stickers and avail of their annual planners. If you compute for the actual price of the planner, it’s equals to 17 Starbucks drinks costing more than 2000 pesos. That equals to 2 planners from Fully Booked and almost 10 black organizers from National Bookstore. Starbucks Planners don't come cheap- in fact it's almost a collector's item if you manage to complete all three designs every year.

Ironically, most of the people who spends a large amount of time collecting these planners are the tech savvy and yuppie business-type socialites.These are people who owns smartphones and notebooks yet they take time to collect paper-based planners all for the glory of actually having one.

I've noticed (over years of spending time with Starbucks fanatics) that most people don't even use the planner. A lot are left blank or for display purposes only. The thrill of collecting Starbucks stickers has got everyone hyped to own one. People are addicted to numbers. Another reason behind this could be the status of owning a Starbucks Planner. Filipinos are brand conscious people- and the fact that you own a Starbucks planner kinda puts you up that level high in the pedestal (an image that makes you look like you go to Starbucks regularly even if you only go every December to collect stickers and spend the rest of the year saving enough money to spend the next December)

Whatever the reason maybe, no one can deny that Starbucks Planners are a hit in this nation. Years may come and years may go but people will always go to Starbucks just to own one of these. Have you started collecting your stickers? I'm about to avail mine. See you at Starbucks!

I Find Therapy In Dark Mocha Frap

Okay I admit- I'm a coffee addict. I just can't resist going to Starbucks and Seattle's Best for a cup of coffee. There should be a support group for this like Alcoholics Anonymous or something. I don't know but there's just a certain appeal to me with all these coffee shops sprouting all over the metro. Recently I find myself going to different coffee shops looking for the best tasting coffee and then I found out that Starbucks finally made their season only Dark Mocha Frappuccino a regular on the menu. So now I'm like wow- happy times are back again!

Starbucks Dark Mocha Frappuccino

Starbucks Dark Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee uses the finest arabica coffee, pure dark cocoa and sweet chocolaty bits! As a chocoholic and certified chocolate lover- this cup is like heaven for me!

I find therapy by just going to Starbucks and sipping Dark Mocha Frappuccino. Whenever I'm depressed or I'm just not in the mood for people- you'll find me nowhere else but sitting at a Starbucks enjoying my frap. Even while watching Gossp Girl on T.V. you'll find me with a Venti Dark Mocha Frap on hand.While working on my blog, coordinating events or being in the event itself, I never forget to bring a Starbucks Dark Mocha Frap with me. It keeps me refreshed, focused, happy and stress free (and no- I don't sound like a bad commercial on T.V.)

The simple pleasures of life comes in small things. Sometimes, we just need to pause and look around us to see that what we need is just around the corner. That's why you can find a Starbucks just about anywhere you go.

The Power Of One

Eating alone and as often as I could is one of my guilty pleasures. Being a socialite means having to be around people all the time, so whenever I get the opportunity to be by myself I take it down by spending time with me, myself and I. Some people may found my habit pat. I would slip out of the crowd to grab a some coffee and just be on my own for a couple of hours. Being gone for a while- even for just a few hours is part of the romance. I would be right there in a restaurant all by myself by the window watching people go by. Sometimes I would laugh quietly when i see something funny- there's magic just by observing people doing their everyday routine.

Eating out alone is no big deal for me (especially with my lifestyle). Some people may find it weird and a lot of my friends would call you an outcast if you're ever found alone in public. To them, it's like picking your nose in public or barfing loudly inside a restaurant. On some occasions, I would run into an old friend and he would ask "You're all by yourself?". I would simply smile and reply "yes." Then he would look around as if looking for something and ask again "Where are your band of followers and admirers?"

To some people, eating out alone is like total social destruction. Sometimes (but not all the time- I still have friends you know) even if I can get some company, I'd still choose to hang out on my own. It's a universal thing and reality is there would always be occasions when  I would have no choice but to just hang out alone. Most people would regard this a very difficult situation to be in because society has brainwashed people into thinking that no man is an island.

I consider my alone time as my private time- away from my hectic schedule when I can just sit back, relax and think. This is when I can gather my thoughts and let the writer in me kick in. I think about different possible subjects I can write on my blog or just simply contemplate on which party I should go to next. Every human being- even celebrities can get tired of being with the crowd all the time. I am no different from any of them. I'd rather be on my own than with bad company or when I'm too distracted to even listen. These are the moments that give me clarity, focus and relaxation; just on my own and observing (or most of the time criticizing) people.

But don't get me wrong. I am so not an outcast. There are many times that I do enjoy being in the company of my friends and loved ones. There are times and places where it's okay to be alone, and there are those where it's not okay to be by yourself. A coffee house (not Starbucks) is a good place to be alone but I would NEVER show up in a party or event unescorted.

For location, I cross out crowded mall food courts, date-friendly and family-friendly restaurants. The best place to chill out on my own are coffee shops, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and even hotel restaurants. I usually frequent a few favorite spots where writers like myself and artistic people go to think, sip my latte and read or write.

In many circumstances, being by myself can be fun. But in the end, no one is alone forever, and that is also something I find comfort in.