My Home Made Iced Barako Coffee

MY HOME MADE ICED BARAKO COFFEE

3 tablespoons barako coffee (From Batangas)

4 tablespoons creamer (Swiss Miss Creamer)

1/2 tablespoon muscovado 

250ml cold water

1 tray of ice cubes

And the magic of the coffee maker

Voila! My very own iced coffee at home!

REVIEW: Dunkin Donuts' Iced Coffee

Sometimes, when the weather is hot and I want something refreshing, I go for something cold. Iced Coffee!


Dunkin Donuts. For only Php 37, I was able to enjoy one large Iced Coffee. Sweet, isn't it? 


The thing about it, is that it was literally coffee with ice. Nothing special. It was like it was served from the coffee machine, then topped with ice. So it wasn't cold coffee, just iced. Since the coffee was still warm and them the ice were placed, the drink turned out to be just room temperature coffee. I could have enjoyed it more with crushed ice...


The flavor was there on the first sip. But as the ice melted, the flavor did not lasted.


Well then, it was just my money's worth. Will give a benefit of a doubt. maybe it just wasn't prepared exactly how it should've been. I'd definitely try again next time, maybe it'll become better.


For that, I'll give Dunkin Donuts' Iced Coffee 2 out of 5 stars... But worth trying out again...

My Instant Coffee Day

Today is Wednesday, and it is my pay day. 

But last night, I was computing the bills to be paid and groceries to be bought.

I have no extra money for some coffee today.

So, instead I'm gonna settle for some instant coffee at home. 

It's not as aromatic as Starbucks.

Not as perfect as The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

Not as relaxing as Seattle's Best Coffee.

But it's FREE coffee.

And I get to share it with my family.

Happy *Asus* Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me - - - one month in advance.

I have been eyeing the new Asus Eee PC 1005HA as my birthday gift for myself on my 24th birthday. I truly believe I deserve it. I've been working my ass of the past months and I deserve this. Wow, I have convinced myself. 

Anyway, due to the internet connection interruption metro-wide, I wasn't able to work for a day and it was not possible to let another day go by without work. So what I did was I grabbed my wallet, headed to the mall, swiped my card and went away with my birthday present. 

Advanced happy birthday to me, but I'll be paying for that present for 12 more months. What I caught my interest is that it promises up to 10.5hrs battery life. Here are some other features:

Operating System	Genuine Windows® XP Home (*Pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 60-day Trial and vary by country) GNU Linux (*Availability is dependent on selected model.)
Display	10.1" LED Backlight WSVGA Screen (1024x600)
Intel CPU & Chipset	Intel® Atom™ N280/ N270 *Availability is dependent on selected model.
Memory	1GB DDR2 SO-DIMM
Hybrid Storage	160GB HDD 10GB Eee Storage* *Eee Storage service is complimentary for the first 18 months. Please register account information for 6 months extension (depend on country) *Availability is dependent on selected model.
Wireless Data Network	WLAN 802.11b/g/n @2.4GHz Bluetooth2.1 + EDR* *Availability is dependent on selected model.
Camera	1.3M Pixel / 0.3M Pixel* *Availability is dependent on selected model.
Audio	Hi-Definition Audio CODEC Stereo speaker Digital Array Mic *Availability is dependent on selected model.
Input / Output	1 x VGA Port  (D-sub 15-pin for external monitor) 3 x USB 2.0 1 x LAN RJ-45 2 x Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in) Card Reader: MMC/ SD(SDHC)
Battery	10.5hrs*, 6-Cell 63Wh Li-ion Battery 8.5 hrs*, 6-Cell 48Wh Li-ion Battery 4 hrs*, 3-Cell 23Wh Li-ion Battery *Operation lifetime subject to product model, normal usage conditions and configurations
Dimensions	262mm(W) x 178mm(D) x 25.9mm~ 36.5mm(H)
Weight	1.27Kg (with 6-Cell Battery)

And what's the best way to celebrate my birthday and my new notebook?

With a cup of perfectly brewed coffee.... 

Happy Birthday to me. And to my new Asus Eee PC 1005HA! 

Starbucks + Conti's = Perfect

It was that time of the month. My friends and I were craving for sweets after dinner. Cheesecake!

From Glorietta, we headed towards Bonifacio High Street to satisfy our cravings. And there it was.... Conti's.

Instead of getting individual servings of sliced cakes, we ordered one whole Oreo Cheescake for the four of us. Then we scored some comfy seats at Starbucks inside Fully Booked. Too bad it was my "no coffee" week since I was having palpitations due to too much coffee already. Instead I had a Green Tea Latte to go with the cheesecake. It was.... indeed.... Perfect!

The cheesecake was everything I had imagined. Enough for more than a slice, but too much for two slices. If you get what I mean. It was actually my first time at Conti's, the place was jam packed, and now I know why. 

I was looking through the menu and I have pledged to go back and try all of their desserts.  The price was reasonable also, a lot cheaper than Starbucks' cheesecakes.But it's just that we paid for the plastic forks, which I did not get because we bought a whole cake and what difference would it have made if we ate it at the restaurant. And also we asked for the cake to be sliced into 8 since we are going to eat it at Starbucks, after about 10-15 minutes the cake was handed to us, unsliced. Their reason is that it might ruin the cake's shape and presentation. But we're too excited to care, so we just took off.

And if you're wondering if we were able to finish up with the cake, no we didn't. I was still able to bring home some for my mom. : )

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Swirl Rewards Card

Last month as I started the tradition of working outside of the house once a week. I was "wi-fi searching", I found myself more and more frequenting The Coffee Bean. Not that it has free wi-fi, it's because it has a better "work-mode" atmosphere than Starbucks. More people bring in their laptop and work. Less chit chatting, more typing.  


To avail of free wifi, you have to purchase worth Php250 at The Coffee bean. Good thing they now offer 

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Swirl Rewards Card

By availing the card for Php195, you get the following:

* Every P100 you spend on each individual receipt at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf earns you 5 points.For example, if you spend P220 in a single purchase, you get 10 points.

* Every 1 point is equivalent to P1, which you can spend right away at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. With just 10 points, you can upsize your drink on the spot!

* Not only are Swirl Rewards points as good as cash, they’re valuable in and of themselves! Enjoy free WiFi access with any purchase at any of our stores plus more members-only perks and promos.

It's a Loyalty Card and a Rewards Card in One! Well, I'm after the free wifi, but it feels good to know that for every purchase I get rewards points which I can later on exchange for free drinks or upsize!

The down side though, is that it takes a long time before your points to reflect on your account. It actually takes days to weeks before you get to see your points online. So I was not really sure if my points were credited or not. 

Well, I've just been there twice since I got my card. So much for a review. I signed up for their mailing list to get updated with promos and freebies.

But still, I have my coffee, earn 5 points, get free wifi connection, and sit at the comfy couch. 

How else would I want my work day to be? 

Coffee and Me

I celebrate LIFE with coffee.

The moment I enter a cafe, I feel safe. The scent of coffee beans relaxes me. The sound of grinding energizes me. And every sip into my cup soothes me.

I share every moment of my life with a cup of coffee.

When I'm sad, I drink coffee.

When I'm happy, I celebrate it with coffee.

When I'm tired, I need a coffee fix.

When I'm with friends, I grab a cup of coffee.

It goes with my mood. It listens to my ramblings with no complains. It's hot when I want it, and cold when I say so.

And now I am blogging about coffee and my life.

Because what's left after a cup of coffee, are Coffee Skraps...