The Pink Guava effect

30 05 2007

OK so let me just say this – I am a coffee person. I cannot start my day without my cup of coffee. I am dead without it. I like it black with extra sugar. Our helper knows exactly what I want so she can make my coffee even with closed eyes. The Starbucks here in RCBC also know how I take my coffee.

But the thing about my caffeine dependence is that it is controlled. By that I mean that I only usually take exactly one cup of coffee per day. And this usually happens at my house in the morning or in a very very early office meeting. With that said, I usually have a dilemma when my friends and I go to Starbucks on a gimmick night or when I go on numerous leads meeting to Coffee Bean. Sure, I order some form of Iced Coffee Frappy whatever but that is still coffee. I am trying to moderate my dependence and taking one during the day or night isn’t going to cut it for me.

And so I tried some alternative and found the BEST one – The Pink Guava juice! At first, I found it weird drinking guava fluid when the only interaction I have with guava is when I tried picking its fruits in my province and eating sinigang sa bayabas. But guava in Starbucks? Hmmm.. Hehe… Anyway, I tried it out and started loving it. I realized that rarely do I get a chance to drink guava juice. In the end, this became my staple drink in coffee shops. My team mates in Accenture need not ask my order anymore since they already know. That’s probably one reason why I’m not particularly fond of Figaro since they don’t carry them in their menu (Kudos to Starbucks and Coffee Bean!). I even had the opportunity to influence some of my SFC Family, officemates and friends to get hooked on this addicting wonder! Hehe.

Anyway, to all those reading this, go try it out. It might not make much impact on first try but please give yourself one to two more cups to fully experience its unique effect. You’ll surely find yourself being hooked in the end. Hehe.

As for me, well, I’ll just finish sipping my Pink Guava after publishing this post. Enjoy guys!





IC’s Back!

17 05 2007

After I have stabilized my team so that we are more assured of our deliverables, completed all Assess Outcomes of those who were under me and accomplished all my backlog tasks, I was back to some level of work-life balance. IC lunch is back! It was back since last week. Whew! I missed these guys! You know that feeling when you do not realize that you missed something until you experience it again after a long time? That is the exact feeling. The conversation, the laughter, the topics, the plans, the honesty – everything that made me want to be part of this group in the first place. It’s all back!

The funny thing is that it’s almost like a full circle for us because we had lunch on the very first restaurant in Rockwell where we ate a year ago when we were just in the formation stages – Zaifu. I guess the only difference is that there was already some level of maturity and familiarity in the discussions and with each other. Oh yeah, plus we didn’t have ice cream for dessert this time. I have a new favorite pastry – the Dulcinea Cream Puff!

We had lunch again today and will probably have one again next week. Why am I so jolly?! I don’t know?! Perhaps I just like exclamation points these days!





Empathy over inquiry

8 05 2007

There are different kinds of friends….

There are those that are mostly there for you in good times….

There are those that like to be with you while you are suffering because in some weird way, they enjoy the company of misery….

There are those who make you laugh so hard that it’s quite dangerous when you’re together because you explode….

There are those that you continually carry because you become the one who gives them support and strength…..

There are those that become your refuge because with them you can just let loose and open up everything…..

There are those that you already consider as brothers because you’ve established intentional commitments with them…..

There are those where you couldn’t understand how you’ve become friends with them because you are too different to get along…..

There are those that you wish you could be more close to but emotional walls are still so high….

There are those that you just couldn’t stop conversing with because he/she intellectually stimulates you…..

There are those that you know will always be there for you….

There are those that even if you don’t regularly see them, your bond is strong enough so that it is as if you were never apart when you see each other…..

…………….

And then there are those who always understand you and always protect you even if you have been the cause of their pains and struggles; that you continuously hurt them but they continuously love you. They are the kinds of friends that you don’t deserve. But somehow God has given them to you. I know that ‘Sorry’ isn’t going to be enough but no words can express how deeply remorseful I am….

It’s bad enough to know that you have hurt a friend. What’s worse is that you know that you have hurt a defenseless friend….