A glimpse of last night's terror...

It was stark dark last night, black as the pit of the unknown. The wind blows the damp, eerie feeling as the rustling pieces of dried leaves slowly touches my feet. The stillness of the night is awaken by the sound of crickets and the howling of the dogs.

Suddenly, fear had taken me. Piercing into the depths of my consciousness as I watched the dawn slowly engulfs the night away.

I was standing on my own lifeless feet waiting for salvation when a glistening ball of tear breaks into the corner of my tired eyes. The warmth of it gently touching my face. And then the reality of it all sets in. I looked around, as if I was questioning the stars above. The place was empty, thousands of souls like me had taken their chances waiting for salvation. It was a long line I know, not knowing where it ends, or how it all started - remains unknown. I stayed calm and prayed as I feel the numbness of my body, my soul leaving me in peace.

I am not leaving my world without a fight...

The bright lights suddenly appeared, like waiting for a train at the end of the tunnel, it was fast approaching. Its ready to take me. It will save me... I KNOW.

The battle had begun. Thousands fought for their lives, for their piece of space on this salvation train. I was holding on to my last breath as I braved and charged the sea of the hopefuls.

I won. I defended my territory. I was still standing after all of the battles I've won for the night.

I closed my eyes, drowned myself in pain as I slowly succumb to rest my soul.

And then my peace was broken. A thundering voice had awaken me...

"O, IMUS NA! IMUS NA! YUNG MGA NATUTULOG DYAN, BABAAN NA HO DITO!"

It was an eventful night. A dreaded one. It was not yet over, as I descended my throne and left to start another journey...

(1:30 AM)

"The place was empty, thousands of souls like me had taken their chances waiting for salvation. It was a long line I know, not knowing where it ends, or how it all started - remains unknown. "

Barista fave: Iced Americano ++

I'm a huge fan of Starbucks coffee and their baristas, so I guess it's safe to say that my mornings aren't complete without a quick shot of their barista fave mixes.  

For the past two months, I've indulged myself so much into Green Tea Blended Frappuccino Creme (with Vanilla replaced by 1/2 Irish Cream and 1/2 Hazlenut syrup). Then, I grew tired of the sweet mix and started craving for more intense caffeine infused drink.  So last night, my friend and I went a lil experimental on our drinks and asked for a certified barista fave. 

What we got was: Iced Americano + White Mocha + Breve milk :-)  

Iced Americano with White Mocha and Breve milk (with no water)

Here's the mix:

Syrup: White Mocha

Milk: Breve milk

Drink: Americano

*No water, just ice :-)

-The drink itself is Caffe Americano and is perfect for those with a bit of addiction to full-bodied espresso taste. 

-The White Mocha syrup (add on) (an additional of about 60 calories on a single pump) creates that heavenly sweet twist to your coffee.

-The Breve milk does a little magic in making your espresso drink creamier, better than a regular latte and well, sinfully delicious.  For those on a strict diet, you may opt to skip this sinfully delicious part as Breve milk is a half and half of whipping cream and whole milk - (50:50 mix) so do the calorie math.

Just don't be afraid to be a little experimental on your next visit to your favorite Starbucks branch.  

I think that's about it for now.  Enjoy your magic in  a cup! :-)

MMDA South West Integrated Provincial Transport Terminal opens August 06, 2013.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) opens its South West Integrated Provincial Transport Terminal (SWIPTT) Tuesday, August 06, a first of the three integrated terminals, to the commuting public. 

Conveniently situated at the Uniwide Coastal Mall at the corner of Coastal Road and NAIA Road Ext. in Paranaque, the integrated terminal aims to service buses plying Batangas-Manila  and Cavite-Manila routes. Effective Tuesday, August 06, provincial buses coming from Cavite and Batangas will no longer be allowed to ply beyond the integrated terminal. The front portion of the Uniwide Coastal Mall facing Coastal highway houses the Bus Management Dispatch System (BMDS) to make sure that colorums or out-of-line buses will no longer be allowed to proceed further into Metro Manila. This also houses the terminal for city buses that will connect you to your next destination. 

Bus Management Dispatch System (BMDS)?

BMDS is an enhanced dispatch system that enables MMDA to regulate the number of public utility buses cruising around the metro since it can verify licensed plates directly from Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office (LTO) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) database. It also monitors the drivers manning registered buses with the use of  biometrics or finger-scanning to verify their profile. (Source: GMA News)

Surviving the first day...
I was like an elementary kid eager to try the new MMDA Integrated Bus Terminal scheme.  So I set off an hour earlier than my usual traffic adventure on my way to work. Aguinaldo highway seems to be free of cluttered buses, hmm that's a good way to start.  I noticed most of the buses had their sign boards changed to "Coastal Mall" and the traffic seems to have decongested a bit.  The only time i remember the bus stopped was at the toll gate and the rest was a smooth drive.  

Arriving and finding your way at the terminal (SWIPTT) isn't that complicated. There were lot's of porters and information guides to help you get to your next stop. From SWIPTT, we were advised to alight and transfer to city buses at the other side of the building.  No big deal, it was an all new experience for me and surprisingly I wasn't complaining at all --seriously - not at all.

The real drama happened after work.  Since I go home late, I had no choice but to take a bus ride from my work to Baclaran.  This is the sad part, since it was late, buses would often cut their trip short near the Airport Road and won't go straight to the terminal. And since there were limited buses and jeepneys plying the route, I had to walk from Airport Road to the terminal. Tsk! talk about one of my "Kawawa Moments!" I had to admit, it scared the hell out of me and took whatever sanity i had at that moment.  Suddenly, all the scenes from SOCO reality television series flashed back -- dark alley, vacant lots and a creek! Creepy!

Finally I saw the light! --I mean the stop light.  I reached the intersection safely.  Took the overpass and landed on the other side --then JA-RAAAAAN! I saw the sign! --the signboard that says "to Cavite".  Yay! I'm finally going home :-) 

Here's a snap of the terminal at night...

Bay area for Cavite bound buses

Long line of Cavite commuters 

The first day was a not-so-successful opening.  A lot of confused commuters around me and massive traffic around Baclaran area and Macapagal highway welcomed the unsuspecting public. Hopefully, things will get fixed in no time. Till then, i'll keep you posted :-)

Newest treat from Starbucks!

                                   

 Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding (Left) and Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding (Right)

                                                           

Yep! You heard me right.  The wait is over as Starbucks finally opens its counters to introduce its two new deliciously crafted blended beverages: Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding and Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding yesterday, July 16th.

I have been waiting for something new to try so needless to say I was among the ones who lined up to get a taste of these two new beverages yesterday.  

My verdict:

Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding - is a certified treat for chocolate lovers! The rich dark chocolate , jelly-cious white chocolate pudding, Starbucks signature Frappucino Roast coffee and milk blended with ice topped with whipped cream, plus chocolate chips is to die for! I love every bits of it (both literally and figuratively ;) ) 

Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding  - the healthier option (a little less guilt, maybe?)  I am without a doubt a lover of their Starbucks Tazo Green Tea Creme (with a little twist, replacing Vanilla with equal parts of Hazelnut and Irish Cream - but that's a different story!), so when I heard it's part of their newest offer, i had no second doubt i'm getting one for myself.  It's a perfect blend of green tea with jelly-cious white pudding topped with whipped cream for your ultimate indulgence (that's my biased conscience talking!)

So how much did it cost me? Not quite a fortune.  You can order it in Tall (Php190), Grande (Php200) or Venti (Php220).  I had mine in Grande (thanks, I barely slept all night after consuming 2 grandes!)  

Here's a look at how coffee aficionados welcomed these two new treats yesterday! :-)

As I was lining up, so is my cup :-)

So for all of you sweet lovers out there, don't miss these two fave treats from Starbucks -- you'll surely love both  (as I did!).  :-)

Speculoos Cookie Butter Craze :-)

I'm a huge fan of sweets!  I munch and nibble on almost everything sweet and pleasing to my taste buds. Well, okay, i'm a huge fan of FOOD so to speak :D

I love sweets and that includes cookie butter in the long list.  I got my first taste of speculoos cookie butter back in December 2012 when my cousin brought me a jar of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter spreadables from the US.  He says its a big hit back there and so I was eager to try.  It was good and I must admit my taste buds really welcomed the idea of it everyday in the breakfast table (with or without bread :D).  Needless to say, the poor TJ's jar ended up as history in my tummy after a couple of weeks. So when this whole cookie butter thing became a big hit in Manila, I went beaming with grin ---> : D  H-E-A-V-E-N-L-Y!

That's the good news! The bad news is, people went gaga over it and stocks went out as fast as it came.  Blame it on the hype, it was so addicting people are so into it.  I had my share of speculoos hunting too.  I tried to look for it at PX stores around the metro and end up frustrated.  I checked online and saw a couple of online sellers but well, i was made to wait for few more weeks for the shipping so I finally gave up.

Yesterday, I went cruising along the isles of S&R Aseana to do a little gastronomic shopping when I stumbled on a pile of little jars neatly stacked in the middle of the main isle.  I was curious so I snatched a jar and it spelled S-P-E-C-U-L-O-O-S!  Good heavens! S&R is already selling these precious little jars to satisfy the public's demand!  Nope. They don't sell TJ's, they have different brand called Jules Destrooper Speculoos Pasta (but it's the same cookie butter spread, I wonder why it's called pasta?--probably because its paste?) It's a lot smaller than my TJ's spread at 200g (7oz) and sells at Php199.95 a jar.  So for all of you who's still raving about the speculoos fever, its already on hand at your nearest S&R Membership Stores :)