halfwhiteboy

Would you go to Starbucks for er... a t-shirt? Well, the coffee giant has just put up such items for sale at a whopping $85 apiece! They've tapped past recipients of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards - Alexander Wang (who's already huge, by the way!), Sophie Theallet, and Billy Reid - to design limited edition tees for them in celebration of the company's 40th anniversary. Of course, the Starbucks logo is there in every shirt and each designer did their own take. Alexander Wang, for instance, opted for a coffee spill print. And I must admit I actually like it. But then, it's a ridiculous $85. Anyway, check out what these $85 t-shirts look like. The Alexander Wang-designed tee. It's unisex.

I think it was last week (or the week before that?) that Gay gave me a stick of Starbucks Via Tribute Blend for me to try before buying. How nice of her, right? The coffee giant released this limited edition Via to celebrate their 40th anniversary. So how was it? Unlike my experience with other Stateside variants , I loved this one. It's a blend of four different beans and has some dark cherry notes. True enough, I can taste the cherries. So I bought two boxes. I don't know until when this Via's going to be in stores, considering their Christmas blend disappeared instantaneously. I'm contemplating on stocking up. But wait, I also need to consume my Colombia stash before they expire on April 16, a consequence of my hoarding .

I wrote last Monday that my officemate, Gay, gifted me with four sticks of Starbucks Via ( see here ), and that I would be posting something after I've tried them all. So here's the order in which they were consumed and my thoughts about each. A general note, though: in all four instances, I added creamer and a little more sugar to suit my taste. I like my coffee creamy, that's why. While flavored, this batch of Via was black. 3-in-1 - probably - but the third was not creamer but the flavoring.

I was having a really crappy morning earlier - what with the crazy traffic, a-hole jeepney drivers, cars that carelessly want to get in your lane, and all that crap. Then when I arrived at the office, still unfinished building inspection works from over the weekend have left a mess. Dust was everywhere despite the janitor's lousy attempts at cleaning up the place. So my anger escalated even further. Gay arrived later and handed me a paper bag. She promised me my morning's gonna be good. And what was inside...

I'm hoarding! Why?

Dropped by a Starbucks this afternoon to replenish my Via stash. Surprise, surprise! It was Buy 1, Get 1 for my favorite instant coffee. And I'm not talking of a free stick here. If you buy a pack of 3, you get another pack free; if a box of 12, then another box is yours for the taking. There is no promo period, as the offer is good until supplies last. I was so excited I though I should hoard. Unfortunately I didn't have my wallet with me and my cash was only enough for two boxes of 12. So I got myself one Columbia (plus the free box): And one Italian Roast Decaf for My Bibe (plus the free box): While checking out my stash at the cashier, I asked them why it was on sale. According to the barista, it was to "move" stocks. Okay, I thought. But on second thought, were stocks near expiry? So I checked my purchase.

Had a taste of the Via Christmas blend from Starbucks last November courtesy of my officemate, Gay (Gay, by the way, is a name and not a sexual orientation). I was excited since the Philippines was listed alongside first world countries as the U.S. and Japan where this special edition Via was available. I liked it so I had to buy, but then there were no more stocks at any branch I could possibly find. So I took solace in this instead:

Today, Jan. 12, is supposedly your last chance to earn and complete your stickers for a Starbucks 2011 planner (but then they've extended it to Jan. 16) ! I don't know but there's this sense of fulfillment and joy when I completed all 17 stickers and got my planner... ...er, planners. Yes, My Bibe and I were able to secure all three designs! Wood, Metal, and Velvet - got them all before 2010 ended.