kape

i was blog hopping when i chanced upon this article from a UP community website of some sort...

Smell the Coffee and Wake Up

just like a cup of freshly brewed coffee, it hits the spot.

especially this part...
Imagine that you’re modestly well-to-do, if not filthy rich. Take your pick. Order your cup. Read a book and enjoy the comforts of a relaxed lounge atmosphere. Pay your bill: use either cash or credit card for your purchase. Then drive off, feeling better with that one dose of sheer pleasure to make your day.

Now imagine you’re not really rich or well-to-do. Remember: You had to save for this trip to the café, so make it count. You approach the counter and give your order with enough élan and sophistication to shame any high-browed socialite. You find a seat closest to the door where everyone can see you sipping an expensive cup. A friend comes in, and you feign surprise. You invite her to order a cup and join you. Three hours pass, and amazingly, your cups aren’t even half empty. The coffee’s cold, but you don’t mind, as you wave to your acquaintances passing by outside. Yes, that was good, wasn’t it?

what is it with our society that craves for the socialite status, even over a freakin' cup of coffee?! i remember going to Seattle's Best with liz, or to Figaro with reeyuh, because all the Starbucks are crowded with students "studying". here's a common scene... laptops on table, open (thick) books, notes, markers, pens, etc... i honestly think that most of these people are pathetic. how can you possibly concentrate in that kind of an environment? Starbucks in pinas are noisy places, always bustling with people, and it is probably the last place on earth i would go to if i want to study. you can't convince me that the scent of brewing coffee is enough to stimulate your brain, and drown out the noise of everyone else in the shop. whatever happened to libraries? oh yeah, they're not cool enough. but quiet enough, definitely.

i've had the pleasure of watching a "studious" student one time (long ago, back in pinas).... i ordered the smallest frap just so the manong guard won't drive me away for taking one of their tables. i sat there and people-watched as i waited for my bro to pick me up. so there's this guy with law books as thick as dictionaries, opened to some page midway. i wondered, geez, their professors are pretty fast, it's just the start of the sem! ok, i let it slide. this guy kept running his marker along the pages of one of the books he's reading... highlighting. while i understand that sometimes, it would've been better to highlight the "not important" parts because of the complicated topic you're reading, i noticed that in 15 minutes, he hadn't flipped a page. i know it's none of my business, but i just can't resist thinking... seriously now, are you really studying or just pretending to study? hehe!

whenever i see him look up from his reading when someone passes by, i draw an imaginary tick on my imaginary scoreboard. hehe! since he's seated near the entrance, there's definitely a lot of looking up happening. =P i lost count. i had to let a smug smile escape my lips, and although i didn't want to think this guy is just trying to look cool, watching him for 30 minutes sealed the deal. there is no way you're absorbing whatever you're reading, man. c'mon, you're still on the same freakin' page! try studying at the library, you'd probably be on the 4th page now. i'm saying this based on my experience of studying at the library in college. i felt so dorky then, but looking back now, i think it's nice. =)

anyways, my bro, who is the epitome of cool (hehe!), refused to go to starbucks recently. besides the fact that coffee is so expensive, he feels like there's a lot of social climbers out there, and he doesn't want to be associated. haha!

hmmm, if starbucks will take away those tables and chairs and umbrellas, and leave just a few, just like here in the US, would they be selling as much?

i don't think so.

after all, would you spend a hundred pesos on coffee that no one will see you drinking on your way home?