Argh Tea

P and I stopped by this new tea place on the way home from class the other day. I thought we could use a cup of tea after a big meal at our usual pasta place. We ordered some white tea (they didn't have vanilla) and then drifted over to their wares, where we grabbed an infuser mug (above in green). The woman behind the counter rushed over to explain the different tea accessories and why one is better (and more expensive) than the other (because you can perch it on the edge of the mug and just leave it to steep on itself).

Okay. It's so hard to be objective when ultimately we left with a sour taste in our mouths. We were looking at their displays of loose leaf tea and the helpful woman stepped in and explained how the system worked. You could either purchase a pouch or grab a bag and fill it from their dispenser. Usually, she said the loose leaf tea was a better deal than the vacuum packed pouch. We grabbed a paper bag and filled it with loose blueberry white tea. The sign beneath said, "2 oz pack $3.95 Loose $3.45". Clearly, the loose was a better deal. I even encouraged P to fill the bag with more tea to make it about 2 ounces.

While walking out the store, mug and little (and it was little) bag of tea in tow, I glanced at the receipt and noticed that P had paid $6+ for 1.85 ounces! So P went back in and I stayed outside thinking this was going to be short and sweet. After a few minutes, I went back in because it was getting cold outside. The woman behind the counter called her manager, who said that there was a misprint on the sign beneath the tea and it was supposed to say 1 oz pack instead of 2 oz. Also, the price published for the loose leaf tea is always per ounce, and he really doesn't want this to be weird.

I'm not clear about what happened next as it was getting late by that time and I really just wanted to get home, but they ended up charging back the $6 that they had taken off the card. Ladies and gentleman, this is a perfect example of bad customer service. P and I swore that the next time we were in a similar situation we would be better consumers and insist on the published price. And if we ever have our own little store someday we would train the staff to always accommodate the customer, especially in a situation where the customer is obviously right.

I love my mug and the blueberry tea was delicious, but I am never going back to that store again. From now on, we are going to Teavana for all our tea-related purchases.

Bedtime drama

I am texting this blog entry because I am too cheap to get internet connection at home. Late at night, if I'm lucky, I piggyback on my neighbors' connections or I go to starbucks or wherever else there's free wifi. But I had this late night epiphany that just can't wait: If I am to get ahead at work I have to play this game called pagbubuhat ng sariling bangko. It's a popular game and almost everyone plays it and that is just the reality of it. And if I can't do it or the other game called deadma when I make mistakes then maybe I need an alternative career.
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So this is the new year

Happy new year! I know. This blog entry has been a long time coming, constantly interrupted by dinners (Christmas, birthday, farewell) with P's family, babysitting responsibilities, not to mention the three-week-long, three and a half hours three times a week whirlwind of a class. I would just like to say, despite my uncertain job future, my uncertain domestic future, the fact that I was unregistered for failing to pay my tuition by the deadline, and the myriad other uncertainties in my life, 2008 was a good year - a very good year - and 2009 will be too, even if I have to give it constant timeouts and issue constant reminders to it like a petulant child. I am blessed with great friends - both near and far - and my teachers this sem are almost as awesome as my boyfriend.
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My bad boy



This is my new bike :-) - my first one since the BMX I rode to and from piano lessons. BMX had a steel thingamajig onto which I'd clip my piano pieces. My new bike is a 2009 F7 Cannondale hardtail. It has disc brakes and is a pretty decent entry-level mountain bike. Notice the hottt color scheme. It's a small men's because the small women's came in pink and I'm not really a pink bike kind of girl. P has the same bike, in a patriot blue large. Last week-end we went to Target to get helmets and gloves, and on Monday we went for our first ride around town. We just rode through the streets and on the boardwalk to the 7-11 two towns over because we had to catch the train back to New York as I had midterms that evening. I liked it. The only problem is I have a really hard time carrying my bike up and down stairs. I think it might be too tall for me. Also, my butt hurt like hell and my legs were sore. But, whatever. This is my first real attempt at an active lifestyle. P said we could ride the trails by the reservoir, pack a picnic basket, romantic shit like that. So we'll see.

Today is the ing nyc marathon, which runs through 5 boroughs, 26.2 miles, ending in central park. I stood by the roadside in 4th avenue, brooklyn just as the women were getting off the verrazano bridge, went to get a tea from the chinese bakery, and whoosh! - the lead pack went by. Paula Radcliffe, 2-time winner, and Kara Goucher, NYC native and rookie and two other women crossed the block in about five strides. The men were no better - blink and you miss them! I think runners are beautiful, all muscle and sinew, the human form at its best. But what I love about this race is the mix of people - runners of all shapes and sizes. Incidentally, the hosts mentioned a lot of the elite women are in their 30s and beyond. This is really inspiring to someone like me who's never been physically active - it's not too late to start. This is a very tough course by the way - lots of uphills and with today's winds, really hard. Anyone who finishes it or runs it at all is amazing. I took a bad picture but look closely - it's 38,000 people from all over the world running through the streets of crooklyn!

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Smells like teen spirit


I've been a fan/stalker of Ms. Sarah Brown's blog for years. Finally, her humor in book form via teenage angst-filled diary entries compiled in a neat little package. I bought Cringe today and I've already read half of it. It's like reading through all my Corona notebook journals tucked away in a box somewhere in my parents' house. The obsessive chronicling of daily outfits ("gray peter pan shirt, green-and-blue checkered culottes"), the pining after boys next door, the irrational parental hate, etc. It's all coming back to me now.

I think I started a journal in second or third grade. It was all about Paolo, who lived a few blocks from me and whose older sister I was busmates with. He played basketball and looked like a puffer fish, which I found very charming. I made up stories about how we'd ride our bikes to the park together and get ice cream. Oh my God.

To the face that launched my bicycle countless times, I think of you and cry. I think of you and smile. I think of you and laugh. I think of you and scream. I think of you and jump up and down. I think of you and want to see you again. I think of you and wonder, do you think of me, too?

This and other gems like I HATE HER!!! BYE! and I Find Myself Collectively Insane and much, much more.