The Cost of the 2012 Starbucks Planner

I first encountered Starbucks and its famous planner when I started working for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry back in 2007. I guess the first Starbucks planner I saw was similar to the one used by Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Philippe) in the movie “Cruel Intentions”. I guess it was the 2008 Starbucks planner that I saw. Way back then, I can’t grasp the idea of buying a very expensive coffee to get a planner.

Fast forward to December 11, 2011. I still need 7-Holiday Featured Beverages to complete my 2012 Starbucks planner. My friends and I will have coffee before our shift on Monday which will cut down that number to 4. I still have the 15^th and 30^th pay-out to buy the needed number of Starbucks coffee.

How did I become a fan of Starbucks? Three reasons: the coffee taste great, the place is cozy (great for date and meet-ups) and I love the design of their merchandize (tumbler and planners). So when I saw this picture (courtesy of myManila) on my Facebook today, I stopped and think for a minute or two – is it really worth it to spend this much for a planner?

My answer is YES, definitely. I’m actually not buying the coffee to collect the stickers. I’m buying the coffee because I like the coffee and I like to stay at their store. The planner is just a prize for buying their coffee during their promotion period. Besides, I only buy Starbucks coffee mostly during November-December (during their promo for the planner) and only during paydays. It’s a way of treating myself for working so that in the call center industry. Naks.

How about you, do you collect the planner from Starbucks?

BuzzNet Tags: 2012 Starbucks Planner,Starbucks Philippines,Coffee

Kids

I want to have kids. I just don’t know how. Adoption is very complicated. I guess I just have to find a surrogate mother. Or probably a top gay guy that has a kid (out of wedlock) and willing to have a family… with me! :)

So I’m on Day 2 of my life with a DSLR camera and today I’ve practice photographing kids. It’s a good thing that kids in our neighborhood are very eager to be photographed. I also practiced taking pictures in monochrome (black and white) mode. The Canon EOS 1100D has an option to select monochrome effect prior to taking pictures so no need for Picasa to add an effect. I also love the Sepia effect but I forgot to take pictures of the kids using this option.

You guys must be tired of hearing all about my new camera. I really can’t help it but I’ll try to trim down blog post related to photography. I probably should have a separate blog entirely for photography. This blog should focus on my love life (or the search for that elusive right guy). Don’t worry guys, I have a date on December 15 with a very interesting guy. I’ll tell you more about it soon.

For now, let’s enjoy these pictures of kids.

BuzzNet Tags: Kids,Black and White,Monochrome

Pasig City at Night

I have two main reasons why I bought a DSLR camera: to be able to take pictures of moving subjects (i.e. a jump shot) and be able to take pictures at night. These two things are hard to achieve using my Canon A495 digital camera.

So last night, I took the Canon EOS 1100D for a test drive. I took pictures of the Pasig Catholic Church, the Kapasigan area, the Plaza Rizal and even my place of work, PhilPlans Corporate Center, Kalayaan Avenue.

The EOS 1100D has several built-in function modes and one of these is Shooting Portraits at Night. I switched the dial to this function and used the DSLR like a normal point-and-shoot camera. I’m very satisfied with the results. Check out the following pictures!

Caruncho Avenue going to Pasig City Hall

 

Pasig Catholic Church

 

Street going to San Joaquin, Pasig. The Pasig Catholic College is in the background

 

Plaza Rizal

 

Pasig Catholic Church

 

Street besides the Pasig Catholic Church going to Pasig City Hall

 

Pasig City Museum

 

McDonald’s Kapasigan

 

KFC-Kapasigan

 

This is where I work. It’s located along Kalayaan Avenue.

BuzzNet Tags: Pasig City at Night,Canon EOS 1100D

First Few Shots

It’s already 3:28 AM and I’m about to go to sleep. Before that, let me share with you some of my first few shots using my new Canon EOS 1100D (DSLR). I haven’t changed any settings yet so these pictures are using the default settings.

So far, this camera is very similar to my digital camera (Canon A495) in terms of keys, icons and functions. It’s definitely a good camera for beginners (to DSLR) like me. This camera would definitely make the transition smoother. I hope to test drive this DSLR in the next few days. So far, I love the picture’s clarify and high definition. My laptop looks brand new!

The burgers BTW are from Brothers Burgers, SM Megamall.

BuzzNet Tags: Canon EOS 1100D,First Few Shots,Brothers Burger

Dream Gadget Come True

Today is a very memorable day for me. I finally bought one of my dream gadgets – a Digital Single-Lens Retractable (DSLR) camera. Thanks to my 13^th month pay, I was able to purchase a Canon EOS 1100D.

I consulted a lot of my friends who’s into photography and they all suggested Nikon. I was considering Nikon D3000 when I went to SM Megamall earlier this evening. However, when I saw the two DSLRs in person, I was persuaded to buy the Canon EOS 1100D because of its aesthetics (design). The Canon sales guy also helped in my decision to purchase this camera over Nikon. Lastly, the price added to my decision to go against all my friends’ advice and go with my instinct. Thus, my first DSLR is the Canon EOS 1100D.

Let’s talk first about the price and some basic specifications of the two cameras. The Canon EOS 1100D has a tag price of P29,998. The Nikon D3000 was priced at P27,998. A price difference of P2,000. However, the Canon Sales person can give the Canon EOS 1100D at a cash price of P28,000. Luckily, I have cash!

Let’s talk about the freebies. The Nikon D3000 comes with a strap, a 4gig SD card, 2 year warranty and a bag. The Canon EOS 1100D has 2 beautiful straps, a 8gig SD card, 3 years warranty, a photography book and a beautiful bag.

Now, let’s discuss the sales representative. The Nikon sales lady seems to be busy (although there is only one customer and she has another colleague who’s assisting the said customer). She also mentioned that Canon EOS 1100D is comparable to the Nikon D3100 (the one comes in shiny red). It was priced at P32,000 with a 5% discount making it P30,400. Thus, the Canon EOS 1100D (P28,000) is equivalent to Nikon D3100 (P30,400). That’s according to the Nikon sales lady. She didn’t elaborate on the features of both the Nikon D3000 and Nikon D3100.

The Canon sales guy demonstrated some of the key features of the Canon EOS 1100D including the ability to select the effects of the picture prior to taking a shot. He also mentioned about the ability to do a live view of the subject being taken care of. Plus, the emphasized that it’s definitely for beginners (to DSLR). He also showed that the camera has a short description of the features whenever it is switch to that feature. It helps that I own a Canon digital camera and almost all the basic functions are the same.

Just an added bonus, the sales guy is handsome. Thus, with all the features, warranty, freebies and price, the Canon sales guy persuaded me to purchase it. Lastly, as I was paying for the camera, they gave me a final price of P27,500 and they’ve added a card reader. Talk about going the extra mile!

The competitor: Nikon D3000

 

The Canon sales guy

 

The camera without the lens

 

The free bag

 

The photography book and SD card

 

The camera with lens

 

The whole package at the cash price of P27,500.

BuzzNet Tags: Nikon D3000,Nikon D3100,Canon EOS 1100D

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

It’s my latest Last Song Syndrome (LSS) – the theme song of Selecta Cornetto’s TV commercial. The song’s title is Hey Daydreamer and its famous chorus includes the spell out of K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

Here’s the complete MTV of the song as performed by band Somedaydream.

BuzzNet Tags: YouTube,Hey Daydreamer,LSS