Last Night/This Morning

As soon as my dad turned the corner upon exiting the parking lot last night, I instantly noticed a Coffee Bean store. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this. Among all the coffee houses that have proliferated in the Metro, Coffee Bean is where I believe I get value for my money. I particularly love their Chai Tea Latte--so fragrant with all sorts of spices, far different from the bitter taste of coffee, which seems to flavor almost every available beverage in Starbucks and Seattle's Best.

Vaguley aware of the store's location, I set out to find it on foot, having arrived almost an hour early at work today. The area where the Coffee Bean stands is practically uncharted territory for me. Gradually, the morning rush of another day in the city was replaced by the quiet of a residential area. I was still within the business district, but it seemed that the area was zoned for living spaces. Big trees shaded the sidewalks--damp, perhaps from an early morning rain, and littered with leaves and fruit fallen from above.

It took me 15 minutes to find the store, having taken note of the time for future opportunities to play hooky.

After that, what else can I say, but that I bought a Chai Tea Latte, which set me up for the day.

But I did appreciate that time to walk around and discover a side of Makati I had not explored before. I felt like I was in a campus again--quiet roads, big trees and silent buildings. There was a whisper of a breeze, too. These are the random little things that make life happier.