Drum roll: Starbucks 2012 Planner #1

Fifteen days after I started collecting stickers, I happily gushed to my Barista "today, am claiming my planner. Bamboo, please."

2012 Starbucks Planner #1 (Bamboo)

I can't believe I trekked to Starbucks Chinabank in Villar Street, Salcedo Village, every single day. Drizzling, sweltering heat, tight deadlines and all obstacles thrown our way were hurdled just to ensure the daily pilgrimage is followed through.

And I can't believe the amount of calories I've been stuffing myself just from coffee alone. Eighteen cups and counting! Good thing, good friend Mean shielded herself from the madness. Her stickers were pressed onto my pad. Thanks, Mean!

Ah, that indescribable experience when you get a hold of something you worked so hard and spent for with hard-earned money. It's just awesome. 

Ten minutes later, your plotting your next steps to get your hands to your second planner. Madness. Hahaha. Crazy/Beautiful.

The Red Cups are Here!

Taken from the Starbucks site.

I think I should change this entry's title to confessions of a Starbucks Planner addict. My name is Sheng. And I haven't been sober since 2006 :-))

Yesterday, November 3 saw the madness of collecting stickers. Never mind the drizzle, no the rain, actually. Year after year, Day 1 of the Starbucks sticker is a much anticipated event. It is no surprise then that when I entered the Starbucks store in my neighborhood (workplace, that is) that the excitement is palpable. You can almost taste it. And it's more evident in the long queue; I've never witnessed in the past save for a day like this. Upping the ante, is the chirpy Christmas carols played in the store's piped-in music. Subliminal. Everyone who enters get psyched up and poised to get started to the race on who can complete the required number of stickers the fastest.

Crazy, eh? Not really. No one will ever say out loud that she'll take the time. The moment the first sticker is attached to its slot, the pulse begins to quicken. It is now a question of how fast can you drink your cuppa. And how deep is your wallet. A cup doesn't come cheap.

When the red cups replace the white ones, we coffee addicts are in for another addicting phenomenon -- the scramble to complete the required stickers to own that coveted planner. For 2012, there are five designs to choose from. Apparently, the theme is all about wood. You choose from poplar, oak, cherry, spruce and bamboo.

Over the years, I've already collected six planners. You may be amused to know though that all were hardly used. I still like to doodle on a regular notebook with more white space.

2006.

2007.

2008. My favorite.

2009.

2010.

2011. Very mint condition. LOL!

Yet, here I am still as mad as ever. I don't think I have the will to turn my back on this costly tradition. The 2011 planner increased my blood sugar and burned a hole in my pocket. I completed six sticker pads. I've given at least four copies to friends as Christmas gifts and the remaining two planners are still in mint condition. They're inside the box that they were originally packed with. And all of these proudly occupy a section of my bookshelf.

Unlike books, there's no sense leafing through its pages for there are no entries. But who cares? I sure don't. People are into the different hobbies. Some like to collect stamps, miniature cars, action figures, etc. I, on the other hand like to collect planners because I like to plan. Ha ha ha. Don't forget my penchant for Starbucks tumblers. I bring home one as a souvenir whenever I go outside of the country or visit another city that has a Starbucks shop.

So, say hello to 2012 with a daily pilgrimage to your favorite Starbucks branch. This year, am making rounds to different branches in the metro just to put a spin to my sticker treat. 

Drink your way to the 2012 Starbucks Planner. 18 cups.

 What holiday drink will you choose? Peppermint mocha or Toffee Nut Latte?