Are you Getting the Right Caffeine Fix?

My craving for java is stemmed by the need to be awake durng those unholy hours which for me is around 7am when I settle my sweet ass on my office chair and around 2pm in the afternoon when all logic seem to leave my mental processes and I go into crash mode.  Thanks to Standard Chartered I usually get a free large gourmet cup in the morning on my way to work.  In the afternoon, I'd get my caffeine fix at the office pantry or if the state of my wallet permits, from a nearby Starbucks outlet. 

Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant which temporarily wards off drowsiness and restore alertness. Caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance which maybe the reason why gourmet coffee shops has become a booming business venture.  Technically, they are legal drug dens.  Of course, coffee is not cocaine, cannabis or LSD.

Anyway, given the end in mind and after reading Starbucks' Nutrition by the Cup brochure, I have come to realize that I'm ordering the wrong drink.  Normally, I 'd vary my order from a Caramel Macchiato or Caffe Mocca but based on the brochure I can only get a maximum of 180mg of caffeine in a venti size order.  Funny thing is I thought that going venti will actually give me extra caffeine---WRONG!  You still get the same two espresso shot whether it's a grande or a venti.  The additional 4oz is milk.  That would just be like additional cream to the standard two packet order.  No wonder the price difference is but a couple of pesos only!  Ingenious strategy to upsize I should say.  So I suggest that unless you want to pay P10 more for additional cream on a Venti Caramel Macchiato go grande instead and just get additional cream packets from the condiments table.

Now, if it's a wake up jolt you want ,order for a brewed coffee where you can get up to 400mg caffeine trip guaranteed to give you four hours of mental alertness.  Naturally, it does not have the same creaminess and flavoring of a Caramel Macchiato but it does gives you the necessary kick to survive the rest of the afternoon. 

The Credit Card Wars

Buy now, pay later." That's the mindset that makes credit cards very enticing to many. Not only that you pay later, normally around 21 days after cut off and without being charged the 3.5% finance charge, you also have the option of paying on a staggered basis. For the more liquid customer the advantage is that you earn points everytime you use the card. For the cash deficient ones it's purchasing power on a rainy day. For the unscrupulous buyer---it's hell on earth!

Anyway, whichever buyer you are, the main consideration of using a card is what additional perks do I get out of using it. I normally use 2 cards at any given time but due to the continuous bugging of credit card agents I have a multitude of them in my spare wallet. No more requirements. No more forms to fill out. Just a phone call from them and a "yes" from you and you get a credit card delivered to your doorsteps!

Before it was just a matter of whose got the lowest finance charge in terms of personal loan or balance transfer and rebates; now, for a minimum of "x" purchase you get freebess from the different partner clients that each company has.

I use my credit card to pay for the weekly grocery so it's a matter of choosing what freebee I want to splurge on at the moment.

I'm a coffee lover so I use my Standard Chartered credit card to get me a tall java fix at Seattle's Best Coffee. Minimum purchase at Php 1,500. And then there's Metrobank's tie up with Red Ribbon. For a minimum of Php 2,000 purchase you get to choose from a variety of free food options that fit you fancy. Hmmm...I guess me and my wife will have that Red Ribbon Crispy Chicken+Cake Slice of the Day and 12oz drink on my next shopping day!

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