Today, I am loving...

Today, I am loving... my new Starbucks name. 

As some of you might know from here, they always get my name wrong in Starbucks. So many precious minutes are wasted repeating my name over and over and they still misspell it on my cup. Then one day, I blurted out a fake name - Vivian - and they got it right with one try. So Vivian has been my Starbucks name for several years now.

Until two months ago when they spelled it Viviane. So I called for new coffee-shop-name suggestions here. 

And one of my readers suggested Eva. I tried it last week and the barista called out "short Caramel Machiatto for Eva!". I'm not sure if the other patrons noticed it. But it didn't matter. I heard the barista say "forevah" and I couldn't help smile. As naughty as it sounds, the harmless mischief just made my day a little more fun.

So today, I am chuckling... at my fun, new Starbucks name.

Photo from i'mjustsaying.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I Am Loving... series.

Jo's Starbucks red cup

Johanna Basford, an ink illustrator who prefers pens & pencils over pixels. She feels "computer-generated graphics can feel cold and soul-less whereas hand-drawing captures a sense of energy and character which no pixel can ever replicate".

She started drawing on empty Starbucks cups as early as September 2010. 

I suppose her big ambition of illustrating a Starbucks red cup was born then.

So in January 2011, she started her campaign for the Starbucks Christmas cup by sending this parcel to the Starbucks UK people.

She even added an ink illustration to her letter.

By February, she was asked to send another parcel to the Starbucks HQ folks in Seattle, USA. 

Unfortunately, by March 2011, the design for the 2011 Christmas cup had already been decided on and was in fact, already in production! The 2011 Christmas cups have been out for a while now. But in case you want to sip your coffee from Jo's inky red cup, click here for a downloadable artwork you can cut out and tape onto your Starbucks cup. Watch the video of how she hand-draws and inks her Starbucks Christmas cup illustration here!

As of November 2011, Jo was still in touch with the Starbucks HQ Creative Director for other potential inky Starbucks projects which I personally hope push through because I kind of like the black ink better than the red (I wonder if green ink will look better?). Isabella is loving this particular inky cup with the owl and skulls.

What about you? Which of Jo's inky cups do you want to see mass-produced?

Am rooting for Jo's dream to come true. But even before it does, I have to say I admire how...

I certainly hope the Starbucks folks grant this Christmas wish in 2012!

Photos from here and johannabasford.

some polka dots i spotted...

I looove cheese. For me, the stinkier, the better. I love sharp cheeses. Blue, sharp cheddar, limburger, feta. Brie and camembert are not sharp enough for me (but this cheese-lover will eat them anyway).

I've never really attempted to assemble my own cheese platter. But I did learn a lot from these cheese posts from A Cup of Jo (here and here). The best of which is that cheeses should be placed in "clock order" on the board -- 12 o'clock being the mildest and 11 o'clock being the strongest. I wonder if the Santi's cheese platters follow this rule? If so, I now know to go straight to the 11 o'clock cheeses next time I'm invited to a wine and cheese party! 

But on a regular, non-wine-and-cheese-party day, here are some everyday cheeses I enjoy: (1) Microwaved queso de bola (the authentic kind - Marca Pato/Pina, not the cheddar balls posing as queso de bola). Lay out a few slices on a microwaveable plate (make sure they're not one on top of the other) and pop it into the microwave for a few seconds. The queso de bola gets saltier & tangier and becomes soft at the center and crunchy at the edges. You have to experiment though - try different times - to get to the best balance of the saltiness and consistency you prefer. (2) Cafe 1771 Tomato-Cheese Fondue. I loooove this! Even during its Chateau 1771 days. Still in El Pueblo Ortigas, the old Chateau is now a pretty cafe with whimsical interiors on one side and a homey room filled with walls of vintage books on another side. They now serve a smaller portion of the old cheese fondue, but it is still just as delicious. My son hates going there because the cheese is too stinky for him. So I get to go there only on Mother's Day or on a date with my daughter who loves cheese just as much as I do! (3) Starbucks' Grilled Ham & Three Cheese on Italian Country Bread. This is my mom's latest discovery (Haha, yes. 3 generations of cheese-lovers!). Have them heat it and eat it while the cheeses are in their gooey-melted goodness! Yuuummmm! (4) Cheetos Twisted Puffs. This you can only eat at home because no matter how carefully you bite it, cheese crumbs really fall on your shirt and create a big orange mess! Clover Chips Cheese is also another staple on my junkfood list. (5) And finally, Philadelphia or Kiri cream cheese on ciabatta bread or Ritz crackers.

Have a great cheesy breakfast!

Photos from A Cup of Jo by the amazing Jamie Beck of From Me To You.