Here is a mug that I was able to claim after I completed my Coffee Hop card in Bonifacio Highstreet (one of the more popular places to go to in Manila). The objective was to buy 8 coffee drinks in at least 4 out of the 8 participating coffee places there. They had Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Seattle's Best, Krispy Kreme, Gloria Jeans and local coffee houses but great ones too - Figaro Coffee, Bo's Coffee, Kape Isla.

The mug that I got isn't just your ordinary giveaway mug because the design of the mug is actually a painting of BenCab, the Philippines' national artist. It's called "Conversations" and is an acrylic on canvas painted in 2008. This is just a great project done by the Bonifacio Highstreet and all the participating coffee shops.

Was it worth it?

Of course! Not only am I a coffee lover but your prize for buying, even if it means you spend P1000/@20, is really worth it. It is such a beautiful mug that I am thinking of not even using it for my coffee but just treating it like a painting. I know it's wishful thinking but somehow I can't stop thinking that it might also appreciate. Who knows? This is BenCab's work and is somehow a collector's item..