The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf figured prominently during the earliest months of my Pinoycentric life. It took me three months to get my home connected and I had to try four different Internet providers before I finally got connected.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Tomas Morato in Quezon City was my regular weekend hangout during that period. Armand, Norman, Noah, and I would do a conference online, brainstorm over possible Innerviews, talk about where we were taking Pinoycentric, and our dreams for this baby.

Amidst nursing and bar exam reviewers, I would sit quietly in the corner with my chai latte and do some online interviews over IM, research and formulate questions for my interviewees, and think of other Pinoy-centric stories to write about. (If you look very closely, you’d notice the CBTL logo in one of the shots of poet and professor Wendell Capili in an interview we had with him.) I felt I was in good, passionate company, although I couldn’t blog in my pajamas or my nighties as I can these days.

Now that I have Internet at home, I do miss those CBTL days, so I try to get out and do my writing outside. It’s refreshing and I get to have some chai latte and Genmaicha tea while I type away. (Of course, the free Internet is a bonus.)

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf branch at Paseo Center also figured in one of the biggest career decisions I made (although I totally forgot about it until Juned nudged me). Having some tea when I’m having really deep thoughts helps me a lot.

Have a memorable Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf story? Share it at What’s Your Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Story and you get the chance to win a trip to Hollywood for four days and three nights. The package includes accommodation and pocket money.

Read the mechanics here. You can submit your story in audio, video, photo, or essay form. Deadline is May 18, 2008.