We Got Older But We're Still Young!

Snippets of Last Week's Activities & Festivities

* Joyce just turned 23 last Saturday, which is amazing because we were just 21 years old (we were turning 22 that year) when we started the cafe at Elbi. Oh how time flies... Congrats and God bless Joyce!



* We would like to say thank you and goodbye to our new friends Lindsey Powell and Alissa Goodding -- the Cafe White Mocha Girls -- of the Navigators. They've been our loyal customers during their stay here in the Philippines. Almost everyday, they will arrive very early, several minutes before opening time, and then they'd have coffee at our shop at most two times a day! We would see them having Bible Study in the afternoon with UPLB students and spending time with the UPLB Navigators in the evening. The night before they left, we gave them a bag of Houseblend Coffee Beans, a PBJ poster, and a coffee mug. Says Alissa, " Your coffee is so far the best I ever tasted!" Well thanks guys! "Best" is such a big word, but wow, thanks for your opinion! We will miss you and we will always remember you and the support you have given the cafe. May God bless you and your student ministry with the Navs!




* We had a storm last week. The wind was very strong and it was raining hard. I woke up early one morning (Thursday, I think) and thought that we may have to close for the day if the rain would continue to pour that hard. It subsided and somehow, some sort of miracle just happened, the cafe was full the whole day. Hot coffee was served like water. It was great practice for latte art for Ramhil and I. Elbinizens, you guys are the bomb! Nakakaantok na nga, hassle pa lumabas, sarap matulog o mag Facebook, pero pumunta parin kayo sa Canton, adik! Galeng! We praise God for these blessings that we receive.



* Ise, our barista friend from Starbucks, taught me how to make an Iced White Chocolate Americano last Saturday. She told me a customer of theirs taught her how to do that. I thought that was very cool. So from now on I'll have an alternative to my daily dose of Double Americano. Thanks Ise!

* This has got nothing to do with the cafe but I would just like to share, hehe. Our graphic artist, Jeg, told me about a teriyaki recipe that involves breaded porkchop. I think that's just plain genius. I really appreciated my time talking about recipes and food with Jeg, can't wait to cook with him and try out his recipes.

* I just grew fond at the concept of people teaching me how to do things again, especially when it involves food and drinks. AND advertising. Thanks to Sherwin again for stimulating my mind again and challenging us to do more stuff for the cafe. Very healthy because being dull, stagnant, and complacent kills me.

* We have a new housekeeper at the cafe! Well, she's not exactly new, she was supposed to be our first one but she's back after 3 housekeepers left. Welcome back Ate Mila! I hope you would stay longer than the others. Cleaning in the morning and working at night is just plain wrong, it doesn't get any "wronger-rer" than that. I mean, you don't get to sleep anymore, you rest in between packets of time. The concept of morning, noon, and nigttime no longer exists. You wake up on the same day 3 times, weird weird weird. Anyway, I'm glad that's over. Moving on!

* The week looks very promising, we just paid our rent and we're ready for another six rounds of cafe life. Some people just enjoy doing the things they do, even if the pay's not that good, or now matter how repetitive things get, sometimes things just have to get done. We have come to accept that and it's very comforting to think that we have a role, no matter how small or big it is, in the lives of many. I love being a barista, it's my life and it will continue to be my passion. With that, we assure you guys that every drink we serve is a reflection of what we stand for, what we believe in, and what we love to do! Yeah!

* Be a Follower! Follow us on Twitter and read my live tweets everyday from 4 pm to 1 am. http://www.twitter.com/cafeantonioelbi

Some News and Notes

* For those of you who have been following us on Twitter for the past few weeks, you know what's been happening. If you're not yet a follower just create an account, it's very easy; you can also follow us on your mobile phone. http://www.twitter.com/cafeantonioelbi.

* July's feels really weird. We had the multicab accident, the pathetic bday dinner with Manong and Arnel, the showtime Fridays (3 weeks in a row!), the a(h1n1), the NBA transactions, Neil Rebua quotes from Zadl, Twitter, Opera Mini, Mobile Facebook, the July rain, cooking lunch and dinner at home while listening to a radio station you don't know (like a mom does), etc. Yes, I don't get the picture, really. It's like being sticky and dry at the same time. Stress, routine, redundancy, unpredictability, hassle-bility. Life in a nutshell.

* The Facebook Quiz that I posted yesterday has already been answered by 20 people. Just claim your prize at the cafe this week. Your prize is the result of the quiz, so it's either a choco chip cookie, oatmeal raisin cookie, a Bibingkinitan (http://www.bibingkinitan.com), a cinnamon roll, or a Blue Crush. Your prize is no longer valid next week.

* There will be another Facebook Quiz next week. It involves something called 1000 pesos. So be prepared and start reading the blogs in any Cafe Antonio website, especially Blogger (http://cafeantonioelbi.blogspot.com).

* Our FoM for July doesn't have coffee in it. It's the first and only FoM that isn't espresso-based. The drink is really difficult to make and I'm really proud of it because it doesn't have any blueberry syrup or sauce (except for the blueberry preserves) in it as a base but it still tastes like blueberry. It's still available, order it today!

* Thanks to all our customers, we have lots of new ones last week. It seems like every new person that comes in adds us up on Facebook. We have friend requests everyday. Kudos to hardcore followers on Twitter too.

* Signage lights are okay. At last we have lights, it has been dark up there for the past few weeks. It's really swell to see that yellow glow once again from across the street.

* We have never really formally introduced and welcomed our new cook, Joyceann Damian. Like Joyce, she's been my batchmate since elementary at MSMSI. Actually she sat in front of me back in Grade 5. She's replaced Bessy Espina, our junior barista/cook, who has been concentrating on her studies since she'll be graduating this semester. Thanks for the good times Bessy and welcome to the crew Joyceann!

* Given that, I have taken barista duty on Fridays and Saturdays, showtime days. Neil and Ramhil have been alternating as cook and barista.

* Well that's about it, it's already 11 am, I still have to deliver my laundry at Orange. Got up early, I was supposed to sell the Kia Carnival this morning. But it was moved this afternoon, no worries.

* Okay, see you this week! God bless!

What a Birthday Week!

July 1 - Dinner with friends (Mon, Jenni, Joyceann, Chino, Fidel, Paolo G., and JD) at Faustina's soft opening. Great food, you should visit it! Thanks Caio!

Happy Bday Jabez 2009
July 2 - My 23rd birthday! (click the link to watch the video)


July 4 - Accident at Tayuman with Manong, Zadl, Joyceann, and Yell. Got home at noon, went to work at 3pm. Hardcore!


July 5 - Birthday dinner with family and Manong & Zadl at Faustina's. Thanks again!

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CAFE STUFF

FoM for July - Blueberry Cheesecake Blended Cream (Php 140)

Answer our Facebook Quiz and get a chance to win a free pasta, frothiccino, and tuna melt! Visit http://www.facebook.com/cafeantonioelbi

http://apps.facebook.com/quizdoyouknowme/take_quiz.jsp?q=15043407&key=8EYW

Still Available - Bibingkinitan Freshly Baked Mini Bibingkas (Php 25 each/Php 150 per box)

"WE SATiSFi WITH NO WiFi" shirts are no longer available. Watch out for new shirts on August! (http://www.cafeantoniostore.multiply.com)

Follow Us on Twitter!

Ads are very expensive. That's why we're taking advantage of our generation's greatest resource: the Internet. Check out our sites:

Find out what the Canton crew's talking about inside (or even outside) the cafe during and after store hours. Jabez will update you on important and not so relevant cafe news and tidbits. Visit us at http://www.twitter.com/cafeantonioelbi.

We've also got our Facebook page name, tell your friends to visit us at http://www.facebook.com/cafeantonioelbi.

For the more recent fans of Canton (and to those new to the cafe's online universe), you can find more about our history, trials, and misadventures at the following sites:

MySpace: myspace.com/cafeantonioelbi
Listen to two of my favorite bands, Erin, and The Weepies (you can hear their songs played at the cafe).

Friendster: friendster.com/cafeantonioelbi
Although we have a larger fan-base at Facebook, we still have a lot of friends on Friendster.

Multiply:
Unofficially the Philippines' "New eBay".
1.) Official - cafeantonioelbi.multiply.com
Grab tons of photos of you and your friends at the cafe from this site. You can also follow the blogs and download the Cafe Antonio jingle (male and female versions) at the homepage.

2.) Online Store - cafeantoniostore.multiply.com
The store is open to all fans of Cafe Antonio in the country. Just order from this site. New merchandise will be coming soon. Complete release of items will be on August.

YouTube: youtube.com/cafeantonioelbi
Believe us when we tell you that we're the only food establishment in ELBI that uses rehearsed dance routines for our commercials. Check out the videos for "Shaken" and "White Strawberry Frothiccino".

Blogger: cafeantonioelbi.blogspot.com
This is our official website.

Welcome Freshies!

The Canton Gang with San Pablo City Vice-Mayor Martin Ilagan (2nd from left)

Ruralites wearing their "WiFi" shirts to get free drinks

Last week was kinda fun for us. The pace was picking up, we introduced new products, plus we met new customers. Also last week, we got our printed cups, not the paper cups, but hopefully we'll get those by July.

Okay, just a quick update for those who haven't been to Canton lately: our FoM for June is the Peanut Butter and Jelly (PBJ) Frajelli, it's our first frajelli FoM but it has whipped cream, double servings of jelly and the works. It's bongga embodied in a 16oz cup. And it's only 130 pesos. Watch the video below.



You know Bibingkinitan? Those are the mini bibingkas you see at the malls (www.bibingkinitan.com), we're selling them per piece for 25 pesos. You can also order it by box. Our initial stock came from ATC, the succeeding stocks will be coming from SM Sta. Rosa.

Also starting this June, we already have our SUGARFREE frothiccinos. We're using Torani's Sugarfree Chocolate sauce plus we've tweaked our sugarfree recipe a bit, so you'll enjoy more of the coffee if you don't like your drinks too sweet. Available in mocha, black forest, choco-peppermint, choco-macadamia, and cookies and cream. You can also try our sugarfree Antonio's Hot Choco (goes great with Bibingkinitan), Cafe Mocha, and Chocolate Milkshake.

A bit of an update for our online store at Multiply (www.cafeantoniostore.multiply.com), we will be releasing new designs soon for the school year, so watch out for it!

And lastly, we hope you'll enjoy taking out our new printed cups. It's kinda cool seeing someone drinking a Cafe Antonio Frothiccino walking along Grove or around campus, with the flashing logo and all, hehe, neat.

That will do it for today guys, hope to see you soon. And a shoutout to all Ruralites out there, any batch, we're so thankful for your support! It's so nice to see Ruralites of different ages come together in one place. God bless everyone!

GET FREE DRINKS WHEN YOU WEAR A SHIRT

Here's our first promo for you guys this school year:

Wear any CAFE ANTONIO T-SHIRT to the cafe and you'll get any drink you want for free!
Just wear a CAFE ANTONIO T-SHIRT once a month to the cafe and you can get any drink you like, including our Flavor of the Month! Promo is valid for 1 year (12 months) starting this JUNE.

We're running out of shirts, so better hurry up. We only make 10 shirts per design, once it's gone, it's gone!

Watch out for new t-shirts soon!

Suck on It!

Try our Flavor of the Month (FoM) for June: the Peanut Butter & Jelly Frajelli!



Watch the video!

It's June, Welcome Back Students!

We have a lot of things prepared for you guys this June...

Starting June 9, we will be selling Bibingkinitan Freshly Baked Mini Bibingkas (http://www.bibingkinitan.com) for 25 pesos each. So watch out for it when classes start next week. It goes great with coffee and the gloomy weather that's been bothering us these past few days.


On Monday (tomorrow, June 1), we will be launching our SUGAR FREE FROTHICCINOS available in Mocha (Php 85), Black Forest (95), Choco Peppermint (115), Cookies and Cream (115), and Choco Macadamia (125) flavors. All thanks to our newly supplied Torani Sugar Free Chocolate Sauce!


Also available for June is our FoM, the PBJ (Peanut Butter and Jelly) FRAJELLI. This is our first and only Frajelli FoM. It has coffee jelly, peanut butter syrup and chocolate, blended with strawberry syrup and topped with a dollop of whipped cream, crushed nuts, caramel sauce, and more coffee jelly! Absolutely delightful for fans of the classic PBJ sandwich. Only 130 pesos. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/cafeantonioelbi.

FoM for June: PBJ Frajelli

Cafe Antonio's fist Frajelli FoM with whipped cream! Only 130 pesos!

Starring: Chino Santos
Directed By Jabez Flores
Music: I Don't Love Anyone by Belle and Sebastian

This video was shot yesterday afternoon. We had no electricity at our apartment and it was getting dark fast, that's why the video's a bit dim. After shooting the video, we ate the PBJ sandwiches, hehe. Congrats to Chino for his amazing acting skills.

Gifts Along the Way

Photo (right): The new facade of Cafe Antonio - Dumaguete, more power guys!

"Inquire re tech support." That's what my cellphone reminders told me to do last Friday. And I read it again this morning after waking up from a monster 4-movie marathon that ended early in the morning. Tech support for our espresso machine has been my concern for the past year. Although our machine had been dependable for the past year, crazy things are always bound to happen in the most important moments. A broken espresso machine in a cafe is the equivalent of a passionate man losing the desire to go on with life. That may be too dramatic, but you get the picture. No espresso machine, no cafe. It's that simple.

The thought of our machine breaking down haunted me until someone by the name of Tita Glo texted me. The message went something like this, "Jabez, i have a coffee machine here, someone gave it to us, but it's too sophisticated, and I already have a coffeemaker, maybe you can use it at the cafe." -- Something like that. Machine. Sophisticated. Coffeemaker. Those three words were all I needed, I thought, "that must be a fully-automatic home espresso machine!" So I told her that I'll drop by right at that moment to get it. Yes, I was right, it was a small fully-automatic espresso machine, it's 120 v but what the heck! Finally, a backup espresso machine, waaah! It was an anwered prayer even before praying or thinking of praying about it! All of us were so happy, it looked beautiful, and it was well appreciated. The Cafe Antonio family would like to thank Tita Glo and Tito Gene Veruasa for the gift, God bless you!

Okay, now that's over, we've already put it on top of our counter (display lang muna), I'm here at Koinonia thinking of new stuff for the school year. We already have a lot of surprises in store for you and I won't spill any of it right now. June and July is already planned out, I hope we would execute well.

Right now, I'm making We Satisifi with No Wifi-themed stickers. It's sorta our ad campaign right now. It's not that we hate WiFi (our ads and promotional tools are all based online, and I'm almost always online), we just don't want people to rely THAT much on the Internet to find a good time. And we don't want the WiFi to overshadow our coffee, cause that's what it's all about. The coffee, the espresso, and the public living room atmosphere of Canton, it's all too precious.

That's it for now, keep on supporting us and we'll always do our best to serve you guys. Let's go, have fun!