Cafe Antonio Sessions

* We didn't expect to be so exhausted after the Soundhole gig last Saturday night, July 24. The energy was so high, we couldn't help but sing along and dance even to the mellowest of songs. They were that good. I didn't know that "1, 2, 3, 4" by The Plain White T's can produce as much energy and excitement as, let's say, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." 

* A lot of people came to watch Cafe Antonio Sessions 2, thankfully. The first gig was an intimate, "sa-sala-ng-kaibigan-ko" kinda performance, only the crew and a few friends got to watch. But this time it was epic. Well, that was epic for us already, we only have a few tables anyway.

* Cafe Antonio Sessions is a series of gigs conceptualized for the purpose of enabling bands with similar musical genres to play together in a single venue (wow, ang tagal kong inisip yung wording nun, haha).

* The first two gigs featured veteran acoustic/alternative band, Soundhole (but from now on let's just call them Lenard Eric) and newbie, piano rock/acoustic punk band, Juniper Face the Corner. The former covered songs by Tonic, John Mayer, Howie Day, Dashboard Confessional, and Dave Matthews Band. While the latter covered piano anthems from Snow Patrol and Augustana, and acoustic renditions of emo/pop-punk hits from Anberlin and Cinematic Sunrise. 

* This Saturday, JFTC will play another gig at the cafe, this time with, pop-rock band, Yield Avenue. Their sound reminds me of a combination of Sugarfree and Silent Sanctuary. They're the soft-rock, OPM department of Cafe Antonio Sessions, since Lenard Eric and JFTC prefer covering foreign alternative and indie bands. If you already have their CD, you can come and watch them live this Saturday night, 8 pm. Click the link below to watch their music video, "Hanggang Dulo." The video was shot at the old site, so the song really means a lot to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1s6a_R4p7g

* August 14 is Dave Matthews Band Night, that would be Cafe Antonio Sessions 4 already! We'll be having tribute nights every once in a while wherein all the participating bands will perform their own renditions of the featured artist. Last week, Eric Lenard and JFTC chose DMB to be the first band to be featured in tribute night. 

* Great start! Hey, if you're a band, a duo, or singer-songwriter and you listen to any of the artists we like (checkout our Facebook and MySpace page) just visit us at cafe. 

"what's good about music is that you can never say enough is enough and i'll stop when it's over coz it's never gonna end" (CafeAntonioElbi Tweet, July 26, Sunday, 11:04 pm)

The Opposite of Insight is A Sizzling Plate of Sisig

* This afternoon I caught myself mesmerized and listening intently to my friends, Gelo and Mike, as they told me about (of all the cool things available for conversation) Breaking Dawn and the Twilight Saga over a plate of sisig. That was very educational, thank you guys. Light moment

* I literally had nothing to do last night. We slept late, as we celebrated our friend Joyce's birthday at Burger King after work in the wee hours of a very cool Sunday morning. I brought home the free Whopper Jr. to eat for lunch. When we got home, I fell asleep watching Underworld 3. When I woke up at 4:30 pm I watched Date Night, then A-Team, then The Losers. Then I listened to a few songs while reading a Paste feature on Belle and Sebatian's Stuart Murdoch before I went to sleep. Very informative.

* Is this for real? Do I really have nothing to do? It scares me, it creeps me out. I'm not used to it anymore. Before band practice, I told Gelo that I get scared when things are peaceful. The moment of peace is just a "rest period" for another "big one". I asked God last night what my attitude should be towards moments like these. I should be thankful, definitely. But I have an attitude problem. I don't like hassle but when it's gone, I miss it. I would always tell my staff, "Kelan ba magiging mapayapa ang buhay ko?" Then when everything's good, "Anong meron?!"

* During the storm last week, Retz, Jeg, and I were stranded. Our apartment was flooded and all entry points to both of my sisters' homes were blocked by trees and waist-deep flood water. We were driving around campus like scared children. We parked the Multicab in front of Mini Stop until our friend, Julius, told us we could stay at their place. When we arrived at their place, there were at least 30 injured and dead birds in front of their door. We had to rescue a few. I've never seen so may dead animals in one place. It was like a massacre.

* Calamities aside, our promos clicked last week, that was good. I'm very thankful for that. We worked very hard to develop our lunch combos and our new products. We're also very glad a lot of Yield Avenue and Meliora CDs were given away.

* It's a difficult situation to be in. I'm happy and thankful but there's a part of me that goes, "ehh..." 

* It's cold. It's a phase. It will pass.

CAFE NEWS! 

* Have you heard of Alf Likes This? If not, you can type it on Facebook and check it out. We're part of that and we want you guys to join. I'd like to explain it here but the blog would be too long. And I'm a bit sketchy right now. I just woke up from a nap at the cafe. That's me and Gelo with Al Labadan II of Alf Likes This (see photo above).

* Gigs! On Saturday, July 24, my band, Juniper Face the Corner, will play a few songs together with Lenard and Eric (Soundhole). If you missed the gig last time, now's your chance to watch us again! And on July 30, Yield Avenue will also be playing at the cafe. Be sure to bring your friends!

* Lunchtime is getting busy these days at CAnton. Come to the cafe from 11 am to 3 pm to try our affordable  Lunch Combos! And from 5:30 pm onwards, you can order our newest pasta, the Pesto Alejandro!

* We will be replenishing prize stubs at Carajo's tomorrow. When you order at least 100 pesos worth of food at Carajo's you can pick out a prize at our box on their counter. You can avail those prizes from 11 am to 3 pm.

* Hopefully this will be a good week for all of us. Stay safe and God bless!

Thy Shall Come at Eleven to Three

Sorry for the late blog entry! Obviously the storm a few days back really disrupted the rhythm of our daily lives. But here we are back online and ready to dance once again. We've got a lot stuff prepared for you guys this week. 


NEW LUNCH COMBOS
We've got 7, yes, SEVEN, lunch combos for you available from 11 am to 3 pm only. Free ICED TEA on all combos!
Combo 1 - Choice of Pasta and a fruit salad from COOLERS AND SHOOTERS (Php 70)
Combo 2 - Choice of Special Sandwich and Choice of Waffle (Php 70)
Combo 3 - Choice of Pasta and Tuna Melt (Php 90)
Combo 4 - Choice of Panini and Choice of Cupcake (Carrot or Choco) (Php 100)
Combo 5 - Choice of Pasta and Chocie of Waffle plus Choice of Special Sandwich (Php 120)
Combo 6 - Choice of 2 Pastas plus Choice of Panini (Php 230)
Combo 7 - Choice of 2 Pastas plus Ham and Egg Sandwich and Choice of Cupcake (Php 230)

CARAJO'S PROMO
Order at least 100 pesos worth of meals at Carajo's and pick a prize from our gift box on their counter. You 
can win a free iced tea refill, 10 pesos off on a Frothiccino, or a FREE Flavor of the Month! Claim your prize at Cafe Antonio between 11 am to 3 pm only!


PESTO ALEJANDRO
Yes, the name of this pasta dish came from Lady Gaga's song, if ever you were wondering. It's also a nice name to go along with his older brothers, Alfredo and Antonio. You can order this dish from 5:30 pm to 1 am on Mondays and Fridays, and from 4 pm to 1 am on Saturdays. It's a Cafe Antonio dinner exclusive!

FOM: BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BLENDED CREAM
Three weeks to go! Don't wait for next year to taste this FOM orignal!

NEW TEAS
Aside from our Peppermint Tea and Earl Grey Green Tea, we have added Pure Green tea, Green Tea and Lemon, Green Tea and Mint, and Jasmine Green Tea.

Unflipping the Facebook

* I make sure that I spend a few hours online at least once a week. It's part of my job as the self-appointed blogger of Cafe Antonio Elbi. I remember last Monday I was on a writing spree. I started slow then I got into a groove...boom, two articles. But that was it. I didn't had the desire to go online again last week. It was my birthday last Friday, by the way. I just turned 24. We're still trying to finish off the chocolate cakes. Anyway, sometimes I get this feeling that I don't want to know what's happening around me for a change. Maybe I was just searching for the "bliss" in the "ignorance" or maybe I just don't want to say  online what we're up to.

* Facebook is a good thing. It gives us prep time and material for hardcore barkada and/or family bonding. But sometimes we get to the point where we try to tell someone something and all you'll get is, "Ah, nabasa ko nga sa Facebook." And you go, "O nga naman".  You either build up things from there or just end the communication process entirely. It goes either way. If I were still a sociology student, I'd make a study about "the evolving social exchanges of people as determined, influenced, and/or hindered by the social networking site, Facebook." That title is up for grabs, improve on it.

* It was just a breath of fresh air just to realize that my life isn't dependent online. Although our business relies heavily on online presence and activity. Ironic.

CAFE NEWS!!!

* Lenard and Eric (formerly known or sometimes known as Soundhole when they're a full band), performed last Saturday night at the cafe in front of...well, the staff and a handful of people. Well that's okay. It wouldn't look good if we were full anyway, there's nothing indie rock about that. Zooey Deschanel in Yes Man comes to mind again. My band, Juniper Face the Corner, started the night with four songs. We hope we could develop our "Cafe Antonio Sessions" (inspired by the AOL Sessions, thanks Kuya Jeg) in the near future and have a performance regularly. If you're a singer/songwriter or a band that plays similar music as ours (you're in if you know Ingrid Michaelson and Josh Kelley) then you're welcome to join us in our mini sets. Be warned, it's cramped in here! But I think "cozy" or "intimate" are better terms.

* FoM! Yes it's back! Our first ever FoM was created out of boredom sometime in July 2008. The product of that boredom was the Blueberry Cheesecake Blended Cream. It has no coffee, so I guess this is our most accessible FoM. It has white chocolate and real blueberries blended with ice and milk. But the real treat here is the whipped cream, crushed grahams, and blueberry preserves on top of the drink. It's a blueberry cheesecake transposed to the drinkable tune of a milkshake. So I hope you guys enjoy it this July.

* Lots more to come! Can't tell 'em all here! Haha! Thanks blog readers.