Of Balikbayans and Random Drama: Tales from a Fast Food Tambay

* For the first time in my adult life, I went to Metro Manila yesterday with absolutely no cash in my wallet. That's because I completely forgot to get my cafe allowance before leaving. Although we brought the SoliVan to accompany our balikbayan friend, Chim, back to Makati, the feeling of not having cash rivals the feeling of not being able to apply deodorant at the start of the day. I told my friends at the cafe that I would open this week's late Friday blog with that story. So what follows can be completely unrelated or if not, please find a reason for coherence.

* I started this blog 3 years ago...I'll be back, it's getting too cold here at the computer shop, I have to get my jacket at the cafe...okay, I started this blog 3 years ago to regularly update our friends about what's happening at the cafe. It used to be a daily blog but in some days nothing important or significant would really happen so I decided after a while that I'll just maintain a weekly blog. Little did I know that my blogs would be a significant part of the lives of the people who aren't in Los Banos to visit the cafe. Like our friends in other countries like Makati or Canada. Elbi peeps aren't really the blog readers here, maybe because we hang out all the time and they're already fed up with my rhymes and that reading my blog would be redundant. Well that's just my opinion.

* I've got 5 balikbayan friends who visited the cafe during the past few months or weeks, whatever. There's my batchmate Chester from Singapore; former Cafe Antonio LB manager, Nica also from Singapore; our friend Ise, also from Singapore?! Hmm, I should have grouped them in one sentence...moving on...; there's Fidel, my bandmate, from Taiwan, and then there's Chim from Canada. During their visits, I realized the convenience you get from maintaining and writing blogs because all of them are very much updated about what's happening back here in Elbi. So it saves daylight kwentuhan time and it makes room for other kwentuhan. I hope you guys read this, I'll tag you on Facebook: I would sincerely like to thank you guys for the amazing time you spent with us here. Fidel, our jam reminded us of our carefree days 8 years ago, and it's been a pleasure to play with you again. Even though we're not in the same band, you and I will always be bandmates. And to Chim, thanks for spoiling us, haha! Hopefully when we're 30 (nooo!) it will be our time to spoil you! It seems like we've grown closer as friends when you moved to Canada. Speaking of people going away to other places, our friend Brandon is also going back to Alaska for a few years. We will miss you sir.

* I have this habit writing long blogs but I'll keep this short. I'm tempted to write more but I'll just save it for a rainy day, or a chilly day. Jollibee, McDo, BK, and Shakey, thanks for the love, support, sustenance, and guidance. 

Every Barista Today is a Pioneer

* There's more to being a barista than working behind the bar and preparing and serving good coffee. Our goal at the cafe is to make the barista a legitimate profession, a profession in which you can be proud to tell your parents that you have chosen to lead the life of a barista. Although because of mainstream culture and still-dominant beliefs, success is still measured by financial standards. When this is factored in, a profession loses its appeal to gain parental approval. This is where passion comes in. Passion cancels out almost every concern, most especially financial concerns. It's where you have to choose between what you love and what you need. I've been receiving the same weekly salary for almost 3 years now. The total of which is just the monthly salary of other jobs. And yet I still believe that I have the best job in the world.

* I hold on to the belief that someday baristas in our country will someday gain as much respect just like any other profession you went to college for. "Barista ka lang" should be replaced by "Wow, barista ka!" For all you baristas out there, let's make this our vision for our beloved profession.

* At the cafe, we train and encourage all our baristas to participate in national competitions. The dedication and work involved in preparing for these events transforms a person from being a food server to a legitimate and proud representative of a craft, a skill, and a profession. 

* Last Saturday, we held our first ever Intra-Branch Barista Competition at the cafe. It was also the first barista competition in Los Banos. Only a handful of guests arrived to watch the competition but all five contestants gave their best to put on a show!

* Junior Barista, Ian Soliven, became the first champion of our Barista Competition. He and 2nd place winner, Junior Barista, Joyceann April Damian will represent Cafe Antonio Coffee Corporation at the Philippine Barista Cup this year together with our Senior Barista, Neil Rebua (participant of PBC '10 and GBC '10). We are all very proud of them as we saw the effort they put in preparing for the competition. We would also like to congratulate Junior Baristas. Jegar delos Reys, Francis "Khitz" Contemplacion, and Margret Bonita for putting up a good fight and giving it their all.

* What we do is relatively new. The skills and knowledge we possess regarding the science and art of preparing coffee is still unchartered territory for most people. All the struggles and challenges we face in uplifting our profession makes everything exciting because we'll never really know what great things are in store for us in the future.

* If you're a passionate barista, join our community of Filipino baristas on Facebook. Search: Pinoy Barista

We Live in Two Worlds That Intersect at an LB Square

* The three epic gigs we had last month generated a musical high in me. Actually, it sparked a flame of inspiration in all of us at the cafe. That's because we discovered that we enjoyed preparing a good show for Cafe Antonio Sessions. Read about my Saturday realizations and revelations at our Cafe Antonio Sessions Webzine at http://cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com. 

* We're music fans and musicians at heart but we're baristas by profession. We should not forget that and that's why this week, our focus suddenly shifted to our first coffee industry-related activity on a Saturday. Finally! Puro kayo tugtog e, haha! We've been training our five new baristas this week for our first ever Intra-Branch Barista Competition on Saturday, February 5. Since Monday, we've undergone intensive barista training complete with shouting, shadowboxing, party music-ing, equipment shopping, product testing, and video reviewing. As a member of the organization, Pinoy Barista, we want to uphold our profession by sharpening our skills and exploiting our creativity, forcing our brains to come up with new flavor combinations and pushing our physical capabilities to the limit by preparing espressos and cappuccinos with speed and accuracy. 

* I'm proud of our baristas because I'm seeing that they're giving their 100 percent for Saturday. They've spent a lot of money for their equipment and ingredients and they've also given much time for research and practice. All of this makes me miss the barista competitions we participated in last year. It's like a concert or an epic gig for coffee geeks, it's very heart-pounding and exciting!

* The participating baristas on Saturday are: Francis "Khitz" Contemplacion, Ian Soliven, Jegar delos Reyes, Margret Bonita, and Joyceann Damian. 

* You can watch the contest on Saturday at 10 am. Photographers are welcome! It's not everyday that you see a barista competition in Los Banos! For most of us, the coffee barista scene is a fairly new concept. It's like the indie rock version of Iron Chef.

* I would like to say thanks to all the people who helped make The Beatles Tribute Night a rocking success last Saturday! It was overwhelming indeed! Visit our YouTube Channel (http://youtube.com/cafeantonioelbi) for the videos of all the performances. View awesome gig photos at our Facebook page, Cafe Antonio Sessions, or our Webzine (http://cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com). Thanks for supporting the Los Banos Indie Music Scene!

Ha-hardcore: Cramming Simple Joys in Life's Most Difficult Spaces

* Over the past few weeks the word, ha-hardcore, has been used with much frequency. "Ha-hardcore ba tayo?" "Parang gusto ko humardcore ngayon." "Ang hardcore naman tol." "Ka-hardcore-an." These are some of the phrases that I've heard, all of them I hear from my friends at the cafe. When we say we want to do something hardcore, it basically means that we want to do something fun...after work...after a long day's work. But most of the time, to put it frankly, it's eating a Monster Meal Deal at Shakey's and going home in the morning.

* It amazes me that, nowadays, to have fun is already hardcore. Maybe because fun is becoming an expensive commodity or an elusive dream. And yet there is a surplus of fun in the world. But there aren't too many people who are willing to avail it without hesitation. Maybe it has become a last priority or a final destination (ugh, that phrase reminds me of something else). Maybe it has become a finish line rather than a stop over. In my personal opinion, I think having fun should be more like the latter. Every now and then everybody needs to go to Tagaytay in the wee hours of the morning, wear a hoodie, and eat ice cream in the sidewalk outside of the local 7-11. We should take things in stride and make time to free one's self from the ubiquity of constant demands and structured commands. When all else fails, Have a Kit-Kat.

* Okay, so much for this week's reflection! January's almost over, how time flies, sometimes you hate it because you're becoming older sometimes you like it because you want this day to be over. But before anything else, I would like to invite you guys to our Beatles Tribute Night this Saturday, January 29. Check out the details by clicking this link: http://cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com.

* I would like to thank DevCom students, Gelo Arboleda and Dana Dayrit, for inviting me over at the DZLB studio for a couple of UStream appearances. Yesterday we tackled the concept of Sacrifice and this afternoon we talked about the cafe as a gimik place. It's my first time there, I hope you guys get a good grade, you both did well!

* Special shout out to our staff and friends who made the Beatles Preview Night possible last Saturday. It was faaaar out and waaay hardcore. I'm always thankful for these moments we spend together when we get the chance to be our own crazy selves. Let's get ready for January 29.

Earning Your Stripes Before Jumping for the Shot

* I apologize for the blog-less week last week. Of course my reason is, as always...all together now...we've been busy. As much as I want to write and update our readers about what the cafe is up to everyday to keep things fresh and current, I simply cannot due to lack of resources. But then again, it isn't indie rock to have all the resources at your fingertips. Sometimes it's cool to be lacking. Sometimes it's cool to say, "Wala na kong pera toool!" 

* Last January 8 we went to Tambayan 101.9 at the ABS-CBN compound with Yield Avenue. It's their second time to be invited at the program, Break Mo To, but this one is special because they're the first band to be invited to play in 2011. Aside from the band, Eri and Kukay were there to accompany their respective boyfriends, Khitz and Noe. Manong was in his usual manong form to drive us to QC. And Zadl and I were in our Yield Avenue band shirts covering the occasion. Not to be left out, the CAnton Gang brought an actual radio (radyo! radyo!) to the cafe and huddled together to listen to Yield Avenue perform like proud brothers and sisters. It was a good experience for us. It was actually my first time to be inside a radio station booth. We ended the night with Mang Inasal, a fast food chain that we might not go back to anytime soon. Maybe 2 months. And yes, there were 9 of us inside the multicab, complete with 2 guitars, a bass guitar, and a cajon. Imagine...imagine all the people crammed inside the multicab. It's a "bonding" van.

* After a few days we were on the road again for the gig at Alphaland Southgate Mall, again, with Yield Avenue, sans Jhomel the drummer. That was January 12. It's our second time to accompany them at Alphaland. The first time we went there we were with LIME. They were also supposed to play in this gig but due to some unfortunate circumstances, they weren't able to go with us. I invited Juniper Face the Corner and Gabes Torres to play with Yield Avenue but they weren't also available also. So that's why Yield Avenue was the only band to perform that night. Guess what we had for dinner, yes, Mang Inasal. It was free, so go inasal! Thanks again to Rane Javier, the organizer of the gigs at Alphaland for giving us another opportunity to showcase LB-based talent. Thanks also to our friends, Nestle and Mako, we've been tighter since the first gig. I miss you guys already. I almost forgot, before we went to Alphaland, we had a cafe managers' meeting at Rizal, Laguna in the morning. I just wanted to throw that in. Thanks to my Pop for facilitating us in developing our company philosophy and core values.

* After 3 days, January 15, the CAnton crew dedicated all their remaining energy to our friend, Gabes Torres' debut album launch. It was the first album launch for Cafe Antonio Sessions and we certainly enjoyed preparing everything for the event. It kinda reminded us of our high school days when we put all our effort in designing and conceptualizing our stage plays. It was a smooth, smooth, smooth gig. Everything went according to plan.   Well, not exactly but that doesn't matter. Even the rain cooperated, it started pouring right just after the gig. We're all so proud of Gabes and the success she's having in her music career at such a young age. We'll always be there to support you. And I'm especially proud of Jeg, Julius, Dan, and the CAnton Gang for all the logistics, the planning, coordination, and support to make everything possible. Personally, the gig opened a lot of fresh new ideas for me.

* This is work for us, it's fun but it's still work. When you're having fun with your work, you won't feel like you're working. I'm very glad I'm involved in a group or a company like this wherein everything is just an outpour of ideas, passion, and creativity. But aside from this, what you see at the cafe or what I write in our blogs, we also do a lot of boring, hassle adult work. To be able to handle this boring, hassle adult work, one must have the right mindset and must be in the right position and time before doing anything else. Acting silly and being fun-loving needs to have a solid foundation too, if not we would just all be bums. What I've learned from being a student remains true, "do your homework, then watch TV the rest of the night." 

The Top 10 Most Memorable Moments of 2010

I made a list again! I was looking at 2009's list (http://cafeantonioelbi.blogspot.com/2009/12/cafe-antonio-elbis-best-of-2009.html) and I thought it would be fun to do this every year. And because I can't go to the cafe today and I have nothing else to do, I made a 2010 list...with pictures! Recycled ones though, from the old blogs. Get some ice cream and enjoy! I'll start at number 10. The rankings are personal and subjective folks, no quantitative stuff here!

10. Cafe Antonio Sessions on the Road: The Magallanes Gig (December)

- Thanks to the trio of Rane, Nestle and Mako, the Sessions peeps landed their first mall gig! It was a nice roadtrip/soundtrip for the boys from Yield Avenue, L-I-M-and E, and the roadies leaving them hungry for more out-of-town gigs. And just like magic (thanks to the Magical Hi-Ace), everybody got closer after that gig. Istarbuck!

9. Cafe Antonio Sessions XIII: Yuletide Concert and Christmas Party (December)

- Don't forget the gingerbread man-making contest and the exchange gift! This was our first Christmas party at the cafe and the first time we actually spent a fortune for an exchange gift! It was all the more memorable thanks to the hyperactive presence of our cafe friends, Segatron, LIME, and Yield Avenue.

8. Pinoy Barista Jam 1/Involvement with Pinoy Barista (August)

- Pinoy Barista changed our lives! Meeting Mam Vanessa, Sir Jerry, and the rest of the gang inspired us to work harder and love our profession all the more. It also made going to food expos and competitions seem more like a reunion for the members. Woooh!!!

7. Last Week at the Old Site/NHK's Asian Smile Documentary/Hanggang Dulo by Yield Avenue Tribute Video (May)

- We all miss the old site! Memories still fill my heart as I pass by that empty, old, yellow box. It all began there, that place provided shelter (literally!) for those who are yearning for a home in Elbi. Good thing the old site memories were immortalized in Yield Avenue and TJ's music video, Hanggang Dulo. And of course, probably the funniest and weirdest happening last year, Aki's documentary about the cafe! That documentary gave the cafe international exposure as it was shown in NHK BS-1 and NHK World. It also gave the cafe international ties, thanks to our Japanese friends, Aki, Lisa, Kumiko.and Mr. Camera Man!

6. Formation of Cafe Antonio Sessions (July)

- What began as a concept in Eric, Jabez, and Jeg's wild imaginations, became a circle of gifted musicians, diehard fans, and new friends called Cafe Antonio Sessions. The 13 gigs we did last year were both exhilarating and life-changing for the staff and our friends.

5. Staff Outing at Bato Resort, San Pablo City (May)

- This was a time of scorching heat in ELBI, that's why we decided to cool off and take a break from the issues surrounding the cafe at that time. It was a good time for us to regroup and think about our last days at the old site and prepare for the challenges that LB Square has in store for us.

4. Sigaw Music Video Shoot at Tagaytay (December)

- Out-of-town trips and vacations always inspire us. Thanks to Khitz of Yield Avenue for involving us in his band's music video. It gave us an opportunity to bond with our new and old friends, all of which are part of the big, happy family of the CAnton Gang. Thanks to Julius for letting us stay in their magnificent Tagaytay resthouse!

3. Philippine Barista Cup and Grand Barista Cup Elims (August)

- These two national barista competitions we participated in last year definitely took us to the next level of preparing coffee. Many thanks to our coach and friend, Lanz, for teaching us the tricks of the trade and for giving us valuable insights and motivation. We also met a lot of our new barista friends in these two competitions. SMX Convention Center will never be the same again!

2. Ralph Raymond "Mon" Bayani's Stint as Barista/Cashier (June to September)

- We're thankful for each day we spent working with Mon at the cafe. He's one of our assets and is famous for his unique coffee art designs, good looks, and checkered shorts. We're glad that you'e part of our family, brother! You made 2010 special for us all. Have fun with your band at Sessions!

1. The Move to  LB Square (June)

- No contest. This is definitely the most memorable moment of 2010. It changed the complexion of the game. Ever since we moved here, our circle just got bigger. New staff, longer operating hours, new hassle-rich challenges, new neighbors, new friends, etc. Undoubtedly an interesting cast of characters for CAnton's 3rd season. If not for the new site, there will be no Barista Jams and Cafe Antonio Sessions. In spite of the troubles and headaches the new site gave us, in the end it was all worth it.

Other Notable Moments

- Halloween Costume Party

- Intensive 1-Week Training for New Staff

- Judging stint at BAFBEX, La Salle, Lipa

- Interview at Bialetti Foofs

- Philippine Barista Cup Orientation at PBCA, Greenhills

- Grand Barista Cup Orientation/Practice/Semis/Finals

- Barista Jams 2 and 3

- Cafe Antonio Sessions II to XII


Last year was great, but let's make this year better! Let's go 2011!

A Holiday Reflection Typed By The Non-Dominant Hand

* I was a little hesitant about blogging this week because I really couldn't tell if I could type a long blog with just my left hand. My right arm will be in a fiberglass cast for two weeks, today's my second day of strong-hand immobility. It's starting to get itchy. You see I have extremely swollen ligaments around my right wrist that may become a major tear. Anyway, I've been online since coming home to San Pablo last Wednesday, I thought I might as well channel my status update-typing energy to that of a blog-typing one. And so here I am on this white text box composing my blog entry for this special week. Wow, I really type fast with one hand.

* It's a pleasure for me to report that our Yuletide Concert and Christmas Party last Saturday was a blast! A lot of people were there and we even had a gingerbread man-making contest sponsored by Ate Marisse. Of course the highlight of the party was the CAnton staff exchange gift. Everyone went wild because everybody got what they wanted. It was also a treat to celebrate the occasion with Segatron, LIME, and Yield Avenue. These guys really put on a show and they really enjoyed the food! I think Sega ate the most baked macaroni! Haha! 

* The CAnton gang had enough energy to go to Tagaytay and shoot the Sigaw music video by Yield Avenue. We were there from Monday to Wednesday. We actually shot the video on Monday and just spent the following days chilling, eating, and looking at the nighttime clouds. That was like a staff retreat for us, together with a few of our CAnton gang-mates. Well, it certainly did recharge us, our spirits not our bodies. Most of us got sick when we got home. We will resume the shoot at the cafe on the 27th. I would just like to thank Julius and his mom for letting us shoot in their house. To Sir TJ, thanks for doing this pro bono! And to Khitz and Yield Avenue for trusting us to help them in their music video.

* So that's what happened these past few days. We've been through a lot this year and I'm very pleased that the year ended on a high note. I'd like to share an illustration that I just thought of during one of my reflection times:

For those of you who have been blog readers since 2008 I guess you've read about one of my old illustrations that I always use on pep talks and speeches. The Vegetable Illustration. When I was a child I used to eat all the vegetables first on my plate so that I could enjoy the meat and the rice later. It means that you should do first what you are required to do before you can "fool around", act silly, and do what you want. 

Now for the new one, a somehow related thought. Clean your room first before you can play in it again. You see, we're a happy bunch of kids at the cafe, we love fun. But we had to deal with a lot of things and ball sheaths before we permit ourselves to be loose and have fun in our jobs. The year 2010 was a stressful year, and a lot of cleaning up was required. Example, leaving the old site and transferring to LB Square; the legal battles in LB Square. You can't just play and play. You have to be responsible enough to clean up your mess and other people's mess (if required) too. So the next time you see your room, think about yourself and let your room be a reflection of who you are.

* Jesus cleaned up our mess for us so that we could live in this world with freedom. Remember Him this Christmas and start cleaning your room, He wants us to enjoy it! Merry Christmas y'all!!!

Instant Coffee Goodness in Real Coffee

* I write many kinds of blogs for CAnton. Sometimes I write reflective/inspirational "heart" pieces. There are times when I just rant and type my heart out and then end the article neatly. There are also times when I just tell a story or report an event or occasion. When the noodle ain't working I resort to looking for a neat article to repost or when I run out of words to type I just do a photoblog with cool captions. But I also write informative blogs. It's one of those FYI types. Or "now you know" or "just so you know" kindathings.

* One night, the beautiful fairy that occasionally visits my mind reappeared and reminded me of the age old question, "how do you get people to drink espresso?" It's been a challenge for us baristas to promote the espresso as a beverage of accessible sophistication. It's a new concept here in our country, actually. Only a few people know that an espresso is just a shot of pure coffee joy joy. It's pure coffee joy joy if it's prepared well, it's pure coffee hell hell when it isn't prepared correctly. 

* I'm originally a fan of black coffee, it's not until the barista competitions and barista jams that I have found a renewed interest in drinking and preparing lattes and cappuccinos. I wanted people to taste the coffee and not the other stuff but then I realized that it's hard for people to transition from something familiar to something that is not within their comfort zone of taste. So I thought, as a barista, I have to facilitate the journey of young coffee drinkers, or what I like to call, The Coffee-Drinking Youth. 

* What's the most familiar coffee taste in the country? You're probably right, it's the taste of instant coffee. It goes well with pandesal every almusal. I have to admit, instant coffee still has a certain appeal to me. It's the kind of coffee most of us grew up with. And most Filipinos have already been endeared by its "safe" taste. Not too strong, not too sweet.

* We can't sell instant coffee at the cafe, that's for sure! But we can replicate it's taste! The concept of 30 mL shots fascinate me. So I tried to mix a shot of milk, a shot sugar syrup, and a shot of espresso in a cup. Then I added hot water. Kaboom. Bring on the pandesal. We promoted the drink last night and we got awesome feedback. Although it tastes like instant coffee, I told our customers that what they're drinking has a real shot of espresso in it. So you get the espresso and the familiar taste of instant coffee in one hot cup. It's a good transition drink, we will call it the Instant CAnton. Thank you LB for giving us the nickname CAnton. Try it tonight, if you have leftover pandesal, you can bring it. I like peanut butter, bring some too.

There's No "I" in Famly

* I'm a very very "hermitty" person. I mean, I can lock myself up in my room for days watching DVDs, playing NBA Live and stuff. All I need is a bag of supplies from 7-11. And I usually don't like guests inside the house because it would disrupt my tranquility. That is why the idea of "inviting people" into my life seems like a rather odd, ambivalent, push-and-pull, like-unlike,  oxymoronic paradigm to me. Oxymoronic paradigm? Is there such a thing? What?

* All these years of working at the cafe, several people have come and gone. And yet the CAnton gang remains a tightly knit group. It started small, mostly composed of my high school batchmates, but now we've formed a loosely organized clique with the cafe as the common denominator. My parents were right. These people have become my family here in LB. My two older sisters have their own families to take care of and I have the cafe. 

* Uh, no we're not an arrested development kind of group that can't move on with life and swings life away drinking coffee and playing boardgames. I'd rather see ourselves as people who aren't rushing life but are mature enough to handle the real world. I like that, I just thought of that last night. I was in "muni-muni" mode while I was reading Mon's book, Why does Popcorn Pop. 

* That's what I am actually, a person who is not in a hurry to grow old but has matured enough to handle whatever sh*t the world gives him. It's a subject for pep talks, definitely. There's no "I" in famly. You can see that, look at it again. And without a famly, in whatever context it is, you can't have that too many roadtrips. Someone has to drive and pay for the gas. Hehe. Yeah! 

A Double Ristretto Americano with a Shot of Milk, a Pump of Vanilla, 14 mL of Sugar Syrup with Some Cinnamon, Please!

* I just woke up at 5:00 pm today. What a slob. My throat felt a little dry and my head was as heavy as whatever-metaphor-you-could-think-of-that-relates-to-the-word-heavy (because I can't think of one right now). What a great way to start the day! Nothing a little Pito-Pito tea would heal. So I put 3 more tea bags into my backpack before I left for the cafe. Strummed some songs on the guitar after taking a bath for good measure. Assurance of a good day? Haha, not really. Who would have thought that singing a song to yourself before leaving the house is a good form of motivation? You do that? Okay.

* Most of the Christmas decorations are up, what a pleasant sight as I approached the cafe's frontage. It sure takes away all the stress. The Yummings Super Bake Sale is ongoing too, I had a sampler of the choco truffle (sweets pa!). 

*  The CAnton staff had a long day yesterday. We started the day with a reflection from Matthew Paul Turner's book The Coffeehouse Gospel. And then we had a pictorial of our food and drinks. I give kudos to the men and women who dedicated their lives making the food and drinks for the shoot and the brave man who took the photos. You are very brave indeed. After that, new barista, Ian, and I went to their house to get their fun van. That's because the crew decided to shop for Christmas decor supplies at SM City San Pablo. Unfortunately, the van had a flat tire. It took Ian and I an eternity to change the tire and have it vulcanized. We ended up with dirty hands and wet clothes, that's because it rained very hard. Perfect timing. However, the incident was a bonding experience for us, good times.

* When we got back from San Pablo we installed the lights at the al fresco area and stared at it for quite a long time. Then we decided to let Kuya Jeg and the girls handle the decor for the cafe's interiors. The boys, on the other hand, played Counter Strike. After closing the shop, the rest of the crew joined in. Counter Strike, not the decorating. We finished before 5 am. And that's...how we roll.

* We'll be giving away these cards (see photo above) this December when you order and you'll get 20 pesos off on any coffee-based drink on your next order. I'll be printing them tonight. Cafe Antonio Sessions XII is on Saturday, be there! Buy a LIME shirt!