in elbi, CAnton has caffeine

Your New Lunch Destination in ELBI

2012-01-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our graphic artist, Noel Casubha, for the poster!

Finally!

2012-01-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

This Month's Schedule:

Jan. 17 -21 (Tuesday to Saturday) - Soft Opening Week (Operating Hours: 12 nn to 9 pm)

Jan. 23 (Monday) - Dedication and Blessing

Jan. 24 (Tuesday) - GRAND OPENING!!! (Operating Hours: 12 nn to 9 pm)

Cafe Antonio LB is open from 12 nn to 9 pm, Tuesdays to Sundays. Monday is our new rest day.

Sunday Reflection: "...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4

Missed the Sound of Cars Passing By

2012-01-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

New Address of Cafe Antonio, Los Banos: 5024 National Highway, Brgy. Maahas, Los Banos Laguna.

Landmarks: If you're coming from LB or Manila, you'll pass us by before getting to Mer-nel's Place and South Supermarket or UP Open University. Just look to your right.

How to Get there: If you're coming from the UPLB Campus, take a jeep to Jollibee, Crossing. From Jollibee, take another jeep (San Pablo or Sta. Cruz) to Brgy. Maahas. Just look to your right and you'll easily find us.

Opening Date: TBA

Welcome 2012! A New Place for the New Year

2011-12-31T04:51:00.000-08:00

We will be opening on January 9, 2012 at our new location at Arla's (5024 National Highway, Brgy. Batong Malake, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines). See you all there!

New Operating Hours (trial): 12 nn to 9 PM (Tuesdays - Sundays)

It's Never Too Late to Start All Over Again...Goodbye LB Square

2011-12-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

Special guest band, Sunday Radio from QC, started Cafe Antonio Sessions XXX with a bang!

The CAnton Staff (L to R: Armyl on acoustic guitar, Noel on drums, Wats on vocals and glockenspiel, Jabez on lead guitar, and Elmer on bass) performing "All My Bells are Ringing" by Lenka.

The CAnton staff and the CAntoneers posing for a shot during the Christmas party after Cafe Antonio Sessions XXX last Saturday, December 17, 2011.

The cafe in LB Square was vacated yesterday, Monday, December 19, 2011.

We're now looking forward to moving to Arla's compound in January 2012.

The Stuff of Legend

2011-11-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

Poster by Grace Osio

Copy and paste the link to watch the video on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150372715401580

Video by Noel Casubha

Send us your own DAKO! fan art by e-mailing us at cafeantonio_elbi@yahoo.com or cafeantonio.elbi@gmail.com

Kung Mahal Mo Siya, Ililibre Mo Sya sa CAnton Buong Taon!

2011-11-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Give your loved ones DAKO-lest Christmas Gift Ever this holiday season!

Cafe Antonio Beverages Prepaid Packages:

Package A (Php 1500)
- entitles you to one (1) FREE Flavor of the Month for each month of the year 2012.
- comes with one (1) FREE "DAKO-fy" upsize card.
- comes with one (1) 20% DISCOUNT Card for your next purchase of DAKO-lest Christmas Gift Ever!

Package B (Php 750)
- entitles you to one (1) FREE Flavor of the Month for six (6) months of the year 2012.
- comes with one (1) FREE "DAKO-fy" upsize card.

Package C (Php 500)
- entitles you to one (1) FREE Flavor of the Month for three (3) months of the year 2012.
- comes with one (1) FREE "DAKO-fy" upsize card.

We Found Our Appetite!

2011-11-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

* We had a hard time looking for the November issue of Appetite Magazine in Los Banos. So we bought a couple at SM Mall of Asia. Thank you very much Appetite for featuring ELBI establishments in your publication, we're very happy! Guys, grab a copy now and RIPRIZINT!

Exhausted Fan

2011-11-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Owltonio, drive for me, owl! Drive for me!

* October 31. Oh I envy those who are asleep in their beds. Those who are parked in front of their laptops watching downloads of TV shows I haven't heard of. And those who are outside just enjoying, uh, the outside. World. Outside world.

* 12:30 PM. Enjoyed my first official layyyyy-zeeee morning of the year. It felt good. But only for a while. Zombie-fied, I trudged towards my backrest-less swivel chair, turned on my old Dell DeLapTop (hybrid of a laptop and a desktop, an actual downgrade) and opened the best software program created by man...MS Excel.

* Your work should work for you. And not the other way around. We shouldn't be slaves to our work. We shouldn't be controlled by our jobs! But alas, what has to be done needs to be done and should be done. It's a "now or never" moment. It's a "let's get it over with so I can move on with my life" movie scene.

* After 16 hours of toil and countless episodes of Phineas and Ferb, Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, and three episodes of New Girl playing in the background and put on shuffle, I have finally finished, what I like to call, "Home Office Work." Or "boring adult stuff that nobody cares about."

* The next morning, I was supposed to clean my apartment. Just to show off to my new housemates, Tim and Elmer, how good a big brother I was. But when I was about to start, I fell to the floor (I just really laid down), looked at my ceiling and my Gossip Girl poster. It was apparent. I was tired. No, I was EXHAUSTED. All caps for emphasis.

* My definition of "exhausted" is tired body and willing spirit. I finally came to a point where the Optimist Prime in me wasn't able to use its worldly body to do things. I was amazed and bewildered. I'm actually tired, man, I can't believe it.

* What's the lesson here? My sister, Grace, told me this: "Rest and give yourself a break. Don't wait for God to force you to rest." I should know, the last time I was in "work-ka-adik mode" I injured my right wrist and I was in a sling for 1 month. No playing guitar, no barista work, no driving for me.

* So I played with my nephew and niece today. Oh it's 12:17 am, so it's yesterday. I love them.

* Rest and peace. RAP yo! I'm going to sleep now...after re-posting this on Facebook. Thank you and good night. Don't forget to pray!

Cloudy with a Chance of Spam and Eggs

2011-10-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

* At the beginning of the week, I had this very vacant, vacant feeling about the cafe. Maybe because we didn't have activities planned for the week. After a few minutes of brainstorming and joking around last Monday, we decided to have another movie marathon. And yes, it was very successful once again. Thinking of activities is pretty challenging stuff. One friend told me, having many activities has become a trademark of CAnton. Yeah, I agree. Keep those suggestions coming, guys! Thank you!

It's One Owl-of-a-Town!

2011-10-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

* We just love our mascot, Owltonio. Photo taken at BioSci last Tuesday, where I used to buy Milo and sandwiches before class.

Movie Night Tonight!

2011-10-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Everyone's invited to watch and hangout! We will sell freshly popped pop corn, only 10 bucks per bag. Show starts at 4 pm.

We're Alive!

2011-10-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

* Hello blog readers! I'm very sorry for not blogging for almost a month. Most of you have noticed. But, yes, this blog is still alive! I've been very busy with work and school, that's why I wasn't able to write blog entries. Our Facebook account is very active, thanks to my new admin and to all the customers and fans who have been keeping that page alive.

* Some news: the DAKO is doing very well. I'll write an article about that soon and all the past and coming activities we have in store for you for the BER months. And we have a new Facebook account: CafeAntonio Los Banos II. Our first account has already reached its limit of 5000 friends. PTL! See you!

A Contest, a Drink, a Mascot, and a New Series

2011-10-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

CAnton people love to use weird words. Here's a quick guide to some of the cafe's terminologies:

1) DAKO - means "big" in Bisaya. In CAnton, it's the new 64 oz size for all cold drinks.

2) PAK PAK POOM! - a monthly epic breakfast meal contest consisting of Spam & Eggs, Bacon, a Waffle, French Toast, and a 16 oz Mocha Frothiccino.

3) OWLTONIO - CAnton's official espresso-drinking Owl mascot.

4) BORN TO BREW - the "Cafe Antonio Sessions" of the barista world where we will be inviting baristas from all over the country to talk about their profession.

Masarap Nga! Woohoo!

2011-09-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

(L-R): Yane Bonita, Mark Fellizar, Lougee Basabas, Wats Bonita, Rick Jason Obrero
(photo by Dan Sta. Romana)

* We're still recovering from last Saturday's gig. Delara, Aspen Way, and Yield Avenue rocked the house down and there was a legion of ELBI people in LB Square. It was a majestic sight to be seen. Oh my. Thanks to our friend, Khat Trinidad, for organizing the event. One mega-apir for you!

* We have a bunch of activities for you this week and for next month. The PAK PAK POOM contest just ended and we hope we could launch it again some time in late October. But the combo meal is still available, you can order it for Php 300 pesos. Appetite Magazine was in the house last Saturday to photograph the epic meal, hope to see it on its November issue!

* We have this new series called The Born to Brew Series. It's kinda like Cafe Antonio Sessions but it's the "coffee version". Instead of bands and artists, we would be inviting baristas and people from the coffee industry to talk about their coffee experiences. The first episode is on October 6 featuring Vanessa Caceres, grand champion and finalist of many barista competitions here in the Philippines. Fifty bucks gets you in plus you get a free brewed coffee. So for those who would like to become a barista or get into the coffee shop business, this series is for you!

* Our Facebook page is on fire. Thanks to my new admins who's been working online when I'm at the cafe. Get updated about our new food and drinks and check our pages regularly.

* I would like to give kudos to our CAntoneers, the CAnton Volunteers! You've been a very big help to us. See you this week!

* It's getting late and I've just finished some afis wurk. I have to be at the cafe at 7 am. I have to prepare drinks for an SP presentation.

* And yes, FROTHICCINO TO THE DEATH! It's our new promo, unlimited Frothiccinos (mocha, white chocolate, caramel, and strawberry) for only 200 pesos! Checkout our Facebook account and/or page for more details!

PAK PAK POOM?!

2011-09-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

PAK PAK POOM Participants

(From left to right: Ogie Frio, Juni Frio, Arwyn Rubio)

* I know I haven't been blogging for the cafe for almost a month now. That's because I work 6 days a week again at the cafe as manager/barista/busboy. Just like the good 'ol days in early 2008. I'm still adjusting to my schedule but I'll try my best to revive this blog that will be turning 4 years old next year on March 15.

* So what have we been up to lately? A lot! Last night we had two events happening at the same. We had the PAK PAK POOM! Late Breakfast Chow Down and Cafe Antonio Sessions XXVI featuring The Sunday Brew, Juniper Face the Corner, and Riki. The cafe felt so alive that night. You didn't know what to watch! For the first time, our customers really had actual options regarding what to do. And there was also a photo exhibit by the UP Photographers' Society. It was a food, music, and arts mini-fest!

* What is the PAK PAK POOM? The name of the contest was actually inspired by Manny Pacquiao's practice sessions, when he would say "PAK PAK PAK" when practicing his jabs. It's actually a "jab-jab-hook" combo. The first "pak" is the meal of Spam & Eggs, Toast, Bacon, and a Waffle. The next "pak" is a dessert of French Toast with peaches and/or mangoes. The "poom" or what we would like to call "the clincher" is the 16 oz Mocha Frothiccino featuring a shot of Cafe Antonio's espresso. Last night, two big boys finished the challenge. The first one to accomplish the feat was Ogie Frio (bassist of Pathway) with a time of 4 minutes and 55 seconds. The second one to conquer the combo meal was Arwyn "Wyn Radio" Rubio with a time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds, the best time so far. Other contestants who attempted to win a t-shirt and get a free meal were Juni Frio (vocalist of Pathway and younger brother of Ogie), Ara Bagunu, Jing Fresnoza, Herbert Osio Jr., and CAnton's Senior Barista, Ian Soliven. Ian was the first to attempt the challenge when we had our time trials. The contest was originally set at 10 mins but we figured that it was too long. Ian finished in 6 minutes and 30 seconds making him the first and last winner of the 10-minute challenge. Herbert, upon seeing the time trial, was the first to attempt the 5-minute challenge. Lenard Gabriel served as our official time-keeper in last night's challenge. My brothers-in-law Herbert and Mark Fellizar helped our crew in the kitchen and the bar.

* This week will be the official start of the PAK PAK POOM Late Breakfast Chow Down. See our Facebook page for more details or text us (0906-455-0522) ahead so we can prepare your MvF-inspired monster meal.

* We would like to invite you to watch on Saturday for Cafe Antonio Sessions XXVII. The gig will feature DeLara, one of the hottest indie bands right now featuring former members of pop-rock band Mojofly. Indie bands Aspen Way and ELBI's very own, Yield Avenue, will open the night. Special thanks to our friend, Khat Trinidad, and Ali Alejandro of DeLara for organizing the event. We hope to see you all on the 24th! ADMISSION IS FREE!

UP Photographers' Society Sets Up Exhibit at CAnton

2011-09-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

(photo by Ja Fernandez)

On September 6, Tuesday, 7 pm. See you there!

http://theafterhours-redux.tumblr.com/post/9744867927/hard-work-pays-off-fun-productive-day-with

My Life Began When Your Coffee Break Started

2011-08-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

* I can't believe it. We're actually opening Cafe Antonio again for the third time in 3 years! I would like to ponder on that thought for a moment. Actually, my head is throbbing right now. I had a long day. So I think I'll just reflect on that thought for a few days and get back to you guys as soon as possible. I hope to see you all later at 4 pm.

What is Cafe Antonio, Los Banos?

2011-08-27T01:40:00.000-07:00

BUSINESS IDEA

Indie music & arts cafe and espresso bar with professionally trained baristas dedicated in the science and art of coffee preparation and coffee education.

MISSION

To become a prominent gourmet coffee brand in the Los Banos community while being a place well-known for its dynamism, creativity, innovativeness, youthful exuberance, and strong sense of community among its customers and clients as we serve the best possible coffee our skills and resources can offer.

VISION

1.) To accommodate and develop not just merely customers but loyal customers who would support and sustain us even in the presence of a number of establishments that offer the same products and services.

2.) To gain loyalty from and be the source of pride of the residents of Los Banos, specifically the UPLB community (students, alumni, employees, and affiliates).

3.) To be an active participant in food and/or coffee industry-related activities and establish a recognizable and distinguishable coffee brand and product image.

"Prep Hard. Play Harder. Pray Hardest."

Our Core Values

· We acknowledge that there is a God and our success is dependent on Him.

· We strengthen our community by helping others and developing meaningful friendships.

· We think of others’ needs first before thinking about ourselves.

· We believe that having fun in one’s work and in life is the key to a successful business and a satisfying life.

· We see our purpose and direction in life through our work and through the lives of people we work with.

· We stand firm in our choice to be DIY (Do-It-Yourself) and preserve the indie culture that sustains our integrity and sincerity in everything we do.

· We believe that every cup that’s from the heart is a work of art.

See you on September 1 for our re-opening!

After a Long Blogospheric Silence

2011-08-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Coffee Shop Brews Life Back into UPLB Music Scene

by Cyrus Fernandez

August 16, 2011

Alcohol and rock 'n roll go together by default. Pay a visit to any bar gig or rock concert and you’ll find at least a dozen or so people with bottles, glasses, or cups of liquid courage in their hands.

But coffee?

The combination sounds kind of weird, a bit absurd for some even. But for young entrepreneur Jabez Flores and his team at Café Antonio Los Baños, it’s just another day at work.

Enter Café Antonio Sessions, a music-related operation of the caffeine-based business co-owned by Flores. Its mission is simple: to support the UPLB music scene.

Jabez Flores (center) with some of the Sessions artists

Café Antonio Sessions traces its beginnings to a coincidental meeting between Flores and musician Eric Soliven back in 2010. Flores knew Soliven from a few years back because the latter’s band Soundhole (later renamed Lime) used to play frequently alongside Flores’ own Spoonbridge at the now-defunct Kofiholics Anonymous (K.A.), a local venue that musicians and music enthusiasts used to frequent.

“Hindi pa kami friends noon ni Eric, but we knew na kami yung tumutugtog dun (sa K.A.) dati. Nakita ko sya sa old site ng Café Antonio. Namukhaan ko siya," recounts Café Antonio Sessions’ head. “Nilapitan ko siya the next time na nagpunta siya, tapos tinanong ko, ‘Di ba ikaw yung gitarista ng Soundhole?’ After that, friends na kami."

When Café Antonio was moved to its current location, the idea of having shows at the shop dawned on Flores. He presented this idea to Soliven.

“Balak ko talagang bumuo ng (music) community like the one we had in K.A. way back," narrates Flores. “So, sabi ko kay Eric, ‘Buo tayo (ng sessions). Buhayin natin yung UP music scene dito.’"

Things took off from there. Inspired by the America Online (AOL) Sessions, they built up on the idea of having shows. The idea eventually materialized on July 13, 2011 when the very first Café Antonio Sessions night was performed to an intimate Saturday night crowd at the coffee shop.

Café Antonio Sessions gives its artists full support, including free photo and video coverage of their performances such as that of Segatron.

Fast forward to 2011: at the time of this posting, Sessions nights have already been staged a total of 24 times spread throughout thirteen months.

True to its intent to help homegrown talent, all these Sessions shows featured performances from mostly local acts around the University of the Philippines in Los Baños area

Aside from organizing events, the Sessions team now dabbles in artist promotion too, helping the members of its regular roster – namely Lime, Juniper Face the Corner, Gabes Torres, Yield Avenue, Segatron, Sweet Symphony, Pathway, Riki, Crossroads, From the Author, Komiko, Satori, Playground Nostalgia and Codename Adobo – spread their music via the use of social networking sites on the Internet and having their physical merchandise displayed and sold at the café.

The Sessions team manages to come up with nice ways to make their shows more appealing to the UPLB audience.

Flores offers an explanation as to why they decided to branch out to artist promotion.

“We want to be known as a springboard for artists from LB," Flores says. “We offer start-up musicians our full support and we make sure na may mapupuntahan sila. Tsaka, we’re really all excited na i-share yung music galing dito. Kasi, parang hanggang ngayon, best-kept secret pa rin yan."

But Flores is quick to clarify that their arrangement with the artists is not exclusive.

“They can come and go freely. They can stay kasi they want to stay. Pero, kung hindi na nila feel, okay lang na umalis. At least, dito sila nagsimula."

Despite the buzz that Sessions has generated from its activities in the past year though, its members agree that they still have to maximize the potential of the movement they started.

Their most immediate concern is the day of the week when they do their shows. For now, Sessions gigs are done every third (and in some cases, also the first and/or second) Saturday of every month. Flores thinks it will be more effective if these were to be moved to the weekdays. Most of the artists that play their gigs are students after all, and would therefore be more effective when exposed to a crowd that can identify with them and vice versa.

Eric Soliven (left) and Lenard Gabriel (right) of Lime performed at the very first Café Antonio Sessions night last year.

“Wala pa kami masyadong nape-penetrate na crowd to tell other people about what we do," says Flores. Kasi, yung Saturday crowd namin, usually puro dayo at alumni. Wala kaming student crowd masyado."

But all that is starting to change. The team is starting to get more attention for their work. Nowadays, they are getting more invites from student organizations that hold events frequently, therefore giving them, and more importantly their artists, access to the audience they primarily want to reach.

This attention has inspired them to come up with more plans to help foster the community spirit even further.

“We also want to hold midweek sessions for student bands na hindi part ng roster," Flores reveals, “just to show the students sa LB na merong scene dito."

Things are getting smoother for Flores and company. Being the first organized group in the area’s recent memory to champion the music scene actively, their efforts have been beneficial to the community of musicians in the locale. At this point, it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the student and town population sees the music scene in plain view again.

The Sessions team doesn’t even mind having to pull resources out of all their pockets. After all, according to them, they do this for one simple reason.

“We just love it."

- YA, GMA News

Café Antonio is located at LB Square along Grove Avenue, Brgy. Batong Malake, Los Baños, Laguna. For more information about Café Antonio Sessions, visit cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com

All photos courtesy of Cafe Antonio Sessions

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/229587/lifestyle/coffee-shop-brews-life-back-into-uplb-music-scene

A Speech and A Half

2011-07-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

Blog Playlist:

01 Elephants as Big as Whales - PlayRadioPlay!

02 Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy

03 Hear - Moonpools and Caterpillars

04 Slice - Five for Fighting

05 Always Love - Nada Surf

* Wow. This blog's been dormant for quite some time now. Here's a thought: I spend a lot of time and effort getting organized. Does that mean I'm messed up that bad? I just turned 25 years old a couple of weeks ago. Five years more I'm gonna be 30. Five years ago, I was 30 pounds heavier. It's the age when you're old enough to be young and young enough to be old. And so it's a struggle. It's a stage that lacks definition.

* The cafe is enjoying its new crowd right now. We've made a lot of new friends since June. And after 3 years of being in the coffee business, I've finally grown to accept that people do come and go. Just like karma chameleons. We're like faculty members in a school watching students grow and go away after graduation. It's a painful cycle indeed. But that's how life is. And maybe that's why I'm mega-impressed with the people who have been loyal customers since 2008. Kudos to you guys!

* And here we are, slowly "converting" new people into CAntonnites. I don't know exactly how the cafe was able to develop its own culture but it's very flattering for us to hear people call themselves CAnton People or recognize themselves as part of the CAnton Gang. If I still had a trace of sociology left in my body I would have analyzed this. But it's gone. I'm completely academically detoxed.

* There's something in this coffee shop that I can't exactly describe. How do you tell people about the cafe online? Cafe Antonio is something you have to experience first hand.

"Always love, hate will get you every time" - Nada Surf

Activity Schedule for July

2011-07-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

7 PM, THURSDAY, JULY 14 @ B-SIDE, MAKATI

featuring LIME, KJWAN, MALAY, SOIL & GREEN, LETTER DAY STORY, DASH BETWEEN DATES

7 PM, FRIDAY, JULY 15 @ LB SQUARE

ACOUSTIC NIGHT

featuring DAN STA. ROMANA & MARGRET BONITA

7 PM, SATURDAY, JULY 16 @ NCAS AUDITORIUM, UPLB

featuring GABES TORRES, THE SNICKETS, LIME, PATHWAY

8 PM, SATURDAY, JULY 23 @ CAFE ANTONIO, LB SQUARE

featuring PATHWAY, KOMIKO, GABES TORRES

Oh My Gulay This July!

2011-07-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

* This is just to inform you that we're still alive! The past few weeks machine-gunned us with events and I can't find the time to sit down, go online, and write. Anyway, this is just sorta like a Tweetmore blog. The sked is really really tight. We also have to budget our sleep. I'll come up with a blog late this July to tell you all about what happened at CAnton. Golly, it's almost mid-July. The clock's on fast forward!

My Caffeinated Romance

2011-06-24T02:03:00.000-07:00

* Everyone deserves to taste good coffee!!!

* Drinking good coffee is a experience that should be shared with everyone. The problem is that we define "good" coffee differently. And why is that? Maybe because we have different taste preferences and maybe because we are still generally inexperienced coffee drinkers.

* FYI, coffee doesn't possess a "standard" taste. Meaning there are a myriad coffee blends and varieties that taste very differently from one another. Each is unique, each is special, and each can address a specific taste preference.

* How do we tell this to people? I mean, how does something so beautiful go unnoticed? We've had four coffee workshops at the cafe since summer. And we hold impromptu "Coffee 101" segments at the shop every now and then. If you're lucky, you can just stand there and listen at the counter and then maybe you'll get to sample the stuff we're making. These are the things we're doing to help educate people about the beauty of coffee and the things that people are missing out when going to coffee shops.

* They say that Los Banos is ripe for coffee culture, but in my personal opinion, I think we're still very very young for real coffee culture to manifest. The first thing to do is help people develop a discriminating taste for coffee. The same discriminating taste that ELBI people have on buko pie, chocolate cake, siomai, and to some degree, sisig.

* The search for excellent coffee is not a project, it's a quest. And our baristas at CAnton has this "Fellowship of the Ring" kind of quality in them, one that can embark on an epic quest. Be part of our journey and try starting your own personal coffee journey. It's a long one, I assure you!

ACTIVITY REVIEW

June 17 - LB Square Talent Night

* Our barista, Margret Bonita, and photographer, Dan Sta. Romana, represented CAnton in LB Square's first ever inter-stall talent night! They performed two songs with Margret on vocals and Dan on acoustic guitar. We're all very proud of you guys!

June 18 - Cafe Antonio Sessions XXIII: Powered by Isaw Wreckords

* We started late due to some technical difficulties but we also finished early because everything went very smoothly after all the hangups. Thanks to resident bands Segatron and Juniper Face the Corner and to our guest bands, Skyflekes and Riki.

June 19 - Issey's Birthday Party

* Our friend Issey Ronquillo, celebrated her birthday at the cafe with a Monsters Inc. theme. Thanks to all the CAnton friends and family who prepared the food and the decorations. Everyone pitched in and had a great time. The Boys defeated the Girls in our game of charades!

June 20 - Coffee Cupping Workshop with Pinoy Barista

* After a very long time, our friend and barista coach, Lanz Mirondo went back to CAnton and imparted valuable coffee wisdom to our friends and baristas. We cupped 4 single origin coffees (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ethiopia) from 5 Senses Coffee and the 40 Hands Coffee House Blend. Cupping is a sensory evaluation of coffee, kinda like wine-tasting. Thanks to all who participated, Mervin de Roxas of Chillet and Bean Hub, JC Mendoza of Luca and Tosh Coffee Lab, Chrys Pinol and Kris Reyes of UPLB, and our baristas, Neil Rebua, Joyceann Damian, Margret Bonita, and Jegar El Drey! Thanks once again Sir Lanz! It was a very enriching experience for all of us!

ACTIVITY SCHEDULE

June 29 - Alapaap Travel Guide Party at Cafe Antonio, 5 PM

June 30 - CAS Freshmen Representative Selection with music from Cafe Antonio Sessionistas, Gabes Torres, Pathway, Sweet Symphony, Yield Avenue, Segatron, and Juniper Face the Corner

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

2011-06-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

* Happy INDIE-pendence day! Filipinos aren't hardcore nationalists so independence from whom or what, I guess is more of a personal thing for us. Anyway, here's a suggestion to help promote our "love for country": FOOTBALL.

* During one of our idle pensive moments at the cafe, one of our baristas told me that the universe has its way of effin' things up. I guess we all can relate to that. Haha. The idea led us to talk about having our Ms. Universe talk to the universe and plead to give us mortals a break! I guess that's why we have the Ms. Universe Pageant. That's where the world selects its ambassador to celestial and galactic matters. Kinda like Star Wars. Anyway, that was just crazy talk. The kind of conversation you have when you close early and sit helpless against a dark, gloomy, supposed-to-be-Showtime Friday night. Yeah, we have our share of disappointments but that shouldn't stop us from trying. We have something worthwhile here, and it has to be shared!

* Enough talking in code. Let's go back to the real world.

* Last week was momentous for us because it's our first time to go inside the UPLB Campus as Cafe Antonio and not just as students and alumni. It took us 3 long years to finally properly introduce ourselves to the students of UPLB. In the past we were just like a viral online link that people just click and try out. But now we finally had the courage show our colors to the world! Orange and black riprizint!

* Thanks to Sir Mark Lester Chico of CDC for letting us distribute flyers and leaflets during the Campus Tour (June 7) and for allowing us to setup a booth at the Student Union building where we had the opportunity to sell some cupcakes and some iced coffee. CAnton baristas, Ian and Wats were with me the whole afternoon. Special thanks to our friends who visited us during that warm afternoon. Gelo, Dan, John Ron, Calai, and Gabes, thanks!

* The following day was the AlmOSAlan (June 8). It's where the Freshmen get a lot of free stuff from UPLB orgs. It was very early in the morning and it was a rainy, rainy morning. It was raining so hard, the event had to be relocated INSIDE the SU building. Golly, it was like SM Calamba on its first day inside SU that time. We didn't set up a booth in this activity because another coffee shop was sponsoring the event. So we had to go under-the-radar for this one. UPLB orgs, UP Photos and UPLB ComArtsSoc, helped us distribute 100 special packages to the Freshmen. The package contains a sticker, a map, a sampler menu, discount coupons, tickets to a free CD, an actual free CD, and a free mug. I hope they didn't throw the packages away!

* For this endeavor I would like to thank our contacts and sponsors, Gelo of UP Photos for the CDs, Padeys of ComArtsSoc for the network, Ate Grace for the leaflets, Kuya Rodel of Koinonia for the free mug and calling cards, and Neil for the delivery flyers.

* New Services! We're now available for deliveries! But only around the UPLB Campus and Grove area. For a minimum order of Php 250, you can text or call us during these times: 2 to 4 pm and 9 to 11 pm. Remember this number: 0916-POGALFY.

* We also cater to parties, meetings, and other events. Just text or call 0906-4550522.

* The school year holds a lot of promise for us. Although most of the time, it's hard to see the light when it's dark. You just have to keep your eyes peeled and look for it because it's always there. Three years of experience in the coffee business has taught us a lot, the exciting thing here is that it's still very early in the game! God is merciful!

Activity Schedule for June:

June 17 - LB Square Talent Night

June 18 - Sessions XXIII: Powered by Isaw, 8 PM

June 20 - Coffee Cupping Workshop with Pinoy Barista, 10 AM

June 30 - CAS Welcome Freshman Party

* Thanks Switchfoot and Dig Radio for the background music. Photo Credits: Ian Soliven

When It's All Bean Said and Done

2011-05-31T00:20:00.000-07:00

* First of all, I would like to thank Globe and its new office at SM Calamba for putting us back online. Clap clap, apple sauce. The last time I blogged was 2 weeks ago, that was May 15. I think it was still scorching hot back then. But now, it's raining! And with the rain comes showers of blessing! RECAP TIME! (Open planner and review past activities)

* May 16 - Juniper Face the Corner's first out-of-town gig as a four-piece band at Conspiracy Garden Cafe! Lesson learned but still not applied for the past few gigs: WAG NA KASI MAG-COMMUTE! (see related story at www.cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com). JFTC performed three original songs, Fast Forward (download it for free on Facebook), Free Hearts (online release is on June 1), and Awoken.

* May 17 - Summer Coffee Workshop Day 3. For the first time, Ian and I taught the class with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation! And we had the espresso machine turned around facing the dining area so that the participants could see the demos better. That session was especially challenging because it rained and the humidity changed. You see, humidity is a factor in extracting espresso. It took Ian and I about four tries before getting the right grind for the espresso demo. The attendees for that class were Al Labadan, Chrys Pinol, and Kris Reyes.

* May 18 - CAnton LB Investors Meeting. For the first time this year, the investors of the Los Banos branch finally got together over dinner and catch up with this year's happenings at the cafe. More power to us!

* May 19 - Summer Coffee Workshop Day 4. The last day of the Summer Coffee Education series! Ian and I were more prepared and we already knew what to do...after three classes. The attendees for that class were Al Santillan, Clancy Read, and Ephraim Quinones.

The series of workshops encouraged us to focus more on educating our community about the complexity of preparing coffee and the joy of drinking coffee.

Coffee Culture in the Philippines and in Los Banos is just beginning. There are a lot of things to learn and we want to share and spread what we know about coffee in our immediate community. We believe that it is our duty to provide a venue where coffee can be experienced as an important part of our daily lives. We would like to thank our friends from Pinoy Barista for continually inspiring us to do well in our profession. More power to you guys! Let's continue to support and encourage each other.

* May 20 - Catering at Brent-IRRI. It's our second time to cater at Brent-IRRI, the first one was a year ago, during Jethro's 1st Birthday Party. My sister, Grace, invited the CAnton baristas to prepare kiddie drinks for their year-ender party. With me at the catering gig were baristas, Ian and Wats. Ian made the Special Edition Brent Milkshakes (with chocolate and strawberry ice cream!), I prepared the Granita Blush and the Blue Crush (the Blue Crush was their favorite), and Wats served the Red Velvet and Chocolate cupcakes that Ate Marisse baked. We all had fun serving the kids and watching them dance to hip versions of nursery rhymes. Who would have though that Bah-Bah Black Sheep had a rock version? Good times!

* May 21 - Sessions XXII featuring Gabes Torres and KomiKo. Starting this June, Cafe Antonio Sessions will be held just once a month just to make it more special. The Gabes and KomiKo gig was cancelled last May 14 and was moved to the 21st due to an unexpected event in LB Square. So finally, the gig pushed through and it was a success! Thanks to our new friends, KomiKo, for coming all the way from Paranaque to play in Los Banos! (see related story at www.cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com)

* Caio Cadiz and I just opened a mini-record store at the cafe. It has no name yet. He was on a roll last week and did some carpentry work for the CD display rack. We also went to SM Calamba to buy materials. Unfortunately,we didn't get anything from SM. Everything we needed was in LB. So much for the gas and and the 30-minute order at Mang Inasal. Hoho! The record store selection includes albums from: Yosha, Hemp Republic, Cooliedread and the Microphone Commanders, Mike's Apartment, Yield Avenue, and Gabes Torres. Text 0916-4550522 for advanced orders and reservations.

* May 28 - Sessions XXIII. This was a GV gig for all of us. Khat, LIME, and Yield Avenue put on a splendid show. Amazing indeed. We had friends who came all the way from Manila just to watch. It was a good feeling. And the old skool Sessions crowd were there bringing back memories of the Sessions back in 2010. Special shout out to Roy and Pipoy of UST and Cafe Antonio Dumaguete, Dada and Verna, Mako and Nestle, Grace, Herbert, and Jethro Osio, Mon and Jenni, RiKi, Butch and Doi, Caio and Jena Baril of ICs Bar, Kams and her friends, Maya's officemates, Sessionista breads, Mac Atienza Photography, Junipers, and welcome to Kit of Yield Avenue! One comment: Dharma, ang bigat mo talaga. GOOD TIMES!

THIS WEEK:

* It's June! Time for the new Flavor of the Month. June showcases the one and only Frajelli FoM of Cafe Antonio, the PBJ Frajelli. All the goodness of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a ice-blended drink. Sounds weird, I know, but it's tastes better than it sounds!

* June 3 - Hemp Republic featuring LIME and Segatron at IC's Bar.

THIS MONTH

June 8 - Catch us giveaway CAFFEINE TICKETS and free stuff to Freshmen during AlmOSAlan. Thanks for to the UPLB Photographers Society and Gelo Arboleda for the support!

June 20 - Coffee Cupping Workshop with Pinoy Barista, 2 pm. Admission is FREE!

OTHER NEWS

* Read my article, Cafe Antonio Sessions: Building Hometown Confidence in Los Banos, featured on the Indie Band News Webzine at www.indiebandnews.blogspot.com. Thanks to Sir Wizzy and my co-admins for the support!

Kids Our Age Like to Search Their Souls

2011-05-15T04:49:00.000-07:00

* It's been awhile since I've written an actual blog. One with actual words and thoughts in it. The summer heat has certainly caught up with us. The Heat have also defeated the Celtics and will take care of business in Chicago. Hehe.

* Here's this week's reflection nugget. We've been through a lot of stuff this May, it's a pretty darn challenging month. It's testy. That's funny because we're still midway May. Anyway, every now and then we have to review ourselves and our lives from where we're standing. It's another perspective. It's not the bird's-eye view perspective. I learned to focus on the immediate tasks at hand and take a break from long-term planning that sometimes borders on daydreaming to over preparing to losing sight of the real goal (thanks to my CAnton homies). Sometimes it is right for people to just knock your head and keep you in check. These persistent knocking will hurt and make you dizzy but think of it as "helpful concerned little knocks" that will help you wake up so that you can go back to doing your business. Raise the roof. Let's remember this and apply it in our daily lives. Just like Jergens Ultra Healing lotion. Thank you, friends.

* Cafe News served in a demitasse! Last week, we hosted two Summer Coffee Workshops at the cafe. It was a very enjoyable experience both for the staff and the participants. Basically, our workshop talks about how to choose and prepare coffee at home and understanding the different espresso beverages served in coffee shops. Very practical indeed. In 3 hours, you'll be able to enjoy your "registration food" (worth 200 pesos, consumable) and taste a lot of coffee beverages! At the end of the class, you'll receive a Certificate of Participation. For last week's participants, your certificates are already available. Thank you! We have workshops this week, on Tuesday (May 17) and Thursday (May 19), 4 to 7 pm. You can register on the day itself! The workshop is open to all ages!

* Gigs yo! Juniper Face the Corner has a gig tomorrow at Conspiracy Garden Cafe at Quezon City, 8 pm. The band has just finished recording three original songs with Silver Alcabasa, vocalist of Segatron, at Dog House Studio under the Powered by Isaw record label, haha! Nice one! The gig last Saturday wasn't able to push through because of an unexpected event in LB Square. Hopefully we can have a peaceful and quiet gig on May 21, Cafe Antonio Sessions XXI featuring Gabes Torres and her band consisting of Ian Soliven of LIME, Banjo Inandan of Sweet Symphony, and Genesis de Guzman. See you all there!

* Thanks for supporting CAnton guys. Always pray for us! To God be the glory!

Know More About the World of Coffee This Summer!

2011-05-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Summer Coffee Workshop 2011

Dates: You can sign up for any of these dates - May 10, 12, 17, 19

Time: 4 pm to 7pm

Registration: To register, just order a meal consisting of a Frothiccino (mocha, white mocha, caramel, strawberry), a Pasta dish (Bolognese, Alfredo, Antonio), and a Waffle (any variant). Then choose a date and sign up at the counter.

Workshop: There will be 3 hours worth of lectures, barista demos, and coffee-tasting. Our baristas and friends from Pinoy Barista will guide you through this educational experience. A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to all attendees of the workshop.

You can sign up starting this week. See you all there!

The Cafe Antonio Affogato!

2011-04-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

An Affogato is a shot of our house blend espresso combined perfectly with rich and creamy vanilla ice cream.

The Cafe Antonio Affogato is available in classic and in all Frothiccino flavors (mocha, white mocha, caramel, strawberry, black forest, choco macadamia, choco hazelnut, rocky road, double dutch, red velvet, raspberry mocha, choco peppermint, and caramel cream)

DAHIL MAINIT NGAYONG SUMMER, MAG-TRY NA! Cafe Antonio is now open from 2 PM to 2 AM (Mondays - Fridays). 4 PM to 1 AM (Saturday).

* This was shot last night using our friend Chino's iPod Touch. Chino's our official commercial model but it's been a long time since we've collaborated on a commercial. I think his last appearance was on our Paper Cups ad. So welcome back to the business, bro! And thanks a lot! Bringin' back the glory days!

Tu-tu-Tew!

2011-04-23T06:19:00.001-07:00

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes (Repeat 3x)

2011-04-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

* The last time I posted something on this blog was eleven days ago. It was our anniversary poster featuring our Friday "All-Star Crew" composed of Manong, Jeg, and Ramhil (credits to Dan Sta. Romana for the photos). Everything was a blur after that blog post. It felt like everyone was running away from something or towards something. You know the feeling of ending something quickly to start a new beginning? Something like that. I'm not really sure. I'm not really in top form lately, haunted by migraine and all, now that the summer heat has caught on with the season. Can we really not think straight when it's hot? Is there any science to this? Anyway, here's a rundown of the stuff that happened last April 14, our Third Anniversary celebration:

*Our Facebook page went crazy on that day. It's very heartwarming to see all these people greet us on our 3rd birthday. This kind of support really inspired us to do better, especially this year 2011. That night we had a program hosted by our friend and former CAnton cook, Padeys Cajano, and his friends. There were a bunch of impromptu performances from Juniper Face the Corner, Khitz of Yield Avenue, Edan of Satori, Christian of Segatron, Khat and Ian of Turning Point, Juni of Pathway, Gabes Torres, Jobo of Digital Karma, and from some of our friends and special guests. Padeys and Foxy also performed their monodrama pieces made especially for the cafe. Some games were also played during the program. Congrats to those three lucky customers who won the prizes! And also on that night, two loyal customers, Budik and April, were awarded with the limited edition Cafe Antonio 3rd Anniversary Mug for ordering 10 different beverages before April 14. We have extended the promo up to April 30. So everybody still has a chance, 10 drinks in 6 days isn't impossible!

* We would also like to thank everyone who ordered the 3rd Anniversary T-Shirt. It's still available at the cafe. You can purchase it online by visiting www.cafeantoniostore.multiply.com.

* As expected, there has to be a reflection of some sort after 3 years of working at CAnton. Celebrating our 3rd year in a different location can probably sum it all up. A lot of things have changed and we've met a lot of new faces. Our family has gotten bigger and our responsibilities have made us grow older. And all the problems and obstacles we've encountered have made us stronger. Now I can't even imagine what would happen in our 5th or 10th anniversary...or 20th. But one thing's for sure, after two weeks of pondering for this blog entry (I wrote this on a piece of paper back in our apartment in LB), I knew that I wouldn't want to be the one who would say, "We used to do this back in the day" or "We used to be like this back in the day." I want to be the one who would say, "Yeah, we've been doing this for quite a while now, and we'll continue to do so until the world runs out of coffee to grow." That's because, for me, Cafe Antonio isn't just a phase. It's not an experiment. It's not a project. It's what I'm here for. The business is safe when the mindset is sure and the heart is secure. Business is a boxing match, you can win in the end even if you get battered and bruised for 12 rounds.

ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!

* Starting on May 25, we will be changing our operating hours to 2 PM to 2 AM, Mondays through Fridays. On Saturdays, it's still 4 PM to 1 AM. Watch out for our summer specials and promos.

* On April 30 we will have Cafe Antonio Sessions XX: 80s Tribute Night featuring Sweet Symphony, Turning Point, and Left Turn, 8 PM at the cafe.

Our Third Anniversary Falls on a Thursday, so it's a Thirdsday!

2011-04-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

* There will be a program at 9 pm, please come and share the moment with us! Thanks!

I Feel Like Micro-Bloggin' Right Now!

2011-04-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Get this limited edition mug for free on April 14 when you purchase 10 Frothiccinos or any flavored hot latte until April 13!

* I just came home from a very epic 4-hour gig last night at the cafe. We had this Originals night where we showcased nine local artists from Los Banos and Calamba performing original songs. You see, we believe that ELBI has the potential to be a local music powerhouse, we just have to showcase and communicate it properly to the outside world. We didn't expect that a lot of people would come to the gig, so we were a little "windang-gers" when people started gathering around the cafe. Finally, we made a scene!

* Anyway, our third anniversary is just around the bend...April 14 to be exact. Reflection bombs anyone? Here's one: you don't quit on something or someone you love. Take that to the bank yo!!! Good morning!

Early Morning Blog Fueled by a Fastbreak Combo A and a Jollibee Spag

2011-04-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

* It's almost 4 am and yet I'm still here whacking keys on the board like there's no tomorrow. I started my day at 4 pm yesterday with no plans of leaving the apartment. Coming from an early morning Shakey's Monster Meal Deal birthday celebration, I have stored enough carbs to last me the whole day and dedicate myself to four epic writing assignments. Well, I've already finished two last night. One was an article for Indie Band News and the other was a financial report (hikbi). This blog is the third one. And there's a Word document waiting beside this web browser.

* If you guys didn't get to watch the Incubus Tribute Noight last Saturday, then too bad. Here, experience the warmth...

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

* Don't worry, Incubus is coming this July 28, it's gonna be a helluvah concert. I'll sacrifice every other concert for this one.

* Summer is here and yet it's as cold as December or February. The weather is messed up. Now I can't justify my Carey Mulligan hairdo. I look like a girl. I hope I'm a pretty a girl.

* And because it's already April (what?!), our 3rd year anniversary is just waiting around the bend! Three years, wow! I already feel like I'm forty years old! The days are fast but the years are freakishly slow! I don't have a problem with that. I like it when the year is packed with events. Twists, turns, road blocks, adventure, fun, yadda, yadda. Experience surely is the best teacher.

* If you wanna be cool on our anniversary day, wear our anniversary T-shirt! It's yellow, yellow is cool. You can order your shirts at our online store: http://cafeantoniostore.multiply.com and you can also visit our Facebook page. Just type: Cafe Antonio Merchandise.

* We also have an anniversary promo. If you get to purchase 10 Frothiccinos or flavored lattes until April 14, you'll get a free limited edition anniversary mug. Ask for a card at the counter the next time you visit the cafe.

* Cafe Antonio Sessions XIX: Originals is on April 9. We're inviting y'all to watch and listen to ELBI-core artists like Yield Avenue, LIME, Segatron, Gabes Torres, and Juniper Face the Corner. I bet all of them will be busy this weekend. Here listen to our playlist of original songs from these artists: http://soundcloud.com/cafeantoniomusic/sets/cafe-antonio-sessions-playlist

* I think that's about it. To all our new friends on Facebook, welcome to the family! We saw a lot of new faces from One Broad Night and the Incubus Tribute Noight. Hope you find a new home at CAnton! Thanks for the support y'all, God bless! Let's sleep and have a great day ahead!

Power Line of the Week: From Juniper Face the Corner's song, "Never Be Mine"

"Tell her you need her, like a star to the sailor staring up at the sky"

Ask Away, Manta Ray!

2011-03-28T01:33:00.000-07:00

Let's try something new! If you have questions about school, music, your career, Winnie the Pooh, starting a business, coffee, or whatever, send us an e-mail and I will try to answer your questions from the perspective of a Sociology-graduate-who-runs-a-cafe-who-likes-donuts-and-coffee-and-is-always-hyper-then-shifts-to-emo-who-has-a-mountain-of-laundry-to-take-care-of-and-has-no-money.

Just e-mail your questions to cafeantonio.elbi@gmail.com. C'mown lez dudis!

We are Elbs

2011-03-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

* I don't know exactly why I didn't blog last week. I was online all week and I was on a roll. Maybe weekly blogging for 3 years have become more of a chore to me than a spontaneous outpour of thoughts, ideas, and opinions. I understand why I wouldn't last a year in a corporate office or in the academe. The routine drains me out. But because of my oxyMORONic personality, I also find solace in the safety of routine bubbles. When you're in that bubble it feels like every single variable in the world affecting your life will conspire to make your life safe and predictable. Students should be able to relate to this. Going to school is a large routine bubble. When I got out of that bubble I was in limbo. I was in "uuhh, what now?" mode. The freedom is FREEky.

* I caught myself smiling every morning last week. It was weird, para akong may topak. I didn't know why I felt like dancing like the guy in 500 Days of Summer's dance number scene, the one with the cartoon bird. That was so funny. But based from twenty four years and 3 months of life experience and a billion NBA games watched on TV, the momentum can shift very easily. Momentum shifts can either be in favor of you resulting in GVs (good vibes) or against you resulting in BVs (bad vibes). In that case, the shift is called a "slump" or a drought. Or in colloquial terms, "badtrip."

* As a firm believer of the Spice of Life, I believe that we should embrace these shifts in momentum or momentum shifts. Life's gonna be pretty bland without 'em, hence the use of the term "spice." Response to these shifts are also crucial. I still find it a little difficult to practice proper hassle-response strategies. To err is human, to curse is human. But we are not human, we are elves or Elbs because we live in ELBI. We are light on our feet, we do not sink in snow, our youth is immortal, and we have great hair. So let's pick up our bows and arrows and pierce the hearts of every BV there is.

CAFE NEWS!!!

* I wanna give major thanks to all our customers last week. The week was epic! Thanks to Sir Chico and Gelo for the One Broad Night last Friday. We're glad that we're able to share our cafe to all the DevCom students that night. Mad props to the Cafe Antonio Sessions committee and the Cafe Antonio Merchandise committee for organizing the Incubus Tribute Noight last night featuring LIME, Yield Avenue, and Codename Adobo. Thanks to all the Sessionistas who were present to support our indie music community. Long live Indie Band News and Audio Heavy Productions. We wish you more success!

* Our 3rd year anniversary on April 14 is fast approaching! After all the trials and tribulations, we thank God that we're still alive and inspired to do our work at the cafe. It's a lot of fun but it's not easy. Pray for us that God may continue nourishing our hearts, free Quaker Oats oatmeal is not enough to keep our hearts healthy! We're grateful for all your support, people. Raise the roof!

Have a Break, Have a Life Offline

2011-03-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

* Over the past two weeks, ever since we had an Internet connection at Cafe Antonio Coffee Corporation's secret lair, a lot of things have opened up for us. You see, the World Wide Web and I have a beautiful on-going 16-year relationship. Laguna Internet. Eudora Mail. Netscape Communicator. Geocities. Shareware games. MIDI tracks. Remember those? We've been through a lot of "eureka moments" and "sh*t happens" over the years and that just inspires us to come up with something new every time. Which leads us to the next paragraph of this blog.

* The cafe has shown a lot of growth over the past 2 years and 11 months. From a stressed-out crew of 3 people to a hyper-dedicated staff of 8 or 10 baristas (depending on who's there) we've agreed to split into three committees and focus on different projects.

1) Cafe Committee - Led by our Operations Manager, Manong Retz, the Cafe Com is in-charge of daily operations at the cafe. From food and beverage development to making sure that the customers are having a good time...toime.

2) Merchandise Committee - Managed by our Ate Marisse, the Merch Com produces official Cafe Antonio Coffee Corp. collectibles and souvenirs for both our Los Banos and Dumaguete market. We also have an online shop (http://cafeantoniostore.multiply) where you can order t-shirts, tumblers, mugs, and CDs from local indie artists. I'll see you there, I'm the shopkeeper!

3) Sessions Committee - Cafe Antonio Sessions have already become a big thing and we finally decided to formalize everything so we can have a solid Los Banos indie music community with epic gigs. Starting June, we will be looking for new artists to join our roster. Our original music can also be heard online at our Soundcloud account (http://soundcloud.com/cafeantoniomusic)

* So what does the Internet have to do wth this? Well, everything, actually. Without it I can never be able to write and share this blog. Without it we can never be able to share our music or tell you guys about new stuff at the cafe. So thank you everyone for continually reading and supporting this blog and our other websites.

* Like money, the Web is a good thing when used wisely. How? We still won't put WiFi at the cafe! Haha!

Websites:

CAnton sa ELBI (Official Blog) - http://cafeantonioelbi.blogspot.com

Official Website - http://cafeantonioelbi.mulitiply.com

Official YouTube Channel - http://youtube.com/cafeantonioelbi

Twitter - http://twitter.com/cafeantonioelbi

Cafe Antonio Merchandise (Online Shop) - http://cafeantoniostore.multiply.com

Cafe Antonio Sessions Webzine - http://cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com

Cafe Antonio Sessions: Support the Los Banos Indie Music Scene!

2011-03-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

* After seventeen (17) rockin' gigs and countless staff meetings, I think it's about time that we properly introduce Cafe Antonio LB's Cafe Antonio Sessions to the blog-reading public.

Café Antonio Sessions

Los Banos Indie Music Community

Since 2010

WHAT IS CAFÉ ANTONIO SESSIONS?

1) Café Antonio Sessions is a community of musicians and music production outfit created to support and showcase Los Banos-based indie artists inside and outside of UPLB.
2) Cafe Antonio Sessions is a series of gigs held twice a month conceptualized for the purpose of enabling bands with similar musical genres and/or musical tastes to play together in a single venue, specifically in Café Antonio.

Our Community’s Preferred Genres:

Indie rock, indie pop, alternative rock, soft rock, acoustic, folk, pop punk, emo, singer-songwriter, piano rock, experimental, jazz, soul, piano pop, electronica, experimental, funk, and any other possible combination of those genres.

HISTORY

Café Antonio Sessions was the brainchild of friends Eric Soliven, Jabez Flores, and Jegar delos Reyes. Taking inspiration from AOL Sessions, Levi’s Pioneer Sessions, Paste Presents, VH1 Storytellers, MTV Unplugged, and acoustic nights at the now defunct Kofiholics Anonymous, the three friends decided to start their own music scene at Café Antonio where Jabez and Jegar are employees and Eric is a frequent customer.

Café Antonio Sessions held its first gig at Café Antonio, Los Banos in July 3, 2010 featuring Eric Soliven and Lenard Gabriel of indie rock band, LIME, and Jabez Flores and Gelo Arboleda of acoustic punk band, Juniper Face the Corner. After three intimate acoustic gigs, Calamba/Los Banos-based OPM rock band, Yield Avenue, joined in the group. Soon afterward, UPLB-based artists such as singer-songwriter, Gabes Torres, and dance rock quintet, Segatron became our first student recruits forming the core of our roster of artists.

CONCEPT GIGS

Cafe Antonio Sessions has two kinds of gigs: the FEATURE GIG, where we highlight either one of our own artists or a newly recruited artist; or all artists in our roster performing original compositions; and the TRIBUTE NIGHT, where we showcase the music of influential musicians, an era of music, or a specific genre of music.

Cafe Antonio Sessions sets itself apart from other gigs by challenging artists in our roster to participate in Tribute Nights where they learn to play music genres outside of their comfort zones.

Cafe Antonio Sessions also aims to make each performance a conceptual gig wherein specific set designs, posters, and promotions are required to differentiate one gig from the other.

RECRUITMENT AND REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN

1)    Artists and bands should approach any Café Antonio Sessions staff member and express their interest to join. Or it may happen the other way around. Café Antonio Sessions staff members will approach potential artists and bands after watching them perform in a gig and ask them to join the group.

2)    Interested artists and bands must submit either an MP3 or video of their original music through Facebook or any social networking site.

3)    Bands should have at least one member from the UPLB campus. He/she can either be a student, an employee, alumni, or a dropout.

4)    Interested and potential artists and bands should watch at least ONE Café Antonio Sessions gig before being allowed to perform. A minimum of two band members should watch the gig and talk to the Café Antonio Sessions staff.

RULES, REGULATIONS, AND FEES

1)    Café Antonio Sessions allows all its artists in the roster to use all the equipment and instruments for free. There will be a Membership/Maintenance fee of Php 100 a month from each artist or band to help support and fund our equipment upkeep and our meals, merchandise, and transportation.

2)    All artists and bands are encouraged, not required, to help in the setup of the stage and in the dismantling and handling of the set design, equipment, and instruments.

3)    All artists and bands are encouraged, not required, to watch Sessions gigs of their fellow artists and bands at Café Antonio.

PERKS AND BENEFITS

1) A free regular venue to play in

2) Free meals

3) Gig photos and videos that are immediately uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, and other social networking sites

4) Assistance in CD/album distribution

5) Free promotion (through posters, flyers, videos)

6) Gig posters

* all this with no written contract or commitment

PERSONNEL AND ROSTER OF ARTISTS

STAFF:
Jabez Flores - Head Event Coordinator
Francis “Khitz” Contemplacion - Assistant Event Coordinator
Ian Soliven - Logistics Head/Treasurer
Eric Soliven - External Relations
Gelo Arboleda - Campus Coordinator
Jeg delos Reyes & Julius Eusebio - Graphic Artists
Zadl Suministrado& Daniel Richard Sta. Romana - Official Photographers

ACTIVE ROSTER OF ARTISTS:
Yield Avenue
LIME
Segatron
Gabes Torres
Juniper Face the Corner

NEW ARTISTS:
Sweet Symphony
Sitting on a Cornflake

Next Gig

Cafe Antonio Sessions XVIII: Incubus Tribute Noight, 8 PM, Saturday, March 26 featuring LIME, Yield Avenue, and Codename Adobo

For inquiries contact 09173406945.

A Rave-view, Yeah!

2011-03-04T02:46:00.000-08:00

* Here's a cafe review written by our customer and friend, Millie Morales. Some of you may have read it already but I'll just post it here on our official blog to give it formal recognition. Thanks a lot Millie, this review will definitely inspire us to up the ante!

Rave Against the Machine – Café Antonio’s still kickin’ it, indie style in their new location

What: Independent set-up, young, artful with a talented line-up of baristas.

Where: Los Banos, the university town.

Price: Extremely reasonable (student reasonable – which is very reasonable)

Firmly settled in its new LB square location, Café Antonio has come out swinging with all the sass and independent spirit we’ve come to love – but with a brand new, expanded menu to boot. Part performance space, part living room, part café; Antonio’s has always stood as the antithesis to the vomit-inducing, status seeking, manufactured corporate machine of Starbucks. Only now, with a cracking line-up of cultural events and a swath of new snacky little things, Café Antonio’s is starting to prove that the traditional combination of tasty treats, excellent customer service and entrepreneurial spirit can still trump the bloated, consumerist herd of cafés and restaurants dumped (and for some reason, ‘loved’) across Metro Manila.

Despite all the rock bands and music gigs blasting out of the café at night, the first thing one notices when one steps inside is how quaint and homey the café feels. Bathed in a citrus yellow and lined with wood, the combination of shelves replete with books on art, history and philosophy, a smattering of board games and the dark blue couch make it feel like one has stepped into one’s postgrad, bass-playing, cum-artist uni friend’s living room. The eclectic blend of acid jazz and indie rock pumping completes the experience.

Start by making a dash for the couch and grab the chess set, lest you sit at one of the tables where all the students jumble together, happily knocking elbows over coffee and pasta.

You’d be wise to start with a drink. The coffee is a real standout in an area (hell, let’s face it - a nation) renowned for bad coffee. Owner and barista, Jabez Flores and his barista team are a highly talented bunch, able to master a good Italian cup of coffee and create those indulgent dessert-like drinks that are more fun than coffee bean, so popular these days. The line-up runs the gamut from a well-polished macchiato and respectable cappuccino to the iced variety, coffee jellies, affogatos, blended drinks and said decadent desserts in a mug.

All the usual dessert treats are here – hazelnut, vanilla lattes and a rainbow of syrups to choose from. The team will do anything you ask – double shot, triple shot, jelly in that? You bet. Peppermint in your mocha? They’ve got you covered. But if you’re feeling truly indulgent, grab one of their original creations. The super sweet black forest frajelli, rocky road frothiccino and double shot Choco-Peppermint affogato are outrageous enough to let me toss aside that cup of chai and get down and dirty with some chocolate. Just don’t drink all three in one sitting. These drinks are so crazy that it’s obvious the baristas apply the same experimental and creative approach mixologists apply to cocktails.

If the coffee jellies, affogato and syrups weren’t enough to fill your sugar intake then scoff down a blueberries and cream waffle, fresh off the griddle from a home-made batter mix. Cakes and cookies abound from Yummings and a killer bigingkinitan is on the menu too.

No doubt, though, you’re going to be after the eats. The original menu had a modest selection of sandwiches and pastas, that has now flowered and matured into a thoughtful selection of focaccis, paninis and pastas that can easily make a meal.

Ditch the regular sandwiches and have the crisp and tangy lemon chicken panini, or go for the basil, tomato and mozzarella focaccia. The bread is to die for. The pasta dishes are worth a crack too. The penne Bolognese is generous, with the true home-made Italian taste of tomatoes, sans all the brown sugar and sweet drivel that passes for Italian food elsewhere. But our favourite is the pasta Antonio, served in a rich vegetarian sauce evoking ratatouille and arrabbiata in one spoonful – it truly hits the mark.

It’s not just the coffee machine and the kitchen swinging with both fists either. On the floor is Jabez with the entire crew all hands on deck, so no matter which way you turn, you’re pretty much surrounded by uncut, A-grade talent in a laid back, student-like package. The staff is incredibly affable, a couple of visits and you’ll feel like part of the family. If I’m in Los Banos, Café Antonio is my living room. I always wait, my fork poised and glass raised in anticipation for whatever the region’s brightest young barista talents are ready to throw at me.

What’s it got: Everything you need for a good day/night out at a café. Including the live music.

What’s Missing: Red wine and some sort of brunch deal with poached eggs, béarnaise sauce, sliced avocado and focaccia. Is that asking too much? Yes, it is – but if it did the whole wine and brunch thing, this place would be perfect – and exactly what this country is missing. Oh – and when can we Irish up our coffee?

Some pictures are from Cafe Antonio LB's website. I do not own some of them. If you want to know more about Cafe Antonio, visit their sites

Source: http://milliemorales.blogspot.com/

My Life is Preventing Me From Changing My Lifestyle

2011-02-25T04:10:00.000-08:00

* All these hardcore joyrides, work-related pressures, random life issues, and 39-Peso meatballs these past two months have finally taken a toll on my body. As most of you have read on my Facebook status yesterday, I climbed out of bed like a fat, drunk slob at 4 in the afternoon. That's very uncharacteristic for a workaholic like me. At that time, I couldn't resist the lure of my bed and my evaporative fan that was blowing high-speed artificial, nature-like breezes. It came to a point when I finally realized that I am getting old...relatively old. I'm turning 25 for crying out loud. I can still imagine myself staring at the oldness of 25 year olds when I was 18.

* Each and everyone of us has the desire to change. Be it in diet, outlook, fashion sense, or whatever. Right now, I have this recurring desire to change my diet. I say "recurring" because every year I sacrifice something from my usual lineup of worldly intakes. In 2007, I gave up beer and anything that has alcohol. In 2008, I gave up Coke. In 2009, I gave up Sprite, rootbeer, and every softdrink there is. This year, I drink only water and juice and I have lessened my intake of sandwich cookies. Sandwich cookies for me before was like a daily pack of cigarettes. And to add to the mix of health and diet-related stuff, I have successfully incorporated morning dumbbell workouts to strengthen my healing right wrist and my still-healthy left wrist. But what's outrageous this year is my dependence on fast food chains. Oh convenience, why do we seek and desire convenience?! Especially in preparing food? I remember a few years ago, I used to cook my own food and practice my skills in the kitchen. The fast food diet is killing me man!

* Like everything else that involves change, food preference and healthy living will take time. But I hope not too much time, before I know it I'll be suffering from some disease. I just want to ask the surrounding culture to be supportive of our desire to change. Any healthy food shops out there that are both cheap and convenient?

* I was reading a Healthy Options magazine this afternoon and read about taking naps. It was 1 PM and I told my crew that we should close for an hour and take a quick nap to rejuvenate us. It's funny, closing down in the middle of the day, but it worked. We work at a coffee shop and we stay up late and wake up early. I guess some jobs simply require and expect more of our natural abilities to survive. The bottom line is, whew, let's just make the best out of our current situations. Us yuppies are always pressed on all sides, a pack of Mr. Chips to nibble is enough for us to last the day. Anything beyond that would require a herculean effort. But maybe that's what we need...the effort of Hercules.

* Hey hey! Checkout new Cafe Antonio merchandise at http://cafeantoniostore.multiply.com; also add us up on Facebook, just type: Cafe Antonio Merchandise. So we will have more reason to riprizint! Thanks!

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

2011-02-18T02:38:00.000-08:00

* 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

2011-02-10T05:23:00.000-08:00

* 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

2011-02-03T05:06:00.000-08:00

* 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

2011-01-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

* 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

2011-01-18T00:56:00.000-08:00

* 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

2011-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-23T23:57:00.000-08:00

* 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

2010-12-14T01:58:00.000-08:00

* 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

2010-12-06T23:53:00.000-08:00

* 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!

2010-12-02T03:43:00.000-08:00

* 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!

Spread the Jam Evenly on the Sides

2010-11-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

* Seems like jamming has become a common sight at the café nowadays, be it in music or coffee. Last Thursday, we held our third Pinoy Barista Jam, an activity that started as a practice session for our barista friends from other cafes (Bo’s Coffee Club, Al Fresco Café, Jet Black Java) who got in the semifinal round of the Grand Barista Cup last August.

* A barista jam is not a new concept. Coffeehouses in other countries conduct regular jams where baristas from different shops come together in a single venue to share and display their skills in preparing different espresso-based beverages like lattes and cappuccinos. The jam goes on and on until supplies run out.

* Here in Los Banos , Café Antonio is a willing host for such jams in support of our profession as baristas and our group, Pinoy Barista. We want to provide a venue where baristas can make as many lattes as they want without worrying about how much each drink is costing them. Registration is free. The coffee beans and milk are provided. But baristas can also bring their own milk and beans to the jam.

* It is this kind of freedom in our barista jams that the barista enjoys the most. The expression of creativity has no limits. We can do latte art on almost anything we can get our hands on. And aside from providing a free venue, we are also able to provide good quality souvenir photos of the barista’s coffee art courtesy of our photographer friends and resident Pinoy Barista photographer, Zadl Suministrado of Nikon Club Philippines.

* Among those who participated in last week’s jam were senior baristas Mike and Lucky (2010 Philippine Barista Cup Champion) of Bo’s Coffee Club in Cebu; latte art extraordinaire Christian of Classic Confections; Andy (2010 Grand Barista Cup Semifinalist) of Jet Black Java; former San Francisco Coffee barista, Michael; and our Café Antonio baristas Neil, Ramhil, Joyceann, Jeg, and Ian. Official Pinoy Barista t-shirts were also sold during the event to help promote the group and support its cause. Free coffees were given away to everyone who went to the shop.

* Thank you very much to all those who participated and witnessed the event! We hope we could organize more events such as this.

The Word Evil Is Overrated, There's Another Word For It And It Starts With An "H"

2010-11-14T22:48:00.000-08:00

* We've been closed for a week and everybody's been wondering what the hell happened to us. LB Square is under new management and the transition that happened last week from the old one to the new one was, let's just say, HYPER-HASSLE. I won't tell you the details here, but I'm sure Elbi peeps already know the skinny on it. I think the HYPER-HASSLE description says it all anyway.

* We've been through a lot these past several days, I feel like I'm 40 years old already. But God is good, in spite of it all, the Indie Music Fest pushed through last Saturday night and a LOT of people came. It's our first time to organize an event of this magnitude so it was a learning experience for us all. Thirteen bands were supposed to perform, unfortunately, only seven came on time and performed. We're sorry for that.

* What's important right now is we're rollin' once again and taking the punches as they come. It's a treat working here at the cafe, you get to taste all of life's delicacies, be it exotic emotional surprises or routine mainstream favorites. When you see the big picture, viewing it from afar, let's say the moon, you'll see the beauty of it all. Just like the Earth, from afar it's beautiful but when you go down and actually experience the intricacies and the details of it all, you'll find out that the beauty of it all comes from the never-ending conflict between the good guys and the hassle-doers.

* Have a good week everybody. Get your free coffee on Wednesday, it's Barista Jam time!

At the Back of Green Checkered Shorts

2010-10-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

* "Sorry trapik" was our former cashier/barista, Mon's usual line entering the cafe's door and arriving for work with his trademark shades and his face smirking from the heat. You can really feel the hassle he's been through once he starts talking to you, his face paints it all in full color. It's definitely a portrait I'll miss seeing on Monday mornings.

* Even before Mon became an employee, he has been the cafe's unofficial go-to guy in times of need...since 2008. He was our busboy and cashier whenever Retz was not around. We didn't have a lot of "bench players" back then so Mon was always a trustworthy option and was designated to be the main man on the counter taking orders and talking to the customers. It was also at the cafe where Mon met the love of his life, Jenni, our friend and high school batchmate. (Trivia: We met Mon in college, we didn't go to the same high school; he's also a Batangueno).

* In his last year in UPLB, Mon became our housemate. And because of that, he became used to our way of living: staying up all night and sleeping very late. Thankfully, he graduated in 2010 with a degree in Biology. And you all know the story after that, he trained to become a barista and worked at the cafe, just like the rest of us here. He started in June and spent his last day of official work last Friday, October 29. It was an amazing 4 months working with him.

* He wants to pursue a career related to his course, that's why he had to leave. Well a lot of great people started out as baristas early in their lives. It's a good work experience...and it also makes for a cool life story.

* So Mon (or Ralph, as his name pin says), thank you very much for everything. We couldn't have done it without you, that's very true. I hope someday when you take your kids and your family to the cafe you'll proudly look up at the shop's signage and tell them, "You know guys, we built this city...we built this city on rock and roll!"

Our first halloween costume party, 10/30/10

Defeat Breathes Life To Those Who Are Probably Asleep

2010-10-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

* Los Banos is a dead place during sem breaks. But interestingly enough, the cool sem break breeze assures you of a tranquil day ahead. It's kinda like expecting a state of boredom (which sucks) but at the back of your mind you know everything's gonna be just fine.

* For the CAnton crew, the sem break is a time of refreshing. We've been through a lot this year so every siesta opportunity stolen during our working hours is sanctioned and sponsored by the mythic Filipino spirit, "Maawakanaman Sasarilimo".

* The staff meeting last week was a good one. Free donuts and music from Arnel Pineda and Journey. Certainly draws a crowd! Tomorrow we will have another one. We don't have a time limit for our staff meetings. We just go on and on until we run out of things to talks about. *talks about?! edit ko sana kaso wag na, parang Jason Mraz lang.

* One of the fruits of that meeting was the Hanged Bears Sick Halloween Decor Concept (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=99613&id=1389378976). We didn't want a pumpkin-themed halloween so there you go. Kudos to Ate Marisse, she's the one responsible for the idea of hanging 'em toys. She is a sick person. hehe.

* Hey, on Saturday we have a costume party. Wear a specific Cafe Antonio food or drink and you'll get that item for free! The staff will be in costume too. I have a good one, hopefully it would be the scariest.

* We just repackaged our Tumblr page. We turned it into our Cafe Antonio Sessions Webzine (http://cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com). You'll see write-ups and articles from different artists from Cafe Antonio Sessions.

* If you want to chill this sem break just come to the cafe, we made a lot of free lattes last night. Too bad, only two customers stayed late. We're practicing for the Pinoy Barista Jam 3 on November 17.

* Okay, go back to sleep or whatever.

The Answers Come in the Form of a Magazine

2010-10-18T02:14:00.000-07:00

* There are two things that give me creative inspiration: the living room television, and a secondhand bookstore filled with magazines. It's like a gasoline station. A convenience store. An ink refill station.

* I tried the Internet to look for ideas. But the myriad sites that are readily available in a single click overwhelms me. It's too "free". There are so many places to visit. Somehow, I want boundaries and limitations so I can narrow down my options and concentrate on readily available ideas. The TV is limited because there are only a number of channels I watch. I wait for the commercials because that's where you can find the good stuff: background music, 30-second ads, neat trailers, the whole shebang. The local roadside bookstore, on the other hand, is like a personal portal. There's magic in there. It's like the Internet but you can actually touch the pages and roll it up and use it as a weapon, without regret.

* I've been reading magazines since 1990. My favorite back then was Asia Week. Magazine-reading is a strong Flores family tradition. I go home to San Pablo and read Time Magazine first before watching TV. Sometimes I don't watch TV at all.

* After a slew of cafe activities, it's time for us to take a break together with the students' sem break. Very fitting indeed. So I said to myself, "Two weeks with no students. It should give us time to think about the holiday season. I need ideas". And it came. The ideas came in the form of a magazine, a single magazine ad. I bought a magazine with Jenny Lewis on the cover. It's actually my second magazine with Jenny Lewis on the cover.

* I won't tell you what magazine that is. But it really helped all of us narrow down a concept and make it concrete.

* So if you're an impatient reader like me, pick up a magazine. It switches topics in every turn. I always start reading from the back page, I don't know why. Pick the most obscure magazine title out there and it may help you start or find a new hobby. Oh yes, magazines never go offline, just out of stock. It's for keeps.

Mayer Mayer On The Wall

2010-10-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

* A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I were watching John Mayer perform a very intimate gig at a not-so-intimate venue, the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds. Being a decade late before having his first concert here, Mayer had a hard time packing all of his hits in one set. Even though we enjoyed the concert a lot, we wanted to follow it up with a gig of our own, a "make-up" concert for fans who didn't get to watch because of the harsh weather and the insane ticket prices.

* Originally, the John Mayer Tribute Night was conceptualized a very long time ago, I think that was back in June, when LIME guitarist, Eric, and I were brainstorming for the whole Cafe Antonio Sessions concept. At that time, my friends and I weren't even decided yet if we were going to watch the John Mayer concert. The formation of the band, LIME, the hype of the Sessions, the hangover from the concert, the unpredictable poetic beauty of the rain, and the arrival of Eric's girlfriend, Ise, from Singapore, all fell into place to make last night's gig a very memorable one.

July and Joyce setting up the al fresco area

Gabes Torres and the talented Syndesmos Trio

LIME at their first major gig as a band

* I would like to give an A++ for effort to my CAnton family for making the gig a reality and a success. I told Lenard, the vocalist of LIME, that this is the most well-prepared gig that we have organized at Sessions. The poster was designed by Jeg and July, it was posted online on time, it was tagged like crazy. The poster inspired me to make a promo video. We asked for donations of used glass jars online for the al fresco area. Jeg, July, and Joyce conceptualized the whole thing and prepared it on the day of the gig. Retz and Joyceann took on barista duties to accommodate the legions of customers and fans who came at the day of the gig. Even Jeg helped at the bar. Ate Marisse and Mavericks lent us their tables and chairs so we can offer more seating and dining space. She even backed-up Retz in his cashier duties. Ralph and Neil of 9 In. Ni Neil were also there to help with the transportation of the equipment. Our photographers, Zadl and Dan, were both present (finally!) to cover the event extensively and provide us with kick-ass profile pics for Facebook. The rest is up to Gabes and LIME. And as usual, they gave everyone an amazing show!

* It was tiring, that's for sure. The logistics were a nightmare. But there's a thrill to it that makes you want to do it again and again and again. The high it gives you is very addicting. Sessions is a unique music experience. It's not just any other gig both for the performers and the spectators. It's a driven, passionate, and focused series of gigs. No fees involved, no money included. It's a pure showcase of talent and artistic freedom. Let's come back to the reason why we listen to music, it's for the beauty and appreciation of it. No more, no less.

* What else can I say? Great things happen when good friends work together.

The CAnton gang fattening up at Shakey's

A Colored Photobook and A Long Playing Record

2010-10-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

* Since waking up this morning (thank you Vince), I have been thinking of a way to effectively communicate our experiences these past two weeks, or, uh, one and a half weeks. Sorry we were so busy, I couldn't find or make time to blog. So this is the time! It's time...to make a photo blog! Haha, pang tamad! I'll put captions, don't worry.

Thursday, September 23 - Latte Art Jam

* In this photo, you can see that we did not include Neil's eyes, you might get hypnotized. The guy on the right (faaar right) is our coach and good friend, Lanz. He's in Singapore now, starting a new barista career at a new shop. He'll be working there for two years! Thanks Lanz, I hope you enjoy your stay there with Mam Vanessa. On his left is Kent, he's a bartender who tried to use his skills at the barista jam. He did quite well for a first-timer! We jammed from 12 noon to 4 in the afternoon, practicing latte art and pulling shots like there's no tomorrow! Neil, developed a temporary latte phobia after the activity. Congrats to Kuya Jeg for making his first rosetta leaf design!

Friday, September 24 - Slumbooks from Witty Will Save the World

* Wow, looks like everybody on campus will be holding one of these on the second sem! We didn't expect to get 30 plus orders of the uber cool-let slumbook/notebook in just a few days! Next batch will be available, hmm, maybe next week. We will start gathering pre-orders this week. Remember, pay as you receive!

Friday, September 24 - Barako Concoctions Competition at the 1st Batangas Food and Beverage Exposition

* Thanks to Joyce's friend, Melodz Melo of La Salle-Lipa, I had the chance to judge my first competition! Yey! I brought along Mon and Neil with me, semi-formal attire and all, pogi-barista-image. And what a competition it was! There was dancing and cartwheelin' and all, I didn't expect that from a coffee-related contest. It was a treat, I drank 8 different blends of Barako-based drinks. Didn't drink coffee for three days after that. I shared the judges' table with barista trainers from Dairymoor of Tanaun and Cafe de Lipa. I hope we'll be there again to judge next year!

Saturday, September 25 - Cafe Antonio Sessions VII: Female Artists Tribute Night

* This gig has been the highlight of Facebook feeds for a week. It was epic. It was our first time to showcase these many bands at the cafe and what a line up it was! There was multi-vocal band, 9 in. ni Neil; acoustic emo duo (the bitter brothers) Juniper Face the Corner; indie princess, Gabes Torres; crowd favorite OPM army, Satori; and main acts, kings and queen of acoustic anthems, LIME (formerly Soundhole from our KA days); and rising OPM anthem machines, Yield Avenue! All the artists did their homework and really made a huge effort to cover songs from any female artist. The energy was so high that night and it was definitely a sign for us all to continue these series of gigs and make it a special event every time.

September 27, Monday - Interview at Bialetti Foods Corp. at Wack Wack Village

* As part of his legacy to us, Lanz referred us to a part-time job as barista trainers at Bialetti Foods Corp. Neil and I went there and met the owners and tried out their machine. We're really excited to teach and share what we have learned over the years to new, aspiring baristas.

September 27, Monday - Impromptu Latte Art Jam with Barista from Denmark

* Our new customer and fan, Chef Derrick (Derek? I really don't know how to spell his name) brought his friend, Sophie, at the cafe. She told us she used to work as a barista back home, but haven't pulled a shot or poured latte art for a long time. And because we are kind and very accommodating to fellow baristas, we gave her the stage and she did put on a show! Our baristas joined in and we had a little jam session right there at the bar. Mr. Chef was the receiver of the lattes, gulping down 5 of them. Hope you guys visit us again soon!

September 30, Thursday - Pop's 64th Birthday

* Our Pop, my father, celebrated his birthday at the cafe! Well almost. We we're waiting for my sisters and my mom to arrive at the cafe. We didn't know that we had to bring the cafe food to my sister's apartment. Too bad, the crew didn't get free drinks! Hehe!

October 1, Friday - 4th Philippine Grand Barista Cup Finals at SM Mega Mall

* It all came down to this final day! Ramhil, Neil, and I arrived early so we tagged along with Sir Joefel and tested the espresso machine they were going to use at the finals. Pinoy Barista members were also there to join in the fun and test the hi-tech grinder and the Expobar machine. It was like a reunion for us, the same faces were there. From the PBC elims last August to the GBC orientation, semis, barista jams, and finals, the Pinoy Barista people are starting to form a strong bond in just 2 months! We didn't finish the contest, we left after Chester's run. We didn't to get watch Pinoy Barista member and barista competition veteran, Zaldy, because we were going to be late for the John Mayer concert at MOA. But congrats to the champion, Zaldy! I hope you'll make it to the Asian Barista Cup! Congrats also to Chester, your ampalaya concoction was great! To UCC, congrats too, your performance never fails to amaze us! To the Visayas and Mindanao champs, great job too! Special shout out to Sir Gerry, Joefel, Paul, Joel, Arlene, Elena, Chester, Ian of Bo's, Andy Boy, Marlon of Chocolate Fire (!), James, Sir Ernie, and Sir Ian from Singapore. Til' we meet again guys! Yung t-shirts, sa sunod na activity nalang! 300 each!

October 1, Friday - John Mayer Concert at SM Mall of Asia

* This was the wettest concert ever! What an experience. John Mayer is a cultural icon of our generation, we didn't care if we were dancing in the rain or the people behind us kept telling us that we were too noisy. Duh, it's a concert, duh. Well, the rain really did enhance the concert experience, it made it more special. Plus, we got to stay at a hotel with free food after the concert, thanks to our friend Julius' mom.

October 2, Saturday - Cafe Antonio Sessions VIII: Segatron

* It was a gig like no other. Segatron, a fun-loving, rock-electronica, dance-party time, "party-core", "fag-core" (according to them) band, graced Cafe Antonio Sessions with a sonic set that brought in a legion of fans at the cafe making it our most successful gig so far (based on attendance and sales). What's great about the gig is that Sega and his bandmates arrived early, at 6:30 pm! That was impressive. They performed our favorite song on one of our playlists at the cafe, Miss Eye Catcher. The gig was opened by Juniper Face the Corner. Catch more of Segatron on Cafe Antonio Sessions X on November 13. CDs will be available at the cafe soon.

THIS WEEK AT CANTON:

* It's October! It's time for the much anticipated Brownie Fudge Frothiccino or BFF! Woohoo! And on October 9, we are inviting you guys to attend Cafe Antonio Session IX: John Mayer Make Up Concert, for those who missed the real concert. Featuring LIME and Gabes Torres, 8 pm at the cafe. See you! Hope you enjoyed our photos.

Coffee Gets Inspired By Music

2010-09-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

* This week the cafe will host two events that we are most passionate about: Barista Jam 2 (with Pinoy Barista) on Thursday and Cafe Antonio Sessions VII on Saturday. We did this barista jam-Cafe Antonio sessions combo just 3 weeks ago. I guess everyone just got really excited and inspired so we decided to make this a regular thing. This will help us make the cafe become a favorite venue of both baristas and musicians to showcase their skills and express their creativity for free!

* I saw an article online at Coffeegeek.com about what a barista jam is. It's an example of how the coffee industry takes its cues from music. Here's an excerpt from the article:

So what is a Jam? The premise is modeled after a musician’s jam session. That informal event is usually a group of musicians who get together on a regular basis to play tunes. Some bring stacks of “fake books”, books that have main melodies of jazz standard tunes alphabetically arranged for easy reference and ideas, other musicians would come with their ‘axe’, a musicians’ instrument as it is affectionately called. Still others would come just to ‘dig the scene’. Imaginative, free ideas of chord structure, phrasing, notation and tone would flow like wine or other inebriants that were often available and things always got a little wild as the evening wore on.

Jams were free form enough but some structure provided a framework generally someone would call a song, others would chime in and solo and everyone “jammed”. The song would last as long as the ideas did.

A Barista jam is an assemblage with the same sense of inspiration and exploration; only the medium (or vehicle) is specialty coffee in general, and espresso in particular. Rather than musicians grouped together talking about riffs, scale changes, half notes and block cords, we have Baristi talking about shot times, tamping techniques, espresso blends and grinding burrs. Musical axes have been replaced with tampers, steam pitchers and beans. If this sounds like a science experiment to you, it is a little bit like one. Lab coats have given way to aprons. Loosely defined a jam is: anytime 2 or more Barista come together over an espresso machine to challenge themselves, or any time there is a gathering of several Baristi and machines all under one roof.

http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/professionals/02-13-2004

CAFE NEWS

* After endless rounds of UNO Stack-O (trust me, it's grueling and exhausting), Dan Sta. Romana of Drmsr Photography bested 3 other teams to win the 1st UNO Stack-O Tournament last Monday sponsored by Espaleklek and Jethro Benaiah Osio at Cafe Antonio, Los Banos. Dan walked away with Php 2000 cash and is now in Tokyo, Japan taking a vacation. Congratulations! Other participating teams were Marisse Bonita of Mavericks, Gelo & Kaye of UPLB, and Jeg & Jabez of Cafe Antonio, Los Banos.

On A Three Zero Run!

2010-09-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

victory pose with members of Pinoy Barista

* We had three major events last week. Just enough to sap our energy and yet inspire us to push the tempo a little bit more. Adrenaline junkies, we are (Yoda-speak). First was the semi-finals of the Grand Barista Cup. Ramhil and I were at the World Trade Center to support our barista friends and members of our organization, Pinoy Barista. Although a small group, we didn't fail to encourage and cheer our fellow baristas as they went through their 15 minutes of hell. Event emcee, Sam Y G, couldn't help but notice us running around from one side of the stage to the other, cheering our friends. He said, "Kayo din yun nasa kabila ah!" Haha!

* Pinoy Barista member, Chester Nimer of Bo's Coffee, emerged the winner besting 5 other semi-finalists from The Coffee Beanery, UCC, Jet Black Java, and Al Fresco Cafe. He became the Luzon Champion, getting the chance to compete in the national finals and the Asian Barista Cup in Singapore. Of course, all of us were proud of him and we counted that as a victory for Pinoy Barista. As a tribute to Chester's winning signature drink, the Mango Passiflora, I tried to remake it back at the cafe and then served it to my staff so that they can taste the Luzon Champ's concoction. God bless on the finals, sir!

* I was also lucky that day, I won a bottle of passion fruit syrup for the "bring me" game and a coffee cup and saucer in the coffee trivia game. That never happened to me before. Malas ako sa games e.

Cafe Antonio Sessions VI with Yield Avenue, Code Name: Adobo, 9 Inches Ni Neil, and Satori

* Cafe Antonio Sessions VI! For the first time in Sessions history, the bands performed at the al fresco area. And what a revelation, it's so much better to play out there! We got to know a new band called Code Name: Adobo. They're an Incubus-like, funk-rock-jazz fusion band. I hope they could come back again and be a regular part of Sessions. Ralph & Neil, now known as 9 Inches Ni Neil, also debuted showcasing their alternative rock brand of music. The band features Mon on vocals, Neil on acoustic guitar and vocals, Ralph on lead guitar, and Lisette on keyboards. Sophomore Sessions band, Satori also came back to the cafe to perform the final set. And of course, Yield Avenue was there to perform two sets of covers and originals, including favorites, "Hanggang Dulo" and "Sigaw." As usual, the guys (minus Noey, plus Banjo) blew us away with another captivating, guitar-driven performance. At the end of the night, everyone was happy as the bands ate their free Pasta Alfredos and sipped their iced teas. We can't wait for the next gig! The successful gig is a victory for us all!

at the UAAP Cheerdance Competition with CAnton friends and crew

* In non-cafe related news, despite not winning 14 games in basketball, UP has finally reclaimed it's Cheerdance bragging rights! The CAnton crew was there to watch and it was a surreal feeling being in a situation where we actually won something as a school. So this is how it feels to win, we told ourselves. UP Naming Mahal never sounded so good!

* We just had our weekly Bible study and staff meeting this afternoon. We reflected and realized good things happen by grace and not because we deserve it. But because Someone wants us to. We are very thankful for that. Here's to another week of living by faith.

‘Give Me A Break’ Isn’t Exactly A Battle Cry But ‘Scrabble!’ Is

2010-09-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Juniper Face the Corner

Gabes Torres

Latte Art Jam with Pinoy Barista

* Every year I experience major physical exhaustion especially in the “ber” months where all the “stress-zoids” (stressors the size of Zoids) usually chew away at what is left of my 7-11-sponsored sustenance. The two barista competitions (Philippine Barista Cup and Grand Barista Cup) we participated in last month really gave us a lot to think about and definitely a lot to work on. The training and practice, together with the rigors of daily living, café life, and band rehearsals, gave me bloodshot eyes, irregular sleep patterns, unexpressed frustrations, and non-stop streams of creative thinking.

* It’s been awhile since I’ve done a reflective blog. It’s also been awhile since I’ve written a blog on time, on a Monday evening. Well, maybe because I’m, or we’re, in a stage where the wheels are really rolling fast. Café Antonio is in a stage where we’re developing two of our main thrusts: 1) making good coffee and barista development through exposure and participation in the local coffee industry, and 2) creative expression through music in the form of the Café Antonio Sessions. We’ve talked and bonded with a lot of people this past month. We’ve met interesting and talented artists in Sessions and we’ve made good friends with fellow baristas from different cafes in the past two competitions. These new relationships led to a barista jam last week and three Café Antonio Sessions gigs this month. Aside from that, we’ve also pimped our food menu and we’ll also throw in an UNO Stack-O Tournament next week for good measure.

* My sociable exterior usually hides my quiet chewy interior (by this I mean locking myself up in my room and watching Gossip Girl). What freaks me out is my increased social exposure due to the café’s sudden involvement in a lot of things. Ironic because I’m a Sociology major and being with people is our forte. I’m not saying exposure is bad, don’t get me wrong, it’s very good especially for a business. But being in the forefront all the time is a recurrent and awkward position for me. I’m the personification of an oxymoron. I do what I don’t like and always find myself doing what I don’t want to do. It’s a riddle.

* The lesson here is that I shouldn’t run away from my responsibilities. God isn’t forcing me to do things. Instead, He encourages me to do more of what He has entrusted me to do. And I still firmly believe that this café is my earthly assignment. So if life’s challenges give me more than what my personality can handle, I know for sure that my attitude towards life can always step up, thanks to the Big Man upstairs.

CAFÉ NEWS!

September 11 - Café Antonio Sessions VI featuring Yield Avenue, Satori, Code Name Adobo, and Neil & Ralph

September 13 – Start of UNO Stack-O Tournament

Flavor of the Month: Caramel Raspberry Confusion (with Gummi Bears!) – Php 130

Pasta of the Week: Spaghettini with Tomato and Mozzarella

Sixty Time Snack Sets (from 3 pm to 5:30 pm only) – Php 60

- - Tuna Pita Wrap (2 pieces with 8 oz regular iced tea)

- - Chicken Mayo wrap (2 pieces with 8 oz regular iced tea)

- - Pita Pizza (with 8 oz regular iced tea)

A Necessary Step

2010-08-31T03:38:00.000-07:00

* After pulling almost four years worth of espressos as a barista and training under different mentors, it all came down to just one crucial brewing cycle and 2 important espressos. Those first two espressos I pulled at the Grand Barista Cup last August 25 definitely packed more suspense than spending an evening of small talk with Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It was all or nothing. It determined our quality as a barista. Well, at least for that competition.

Quick Geek Talk

* The coffee beans used for the competition was a 90:10, meaning that 90% of the beans in the blend is Arabica and 10% is Robusta. At the cafe we use a 50:50 for practice. Most baristas aren't used to working with coffee blends with an Arabica content that high. You see, having a higher percentage of Arabicas increases the probability of exposing the rather negative qualities of the espresso if not prepared properly, this is because Arabicas are naturally acidic. If the Robusta content is higher, it's boldness and heavy bodied qualities can mask the Arabica's delicate flavor and subtle nuances. In other words, the 90:10 blend is really a hell-raiser for baristas.

* We were given 5 minutes of prep time before the performance proper. Within that time we're allowed to test the coffee and have a feel of working with it. Grinding, dosing, and tamping are crucial in pulling a perfect shot of espresso. Using different techniques or combinations of techniques of these processes can alter the taste of the beverage ranging from horrendous to perfect.

* Neil was contestant number 2. So he gave me advice on the beans. The grinder setting was calibrated to a fine grind meaning the coffee grounds have a good tendency to be perfectly compact inside the filter basket when water passes through. The danger of a fine grind is over-extraction. That is, you'll see tiny drops of espresso dripping like droplets of rain in the demitasse, automatic bad shot!

* Dosing is another crucial part. Dosing is pulling a lever at the side of the grinder that dispenses a certain amount of coffee from a chamber to your filter basket. The barista can overdose and then level off the ground using his or her fingers. Sometimes dosing needs to be exact with just minimal spillage.

* Tamping is a nightmare. There's a hard tamp, soft tamp, and several other amounts of force to use on tamping. It's basically packing the coffee grounds into the filter basket with, of course, a tamper. The tamper is kinda like a barista's sword. It comes in different weights, sizes, designs, and shapes. The tamper provided at the contest was Joefel's, an expensive heavy duty type that weighs like a small baby. Minimal force is required. So most of the baristas borrowed Chester's (of Bo's Coffee) middleweight champion of the world tamper which requires a barista's sorta normal weight in packing the coffee.

* Having said all that, I think I didn't get the espresso right at the competition. I was too conservative in all three processes. I under-dosed, I did a pseudo-leveling, and I tamped very lightly fearing over-extraction. And I was too time-conscious, I was afraid I would go into overtime. I finished my run in 3:20 minutes.

* Watching all the baristas perform was very educational for us: for Neil, Ramhil, and I. We learned a lot of new stuff that we haven't heard of before. And I thought this is why we join these competitions, not just to compete and win, but to learn and share knowledge (and barista tools, haha!) with our colleagues.

* The barista circle is a small world. We found out that day that the head judge, Ernie Mesina, was the one who trained the baristas at the Dumaguete branch. Very interesting indeed. We would also like to thank our coach, Lanz, for being generous to us and helping us develop our skills.

* So to all the baristas we met these past two competitions, more power to you guys and God bless on the semis on September 9! We will be there cheering you on!

CAFE NEWS

* Check out the complete gig schedule for September for Cafe Antonio Sessions on our fan page on Facebook, just search for: Cafe Antonio Sessions.

* UNO Stack-O Tournament is on September 13! You can get your registration form at the cafe. The event is sponsored by the UPLB Espaleklek, and my nephew, Jethro.

* Watch out for new dishes and drinks this September!

Something to Chew On

2010-08-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

* Just two weeks after the Philippine Barista Cup at the World Food Expo, we found ourselves staring competition right in the face once again in the form of the Grand Barista Cup held at the Allegro Beverage Corp. showroom in Makati last Wednesday, August 25.

* I'm sorry again for the late blog entry. We've been very busy last week and the practice and training for the competition took the wind out of us. Exhausted is the word. Sadly, we didn't qualify for the semis. But we gained a lot of experience, knowledge, and friends in the process.

* Well I'll right a better entry tomorrow night. My eyes are very tired and I really need to take a break. This is a blog for the sake of posting something tonight. Haha. Wait for the story tomorrow. Thanks blog readers!

Passion Shared is Passion Achieved

2010-08-18T03:20:00.000-07:00

* Just two weeks ago, Neil, Ramhil, and I were having the time of our lives at the Philippine Barista Cup held at the SMX Convention Center. Next week we'll be going at it again, this time at the elimination round of the Grand Barista Championship (August 25). We definitely enjoyed the experience and we're hungry for more. But this time we have someone to teach us.

* Remember Lanz? The barista champion we mentioned in last week's blog entry? He's the one coaching us. We practiced last Friday and this Friday we have another session. Now this guy is hardcore. Just when we thought we were already coffee geeks, this guy is a hundred levels ahead of us. His dream is to raise awareness of coffee in the Philippines and help revive the coffee industry. He teaches and coaches student and professional baristas and prepares them for competitions. Talk about passion for coffee. That's also a dream of ours for Los Banos and Laguna but when you have a guy like Lanz to push you and encourage you, it makes the difficult task seem possible and worth living for. We really hope to do our best next week and represent the province of Laguna well. We know there's still a long way to go but this is a good start.

* We had Cafe Antonio Sessions IV: Dave Matthews Band Tribute Night last Saturday. Gelo and I were thankful it's over, covering DMB songs is so difficult. But Eric, Lenard, and Ian had a great set. Many people came and it inspired us more to develop the whole Cafe Antonio Sessions concept. Please "like" our Cafe Antonio Sessions page on Facebook. We'll be posting gig skeds there and stuff. If you want to watch the performance last Saturday you can view it on our wall on Facebook.

* Last Sunday, the CAnton gang went to Chocolate Fire in Makati to visit Marlon--the barista we knew from PBC. Unfortunately, he wasn't there that night. We highly recommend the place and the food. Add them up on Facebook, type "Chocolate Fire."

* If you visit the cafe right now you'll notice some changes right away. The menu is now on the counter. FoMs, waffles, pastries, lunch combos, etc. are posted on the board. We also have a menu standee outside. We have snacks sets (alternatives to our bowl of chips): mallows n stix, nachos (with meaty or salsa dip), and cheesy tuna bites. You'll also notice we have increased the prices of our pastas and sandwiches because we've made improvements on our food.

* Hopefully you guys will have a better experience at the cafe. Every week we strive to bring something new to the table. Get ready for September, we have a lot of activities in store for you. We'll host our first ever Uno Stack-O Tournament sponsored by Espaleklek.

* Thank you for the support, the ideas, the inspiration, and all the help. Always pray for us and hopefully we make it to the semis of the Grand Barista Championship!

What Really Happened at the Barista Cup

2010-08-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

* Everybody's been asking us all week how the barista contest went last Thursday. Here's what happened:

* Before we left for the World Food Expo at the SMX Convention Center, we spent almost thirty minutes figuring out how all eight of us could fit inside the DMax. There was Retz, Ate Marisse, Al Labadan II (of Alf Likes This), Dan (of Dreamsy Potograph), Jeg, Neil, Ramhil, and I. "Kandong-kandong nalang ba?" "Dalawa sa harap plus yung driver?" "Pwede ba sa SLEX may nakasakay sa likod ng pickup?" These were the pressing questions we faced at that time. Al phoned a couple of friends to confirm the legality of letting the others ride at the back. They said it was okay. Jeg, being the tallest, sat at the back together with Dan.

* We arrived very early at the SMX Convention Center, before 8:30 am. We asked around where the baristas would gather and we were led from one gate to another. Looking too excited and obviously lost, I called our supplier, Ate Wilma, and asked her where the meeting place was. Al, being the outgoing marketing person that he is, went inside the convention center without hesitation and instantly got our ID passes. He got the "coach" ID. Nice one Al!

* After that, we had breakfast at Krispy Kreme. That's because Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has the unique ability to inspire, motivate, and nourish our sugar-dependent blood streams and our overall outlook in life. I got a paper cap from the condiments station and wore it to SMX. It's my way of saying, "Hey, I had an original glazed doughnut, I have a good outlook in life!"

* The booths were not yet fully open. Meaning there's no free food yet. So we went to the Philippine Barista and Coffee Academy booth and asked when the call time is. They told us that we should be ready by 12 noon. We had lunch at the food court at MOA. I wasn't really hungry because I was nervous. I felt like there was a manang cooking sinigang in my chest. And the sampaloc sensation was really kicking in.

* We went back to SMX just in time to check on the stage. There was a flairtending competition. It was very entertaining so we watched for a while. But there were many contestants. Thinking that the contest would take an eternity to finish, we decided to take a nap on the lounge area. And yes, we all fell asleep. Neil and I were on duty the night before, we only had three hours of sleep before the competition.

* We went back to the contest area and the flairtending still wasn't done. Neil needed coffee and told us that we go around the expo and look for free coffee. We didn't find any or we just forgot where the free coffee was. So we went to this booth called El Kapitan. I bought an espresso. The owner saw our IDs and asked us about the contest. He was behind the espresso machine together with another barista, a rather familiar looking one. To our surprise, they asked us to try their espresso machine. This was a rare opportunity so I made a couple of cappuccinos, crappy ones. The familiar looking barista gave us tips and advice and let us watch a video of a student barista he coached the day before. His name is Lanz. He's a barista champion, we remember him from last year's Philippine Barista Cup-Student Division. He was a lot of help to us, he gave us advice about the kind of coffee we were gonna use in the contest, the right extraction rate, steaming time, and other barista stuff. We thanked him and we headed to the department store to grab last minute supplies.

* Familiar faces from the barista orientation started arriving one by one. It was a good feeling knowing that our fellow contestants were already with us at SMX. We were gathered at the PBCA booth and the staff entertained our questions. The flairtending competition was taking way too long. The organizers called us outside SMX for a briefing that would shock us all. Instead of the standard 15 mins competition time for each barista, it was reduced to only 5 mins due to the lack of time! So instead of preparing 4 espressos and 4 cappuccinos in 15 mins, we were supposed to do 2 of each in just 5 mins. It was hard for us to adjust because we practiced for a 15 minute performance. The judges told us that we should tell something about ourselves while making coffee. It's like an audition. Only 6 out of the 20 baristas from Luzon will make it to the finals the following day together with the champions from Cebu and Davao.

* Neil was contestant number 2, I was number 10, and Ramhil was number 12.

* After the briefing we scurried to the backstage and started drawing our game plan and prepared our equipment. The participant baristas were all helping one another, lending drinking water and tools to each other and wishing each other God bless and good luck. The contestant from Chocolate Fire, Marlon, was kind enough to share his milk pitcher with us after seeing that we only had small pitchers that's good for only one cup. His pitcher can make 2 cups. And there's this barista from Caffino named Lerry, together with her Aunt Malou, who gave me my own background song for the contest. They prepared a 15 minute mix CD but since it was reduced to 5 minutes, they were able to give me a 5 minute track. Cool! Everybody watched and waited for the flairtending to end. The last few bartenders were very good.

* Neil was up next. He had a good run, finishing the performance in 4:58 mins. He even had enough time to make coffee art on two of his cappuccinos. Ramhil and I cleared his stuff after the performance and washed the cups and saucers for my turn. Watching the other baristas perform was both an advantage and disadvantage. It was an advantage because you'll know what to do and what "not" to do; a disadvantage because you'll know how much better they are than you! I was thinking backstage if I was going to focus on my speech or my coffee-making. I thought, coffee-making will be natural to me, it's what I'm going to say that will matter. So that's what happened, I got so nervous I completely blacked out on my barista skills, all my three years of training has been reduced to the skills of that of a monkey. It's a good thing the crowd laughed along with me during my moments of folly. But after that I really didn't know what I said. It was like a dream that ended in a snap. My time was 4:12 mins.

* After my turn, we prepared for Ramhil's time to shine. He was so nervous he didn't even talk after introducing himself. He looked very serious and focused. He finished in 4:14 mins. After the performance he ran towards me backstage and said, "ayoko naaaah!!!" haha! But we're proud of him because he was able to perform in front of a lot of people and 5 judges!

* Oh how relaxing it was when the three of us got to sit down and just chill and enjoy the moment. We don't get to see a lot of fellow baristas everyday so it was very encouraging for the three of us to see a lot of people of the same profession. It was very uplifting indeed.

* After the last contestant we all shared stories backstage before we were called again for the announcement of the top six. We were happy that Marlon from Chocolate Fire got into the finals. Neil said that his kindness to the other baristas was repaid with a chance to win it all at the finals the following day. Congrats sir! We all got a gift pack with an alcoholic beverage in it. I gave mine to Lerry because I don't drink. The three of us asked for a t-shirt instead, that was so much cooler. Then I bought Krispy Kreme again for my cafe family. Because a box of Krispy Kreme is the ultimate symbol of togetherness. My Kuya Herbert picked us up at MOA in his car.

* The following day, Lanz texted me the results of the finals. The barista from Cebu won followed by Zaldy of The Coffee Beanery (he's like a legend of barista contests), and the barista from Davao was third place. Congrats guys!

* This week we found out from Ate Wilma that I almost got in the finals. I was 2 points behind the the 6th finalist. She called me Mr. 2 Points. The three of us had a technicality, we didn't use the proper espresso cups. It has a handle but it wasn't the correct handle. Oh well, we live and we learn.

* We'll be training again this month for the Grand Barista Championship. I hope we could do better there. Lanz said he would train us.

* All of this is just amazing. We learned that the barista life isn't confined behind the bar, it can be anywhere we want it to be. Thank you for the lessons coffee people of our country.

Taking Care of a Simple Relationship

2010-08-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

Juniper Face the Corner

Satori

Yield Avenue

* Sorry for the late blog everybody! We've been busy all week preparing for the Philippine Barista Cup held last night at the SMX Convention Center at SM Mall of Asia. If I tell you about it right now I have nothing to blog about next week! In a nutshell, it was a very good learning experience for Neil, Ramhil, and I. Even though we all blacked out during the contest. The other baristas and the organizers were very helpful and very supportive. Can't wait for next year! Dan Sta. Romana and Al Labadan will try to upload the videos and pictures on Facebook this week (add us up: CafeAntonio Los Banos)

* Last Saturday, Cafe Antonio Sessions just had it's 3rd gig! The young project has been getting a lot of attention thanks to the support and participation of "first time" guest bands Satori and Yield Avenue. They performed a number of alternative rock covers plus a handful of originals. Juniper Face the Corner was also there to showcase their own brand of acoustic punk. August 14 (Saturday) is Dave Matthew's Band night! Eric Lenard (aka Soundhole) and JFTC will perform renditions of DMB classics and new songs. So be there to watch!

* We're liking how things are going right now at the cafe. The Sessions are doing great and the barista cup got us all pumped up and inspired to do better at our profession. As for me, it's who and what I want to be, a barista and a musician. If we keep this up, hopefully the coffee-music relationship I was talking about a couple of blogs back would finally work out. Hopefully. Thanks for praying with us. All for His glory is our story.