Rainy Cafe Day

Yesterday, my cousins, Bettina and Meann, and I went to this restaurant that's been getting good reviews through word of mouth and on social media. So, we wanted to check it out and have been planning and planning and yesterday, we finally had the time!

It is a quaint cafe located at M. M. Agoncillo St., Taal, Batangas City (just a short walk from the largest church in Asia, the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours!).

I wrote "quaint" because the restaurant is just as picturesque on the outside as well as inside. Whitewashed walls and fences always get to me. The floral aroma inside, coming from a lighted scented candle, just gave me a feeling of bliss and oddly, hunger.

So we picked our table and looked at their menu, which was offering a whole lot of dishes from appetizers to rice meals, pasta dishes, yummy and mouthwatering desserts, hot and ice-blended coffee, tea, smoothies, and more! I wanted to feel full without over-eating (because with all the available dishes, it is quite impossible to not order a lot!). I ordered for a pesto chicken linguini and a white chocolate chips mug cake. My cousins ordered their picks and we ate heartily.

The service was good. We did not wait long for our foods which actually happens in other restos
(which actually SUCK). 

 Love this crystal chandelier, btw.

 The cafe was also full of charming quotes and sayings.

And because we originally planned to go there to have coffee, after eating our meals, we decided to stay in their back porch. I was pretty sure it was going to rain so a good coffee is a great idea!

To my awe, its back porch showcased a pool and a spiral staircase leading to an open area. The air was cool and the feeling was cheery. I could almost feel Christmas with my bff's!

We ordered our coffee -- cafe latte for me, cafe mocha for ate Bettina and hazelnut frap for ate Meann. Of course there were lots of story-telling and picture-taking in between our sips of coffee and I knew that it was one of our best days.

 Told you there is a pool.

My cousins, ate Bettina and ate Meann, which are also my BFF's!

 A view from the back porch.

 A birdless birdhouse.

I guess my latte design was a flower and its leafy stem? I'll take it! :)

Yes! It's starting to rain.

 In another note, this was what I wore yesterday if you're interested. I've seen it from a boutique and I just can't help myself from buying it because duhh.. a rainbow and a cloud on the collar!

There were also colorful droplets of rain printed on the shirt and I felt like it's gonna be matchy with the weather.

The bill is put in these cute colorful tin buckets and the cream and sugar on little Mason jars.

This is how Cafe G looked from outside.

It was a blissful experience within this establishment and I would definitely love to come back. :)

~end~

Note: All photos are mine and in case of desire to repost them somewhere else, please heed my permission. E-mail me at evangelica_018@yahoo.com. Thanks! :)

Stay Alive. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE

Drinking and driving should not be put together. I take that back. Drinking and driving should NEVER be put together. I'll get to my point right away. If you DRINK AND DRIVE, you put THE LIVES OF YOUR PASSENGERS, THE LIVES OF INNOCENT PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE, and YOUR OWN LIFE IN GREAT DANGER.

Alcohol affects one's attentiveness and reduces an individual's ability to make clear and rapid decisions and his ability to execute proper emergency measures. Alcohol makes you a potential criminal. Alcohol takes away the sand in your life's hourglass, if the preceding words weren't enough to make you realize that DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE of alcohol or drugs is LETHAL!

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD), the majority of drinking and driving deaths in the US are due to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.08 BAC, the most commonly used definition of intoxication. However, the limit varies by each country's laws. China has a 0.02 limit, Hong Kong 0.05 as well as the Philippines, Canada 0.05-0.08, and Saudi Arabia none because alcohol is banned!

The site of the said council educates readers on how alcohol affects the driver. Apparently, a BAC of 0.02 can make an individual experience a kind of judgment loss and relaxation that impairs his visual functions and his multi-tasking ability. At a 0.05 BAC level, defects in psychomotor performance is obvious, as well as delays on reaction time and information processing. These result to poor coordination, poor visual perception especially of moving objects ahead and poor response to emergency driving situations. At 0.08 BAC, the driver is so impaired, he finds it very difficult to maintain balance and to detect danger due to loss of judgment and good visual search. He also loses self-control and reasoning, thus, resulting to very horrible accidents.

In About.com's article about "alcoholism," a 120-pound woman can reach a BAC level of 0.08 after only two drinks and a 180-pound man after only four drinks. The "drink" pertained to can either be a shot of liquor, a five ounce glass of wine or one beer. All of these contain the same amount of alcohol.

DRINKING WHILE INTOXICATED IS A CRIME.

But despite all efforts of organizations to curb the cases of accidents and deaths due to drunk driving, the problem still persists. If you are a responsible driver, PLEASE do not drink anymore. Stop saying that you can handle any drink because mostly all of who said that also went to a trip at the hospital, some at the morgue. If, well by some reason, you can't resist the temptation of alcohol, PLEASE plan how to get home WITHOUT DRIVING. There are ways to get home a wee bit tipsy without driving. Take a cab and let a sober friend take note of the plate number OR let this sober friend take you home. OR just stay with your companions. These are little but life-changing decisions YOU CAN MAKE.

Here's another piece of advice. FRIENDS DO NOT LET FRIENDS DRINK AND DRIVE. (All caps so it would make sense to you.) If you know that you're friend is driving home, DO NOT let him drink. Somehow, his life and his passengers' depend on that restriction of yours.

Third, refuse taking a vehicle with a drunk driver. You must be sensible enough to know that the driver's concentration is impaired, as well as his visual functions and other bodily stuff. JUST DON'T DO IT. Think of your future and close that door. Approach the driver's seat and yank the driver out of the vehicle (slap him a couple times, he won't remember). You have made yourself and him a very big favor.

If you disregard this article, WHAT A SHAME!! You don't deserve a driver's license, or friends if that's the matter. BOO YOU!

I'm ending my piece with a friendly reminder, "Stay alive. Don't drink and drive." :-)

xoxo

Legal actions towards alcohol-related accidents here: 

http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/DrinkingAndDriving.html#.Uwyb984UMSY

NCADD fact sheet here:

http://www.ncadd.org/images/stories/PDF/factsheet-alcoholanddrugimpaireddriving.pdf

More of drink driving here:

http://think.direct.gov.uk/index.html

Most Thrilling Bus Ride So Far

Olympus Has Fallen is fuh-reackin awesome! Gerard Butler killed it!! Apparently, he was a demi-wait for it and don't you disagree with me-god in the movie or else he wouldn't have defeated the terrorists by his sole self. And damn you, Rick Yune, for taking the White House down! Harvey Dent looked so helpless.. aww (Oh, wrong movie.) Anyways, I swear I could've offered the movie a round of applause as it ended, if I just wasn't on the bus when I saw it (I gave myself a secret low five though). Whew! Butler, you're the man!! You know it, I've always believed in you. Oh, and God bless the United States of America!

Hello, CAVITE! (Invitation for 2012 CALABARZON Mass Communication Convention)

September 11, 2012
Tuesday


So I am part of our 6th CALABARZON Mass Comm Convention Publicity and Promotions committee. And we were tasked to invite various college schools on provinces like Laguna and Cavite PERSONALLY.

I learned about this the afternoon before we leave for Cavite, on the first and last class I have attended that Monday. Of course, it was a big shock. Like, dude wth? It was going to be my first time to go to Cavite so I was kinda like annoyed and EXCITED at the same time. My heart was dancing at the thought of roaming around KABITE! But then there were issues like transportation and the fact that if we miss our Film Crit class the next day, we are doomed. But what the hell, eh? I'M GOING TO CAVITE (by hook or by crook!).

 And then it is finally decided that we will travel there and commute. OK, that's not really a problem for me. I mean, traveler's always commute, right? You wouldn't enjoy much if you're like always inside the car smelling that air freshener which sometimes make you feel light-headed. K, so much for the disadvantages of traveling by rented car or whatsoever. The disadvantages of commuting though worries us. It would cost so much time and effort. But OK, what the hell? For our grades, right?

So my teammates set a 5AM call time (and believe me, call times are not meant to be obeyed!). My mother woke me up early at around quarter to 4 and I was ready before 5.. ONLY to find out that my two teammates overslept. It was almost 7AM when I got to leave the house. I was so ashamed in front of my mom because she woke up early because of me.

So OK, my teammates said sorry and everything and we are off to Alabang. We rode a bus to Alabang at the Batangas City Grand Terminal. Student discount really helps big time! I have no idea how long it took us to arrive in Alabang but it wasn't that long, as I remember. When we got there, we then rode a van to Dasmariñas, where our first school is located.

(Disclaimer: The following photos were only taken on my phone so don't judge the QUALITY.)

Gelli and Kean; two of my teammates.

Again, I am completely clueless of how long the trip was, I just know that I fell asleep and that the aircon/fan was too strong and that it was uncomfortable. But it doesn't matter! Travelers feel this all the time. Hahaha. So we got there -- De La Salle Dasmariñas.

Lasallians coming and going.

Hi, mga kuya! Smile kayo sa cam. :-)

The campus is big. The student population seems bigger. Hehe. There were lots of head-turners. How I wish we could've stayed a bit longer.

Ehh, one of the buildings. So stupid of me to forget the name. Pardon. X-(

Time to locate the Mass Comm department! Actually, the guard at the entrance already told us the directions but we're still lost. LOL. We found it, though, after a few debates.

LIBERAL thinkers, we are.

We talked to the department chair of Mass Comm and she was so welcoming. It so happened that she is a former classmate of our Film Crit professor so she was extra nice to us. We look forward to seeing DLS-Dasma Mass Comm students on our convention. :)))

Just a flower bed or something. So cute.

We had our thank you's and goodbyes and we headed to a near 7 11. Why? Because earlier in the bus, we talked about booze. LOL. Yeah, you read that right, booze. I don't want to sound like a bad influence but I said they should try Antonov vodkas ('cause that's what I'm drinking these days/months?). Haha and they seemed to like the idea so there, we went to the nearest convenience store, bought our Antonov Kamikazes (the green ones) and rode a jeepney to uhh.. great. I forgot the names of the places! I think it's Pala-pala. I very much remember this place because the name is so odd and funny to me. Hehe.

Yes, we're of legal age. And no, we don't go to La Salle. Thank you, miss 7 11 attendant. :))

OTW to Philippine Christian University.

Lotsa Walter Marts in Cavite.

Haha. So we were drinking at the jeep aaaand Gelli and Kean felt the kick of the alcohol. They acted weird and funny and Kean talked too much and Gelli said she feels so tired. And I was like, noooo guuuuuize, snap out of it! I suddenly thought that drinking was a baaad idea. And then it started raining. Wow, bad vibes. Then, we got there, PCU, yes. It's also a large campus. Haha. We never thought. We were again, clueless, of how big it is and that we were in for some long walk.

So yeah, the campus is comprised of the school, the seminary, and residences.

A driver of a multicab was asking us in the entrance if we wanted a ride and I SAID NO. Haha! Stupid me! The campus was a village. I wouldn't survive there if I went there. First, the far college building is FAR and second, the far college building is FAR. XD

Still raining.

And in the middle of our walk, thank God there's a tindahan selling TURONacue! Turon on stick. Hehe. A first.

Happy me with my favorite turon. :)))))

Bunches of bananas left rain-bathing on the side road! AAAHHH if it's not a sin to steal. :))

I LOVE BANANAS SO MUCH.

After a wet walk, we reached the very far college building. We went ahead to the department of Communication/Arts/or whatever they call it. And the one and only dean in the college is eating lunch. And not to be disturbed.We decided to wait until a secretary(looking woman) arrived and received our invitation letter in behalf of the on-break dean. We, I mean, they (Gelli and Kean, the spokespeople), well-rested and feeling better, gladly elaborated on the convention and blah blah blah. After the conversation and getting of contact numbers, we braced ourselves to another long walk.

But then the mentioned multicab driver was waiting outside and asked us again if we wanted to ride and hells to the yeah, WE DO!! And the transport fare is only P3.00. Haha. Remember the old days when the fare was only about P5.00? It's just like the old days. :)) The driver was also kind enough to give us directions to CVSU.

The student jeepney.

Off to Silang, Cavite.

Looking for how to get to CVSU.

SM Dasma, or SM Pala-pala, as Kean calls it.

Hello, Joe. A billboard on the intersection.

Hehehe.

I've heard so much from Kean about Cavite State University. Technically, it works like BatStateU here in Batangas but it is larger. So wow. Plus, CVSU (pronounced as cav-su) sounds so cute, so I felt buoyant on our way. But then the trip was long so I fell asleep. Haha.

Ahhhh. Hello, CVSU.

I saw a gigantic monument and lots of students and I knew we're there. It was currently their intrams so.. many students yeyy!

Kean is also excited because she'll see her best friend again after eight years! :-D

What can I say? CVSU is fcking vast (excuse the profanity). It's so COOL there. And I don't mean the temperature. It feels like UP or something. And then again, it started raining. Every damn time we were in for some walking, it rains! So we met an old friend of Kean and she led us to the College of Arts something building. It was also large, like wow. Students, everywhere! There were also lots of foreign blood. And foreign smell. Whew.

The department itself looks more like a high school faculty room, and we weren't actually sure of whom to talk to so we just asked for the dean or the department chair. Some of the faculty members were talking to us simultaneously and we were just lost with whom to talk to. Until, finally, a faculty member presented herself and asked about the invitation. So explain explain. Turned out that she is the unit head for Mass Communication. I don't know if it's safe to write here but we didn't feel well-accommodated in that room. But I guess, in your journey, you get to be treated differently and not according to your plan.

But we're still hoping for CVSU's participation. Such a cool school. :-D

A baseball game was paused because of the rain.

Eerie not! Haha.

CVSU's football field/oval. So envious!

 

The football game goes on!

Students making the most of the intrams despite the BV rain.

The baseball game resumed after a while.

Aaaand it's bye bye CVSU! I'll see you again.

I love you, CVSU. Hahahaha. Marry me. I'll like you on Facebook. :-D

It took years for us to catch a ride from CVSU to the city proper. Dayyum! When we saw an ordinary bus en rout to Pala-pala, we did not double think and jumped on the bus right away!

Hello! This is me. Haha. Excuse the big arms.

My teammates, Gelli and Kean.

The trip felt so idyllic. I liked the going-to-province-riding-an-ordinary-bus type of feeling.

Haggard na daw pero maganda pa rin! This girl is beautiful with or without grooming! :))

A local church. (Forgot the name. Stupid me.)

Hello again! :-D

After what seemed like an eternity, we reached LPU - Cavite. And we were amazed. Wait, amazed is an understatement. We were DUMBFOUNDED. Like, is this a school? Why is our school not like this? Hehe. K, so much for bitterness; LPU - Cavite is gorgeous. Capital W-O-W.

We headed to the department for Communication Arts and were welcomed by a very bubbly and cute secretary. She was entertaining without even trying. I like the school already. The corridors are lovely, the lighting is flattering, and everything is modern. It could be a mall or something.

Gym on top!

It's not a park.

The obligatory mirror shot on one of the buildings' CR.

At the overpass. Hurrhurr.

WALK. WALK. WALK.

To Molino or not?

It's almost 4PM and we were thinking if we should still go to Perpetual - Molino. Kean said it's a long ride but it's worth a shot. Laguna is also out of question anymore. It is impossible to reach any open office by the time we will arrive there.We were also almost running out of allowance by this time so we decided to call it a day and go CLUBBING!

But, of course, we did not do that. We went to SM Calamba and ate our first formal meal of the day.

I just couldn't think of anything else to eat but mi paborito SIGSILOG! :-9

After buying pasalubongs and other stuff and eating dinner and checking out books from a freaking sale, we were ready to head home! :)))

Cavite says good evening.

We took time choosing between a van straight to Batangas or a van to Turbina then a bus to Batangas. We were considering the fare and our comfort. And so we chose the latter.

Haha. Sorry, Gelli. My phone died after taking this photo.

It turned out that we chose the right thing. We were so comfortable, though nobody slept because we just talked and talked up 'til Turbina and inside the bus to Batangas.

Good God, it was a very great experience. I didn't even feel tired when I got home. I felt sleepy, though, but not tired. It was fulfilling. I really really do hope our efforts won't go to waste and see the fruits of our works through the success of our convention.

Anyways, here's a poster for anyone interested:

WHAT: 2012 Calabarzon Mass Communication Convention

WHEN: October 1-2, 2012 ( Monday & Tuesday); 8AM-5PM

WHERE: Freedom Hall, 4/F SHL Building, LPU - Batangas

GUIDELINES FOR BEST SHORT FILM AWARD            

1.    The contest is open to all Mass Comm / Dev Comm / Comm

/ Comm Arts students in the CALABARZON area.

2.    Participants may send more than one entry.

3.    The film should be recorded in CD (2 copies with label/ proper identification), DVD format and with a total running time of at least 7 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes. 

4.    Entries may be in various film genres and should have moral and/or reflect positive Filipino values.  It should be produced from October 2011 to September 2012.

5.    Deadline for the submission of entries will be on or before September 28, 2012 (Friday) up to 5 pm only at the CEAS Office.  Please look for Angelli Soriano or Rex Abedes.

6.    The following shall be determined:

a.    Best Director

b.    Best Actor

c.    Best Actress

d.    Best Supporting Actor

e.    Best Supporting Actress

f.     Best Screenplay

g.    Best Production Design

h.    Best Cinematography

i.      Best Musical Score

j.      Best Editing

k.    Best Short Film

l.      2^nd Best Short Film

m.   3^rd Best Short Film

7.    The criteria for judging are as follows:

Story/Theme                                                                          20%

(Logical Presentation/Originality/Moral)        

Cinematography                                                                   15

(Composition, Camera Angle, Lighting)

Production Design                                                               15

(Setting, Props, Costume & Make up)

Music & Sound Recording                                                  15

(Music, sound effects, dialogue & natural sound)

Acting                                                                                     15

(Delivery and Effective portrayal of roles)

Editing                                                                                    15

(Continuity, Transition & Visual Rhythm)

Over-all impact                                                                        5

(Appealing and Entertaining)

TOTAL                                                                                   100%

8.    The decision of the board of judges is final and irrevocable.