Coffee, My Constant Drug

I have to admit I am a bit addicted to it. With my work where sometimes coffee is needed and especially during those times when boredom, stress or sleepiness visits me, I appreciate a cup of coffee.

Aside from being an anti-oxidant, coffee just brings in the calmness I need and somehow it became my usual companion when I need one.

No, I am not here for any brand-campaign. As a coffee-addict, trying out various coffee beverages happens to be part of the urge of “wanting more and more” of it. Aside from the health benefits I get from coffee-drinking, the following are my realizations why coffee has been my constant drug.

Couples who fight and make up : Don’t worry, it’s healthy

 

Can a fight strengthen a relationship? Depends.

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Perhaps, you've been asking the same question too. Let’s face it : even people who are madly in love with each other will fight eventually. Certain arguments often test the couples’ love, respect and patience with each other. Having conflicts and arguments does not mean they are not compatible and fighting does not always have to end up in messy breakups. As long as the couple is having a “fair fight”, it may strengthen their relationship because they COMMUNICATE.

If you are in a relationship where common fights are inevitable, let me list down the positive side of it. Normally, couples who fight a lot may go through these five phases to a stronger bond — or goes into a breakup.

How Life Changed the Way I look at Things

Armin van Buuren’s “Alone” is blaring loudly on my eardrum. The song somehow made me realize it is actually telling the truth. It made me smile; now I have something to write about. Sipping my hot coffee while feeling the repetitive drops of rain against my roof, I reach out to my blank journal and began to write. This is one those afternoons where the most pressing thing you have to do was nothing; when an idea comes to my head, my fingers suddenly become busy. 

The Armin song was ranting about being alone, telling me connectivity has lost its meaning when no one is connecting. Are we really? Are we well-connected with life? Well, let me talk about life (my favorite subject of all time). Life is often weird. In most cases, life is funny. Some people think life is always playing little tricks on them. Some thought life has been harsh and unfair. But for me --- I like it. 

Since I'm a not-so-full-grown adult now, maybe I could list down some of the realizations life has been feeding me. I know some people would laugh at me now, but who cares? Each of us has its own way of dealing Life. What matters most is, were you able to deal life pretty well? 

Exploring Downtown Seoul, South Korea

Pyeongtaek-si temperature that day was -2 degrees Celsius. Our Korean friend said, it's good to go out since there was a bit sun out. For a regular Filipino who rarely experiencing this kind of extreme coldness, it was an exciting event for me. Though three days after I was there, I haven't really tried to go out for that long since most of the time I was in an office, in a car, hotel, mall or train where a heating system is on. Armed with thermal leggings, thick pants, a cotton sweatshirt, a leather jacket, a parka and scarf (which felt a bit heavy for me), I was excited to finally roam some parts of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. 

A Twosome Place is one of the coffee shops with a lot of branches around South Korea, locals consider it as a close competitor of the famous Starbucks. 

Ocean Suites : Serenity at its best

Solitude, a word that sounds lonely and isolated, shutting yourself off with the rest of the humans. But some people who are pretty occupied with work, stress and anything that consumes them  find ways to revive themselves, anything to get themselves back. Isolate themselves from the world, it is true that solitude matters; for some people, it's the air they breathe. I don't believe unhappy people often isolate themselves; there are some people who find simple happiness alone with nature.

I was home for the weekend. I had to admit that being at home is always a relief for me : no phone calls associated with work that could ruin your day, my mind is free from always thinking of ways to improve managing the operation and the people, no paperwork to work on, no meetings to attend to.  Just pure bliss at home, enjoying my family whom I miss the most and playing with my adorable  baby nephew.

She appeared smaller from the outside but looks can be deceiving, so I've heard.

One fine Sunday afternoon, I decided to isolate myself from people, er, not literally people per se, but I wanted to be with nature for a few hours  -- with a cup of coffee, of course. Ocean Suites was my destination that day. 

Relaxing, isn't it?

Talicud, Island Garden City of Samal

Mark has been urging me to go to Talicud Island. So when his birthday came, he decided to bring the whole family, picked me up in Cebu  to experience this interesting island. 

It is true that you got to have a lot of patience getting here.  The trip was a bit exhausting but once you get to Kaputian Port, you can now glance at what lies ahead of you. 

White sand beach front at Kaputian Port

When we arrived at Sta. Cruz Port in Talicud, the port water was  clear, unlike the usual ports I've been to. School of fish can be seen at a distance, water color ranges from green to deep blue.  A small motorized boat took us to a private resort. Having been born in Bohol Island, the usual view is always normal for me, but when I got to Talicud, it was another awesome experience. 

Sunday 2PM Cafe : Cafe with a Twist

I am a coffee-addict.  

I love coffee. I cannot last a day without coffee. 

Trying everything with coffee and it seems to be my way of life. 

My craving includes frequent visits from different coffee shops in the city or wherever I go. 

When I heard about a new Korean-owned cafe called Sunday 2PM located on the ground floor of Sarrosa Hotel in Cebu, I scheduled a Sunday trip to see what this cafe can offer. After our Kadasig Festival Photowalk, my coffee-buddy and I decided to chill for a while trying to regain our drained energy for that day. 

The floor space was  smaller than what I saw in pictures and compared to some usual coffee shops I've been to. There were shelves of books, manga, magazines and other reading materials to read on. A lot of little Polaroid pictures lined up on the walls, some  hanged like little clothes on a clothes-line,  hundreds of post-its everywhere, cute little wooden tables and chairs, cozy Korean music and I find it relaxing; I like it. 

Colorful, isn't it?

Some people find it a bit messy, I find it  cute

And this? A big thumbs-up!

                          

Cafe Noriter : A Playground

Saturday afternoon. I stumble upon this cafe called Cafe Noriter, a korean-owned cafe located at One Acacia Unit 10 and 11, Archbishop Reyes Ave Cebu City,  just a walking distance from Ayala Center Cebu. Since the name appeared foreign to me, of course searching it on the internet is tempting ---- and it means "playground" in Hangul. When my coffee buddy, Jocelyn and I came in, the name itself explained it well for me. 

There were post-its on the walls and even on the ceilings, plush toys everywhere, shoes on the floor and pictures everywhere. A playground, it is. I remember another Korean cafe called Sunday 2PM Cafe at Sarrosa Hotel, the ambiance was like this, only this is a bit bigger and not so quiet. I was thinking, since these are all Korean-owned, how come I wasn't able to get into this kind of setting when I was in South Korea? 

With freebies and discounts 

We got ourselves a mug of hot  and cold latte. It was as good as the price itself, worth it. On the counter, they were giving away some cards; like when you gather about 10 stamps from ordering drinks, you got yourself some discounts on your next drink or the staff could take a photo of you, print and hang it somewhere within the premises. Quite inviting isn't it? 

Everyone's talking about La Vie Parisienne

So, I heard about La Vie Parisienne.  Actually, I first saw it in a location shoot for an episode of MagTV, a local magazine TV show in Cebu. The pink trees intrigued me a lot and thought, this place is worth a try. 

When our boss told us that it's time for us to "unwind" (short word for our monthly team weekend-bonding at the office), this place first came to my mind. His first plan was for us to get pampered at a spa, but some of us wants to go on a pigging-out spree and the boys on a regular relaxing and drinking session talking about mostly nothings. When I shouted " I want to go to La Vie Parisienne!",  I won. 

I just love the pink lights at La Vie Parisienne at night

After dinner, the group went straight to 371 Gorordo Avenue Lahug Cebu City. La Vie Parisienne is a French deli, bakery and has a wine library. My boss who happens to be a regular  here says this is owned by the Lhulliers who has their own vineyard in France. We got there at around 9:00PM and the place was not surprisingly crowded. Cherry blossoms replica adds a bit of excitement for the first timers here. 

A lot of wines to choose from

I went directly to the bakery where the Wine Library was located and I was so excited by the time I opened the door. There were people enjoying their wines inside, as my colleague said, it's a first-come, first-serve basis when you want to stay at the wine library. I took that in mind, and so when I came back, it was easy. It was surprisingly smaller than I thought. The cellar looked bigger on some photos I saw. 

... of rainy days and cup noodles

Oh I miss you Mr. Sun, please come back! 

I haven't seen the sun for days now. The temperature dropped from the usual 32°C to as low as 22°C.  I enjoyed my morning hike; loving the cool breeze kissing my cheeks. With raindrops dripping on our rooftop, almost every night, sleep had  been a comfortable one. The weather makes me hard to get up in the morning. Drowsiness has been my constant visitor at midday.  And I wanted to hit the sack earlier than the usual schedule at night. 

It rains almost every night, making the coldness even colder. The raindrops dripping like a baby singing little songs to sleep. A tropical storm, Agaton adds to the scene, makes my whole week grayish. Those nights when I had to bring work at home, coffee is my best companion. Waking up in the middle of the night which usually makes me end up writing, eating cup noodles happens to be my usual scene. Cool northeastern winds causes this coldness since December. This winter monsoon coming from Siberia, Mongolia and Northern China causes my colder nights. 

... but I miss the Sun. 

The Only Thing I Need

This place, right here ---- I want to be here again. This is what I need, right now. Time, space for myself. 

2013 has been a roller-coaster ride, I am blessed to be able to get myself busy. As I look back, I couldn't imagine how I was able to go through all those shits happened. And all those life's low moments. Life is full of surprises. Those unexpected moments, those spontaneous happiness among the uneasy ones.

Like today.