bethgstories

Isang ordinaryong araw lang iyon. Walang bago, walang kakaiba. Tulad ng dati, naupo ako sa sa sulok ng paborito kong kapihan. Ang amoy ng bagong giling na kape ay parang yakap sa gitna ng araw na abala. Isang cup ng americano, lofi music sa background, at ang paborito kong libro—para sa akin ay hindi espesyal at karaniwang eksena. Hanggang sa pumasok ka na naman sa pinto. At sa unang pagkakataon, nagkatinginan tayo. Noong isang araw, isang sulyap lang, tapos na. Pero ngayon, napansin kong ngumingiti ka na. May kaunting laro na sa iyong mga mata, na para bang naisip mong hinihintay kita. Pagkakuha mo sa order mo, doon ka naupo sa mesang katapat ng akin. Pareho lang naman ang kwento ng mga araw natin. Ordinaryo at walang bagong hain. Pero sa pagtatagpo ng ating mga paningin, parang may nabago sa ihip ng hangin. Humigop ako ng kape, sa pag-asang masapawan ang kabang hindi ko alam kung saan galing. Marahil ay hatid ng bawat galaw mo at bawat pagkuha ng tasa. At nang mapatingin tayo sa ...

Sugar and I planned for weekend coffee crawls, something that materialized for a couple of weekends before we got busy with work numbers and stressed about keeping our souls intact. It's just me for now, and damn, I miss that girl so much. Anyway, there are not many speciality coffee shops that I know, but Instagrammable ones? Ahh, there are way too many. There are many of them even here on my side of town.   Kapetita is a good 3-minute walk from SM Taytay, a good place to go when you're too tired of dessert coffee a.k.a. Starbucks and Dunkin's tables are all occupied. It's in a residential area so I suppose it used to be a house and the owners transformed it into a cozy place where a group of friends could gossip over cups of coffee and good old cafe food.  The place is small, but it looks like a good place to hang out. I like the modern Korean-inspired interior with its white walls adorned with floral paintings and massive windows that give way to natural light. It ga...

Captain Ri and Yoon Seri lied to all of us - freshly roasted coffee is not as delicious as they said it is. Roasted beans should be left to rest for up to 10 days at least to allow for its structure to form. Yes, structure. Coffee has structure and I've fully experienced this just recently after having claimed to be a coffee addict for several years now. Reading Megan Markle's The Tig, I'd say now I understand when she described the wine having arms and legs as she took a sip. Same for coffee. I took a sip and I was transported back to my Christmas mornings when there're chocolates and chestnuts and oranges and the cool breeze is too gentle it was too difficult to get off my pajamas. Nostalgia. Pure childhood umami.  The coffee workshop I attended was Sugar's birthday gift to me, a perfect complement to the giant boob mug I received for the same occasion. It taught me how to use v60 properly and allowed me to work on the intimidating espresso machine. Coffee is bes...

Here’s to a not-so-cozy cozy coffeeshop I’ve been to, in the middle of a crowded mall, Zoo Coffee. Welcome to Zoo Coffee No, it’s not the first time I went here, and heaven knows (along with my plot bunny vault) how many stories Nicole and I have formulated in this place, just like what we did in Lucca. Or how many copies of my books I’ve sold and handed to my friends over cups of coffee on its wooden tables. Or how many lonely afternoons I’ve spent here thinking about my life and my long term plans even though I totally suck at planning, just like what I was probably doing the evening I went there. It was a Thursday night, and as much as I wanted to go home and call it a day, I went there in hopes of clearing out my clouded head. I was supposed to get one of their pastas, but I wasn’t feeling the salted egg spaghetti which was the only thing left on the menu, so I settled for dessert. I remember just how overwhelming their waffles were, both it terms of serving and inexpensi...

Nicole introduced me to Lucca Bakery as she wanted their five-layer chocolate cake for her wedding. It became our “place” after that, where we’d catch up over cups of coffee, otherwise formulate scenes for my next story which usually involve our ultimate celebrity crushes and ourselves. But my girl has to leave, so I’d sometimes go there by myself, thinking of the good times and that’s when I would be able to play with words and write again.  The bakery has been there for years now, and the only branch I know is located at SM Megamall. This place is perfect for grown-up catch ups (when you gossip with class) and I sincerely believe it was built in a way that would encourage people to talk to each other rather than hide behind their laptops and consume a single cup of americano for their six-hour stay. With its variety of excellent food in affordable prices, I think this is the place where everyone in the barkada belongs, when all of them are tired of fast food and the line...