Being unemployed and a not so fresh graduate (it's been 3 months since my graduation), my mind tends to wander whenever I have the time to do so. Aside from the constant thought of getting hired soon, I sometimes couldn't help but miss college - and yes, I can't believe I said that either.

If there was one thing I constantly thank my five year stay in college for, that would be for me to explore tons of different cafes and restaurants around Manila.

Cafe Travel located in Taft, especially, holds a special place in my heart since it was where me and my boyfriend had one of our first dates at. Back then, I loved the idea of getting to hang out at a cafe where you can get your own piece of quiet and privacy since this cafe in particular has small cubicles where you can somehow feel as if you're at the privacy of your own home. This is a big deal considering true blue coffee shop campers know that popular cafes can get a little crowded and therefore, lose its essence of being a place where you can read a good book while sipping on your favorite drink.

But just the other day, I forgot why I loved Cafe Travel in the first place. Its once bearable looking walls which was a reminiscent of unique because of its "you-can-write-anything-on-the-walls" is now an eye sore. Really, it hasn't even been a year since I last visited this place and already it looks like a vandal's mecca.



If you're a common millennial who loves owning a crisp, feed goal worthy Instagram, I suggest you opt for other cafes.


Most of us were trained that we shouldn't be picky when it comes to places we dine in or hang out at and always look at the brighter side of things - Cafe Travel's menu is still wonderful, though - but I think things have gotten out of hand for this cafe joint. I remember telling my boyfriend the other day that it would probably be better if the management would paint over their walls every month or a few weeks or so just so they can keep their notorious "freedom of expression" in check without sacrificing the actual look for the interiors.

Aside from the interiors (yes, it's not only the walls that are heavily scribbled in permanent marker), the ambient music has also been a concern for me. I consider their playlist to be inconsistent, something I call out-of-place rap music. I have nothing against this particular genre (truth be told, I think Drake and Fetty Wap are musical geniuses) but for a person who would like to study/hang out/chill - rap music isn't exactly the first thing I'd like to listen to on my playlist.

Cafe Travel, I care for you. I really do. But please make more of an effort with keeping your interiors clean and pleasing to the eye. If your (cleaner) San Fernando, Pampanga branch were only nearer, I'd go there in a heartbeat. You also need to know your identity, ASAP.

The summer of this year I had my internship at ABS-CBN Publishing. From the interview to the first few days I considered were the most nerve-wracking times of my life. It was my second job experience, but my first time indulging into it like I was actually working. (Okay, so to clear things up, I had my first job as a writer and researcher for a San Francisco-based cocktail blog which I had to do online.)

The first few days I felt like a fish out of water. Everyone around me were adults and, well, let's say I didn't get their wavelength at the time yet. I honestly felt like I was at the wrong place and wished that I was designated to Metro Magazine instead of Metro Home and Entertaining magazine. I craved for fun and relativity back then and having to go with my boss to furniture shops didn't help ease the anxiety I felt. That all changed until I found out about the other gigs she and her friends had besides from publishing and interior designing.

Apparently my boss was one of the producers of Mariquina - an entry to the Cinemalaya 2014 Film Festival. Being delighted that I, too, was a fan of local films - she asked me what I thought of it.

"I liked it a lot," I smiled while I was seated at the back of her SUV. She thanked me a couple of times, saying that she really appreciated it since they worked real hard producing it. "It's a great movie, I can totally understand why Barbie Forteza was mad at Ricky Davao. He cheated big time."

I cringed to that thought as I'm typing this down.

No cheating happened in Mariquina, 2014 Lyn.

Fortunately, my boss didn't think of me as idiotic during the time I told her that even of all people I could say that to, it was her. One of the pioneers who knew the ins and outs of the film. After a few minutes of flashbacks remembering the scenes and debating with myself if I should turn the conversation around, I struck up the nerve to genuinely say that I had the wrong interpretation eversince I watched Mariquina which was last September 2014. For 6 months, I blamed Ricky Davao for cheating on his wife and causing his own death.

So I've decided to go back to my blog and straighten things out. I love Mariquina and it is probably one of the saddest movies ever made in the local independent film scene, Kasal being next on my list.

If you've seen Mariquina and experienced the downfalls of some of the characters, you'd know why it was so gravitating.



Barbie Forteza who played teenage Imelda Guevarra did a great job in her role, her scene most especially when she was talking to her mother on the phone. She delivered the role perfectly and staged the realities of a broken daughter who was lost, trying to understand what went wrong in her once perfect family.


Mylene Dizon was also spot-on. She showed the struggles of moving on from her past issues with her father who, despite passing away, she had a hard time forgiving herself due to the treatment she showed to her father when she still lived with him. Her biggest concern in the film was getting her father shoes before his burial and of course having heavy flashbacks in between.


Ricky Davao who played as Romeo Guevarra, in my opinion, is what you call an almost-perfect father. He had everything planned out, really. And if you think about it, the only fault he had was being passive. He knew that something was coming when his wife started to refuse having sex with him and who could deny the fact that his business partner was all googly-eyes for him? But maybe what I liked most about his character was his unfathomable love for his daughter, Imelda. Even when shit hit the fan (their shoe-making business falling to bankruptcy, his wife leaving him for Hawaii, his daughter hating on him for the next years of her life/thinking that it was all his fault their family fell apart and his business partner treated him more than just business), he kept his composure being a loving dad to Imelda. It was evident that he loved her deeply which caused him is own death, putting the blame on himself when in fact, he didn't really do anything wrong.


Cheryl Ramos as Leonor Guevarra also executed well as a loving and supportive housewife. She realized mid-movie that love wasn't enough for her and Romeo to be together which made her decide to leave him and her family.



Bing Pimentel as Tess... probably the most hated member in the whole cast. Maybe she didn't mean it, we can never really tell but she, too, loved Romeo wholeheartedly. Fortunately, towards the end of the movie she had a smoke with Mylene Dizon who laid out that there wasn't any bad blood between them.

If I could rate this movie, I'd give it an 8.

The casting was great. Most of the cast are veterans which adds to the credibility of the film. Visuals were also up there. I liked the rustic feel of the colors used since it worked well with the film's setting of vintage. Cinematography was seamless. Every scene was still-worthy.


P.S. I really liked Imelda Marcos' cameo in the film.

All in all, my boss joked to me that she told her co-producer that next time, they should make a happier film since this one was sad af. Nevertheless, I loved this film and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in anything melancholic.

P.P.S. Still shots were taken from Mariquina's official trailer on YouTube.

October has always been a special month to me. Not only is it a month set before my birthday, but a lot of other greater – and exciting events happen on this whimsical month.

First off, Halloween!

Halloween has always been a magical time for me. Although not much trick or treating is recognized in the Philippines, the cold air adds up to the Halloween and almost-December feel, and not to mention those times when we watch re-runs of our favorite Halloween specials. Can I hear a Treehouse of Horror Specials from The Simpsons?

Second is, college is out! For a couple of weeks, that is.

A few weeks of sem break didn’t hurt anybody.

Lastly, Oktoberfest.

For you guys who haven’t heard of this, here’s a little overview of what Oktobeer… Oktoberfest is.
Oktoberfest is the largest beer festival in the world which originated from Munich, Germany.

Locally, in Germany, it is often called the Wiesn, after the colloquial name of the fairgrounds (Theresienwiese) themselves. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the original Munich event, and luckily, the Philippines also celebrates this one-of-a-kind event.

I’ve always been a beer kind of person so people who appreciate beer, you might want to check this out if you haven’t tried the Oktoberfest experience yet.

Of course, we just don’t celebrate beer on Oktoberfest. More than just the alcohol, we get to commemorate the good times of having our families, friends, and loved ones around. In my honest opinion, I think that’s what Oktoberfest is all about. The beer is just an added bonus.

If you want to experience a dose of Oktoberfest, Poppins is just about the right place to head on over to.



For the whole month of October, Poppins will be throwing its very first Oktoberfest where you can enjoy beer and play games that would bring you back to the good ol’ days.
Enjoy their casino-inspired drinking games, family card games with a twist, and their drinking games which any college student would love to try.

Booze and Beer Price Rundown

For those who fancy beer more, you'll love that Poppins has made it more affordable despite its high-end ambience. San Miguel Light and San Miguel Pale Pilsen are made affordable from the price of 62php to 32php for people who will be playing the games.

If you're the adventurous kind, hard drinks will only be priced at 8php per shot for those who will be playing games with shots.

And if you're like my best friend who loves Red Horse Beer more than anything else, you can drink all the Red Horse you want with just the price of 175php.

Not to mention prizes and giveaways await the lucky winners!

Curious on what the games are? Here are the game descriptions to keep you hyped up:

Indoor Games:

• Liquor Roulette – 1 shot of Vodka, (No. of people in the group.) shots of water. See who’s unlucky within your group.
• Wheel of Shots – Test your luck. Get a free 300 points worth card with Zing Rewards or win a free prize from Emperador or a free bottle of Smirnoff Mule. There is section in the wheel where you may have to do an ‘acrylic kiss’, it may be a reward or a penalty. If the player cannot do the challenge the player will be fined.
• Monopoly Board Game (with a twist) – Chug a beer when you lose a property, drink 2 shots when you go to jail, or take one shot when you land on chance.
• Uno Playing Cards (Adult Style) – Each time a player will a lose the game the player must drink 2 shots, each time a player receives a +2 card or a +4 card the receiver will have to drink 1 shot.

Outdoor Games:

• Twisted Beer Pong – This is like the original game with its original rules, except rather than just having cups of beer, a number of cups are filled with mysterious liquid in them which the player must still drink.
• Flip Cup – Ordinary rules apply. Each team who will win may receive rewards or prizes shouldered by Emperador.
• King’s Cup – Ordinary rules apply. Each team who will win may receive rewards or prizes shouldered by Emperador.
• Cup Swap – 2 individuals will be provided with 2 cups each, 1 cup is filled with beer while the other cup is empty. They will be given 30 seconds to transfer the beer (using a teaspoon) inside the cup into a vacant cup they are provided with. The player who transferred the most wins, the loser would have to chug all the beer.


Overall, different individuals have different tastes when it comes on picking their poison (booze and beer, for this matter). Let Poppins keep you company this October.

Panna cotta were one of the items on the table that was foreign to me by taste. Only in Masterchef had I heard it often so it was kind of a coming of age moment for me. Erika described it as "pillows in your mouth" (or something like that! Basta may pillows) and told the tale of how her elder sister considered it as her favorite dessert. It indeed was a nice moment of feeling the sweet cream travel around the insides of your mouth - the sweetness not too much that you couldn't handle, and I hinted a note of vanilla in there too.

Next was the crème brûlée which was also my first time to try. Lo and behold, the nice kuya staff suggested that he torched it first for us. Just like my experience with the panna cotta, it was all the while worth it. The thin layer or caramelized sugar was just ace, more so on the creaminess hiding beneath it.

Both were, as I would say - a gastronomic event for a person who doesn't eat desserts on a daily basis.

Next was the fried palitaw which was served to us by one of the ate staff who was just as nice as the kuya staff. It had peanut butter and sesame seeds and was a good take on a classic Filipino favorite. It kills me that I haven't took pictures of the last 3 desserts. I enjoyed it so much that I had to dig in right away.

Erika had gotten the last mango cheesecake on the display so I didn't bother getting another cheesecake flavor. It wasn't your regular cheesecake since it was neatly cradled in a shot glass and the consistency of the cheesecake itself was above par.






Last review are the marshmallows which were injected with jelly. I heard their coffee was the best flavor they had but they were all out. Although the rest of the flavors were still good.



Writing this review made me realize that I wasn't able to try their blueberry crepe which was made to order and their ice cream selections as well. I was so caught up with our kwentuhan sesh which made me forget about trying everything else - which goes to show that this is a very fitting place for catching up with a friend, family or even a special someone if you have. Quick segue, the price ranges are from 299 - 499 pesos. If you'd like to have rice meals, I suggest you go for the 399 and 499 meals. We just wanted the desserts so ours only costed for 299 per head.