Noisy Cafés Turn Me Off
Wednesday
May 24, 2006
I’ve had it with these establishments pretending to be upscale cafés or coffee shops. It seems that everywhere there’s a supposedly quiet and comfortable café where you can find a quiet spot to lounge in and perhaps get some work done via the WiFi network (which ain’t free anyway!). But alas! People always manage to make it so noisy with their useless chatter.
I’m at Starbucks right now, and it sounds like a frickin’ high school cafeteria (not that I didn’t have fond memories of my ol’ high school cafeteria—mmm, food!).
My point is that these establishments are ideally where people go to jumpstart mornings with their daily dose of caffeine, or relax after a day’s work, or even do work itself (I call WiFi-enabled cafes my satellite offices).
Or are libraries the only quiet places you can find these days?
I’m all right with the occasional meetings and chit-chat; these are generally productive conversations. But kids these days—they seem to feel so at home with these establishments that they generally tend to be unmindful of the rest of the world with their screams and rambunctious banter. Yes, screams. And rambunctious banter.
And by kids, I mean college-aged or probably recent-entrants to the workforce (a.k.a., “hell”). Hey, I’m still in my mid-twenties and I can say that more or less I try to act a bit more maturely when I’m in public (okay, I drool sometimes and ogle when I see cool gadgets!).
Two words for you people: grow up! And why not try to patronize some of the establishment’s goods for a change? Don’t just sit there. Go buy something. These cafés are not there for free table space.
I think this is the norm in my country, or perahaps in my metropolis. I hear people are usually more, umm, civilized in other parts of the world.
That’s why I usually bring along my personal Digital Noise Reduction System™. My good set broke a couple of weeks back, though.
Or it’s probably just me. Sorry—just ranting here!
Comments
Lex
May 24th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
I too have a good pair of noise reduction equipment..my EAR PROTECTION GEAR (something that looks like a headset but without the wires)..that I use back in the days when I was still in for target shooting.
I BET YAH.
hmmmm that made me thing what if my gun spoke, do you thing those creaming punk girls would turn in their noisy ranting? hahahaha
Biro lang…I use my “BAKAL” for sports and defense.
Major Tom
May 25th, 2006 at 1:34 am
I bet it’s time these famous cafes offer noise-free area, just like non-smokers’ lounge in many public places.
Lex
May 25th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Maj. TOM, did you previously use the psuedo-name “Manila Tom”? are you ‘OLO’?
Major Tom
May 26th, 2006 at 11:56 am
Hi Lex,..Never used “Manila Tom”. Maybe its another person.
Mia
July 2nd, 2006 at 5:26 am
(Sorry about the necro-commenting, but on the off-chance that it might be of value:)
Try Mocha Blends Katipunan. Very nice place (i.e. you can actually work there and it’s quite airhead-free.)
A friend is actually thinking of setting up a cafe that caters to writers, students, and people who go to coffeeshops not to flirt but to have good intellectual discussions (or just work while sipping good coffee). Do you think there’d be a market for that? Present company excepted, that is.
J. Angelo Racoma
July 2nd, 2006 at 10:00 am
@Mia, Mocha Blends at Katipunan looks like a cozy place. No WiFi though!
As for your cafe idea, I think that would be great. I have a friend who even takes that idea to the next level—a cafe that would have rooms for those all-nighter cramming sessions.
Mia
July 3rd, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Re: WiFi—When I need the ‘net I bring my laptop to 129 Square. XD Short walk. Both Mocha Blends and 129 Square have adopted me as their resident kitten/geek/sleepygirl.
J. Angelo Racoma
July 4th, 2006 at 12:46 am
Mia, Same Mocha Blends at Katipunan? So there’s WiFi there? I know there’s WiFi at the Mocha Blends near my place (they have a branch at Matalino St.).
Mia
July 4th, 2006 at 2:19 am
Ah, what I meant was… there isn’t WiFi at Mocha Katip (just a lot of cute people), but there’s an internet cafe right beside it and a really nice gaming/internet place (129 Square) a block away. So I don’t really feel the lack, especially since 129 Square has a seat specially reserved for laptops—you can plug your laptop in and use their internet connection to browse.
You’re near Matalino St., so… Teachers’ Village? This is cool, we really should have a Diliman bloggers’ EB or something.
J. Angelo Racoma
July 4th, 2006 at 2:34 am
Cute people? Hmm.
Ah, I thought 129 square had WiFi. So one can plug in. How much do they charge?
I live on Maginhawa St. Quite a few blocks away from Matalino, but nearer to CP garcia (just a stone’s throw away from Mini Stop Maginhawa-cor-Magiting.
Yeah, we should have an EB sometime.
What would the theme be? Coffee or beer?
Mia
July 5th, 2006 at 2:56 am
I, uh, don’t drink beer but I can consume copious amounts of coffee. My tummy is a black hole. OF COFFEE. FEAR. You guys go ahead and organize it and I will take care of… hmm… bringing myself! Yes.
As for Mocha, they used to charge me for electricity costs when I brought my laptop there but don’t anymore, since I’ve been going there for what, three years? or thereabouts. The people there are cute—I’m there! NO JUST KIDDING —in that they’re pretty nice and down to earth and the regulars all sort of “know” each other—in that some of us chat with each other at times and generally exude good vibes when we don’t talk. (There’s this really talkative guy though, an American who’s doing his PhD. He goes there every day and the last time we talked he persuaded me to cook pasta and bring it to Mocha when my exams are over.)
Haha, I know Maginhawa St.—actually I know Teachers’ Village, period, since I’ve lived in the UP area for over half my life. I still go there from time to time; the office for my mother’s business is there.
J. Angelo Racoma
July 5th, 2006 at 3:39 am
Mia, coffee and beer—they’re part of the basic food groups, right? So I think it’s perfectly all right to consume moderate amounts of either. But anything in excess is bad. Even love, I guess (too much makes one go crazy).
I used to filch Dome Shangri-La’s Airborne Access WiFi from Nacho King (cheaper food there!). They allowed me to plug in, but they said they could only allow a maximum of an hour.
Most cafes nowadays allow plugging in, anyway, especially those with WiFi hotspots.
The American? So you know him. I’ve seen him time and again chatting loudly on his mobile phone. Looks like Mocha Blends Katips has personality, unlike those other cafes where you just get a blur of faces coming and going. What a quaint little place.
Lived in the area for half my life, too. Well, actually about three-quarters of my life.
I think a BloggerCon’s being organized for later this year. But I guess something more intimate would be better (such as bloggers in the Diliman area, or UP bloggers, for instance).
Mia
July 6th, 2006 at 12:25 am
If you’re planning to go, just tell me.
And EBBBB! Yes yes! (Email for details though ‘’—which reminds me, did you get my latest one?)
Yes, Mocha Blends has personality. Why, just this evening I got to tell the waiters how to cook their Carbonara! Haha.
J. Angelo Racoma
July 18th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
@Mia, sure, will do. Will get in touch if I’m planning to go there sometime.
ardie
August 8th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
hello racoma, question is it possible to upgrade the motherboard of laptop? coz i have compaq m2511 celeron M 1.6.. is it possible? tnx… ur near in my place i’m from teacher’s vill…
J. Angelo Racoma
August 9th, 2006 at 5:20 am
Hi Ardie. Yes, I live in Teachers Village (or now UP Village, I think, since they rezoned a while back). I replied to your laptop inquiry on my Compaq Presario article here.
Anya
October 14th, 2006 at 11:08 am
“And why not try to patronize some of the establishment’s goods for a change? Don’t just sit there. Go buy something. These cafés are not there for free table space.”
It’s one thing to make noise. But not buying anything? Now that’s downright “kapal ng mukha”.
ardie
October 14th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
elow angelo, I have a question about msi laptop s260 i’m planning to buy kasi and i dont know kung ok sya or there’s any problem like madaling uminit and life hours ng battery.. tnx u can e-mail me..