I was inspired to relive my old series of “mementos” which basically was about sharing a picture that evokes certain memories. Like I said, “I think that each of us has special pictures, which evoke certain feelings when we see them, be it happy or sad.” I even went at length offering coffee to be shipped from my place to the winners but I guess, I’d like to keep it simple this time. It has been ages since I have been into the export and import business, so I don’t know the current customs rules. Anyhow, before I am going to tell my coffee story,

This is the requirement which is similar to my old one.

• Choose a picture which you think has the most meaningful impact for your life or evokes certain memories. Your OWN Original Image. Do not commit any plagiarism. I’ll come get you 😆.
• Write a story, minimum 500 words
• Use memento as your first tag
• Be creative with your title
• It does not have to be about coffee though and please post it in appropriate communities. If it’s about coffee then post it in the Cinnamon Cup of Coffee. If not, then post it elsewhere.
• Submit your post link in the comment section
• Submission is no later than 26 November at 10 pm (GMT+7)
• Submit only original work. I do not tolerate any kind of plagiarism
• Please follow those 8 rules carefully in order to be eligible.

I am going to pick 3 winners for this contest.

The prize pool as follows :
The first winner gets 30 hive 100HP delegation 30 days
The second winner gets 20 Hive with 50 HP delegation 30 days
The third winner gets 10 Hive with 25 HP delegation 30 days

Why am I even doing this?

You see, in the past I loved creating contests, doing giveaways, tipping on discord and even nitro giveaways. I am not that rich or something but I love giving and helping people. It was/is a passion of mine at some point, I still do. I learned in life about the concept of paying it forward and I think this is also my way of contributing to the community and anyone who ever reads my post who finds amusement or maybe even hatred. So, who knows, if there are more people on board with this, I guess I can organize this memento contest regularly. Because you see, I love the past, memories and walking down through it.Maybe you too!

My first contact with a coffee co-working shop

I think it was over 5 years ago, I made a friend with a senior in my uni that we bond over our complicated life problems. You could say, I was having my emo moment. If there were a song that would perfectly describe it would be “Breakaway” by kelly clarkson. I was just that country gal moving to bigger city surrounded by multicultural crowd and living alone. Not just that, I was surrounded with freethinkers, liberals, artists and most importantly coffee lovers. I felt lost but also found my home.

I remember vividly it was a downpour in October when I made an appointment with this friend. I just got back from the immigration to get my passport. Somehow, I hoped to visit the EU at the time, France to be exact but after a heartbreak, that plan was gone. I started traveling though, just to a neighboring country. Anyway, This friend was my senior but retook the class and we were always in the same group. This place called “Antologi” was one of the hip coworking spaces at the time. It was also my first time seeing a blooming tea flower and dozens of fresh coffee beans from all over the country on the display. For me, it was such a delight.

The place at the time was packed with students and remote workers despite nestled among houses. The place has a massive parking lot, there were books on the shelves that you can read too. They have varieties of tea as well. Today after years, I came back to the place and reminisced about my old self. Sometimes things are bound to change.

As I stepped into the coffee shop, I was transported to about 4 years ago. I saw the younger me nervously standing among people trying to find that friend and empty seats. This friend already arrived and she ordered a cup of blooming flower tea, while I got a cup of hot caramel macchiato. Today I got the same thing too, a hot caramel macchiato. The place though wasn’t as lively as it used to but I like it just the way it is. I remember the place had awful wifi but now, I don’t even use their wifi or any public wifi so it wasn’t an issue.

The place also still covers a wide range of tea. Now, they even have cards that also explain the tea and how to brew it. The barista told me that I could take the cards too and I took some of it. This time, I visit the place with my landlord’s daughter who is essentially my friend too. Since I already brought a book from home, my friend borrowed the book from the shelves. I think it was some chick-lit or something.

The coffee surprisingly was to my liking as my tastes have changed since the last time I visited this place. I am pretty selective with my coffee but this one was good. I wonder now though, what kind of beans they use because unlike many cafes that I tried around this city, this one is actually delicious. It was just enough to get me into a productive state without too much jittery or even anxiety. It was simply the perfect dose of caffeine to get my brain up and running.

I visited this place about twice in the past and I remember it being so hot. Apparently I just found out today that the second floor of this place is actually pretty comfortable. I spent about a few hours in that space while opening hive and also continuing to read the book I’ve been trying to finish, Edge by Laura Huang. Eventually, I also got a japanese cheese cake for a snack and I felt like my day was perfect. We left the place around 7 when it started getting dark and it was time for dinner. I swear, all it took was a coffee and a mouthwatering cheesecake. Those made my day.

I guess 4 years ago, it would have been nicer if there was a coffee community like we have today. Anyway, anyone can join that contest, spread it everywhere, and have fun in the process. You can talk about coffee, non coffee, anything really but again, post it in the appropriate community and just drop your submission link below.