I have heard of businessmen share their thoughts about the life of a business venture. Many have said that if one endeavor gets past three years, there’s big chance it will fly. Well, last night, over a hundred people celebrated the third year of what appears to be turning into a successful one, the Conspiracy Garden Cafe.
Perhaps things are looking up for more than a hundred “conspirators,” the monicker for this artists’ watering hole’s shareholders, who partied long and hard to celebrate the 3-year hurdle.
Meantime, why Conspi?
Here’s a short piece I wrote for its anniversary newsletter.
If it’s grilled chicken liver, or sinangag na dilis, or fried tofu, there is nowhere else to go but Conspiracy. Samahan ng nagyeyelong beer, I can eat and drink and be merry and engorge all the uric acid therein!
If it’s really late in the night and I want to unwind quickly, Conspiracy is just a stone’s throw away from where I live. Pwede ngang gapangin sa lapit, pag lasing na lasing ka na.
Pag sarado na ang mga karatig-bars at nagsi-second wind na ako, doon din ang bagsak ko. Minsan kasi, alas kuwatro na, may mga ispirito pang gumagala doon, lasing nga lang din.
Pag miss ko na wit ni Gary, go ako. Di ko makakalimutan si “Adan ug si Iba.” Have you listened to him do this hilarious song? Di lang hilarious ang kanta; si Gary, lalong hilarious. Siya lang ang may K kumanta nun, I swear. I-request nyo yun pag malapit na matapos set niya. Gugulong kayo sa tawa.
Minsan naman, pag kailangan kong umiyak, punta pa rin ako dito. Sarap umiyak sa saliw ng Ang Tangi Kong Mahal ni Noel. Hu hu hu.
And the people whom I “grew up” with (or should I say, whom my kids grew up listening to them)—Noel, Joey, Cookie, Bayang, Mike, etc—panahon pa ng Lean Musical, will forever be reason why Conspiracy is close to my heart. True artists. Walang kiyeme. Kanta lang. Unpretentious. Di ka maiilang manuod. Papansinin ka nila. Di sila feeling celebrity. Totoong tao. Malalim.
So, when I heard from Gary three years ago about the plan to put this up, and asking him how I could help, I told myself that at last, I can do something to support such a project that would house all of them every week. And then Bayang offered me a part of her shares. Not a blink. I bought one share (ang dami!). Uy, ni-restructure na ang shares, di ba? How many shares na equivalent nito, Ga?
Kahit ano pa man ang kalabasan ng pinundar ko sa Conspiracy, made or broken, happy ako. How many people have the fortune to listen to these guys and the rest of them at Conspi regularly? Never imagined myself to even meet these people nung nasa Masbate pa ako. Dream lang noon ang makita ko sila in the flesh. Tapos ang maging part ka pa ng project na ito? Blew my mind!
Glad to be a Conspirator.
Not glad though that I wasn’t there to celebrate with my co-conspirators.