A restaurant with a basketball court. Not a sports bar with a hoop in a small area, but a homey restaurant with a playable regulation basketball court. That was a young boy's concept. That concept never left my mind. I remember conversations with my friends back in high school where I would say things like "Astig sana kung may restaurant, tapos may basketball court." or mentioning once in a while to my then girlfriend, now wife, Elle words like "Dapat magkaron ng kainan na pwedeng magbasketball yung mga tao pero hindi sports bar." The concept was just a lingering thought I had (which I never expected to happen for real) back then cause I've always had the habit of daydreaming about things that didn't exist yet. Not necessarily things I wanted to have for myself, but just stuff that would be awesome if someone made it happen. It wasn't out of nowhere though. Things I enjoyed would usually spark the idea. With this particular concept, two things might have triggered it; The love of eating a lot (My personal record is 9 cups of rice in a single meal) and the love for the game (I used to rent out a full basketball court and trained for 2 hours whenever varsity training was canceled. I was 15 years old.) Most people grow up and forget what their childhood daydreams were made of. But I was never like most people, and you can't forget your childhood daydreams if you stay as a child inside. I'm just a big kid. I can act "mature" or proper, and I am responsible when needed, but I refuse to stop playing and not have fun. Fortunately I found a playmate who agreed to have fun with me.. till death do us part. 

Elle was a bit hesitant at first when I told her I found a place for a restaurant with a basketball court. She had every right to feel unsure about that idea cause she knows me as a person who gets two to three new wild thoughts everyday. I once told her that I wanted my own museum full of repurposed toys and fun stuff to advocate recycling. Another unusual thought I shared with her was buying a miniature horse and a mini kalesa that we can ride around our neighborhood. I also told her that I'll be president one day. So with all the questionable ideas I've had through the years it was very acceptable for Elle to have feelings of uncertainty about the restaurant with a court concept. But she has always been supportive in her own ways. As soon as she was sure that I was serious about pushing through with it, we did what we do best; Work together. We do argue sometimes about how things should be done but we always simmer down to a compromise that's best for the vision. It's a blessing when you're with someone who can share the risk of being different. The idea evolved and materialized as Third Space studio cafe, which is now more than a restaurant with a basketball court.

I won't go on with the details as how things got started and how we got to this point cause that's another story. All I'm trying to say is that all of us daydream of doing something we want but doubt from others or ourselves prevents things from happening. Be brave. Invest the time and effort needed. Research and learn about what you want, and how to do it. Most importantly, enjoy the process, keep daydreaming, and make it happen.