On where I am now

Thinking of the many things I could do to make the business better. Because my parents aren't getting any younger. Because people from our town rely on the business for income. Because everyone needs to see that a sleepy town like Santa Ignacia, Tarlac can. Because the world needs more Filipino designs. Because the planet needs to see what recycling can do.

Thinking of how our business setup is the same as other small businesses in Tarlac or in the country, in general. That locals rely on businesses like ours to eat 3 meals a day, to turn dreams as real as the four walls that keep us safe and the diplomas, certificates, curriculum vitae in our hands. That our respective governments no matter how small the number of people in our employ will somehow recognize how this matters a lot to them. That the materials we use, really just to be discarded as trash can be a family of five's and many families of five's daily breads: the life blood of a community. That much has been done to make something out of nothing, but more to be done to turn something into everything. Everything we need. Everything we want. Everything we live for.

Thinking of what I can do. What I want for myself. What I want for these people who are extensions of my self because they are the reason why I love what I do and I do what I love. Because they are the reason I'm where I am now. Because it was by my parents' dedication to raise good children that I have been placed in the field of design and entrepreneurship. Because it was by my family's and friends' presence that I know what it is to be dependent and independent, and being either or neither in weaknesses and strengths are secondary to a shared experience because family is family. Because it was by the care of my manang (I miss her bitso bitso and her inangit) and her joys and the joys of people like her that have taught me the things that matter. Because it was under the tutelage of my mentors and teachers and personal heroes that I was equipped to hurdle all the challenges that came my way. Because it was by the sweat of these people's brows that I am where I am now, and for that I am immensely thankful.

May I be able to plan for all these things, and that everything will fall into place. That I may have faith in the grand scheme of things, in others, and in myself.

- Written on a bus trip from an exports seminar, 04/26/2018

Some Things to See in Santa Ignacia

Some days ago, Ms. Winea of the local government unit of Santa Ignacia approached me needing help with some frames required of the municipality by the provincial government of Tarlac.  Nine frames in total, I was asked to do layouts for seven of them.

With express permission from Ms. Winea, here are the seven photos I did for Santa Ignacia:

"The Pikkan Falls at Brgy. Calipayan. Thinly veiled by lush greenery within rolling fields and hills of Barangay Calipayan lies Santa Ignacia's secret, unlocked only by the seasons." Source photo from Carmela Prado.

"Brgy. Calipayan. Barangay Calipayan is a stretch of green abundance, situated at the western area of the municipality.  Its wood and farm lands are speckled with pools, ponds and creeks, both natural and man made, reflecting the serenity of the Santa Ignacia sky." 

"Woodinspirations Crafts. Magic happens in Barangay Poblacion East with an enterprise transforming second hand wood and bamboo into little trinkets and souvenirs for homes, offices, and gifts.  Woodinspirations does not only create memories from discardables, it also betters the lives of farmers, women and out of school youth."

"Pottery in Santa Ignacia. Some patches of soil in Santa Ignacia have been found to be suitable for pottery.  Local craftsmen have mastered the art of making paso (planters), traditional palayoks (cooking pots) dalikan (stoves) and eventually jars for indoor and outdoor aesthetics."

"Pascasio's Pottery. In Barangay Baldios, Pascasio's Pottery has set up a kiln and with it, batch upon batch of freshly fired ceramics of terra cotta clay.  In the yard are many different varieties of plants and landscaping accessories the visiting gardener can lay his eyes on."

"Kabyawan at Barangays San Francisco, Cabaruan and Taguiporo.  Sugarcane is traditionally milled in Barangay San Francisco, Cabaruan and Taguiporo from the months of December to May.  A kalabaw goes around the machine, squeezing the extracts from the stalks.  The sweet juice is later used to prepare local delicacies like the patupat (rice cakes wrapped in buri leaves) and kalti (cassava or papaya boiled in sugar) among others as it has always been since ages past." Source photo from Ms. Winea of LGU Santa Ignacia.

"Santa Ignacia's Patupat. Subtly sweet sticky rice wrapped in silag (buri) leaves, Santa Ignacia's patupat is cooked by boiling it in sugarcane juice.  A common sight in the public market, these along with local specialties such as kinalti, tupig, suman, iniruban, and other rice cakes make popular pasalubongs for the indulgent traveler."  Source photo from Ms. Winea of LGU Santa Ignacia.

Santa Ignacia, like the rest of Tarlac, has its understated charms, rarely known to everyone.

These frames, along with the rest of the municipalities' of the province will be available for viewing at the Museo de Tarlac.