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

Found A Bird in the Bathroom & It's Not What You Think

I was working on some labels at around 10:30 in the evening when my younger brother hurried down the stairs more excited than usual. "Kuya may owl sa banyo!" he expressed with much joy.  Minutes later something in his brain clicked and he said "I'm a wizard!"  His excitement turned infectious.  Dad was all smiles, and my sister was already posting on Facebook about getting her Hogwarts letter.

Just the owl. No Hogwarts letter was found.

The weather was pretty chilly, winds were blowing and the rain just finished.  The night was cold.  The owl could be just seeking refuge for the night, and so we let it stay.  My younger brother decided to take a bath somewhere else,

And he was still there by morning.

I absentmindedly walked into the bathroom the morning after, and saw the owl staring at me. I panicked a bit and quickly walked out the door. The size of that thing's talons could easily gouge my eyes out.

Manong Marcial came and took the owl from its shower curtain perch. It was rust brown in color, with orange-ish eyes and feathery horns.  I did a little bit of research and found out that it's an immature Philippine scops owl.

As it turns out, these were pretty common back in the day, and now they live in small forest patches where trees are tall, out of reach of felines, canines and whatever's supposed to be preying on them.  They live alone or in MONOGAMOUS PAIRS. CUTE.

Adorable, isn't it?

We've posted these in social media.  We heard stories from a cousin saying he knew someone who kept an owl as a pet, and some manongs and manangs saying they had one.  We were getting comments from people asking if they can adopt the owl.  Some were asking us to keep it and name it.  But, really, we don't know how to feed it, don't know any sicknesses he could get, how we'll keep him healthy and all so we decided to turn him over to the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.

He was a real hit.

With these big black eyes, how could you leave it locked up forever?

The associates of DENR Camiling loved the owl the moment they saw it.

DENR's going to check for any injuries and disease before they release it to the wild.  Hope it grows up strong with lots of healthy owlet offspring!

Turnover papers. 

I'm a Mentor.

SO I WAS AWAY!

I'm so sorry. I've been busy so here's an excuse me post.

I've been around product design and development for quite sometime now, with a little experience designing for Woodinspirations Crafts since I was in college and then a whole plethora of other manufacturing enterprises in my three years with the Department of Trade & Industry Tarlac.  That's a spread of about 7 years developing designs for both food and non-food clients.

It was just last year, however, that I've seen a program as comprehensive and enriching as DTI & GoNegosyo's Mentor Me Program. In a nutshell, it's all about some 20 entrepreneurs to be taught business by local experts identified by DTI, accredited by GoNegosyo's Philippine Center for  Entrepreneurship (PCE).

I wanted to sign up for the program as a mentee, as they called the entrepreneurs, but apparently DTI had other plans.  They forwarded my resume to PCE and...

I got accredited.

Holy smokes.

And so started my being a product development mentor to MSMEs for the Kapatid Mentor Me Program.

As of this writing, I've mentored for two provinces already, Tarlac and Bataan.

The course content's been given by PCE, inclusive of the following topics:
1. Are You in the Right Business? Assessing Congruence of market needs, one's passion, skills and competitive offering.
2. What is a Product? Elements of a Product Idea. Different Kinds of Products
3. Needs & Wants, Concepts & Designs of Products
4. Problem- Solution method
5. Innovation mindset

I've added with this the section that I call "Responsible Product Development" which is a little talk encouraging MSMEs to go green, and how going green will affect their businesses and of course, their lives.

My Mentor Me Module 4 is like a brief condensation of several of my usual topics on branding, marketing, product development with a little extra, too.  Here are some photos:

Kapatid Mentor Me Program's Launching at Tarlac Events Place. Photo (c) DTI Tarlac

We're the mentors of Tarlac! Proud to be the youngest of the lot. Photo (c) DTI Tarlac

Alien? Jk. In class facilitating a recitation portion of the lecture. Correct answers get free lychee jellies. Photo (c) DTI Tarlac 

Showing Ms. Ofel product trends for 2018. Photo (c) DTI Tarlac.

Class picture! Photo (c) DTI Tarlac

Hope I get to teach more people!  Thanks to Go Negosyo's Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Department of Trade and Industry.

I get to take pics when no one's looking :)

Miss Santa Ignacia 2017

March 14 2017 marks the 103rd Foundation Anniversary of Santa Ignacia. To start off this memorable event, the local government unit has decided to hold the annual Miss Santa Ignacia pageant early.

Woodinspirations Crafts, being a proud enterprise hailing from this north western municipality of Tarlac was proud to showcase some of its best accessories made of wood and bamboo... worn by none other than the most beautiful faces of Santa Ignacia.

I've got some photos, but unfortunately they're taken some meters away from the stage:

This was how close I was from the stage. I fared better with this view than most of the spectators though, so can't complain :D

The beauties were made to wear Wisp Fashion Accessories by Woodinspirations Crafts during their casual wear walk.

Nice to see the chokers bring out some confidence on these lovely ladies.

Look at that poise.

That glamour.

Santa Ignacia's blessed to be given such beauties!

The most beautiful ladies of Santa Ignacia shone brighter and brighter as the night went on. Of the twelve contenders, here are those who stood out the most:

Alex Jestre is crowned second runner up.

Hannah Jumela Almeron crowned first runner up.

And Ms. Santa Ignacia 2017 is Debora Chantengco of Nambalan.

The winners, holding trophies made by Woodinspirations Crafts and the organizers strike a pose in front of the camera.

Congratulations to the local government unit of Santa Ignacia, through Mayor Nora Modomo, for yet another successful event! Hopefully this gives a much needed kick start for the municipality's tourism efforts! For Santa Ignacia!

--

Woodinspirations Crafts would like to thank municipal councilor Donna Dacayanan-Follosco and Ms. Winea Figueroa-Domingo for this opportunity to partner with the local government unit.

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.

Procuring Bamboo in Santa Ignacia

Some weeks back, we were looking for a supplier of bamboo poles.

The long and winding road!

You see, the family business processes these raw materials and turns them into handicrafts, of course with the help of local craftsmen.

From pieces for burning, to pretty pieces for home and office.

Typically, these things are made into place mats, fencing materials, a variety of native baskets like the bakke and bilao.  I've heard some years back that there's a guy somewhere in town who still makes tiklis (in Ilocano; in Tagalog they're known as kaing) baskets.

A bilao with lumpia wrappers. Image found in http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/marketmans-quest-for-the-thinnest-lumpia-wrappers

The sad truth is that it's a fading tradition.  The government has made efforts to address the revival of folk crafts in the form of livelihood training seminars. One example is that conducted in the neighboring town of Mayantoc some years ago by the Department of Trade and Industry Tarlac.

There's a guy somewhere in town who used to make place mats for us.

Place mats sold by Woodinspirations Crafts back in Likha ng Central Luzon 2015.

Now on to Santa Ignacia's kawayan.  This place, most especially the barrios, is actually littered with clumps of kawayan. Locals know where to get these, and there's widespread belief that rabong is easily pilfered by neighbors. LOL

The trouble with procuring kawayan for commercial use is that it's usually planted in ancestral lands of families, meaning it's shared property.  You wouldn't know who to pay upon purchasing good ones.  A harvester told us that there are lands within the municipality that's really abundant with bamboo, and he couldn't harvest cause the land owners will probably just fight over the payment. This made it hard for us to find kawayan to use.

Eventually, we got a referral from one of our workers and we managed to get some good poles.  We purchased them for about 25 pesos for every 3 meters. It's about a hundred pesos for every pole, from base to tip.

From the Calipayan-San Jose road, it's a left turn onto a dirt road. The very same path we took on our way to Pikkan Falls a few years back.

Here are some photos on our way to order the kawayan:

It was a sunny morning.

We stopped by this area before a creek/pond.

Walked a bit.

Over the hills, and far away...

...Teletubbies come to play. LOLJK

Oh diba pang Teletubbies nga. Haha.

If only these kawayan were more accessible then processing them would be a whole lot easier. Oh if only.  Hopefully, they'll be easier to procure within the next few years.

Mayantoc at 100!

Mayantoc, Tarlac's Summer Capital, is celebrating its centennial year this 2017.

Original image posted at https://monaliza2929.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/mayantoc-kiti-calao-waterfalls-a-place-that-you-must-see/

Mayantoc's the neighboring municipality of Santa Ignacia, to the north. It's pretty famous among us for its resorts, sights and water forms. Unlike most places in the province, they're fortunate enough to have a year-round supply of water, good for planting rice the whole year.

Ate Melai tells me it's home to one of only three twin falls in the Philippines. Now that's something.

The local government unit of Mayantoc is raising funds for their centennial celebration! You can help by purchasing these pretty little memorabilia available at their municipal hall:

A refrigerator magnet.

Clockwise, from top left: a refrigerator magnet, bamboo fans, key chains of varying shapes.

With all the festivities this 2017, it's probably the best year to drop by and experience Mayantoc.

The Beef with Tarlac Is That It's Too Hot for Bulalo.

Being in Central Luzon has its perks.

You get exposed to at least three cultures.  Ilocano, Kapampangan and Tagalog. With these, their cuisines.

Ilocanos are known for cooking awesome vegetables. Pakbet Ilocano. Nobody needs to say more than that.  Meats are awesome too with bagnet, and we have the local incarnation of that little piece of heaven (go cholesterol! lol) with chicharron Camiling.

Kapampangans are the cuisine lords of Luzon. It's a generally established fact. Sisig please! Plus the Kapampangan version of dinuguan is my personal favorite.

There's also the usual adobo, and many chevon dishes. Rice cakes. Ugh. Food in Tarlac is awesome, really. But all that's really not the point of this post.

The beef with Tarlac, however, is that it's a bit too hot for bulalo. Oh bulalo. Beef, the king of meats, in its purest Filipino cuisinal incarnation is hard to appreciate in Tarlac.  When you say bulalo of course, you go to either Baguio or Tagaytay. However, let me be a bit hipster here and say that those places could be too mainstream. Lol kidding. The pleasure of eating bulalo in Baguio or Tagaytay of course comes with the mountainous climate.

The point of this post? I just had the best bulalo I've had in my entire 26 years of existence. And it's in a very nondescript place in Tarlac. Just outside Triple 888 Coliseum, in Capas. BULALO. IN TARLAC. How?!

Left: Google Maps screenshot of where to find that bulalo. Right: Google Street View of the closest landmark, Triple 888 Coliseum.

I can imagine having the dish with my beer, or after my beer. Or in the monsoon weather. Or right about January when the wind isn't so warm, which includes now so...

Shantal's Eatery as shown in Google Street View. 

The place is called Shantal's Eatery. It's really not your Instagram-worthy hipster kind of setup with the wire-mesh and naked concrete exteriors, Monobloc chairs and plastic Coca-cola tables (for the record, hipster now is mainstream, so what's the point? lol)... but the bulalo is just divine.  We had a meal in Shantal's. 2 large bowls of bulalo, a serving of bistek, 5 cups of rice and a bottle of C2 Litro. All that for 220. TWO HUNDRED TWENTY LANG *#@!%%(!!!!

Not your ordinary bulalo in a very ordinary presentation.

Now on to the bulalo! Putting the flesh apart was like separating strands of corned beef. It was that soft! Despite that, it didn't have the mushy quality you get from really bad canned corned beef. The taste was also perfectly balanced. It wasn't too salty, and wasn't too rich but had the right umami. Sebo pretty much was nonexistent. I remember getting greasy lips applying chap stick but this bulalo did not give me one bit of that icky feeling anywhere in my mouth. There's about two wombok leaves tossed in there too, not that it matters but hey, it's something!

So if I'm gonna act like a food blogger, might as well have 100% internalization and on to the scores!

Taste: 9/10

Texture: 9/10

Presentation: Kusina ni lola/10

Surprise factor: 10/10