Paete: Town of World Class Talent and Wood Carvings

Photo Credit: Gloria Rivera

You are a Filipino if you have "The Last Supper" hanged at your dining area. Either that, or a pair of large wooden fork and spoon. Of course this is not true. :) But part of our tradition is put a painting or a wood carving of  The Last Supper. 

Sure you know where to find these home decors- in Paete, Laguna. Paete is pronounced Pī-té, long i, short guttural ê, sound at the end by the natives. It is located at the northeastern part of Laguna, along the shores of Laguna de Bay. It is known to be "The Carving Capital of the Philippines." It has had established its reputation for its craftsmen who are skilled in wood carving even during the Spanish colonialism.

I did get a close encounter on how Paetenians do their crafts. There are no words to describe how amazing they are! Maybe it's in the blood or in the amount of their exposure that they are able to this? If you can take a close look at their crafts, you will see how detailed the figures are. I cannot imagine the resilience it requires to finish one product. And mostly, it's done by hands.

Due to their outstanding talents, some Paetenians have gained popularity even abroad. Some won awards doing their ice sculptures and others did great showing their carving talent on their food presentation. One US based  sculptor, Paul Balan, was recognized for his contribution to the design of the new National Humanities Medal.

Through the years, their crafts have evolved into various products. 

If you're looking for something unique to don your home, Paete is the place to go to. They have been selling wood carvings nationwide and abroad. Best thing is to go to Paete to find what you are looking for, get it in a discounted price, and/or get it customized!

To know the person who owns the above crafts, shoot me an email. :)

Bring On the Drama in Sampaloc Lake

Anyone who remembers the Korean Drama Stairway to Heaven starring Cholo and Jodi? I do. Especially when we went to Sampaloc Lake in San Pablo City, Laguna. It absolutely offers a place where you and your friends can have a great biking experience!

The road alongside the lake is not a public road which makes it free and safe for biking. Aside from the view of the lake is an avenue of trees and bushes that add drama to the scene. It was perfect when we visited the place. We had a clear view of the mountains, Mount Banahaw and Mount Cristobal (according to my research), at the other side of the lake. With the calm water, clear blue sky, and cold gusts of wind, Sampaloc lake is indeed serene and relaxing.

There are times when you think you need to reconnect with yourself, with the world, with the people you love. Sampaloc Lake is one sure place to go to. Bring on the drama in here, spend a day however you want it, and you should be well afterwards.

In one area of the long road/lake is a deck where you can stay and get closer to the lake. You can contemplate about things that bother you while you look at the calmness at the far end. Or have a romantic conversation with your partner. Or just let your kids drain all the energy they packed with them by running to and fro. 

My daughter seems to enjoy hopping on the deck, careful not to step on the lines. She's unmindful of the couple behind her who look like planning their future.

Now, let me bring back the romantic excitement of the Stairyway to Heaven scene that I was talking about. Watch here:




Experience the same thrill here. There are bicycles for rent. So, take advantage of that and have fun!

photo credit

At first, it was the name of this hotel that caught my attention. Then I realized this is perfect for people who would like stay longer in this kind of place or to have an experience of sunset and dawn near the lake.

We're sure going back here when the budget for a beach outing is not available. (*wink)

Isdaan ng Laguna

Take time to search and you'll find lots of beautiful places in Laguna. In fact, there are lots of them that I don't know which one to share first. Here's one. This place had been shared in the internet many times already. But I believe that won't make this place less interesting.

The Isdaan: It is a kind of floating restaurant located in National Highway Bay, Laguna. I heard there's also one that can be found somewhere in Tarlac or Baguio? I'll Google it one of these years. Haha. This one is enough for me. We don't have to go any farther. It's along the National Highway, so we always happen to see it every time we visit Lumban. From the time they started building those statues, I already found it interesting and said to myself that I will be there. There's one huge seemingly Indian goddess at the facade that catches the attention of the travelers. They too may have been intrigued by what they offer inside.

The only hassle that we encountered was the heavy traffic in Los Baños. This one issue that the government should soon take care of for the sake of tourism. Anyway, that also didn't make the place less interesting. I could not contain my happiness! First, I was with family. Second, I'm 10% less stranger to my home town now. Third, I just love places like these.

We were warmly greeted at the entrance of the restaurant and a crew ushered us to one of their beautiful floating nipa huts. The feeling was like you were surrounded with tempting food, and you can no longer control yourself so you went ahead and eat them right away. It was just a different story then. There were tempting scenery every where but no food yet and we can no longer wait for it before we stroll around.


While waiting for the food, their singers stop in each nipa hut to render some songs. It was my daughter's birthday, so this group sang us a birthday song the funniest way I've ever heard.

The food, well, as expected, they are a bit expensive. I don't know about the other food but I found the chopseuy and buko pandan worth their price. But I didn't like how they cooked some of their seafood. However, considering the amount of money they invested in this business, they really need to generate income from the food they serve.

This is Isdaan. If you want a place to take your selfies/groupies, this one should be in your list. You don't have to take a long walk to find a new background. There's food and entertainment. Happy time for family and friend is guaranteed.

The Day I Witnessed the Burdang Lumban Festival

Burdan Lumban Festival happens every September of the year. It lasts for a week showcasing all talents and products of the town people of Lumban, Laguna. This year, it started on September 22nd.

I've been living in Calamba for years now. That's why I haven't witnessed the event ever since it started. The spell ends this year. Finally, it's a dream come true!

It was its last day. There was a parade of beauty, hunks, gowns, and barong. It's a parade where you can tell how Lumban barong and gowns have evolved through years. There was the touch of ordinary embroidered piña in a filipiniana. Some went so fab with ginormous and loud color gowns. One gown went way liberated and sexy. It was showing a little more skin. Nice try of the designer! It is simple, revolutionary, and changing. 

They all gathered in the town plaza for the awarding for their creations. It was a nice view. With all those gowns, it looked like a gathering of Prince and Princesses of Macedonia. I felt so proud for my fellow's creativity. Some people may not yet know how much effort and resilience it requires to finish embroidery of a gown.

This traveler/blogger perfectly captures the hard work behind each fabric/gown. 

And a visit to your hometown will not be complete without indulging to local tastes! We went on to buy "minani" or fried camote chunks, camote chips, and popcorn of which taste is distinguishable from others'.

This festival had been featured in a few TV shows. I believe it helped a lot in the growth of the industry. Together with the hard work of Lumban people, exposure to media contributed well enough restore and grow this industry. This cannot just die. 

This is the livelihood in my hometown. I could say how their lives have improved since my childhood years because of Barong industry. Let us support Lumban barong and the Filipino talent that only us has- hand embroidery.

There's No Place Like Home

There's no place like home.

Ah, such an old saying! No matter how you're fed up of hearing this said, you would still find yourself utter these words every time you go home and/or visit your hometown.

You cannot deny it. There is this inexplainable excitement when you plan your trip back home. Then, all the memories keep coming back. Those childhood days filled with laughter and noise with your playmates. You cannot help but smile when you remember how filthy you looked like as a kid. Those naughty things you did with your playmates, ah, they were "epic!"

Then, you will wonder how your neighbors are these days. Will they still remember you? Will you still be able to recognize them? You would really want to find out, right?

The mere thought of home brings you comfort. That place where most of the people are dear to you. You believed and felt that they cared for you. The house where you spent half or the early stage of your life, is the sanctuary where you find real solace.

Let me share with you my "sanctuary."

What Is HTML?

        HyperText Mark-up Language,most commonly known as HTML,are keywords represented by tags and plain text enclosed in brackets.Basically,they consist of start tag and end tag and a whole lot of keywords that the browsers like Chrome,Internet Explorer,Firefox,etc can read and interpret in order to display them as a web page.

        Depending on the preferences,a web page can be represented by HTML elements for

 Heading are of  six type, from H1 to H6
       
 <h1> </h1>

Heading 1

<h2> </h2>

Heading 2

<h3> </h3>

Heading 3

<h4> </h4>

Heading 4

<h5> </h5>

Heading 5

<h6> </h6>

Heading 6

Paragraphs

           <p> </p>

Tables
           <table>
                <tr>
                      <td></td>
                 </tr>
           </table>

Images
          <img />


Links <a> </a>

Fonts, Colors ,Forms and a lot more.

        HTML  may look very difficult to understand.But it’s basically knowing the elements,the rules,and the idea of where to put those tags to make  a good outcome.

PISO-NET! ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

              PISO-NET : ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES!

          Piso-net. What? Come again? At last, I realized I am not the only one who has gotten startled upon hearing that word.It is a kind of internet cafe where the user inserts one peso coin into the slot connected to the computer to make it function. Piso means one Philippine peso coin, and net, of course is for the internet. One peso is equal to four minutes of computer usage.

               Only in the Philippines! Where almost everything is sold in retail for affordability. Here you can buy repacked products like sugar and salt for Php1 and/or soy sauce and cooking oil for Php5. Eggs and vegetables like potatoes and eggplants can be bought per piece. I guess, that's very good. Because it gives Filipinos who scarcely earn daily to at least have something to eat for every meal.

               Once, we joked that there could be a very cheap cellphone, only that one has to insert coins into the cellphone coin slot for it to function. Imagine how it looks like. Jokes like that. An electric bicycle or car but the cord has to be very long to keep it plugged to the socket no matter where it goes.
               Even if I knew of video games and videokes operated by inserting coins, I never thought that it could be possible with the computers. The first time I visited this piso-net cafe in our province Lumban,Laguna, I was like a very innocent/uncivilized woman who had just come down from the mountain when in fact I now live in the city. I was really amazed!Call me ignorant or whatever!

             Now, I very much agree to the notion that Filipinos are like bamboo poles-bending when the storm comes but not getting broken. Standing up whenever we fall... and smiling in the midst of tragedies. Filipinos really find ways to cope up with life's difficulties! Only in the Philippines!