The Quiet and Simple Life in Bacong, Negros Oriental

There's always something about quiet sleepy towns that I love so much. Maybe it's because I'm really more of a laid-back person. I'm not so much a fan of the bustling cities, the sounds of engine and the smell of smoky air from all those cars and vehicles. I'm not saying I don't like the big cities, there are some that I would really love to go to, so it depends.

The life in the rural areas is something I can appreciate. Time is slow, most of the time all you hear outside are the footsteps of locals taking an afternoon stroll, or the engine of a motorcycle or two passing by the narrow cemented roads.

It's not just Bacong, but also most neighboring towns of Dumaguete. My mind just falls in such peaceful and appreciative mode when I pass or walk by these towns and look at the people that go on with their daily lives, in the market, the park, the city hall, the church and even just along the sidewalk. Some people would call it boring but I don't mind experiencing some of this simple life from time to time. It reminds me that sometimes you need to go slow to notice something beautiful and special happening around you.

A friend and I wanted to visit Bacong mainly because we were looking for thrift shops, selling used clothes and items, particularly old cameras. We found a dusty shop selling surplus items (who by the way is closed most of the time due to lack of new stocks). It's located a little farther away from the town center. We went to check it out but came back to this spot in town called NOAH – Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage Center. That was a Sunday so we only got to look around outside because it was closed. We went there a second time and got to explore the items sold inside. I will post more about NOAH in another blog post as that includes a lot of photos on its own.

This is the view you will see when you step outside the church gates.

The church viewed from the back and the park.

The rays of light kept me going taking photos.

These would be one of the prettiest sort of weed I've seen. I went crazy taking photos of them.

There was a chicharon vendor who passed by. (snap!)

A view of the town center's public market

Barbecue and/or tocino vendor

I might have bee obsessed with this cow for a few minutes. What with that wonderful light in the background!

The statue of Cebu's hero, Leon Kilat, who hails from Bacong.

We saw a little magic in the sky that day.

We looked for a place that sold halo-halo and found one. I got some soda and puto cheese for snacks for 20 pesos.

Days go fast

How I miss taking pictures with my cameras aside from the mobile phone! May is going so fast, I feel that I can't catch up with it, especially with the work I have to get done. I'm still glad though that I get to snap photos on the go, most of those are going to my Instagram feed.

The photos above are from one beautiful afternoon I took portraits of a friend. I hope I give it justice, how wonderful this golden hour light looked. I don't mind having this view everyday. Someday, I'll build a house where I get a good scenic view and sunlight like this. I would never run out of photos to take.

Happy Mother's Day

Two days past mothers day, I still would like to say Happy Mother's Day to the woman who gave me life and continues to instill the values in me until this day.

Thank you for everything. Words can never encompass my gratitude for all the love you've given to me and my two siblings. A lifetime is not enough to give you back all you have sacrificed for us. One day I'll make it all up to you and let you experience everything you've missed to enjoy in the past.

Praying for your good health and safety always and for God to bless you as you deserve it the most.

Dumaguete Souvenirs - Notepads

I'm happy that quite a number of people got interested in my first batch of handmade mini journals Dumaguete series! Well, that inspired me to make more designs and try other types of writing materials.

I found some good-looking notepads and decided to customize the covers. Here are my recent creations, Notepads Dumaguete series.

All are sized 89 x 127mm with 80 sheets of lined cream-colored paper inside and spring binding!

For anyone interested, each costs Php60.00 and also available for customization.

P.S. Special thanks to Rhea Alo for giving me this wonderful idea!

Try

I have been listening to that song by Pink called "Try". It's the song that keeps playing in my head recently. Here are a few lines from the chorus:

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try try try

DIY: Customized iPhone Case

I'm in the mood for a tutorial, so today, I'm going to show you how I created some really nice and custom iPhone Case designs.

The secret behind this is simply the transparent or clear case for iPhone. I purchased a couple from Etsy. After a month of waiting, I finally got them and am now looking for ideas of what designs to use.

Here are the materials I used:

1. Ruler, 2. Cutter, 3. Pencil, 4. Clear or Transparent iPhone Case, 5. Pattern or Design, 6. Hole Punch (optional and not shown in photo above)

Create a template

A template is not necessary but it's important if you wish to make more designs later on. The template is just a plain sheet of stiff paper which takes the form of the iPhone.

Here's an illustration of the measurements I used and how the template would be used on a desired pattern.

I used brown card stock for the template. Here it is once cut.

To put a whole where the camera is located, you can cut it out using a cutter or xacto knife or a single hole punch. I used the latter.

Trace the template on a pattern or any design and cut it out.

I used a card stock with floral pattern.

Here's how it looks before camera hole was punched.

Make a hole to see through the camera.

This is the hole punch I used. You may also cut the hole manually using the cutter or xacto knife.

This is the finished design! That was quick and easy right?!

Place the cut out design inside the clear case. It's time to see our design on the iPhone!

Done!

Tadaah! Looks pretty good, right?

Now, maybe now you'd like to make another one! There are a lot of stuff you can recycle and use as design. It's a cheap way of getting a new look, no need to buy new iPhone cases, plus you get to recycle which is always a good thing. You can't use anything too thick, though. Otherwise, your iPhone won't fit in the case anymore.

Here's the next one I made. I used an ad page from an old issue of InStyle magazine.

You can position the case in various angles before you trace the template on the page. This way, you can preview how it will look like inside the case.

Yay! I think I like it!

Now, I think I'd like to use some polka dots!

Trace the template on a blue polka-dotted gift wrapper.

Looks good, too!

You can also use thin fabric! Above is an example. Using fabric is a bit tricky though 'cause fabric is made out of woven thread so depending on the fabric, some can look a little messy on the edges.

I was hesitant to cut this beautiful editorial photo but I love the roses so much! I had to have it on the phone!

No regrets! Looks good. Using this now.

 

More possible ideas or sources for designs:

1. Newspaper (vintage ones look better!)
2. Doilies or lace
3. Transparent film and stickers
4. Washi tape on plain/patterned colored paper
5. Maps
6. Galaxy photos from magazines or catalogues
7. A collage of your Instagram photos
8. Cover of old books (paperbacks)
9. Old passport pages with travel stamp marks
10. Stamps from snail mails!

There! If you have more ideas to add, feel free to comment!

I hope you got inspired and motivated. You can look for clear cases sold online like Ebay and Etsy, or maybe there are some sold at local shops in your city.

Thanks for reading through and I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!