Minimalist Even With Handbags

Are you lagging around stuff that you don't really need?  Maybe some of us are not even aware what we carry around all day.  If someone were to asked what's in that big bag of ours, would we be able to say exactly what's in there?  

I am one who does not want to carry big handbags especially everyday.  It is only when I travel that a bigger one is convenient for it could carry all my immediate needs plus my mini iPad. 

Moreover, I'm not tall enough for a big bag to be proportional to  my height.  Besides, I don't want to carry a heavy bag  that may put pressure on my shoulders and distort my spinal column.

I have avoided carrying heavy bags almost all my life, yet my chiropractor had to make an adjustment because he found my tendency to lean on the left.  My shoulders are not aligned, the left is slightly lower than the right.  The years when I had the habit of carrying my handbag on one shoulder, must have taken its toll.  Since I learned about this I always remind myself to alternately carry my handbag on both shoulders.  

At a luncheon, I used an envelop purse while a friend beside me had a bag way bigger than her hips.  

"How do you use a small purse, I can't seem to learn how?", she asked me when she saw what I brought along. 

I'd say it's because of dependence on some items that makes us feel secure having them along all the time.  But then we could trim that according to the occasion.  Even though it is a hassle to change bags often, it has its advantages since we can review the contents thus giving us a chance to leave behind or discard what's not necessary. 

Whenever I changed bags early on while I was still working, I often saw a stick of gum, a hard candy that is already sticky, receipts I just dumped in the bag after a purchase, used tissue I couldn't throw anywhere so I put it in the bag as well until I find a receptacle.  Oftentimes I found a toothpick or two in it's wrapper that I must have gotten when I ate at Chinese restaurants; it would be funny though if I found a pair of chopsticks there, ha!

I believe however that things we put in our bags depend on our need.  My daughter-in-law has the most variety of signature bags in almost all colors that she keeps changing to match or compliment her outfit.  But when she had a baby, she got a Big Kate Spade bag so it can accommodate baby things including her wallet and cosmetic kit.  On the other hand, my older daughter used a medium samsonite  backpack for her baby things so it won't be awkward should her husband help her carry it. 

I believe that whatever suits our needs is fine as long as whatever is inside are necessary and convenient to lag along. 

Keepin Our Store Alive

Its been more than two months since the presence of a popular business competitor in the village.  It's opening week alone has affected ours so much that we thought for awhile that  it would topple us and force us to wind up our establishment. 

Recently however, we see our store moving on,  like a baby taking slower steps because it can't walk straight on its own yet.  But it is moving forward, it's getting there for sure, at least to a point where it is worth our while.   It's nowhere near a hundred percent relative to what it used to be but with adequate inventory and a good spin, hopefully it won't backslide before it is up on its toes again. 

 Every week, we observe a different trend but it is never going down to where it started since the competitor.  We do have many customers, the foot traffic is there but definitely not like it used to be.  We did lose some, those that would really make up for the difference.   

On the first week after the competitor opened one loyal customer told our cashier that if we want to stay in the game, we should have an adequate inventory.  She was referring to the items that ran out because I did not stock up.  And we know that too, but as I mentioned earlier, I played it safe.  

 Recently we see customers crawling back occasionally and they account for keeping us afloat.  They tell us about the lack of inventory at the new store, they couldn't get all their requirements there; besides items are not as cheap as they expected.  

As Jim pointed out earlier, one major reason that customers are slowly coming back is vicinity.  Yesterday, a lady was exasperated to walk further to the new store after learning that we run out of gravy powder.  I heard her tell her companion:  "ay naku, mapapalayo tayo" (we have to go further for that).

Regards our store staff, we now have the required number and they are proving capable in more ways than one after they had the proper orientation and training.   They seem to be even better than their predecessors especially attitude-wise.

One of them is a handyman, who is matured and even-tempered, experienced helping in construction and therefore can do minor carpentry work and has a bit of knowledge in electrical system.  This guy is a quiet worker,  what's more, he can cook, how about that?  

The two new cashiers are now up to speed having familiarized themselves on current prices since we are still manual, we don't use the POS system yet.  But I'm thinking about that too, once we get our fair market share. 

In the meantime, I can relax a bit but I continue to monitor inventory closely, making purchase orders and relentless to expedite arrival of goods.  This is an advantage over our major competitor who rely only on what's available in their warehouse since their purchasing is centralized for all their outlets, superstores and junior stores alike. 

Another good news is that I now have my Friday day-off back and my Sundays are free to recharge and enjoy the outdoors;  to garden and to rest, replenish food for the week, try new recipies, read, relax and write my blog under the mango tree.  

But I still manage to monitor the store by remote control on those days.  No problem there since my staff know when to consult me and they can call me anytime. 

 At this point, I'm still up in arms on this crusade until I know I'm beat,  but I don't think this will happen, at least not yet.   The store will run as usual and hopefully with the right focus we can think of better ways to manage it.  Who knows, it may even grow, and  why  not?

My Version Of Granola

I thought I'd make granola today. 

Sometime ago I ran out of these two jumbo packs of dried cranberry and granola that my thoughtful sister from Florida gave me last December.   She knows that I top my oatmeal for breakfast with dried fruits and  crunchy cereal to allay boredom.  

Since then, I've been buying granola and muesli, though they are quite expensive here, most of them, if not all are imported.  Therefore it is more practical to make it myself. 

This is my version of granola partly using local ingredients. 

Hey, what's the green one?  It's called pinipig, or duman or in the Ilocano vernacular, dudumen.  Pinipig is made from immature glutinous rice, burned in open fire rendering the grains partly toasted.  Then it is manually pounded.  

Making dudumen is an event that locals enjoy on summer nights.  They build a bone fire and toast the grains.  For single ladies and guys, this is an opportunity to get together and have fun.  Partners alternately pound the grains in tune with the music, as they sing along. 

The green color, which is sometimes dark green to grayish green is due to the green testa of the young grain;  the color depends on how long the grains are toasted. This is unpolished and therefore more healthy. 

There is another form of pinipig that I added, the white ones looking like Rice Krispies , these are toasted popped pinipig.

After the almonds is pulse-chopped, I mixed this with the grains .  Unfortunately, I only have almonds in my pantry but it would be nice to add walnuts, pistachios or Casey nuts. 

2 1/2 c rolled oats

1 1/2 c green pinipig

1  c almonds

1  tsp sea salt

1/2  c olive oil

1/2. c honey

1       Tsp vanilla

The liquid ingredients are added to the grains and nuts until they are thoroughly coated.

The resulting mixture is evenly spread on my non stick baking sheet and poppep in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Mid- bake, the product need to be brought out and mixed to ensure that they are evenly  toasted.  I then added the popped pinipig and brought it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  

The dried fruits are mixed in thoroughly after the baking is done and allowed to cool.  I would have liked to add apricot and dates  but I only have dried cherries that my BFF Lorna from California gave me when she visited.  So I just added raisins for good measure. 

Notice that the baked product is darker brown because it  was toasted. 

The granola should be stored in dry and sealed containers.  If the yield seem too much, half maybe placed in ziplock bags and put in the freezer for longer shelf life. 

Learning To Co-exist With The Business Competitor

"Now you have seen the worst", 

our son said on FaceTime the week after a giant superstore opened a junior outlet in the village.   He wanted an update how it is affecting our convenience store.  Well, we have been feeling the brunt these past weeks and while the sales is low, at least it is a bit better than we expected. 

Like Jim, our son understands how business works, he being a marketing guy himself.  He further said:

"Well, I know that the sales may not go up to the mark as it used to be anytime soon but......".  We are realistic and we believe that too; that's why Jim told him that we are giving this a minimum of three months to observe how it goes. 

"Most people are curious, they like to see what's in the new store",  my older daughter said,  "wait it out, the novelty of shopping there may wear out one of these days".  

Jim knows that in this business and most businesses for that matter, vicinity is important.  He told our son that we are hopeful because we have an edge over our competitors since our location is pretty much the ideal place in the over-all scheme of the village.  

Besides, there is no such thing as a favorite store, like what Filipinos call "suki"  (frequent buyer).   I learned early on in the trade that people buy where it is convenient, where they can find most of their requirements and wherever they find themselves at the moment of need. When they are at the mall, there's always a grocery there; and if not, they would choose the closest,  (not necessarily the dearest).

I held back in purchasing two weeks before the dreaded opening of the new store.  I wanted to observe first how things go because I didn't want to be left with a lot of merchandise that may not move.  I was partly wrong though, because we ran out on some fast-moving items the following weekend. 

As merchandise filled the store again, we noticed a slight increase in sales.   So what is there left to do?  

When our younger daughter abroad asked how things are going, I replied that our primary move is to improve customer assistance, we believe that people are often in a rush, impatient to stand in line, so they should be able to get what they want with ease and go out as swiftly as possible. 

"I am personally doing the stock Inventory and  purchasing since that is crucial.  if we want our store to be a one-stop shop then we must make provisions for the frequently needed merchandise.  At this point, I can't delegate that to anyone."   I further told her. 

Merchandize display is important too.  If it's sausage, customers must see all available brands and sizes in one glance, from big to small or vice versa.  Every item must be clean and should be displayed in such a way that they seem to be calling attention as if to say:  "here I am, buy me".

"I like your approach on this", my younger daughter replied. "It is also a driver to further improve things; operations and efficiencies". 

Our children's comments are our thoughts exactly, they reflect how we see things and how we feel about them. Moreover, it feels great to be encouraged and inspired by them and to know that we are in this together.  I can say the same with our staff who are vigilant to assist customers.  They regularly fill us in on customer feed back. 

The last three weeks in "limbo" were excruciatingly stressful, but we now see a pattern that we can hold on to; though the cash register reading is still not what we want it to be, at least we can get by for now and hope that things will get better.  Most importantly, we were able to release some of the nerves which have been bubbling inside and around us since the new store opening.

    

"Let us relax now so we don't stress ourselves", Jim told me one night.  "Life is short, we must enjoy it, we've done what needs to be done, let's just hope for the best", he added.  Well,  I just hope that the universe is holding up its end of the bargain. 

I'd like to believe Maya Angelou when she said:

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated".

And I keep telling myself:

"Never give up the dream", right?

Learning To Live With Diabetes

Someone said that there is no reset button in life, we can't take anything back, we can't undo anything.  Our actions have consequences, everything that we say or do may have lasting impact for the rest of our lives. 

Well then, if I can't undo diabetes, at least I can control it so I won't suffer serious complications like nerve damage, kidney trouble or blurry eyes and at its worst, blindness.  It is therefore imperative to restrain myself from too much sweets and  carbohydrates. 

If only to know is as easy as to do, then all our resolve will be realized.  Unfortunately that's not the case with me.  I've indulged too much on foods not good for me.   Now I have to double time washing down the traces of sugar in my system. 

I've always loved sweets, it is my food orientation since I was a child.  My mama always baked cakes; my aunts frequently made native cakes and our afternoon snacks were mostly pastries.   

In my childhood, before the advent of chips, (well, maybe there was already plain potato chips then),  we had boiled plantain, sweet potatoes, peanut with shells and other root crops to munch on in between snacks and meals, they simply weren't our real snacks. They were always on the table for anyone to pick and eat. 

Nobody told me that diabetes is in my genes.  I should have known that after seeing my great grandmother eat steamed okra with fish sauce night after night for dinner because she had diabetes. 

But I can't blame anyone, can I ?  This high blood glucose just cropped up in the last two years when I was tagged pre-diabetic.  Had I restrained myself from eating too much sweets, I should still be good, right? 

At the end of January my FBS was 8.13 mmol/L, but my doctor thought that a good part of it was due to holiday food.  Nevertheless, he prescribed medication and cautioned me to go slow on sweets and carbohydrates and do another test after a month.  

Using HbA1c as a diagnostic tool confirmed, to my dismay, that yes, I am diabetic.   Though the result is on the lower bracket it is diabetes just the same. 

Determined to overcome my high FBS, I watched my diet closely and exercised a lot in February anticipating a much lower FBS result by month end.  To my disappointment, I was able to bring it down to a mere  0.03 mmol/L which is negligible.  

I did not lose hope though, I recall what my younger daughter said that traces of bad elements remain in the blood stream for six months even if you stop taking them in; that's how long it will take to flush it down, and maybe not even totally.  To abstain from foods high in sugar the day or even a week before the test won't make a difference as well, no, we can't cheat. 

So I worked up more restraint, I did more exercise and finally I was rewarded.  At the end of March, my FBS went down significantly to 6.99 mmol/L.  My doctor reduced my diamicron to half and told me to have another test in ten days.  

Ten days?  I thought I could have a little reprieve and relax a bit, but NO, apparently I can't do that.  I have to see this through, not only in ten days but until I'll hit normal again;  even if it takes all my will power to get to that finish line, I'm going to do it.  

Finally, I know that even when I bring my FBS down, I have to make a drastic change in my lifestyle diet from here on.  As Chico Xavier said: 

"Though nobody can go back to a new beginning; anyone can start over and make a new ending".

Our Edible Backyard Garden Gives Back Fruits For Our Labor

Our backyard edible garden is at its best this time of the year. Though the weather is humid, our plants love the summer sun, sunshine is vital for optimum growth.   Their flowers don't fall and they continue to grow into fruits.  

Come, follow me, I'll give you a walk-through. 

Look at our herbs. 

Mint

I'm presently propagating mint because my customers are requesting for it, besides, my older daughter wants it as well.  When you see roots in two weeks, that's the time to plant them in soil.  

Tarragon.  It is easy to propagate from cuttings that could be  planted immediately in soil.

Rosemary smells so good!   I love to sprinkle the leaves on bread before toasting.  The entire kitchen will smell so good. 

My oregano patch.  I stick oregano tops almost anywhere in the garden where there is space.  It thrives with or without sunshine. 

These are oregano planted in plastic containers ready for sale. 

This basil patch is in the front lawn where it can get plenty of sunshine.   Jim grew this from seeds.  

These basil pots are ready for sale too.  

That's it on herbs!

Now let me show you Jim's fruit-bearing veggies. 

The okra patch. 

Look at this single okra plant with multiple fruits. 

Here's another. 

Eggplant with fruits growing.  Can you count five fruits here?

Bitter gourd (ampalaya) . This is beginning to cover our entire back wall.

See those fruits hanging by our aircon? 

Two more fruits by the horse frame. 

Cherry tomatoes!

A close up of one cherry tomato plant. Never tires giving us fruits.  Notice that a branch is flowering again. 

Now let me show you Jim's kangkong patch.

These are Chinese kangkong, notice that they don't craw unlike the native ones.  Their leaves are also thinner. These are ready to be harvested. 

Jim integrated tomatoes with the kangkong. Notice that the bamboo trellis is ready when the tomatoes grow taller. 

Pandan, just like oregano are also all over our garden. 

These pandan in small pots also sell.   

Let's go to my citrus collection. 

Two pots of lemon. I almost gave up the one on the left but Jim gave it life again. Now it has three fruits and several flowers. 

Among the kalamansi this has the most fruits now.  

I've been harvesting from these two, haven't bought kalamansi fruits in a month, they are giving me enough. 

We placed these in the front lawn for the meantime. Two of them now have tiny fruits while the third has fruits soon to be harvested. 

Look at the citronella, I was not sure they will thrive in the shade but look how robust they are now.  Jim put out his magic green thumb again 

They are thriving sans sunshine, this one in the corner is even hidden by the okra patch. 

Thats all folks!

The harvest from this garden isn't much but we're happy that it certainly brings the freshest, purely organic veggies one can get.

This garden is our serene oasis, we enjoy breakfast and afternoon snacks here while we appreciate the surroundings.  It brings us so much joy too.  

I hope I inspired you to start planting as well, that is if you arent doing it yet.  If not, I hope I entertained you and made you smile. 

Optimism Is A Stepping Stone To Success

We didn't know that the real challenge is yet to come, well, not until a giant supermarket opened a "junior" store in the village, just about a block from our store.  

How do we compete with a known superstore that gets big volume discounts and display allowances from the suppliers?  That is a feat that Jim and I have to overcome in the coming months if we want our store to stay afloat.

It's a daunting feeling to look forward to an uncertain future.   This store is not just a place of business to us, it is also a place to go to for a change of scene, a diversion from daily challenges; a source of "coffee money".  But more than that, didn't I tell you that selling is my passion?   It brings me joy to do something that I love aside from gardening.  

Sometime 20 years ago, we almost sold the business to a Japanese guy and his Filipino wife.   I say almost, because we already accepted the payment in hard cash but to our surprise, the couple came back for their money after three days.  The guy felt it beyond his dignity to sell local flip flops, brooms and other daily Filipino household necessities that is in demand. 

But they got a bigger surprise when we gave back the same money they paid us, untouched in their original bundles tied with the same rubber bands. 

"It's the same money, our money", said the Japanese guy when we handed him the money.  I guess he expected us to have spent a part of it or at least deposited it in the bank. 

And so, the business went on.... .....

Two years ago we almost gave it up again, in fact we got several inquiries from prospective buyers.  We even went through a thorough inventory of all items to quantify our merchandise in case a sale will push through. 

That time coincided with our move to this new home.  We thought then that leaving the village where the store is situated may prove complicated logistics-wise.  But then again, circumstances didn't allow the sale to happen. 

Recently, the store has been doing fairly well, and I couldn't help but work harder to improve the service.  In fact, this encouraged me to start making an Operations Handbook for the store while I can;  for our children in case anyone among them would like to take over when we are not able to do it anymore.   

Then our lead man got into trouble with a delivery guy and they ended up in the Barangay hall.  That worried his parents who asked him to cool off in the province along with his brother and his live-in partner who are also part of our staff.  

Minus three from our staff means we can't  operate without us in the store all day.  Add the fact that  our head cashier is already set for a two-week vacation leaving only the other cashier who didn't want to be left alone.   What to do ?  We can't afford to close shop, we will lose customers.   

Ahh,  "when it rains, it pours".  

But Jim and I don't give up easily, this is one of the times that we really put our heads together.   Immediately, we found two people to help run the store with us.  That's the advantage of a retail business over a service-oriented one where the staff need a certain expertise, like a trained beautician is needed in a beauty parlor;  likewise a dress shop needs a seamstress.  Since I'm a hands-on manager, we can run the store without a hitch except it required us to stay at the store for longer hours.  

The challenge is becoming more intense with barely a skeleton staff and the dwindling foot traffic at the store, but we continue running the business.   We are just feeling the impact this week when sales went down.

But then I'm partly hopeful because I know that Jim always thrive on challenges, when things are down he makes them work to his advantage; a challenge can be a stepping stone to success.  An impending failure can turn to success with a positive attitude if we focus closely on our goal; this time optimism is crucial.  I assure you, this won't go without a fight, besides I know that we are in this together, a united effort divides the problem. 

In spite my optimistic mindset, I don't know how to feel about this yet.   It looks like I'm in a holding pattern circling in the clouds above twin airports of resignation or relief, not really knowing which is going to clear me to land.  I guess it would be like this until circumstances will give it a shape again. 

In retrospect, I still believe that this business is meant for us, otherwise, we could have sold it years ago.  Still, anything can happen but I don't stress myself too much anymore, I am resigned and open to new developments.  As I often say: 

"God's plan is bigger than my dreams".