Killing time at the mall could also be productive and informative at least for walk-in participants in the tie-dye demonstration organized by the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) and held recently at the Event Center of SM City Bicutan.

Engr. Thelma Sipin (rightmost), resource person 
on tie-dye technique from PTRI, 
poses as the participants flaunt their output

Some shoppers and mall rats sat in during the lecture on the basics of tie-dye, a technique for decorating fabrics using resist created by folding, binding or tying, and soaking the fabric in a dye solution. Residents of barangays Western Bicutan, Tanyag and Maharlika Village of Taguig City as well as students from Central Luzon State University undergoing on-the-job training at PTRI attended demo and proved they got the feel of the technique when they saw the finished products with mixed designs. The techno demo was held on July 21, 2009 in celebration of the National Science and Technology Week, which ran from July 20 until 24. (Arlene R. Obmerga, S&T Media Service, July 27, 2009)