Sunday Should Not Be Gloomy

The concrete jungle city of Makati has always been one of the busiest places in the metro. Traffic, air pollution, congestion of people along ayala, are just some of the staple scenarios every weekdays.

But, during Sundays Makati can be calm and it can still make you fall in love with the city even more. There are weekend markets that you can visit wherein you can buy local foods, organic products, flowers, handy crafts and local artists' artworks. Another thing to enjoy in Makati during weekends are the parks that are most commonly found in Salcedo, San Lorenzo village and in the Ayala Triangle Gardens where you can have a great time eating at local restaurants and enjoying the beautiful instagram-worthy park. There are many parks surrounding the entire CBD wherein you could go for a walk or you could just sit down, relax put your earpods and read some books while appreciating the beauty of nature. 

I always feel like when I'm walking in Makati, I'm walking at the New York Times Square plaza, or sitting in the beautiful Central Park where I could just stare at people who are walking or passing through the park. 

I enjoy walking along Makati every Sunday because I find it peaceful and most specially it makes me appreciate and love my city even more.

I wasn't able to take some photos in Legazpi Weekend Market because I'm actually at Salcedo during this time, but I listed here some things that you could do in Makati during weekends.

Things to do during weekends in Makati:

1. Visit the weekend market:

 A. Salcedo Saturday Market

 - Tordesillas St. Salcedo Village

 - enjoy some mouthwatering foods, shopping options from local farmers, beautiful weekend vibes, they also cater some local handicrafts.

 B. Legazpi Sunday Market

 - Herrerra corner Legazpi St., Legazpi Village Makati

 - The Legazpi Sunday market has been operating since 1993, it can also be a good place for some food shopping experience and enjoy Thai, Mediterranean, Chinese and other asian cuisines.

2. Makati Street Meet

 - Every first sunday of the month, Paseo de Roxas is being cloesd for the the Makati Street Meet. Food lovers can enjoy some food trucks and other local foods present in the event. Local pop and indie bands are also present to perform during this day. What's not good when awesome food and great music are combined together, definitely it's a fun and active afternoon for everyone.

3. Visit the Parks for some artsy things to do

 A. Washington SyCip Park

  - Legaspi St. Legazpi Village

 B. Legazpi Active Park

 - Rada St., Legazpi Village

 C. Greenbelt Park

 - Greenbelt mall

 D. Ayala Triangle Gardens

 - Ayala Triangle, Makati

The next time you will be in Makati during weekends, be more excited to enjoy the beauty of the city. As what the city government says, Make it happen, Make it Makati!

IDENTIFY YOUR OWN STYLE

"Style is a way to tell the people who you are without saying anything" 

The famous line came from one of my fashion icon, Rachel Zoe. I've always been a fan of her eversince highschool and she never fail to dress up in every event looking so stylish, elegant and expensive. Also, Blair and Serena from Gossip Girl has also inspired me and somehow taught me how to dress up stylish and always feel that everyday is a fashion and you should look beautiful and stunning everytime you go out from your humble abode. 

But, the most important thing that you should remember before putting all that clothes that you want for your look everyday is to identify the style that fits for you. Idenitfying your style means that you should know what clothes look good to you. Also, your style should never be a hindrance for your comfortability.

In my case, it was a big challenge before I was able to come up with my own sense of style. Considering the fact that I have a big body type, that was a challenge for me to look for clothes that I really love and would be able to express my style as an individual. But, if you really love to dress up and be stylish you will find ways on how to look good.

Identifying your sense of fashion or style is very important and the next thing that you should consider is comfortability. Over the years, I was able to identify what my sense of style was and I am happy because I know that these 2 really representst my sense of fashion and I always get compliments from people that I look good on the clothes that I'm wearing (thank you so much to Rachel Zoe, Gossip Girls Series, Carrei Bradshaw for teaching me how to look stylish haha :D).

MY GO-TO STYLE:

1. CHIC MINIMALIST

Chic is considered as a way to dress up looking elegant and fabulous but in my own style I combine chic and minimalism. This kind of style let's you look elegant but at the same time not being so extravagant. One way to look chic minimalist is by being monochromatic. Normally I love wearing either all black or all white outfit and this will let you look more chic. You can add accesories to accentuate your look but as the style itself it would suggest that less is more chic. Do not be afraid to wear an all black or all white outfit.

2. LAYERING

Style sometimes depend on my mood, that's why my second go to style is by doing layering. Philippines is a tropical country so when you do layering make sure that your inner garment has thin fabric only so that when you put a jacket on, you will still feel comfortable to what you're wearing. Again, looking stylish should not mean sacrificing your comfortability.

WAYS ON HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR OWN STYLE:

1. GET INSPIRATIONS BUT DO NOT COPY!

It's normal that we look up to our fashion icons in terms of identifying our own sense of style. But, our idols are only just there to inspire us so for us to be able to identify our own sense of style we must have our own and unique taste when it comes to choosing our outfits. It's ok to have inspiration but again it's just an inspiration never ever copy! Even in style, there's also plagiarism. So always remember that your sense of style should always represent who you are and what you love to wear. Again, our style let's us introduce ourself to people without saying any word.

2. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT!

Identifying your own style is a long journey, so do not be afraid to try a of lot style and from there you will be able to identify what really suits for you and for your personality.

3. WORK ON A BUDGET

Being stylish doesn't mean being too expensive also. The best way to look for clothes is to look for the cheapest one! It doesn't mean that if you have an expensive clothing or branded clothes, it will automatically look good on you. The cheaper, the better. Go for sales, go shopping at thrift stores (ukay-ukay) because from there you will be able to find a good piece of clothing.

4. DO NOT LET OTHER PEOPLE DICTATE YOU ON WHAT TO WEAR

We will always get comments from people about the way we dress up, but, if you are confident to what you're wearing then, do not let other people dictate you on what to wear. Again, you are not drssing up stylishly to impress people but you are dressing up to express who you are.

5. ALWAYS HAVE A BLACK OUTFIT READY

If you are in doubt on what to wear, the safest thing that you could actually wear is a black outfit. So always have a black go-to outfit to save you from a fashion mayhem!


Being stylish is fun, looking good is what always makes us happy, do not be afraid to wear what you really want to wear!

That's it for now! Bye!

IG : @darelnation

TREND SPOTLIGHT : MELE AND MARIE

When passion and love works together, you are in a good track for the success of your business. This is how I would describe the story and the brand itself, Mele and Marie owned by the maried couple Rosemarie and Melecio Oamil.These proudly Filipino made bags are a show stoper as they have presented their latest collection last May during the Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2018. The show was filled with positivity as the couple shared their life story on how they started out the brand. Adding to the positivity of the show was the choice of music and the presentations of gospel verses during the entire show.

HOW DID THEY STARTED?

With all the hardships and struggles the couple have experienced in establishing their life as an entrepreneurs, success still find its way for the couple to prove that their brand is something that we need to look forward to. 

Mele and Marie came to be in the quiet hours before dawn one day in 2012... when the couple decided, after their daily early morning devotion, that it was time to take the next bold step. They had been in business since 1999... but somehow, they felt that their destiny was still being molded for a surprise. Thus, they put a stamp on their vision... to share bits of their life story through their work, as they impart what are life's true riches. Melecio, being prophesied as a mighty designer of many things, took on the mantle of chief designer with humility, created minaudiere and jewelry pieces with great attention to detail... and produced by their skilled artisans (meleandmarie.com).

The couple once again take a big leap to their career as they venture to another trade show in Hong Kong, the much awaited big break finally came when a meek man came to their booth and asked if he could sit there to rest, as no one would dare to entertain him. Rosemarie, being a Filipino showed her hospitality,  with no doubt she allowed the man to take a seat and rest, and she even offered some water. With no idea in mind, she didn't know that this would be start of their big career.

A few moments passed, the man's staff approached her asking if she could immediately supply a huge bulk order for the man's company, equating to money she could not even imagine. With strong faith and determination, Rosemarie immediately agreed to the order, and called her husband immediately to come fly back home to help her get the business she just had made. 

Fast forward to 2018, Mele and Marie joins some of the biggest fashion events in the world like, New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week to let the fashion public know about their one of a kind pieces of art. 

A DEEP STORY IN EVERY ARTWORK

Her husband is the designer and creative mastermind behind the brand, while she takes care of the business side. 

Put in mind that these pieces of bag are manufactured in the factory with no story; these are unique gems that you can treasure for your entire life. Consider the fact that you take an honor in keeping a piece of someone's memory with you that you can call art. 

The bags and other accesorries are actually proudly Filipino made, not only with the designs biut also with the raw materials they are using. All materials  are coming from and manufactured in Cebu. Indeed, Filipino talents are worldclass and the materials that Filipinos are producing are also one of a kind.

You may log on to meleandmarie.com or follow them on instagram @meleandmarie

WHITE COMEBACK : ACHIEVE YOUR FEED GOALS

My last post on my blog was actually almost four years ago. I haven't had the time to write and post something on my blog but now, I am more confident in posting and sharing with you guys a good content that I must say worth to read. So as for my comeback (as if there are really many people who are waiting for my comeback hahahahaha) I wanna share with you how to achieve a good photo with the use of my handy phone and some editing applications available on app store that would certainly give you a "FEED GOALS".

"Feed Goals" was never a thing 7 years ago, wherein Instagram is just only an app for posting your happy memories with pictures that tells a story. But, with the rise of many photo applications, photographers and photo enthusiasts turned their intgram feeds to what we popularly know today as "Feed Goals". 

Having a certain look for your feed on Instagram is now a thing for all the millenials today. If you have a good feed, people will envy you and will keep on asking about what apps are you using and what are the inspirations for your feed. Having a good and cohesive Instagram feed is more than just using the same filter but, it's about lighting and adjusting the temparuture and brightness of your picture.

CONCEPTUALIZING YOUR FEED

For me, one of the most important thing in having a "FEED GOALS" is to identify what color you would want to achieve on your feed. Some might like to have a monochromatic vibe wherein their feed color might look a little bit in the shade of pink, orange and it should be the same with all their pictures. Some might like to have black and white feed to contemplate with their mood. For me, I like it white because it looks more polished and chic having a white feed goals. White for me represents elegance and class, looking polished and more fashionable. I love taking white backgrounds, even buildings or architectures I like it color white. 

A LITTLE BIT OF EDITING TOOLS

Editing photos on instagram is so 2010. I'm not saying its bad but, there are many applications available that you could use to enhance your photos and achieve that "FEED GOALS" you are aiming for.

VSCO - of course, this is one of my favorite app to enhance my photo. I always adjust the brightness and temperature for my photo and use HB1 or HB2 for my filter to achieve that white feed that I love.

A COLOR STORY - it is also a heldpful app that you could use to enhance your photo and achieve an good instagram feed. There are also filters available dependoing on your style. I normally use this app to adjust brightness and light to my photo before I edit it again on VSCO. 

START TO VISUALIZE YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED

Now that you already have a concept for your instagram feed, and you are now equipped with photo enhancing tools, the next step that you need to do is to plan what color or shade you would want to achieve on your instagram feed. Always remember that it's your own space to be creative and no one should stop you from achieving the look you would want to have on your own feed.

LASTLY, BE CREATIVE!

In achieving your "FEED GOALS" it takes a lot of practice and also failures to perfect the feed that you are aiming for. But, don't worry as what they say, practice makes perfect, so do not be afraid to try a lot of things until you master that perfect theme on your instagram feed and amaze others with your wonderful "FEED GOALS".

The next time you would post on instagram, tag me if this helped you decide on your "FEED GOALS" @darelnation