Blogoversary Series: Signature Poses

April is What,When and Wearabouts' birth month!

This blog turned two last April 1st and to celebrate my second anniversary as a blogger, I'll be showcasing a three-part series in collaboration with Studio23 Photography-Events and Stiles by Fabshop.

Studio23 Photography-Events is the love child of the sweet, kikay events and portrait photographer extraordinaire, April Garcia. Ever since its debut on February of this year, Studio23 Photography-Events has proven its sparkle with creative and affordable packages for weddings, product launches, conferences, private parties like debuts and university balls, home and outdoor photography throughout Metro Iloilo. Studio23 Photography-Events is located at Unit 202D, 2nd Floor Perpetual Succor Business Centre Building, 38 San Agustin Street, Iloilo City. They cater to out-of-town clients, too!

I was also very thrilled when Stiles by Fabshop agreed on a double collab. I've had boutique and brand sponsorships before but this was the first time for me to actually handpick, pull out and style items that I liked for a shoot. Hearing from the countries' top bloggers, I always thought that pulling out is fun and as easy as dumping clothes in a shopping cart; but the sea of pretty clothes in Stiles made my mini-errand a little bit more challenging. If the mind-boggling stress of pathology and microbio practical exams was like this, I would never ever complain of daily exam schedules. :D

Here's one of my top three picks from their latest collection. 

What do you think?    

| top and skirt: Stiles by Fabshop | shoes: Janeo by SM Dept Store | bangles: Maruyog Charms | 

photography by April Garcia of Studio23 Photography-Events |

Stiles by Fabshop is located at Shopper's Avenue Valeria Street, Iloilo City (beside Coffee Break, in front of ACE Hardware). Visit their Facebook page for stylish and pocket-friendly pieces!

You can also follow them on INSTAGRAM:

@stilesbyfabshop

@itsmetatzy

There are thousands of fashion bloggers around the world. 

But in my little niche called Roxas Hall, I think I am the only one. Being an ordinary med student and a blogger at the same time is awkward, embarrassing, and very very humbling. More often than not, I walk the corridors in lousy, full-support stockings (ughhh to weakling veins) with no makeup or colorful accessories as I usually do in my blog photos. One can easily make a "Reality vs Expectations" meme out of my med student vs blogger facades. Seriously. =.=

Despite all that, I'm very thankful for my friends and classmates' support even if that means endless taunts, wacky and exaggerated versions of my poses, and saying "Wear is *__insert name here__*" to whoever doctor or classmate or faculty wearing stylish clothes. Those brief moments of laughter always make my day. 

Now here's a tribute to the best friends and batchmates in the world.

Check out their "Wear is Mela" poses. HAHAHA

| photos from Glenn Oyson and Mark Alfabeto |

I love you groupmates (with good fashion sense)! :P


Much love,

Mela

Follow me:

| TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | LOOKBOOK | CHICTOPIA |

Vendo Machine

Because I didn't attend it last year, I was clueless that the Medicine Night is a grandiose event. This year's theme is Casino Royale and female med students are supposed to dress up like Bond girls or something like that. I honestly thought that no one's going to take the theme seriously anyway so I decided to wear a vendo machine-inspired outfit. When I told my boyfriend about it, he was like, "Are you serious?". But very truly, I was. Aside from playing cards and poker chips, vendo machines are the first that come to mind when I think of casinos even if I've never really been inside one. And what better way to portray it is a black outfit with colorful, flashy lights. 

Dressing up for events can be worrisome so what I usually do is I decide on a keypiece (something that I really want to wear) like this neon necklace from Bubbles and just mix and match the rest of the elements in my outfit with it. Hence, the pink tassel dress and orange wedges from Asian Vogue Shop. And since it was a formal affair, the black vest was perfect for a corporate yet playful vibe. 

necklace: Bubbles | sunglasses and arm candies: SM Accessories | shoes: Asian Vogue Shop | photos by: Ralph Delfin

Everyone seemed to have really prepared for the night. Some even wore long gowns. Quite surprising but at least I know now what to do next year. XD  The show was just heating up when I left because I'm a Cinderella with a 10pm curfew. Nevertheless, it was good times, good food and good laughs. 

From left: Melchor, Kaye, Melissa

 The thought of being friends with future doctors makes me giddy! :D

So I wasn't the only wild one in neon. Don't you find Wilkinson's preppy outfit cute?

Thank you Melissa for these photos!

Don't be afraid to wear tassel dresses! Contrary to popular belief, they are not exclusive for dance costumes. Check out this fabulous collection by H&M:

That's all for now! I am so excited to share my Philippine Fashion Week experience with you guys. Unfortunately, I'm still caught up with responsibilities. I hope I could sneak in a little of my time really soon! :)

Much love,

Mela

P.S. Do you want neon accessories for free? Click the link below and join the giveaway: 

WWW x Put It On

You could be one of the lucky winners! 

Photography At Its Finest

Who doesn't love dazzling over photographs? 

We hold on to every piece of Kodak paper and keep them in our wallets, exhaust energy on constructing colorful scrapbooks, fill our walls with picture frames, follow blogs, collect magazines, buy expensive DSLRs, enroll in photography classes, endure starvation just to get that plateful of food photographed, etc. 

Every photo is a memoir in still life preserved. Every photo is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that can never be perfectly re-done. That's why we can never tire ourselves from them. Anyone with hands and fingers can click a camera but only few are gifted with deftness to make others see how magnificently they perceive the world through photographs. 

It's still Medicine Week and along with it is a Photo Contest called Medscenes. 

Remember what I wrote about passion on my previous post? The photos below are an epitome of how people who stay up all night studying for exams and SGDs still happily subsist with interests totally unrelated to academics. The magnificence of each photo is a living testimony that passion outside medschool can still yield uncompromising results. :)

You've all been very supportive to my "blogger" self. Thank you very much! Now, I hope that you'd also support my "other" self-- the self that I live out on non-weekends, five days a week-- my "medical student" self. My batch, Juventus Aestimat Excellere (JAX), also has entries for the above contest, and I humbly ask for your support on liking the photos below in Facebook. :)

Links are provided below each photo so you just have to simply click them and like entries no. 3-15.

Voting is open to all of you, Philippine and International readers! Please help us win this! :D 

 #3 The Sower

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118691683309&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3

#4 Halo

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118635016648&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

 #5 On Spilled Blood

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118608349984&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1 

#6 Miss Saigon

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118018350043&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

 #6A New Life

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118031683375&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

#7 Waiting Gaze

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118048350040&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

 #8 Alight

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118071683371&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

 #9 In the Midst of Silence

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118088350036&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

 #10 Someday

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118111683367&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

 #11 Sip-onon

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118145016697&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

 #12 Flight of Fancy

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118168350028&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

#13 So Long, Sweet Summer

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118195016692&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

#14 Parliament

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118231683355&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

#15 Dance With The Sun

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417118278350017&set=a.417117935016718.94296.417104488351396&type=3&permPage=1

Awesome mix of simplicity and grandeur, ay?

What I love most about these photos is that they aren't just literal interpretations of people, places, and things. They are arsty, unpredictable, well-conceptualized, and they tell a unique story to each spectator.

I'd be very thrilled if you'd spread the love with your friends too! Again, Photos No. 3-15!

Which one's your favorite? Let me know!

And thanks in advance for supporting my batch! :D

Much love,

Mela

EDIT: Sadly, this contest is done already. Thanks for all your support! All the photos above are owned and copyrighted by the photographers so please credit accordingly. :) 

Barriers

(shirt and bag: Gap, skirt: Bubbles, necklace: Margarita Fashion House)

Photos by April Rose Garcia

What is a blogger without a DSLR?

Because my brother is my only photographer and the only DSLR I have is a family camera which is currently in my hometown, I've already foreseen the bitter possibility of not being able to post outfit photos until the semestral break. Nevertheless, no matter how much I rationalize and rant about how busy medical school is, I still have this silent plea in my heart that somehow, someone kind out there will help me pursue what makes me happy (even just on weekends).

Two weeks ago, I received an email from someone I've never really met yet. I stalked her profile and was thrilled to see a cute and pretty girly girl with a queer Facebook alias. She's a photography student in the same university as mine. Small world, ay? We met up last Saturday for a few minutes for my outfit photos and you can only imagine how these photos were taken by an equally fashionable girl in 3-inched wedges! I had so much fun with our mini-chitchats and I'm really wishing that we'd meet up again for my next weekend outfit, haha! Thank God for sending angels like April. :D 

I couldn't talk much right now because I'm blogging from an internet cafe and it's almost curfew time. :( My laptop broke down just this morning and I guess this is another predicament that I have to conquer. But then, for the love of blogging, I will always find a way. Whatever it takes. :D

Much love,

Mela

P.S. April's sister owns Sugar Plum, an all-around photostudio that specializes in photographing babies and toddlers! Visit their page on Facebook for more details. CLICK HERE!

P.P.S. This is also an entry to IFB Project #107: Printed Matters 

Survivor

Waaaaa. I have the most awkward hands. XD

Photos by Tajen Sui

And thanks to Frances for the curlers. Hihi

I call myself a survivor because this school week is finally over and I'm still here---ALIVE!

I could vividly recall the anxiety I had when the schedule for this past week was given out. Well, if you'd allow me to share what actually happened, my week pretty much went like this:

**Module 4 Exam (Monday)
**1st SGD session (Monday)
**Deadline of Research Homework (Tuesday)
**Pathology Exam (Tuesday)
**Microbiology Exam (Tuesday)
**Film Showing with Reaction Paper (Wednesday)
**2nd SGD Session (Wednesday)
**FCM Exam (Thursday)
**Submission of Reaction Papers (Friday)
**Community Visit despite the mud and the VERY strong rain (Friday)
**3rd SGD Session (Friday)
**Finally got my brows done and a new haircut (Friday)
**OMG, I found the perfect hairstylist (Friday)
**Some retail therapy (Friday)
**Had 10 hours of sleep after ages (Friday)
**Woke up and felt like I had a hangover (Saturday)
**1st time to eat a whole cup of rice after so many weeks or months (Saturday)
**College of Med Acquaintance Party (Saturday)

***all that plus lectures in between***

HAHA. That went by quickly, I would say.
Next week will be less stressful (just two exams and a quiz!). Yayyyy!
They always say that sophomore year is the toughest and oh my golly, that's slowly sinking in. Exams in med school are like oxygen -- one couldn't just live without them. In our case, with a PBL curriculum, it's exams + SGDs. Whew.

To all aspiring doctors, enjoy your undergrad years! Don't rush yourselves toward medical school. This path is no joke. What comforts though is the fact that all sacrifices will have corresponding gains in the end. That's for sure. :D

Much love,
Mela


P.S. HELP! This is a shoutout to compassionate hearts out there:
I need someone who can take my outfit shots! You don't have to be a professional photographer. I swear it won't be much of a hassle because it only takes 10-15mins to finish. And if you're from the city too, I can just go wherever you're hanging out, and we're done! This is a weekly thing so I'll make sure that the few minutes that I'll borrow won't interfere with your studies/job. Please, please, please.  :(

Black Sheep

Hi!

Got nothing to do this afternoon so I decided to submit an entry to Chictopia.com's Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest.

Mine isn't really ugly but it sure is an itchy one!

Okay. 

So I joined the Lip Synchronization Contest during the Medicine Week.

I'm not really a dancer or an actress but I decided to try something different, for once.

 The dance steps, the costumes, the  facial expressions are so not me.

Hence, I felt a bit misplaced and all I honestly did was drag myself every practice day to school.

We won 2nd Place but I still feel a pinch of guilt in my heart because I committed the most obvious mistakes during the performance.

Tssssss.

Joined three scenes but I'm not gonna tell you which ones. :P

Nine - The Musicale

Folies Bergere.

Guido's Song.

Cinema Italiano.

Monica and Melchor played husband and wife---Marion and Guido.

Be Italian.

Dalene, so hotttt.

And I couldn't sleep for nights after the performance because of this.

How could I forget that we're not yet supposed to stand up T.T

Thesssaaaaa.

What was left of Group Seven after the show.

(Mark, David, me, Jel, Melissa, Melchor)

We were indeed Number One for the Human Biology Project.

So honored to be part of this group!

Thank you Thessa, Erik, Jel and Mel for these photos! :D

That's all for now loves.

Must wake up early tomorrow to assist selling and putting up our booths for the Christmas Fair in my baby bro's school.

See you Marian friends!

Much love,

Mela

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