How to have a Better Instagram Feed

If you don’t know what Instagram is then you must not be from around here… and from around here I mean Earth. Kidding… Just trying to make a point how popular Instagram is right now. Basically, Instagram is a lot like twitter. You follow people, you gain followers, you can flood the public timeline with your content but instead of words, you post photos. “I already have Instagram so stop blabbering” yeah… okay but is your Instagram feed pretty? I know some people really don’t care but having a pretty Instagram feed really makes an impression to people who stalk you (heh) and it’s a nice way of expressing yourself too.

So this post is dedicated to prettifying that feed of yours. I know there are a lot of other “how tos” online but this is based on my personal experience. Also, Please do remember that “better” and “pretty” are very subjective ideas. ;)

1. USE A GOOD CAMERA

This is pretty common sense but some people don’t have that so.. (another joke please don’t take me seriously haha). No matter how much you edit your photo. No matter what filter, what light leak or whatever you apply if the raw photo is crappy then your photo will be crappy and in turn your feed will be crappy. Crisp, clear photos are the best. iPhones (4-5s) usually take great photos most especially when there’s natural sunlight. Not entirely sure with Samsung but pretty sure the latest models take great photos too. Some people even use their DSLRs just to take awesome photos for their feed. I know… effort right?

2. GET ENOUGH LIGHTING

Like I said iPhones take suuuuuper better photos when there’s enough lighting. This pretty much applies to any camera, actually. Yes, you can digitally brighten up a dark photo but go ahead, try it. It’ll be super grainy. Personally, natural light is always better than artificial light but if you have no choice, sure, go use that flash.

3. EXPERIMENT WITH THE POV

Go high, go low, go extremely high, or extremely low. Each point of view gives a photo a certain feel. This is why the “from where I stand” and “outfit grid” kinds photos are so popular now because it’s a different viewing experience. Imagine an outfit grid shot from eye level instead of top down… looks so boring right.

4. DON’T MACHINE GUN YOUR PHOTOS INTO THE FEED

A.k.a. don’t post consecutive photos with only a minute interval in between. Not only is this annoying but it’ll leave your photos with less likes. I’ve personally observed this. Probably because people will tend to scroll past your posts because you’ve annoyed the heck out of them. Oh and yeah, you’ll risk being unfollowed too.

5. DON’T POST SIMILAR PHOTOS CONSECUTIVELY

In relation to #4, try not to post two very similar looking photos one after the other. I don’t care if there is a one day interval between them. This is Instagram not a Facebook album. A feed with variety is a feed that has beauty.

6. PUT APPROPRIATE AND RELATIVE TAGS

Please. 3 inch thick tags are so annoying and I’ve read somewhere that putting irrelevant tags can actually prevent you from making it to the popular page. You don’t want that, do you?

7. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR INTERESTING THINGS TO CAPTURE

I follow a lot of people who have awesome feeds and sometimes, they post these super mundane things that are strangely still beautiful. Like half their faces streaked with sunlight and shadows of blinds. Or their tea in the morning against white washed wooden tables. It’s simple and very mundane but still very very pretty. So keep an eye out for those simple moments!

8. DON’T POST A CRAPPY PHOTO

I knoooow I’ve said this a lot of times but this statement basically sums everything up. I know we’ve all felt that itch where we just want to post this photo even though it’s crappy but please fight that feeling and tell yourself, “quality over quantity”. There’s still tomorrow go take a better looking picture.

9. TAKE IT EASY ON THE EDITING

For me, less is more. Subtle looking filters are way better than the default filters in Instagram. There are lots of apps out there that offer these so called subtle filters (I’ll do a post about them soon). Also, lately I tend to move away from light leaks and all that leaky stuff. Oh and over-edting actually destroys a photo’s quality.

10. UNIFORMITY

I really don’t do this to my feed but I’ve noticed others who do and it does look kind of nice. Some people actually use the same filter for all their photos. This’ll make your feed really nice and clean. As for me, I post all square photos. I can’t stand the one filter thing ‘cause for me each photo has it’s own filter that enhances it. You just gotta try each one.

That’s pretty much what I can share to you guys. I know I’ve slightly gone off track with some of the things I listed up there, that’s just some bonus points on how to improve your Instagram experience and how not to annoy your followers (haha). I hope you liked it!

What about you guys? What are some of the things you do to make your feed pretty? Share it with us in the comments below! :)

Baguio 2014 - Jour Une

Our annual Baguio visit just passed and of course, I’m back with another outfit post! I know I’ve been gone for a long time and my blog really looks outdated. Ew. I want to fill you guys up with all the details with what I’ve been up to lately but…. let’s save that for a later time, shall we. Hehe.

Oh and yes, my butt long hair is gone. I’m kind of over it though. I’m just happy I’ll have another shot of growing healthy hair.

Nuff babbling. This year we arrived in Baguio earlier than usual. We usually arrive when the sun’s down already so I took the chance, grabbed my brother, and handed him my camera. A few blackmails here and there and viola. (LOL)

Top by Keysas. I appreciate marijuana prints even though I’m against using them for recreational teenage trips. I’m such a poser, I know. The jacket is from Forever 21. Stylish and functional. Keeps me warm without necessarily covering everything up.

Gold chain necklace by Forever 21

High waist jeans by Topshop

All white sneakers by Eleven Nineteen. I have to be honest I didn’t really like all white sneakers before. They’re kind of impractical and remind me of tennis. Well, I had a change of heart. I love them! I’m planning to get the Vans version of this (if I can actually find one).

Cat phone case by Forever 21. I’m obsessed with phone cases. Don’t ask me how many I have now. I lost count.

I forgot to mention that the reason we go to Baguio every year is because of the PMA Alumni Homecoming. I look forward to this trip every year… not only is the weather in Baguio great, but it’s nice to bond with the family somewhere out of town and see old childhood friends and fellow “anak din ng mga PMAyers” friends. If you’re one you’d understand, a vast community with one thing in common. That you’re kind linked because of your parent’s history. Haha okay, I’ll stop babbling. Bye for now!

Photos by Idu Anduyan

Pre-school Mini Haul

(Pre-school as in before school, not as in little kid school, okay?) Christmas break ended too soon and I really didn’t see it coming. I was lying on my bed and realised, what the heck, it’s the last weekend before school starts again!

I know people have mixed feelings about school starting again. Some are actually excited but nah, not me. I like to relax and bum around some more, please. Nevertheless, I should be thankful that I’m even attending school hihi (Weh lol).

Before my blabbering becomes extra long, let’s get to the point of this post! Someone from ask.fm requested that I post what I bought from Muji when I posted this photo on my Instagram. School supplies shopping is actually one of my favorite things to do. I don’t know, it just cheers me up when I have neat stuff to use while slaving over my school works.

Things I bought:

• 2014 Planner - Muji
• Small, thick (lineless) notebook - Muji
• Thin notebooks (set of 5) - Muji
• Black and purple gel pens - Muji
• G-tech - Powerbooks
• Color pencils - Powerbooks

Here’s the planner. I originally planned to use the Slate planner but then I realised I didn’t really want distractions while I plan. It stresses me out. The Muji planner is a no fuss, straightforward planner. It’s beautifully minimal, and has a lot of space for what matters.

Believe me, I really had a freaking hard time deciding between the two planners. I’m not even kidding, it bothered me 24/7 HAHA. Did I want something more simple and less fussy or something more creative-ish, hardbound, and hipster-y looking planner? In the end I realised that the Muji planner was the more creative one ‘cause with so much white space, I could fill it up with anything I want, and everything is from me, unlike with the Slate planner that has all these built in illustrations that, yes, looks very artsy and creative but these pretty parts weren’t exactly made by me right? It’s sort of there by default.

This is how the month view looks like. Like I said, plenty of space to write and paste anything you want! This part is really useful too since you can see an overview of your month at a glance.

So on the right side is where the week view goes. No lines so you can go crazy on how you write your little reminders.

On the right side, is a full page that has a grid. I really like this part. This is where I put reminders that apply to the whole week. Like here in the photo, I put which books are required for my subjects for the term so that by the weekend, I’ll have a list of which books I should look for! You can practically put anything here. Although not seen here, I actually taped the receipts from the purchases which I want my mom to reimburse so I won’t ever forget (LOL).

Finally on the last few pages, are spreads of gridded pages. Go crazy.

All in all I really like this planner. Very simple, very minimal, super customisable (I plan to plaster lots of stickers on the cover soon). Although it was hard for me to not choose the Slate planner because it was really a neat planner. I especially liked the wood-like cover and the logo upfront, but I sort of outgrew the style it has inside. Maybe next year!

Next up is the thin notebooks. It wasn’t my plan to buy these. I was supposed to buy the refill pages for my clear Muji binder notebook but it was out of stock when I dropped by the store and I needed notebooks asap so I just got these. The price was reasonable anyway (195 for 5 pieces) and the paper inside is just perfect.

What’s a Muji trip without getting one of their super cute pens? I just got two since I already have other colors. These pens last super long! I think I’ve had my mint colored pen for more than a year now anddd of course, the ever essential G-tech pen. I’ve been using these since High School and I’ve no plans so use other pens for school (loyal). Haha.

I don’t know why I got this notebook. I just have so much love for pretty notebooks especially if they have dreamy paper quality. I figured this could be my handy dandy doodling notebook.

Finally, these colored pencils. I planned to get something with more colors but Powerbooks really had limited art supplies and I was too tired to walk all the way to Glorietta (I just commuted all the way from Taft) and go to National Bookstore. I got this because, one time, I was surfing the net and saw these pretty drawings made using only colored pens. I want to practice and practice until my drawings are that pretty too. Heh hehe.

I hope the anon that requested this liked this post and I hope you guys liked it too! I’m really a school supplies freak so I had fun writing this. Stay in school, and goodluck, dearies ♥

Black and White flowers

Last November 2 was not only All Soul’s day for our family, but it was also our bunso’s birthday ♥ The day before, me & my mom went floral clothing shopping at Fashion Market and boy, did she haul all the pretty florals in sight! Here’s our family ootd wearing our floral clothes.

For this day, the original plan was to buy Udo’s gift, watch Thor 2, then have dinner at Viking’s but well, we moved sluggishly so we weren’t able to watch the movie anymore. We just hung out by the bay and waited for 5:30 so we can finally eat all we caaan. Haha.

We brought our cruisers with us because I suggested to my brothers that we should skate while waiting but the pavement was too rough for our taste (arte lol).

Penny pastel by Melrose Boarshop | Black cami by Forever 21 | Floral bomber jacket by Mastermind Manila

I’m actually quite pissed right now over a little thing. Get ready to be irritated because it seems so O.A. of me. I’m obsessing over my Penny’s scratches. I know it’s only natural for a skateboard to have scratches, but the way I ride mine, I ride in the most basic way possible man, it shouldn’t have scratches yet. One more thing, it has scratches under the deck, in the freaking middle, and I’m like, “How the hell did this scratch get here?!”. Ohhh I get stressed just thinking about it. I’m sorry, I know I’m O.C. haha.

Forever favorite black sneakers from Cotton On

Gold Calculator watch from Casio. I’ve been wearing this watch everyday since the day I got it. It’s funny. Haha. If you guys want a watch like this, contact my friend Gio Gonzales. She sells Casio watches and a whole lot of other stuff (iPhones, iTouch, shoes, Whey protein etc.) help her pass her majors by buying from her! :D

White skull bracelet from Black Bakery

Versace inspired gold chains from Coition Clothing. They actually sent me this necklace along with a teal blazer as a gift. I was so surprised and very grateful! It’s my first time :’) Again, thank you, Coition Clothing for this. Go check out their instagram guys. They sell really cute pieces at affordable prices ♥

Denim high waist shorts from Vanilla Breeze. What can i say? I love the brand and I loooove their shorts :D

What about you guys? How did you spend your November 2nd? Aside from praying for our beloved who have already passed, of course.

Top 7 Things a Girl Should Have in her Wardrobe - Chill Edition

We all know how the classic list goes - black slacks, black pumps, blazer, day dress, the perfect heels, a little black dress etc, etc. The pieces sound all so sophisticated and dressy. Don’t get me wrong, they are essentials and there will always be a time where you will need or be required to wear them. Emphasis on “a time” though, that means that these pieces aren’t really needed on a daily basis. What about those days where you just want to look casual and chill? What about those days where you don’t want to make “tiis ganda” (Conyo lol) but still want to look decent and put-together? I’m pretty much like that. Trust me, you’ll be like that if you have to think of a decent outfit every single day of your college life while taking into consideration the stress and pressure (uncomfy clothing adds up to the stress, you know) you’ll be enduring for the day. So here’s the list a made for myself and for people who share the same style and sentiments that I have ;)

First on the list, is the perfect white shirt. For real, you could make a lot of outfit combos with this piece and the fact that it’s plain, avoids people from making sure that you’ve repeated the piece over and over again (lol). It’s neat, and you could style it any way you want. Want something a little bit dressed up and sophisticated? Pair this piece with denim/leather jeans, some strappy heels, big sunnies, a top knot, and viola! Instant celebrity-ish look. Not really the girly type? Tuck this in high waist cutoffs, sneakers, and a snapback. Yo homey. Jk. You guys get my drift on how awesome this piece is, right? (Photo of how I wore mine)

Where to get it: I recently bought mine yesterday from Topman. They were on sale and I got mine for 50% off ;) but I’m pretty sure you can find one from the department store.

I swear, before, jeans were my legs’ number one enemy. All of my jeans made my legs and hips look huge. So, so sad. Finally, I found a pair from Bershka (Photo here), it looked promising so I tried it on and - oh my gosh - they were perfect. Sure my legs were still curvy and thick, but the jeans didn’t make it any more big. It actually hugged my legs in a way that it enhances my legs’ curves. After that, I started wearing jeans again and I must say, jeans really make or break an outfit. Wear one that doesn’t have a great fit, and you’ll look lousy, wear one that has great fit, well, wow. hihi. All I’m trying to say is, find the perfect jeans and the top + jeans outfit will always work, always.

Where to get it: I’ve observed that great fitting jeans are all over this season. I got mine from Bershka, Forever 21, and Topshop.

The white cami pretty much works like the perfect white shirt except it’s sexier, and can be mostly used as an inner clothing. I usually wear mine under my plaid, camouflage, and denim button down shirts. Also under denim jackets and vests. I feel kind of exposed when I wear this on it’s own (conservative loljk) but when I’m feeling extra gutsy, I do wear this with high waist shorts and sneakers.

Where to get it: Forever 21 offers the best plain cami at the most affordable price for me.

I’m not a sneaker head but I prefer wearing sneakers any time of the day. I prefer wearing one with pants, shorts, skirts, and sometimes even with dresses (if it doesn’t look wrong). I wear them almost everyday! Nothing beats the comfort and the carefree look and vibes it emits.

Where to get it: depends on what kind of sneakers you want, actually. I got mine from Vans. My current favorite, my all black sneakers (Photo here), are from Cotton On. I’m also currently eye-ing Nike’s Roshe Run and Converse’s classic white high tops.

I added the word versatile for a reason. Try to get leggings that aren’t so sheer. That sheerness could lead to embarrassment and outfit mishaps (think: underwear exposure). As of now, I have two treggings (trousers that fit like leggings) and more than 3 black leggings. Like my sneakers, I wear these almost daily to school. It’s comfy, it’s sleek, it goes with almost everything, it slims out my legs, and I can move around easily without worrying if my butt cheeks are already exposed (haha dang bandage skirts). If i want to look a little bit more formal, I usually tuck in my top into my high waist treggings. One time, I wore a plain white pocket tee and tucked it into my HW treggings, I didn’t know that that was also the day the ACG (Arts College Government) was doing their shoot and their dress code was a white polo and black pants or skirt for girls. My classmate thought I was also part of the shoot! Ha ha. See how two basic pieces, a plain white shirt and high waist black treggings, could make you look casually professional. Here are some photos on how I wear mine (Muscle shirt + Treggings // Oversized sweater + leggings // Cami top + Floral bomber jacket + leggings // Corporate-ish attire)

Where to get it: I have one hand-me-down Zara treggings from my mom. I also got one from Mango which was on sale. I saw one yesterday at Topshop but it was kind off pricey (P1,800++). As for the leggings, I bet you could easliy find one from the department store!

We all know how bipolar our weather is here in the PH. Getting a basic, fluffy, cozy hoodie is a must. Pick one that isn’t to thick but is not so thin either. I know what you’re thinking, “Will I not look lousy or like I’m going on a jog or something?” well, that’s exactly why I’m advising that you get a hoodie with just the right thickness and right material so that it won’t look lousy at all. If you do find that perfect hoodie, well cheers to you because it will not look wrong in usual daily outfits when you’re feeling a bit chilly. A blazer or structured jacket/coat is good too but it’s not as comfy as this and we are talking about chill clothes in this post, right? Ha ha.

Where to get it: I recently saw one from Forever 21 men. Also from Topman, Uniqlo, and Cotton on.

There are days when it’s too hot to wear pants and you just want to set your legs free. The perfect shorts are the answer to that. It’s important to know what kind of shorts you want. Do you like those with the classic cuts or are you into the v shaped cuts that’s very popular lately? As for me, I prefer the latter. I don’t know, they just feel more “street” than the ones with the straight cuts and street is definitely my style. Also, it’s very important to buy a size that fits you. Don’t buy a size too large because you’ll end up looking very very lousy and it would be a waste of money but don’t buy a size too small either because you want to look “sexy” there’s absolutely nothing sexy about overflowing fat. Get your right size and I promise, it will lift the right places and hide the right parts. Another thing, I also prefer investing in denim shorts rather than leather, cotton, or whatever other fabric because denim exudes casualness (cotton too but it feels more like athletic wear) and is very versatile.

Where to get it: Oh….. the shops are endless. The usual, Forever 21, Topshop, Cotton On, Zara, tiangges, but my current favorite shorts come from Vanilla Breeze Clothing (Photo of my go to shorts). I also loooove these shorts (Photo) it’s branded One Teaspon, a foreign brand that isn’t in the Philippines yet but I hope it does arrive here though.

So that’s my list of the top 7 things every girl should have in her wardrobe, the chill edition! I hoped it helped all the lazy bums out there jk, I’m a lazy bum. Do you guys have all the stuff listed here? Did I miss out on anything? What about you guys, what’s in you list? :) Comment below! :)

Pros and Cons of a "Happy Thursday" Schedule

Pros

• You have three straight days off from school every week. That means you can do whatever the heck you want without worrying about having no time to do your home works. It’s like a mini vacation every week.
• When it’s Thursday you feel like a zombie gone back to life. Really.
• You’ll only suffer pure torture for four days, after that you’re free!

Cons

• Thinking that you have three days to do everything, you end up procrastinating the whole three days and mega cram everything every sunday night.
• Three nights are enough to alter your body clock. You stay up late and wake up late on those three nights, come monday and boom! You’re a zombie again.
• You have four straight days of back to back to back to back torture. No breaks.
• That’s just me though. I lack time management. Hihi.

Types

“Gusto ko ng chinita.”“Gusto ko tall, dark and handsome.” “Gusto ko yung messy long hair, ayoko ng semi kalbo.” “Gusto ko yung ganito pumorma.”

We all have types. Physical preferences on what our ideal boy or girl would look like. Sometimes, these preferences get too specific or even too ridiculous and impossible. If there’s one thing I learned about love (or feelings a little bit less than love), it’s that sometimes, looks don’t always matter. Sure, good looks give you that kilig feeling, that roll-on your-bed-im-about-to-burst-cause-he’s/she’s-so-cute feeling but at the end of the day, at the end of two months or so, good looks won’t be the reason why you’ve been crushing, loving, or holding on to that person for so long. You stayed for that long because of another thing — Personality. So before you rant about all the physical things you want in a guy or girl, don’t be so sure of yourself ‘cause I’m pretty certain that someone’s going to come up to you, he or she won’t qualify for all the physical attributes on your preferences list, but in the end, you’ll want him or her all the same. Besides… sometimes, we don’t really know what we want until we’ve seen it, do we?