Do you want to stand out in a crowd? Do you want to look stunning without trying hard? Do you want to be noticed without making a scene? Do you want to feel like a celebrity with the best-looking pair of shoes? Walk in Shoe Up! by Nielette because it’s the only one of its kind in the world. To say they are unique or unusual is too trite; they are flamboyant.
The latest obsession of Nielette “Tweety” Tupas-Balleza is creating flats and high shoes that scream of sheer individuality, flashiness and out-of-the-box designs and styles. Tweety’s shoes can be described as sparkling and showy, flippant and frivolous, richly-adorned and ornamented. Needless to say, her own happy feet proudly shoe-off, errrr, show-off her shoes; whenever she walks by, not a few eyes turn toward the flashy footwear, gaping.
Women who will fall in love with Shoe-Up by Nielette must have a lot of oomph. Tessa Prieto Valdes easily comes to mind. Just maybe if she opts to wear a simple black dress rather than her usual carnival gowns, and a pair of Shoe Up! by Nielette to match, she will still be the dandiest woman in town. What makes Tweety’s creations distinct are its garnishing: feathers, Swarovski gems, beads and baubles, ruffles, knick-knacks, flowers, sequins, earrings and necklaces, shiny buttons and anything cutesy and glittering. How did she come upon this novelty idea, you may ask?
One time while on vacation in Bangkok, Thailand, with her husband Parly, Tweety chanced upon a shop selling shoes decorated on the spot at the shopper’s specs. Fascinated, she bought a pair for herself and had shiny angels glued on them. The outcome was simply far-out and at that instant she was inspired.
“I thought I could do the same stuff in the Philippines, and even better than what they were doing (in Bangkok), “ she exclaimed in a quiet corner of her Zen-influenced house in Jaro, where just a few number of her enormous one-of-a-kind odds and ends define her preferred home decors.
Today, 18 designs characterize her line, exclusively done for her in China. The basic footwears, however, are manufactured in a Marikina factory while Tweety and her workers embellish them.
A client can have customized shoes.A woman may want the names of her children on them if she’s married or her boyfriend’s name if she’s single. She may want images of the sun, stars or moon on it. Would you like a smiling sun or one that’s crying? The creative ideas are simply limitless and the business prospect exciting.
“I’ve always wanted to have a legit business of my own,” Tweety said. “Many of my friends were surprised to find out I put this business sooner than expected.”
Many also are not privy to the fact that Tweety has always had an artistic side. She was an avid watercolor painter in high school at the Stella Maris College in Quezon City, and represented her school in inter-school art competitions. Her artistic genes may have emanated from her mother, the former Barotac Viejo Mayor Myrna Causing-Tupas. “You should see the photo albums she has made. They are meticulously and beautifully decorated,” Tweety enthused.
If curious about Tweety’s shoes, Shoe Up! by Nielette may be viewed up-close in the internet through the shoe brand name. A lot of people have visited the site. One of them, a renowned, Manila-based Filipino designer – unnamed until negotiations are firmed up – wants Tweety’s pairs paraded on his runway fashion show. Another, a potential European client, has ordered 1,000 pairs from each of Tweety’s 10 designs. The young shoemaker, however, takes his wonderful proposition in stride, inviting instead the foreign client to visit the Philippines first and see her products first-hand. He has accepted her invite.
Because positive words have spread around, local orders are thus forthcoming. A bride wants Tweety to do her wedding shoes, with fancy and elaborate things on them. Birthday girls, anniversary honorees, debutants, prom girls who need to stand out during their milestones know Shoe Up! by Nielette will do the works. But why wait for a special occasion to shine? Make everyday a screaming I-feel-great day while striding on the pavement in Shoe Up! by Nielette. It’s a shoe-in, baby.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
kaladkarin
if this word has all the negative connotations to you, let them all fly... high!
i am proud to be kaladkarin.
i lived my life as cloistered as possible, that is from elementary to high school. not by choice mind you, err, it must be by authority. you see, we grew up with a father whose mistress is politics. the best dad ever minus the time constraint. so my mother took it upon herself to discipline the 7 lot, her 6 boys and 1 girl. to say that nanay was strict is an understatement. boy, i had the time of my life looking at them trying to explain so hard why they had to come back at 1am when they were told to so by 12 midnight. hehe, the cinderella boys. coupled with the fact that they all studied at de la salle green hills where boys would be boys, how hard could it be for them? if my brothers were under her strict baton, i graciously accepted the fact that her ways would be even 3x harder for her unica hija. of course there were some lapses. but the acceptance was there... as if i had a choice. *wink*
nanay was elected mayor of barotac viejo come 1992. the brgy captains who made the signature campaign to push tatay to make her run for office were happy. the TUPAS kids were even happier. we had the grandest times of our lives. if before we were allowed to go out only with a yaya and a personal driver with us, nanay's leadership in barotac would mean freedom. and freedom we got. manoy, the eldest among us and should i say the most scholarly, would get so frustrated with me: with my non-stop disco weekends. fortunately for me, i chose friends according to my mom's choice. responsible ones who just know how to have clean fun.
fast-forward to me getting married. life was a blast with parl. add to that, with cousins like Beej, Jiffy, Cindy and Bechay, how could life ever go wrong? i enjoy our late nights. our girls nights out. our cousins bonding times. that's how kalakarin i got now. a simple text, a late call or even a spur-of-the-moment decision would lead us to such happy moments. none is different when i have my brothers and their respective fams here in iloilo... or everytime i'm in manila. how do i go about getting the whole Tupas fam together? simple. i text them the time, date and place. perfect the attendance and usually ask the congressman bro to pay. hehe. i'm sure glad being the only girl in times like this.
nico and m are now 11 and 8 years old respectively. they're growing up with more freedom and understanding than we had ages ago. they are allowed to decide on some things. and they are asked to reason out every time we have an argument. what makes me bulge once in awhile? when they ask for permission to go out with their friends, or when m tries her luck for a pajama party with her girl friends. oh no, i have truly come full circle!
now the realizations set in. nanay's way of disciplining us made us what we are now. the values she and tatay instilled in us kept us away from harm during our college freedom years. their constant reminders are shaping our lives today.
my solution? let the kaladkarin word be exclusive to adults! i am proud to be one... at this age!
i am proud to be kaladkarin.
i lived my life as cloistered as possible, that is from elementary to high school. not by choice mind you, err, it must be by authority. you see, we grew up with a father whose mistress is politics. the best dad ever minus the time constraint. so my mother took it upon herself to discipline the 7 lot, her 6 boys and 1 girl. to say that nanay was strict is an understatement. boy, i had the time of my life looking at them trying to explain so hard why they had to come back at 1am when they were told to so by 12 midnight. hehe, the cinderella boys. coupled with the fact that they all studied at de la salle green hills where boys would be boys, how hard could it be for them? if my brothers were under her strict baton, i graciously accepted the fact that her ways would be even 3x harder for her unica hija. of course there were some lapses. but the acceptance was there... as if i had a choice. *wink*
nanay was elected mayor of barotac viejo come 1992. the brgy captains who made the signature campaign to push tatay to make her run for office were happy. the TUPAS kids were even happier. we had the grandest times of our lives. if before we were allowed to go out only with a yaya and a personal driver with us, nanay's leadership in barotac would mean freedom. and freedom we got. manoy, the eldest among us and should i say the most scholarly, would get so frustrated with me: with my non-stop disco weekends. fortunately for me, i chose friends according to my mom's choice. responsible ones who just know how to have clean fun.
fast-forward to me getting married. life was a blast with parl. add to that, with cousins like Beej, Jiffy, Cindy and Bechay, how could life ever go wrong? i enjoy our late nights. our girls nights out. our cousins bonding times. that's how kalakarin i got now. a simple text, a late call or even a spur-of-the-moment decision would lead us to such happy moments. none is different when i have my brothers and their respective fams here in iloilo... or everytime i'm in manila. how do i go about getting the whole Tupas fam together? simple. i text them the time, date and place. perfect the attendance and usually ask the congressman bro to pay. hehe. i'm sure glad being the only girl in times like this.
nico and m are now 11 and 8 years old respectively. they're growing up with more freedom and understanding than we had ages ago. they are allowed to decide on some things. and they are asked to reason out every time we have an argument. what makes me bulge once in awhile? when they ask for permission to go out with their friends, or when m tries her luck for a pajama party with her girl friends. oh no, i have truly come full circle!
now the realizations set in. nanay's way of disciplining us made us what we are now. the values she and tatay instilled in us kept us away from harm during our college freedom years. their constant reminders are shaping our lives today.
my solution? let the kaladkarin word be exclusive to adults! i am proud to be one... at this age!
it's time to say goodbye... for now
every time i encounter some bumps on the road, i stop and count my blessings.
the kind of family i have is one that lives by the dictum, "all for one, one for all." the success of one is considered the success of many; while the grief of a member is equated to the need to comfort one another.
life was not easy for the family for the past nine years. our political opponents made sure that we lived a very controversy-filled life. it was traumatic in a way. we were in power, but it seemed the gang of four were out to hurl intrigues against tatay to eliminate the TUPAS clan from the political arena. they devised ways to come out with scenarios and employed paid hacks and block timers to attack us. we were advised to hire the same to counteract such as early as 2001, but my father refused. he stood by his principles. he finished his three terms with unprecedented lead. so despite some creatures' best efforts to destroy the family, it even made us stay grounded the past years.
now that our life at the capitol is soon to end, i can honestly heave a sigh of relief. sure i'm not that far from the maddening crowd, with 4 of my sibs embroiled in politics and with my hubby parl jumping off the fray the second time around, but it has its advantages now. somehow along the way, we can start to live an ordinary life. well, as ordinary as it can get.***wink*** i now have the freedom to say what i honestly feel about certain events, people and situations. my self-declared gag order is about to finish with the term. i'll devote a whole chapter on this. ang tamaan, well, matatamaan.
i'll be missing a lot of people... from those i get to say "good morning" regularly (our security guards, utility staff, and employees) to those i bonded with for the past 9 years. there are people i feel i can live without, and there are those i will sorely miss. we were taught by tatay to treat others equally, so it is no wonder that i am even close to those identified with the past administration.
thank you. and goodbye... for now.
life was not easy for the family for the past nine years. our political opponents made sure that we lived a very controversy-filled life. it was traumatic in a way. we were in power, but it seemed the gang of four were out to hurl intrigues against tatay to eliminate the TUPAS clan from the political arena. they devised ways to come out with scenarios and employed paid hacks and block timers to attack us. we were advised to hire the same to counteract such as early as 2001, but my father refused. he stood by his principles. he finished his three terms with unprecedented lead. so despite some creatures' best efforts to destroy the family, it even made us stay grounded the past years.
now that our life at the capitol is soon to end, i can honestly heave a sigh of relief. sure i'm not that far from the maddening crowd, with 4 of my sibs embroiled in politics and with my hubby parl jumping off the fray the second time around, but it has its advantages now. somehow along the way, we can start to live an ordinary life. well, as ordinary as it can get.***wink*** i now have the freedom to say what i honestly feel about certain events, people and situations. my self-declared gag order is about to finish with the term. i'll devote a whole chapter on this. ang tamaan, well, matatamaan.
i'll be missing a lot of people... from those i get to say "good morning" regularly (our security guards, utility staff, and employees) to those i bonded with for the past 9 years. there are people i feel i can live without, and there are those i will sorely miss. we were taught by tatay to treat others equally, so it is no wonder that i am even close to those identified with the past administration.
thank you. and goodbye... for now.
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