Check out what happened at the BDJ Rendezvous: Change the Game!

Last week, I went to my first ever Belle De Jour Rendezvous! I had no idea what to expect. I have previously gone to some BDJBox Passion Series workshops but the Rendezvous was quite different from the Passion Series. Honestly, among all the activities I’ve attended, it is this one I loved the most. Not only were there loot bags and food (as always), they also had four speakers who talked about various topics very close to my heart. 

The four talks we had were the following:

1. Presence is Power by Ginny Gonzales – Atacador

This talk is about personal development and how one could exude confidence and create first impression through proper poise and posture. Not only was it about first impressions but also about how to carry yourself even in conflict and office problems.

Presence is Power with Ginny Atacador

Discussing posture how-to's

     2.       Wear it Loud and Proud by Danah and Stacy Gutierrez

Danah and Stacy are the founders of http://theplumpinay.com and they talked about the beauty of loving and accepting your body. This also tackled how to defy fashion “ideals” by simply being yourself.

My favorite duo, Danah and Stacy

     Some of my favorite advice from Danah and Stacy were:

"Get to the root of the problem. Love yourself."

"Focus on your own body instead of other people's bodies."

"Pursue FITNESS and NOT thinness."

    

A picture with my favorite duo.

      3.       Be Bold and Beautiful by Bea Almeda

Bea Almeda is a Make-up artist for Canmake Philippines and she taught us new trends for summer make-up. Aside from this, she also emphasized to add adventure in every bellas’ beauty routine by breaking common beauty rules. I love the doe-eyed eyeliner look she taught us. I think I will be doing that more often than the winged eyeliner look.

A cheerful Bea Almeda

This summer, we've got to be fresh and sunkissed!

The Canmake summer look.

      4.       Go the Extra Mile by Anton Diaz

The final talk was delivered by Mr. Anton Diaz, the founder of http://ourawesomeplanet.com and Mercato Centrale. He shared his travel experiences and dared all of us to go the extra mile and explore unfamiliar lands, both inside and outside the country. He recommends visiting Batanes if you want to travel in the country and Jerusalem/ Galilee if outside the country. Would  definitely take his advice and plan these trips soon.

Mr. Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet

With Anton Diaz

Nuggets of wisdom

The talks I could relate to most was the second and final talks. In the second talk, Danah and Stacy discussed the ill effects of bullying and how the non-acceptance of oneself can actually hinder you from enjoying the fullness of life. In their talk they challenged all women to simply love themselves no matter what shape, size, or color they may be. I love how they also created a blog about their advocacy and how they inspire women everyday to simply accept their physical traits and not listen to the dictates of the outside world or the media.

I myself have gone through much physical criticism while growing up. People called me dark-skinned, too skinny, or flat-chested. When I was younger, I didn’t have the backbone to actually defend myself nor did anyone tell me it was OKAY to be all those traits. Now that I’ve grown, I know better and I may be all those but I am also BEAUTIFUL. Participating in BDJ workshops helped me gain confidence and affirmed me that I am beautiful inside and out.

Aside from talk 2, the final talk on traveling struck me most because I really love traveling especially in various areas in the country. I have always been an advocate of traveling and buying local goods ever since I started working and Mr. Anton has affirmed my love for the local. Cliche as it may sound, but it is truly more fun in the Philippines. There are heaps of fun available to be discovered here. Now, I am trying to discover and re-discover places, food hangouts, and products. I have also started blogging about some. Currently I’m working on Palawan destinations if you have noticed. (click here for Jacq's Palawan entries)

Games, games, and many more!

Aside from the talks, we also had raffles and games wherein all bellas, and I mean ALL, won something. It’s quite amazing and I thank Belle de Jour for making us all extra happy that day. I personally won a GC for Tokyo Posh! (excited for that hair chalk make-over!!!)

Discussing the mechanics of the game

I'm right where the action is

Playing The Price is Right

We won!

Our sumptuous meal

Here is a picture of the meal they prepared for us. By the way, we also had free-flowing donuts courtesy of Mister Donut. There was an abundance of yummy treats and many of us were even able to take some home.

Food!

Pancit anyone?

The barbie!

These are my favorite, especially the PINK ones!

Cheers to overflowing donuts!

All in all, it was a great day filled with learnings, affirmations, games, food, and freebies. 

Our loot bag! Thanks to the Belle de Jour Rendezvous sponsors: Pantene, Zen Zest, Ace Water Spa, Watami, Subic Grand, Goody, Sharpie, Tokyo Posh, and Canon.

 Lastly, the day is never complete without pictures with Bella friends:

With Zhai

With Mich

With Ate Joey Bayan

With Ana and Rachel

Thank you Belle de Jour for giving us a chock-full of inspiration! ‘Til the next Rendezvous!

Love always,

Jacq