Loads of Fun at the BDJ Fair 2013

Hi everyone! How was the holiday for you so far? I spent this day arranging my things for my out of town trip tomorrow as well as getting some sleep since I did a double shift at work yesterday. I may not be able to have enough sleep again since my flight is very early. 

I was really excited to write this post since I totally had fun last Sunday at the Belle de Jour event! I arrived at the venue around 2 p.m. and to be honest, the first 30 minutes, I did not have any idea on what will I do first since I felt conscious on going alone. Almost all of the participants were in a group or with their girl buddy so the feeling of being alone was getting to me. But then the nice ushers were really good at making attendees feel welcome so after registering and getting my loot bag, I found myself enjoying myself walking around and checking the different booths available.

The entrance to the venue was free, but to maximize your experience, there was a VIP Pass offered for Php100.00 only. I signed up for the seminars so I was required to avail of that, and in my opinion, the minimal fee is already worth it since there were a lot of freebies that you can get from each booth. There was even an area for the bungee jumping and wall climbing, tarot card reading and a lot more!

I missed the first talked that I registered in so it was only Venus Raj's "An Inspiring Journey to the Crown"

was the first one that I attended. She started dreamin of joining a beauty pageant when she was in Grade 5. That was so young! And I also learned that her waistline is just 22 inches. My goodness haha! What I love about her talk is that she never allowed what others were saying about her (her skin color, the fact that she came from the province etc) and that she just focused on her dream of becoming a beauty queen. She told everyone that by just knowing what you really want and focusing on ways to achieve it will get you there. She is currently taking up her Master's Degree in Community Development since it was her long term dream to give back what was given to her before. She was shared to us that she was helped by a foundation during college. And like her, I was a scholar all  my life, and I also dream of helping other kids reach their dream someday. For now I'm focusing on helping my siblings and a cousin finish their studies and then eventually find ways on how to help other people. Thanks for reminding me that dream Venus!

The picture above was the booth of DC Shoes and they hosted a contest of shooting ping pong balls to 3 shoes. I was hoping to win this one since the price was a new pair but I only got one pingpong ball in. I won a phone accessory though. Not bad!

This was the wall where attendees wrote the dreams and goal they wanted to achieve. I like that it was full of hopeful lines, and like what I read from a financial book, declaration of your dream is the first step in achieving it. I wrote one and I know that someday, I will #MakeItHappen!

I discovered this japanese brand CanMake Tokyo in the event. I got a free make up from one of the talented artists there (the lady in the middle). I also met the very friendly owner of the store, the one who brought this cute brand to the Philippine market. And by the way, their endorser is one of the top fashion bloggers here in Manila, Tricia Gosingtian.

I consider checking Tokyo Posh one of the highlights of my BDJ Fair experience. They were almost closing the booth when the girl manning it offered me to try their extensions. She offered me this long wavy ones and look how she styled me. I totally love it! I am actually contemplating on buying one of their products. The price range of their wigs and extensions are Php950.00 - Php3000.00+ for the artificial ones (they have real hair items but they cost around Php34,000).This way, I can still maintain my short hair and then just wear one of their fab product to have a different hairstyle. You can visit http://tokyoposhextensions.com to see their other products and services as well as their branches. 

I stayed until 8pm in the event so there were other seminars that I was able to listen to (though I was staying outside of the seating area since I did not register). The picture above shows Jigs Mayuga and Erica Paredes and their talk was "Create Your Own Beauty Statement".

And now we are on the part that I considered my favorite: Donna (red dress) and Barbie's talk entitled "Style Your Way to Success". I was not supposed to stay late in the venue but since I tried other activities like photobooth, skin analysis etc., I was lucky to have listened to these to empowering ladies. I got hooked with the way they interact with their audience. Their humor and wit when answering questions and expressing their opinions, I couldn't help but laugh hard and then agree most of the time. They've shared lots of tips in terms of fashion and how to handle one's insecurities. And even though they are really fashionable and pretty, you can sense their good heart. I love how they have encouraged those girls that asked advise about their dilemmas and they were able to create impact (well as for me). I even took some notes from their talk and I below are some of them:

- Highlight the good parts. Stop talking about things you don't want. (e.g. I don't like my tummy, my big arms etc.). Just embrace these flaws (if you are even considering them as those). And just always have a positive outlook of who you are.

- Cultivate what is unique about yourself. If you think you have nice figure, then don't be shy and highlight it!

- Dress for the job you want. Go to the next level, dress like a boss. I love this part since they suggested that when we dress up in the office, we should dress up for the position we wanted. never mind that we get the stare as long as we are still doing our job well. 

- Dream big and aim high. Dress like you are a big deal because you are. Do not put limit on yourself. I have this tendency to stay in my comfort zone, that being comfortable in everything is okay. But if ever I want to help other people in the future, being comfortable will not be enough. I need to aim dream big and aim high for abundance so I can share the things that I will eventually have to others.

I was so satisfied with their talk that I even asked Donna and Barbie for a picture. They look gorgeous right? Would you believe that they are on the late 30s already? I hope I'll still look that great when I reach that age!

I can really say that going to the BDJ Fair 2013 is worth it! I wish I had attended the previous ones, but on the bright side, at least I will have another annual event to look forward to! Thanks again to the people behind this event and more power to you guys! Thanks for making it happen. Great day to everyone!