BDJ Rendezvous: Filipina, Forward!

It was fun meeting other Bellas for another BDJ Rendezvous, organized by Belle de Jour Power Planner. Held at The RAMP Crossings TriNoma on Sept. 15, 2012, the theme was about bringing out the nationalism that is in every Bella. The title: Filipina, Forward! was just perfect! We tackled different topics such as Filipino fashion, having responsibility online, and the places, food, and people that make up the Philippines.



Our lovely host for the event was Ms. Nova G of Mellow 94.7. Not only does she has a great voice, she is also beautiful inside and out. 


Ms. Nova G as our host. 
We started off with the Fly Shades game! Yay! It meant prizes for us. So without any hesitation, I took out my Fly Shades and joined in the fun! 
That's me near the center, wearing a black blouse with white collar. Photo by BDJ Power Planner
Yay! I got this pair of new shades in the game! Thanks, Fly Shades!
Other than the prezzies and freebies, what makes me want to attend every BDJ Event are the seminars that tackle about self-improvement and inspiration. So with that,  let me start off with the first speaker, Ms. Knox Balbastro, one of the fashion bloggers of Postura Project. She talked about her passion for promoting Filipino fashion. She showed us her portfolio where she wore clothes and accessories made by Filipino designers.And just like the concept of the Postura Project, she encouraged us to wear something Filipino everyday: may it be accessories, t-shirts, or anything Filipino-made or Filipino-inspired.


Ms. Knox showing us her portfolio of her wearing Ifugao-inspired casual outfits.
Next topic was about being a responsible online citizen with Mr. Carlo Ople. He showed us statistics of how many people use social networking sites. I am amazed at how the online trends influence the news on television. He made me understand at how the internet has become a powerful tool in communication. It can affect the nation politically and socially. Phew! That was such an informative and technical talk! :) It reminded me of his talk back in Blogger Fiesta Manila last year! 


Mr. Carlo Ople sharing us his Twitter page.
Next stop was my favorite: FOOD! This also gave me some time to get to catch up with my fellow Bellas and get to know new ones, too. 


Me with my fellow Bellas in queue for the food. 
Our merienda comprised of spicy pasta with black olives (sorry I don't know the name), eggs (which were a good compliment to the spicy pasta), and chicken filling on Fita crackers. 


The yummy yummy merienda! :)
After the filling merienda, we moved on to the last speaker, Ms. Mae Ilagan of When In Manila. She is also a food blogger at Eats-A-Date! Her talk was about choosing the Philippines first! She shared about the best places to find Filipino food (e.g. Vieux Chalet, Pino, Adarna, Ilustrado). Places to visit if you're looking for simplicity (e.g. Paradise Ranch) or for luxury. Places to go when you want to experience nature and be near animals (e.g. Zoobic Safari).  And most of all, she urged us to think about the learning we would get in our travels. I enjoyed her talk and it was very inspiring! She encouraged us to write about the simple stuff of everyday... from food to people!


Ms. Mae Ilagan telling us to visit the Philippines first.
Of course, the day won't end without rounds of raffles. Yay! I won PhP500 Cash Coupon from Strip Manila. All of the girls who attended won prizes from the raffle! 


The girls and I with our raffle prizes. Photo by BDJ Power Planner
This event made me love the Philippines even more. I guess it's time for me to explore, eat, travel, and write more about my beloved country. Filipina, Forward! 
My BDJ loot. :)

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