I'm off to National Stationery Show in New York

I feel like I'm working at a call center in the Philippines. Why? With a 15-hour difference in the Philippines and here in Northern California, I have to be awake in the evening to "work" with my staff - send drafts and designs, wait for approval of Philippine-based clients, confirm production. I usually sleep at 12am here (3pm in the Phils.) and should be awake by 630am to catch my husband by 930 Phil. time. When he sleeps at 12am (9am US time), I'm up and about to have breakfast and then resume my work like designing and emailing the sketches to my staff so the morning after, they have it already! So its like just 6.5 hrs of sleep!

But its pretty well that way, saving me from insanity of missing my family, home and my country terribly! Yes, I miss the Philippines - even if I'm just almost 2 weeks here, I already miss the traffic, pollution, hot weather. I miss the turon, popo, ensaymada merienda that we have everyday with my staff. I miss how I can go to SM easily or just buy watermelon on the roadside. Walang ganyan sa States!"

I'm staying a bit longer coz I am off to the National Stationery Show in New York on May 20-23, 2007. No, I am not an exhibitor (which I hope in the future), just an attendee, but I am so excited to be here! Its all about papers & stationeries - a must-attend-to fair for an invitation-maker like me. I hope to bring home lots of new finds and tons of inspiration from there. Its an eye-candy! I just hope by that time, the weather will be be friendly to this tropical Pinay. :)

For the meantime, work is still the name of my game....my therapy. :) I do go around and see places but mostly during weekends. On weekdays, its telecommuting. :) After this blog update, I'm off to work on my website and the upcoming Philippine Wedding Summit in June 2-3 at the NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio Global City.

Will give you more updates soon.

"Live life creatively."

"Walang ganyan sa States!"

I finally had the time to update my blog! Been very busy even after the Wedding Expo in Pasadena, CA. But let me give you some comparison about the wedding fair in the US and in the Philippines.

I truly admire Pinoys' ingenuity when it comes to design and innovation. In every Wedding Expo I've joined, the venue becomes an elaborate display of Filipino suppliers' creativity! Ang galing! It's not that I'm bragging...I am just at awe at how really creative Pinoys are! Each and everyone of us...its in our blood...we just have to nurture it and show it to the world. :)

I don't know about American Wedding Fairs here since I haven't attended one, but I will only make a comparison between the fair I joined here in Pasadena and the Wedding Expo Phils. in the Philippines.

One disadvantage of Filipino suppliers from the Philippines is that we cannot bring a lot of stuff to decorate our booth. Like myself, I have to limit my stuff to just 1 balikbayan box since I still have to make room for my clothes on my luggage. I have to hand-carry my laptop plus a client's invitation order! Though, it may look as a disadvantage, but I consider it also as a CHALLENGE for us to make do of what we have. Anyway, in my case, I managed to bring most of my designs and just displayed them on 3 albums and a tarpaulin to hold some of my recent designs. That's it!

It was not as festive as in the Philippines....though I guess, its the first time to have a Philippine Wedding Expo here in the States, we cannot expect the same huge crowd in the Philippines...that is why I said it was not as festive as I expected.

For invitations, people here are used to just choose from the designs that we have. When they knew that we custom-design, at first, they thought that we are expensive! Its because IT REALLY IS expensive in the US to have a custom-designed invite plus it is HANDCRAFTED! So I had to tell them that this is how we work and that we are very affordable especially that their $$ have better mileage than our pesosesoses.

Other Pinoys think that we might have different prices if they order in the Philippines than here. They think that I might charge more in $$. Of course not! Its not the way I work and think about money. Same price, wherever.

Anyway, the 1st Philippine -Los Angeles Wedding Expo was a good exposure for Pinoy products, not just mine but for others as well. I hope this will not be the last but just a beginning for the Filipino wedding suppliers to shine globally. :)

Been busy....

I have lots of things to blog about but have little time to do so. Sorry.... Will post new pics of my designs soon.

Been busy preparing for our first Wedding Expo in the U.S. by Lavish! Events - "From this day forward..." The Lost Angeles-Philippine Wedding Expo in Pasadena Convention Center, California on April 14-15, 2007. Will regularly update this blog to keep you all posted. Meanwhile, you can still email me for your inquiries at imaginovation@yahoo.com. If you want to see our samples, our Manila Showroom is at:

The Meeting Place/Lily Flower Boutique
EDSA Shangri-LA Hotel, West Entrance
1 Garden Way, Mandaluyong City
Mondays-Saturdays 9am-6pm
+632-6345564 / +632-6345563

Will keep you posted!

"Live life creatively."