The Majestic Sistine Chapel

It seems just like yesterday when I visited the Vatican. I always smile when I remember the day we got to visit the Sistine Chapel.

The only way to access the Sistine Chapel is through the Vatican Museum. I'm not sure exactly which building it's on, but it was a huge effort to survive the stairs to reach the chapel. Oh my, it was a surreal experience to finally see Michaelangelo's work of art. I cried. I thought my heart was going to burst because I never imagined I'd be there.

The guides had to keep reminding everyone to be quiet. It's a chapel after all. A sacred place. My mind was blown when I realized that the Papal Conclave is hosted in the Sistine Chapel. Can you imagine being in the same place where they elect a new pope? I felt any prayer I would make would be granted while I was there (well God answers all our prayers don't forget).

I wanted to memorize everything I saw. I wanted to remember everything and describe every tiny thing I saw to my Mom. How I wish she was with me that day. I dedicate that beautiful day to my Mom.

*Photo taking wasn't allowed inside the Sistine Chapel. The selfie above is the only photo I have. I just bought a book from the souvenir shop after the tour hehe. 

Strong Mind, Loving Heart, Deep Faith

Today the government announced that they were raising the outbreak alert level to orange (news). It's scary, but I've remained calm since last week.

I realized last night that I could look at the illnesses I've been through as proof that I am actually strong. Ten years prior to my heart surgery I had two illnesses that had 10% fatality rate. Five years after surgery I had PE which has a mortality rate of 30%. Crazy right? At that time I was sick it never occurred to me that I could die from it. I always had it in my head that I would survive. I had the same thought when I had heart surgery.

Eleven days after getting discharged from the hospital after my second open heart surgery, I had lunch with my teammates who flew in from Zurich to check on me. I walked really, really show but the love they showed me reassured me that the were just all there for me.

That's what makes the difference my doctor said. Your willpower can pull you through. One of my high school classmates who's a doctor recommended me to read about Dr. Joe Dispenza. He's a neuroscientist who had an accident. He couldn't walk after the accident and explored the thought of healing himself through his mind.

Your mind is really powerful. I've been faced with my mortality a few times now, but I never thought I'd be defeated by those illnesses. I think for me what pulled me through was three things: (1) my mind, (2) love, and (3) faith. Don't get me wrong, I still follow everything my doctor tells me to do. The three things are what pulls me through.

Getting sick can be a huge pain and it causes depression. I've had my dark days too. When I took a break one of my doctors told me that he knew I was not going to the deep end. He told me that I knew how to sort things out to make things right. It took me a few weeks of rest, doing things I love and re-discovering myself, but I got myself out of the rut.

A strong mind. A loving heart. Deep faith. Just always think positively and you can get through anything in life. 

Boss

"No job is beneath me or above me. If something needs doing, I do it."

I was a battered employee way back. I had the misfortune of having drill sergeant (and sometimes weird) bosses. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate them (well not anymore), but I did learn a lot from them. And one thing I learned from them is how not to be a bad boss.

My crew from a past life. We're still mostly in-touch. Miss you all.

I got the quote above from watching Mikey Bustos' video and it made me think - am I a good manager? I remember we had a managers training once and we were asked what things we didn't like about previous bosses. Here's a few of my experiences:

1. The screaming boss.
2. The boss who treats you like you're a plebe.
3. A boss who takes all the credit.
4. A very moody boss (I hate drahgz).
5. A boss who throws you under the bus.
6. A boss who won't set you up for success
7. Micromanagers.
8. A boss who throws stuff at you (yup this has happened to me).
9. A boss who you can't learn from.
10. An unsupportive manager.

I was in my mid-twenties when I started managing people. I protected my team from our bad bosses as much as I could and told myself I would never treat anyone the same way. Here's what I believe makes a good boss:

1. Be a leader not a boss.
2. Empower your team. Give them the space they need.
3. "We" and not "I".
4. Make objectives and key results clear.
5. Provide enough direction and let them fly. Be the wind beneath their wings.
6. Develop your padawans to become Jedis. (Coach, do not mandate).
7. Be understanding, but be firm.
8. Do not micromanager. Ever.
9. Be a friend when needed.
10. Enforce work-life balance.

I've listed just some basic thoughts. I have tips also for those managing multi-cultural teams and multi-age teams. Things get crazy and I cannot claim to be the perfect boss. I just hope and pray that my team knows they can always count on me (except when I need to take breaks to reboot hehe). Love you guys. 

Beautiful Nami Island

Last year I finally brought Sweetie to one of the most beautiful places I've been to, Nami Island.

The first time I went to Nami Island was a few years ago with work friends. It was really fun since it's been some time I've traveled with friends. What we all didn't expect was the weather changed from autumn to winter the week we were there. It made roaming around Nami Island hard. Good thing we rented a "pedicab". That made it easier for us to get around the property.

Flat land...

Uphill...

During my trip with Sweetie the weather was perfect for walking around. We had limited time to go around the island so we tried the train. It brought us to the middle of the island faster and allowed us to explore the lake area. It was so relaxing to stroll around and appreciate nature. I super loved the clean, fresh air.

Photo by Sweetie <3

My Sweetie <3

Next time I have the opportunity to visit Nami Island I would like to try staying there. They have a hotel and villas available since it's also a popular wedding venue in South Korea. The first time I was there we saw several couples doing pre-nuptial shots. Some of the brides were even garbed in their tube top wedding dresses (at 2'C weather!)! 

DIY wedding photography.

And one thing I really enjoyed doing at Nami Island - drinking coffee to keep warm!

Love, love, love!

Girlfriends

I've just discovered "Grace and Frankie" on Netflix (just when it launched it's last season!). I got curious one day and just clicked it to watch one episode. It was fun and interesting and after seeing the great chemistry of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin I searched on YouTube for some of their interviews. I came across one where they did a TedX session, interview-style. It was about celebrating female friendship.

I have a lot of friends, both girls and boys. For girl friends though I'm blessed to have girl friends in different countries and they've been my on-earth guardian angels. What Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin shared in the video is true and I think if all women across the world banded together we can certainly make a huge impact in whatever advocacy we may have.

For my girl friends all around the world. I love you all and hope to see you soon. 

The Wedding Fund

When I was a child we had a lot of weddings in the family. We went through a lot of preparations which included making souvenirs (that's why I'm into craft making!). Because of the exposure I already had an idea what I wanted for my wedding even at a young age.

The usual first bank account of young children at that time was from Banco Filipino - the Happy Savers Club! I think I still have my passbook somewhere in my baul. I'm not sure when it evolved into my wedding fund, but until my 20s I never touched the money. Banco Filipino closed down so my Mom moved it to BPI.

The funny thing is I never used it for a wedding fund. I used it instead for my MBA tuition! I was only 25 years old a young mom with a small salary. Miggy at that time already started big school so times were tough. I wanted to study because I wanted to be able to eventually move up faster at work.

It was a the best investment I made for myself at that age. Eventually my Titay helped me with the tuition for my last two semesters. I almost gave up, but when she found out she helped me and I'm forever grateful for her for that.

So that's where my "wedding fund" went to haha. Maybe if you have kids now you can have them start saving money while they're young for future studies! Or maybe a trip (whatever works hehe). Looking back I'm glad I made that decision because it definitely helped me grow. 

Rome Sweet Rome

One of my dream destinations is Rome. I was really ecstatic when I had the opportunity to visit back in 2018. It was a very short, but fulfilling trip.

What made the trip really special for me was having the opportunity to stay at the La Salle headquarters in Rome (Casa generaliza istituto Fratelli Scuole Cristiane) with Sweetie. Nestled inside the property is the Chiesa e Santuario di San Giovanni Battista de La Salle (church). One of the brothers told me that we should visit the church. He said, "You'll see making a huge round gesture."

The church was beautiful. The sun rays shifted colors as we walked down the aisle to explore the church. It was surreal for me to be closer to the saints that were the names of our university buildings. The biggest surprise was seeing St. La Salle's relics. I thought it would just be small pieces of bone like the other saints in the church. I was surprised to see his head and many other bones.

A miracle happened that day. Just before going to Rome I was diagnosed with PE (pulmonary embolism). My doctor allowed me to travel and Sweetie accompanied me. I prayed hard to St. La Salle that day to heal me. A few days after when I got home all the bad clots in my lungs just came out and then I felt so much better.

Oh St. La Salle, thank you so much for healing me.