Smile #101 - Say Yes to Public Speaking

I am a victim of glossophobia, the fear of public speaking.  Just the thought of presenting in front of anyone instantly puts me on edge.  So unless I am assigned or volun-told, I usually try to avoid any presentation at all costs.  Sure, I have presented in front of students, classmates, club members, and even the Mayor of Dornbirn.  The thought of presenting still nonetheless terrifying.

Some days I think my public speaking skills will improve with age.  So maybe next year....or in twenty years.

I finally took the first step and joined Toastmasters International, a non-profit organization that helps members improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.  :)  For the past few weeks, I attended weekly meetings and heard fellow members' speeches.  But time after time, I delayed taking on a leadership or speaking role.

With a little encouragement from my Toastmaster mentor, I signed up for my first leadership role!  :)  I served as the Timekeeper at our meeting today!

The job was not strenuous.  I stood and explained my duty and responsibilities for this meeting.  I recorded time for each speech and evaluation.  The point is, I did it!  I said YES to taking on my first role!  :)

Next up, my actual speech... :)

Smile #100 - You Have Been Summoned!

The announcement for senior management's visit was quickly forgotten...until you are summoned for a one-on-one chat.  Keywords:  Senior Management.  Right, no pressure at all...

The core five W's immediately alarmed off in my head.  Who?! What?! When?! Where?! and most importantly WHY?!

As excited as I was to partake of this rare opportunity, my nerve did not appreciate the jitteriness.

Before I stepped in, I took a deep breath and composed myself.  Oh boy.  Here comes the real deal!

As it turned out, Mr. Senior Executive is very personable.  :)  We began with my background and journey into the world of supply chain.  I spoke briefly about my experience so far, the program I am a part of, and where I see myself in the future.  He began his career over two decades ago at our company.  In his current role, he oversees quite a few projects and initiatives.  At the end, I got to pick his brain on our company's current progress specifically dealing with our most recent process improvement initiative and his intention for future talent pipeline.

It was certainly intriguing to learn more how upper management view the overall company progress and lessons learned through the transformation phase.

I was surprised the conversation flowed through so naturally.  :)  30 minutes passed by without much notice.

I consider this my big success of the day!  :) I survived another conversation with top management. :)

Now let's go celebrate National Chocolate Day!  :)

Smile #99 - Are You Authentic?

During our Italy trip, Bubble and I were spoiled by the freshest pasta, the creamest gelato and the purest wines.  The aroma and delicacies of these foods lured us into every shop.  You don't have to ask me twice for gelato!  :)

Now that we have returned home, we are cursed with a constant craving of authentic Italian cuisine.  Until we can afford another visit to Italy, we better searching for a local and affordable restaurant.

Surprise, surprise, we found Dolce Ristorante, a small restaurant that serves authentic Italian specialties.  Of course we have to validate their claim.  :)

Bubble and I made reservation for Gnoochi Night.  Without a doubt, I had to get gnoochi with pesto cream sauce.  Bubble experimented gnoochi with tonight's special - boar head sauce.  Both were delicious!  :)  It gave us a fair taste of Italy!

 

Bonus!  They also have the best tiramisu!  It comes very close to Pompei's in Rome!  :)

We just might have found the magic key to Italian cuisine right at home!  :)  Let's try out the rest of the menu!  :)

Smile #98 - Nice to Meet You, Blue Ridge Parkway!

Nice to Meet You, Blue Ridge Parkway!  

Blue Ridge Parkway attracts visitors from around the world.  And who can blame them?!  The mountains radiate the most glorious look each fall.  A burst of red and orange and yellow makes the mountains absolutely picturesque.  :)

After living in Boone for four years, I couldn't resist returning to the mountains.  Fresh cooler air, quaint local restaurants and small town atmosphere, I am ready to be back in my habitat.  :)

This year's fall foliage looks even more vibrant than before.  :)  The drive up to the Boone has been quite beautified!  :)

After dropping off Bubble for his BNO (boys' day out), my sister and I headed to the Parkway, where a series of interesting events began.

Event #1 - Given this is the first time we actually drove to the parkway, we have no idea where we are going.  So when we saw the Parkway entrance sign, we immediately turned on the first narrow road...leading us to a cemetery.  Should we have taken this as an omen?!

Event #2 - Our plan is to hike Rough Ridge, a short 1.5 miles with magnificent views of the mountains.  We began at milepost 297 passing Moses Cone, Price Lake, Linn Cove...and soon we reached a sign that said Linville to the right.  Sis said she recently visited Linville Falls and Rough Ridge should just be a little past that.  Little did we know the sign refers to the town Linville...not Linville Falls the trail.  Soon we found ourselves at the entrance of Grandfather Mountain!  35 minutes away from Boone, haha!

Event #3 - Alright, we realized we are on the wrong way and needed to turn around.  But we kept passing any areas that would allow us make a u-turn.  Before we know it, we were descending the mountain on a narrow curvy road with no stops.  And so we reached Linville...unintentionally.  :)

Event #4 - Second time around, we tried to pay more attention to the mileposts.  We returned to the main parkway and up the mountain we went.  We remembered mom's love for local honey so we pulled over at a random roadside honey vendor.  Just a random honey run #nbd

Event #5 - With just an hour until sunset, it is time to change our agenda from hiking the Parkway to a scenic drive of the Blue Ridge.  As a passenger, the drive was serene...aside from a few terrifying turns that left me holding my breath and praying we wouldn't slide off the side of the mountain.  :)

Event #6 - We took a quick break at Grandfather Mountain Overlook.  It offers a gorgeous view of the mountain and a small lake.  :)  Take a look for yourself!

Side story:  While we were posing and taking pictures, I told sis that I wanted a picture of my back.  She took my comment literally and this is what she captured...MY BACK.

No worries, I got her to take a more ideal one too. :)

Event #7 - The best overlook award goes to Yonahlossee overlook.  At an elevation of 4412 feet, colorful trees stretched for miles and painted the perfect fall foliage image.

There were so many sight seekers.  With luck on our side, we caught a group departing.  :)  Thanks for your spot, sir!

The panorama of the mountain left us breathless!  We lingered for a while just absorbing this spectacular view.  :)

Event #8 - We made it to our final stop at Moses Cones Mansion.  It has become a tradition for us to visit this trail and so we had to take a piggy back photo like years past.

Typically we have our friends and families with us to help take the perfect photo.  But since it is just the two of us today, we had to get creative.  Using the white wooden fence and my new iPhone 6s' timer, we took turns hopping on each other's back.  The image turned out perfectly and we had a great laugh!  :)

Dun Dun Dun, ladies and gentlemen, here is our 2015 Blue Ridge piggy back photo.

We also got a normal sissy picture :)

Conclusion of the day, we had a series of interesting events occurred.  Guess this is what happens when you give the car keys to two girls with zero outdoor navigational skills.  It is all worth it though!  The day was full of laughter and smiles.  :)   Unfortunately we did not find Rough Ridge...but I promise I will be BACK for you, mysterious Rough Ridge!

For now, Appalachian Cookie Co is calling my name.  :)

Smile #97 - Nice to Meet You, Florence, Italy! [Part II]

Nice to Meet You  See You, Florence!  [Part II]

Bubble and I planned to explore the other side of the Arno River.  Piazzale Michelangelo is known to offer the most perfect panoramic view of Florence.  It is by far my favorite spot in Florence!  :)

On our way there, I was focused on different food options around.  More gelato!  :)  Out of nowhere, I saw a guy standing on the opposite side that looked familiar.  I blinked and did a double take before I confirmed it is Ash!  WHAT?!

What a crazy coincidence to bump into an old friend from Erasmus in the street of Florence, especially when we both vacationing in Italy!  We live in quite a small world!  or Erasmus dominates the world!  :)

After a few minutes of catching up, we parted ways.  It is still a bit unreal to bump into a friend so far away from home without any pre-set up arrangement!  :)

We headed up the stone staircase to the Piazzale.  By the time we finally reached the top, I collapsed on a nearby bench.

Bubble was very impressed with the Florence skyline!  :)  The beautiful view is paired with a replicate of the Statue of David.  Several stalls spread out in the square selling food, drinks and souvenir knick knacks.  Of course, selfie sticks vendors were around too.

I climbed up to the edge to look out at the skyline.  Mountains slightly faded in the back, the famous river ran through city, dividing up the town into two side, and rooftops of century-old architectures were absolutely breathtaking!

We sat at one of few benches observing the view and people watching.  Buses approached the curb and unloaded crowds of tourists.  With just a few minutes per each stop, everyone rushed in to capture the view.  Pose, click, pose, click.  I wonder if they enjoy that very moment or is it simply a 'I made it' kind of moment.

Sidestory:  A girl appeared to be celebrating her Quinceanera, a major rite of passage in the Hispanic culture, dressed up in an puffy pink dress.  She was accompanied with her friends and a photographer.  He asked her to strike different poses as he worked the camera.  No one knew if they are famous or just an average having an extravagant day out but everyone stood around watching and taking photos of her.  An Asian lady assumed the girl is famous and hopped into the photo.  Haha, birthday party crasher?

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the city.  No maps, no GPS, just roaming freely.  It is a relaxing yet unique experience.  We kept walking back to the same square.  After a few tries, we finally made it out of the maze.  We surprisingly stumbled across several churches!  :)

Santa Maria Novella Church

The Church of Santa Croce

Outside the Church, a street musician caught my eyes.  A sign advertised Appalachian Music!  Thousands miles away and I still find a piece of home!  :)  In addition to his music, he also had a paper puppet on a ledge.  As he played his music, the puppet would dance along.  So neat!  :)

Atlas, our ten days across Italy trip is coming to the end.  I am not ready to leave this magical country just yet.  Let's just enjoy another gelato!  :)