MyLittleFe Origins

| November 7, 2025|

In recent blogs, I shared What’s in a Name and Why the Dragonfly, where I introduced myself and explained why the dragonfly became part of my logo.

As a natural follow-up, I’d like to share the story behind how I came to choose MyLittleFe as my business name.

The nickname was given to me by my friend Didier Pittet, whom I met ages ago through an ESL program at Holy Names College, nestled in the hills of Oakland, California. I was working for ELS Language Centers at the time, and Didier was one of the students. Along with Didier, I formed friendships with many others—and to this day, we still stay in touch.

During those youthful days at ELS, amid our many adventures with Alex, Sofia, Satsuki, Helbert, Timothy, Mitsuho, Yohei, Guizmo, Rubem, JJ, and Didier, he started calling me “my little Fe.” He was tall, and I was short, so the nickname just stuck.

Over the years, we all stayed loosely connected. Didier and a few others even traveled to the Philippines to celebrate my brother’s 50th birthday. Later, Henry and I visited him in Switzerland. Sadly, Didier passed away unexpectedly in June 2014. It still pains me today to think he’s no longer here.

Fast forward to 2020—the height of the pandemic that turned the world upside down. Like many of us, I reconnected with old friends online. Everyone from our ESL group had long since graduated and returned to their home countries, but we found ways to bridge the time zones through Zoom, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

That’s when I began chatting often with Alex Vázquez, a talented flautist. We brainstormed ways for him to keep performing during those uncertain times. I told him, “If you play, I’ll sponsor a live session for our friends.”

Naturally, Didier came up often in our conversations—me in California, Alex in Mexico City. It was actually Alex who suggested I use ‘MyLittleFe’ as my handle name. We didn’t know how long the pandemic would last, but Alex and I kept collaborating, hosting virtual shows for friends (including a Christmas special!). That period became my first real dive into video editing.

We even dreamed of starting a company together—he’d be the artist, and I’d handle the technical side. Despite the chaos in the world, it was such a joyful and creative time.

Then, in February 2021, Alex also passed away unexpectedly. I was devastated. He had just completed a Shakuhachi performance as part of his journey to becoming a master of the instrument. His next stop was supposed to be Japan—we had even talked about meeting there to visit our friend Satsuki. Later that year, several of us gathered for a virtual tribute, each playing an instrument in his honor.

It might sound like a bittersweet tale, but MyLittleFe carries with it the love, friendship, and creativity of those I’ve shared my journey with. The name is a tribute—not just to Didier and Alex—but to all the friends and family who have supported and shaped me into who I am today.

If you’ve read this far—whether you’re an old friend or a new one—thank you, from the bottom of my heart. We all walk different paths, and I’m grateful that yours has crossed with mine.

Here’s a little throwback: a teaser video I made for our 2020 Christmas Special. It’s still on my personal account (one day, I’ll move it to my brand page—yes, I made one… eek! 😊).

Thank you for reading.  

This blog ties in with:  What's in a Name?