Month: October 2012

A rainy day in LA

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

As a French woman, I love rainy days in LA. Turns out I get to feel Parisian again.

I am not even complaining about the situation here, I just go with it and I love it. I can finally wear the rainy day clothes I brought (which do not take so much space in my LA closet)

I usually wear a leather jacket here when it rains. The water does not ruin the material and you can finally enjoy being warm and stylish without feeling stupid here in LA.

I have to say you never feel weird wearing anything here. NYC can really be laid back as you have seen either in real life, magazines or on fashion, trend blogs. People mix colours, style and they are never judged. I love this city for that. Paris is a bit different, we have our own codes and rules. It can get as crazy as the Tax code there trust me! You must follow basic steps and then you can get a little inventive once you get your Bachelor’s Degree on how to dress like a Parisian. I love how friends and acquaintances have this ability and need to share their vision on style in Paris. I guess it is so helpful for women who die to become Parisian and earn this natural look. How can someone do that if they live across the world in a city where everyone is wearing GUESS, Express and Abercrombie stuff?

Being sexy in Paris is so different from the LA sexy. It’s the opposite if you must know. You have rules and codes on how you cannot show too much at once in Paris. But I’ve always asked myself if this rule was not a reaction against bad and gloomy/rainy weather? I must say it cannot have any link with the weather since in London, the women show a lot (really tight dresses, mini skirts and low neckline) all in one outfit.

I have my precious leather jackets, it is an obsession I have and it will never stop. Some have jewelers obsessions, I’ll say my jackets are my jewellery. They make everything so easier. You can be wearing a pair of jeans and a random T-shirt and look amazing with the right jacket.

LA is a difficult place for finding leather goods and especially jackets … Okay, the big and notorious brands make leather jackets. Nevertheless, the thing is, the perfect leather jacket is a unique one you want to wear over and over and over … It becomes a second skin …It can come from a famous brand, a vintage store or a small boutique, it just has to do with the impact it has on you when you first try it on.

I was in Deauville (Normandy) a couple of years ago and went to the Printemps (big French department store) I was not looking for anything in particular and I was walking around, touching the material (I always do that to feel the product), looking at the cut of some pieces. I stopped, didn’t even look at the brand and walked in its direction … Yes, I had just experienced my first crush on a jacket. That’s how it all started. I saw it, felt it, even smelt it. I finally tried it on, they had my size … The fit was perfect and I decided I was going to wear it over some light sweaters, with big scarves and even with cool dresses.

First LA Bfast

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

I decided to go for the frozen waffles at Wholefoods. They do not have so much taste but with a little butter and honey it’s actually okay. I cut some apples and cooked them in a pot for a few minutes (add three spoons of water, honey and cinnamon)

Yogurt in LA is really good if you buy it in a glass container. Greek yogurt can be delicious. I miss my French dairy products though I have to admit.

Peets coffee is delicious, we have a machine that requires coffee beans. This was new for me. I was used to the Nespresso machine which was usually only expresso shots. I love the smell of the coffee that comes out from this machine and I love the whole process of making it happen. The fresh beans that finally end in your cup with a little milk …

Muffinees

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

This is the easiest and fastest recipe. When I was starving but in a hurry in the morning, I’d used to make these. It’s not really a muffin so I decided to call it Muffinees (cute touch)

I do not have a microwave anymore in LA, so no more of these little cute goodies.

Ingredients :

Two eggs, apple sauce (thickest one you can find), cinnamon, honey or agave sirup and little little flour …

Plastic or glass muffin tin to bake in the microawe. On high for about 5 minutes. You can always add fruits, maple sirup, honey …

Time difference

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

Being miles away from friends and family can be difficult. You say you’ll call, you’ll skype, you’ll do the best to keep in touch but there is a certain mechanism that engages. It’s hard to explain but at first, it’s as if you were part of a different world and you did not need to speak to anyone. I want to get set before I call anyone or meet new people. I want to be in the second phase of discovery. I want to know the city a little better so I’m not just a visitor or an outsider. I need to be in control.

Being in control is always such a big deal. For some, it doesn’t mean anything. It usually comes from your childhood (obviously everything does). Your parents were not available or did not show you any affection for instance. You get to build your own world and it seems you get to control it. You have many close friends and you are usually a leader.

I had this conversation with a friend earlier. Yes, I answered the phone. It is always the same though. I feel people call me to get answers and to clear their minds. Is that my role? Is only talking about yourself and focusing on your own problems a selfish behavior? I feel these people need my help in a way. I do not know if I can give them what they need but I can at least give them what they want: a little bit of serenity. When someone frees their mind, opens up, the process itself allows them to feel much better. They are releaved of this pressure …

Being in two different time zones makes it a lot more difficult. It is hard to get a hold of someone and maybe they’re having dinner or starting their day when you need them. The dialogue therefore, is a little less productive and you also get different vibes. I am not saying you cannot help your true friends when you live across the globe, it gets harder that’s all.

Experiencing a new city is also a kind of rebirth. You get to rediscover yourself, you even feel surprised sometimes of the way you’re acting. You act differently because the people, the culture is different here. You may also encounter some dilemmas on how to react to different situations. In Paris, it’s a habit, you live your life as you always did. You need some kind of transformation in order to adapt and become a real LA person. You can try all you want but you’ll always have this Parisian skin underneath, even after years of practice.

Time difference is not just a matter of space. It also comes from misunderstandings. The worst miscommunication you can hear about is usually in a couple relationship. I heard this terrible story earlier. A jealous and possessive woman always asking about her fiancé’s past. She’d only focus on what he experienced before, with who, … Questionning his past sexual life was her favorite topic. It was not really to know or understand him better, it was done in a jealous possessive way and led to hatred. In otherwords, the more he’ll honnestly answer her questions, the more she would get crazy jealous imagining him with another woman doing something. This led to perversion and she became acting aggressively and attacking him for no reason. If he had understood all she needed was to be reassured and if he had said she was way better than the others, maybe even embellishing the truth, the couple could have grown stronger. These thoughts are only maybes … But this behavior led to disaster. They were in different worlds, had a different time zone clock and didn’t connect really. People have to meet when the timing is right. They could be the most suited person, be a perfect match, if the timing is not right, their love, their feelings, anything they have will go to waste …

Curieux curieuses,

~ yvonnepearl ~ 1 Comment

Exploring my blog is an invitation to discover LA differently.

This is a journal, a guide that you can check to escape or enrich your mind.

Feelings, little secrets, quotes, experiences … here is a mishmash, a shambles, a mysterious mix, a set of many superficial as well as existential subjects

Therefore, while wishing you a great journey and a very nice experience drinking your jasmine tea or Diet Coke (avoiding to spill on your expensive laptop, Ipad or other electronic device), I allow you to critic, debate, yell, jump all over the place … and who knows, to understand how I feel, what I’m experiencing, what I wish to share.

Share ideas, thoughts, feelings, is something very intimate and maybe slightly egocentric. I do not have the answers to my questions, I do not hold the key to happiness or possess a perfect style but I feel happy and I think that is the outcome, a life’s goal, the peace within, that is born in oneself, for oneself and that persists with a minimum of maintenance.

Peace dear friends.

En naviguant sur mon blog, vous allez découvrir LA sous un angle différent.

Il s’agit d’un journal, d’un guide et d’un passe-temps que vous pourrez consulter pour vous évader comme pour vous enrichir.

Humeurs, petits secrets, citations, expériences … voici un méli-mélo, un capharnaüm, un mystérieux mélange, une panoplie de divers sujets superficiels comme existentiels

Alors, en vous souhaitant de passer un agréable moment tout en sirotant un thé au jasmin ou un Diet Coke (en évitant de renverser si possible votre beverage sur votre très cher (expensive et affectif) ordinateur portable, tablette ou autre electronic device), je vous autorise bien évidement à critiquer, débattre, crier, sauter dans tous les sens … et qui sait, à comprendre ce que je ressens, ce que je vis, ce que je souhaite faire partager.

Partager mes idées, mes pensées, mon humeur, est certes quelque chose de très intime et peut être un poil égocentrique. Je n’ai pas les réponses à mes interrogations, je ne détiens pas la clef du bonheur, je ne possède pas un style irréprochable mais je suis heureuse et je pense que c’est ça l’aboutissement, le but d’une vie, la paix intérieure qui s’acquiert avec soi, pour soi et qui persiste avec un minimum d’entretien.

Peace chers amis