How to be a good matchmaker host

I was at Teryl's birthday party last Saturday, enjoying my time, talking to new people, petting the dog (that was also his 10th birthday by the way...)...

I spoke with that woman who was really urging me on going to South-East Asia for the next two months, who taught me about chakras in general and mine in particular, and how she could see other people's energies. She was so into it she even broke a glass while teaching me all those things. That was really interesting though.

But that's not the point. I started to get hungry so I headed for the food and I saw those little napkins on the table...

One really tries to make your life easier. No need to find a piece of paper now to write your number on it, just take a napkin and say your name, your star sign (!), your favorite music, what you like and what you are expecting: a coffee with your new target, or directly heading to the bathroom (!!). It's that simple.

I can totally see myself saying to a guy: "You have guacamole on the corner of your mouth, please use this napkin to clean that up. You can keep the napkin".

But there is yet room for improvement as I don't carry any pen with me... It would be a shame to miss a date because you couln't write your number on that napkin...

The Getty Villa

I finally went to the Getty Villa! This is something I really wanted to do before I leave because when I came here 3 years ago, the Villa was closed for renovation, so I couldn't see it.

The Getty Villa has been built in 1968 to recreate a first-century Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri, and is a museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. Another museum is part of the Getty Foundation, the Getty Center. I had already been there: it houses European and American art in a incredibly beautiful contemporary building on the top of a hill with a breathtaking view of the city of Los Angeles.

To visit the Villa, you need to make a reservation on the Internet and come at a specific time. They tell you it's free but you kinda need to take your car to get there and there is a $15 fee for parking...
So here we are, Efren, Orlando, Matthew and I, euh... wait, no Efren was sick so he couldn't come and Orlando had actually friends visiting and he had to pick them up at the airport... so I guess it's only Matthew and I! There is a very nice view of the ocean once you climbed all these stairs to the Villa. Ok, we took the elevator, but at least 3 of them to get there!

I have my old camera with me (yes, if you don't know, I lost my brand new 3-week old camera at a pool party 2 weeks ago...) and it takes good photos sometimes, pretty bad sometimes, or from time to time, very interesting ones. As usual when I'm in a museum I run hysterically everywhere and I keep laughing (I exaggerate a little but not that much... Matt can tell). The Villa is very beautiful, the weather too, and the Greek Gods sculptures as well!

In the afternoon, we decide to have a little happy hour on the Malibu pier, close by, which has just been renovated too. I'm impressed by the waves here when only a few miles south in Santa Monica, they are not that big. The pier is smaller than I expected but there are two nice restaurants where you can eat or have a drink. We're lucky the sun is still there because as soon as it hides behind the hills, it gets chilly and windy here.

Enough talking, please enjoy the pictures!

The view from the Getty Villa on the ocean -------------------------------The Villa-------------è------

Inside the Villa

Sculpture ----------------------------------------------Caught!------------


Sometimes my camera takes good photos...

At the Malibu Pier -------------------------------------The Malibu Pier -------

----------------------------------------------(my camera did the filter...don't know how though!)

Matthew and I on the Malibu Pier

What would I do for a living (room)?

Everyday I receive a newsletter in my mailbox from this website: Curbed LA. It's a blog about the Los Angeles neighborhoods and real estate. Sometimes it's not interesting, but last Wednesday, a small article struck me: it was about a new 5-unit project developped on San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood. The pictures looked nice so I decided to go see it by myself.

Three weeks ago, my friend Efren and I had already gone to visit new condos on Santa Monica Boulevard (901 Hancock Avenue, WeHo), but it turned out they were not that great and rather overpriced. Yes there was a common swimming pool, yes there was a nice fountain, but that was it! Who would pay nearly $1 million to get a 1,000 sqft (around 100 m2) and have a carwash by the window, one of the busiest/noisiest street in front of the unit, a view of the A/C units on the top of the next building, a giant commercial for Aussiebum right accross the street (ok the ad was nice to look at, but what if they change it for an ad about an hemorrhoid ointment?) and on top of that would have to pay monthly charges of $600 for a 3,5 feet-deep pool (1m)?

Not me!

But the project I visited with Efren yesterday, The Vue, was quite more interesting. Located at the 912 on San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood, this 5-unit development features a much better view (at least from the living areas), is much less noisy (you actually can open the window and rest on the balcony), is bigger (around 1,800 sqft or 170m2) and is hardly more expensive: $1.2 million... The only flaw I can see now is the fact that it's a totally vertical unit: 5 floors, only stairs! You don't wanna break your leg while living there...

2 bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor, a master bedroom including a private bathroom on the 2nd floor, kitchen, living room and mezzanine on the 3rd and 4th floors and a private rooftop deck on the 5th floor, waiting for the jacuzzi! Better to take a look at the pictures:

The building----------------------------------------------------- Entrance

1st floor bedroom -----------------------------------1st floor bathroom

Master bedroom --------------------------------------View from the master bedroom

Master bedroom's bathroom-------------------------------------Living room----------

View from the living room on the Pacific Design Center------------------- Kitchen-------------------

Mezzanine------------------------------------------------- Rooftop deck

I literally fell in love with this condo... Who wants to help me buy it? ;)

D-9 before what ?

It's been a few days since I have been thinking that I'm going to go back soon to France and I'm torn. I have the same feelings than when I left Montreal, Canada or Rabat, Morocco. The feeling that I haven't visited all the places I wanted to visit, that I'm sad to leave but happy to go back home. In top of that, this time, I'm even more happy to be with my boyfriend again, but also more feared of what I'm gonna do.

My first thought when I took this 4-month leave was to spent 2 months in Los Angeles and then 2 months in Asia. At some point during my stay here, I realised that I didn't really want to go to Asia alone and that I would just come back to Los Angeles where I'm having so much fun. Now I have also realised that I just can't go on and on doing nothing; thus the idea to go back to Paris and stay there. I just have to figure out what to do for.

So now I'm basically trying to do as much as I can during each day so I can do all the things I want to do. I am literally running out of time !!

I won't let you go without a little picture... I went to the hairdresser today (again...I've been 3 weeks ago !), so I thought it could deserve a picture ;)

------------------Me...

Stephen Schwartz - Ford Amphitheatre

To end yet another great week-end and a cool Sunday Funday summer afternoon in Los Angeles, my friend David invited me to go with him to the Ford Amphitheatre to see and listen to Stephen Schwartz productions. It is in the Hollywood Hills, just next to the famous Hollywood Bowl. It's the first time I go in that kind of outdoor concert place and I must say I liked it. Having a little breathe while listening to great music and watching beautiful people on the stage with a full of tree, palmy background is very enjoyable! Though it was a little ackward when a helicopter just flew over the amphitheatre in a noisy way...
Anyway the singers were really good and it is also the first time I am at a concert and I can have a glass of wine: we had a little wine and cheese (people here can bring their own food, and they do), lovely! Even though we drank the wine in big red plastic glasses, which is not very fancy... but that's ok, the evening was rather casual.

Of course I would have loved taking pictures of the show for you, but my camera was out of battery and my phone still doesn't take pictures... So for you, yes, you're welcome, my pleasure, I found one on the Internet so you can have a little glimpse of what it looks like.

Ford Amphitheatre

The Grove - outdoor mall in Los Angeles

After a quick work out at the gym this morning with John, we decided to go to the movies at The Grove. The Grove is an outdoor mall in Los Angeles at the corner of Fairfax avenue, Beverly Boulevard and Third Avenue.

Going to that kind of a mall here is a whole experience. I can remember the first time I went there, it was in the evening and I thought it looked exactly like Disneyland ! Big stores are aligned along a large pedestrian street where a trolley can ride you around, big fountains, jazz music, lots of restaurants with nice outdoor tables... I've got to say that shopping have now reached a new level of greatness to me.

That being said, we wandered around a little, went to the inevitable Abercrombie store still featuring f*** good looking model at the entrance, tried the new 1969 GAP jean's collection and had lunch at a fancy italian ristorante where the waiter kept using italian words to raise his tip ;)

We then saw the movie District 9, which was interesting in the way that it deals with a story involving humans and aliens in a new angle that I hadn't seen before.

Here are some pictures of the Grove:

----------------------------Pedestrian street -------------------------------John and I

---------Fountain-------------------------------------- How fancy is that parking !?

The trolley (in the back) ----------------------Me at the restaurant-----

-------A&F---------------------------------------- Me in front of the fountain-----

House's facades - Mulholland Drive

House's facades - Mulholland Drive

I took a drive on Mulholland Drive last week, trying to find some nice houses there.

It is a windy road up on the mountains north of Los Angeles, with an incredible view of the valley and of course, some nice properties.

This road is also a good spot to see the famous Hollywood sign.

I especially like the gate in the 5th picture, which fits perfectly with the house's shape.

3Oh!3 - Don't Trust Me

I didn't know about them so I share this with you because I like it.

Playlist by Abercrombie & Fitch

Since I have known about this brand and the fact that they are making a playlist (monthly ?) for their stores, I regularly go on their website to check the last one. They usually release each time a dozen of songs.

I love their happy kind of music, remixes... A&F Playlist