My dear, dear P left Paris to go back to her Californian sun. I swear Paris got even colder afterwards...I will miss her everyday.
Of course that she had to leave in great style and so she did, with a BANG!!!!

Our last night together in Paris started with an exquisite dinner at Alsace, a restaurant on the Champs-Elysées. The food was marvelous, the restaurant wonderful, our waitress nice and warm and the christmas lights kept us company. We talked about P's experience in Paris. The best days and nights, favorite places, regrets...It was so sad in a way. Just sitting there in front of her knowing that was the last time I would have dinner with her in a long time! After this magnificent dinner, a decadent desert and three bottles of the best white wine I've ever tasted, we were trying to decide what to do for our last night. My back was killing me, I looked like an old lady always complaining when I had to get up. E was tired from the concert and her long night that ended with a bootie call to W. And P wanted to do something, but her flight was so early she knew she had to be careful. We were almost set on the idea of going home when I decided we were going to Footsie. I mean, it was the perfect place for our last night and I wasn't going home on P's last night out in Paris!! After calling our faithful waiter we headed there. P had a friend met us at the metro and stayed behind, I don't really know why. E and I went first to get a table and E had to go to the bathroom. So I ended up by entering the bar by myself. I searched the crowd for Helder, the waiter, but instead I saw someone else that made me feel like I was falling into the dark. There he was, looking even better than I remembered...T with his open smile and kind blue eyes.

I have to stop for a moment to explain who is T. Most of you know him from my early emails and tales of my life in Paris. For those of you who don't, I will try to keep it short and sweet. So I met T on my second week in Paris, on my first night at Footsie. I was smoking outside and saw him walk by. I liked him immediately, even though he's not my type at all. But there was something about the way he smiled at me. It was with great pleasure that I saw he was going to Footsie. More than that, he was the first to arrive to the table next to us. I sat with my back to him and prepared myself for the games to begin. But E spoke first and announced she liked him and she was going to get him that night! I swallowed my words and stood in silence. After a while we were all on first name basis and all of his friends had joined us. E and T talked for a while but there was nothing there and so, for destiny or just luck, I found myself doing my very familiar charm dance again. It also helped that a gorgeous british guy had just sat on the other table next to us and E and him were totally hitting of! Smoking outside sucks, but when you're trying to talk with someone is the perfect excuse. When T and I went for smoke it was still day time. I left him at 11 p.m. We liked each other right there and then and got into the business of getting to know each other. We talked about everything, discovered things in common, laughed, joked...It was the perfect first encounter. It wasn't really a date, right?! I try not to kiss on these first encounters, but wine usually doesn't help me! And so, after saying goodbye with two very polite kisses on his cheeks, I heard a voice inside of me saying "Fuck it!". I turned around, pulled him against me and kissed him. It was one of those perfect first kisses when the world silences itself for a moment and your knees really tremble. We looked at each other so surprised that we've found each other. I mean, how many times did you meet someone like that, that gets really under your skin, at a bar? Exactly! We've exchange texts, happy, delirious texts! We met the following week for a proper date. It was perfect, just wonderful! And also the last time I saw him. That was two months ago! And so the girl that came to Paris with no intention of falling in love, found herself daydreaming about the possibilities: "What if..?" One thing we both agreed on that date was that life had taught us both that there's no point in making plans. What I didn't know was that I was about to get another of those lessons. After a few weeks exchanging emails and texts (he was leaving his job, so he was very, very busy!) T disappeared for a week. I really didn't know what to think...But I wasn't expecting the explanation his next email brought me. He apologized for the silence and for a secret. He was on the process of separating from his ex girlfriend and so was still looking for an apartment. Ok! Just like a bomb...He had/has a girlfriend?! They live together?! It was obvious there was nothing there for me... Although I was feeling something that I haven't felt for a long time and although I just wanted to be with him, I had to recognize it wasn't the right time. And so I let him be so that he could settle in his new life. I tried to keep in touch with the vague hope that maybe one day we could try to be together... During these two months there was a friendly email here and there, but nothing much. Until two weeks ago. It began with a casual email from me just to ask how things were going. He replied saying he would like to see me again. I read his email one, two, three times and decided to say yes. I wanted to see him again as well, that was the truth. We set everything for the week after, he would call. But he didn't. And so we get back to the moment when I saw him at Footsie...

He greeted me with a happy smile. I was still trying to absorb all the information, to be honest. And tried really hard to focus on other things. But he kept pulling me to him, asking me questions, saying how good I looked, how nice it was to see me again...On this sentence I stopped him and calmly said "You could have seen me sooner if you had called". And he showed me a text on his phone, addressed to me, asking me for a coffee or something the next day. Hummm, this was my reaction. I took the girls to our table and sat with a glass of wine. Except wine wasn't enough so I switched to rum! But I knew we had to talk sooner or later, it was just a matter of time. So when I saw the girls having fun at the table I went for it and invited him, of course, for a cigarette. He apologized once again and began to charm me. And so did I. It was like those months had never existed. We were at the same place, together again, it was all so familiar, so right... And so we kissed. And kissed some more remembering how good it is. With stupid smiles on our faces we confessed our happiness and spent the rest of the night touching each other and kissing. I was truly, delirious happy :) P was on her own mission. She had decided she was going to kiss one last french boy before she leave and so she was running up and down the bar drinking and looking. Drinking being the key word in here.

I will stop with the details at this point because everything that followed was just too horrible and I don't want to revisit it all over again. So let's stick with the facts: P felt sick and threw up all of our wonderful dinner. Then she passed out. E was possessed by this rage and anger against T, screaming like a mad woman. And I was trying to manage all of this. It was a long night that seemed the longest of my life. P lost her plain the next day and had to stay in Paris two more days. E fell when she got home and hurt her arm. And I went home wondering why my nights can't just be simple and happy....

I will fill you in on my new affair soon...

"It's all happening...!"

Until next time,

papillon

There was a time when musicians went on tour not only to make a profit, but more than that to make their music known. Nowadays both public and performers think of concerts in a very different way. I, for example, only go to a concert if I'm already a fan. Tickets are so expensive today that you have to be selective. So we end up by choosing to go to the ones we know we'll like. But I decided to break the habit and try something new...

I chose not to think about the price and went to the Kanye West's concert here in Paris with E. To be totally honest I only knew two songs, but I thought to myself "Why not?" and went. Even though I was tired as hell after a long day at work.

Bercy is a huge multi-function pavilion where concerts, sports events and everything you can think of are held. When we got there it was only semi full, but when Kanye got on stage it was a full house!! That really impressed me...An american rapper filling a "stadium" in Paris ?! UAU!!! He had four bands opening up for him, with The Roots right before his performance. This band is unbelievable, amazing, fantastic!!! They have so much energy on stage, it almost seems physically impossible. Take the tuba player...He jumped, danced, singed, ran, everything with that huge instrument on his shoulders! Impressive!! They gave a fantastic performance, ending it all in line doing the craziest choreography that made me laugh until I cried! They prepared us all for Kanye and when he finally got on stage the energy was almost palpable.

He gave such a fantastic show! It was truly great!!! The whole set and story behind the tour gave an extra something to the concert. He had a gigantic spaceship on stage and supposedly he had crashed on another planet and was trying to get back to Earth. He's wonderful on stage, connecting with the crowd and making everyone jump, dance and scream hysterically! Even me and I didn't know his songs!! But I can now honestly say I'm officially a Kanye's fan!!! :) Specially after his final speech...He spoke honestly and with love to all the fans and kept coming back until the crowd let him go.

All and all I can say it was 45 euros well spent! Kanye has one more fan and a dime to his next fast car; and I had a great time and became a fan! Oh! I also fell on the stairs and hurt my back, but I try not to think about that little detail!

"It's all happening...!"

Until next time,

Papillon

From 0 to 300 in just two days…That’s how I describe my transition from the advertising department of the magazine to my new internship at the PR office. If my lack of posts didn’t tip you off on how busy I am, I will explain.

I have been working there for three weeks and since then I haven’t had any time to myself. It’s been crazy stressful, with an average of 60 received emails per day. Coordinating editors’ assistants, our NY office and us it’s not an easy task; especially when everyone on the European fashion press is asking for the same things. Time out! Let me start by explaining exactly what we do.

We represent several designers. Our job consists of sending the samples of the collections to the different magazines thereby putting our brands on the press. Afterwards we have to review all the press and scan every page where our brands are feature and, finally, email everyone about it and fill our monthly report. We share most of the collections with the NY office, which makes everything even harder. They have their requests, we have ours and on top of everything, there is a very specific hierarchy that we must respect. For example, if Vogue US and Elle France both request the same sample for the same dates, Vogue will have it, no questions asked, for as long as they want it. So here I am, learning everything about this order and this business on the busiest weeks of this season!!!! Not easy. I am everyday grateful for S and Cl that help me and answer my every questions and doubts.
For these last two weeks I get home every night dreaming of my bed. And when I finally lie down and try to rest, my mind keeps racing with requests and sample numbers and everything else that fills my days. It’s not easy to leave work at the office…

So now I am officially a Working Girl. All I’m missing is wearing sneakers to the metro and change to my heels before I reach the office. At least it only takes me 10 minutes to get there! So my personal life is kinda of on a hold at the moment…But things are finally slowing down and I think I will be able to have a life again soon. Let’s all hope so!

"It's all happening...!"

Until next time,

Papillon

Today my faith in the American people was restored! I am overwhelmed by the sense of hope that covered the World after yesterday’s election. Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America! Uau! This is such an historical moment, such a turning point and a milestone in History…I hope he can turn this World around. I suspect it will not be easy to achieve all the goals he promised and I just hope he can, because the world needs a new America. The faith of this country affects us all, there’s no doubt about it. And after 8 years of a supremacy based on military power it will be a breath of fresh air to have a new president that believes in soft power. US’s influence over the world is undeniable. But, as we all know, we can both achieve this power and influence by fear or by proving to be worthy of it. Culture, I believe, is a much more powerful weapon nowadays. The fact that almost everyone speaks English is, by itself, a proof of how culture can be a weapon. This influence can be spread by all kinds of means…movies, books, food, so many things. They have done it and done it well! But after Bush everything changed. America was no longer a beacon to the world but a joke. The world´s police defending democracy. Which is ironic when you think of Florida! This is a new beginning, a new day and a new era. Americans should be proud today. I know I am :)

"It´s all happening..!"

Until next time,

Papillon

As you all know I was between jobs. Last Friday was my last day and I couldn’t be happier it was over! My job consisted of a lot of emails and phone calls, all from this horrible cublicle that took away my will to live and be happy! The only thing that really bothered me about leaving was my boss…I love her and I will sure miss her! She is one of the nicest persons I have ever met. She is strong, but is always smiling and her work ethics taught me that you don’t have to be a bitch to be successful.

Monday arrived, after my fabulous weekend, with an enormous sense of possibility. My new internship, at a pr office, is for nine months and there’s a REAL possibility of being hired. The office is small, which I love. It’s only me, S (a really sweet girl that has the exact same taste in music as I do), Cl (the nicest girl I’ve ever met) and N (the boss, one of the most beautiful and pleasant women I know). The office represents three international designers, two French ones and a very exciting project that I will be handling soon. The first day was full. Full of information, full of names, full of phone numbers and email addresses, full of processes to learn... It went smoothly, mainly because of S and Cl who are always available and explained everything to me. The first thing I noticed was that there is a lot of work and always something to do. For me this is perfect! I love working, I am a workaholic, and after two months on a job where I had days when I had nothing to do, this is a very good change! I still don’t know if this is a job I love or if this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. But I can say, with absolute certain, that I will love working there and that I will learn a lot! The experience will be priceless and the contacts to my little black book, precious. On my second day I invited the girls for a drink. After all, we’re going to be working together for a long time and it doesn’t hurt to know each other a little better. The drink, mojitos, was a success and we decided right there to do it a once a week tradition. Cl worked in New York for two years when she was my age, she is 26 now, so I can relate a lot to her experience and most of all she can give me good advices. When she was faced with the ultimate decision of staying there or coming back she told me the reason that made her return was because she felt she was building a career but not a life. As soon as I heard these words I heard my biggest fear out loud. What if this happens to me? I didn’t come to Paris to work a little and then return to Portugal. I am here to stay, for good! And for that I need a life. I need friends and a social network to back up my professional life. Although I am a workaholic, my social life is of utmost importance to me! So my new goal is to work as hard as I do on my job on that. I have never had any difficulty making friends…I am outgoing, I talk a lot, I am interested in other people and their stories. So I guess, I hope, I can be successful on my both goals.

So all of you out there, my dear friends, fingers crossed for me ok?

"It's all happening...!"

Until next time,

Papillon

Since I’ve been in Paris every night I go out there has to be a little drama. So when I got home Sunday morning after a fun, drama free night I was exhilarated!

It all started with a wonderful dinner chez E. She made the most delicious fajitas and I brought the champagne! After dinner the girls join us for drinking games and gossip. It was me, E, P, C (a girl from Switzerland we met a couple of weeks ago) and M (P’s friend from the US who is 19 and engaged!). We left to our first stop, a bar we’ve never been to call Experimental Cocktail Bar. It’s a small bar on a dark street but once you get in you feel you’ve been transported! The decoration is glamorous, the people beautiful and fashionable and their specialty, f you haven’t guessed yet, is cocktails! I selected mine which was the most amazing drink I’ve ever had and met, right after, the person who actually invented it! I don’t remember his name but I remember he worked there when he moved to Paris. Now he works at Dior…life is funny, right? One of the barmaids turned out to be an old friend of E from Canada, so we felt very welcomed there. The music was tremendous, like everything else, but we were ready for the next spot.

After asking our new friends where to go we headed to Regines’, a very hot club in Paris. To be honest I was a little afraid of having a similar experience to my last one. But as we got there, the people standing in line reassured me this was my kind of place! Down to only 3 girls, we fought our way to the door and waited our turn. Luckily it wasn’t long and before I knew it I was walking down the stairs of this very chic club. We got drinks and found a table. Since E and C wanted to just sit I took my drink and went to dance floor ready to conquer it. And so I did! I had so, so much fun I don’t even have the words to describe it! It was perfect! The music was great, he people were nice and gorgeous and I made friends fast! The night ended at the same restaurant as every night. E and I ate and laughed; we were so happy our night went well! Sunday was hangover day…junk food, movies and weed, what better ending for a perfect weekend? :)

"It´s all happening...!"

Until next time,

Papillon

One of the obvious perks of working in the fashion industry is that every now and then you get to go to a party! Yesterday I went with E to a party for Dries Van Noten. Although we didn't really know what was the reason for the event, and we still don't!, we drank the champagne and toasted to Dries. It's very difficult to describe the people that usually attend these parties...Yesterday night was a mix between probably faithful clients, women on their 40's or 50's all very chic and with the plastic surgeon's number on speed dial; the journalists, always so different from each other; some buyers of course; PR people, like my future boss; friends and friends of friends, and us! In between two glasses of champagne E and I learned that it was the 4th anniversary of a very hot club in Paris, Le Baron. Armed with a phone number to use in case of emergency, we left the party to attend the other party!

One more bottle of champagne and we're on our way, not really knowing what to expect (and to be honest, nothing could have prepared us for what was coming!) Le Baron is known for being a very small venue where people fight every weekend to get in. We didn't know that much about the place, but as we got closer to the door and to the line to get in we started to wonder where were we exactly. Either we had walk into a mirror to Wonderland and I didn't notice or Halloween had come to Paris early! Let me try to describe some of the people in line...There was an asian guy with a huge red mohawk; there was a small girl with a huge black and acid green punk wig; there was the sweet girl wearing a long fur coat and a flower crown... To cut things short, there were a lot of strange people there...and, once again, us! Very properly dressed we could clearly see we wouldn't get in! I mean we certainly didn't fit in! Waiting and wondering we started talking with two girls. One of them, let's call her CR, made our night! She is fun, loud, full of "joi de vivre" and very, very nice! She immediately gave us her phone number so we could all go out together and when the bouncer screamed to the crowd that only the ones that were dress up would get in, she started looking for hair pins on her bag so we could do something different with our hair. Oh, because the dress up he meant wasn't exactly my dress up. It was more the kind of "the craziest will come in!" After a phone call to our emergency number and after realizing there wasn't that much more we could do, since it was obvious we wouldn't get in, E and I decided to go home and drink the last bottle of champagne. We ended up watching old music videos on youtube, eating cheese and having the best time singing and reminiscing!

Parties are great fun and I love going to them...but sometimes nothing beats being with a friend having fun with simple things :)

"It's all happening..!"

Until next time,

Papillon