A Dreamy Escape

Ophelia, how are the birthday preparations coming along?  I hope you are embracing every second of your FUNemployement... how is it treating you thus far?  I am seriously considering taking a couple of months off after this internship and writing another script while I soak in the SoCal sun on the beach!

I have some exciting news, ladies.... my gig has evolved into a PAID internship.  It is still an internship and I only get paid minimum wage, but that is exactly $8/hr more than $0/hr!  Haha... it sounds so pathetic, but it means that the producer is pleased with my work thus far and I couldn't be more pleased!

This weekend I have spent a lot of time daydreaming of successes far into the future... I have my Academy Award acceptance speech almost perfectly written out!  I have also been dreaming of a perfect escape and, Flora... Morocco sounds like heaven... but if I could escape to anywhere in the world (or NOT in this world)  it would be to a fantastical land of an anime!

If I were an anime I would probably have gorgeous PINK hair...

My boyfriend would look almost exactly like this character from the series ULTRAMANIAC (not one of the best anime series)...

and I would lounge all day in my beautiful kimonos!

xxx Rose

International Drifting...again...

It's cold over here in NY and I'm still burdened by this mega-apt search conundrum...I feel like a new escape once again...Somewhere exotic, somewhere warm, somewhere far...

Morocco, why not?

Where to go: Marrakech is brilliant and my favorite place to stay is at the Jnane Tamsna...a fabulous boutique 'riad' situated just outside the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. It's peaceful, quiet, tranquil...the perfect place for a relaxing weekend getaway. (http://www.jnanetamsna.com/)
I was there two years ago for a quiet weekend retreat, a reward I awarded myself upon finishing 1st year finals for my Master's in Paris...paradise!

What to do: Two things I love about Morocco are: the colours and the exotism...from decor to fashion, Moroccan flare is an inspiration to many...Admiring, shopping, relaxing are top on my list for a Moroccan getaway...One great little boutique is Kaftan Queen...ab-fab tunics for children and adults alike!

What to drink: A mint tea would also be pleasing...a nice change from a NY Chai late...a MUST in Marrakech!

What to see: Admire the architecture...doors...windows...tiles...the city of Marrakech itself is a treasure chest for the eyes...

Alas...I'm still in NY (and still an Eternal Intern!!) and not boarding the next flight eastwards in the near-near future...perhaps this jet-set weekend will have to wait another few weeks... boohooooo....

Bisous les filles from cold NY!

Flora xoxo

A new generation of 'friendship'?

My dearest Eternal Interns,

How rampant imagination can be at a young age! I love the letter Ophelia!!

My email to you this evening, however, is not about my crazy antics of the past...I want your opinion on something of the present...As you know, I got back late late Wednesday night from the Hamptons...the event went fantastically...the presentation was a hit...the invitees were pleased...and THE editor in chief brilliantly content over one too many coupes de champagnes...

The next day as per usual - pre-running off frantically to work - I checked my gmail, checked my twitter and of course...checked my facebook...and there I saw: 1 new friend request. I smile (happy to know one more person on this earth wants to be my friend), I click, and then I frown...

Oh no! It was one of my fellow interns from X (the fake perfectionist to make matters worst!)! I guess she imagined the two days in the Hamptons had instantaneously made us close enough to become Facebook friends!! Don't get me wrong, I'm not an over-protective Facebook friender...but I've always had a rule about keeping my personal and professional lives separate. I don't like people I work with knowing what I'm up to...what I've been up to...and what I will be up to...There is a thin line of privacy at the office that I would just rather not cross.

So last night, over an apero with D., I mentioned my reticence to accept my fellow intern as a friend on facebook...obvisouly she responded with a direct: "But you're just an intern, it doesn't matter"...

And yet, to me, it does matter. I felt as though her comment was somewhat of a stab in the back...an instataneous downgrade...I was pissed!!! Pissed, because whether I'm an Eternal Intern or an Eternal Employee, the question of privacy will not change. I do not want my workplace to see pictures of me wearing a Halloween costume...sunbathing in the sun...I do not want my colleagues to read comments on my "wall"...notice what I "like" or "dislike"...

Perhaps one day we can be proper 'friends' (in the Facebook sense of the term...) but until we cease to work together, I fear our friendship will limit itself to 'workplace' friendship...or 'intern' friendship...

But girls what do you think? Am I too radical? I do feel strongly about this and will not change my stance...but let me know what you think. Facebook has become such a strong element of our lives. I sometimes find it overwhelming! If only we could revert back to typewritters and that simplicity of life...

Oh, look at the time! I must jet! Bisous les filles!

Flora xoxo

Dear Diary

Bonjour ladies, 
Rose, don't worry about getting the axe, you're too fabulous!   Flora, how was Southampton?  


I made a hilarious discovery this morning that I just had to share with you!  As you know my 2X birthday is next week and I have been thinking a lot about getting older (and wiser!).  My "Stay young, have fun and drink Coke" reminded me of what an optimistic (and deluded) child I was and my latest find confirms it.... 


I was cleaning up the apartment and I found my "memory box".  In it was a diary I wrote in once nearly 15 years ago!  The entry predicts where I would be at 2X and let me tell you, hilarious does not even begin to describe what I wrote... .


Dear Diary, 
My name is Ophelia.  I am 2X and I live in London with my boyfriend.  We have an amazing flat in Notting Hill.  It's huge!  We have lived here for 5 years.  We moved from New York because my boyfriend is a photographer and he has to do a lot of work in London.  It's just easier this way.  I would have prefered (sic) to move to Paris, but London isn't bad!  I lived in Paris for a few years when I was younger.  Then I move to Rome.  London is a great city though.  I am lucky to have such a great apartment in this fabulous town!  My best friend Kate lives down the street.  I am going to meet her for cocktails this evening.  It's our tradition.   Kate is from London so when I moved here she showed me around.  I love her.  We hang out all the time, we go shopping, out to dinner and we go out dancing on the weekends in our most beautiful outfits!  I would write more but I have to go meet my boyfriend for lunch.  He is shooting for Vogue and we have reservations at the best restaurant in London.  I'll write again soon!  
Love, 
Ophelia 


There are sooooo many things wrong with this.....


1. A "flat" in Notting Hill?  I don't think I had even been to London when I wrote that!  


2. My boyfriend the photographer?  Don't even get me started on this... 


3. I lived in New York, Rome, Paris and London.  Not bad.... how did I pull that off in such a short period of time? 


4. I didn't have any friends named Kate.  I was obsessed with Kate Moss though.  I guess we were best friends in London... 


5. My boyfriend works for Vogue but I don't!?  That's not right!  In fact, I didn't mention working at all.  How did I "go out dancing" and to "the best restaurant in London" sans job? 




Oh Little O, you were a special child!  I hope she's proud of how far we've come (even if we don't have a flat in London or go for drinks with Kate Moss!) 


Bisous  x x x Grown-up Ophelia 

And Like That... Poof.. He's Gone...

Things are winding down here at the office, so I decided to email you guys and let you know where my head is at.  My boss just flipped out at his assistant today and is on a firing rampage.  Don't really know how to act... I've never actually been scared for my job before and I have never been fired either!

I haven't been at the receiving end of his wrath yet, but it scares me... he doesn't have the best track record with assistants, and as I am doing way more than the traditional intern duties... it worries me.  The entertainment industry, as many industries, has taken these poor economic times as an excuse to replace paid assistants with eager interns such as ourselves...  which is totally OK for this Eternal Intern, however, not if I am expected to have all the responsibilities of an assistant!

Anyway, I won't get ahead of myself, as I can still do no wrong with my boss...  Right now I am working on relieving the stress in my life and finding my inner ZEN!

 

How are you ladies?  Flora I haven't heard from you in a while!  Ophelia, I hope I can make it to what will undoubtedly be the best birthday party of 2010!

xxx Rose

Let the Countdown Begin!

Hello lovelies, 
Unlike the other 2/3 of the Eternal Interns who were mature and rational on their big days, I tend to take a more juvenile and Veruca Salt-ish approach to planning and enjoying my special day.  And so today begins the official countdown to... MY BIRTHDAY!  

I have been known to throw ridiculously elaborate theme parties and send out invitations weeks in advance, so why should this birthday be any different?  Well, this year, it is different.  I am turning 2X after all and I feel that a more mature fête is in order.  The days of Gangsters and Flappers and Trailer Park-themed parties are behind me and instead I am organizing an elegant dinner chez moi followed by a potentially debaucherous night out (I'm not a senior citizen after all!)!  But just because I am older and a tad wiser doesn't mean I don't have a list of birthday wishes....   

Sing a long with me and Veruca Salt... you know how it goes!  

I want a ball

I want a party

Pink macaroons and a million balloons

And performing baboons and ...

Give it to me

Now!

Bisous x x x Ophelia 

A Rose By Any Other Name...

Good evening ladies,

Flora, you deserve all the recognitions that are headed your way, so enjoy every minute because this is only the beginning. And to my sweet Ophelia, I hope you are spending your days with the ones you love, cultivating all the creativity you have inside and getting it all down on paper, for all those thoughts are going to be worth a fortune someday soon!

Sadly, I write to you this Monday evening slightly frustrated and in need of your great wisdom and advice.

I wanted to share with you the new nick name that my boss has generously bestowed upon me... ROSIE!

Ever since I can remember, I have despised this bastardization of my name.  I never understood how someone could take such a simply pretty name, and transform it into one suitable only for talk show hosts!  Rosie just doesn't suit yours truly and I don't know what to do about it.

It started about a week ago and with the hope that it was a passing phase, I decided to keep quiet and let this nickname play out.   I have now endured 7 excruciatingly long days of "Rosie, can you get me some coffee", "Rosie have you read these pages of the script?", "Rosie I'm ready for my 3 o'clock!"...
"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie!"

How can the introduction of a single letter, bring me so much anguish?  Well ladies, I simply can't take it anymore... HELP!

xxx
ROSE!

The sweet flare of recognition...

Nope, haven't found "the one" (apartment!!) quite yet my dear Ophelia! I am of the same opinion as yours: why settle? That not only goes for boys and apts, but exactly as you mention in your last email: a job! Why settle on one profession? The luxury interning affords you, is exactly the opposite of settling: experimenting...deciphering what "the one" is...time...freedom! As I mentioned a while ago  "why settle on one, when you can have so many!"

As for me, however, I'm settling quite well into this intern position! As a matter of fact, I'm heading out early tomorrow to the Hamptons... Remember that ab-fab magazine I mentioned we had been working with? Well, it turns out we're partnering up with it on a series of events - the first being this ab-fab day of fun, folie and cocktails in Southampton!

We've rented out a beautiful space, and although we are still in the middle of winter...the trees are still leafless...and the sun has yet to bronze our skin...the Hamptons will be brilliant, given that the 'folie' of the spring has yet to start!

The most exciting yet, however, is the fact that THE magazine's editor will be presenting a presentation made by yours truly. Yes...hmm...hmm..you heard me right...THE editor in chief of one of the world's greatest magazines chose to use MY powerpoint presentation as the backdrop for her speech...MINE!! And listen to this...she had TWO comments to make about it: "great" and "just change that word on slide 24". After countless hours of stress...slide after slide of perfection...fear and worry...THE editor in chief was content!

Ok so it's not the world's most important presentation...but you guys can't believe how happy I am to get recognition from this woman (and my lovely boss!).

As an intern, you so often get left behind...get pushed aside...get hidden between the cracks (or between Eternal Employees...), but today I really felt as a part of this organization. I sincerely felt as though I had been a key element in the organization of this event...I haven't had that feeling often, but does it ever feel good!
Hopefully all will go as planned with the event (and presentation!)...and hopefully this amazing feeling won't dissappear!

For now I'm going off to pack...got an early drive tomorrow (so excited!!!)! Bisous les filles...I'll let you know how all goes when I come home late Wednesday!

Flora xoxo

Stay Young, Have Fun, Drink Coke!

Bonsoir les filles, 

I hope you are having a great weekend.  Flora, any luck finding the perfect apartment?  Remember, just like with boys, you should never settle... the right one will come along eventually!  haha!  

I just got off the phone with my mother who reminded me of a hilarious childhood moment that says a lot about our current situation.  At the tender age of 10, my friend Bianca and I would often recite our motto: "Stay young, have fun and drink Coke!"to which her mother one day responded... "No, you're going to grow up, get a job and drink water!" Funny, how X years later, I am still trying to live by the original moto!  Sure, we have swapped Coke for water and I have definitely grown up but the "get a job" part is still slightly problematic!  Even as a child, I had already decided that having a job and having fun were mutually exclusive.  Water, a job and adult responsibilities meant the end of fun, youth and Coca Cola!  As an Eternal Intern, I still struggle with this notion.  On the one hand, I am actively seeking a more stable, grown-up existence, but on the other, I know that a job means the end of (or at least a major cut back to) the spontaneity that interning affords!  In my endless search for the perfect job, is it terrible that all I really want to do is have fun?  Sure, I want a job that will eventually lead to a Birkin, but I also want summer vacation, field trips and recess!  

Call me crazy, but growing up and having fun can and should go together!  And now, I am off to channel my inner Peter Pan.... and to drink a diet Coke!  

Bisous x x x Ophelia

Heartbroken over brick and mortar...

Rose! I missed you! So happy that the internship is going well (well, Rolodex-style well!). I do have to say, however, I am not a big proponent of the "intern around the clock" phenomenon that seems to be all too common over there on the West Coast...

To bring you up to date my dearest Rose, I was talking to Ophelia last night lamenting over the fact that I STILL have yet to find 'the one' to replace 'THE one'...let me explain...

Last week I fell in LOVE with THE apt, THE studio, THE perfect home away from home! I was virtually promised this gem...until...3 days later I find out that the real estate agent was a complete bafoon and leased it out to another! I was furious! Absolutely furious! Apparently the dossier chosen was that of an Eternal Employee...and not an Eternal Intern...what prejudice!!!

Rose, I felt like I had just gotten dumped by the man of my dreams...the same way a girl envisions her life with a guy...plans her future wedding (1 month into the relationship...ooops!)...has the gown, ring, caterer picked out...and the honeymoon...Well this is how I felt with respect to this miniscule (but oh so charming!) UES, townhouse, bright windowed gem!

I had already picked my Scalamandre curtains...Farrow & Ball wall colour...miniscule fridge to fit into miniscule kitchen...bref everything! And then, a slap in the face: the apt isn't mine!! I am heartbroken, devastated, absolutely brutally brought back to reality...

And yet, the sad thing is...I'm still dreaming of this studio...I still think it may one day come back to me and be mine...only mine...I'm still friggin decorating it in my crazy head!!

The same way a boy can make you go nuts and spin round and round in your head post-breakup...this apt is making my head spin 24/7!

I hope I get over this break-up prontissimo...or at least find the next "one" to get my mind off of this one...

Hoping my intern status won't hinder my try to score "the next one"...C'est dur la vie of an intern! Bisous,

Flora xoxo

Round and Round I go...

I am so tired I can barely think straight!  I miss you ladies like crazy and I can't wait to have a proper catch up!

Ophelia, since you have some time... I suggest you come and visit your dear Rose on the west coast and I will show you everything that Hollywood has to offer!

Ladies, I have been running around this week and I even went on my first work related travel!  I assisted my producer for a couple of days in the beautiful Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival.  The flight was the perfect preview to the couple of days we spent there.  He sat comfortably in first class, while I struggled to get some shut eye in between two heavier women!  I basically drove him to all his meetings, lunches, press interviews, etc... But... I met an impressive number of people to add to my rolodex!  I am eternally grateful that I decided to be an eternal intern and got to experience such a memorable opportunity... an opportunity that most interns only dream of!

Today, I am struggling to wrap up at the office right now.  It is about 10:00pm and I have another 15 minutes until I can call it a night! I have to be back bright and early tomorrow... Saturday, but I am going to make up for it by sleeping all day on Sunday!

I wish you the sweetest dreams and will write more coherently when I am better rested.

Call me!

xxx Rose

From Eternal Intern...

Un café, comfy jeans and my laptop is all I need as an intern sans internship....

To Eternal Employment...

With Eternal Employment comes a Blackberry, a Birkin and a more grown-up look!

x Ophelia

An Eternal Inspiration

Hello Eternal Interns,
Amid depressing internship developments, I needed to remind myself that sometimes and internship is the best thing that can happen to a girl. Sometimes it puts you right where you need to be for something great to happen, this was the case for my good friend Ashton Hearley.  Ashton is what I could call an Eternal Inspiration.  She is one of those ridiculously pretty girls with great style and a great job who most girls would love to hate!  She is also one of the sweetest, funniest, most amazing girls I know!  Ash and I were college roommates and to say we got off to a bad start is an understatement.  We fought like mad!  It wasn't until I moved to Paris that we both realized that we fought because we were too much alike!  Over lunch at Pastis a few years back, we apologized for the rumor spreading and gossiping during our university years and we have been the best of friends ever since!

So why is Ashton an Eternal Inspiration?  Because she is one smart cookie! While others were trying to figure out what to do post grad, Ashton landed herself a grueling, yet highly coveted internship working for the Queen of Television.  She struck while the iron was hot, almost as if she knew the precarious world of internships wouldn't stay the same for long (Thanks a lot, Versace!)! Some of us thought she was crazy but she stuck with it, positive it would all pay off in the end!  After a few months, a great job came up in the company and she was a shoe in!  Ashton went from intern to coordinator overnight... a true inspiration to interns out there!

So as I sit here weighing my options, I keep Ashton's tale of success in the back of my mind. You never know when the internship from hell can suddenly become your dream job!

Je t'aime, Ash!

Bisous x x x Ophelia

Going once, going twice...sold to the unnpaid intern!

Chicas, I just read the most shocking article!

I know that the intern market is becoming a prosperous one, and I have heard of 'intern agencies' - where you pay a fee to actually FIND an unpaid internship...but this latest news blows me away: Versace recently auctioned off the opportunity to BE an UNPAID intern in their offices...

The article states: the internship will be "unpaid and requires paperwork for college credit. Duration is for 1 semester in the Fall, Spring, or Summer".

Now come on...it's one thing to be offered an unpaid internship through merit and a proper application (re: Ophelia's recent influx of internship offers!), but it's quite another to purchase this opportunity at auction!

I mean come on, how high would you bid for such an experience?!? What has this world come to!?!

Signing off for now...due to utter confusion...

F. xoxo

Who's Calling, Please?

Bonjour girls!
I am now a week sans internship and for the past week, my phone has been ringing off the hook!  Why all the calls, you ask?  Well, it is an intern's dream come true... most are related to employment!  I'll explain...

First, I got an email from the fashion director at a well-known magazine asking if I could come in for an interview.  Any other day I would have been thrilled, but I applied for that internship six months ago... SIX!  I know I know, I shouldn't complain, but I mean really!?  Six months for an unpaid internship with no chance of a paid position to follow?!  I have a masters degree, I have 5 fabulous internships under my belt and I am X years old!  Enough is enough!  En plus, I don't really think I should start working for the competition less than a week after I finished at "The Fashion Magazine"!  I (politely) declined so as not to burn any bridges!  You never know...

Ensuite, I get a call from a blocked number.  I am normally an avid call screener, but I took a chance and picked it up.  To my horror and surprise it was the HR department at a company I had applied to 3 days ago!  The impromptu phone interview caught me completely off guard, but I think (and hope!) I answered the questions correctly and made a good impression.  On verra as they say!

And lastly, just yesterday, I started a freelance writing gig for a new website (Sorry Eternal Interns, I have been infidele!).  It's definitely a fun way to pass the time and to earn a few euros until my dream job comes along!  Again, I am not complaining about all the fabulous opportunities that have presented themselves, but I still feel that I must hold out for "the one"!

The phrase "Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink!" seems quite fitting en ce moment!  


Gros Bisous,  Ophelia

Wanted: cheap, charming, cool new digs!

On a serious note girls I want to illuminate many innocent and naive interns in the city of New York on a very important lesson: apartment hunting in the Big Apple. Having recently found myself solo in my UES digs, given that el novio has gone off to pursue his MBA...I am currently searching for a smaller (less expensive) space.

Size...well it's not quite an issue...I simply say a 'smaller' space, since I can't afford my 'current' space or a 'bigger' space!! Price...aha, that's the issue! Currently a low-range paid intern (yes...oh yes I have formulated a pay-scale for interns! The name Eternal Intern does serve a purpose no?), I can no longer afford my "between Madison and Park" empire...Yes, even ever since "daddy Warbucks" stepped back in the picture, I feel I must downscale a little to reflect my current intern pay-check (and respect him!!)

So the search, and the battle, begins...See, finding an apartment in NYC is not quite simple...and it's not just an affair of money! Finding an apt in this city is a matter of dedication, determination and sometimes chance and coincidence...

Craigslist: the bible
A cell phone and mobility at any given time: a blessing
Determination and a metropass: the key
A solid dossier: the holy grail

I am serious, these are the 4 keys to getting an apt in this crazy city...the last being the essential one!

In the past 2 weeks I have seen far too many apts...some big, some small, some old, others new, from Madison to Rivington, back to 14th and then Columbus...these 2 last weeks I have seen NY up and down! What is madening, however, is finally finding "the one" (apt I mean) and getting snubbed!! Ah, I fell on "the one" just last Wednesday, was basically promised all would be ok, and today I find out: NO, "the one" has been leased out to someone else!

How madening, how frustrating! Luckily I'm not out in the cold...I have a place of my own...but with the pressure of this low-paid intern salary I'm receiving weighing on my shoulders...I know that sooner than later, my UES, 1 bedroom, full kitchen, living room digs, will need to be replaced by something more...shall we say...normal!

Ahhhh...I'll keep you posted! In the meantime BISOUS! Flora xoxo

ps - O. I have a friend looking for an apt in Paris at the moment...preferably 6th...on rue, not cour...full bath...do you know of anywhere she could stay?

Change of a Dress

Hi girls, As you know, I am what you would call a girly girl, there is no question that I love love love dresses!  I have ever since I was a little girl, when I judged a dress’ “wow-factor” based on how much it flared when I twirled.  Even today, my personalized stationary (courtesy of the lovely A.H) is stamped with a dress, one of my facebook interests is “party dresses” and when an invitation says “casual” you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll arrive wearing a dress.  Long story short... I'm addicted!

In an attempt to make the winter pass faster, I have started shopping for spring/summer dresses!  haha!  I may be fun-employed at the moment, but that won't stop this Eternal Intern from buying dresses to wear to the fabulous new job I plan to stumble into any day now!

Here is my "best dress" list:

Rose, while you were in Toronto over the holidays, did you happen to visit Fashion Crimes on Queen Street?  I have yet to find a better place to purchase the quintessential party dress!

I'm off to play dress up!

bisous, Ophelia

An unfortunate encounter...

O, I feel your pain, but the “what do you do?” question should not perturb you…you should not have the slightest shame or qualm. O, keep waltzing away!

Ironically, I was at the other end of that question today…and what a shocker it was…

As I was flipping through the latest Vanity Fair, sitting outside the X Group’s (our mother group) HR office this afternoon (re: visa…thank goodness all is good!) I felt a tap on my shoulder…as my eyes de-glued themselves from the magazine, I realized the slender, stylish, perfectly put together, sleek haired, manicured nailed girl tapping my shoulder was to my incredible surprise: a girl called V.

Why the surprise? Well, V and I were at school together…we were never particularly close and never kept in touch post-grad…

And so, post-fake-air-kiss, I instinctively, “bouche-bée”, asked her: “What are you doing here? What do you do?”.

The answer was painful…my stomach dropped…it felt as though I had just been punched out! V, my dear V, is an Eternal Employee in one of the X Group's Timepieces companies. Not only is she an Eternal Employee…she works in their Communications department…she has health benefits…she has dental insurance…she gets paid vacation…and all this…HOW?!?

V. speaks one language (English!!)…she’s barely ever left Manhattan (other than to go to the Hamptons…)…she has a B.A (not an M.A)…she’s a year younger than me…and she’s too pretentious to be friendly…I could go on and on…but HOW the hell is she Eternally Employed!?!

I am confused, I am distraught, I am so disappointed by society today…

V. academically never had much going for her…but professionally, her parents’ Rolodex has clearly proven to be a gold-mine and a yellow-brick road into Eternal Employment…it’s no secret how she is where she is now…

And so I wonder…how do interns like me, soliciting and applying the good old paper/email/networking way (on our OWN) make it?! I trust we will indeed make it…but I fear there will forever be ‘lucky’ Vs around the corner with their parents’ Rolodex ready to cut in front of the Eternal Employment line…Does ‘fairness’ ever come into play in the Eternal Employment game? How about merit and worth?

As shocking as it is, I can’t let this bring me down. I know my worth…and you know what…V. might be Eternally Employed now…but at some point I will be too…and I’ll be climbing up that Eternal Employment ladder much faster than her…I have no doubt!

Getting in may be tough and a Rolodex may help…but rising up is clearly based on merit and not mum and dad’s friends!

On that I’m out for a drink! I need one!

F. xoxo

Cocktail Ready

Must haves for the perfect cocktail party look: 


A fab cocktail dress.  This Lanvin dress is to die for! 


A statement clutch. 


Classic jewelry.  I always channel my inner Chanel and opt for costume pearls.  


Gorgeous (and comfortable) heels


Simple yet elegant makeup.  Liquid liner is always amazing (if, and only if, you have a very steady hand!)

The Age Old Truth Redux

Hi girls, 

I hope Sunday is treating you well in Los Angeles and New York!  Rose, how was your drive?  Flora, I'll gladly join you in many of the fabulous "wheres" you listed!  

Last night, I accompanied the boyfriend to a work function hosted by the company's president.  We arrived at the beautiful Chalet des Iles in Boulogne around 7pm just in time for a few cocktails and a chance for me to meet some of his colleagues.  They were all very lovely, but the inevitable "And what do you do, Ophelia?" questions came up before I had even finished my first kir royale!  As we mingled, I began to dread the words "je vous présente ma copine, Ophelia" because I knew that like clockwork the dreaded question would arise. I tried to explain that last week I finished a fabulous internship at an even more fabulous fashion magazine, but all they seemed to hear was that I am unemployed and à la recherche of a new job.  Flora has touched on the judgement we face as "senior" interns, but I definitely experienced it first-hand hier soir.  

I can't complain though... It was a gorgeous night of drinks, dinner and dancing at the most beautiful venue.  Over kir royales and canapés I chatted with the lovely wives and other copines of the boyfriend's coworkers and I even met a fabulous Eternal Intern named Katherine who was half way through an internship at Publicis!   Dinner was an absolute delight:  Salade de mache au Chevre frais avec une vinaigrette parfumée a la truffe, followed by filet de boeuf bearnaise et pommes Dauphine.  And for dessert:  A mouthwatering tartelette à la creme et pralines roses!  Trop bon!  

My favorite part of the evening however, began when dinner ended. There is nothing more amazing and entertaining then watching otherwise reserved businessmen as they cut loose and get down on the dance floor!  What started as an elegant affair ended with YMCA, Celebrate and other wedding classics. The boyfriend and I even won a Waltz dance off (I was convinced to participate after one too many glasses of Sancerre!) taking home matching ipods!  

What a night girls, what a night!  

Bisous x x x Ophelia 

And the Golden Globe goes to...

Good Morning,

After an incredibly relaxing Saturday driving up the coast of Southern California and discovering the little town of Ojai in mountain regions, having Aebleskiver in the famous Danish city of Solvang, visiting Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and enjoying a wine tasting in Los Olivos wine country, I am excited to lay low today and prepare for Rose's 1st annual Golden Globe Party!  I have invited a few of my friends over for some bubbly and a night of ultimate glamor!

Here are my picks re my favorite categories for the 2010 Golden Globe Awards:

Best Motion Picture:

Avatar

Lightstorm Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox

Best Performance by an actress in a Motion Picture-Drama

Emily Blunt- The Young Victoria

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama

Colin Firth- A Single Man

Best Motion Picture- Comedy Or Musical

(500) Days of Summer

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy Or Musical

Sandra Bullock- The Proposal

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical

Daniel Day-Lewis- Nine

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Christoph Waltz- Inglorious Basterds

Best Animated Feature Film

Up

Best Director- Motion Picture

Kathryn Bigelow- The Hurt Locker

Best Screenplay- Motion Picture

Quentin Tarantino- Inglorious Basterds

Best Television Series (Comedy Or Musical)

Glee (Fox)

xxx Rose

Riding Along in Her Automobile...

Good morning, Eternal Interns!

Happy Weekend!  Flora, I would love to go shopping with you in Tokyo any day, just name the time and place!  How was the second week at the new gig?  And, O, hope you are enjoying every minute of FUN-employment?

Well, my week was extremely long!  By midday on Friday, I could barely think straight!  

I pretty much spent the entire week behind the wheel of a car driving around the producer, the talent, and most impressively... the producer's 3 year old child!  Oh joy!  It doesn't sound very glorious, but, as the point of any internship is to network to the best of my abilities, I actually enjoyed all the face time I had with my boss!  I feel as though we bonded in an informal environment, and driving cars that are 5 times as expensive as mine can also be fun in a city where driving is the ultimate delight!  I've decided that after saving for a nicer apartment, I am definitely upping my quality of life with a SEXY new convertible!

So what am I doing with my first day of freedom of the week?  Hitting the road!  Thelma and Louis style...

A fellow assistant and I are hitting the Pacific Coast Highway  this morning with absolutely NO plans, and NO intentions of making any.... We will be... Riding along in her automobile-With no particular place to go!.  We know we want to head North, but that is about all we know at this point!  

Well, I must run!  Got a lot of driving to do!

xxx Rose

Around the world in 80 seconds

O., how funny! While you were contemplating who you would dream to meet, I was perusing the globe determining where I would dream to go someday...someday when Eternal Interning has led to Eternal Employment and paid vacations!

I was dining with D. last night, and over one too many Martini Biancos I came up with the following list...la belle vie...

1) If Flora could shop anywhere it would be in...Tokyo, Japan, a city of eccentricity and extravagance, I would love to shop through Ginza...Chanel, Hermes, Burberry...they're all there with the added Japanese flare (the wallet to match would be great too, bien evidemment!).

2) If Flora could dine anywhere it would be in...Paris, France...incontestablement... Not "La Tour d'Argent" or "Le Jules Verne" ...plutot, a simple diner au Pied de Fouet du 7e, rue Babylone, suivit d'un cocktail in the incognito Prescriptions lounge, rue Mazarine...

3) If Flora decided to go Jet Set for a weekend it would be in...José Ignacio, Uruguay...Punta del Este's "more chic, but less famous" nextdoor neighbor is, in my opinion, THE lugar en vogue (yesterday and today) de America del Sur...a ver!

4) If Flora decided to go Native for a while it would be at...The Gallmann Africa Conservancy, Kenya. Inspired by Gallmann's "I Dreamed of Africa" and Blixen's "Out of Africa", participating in black rhino or elephant monitoring would be a surreal dream...

5) If Flora could pick a destination to brush up her linguistic skills it would be in...The Amalfi Coast, Italy...from Ravello to Positano, why not study, have fun and enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean simultaneously! La vita e bella!

6) If Flora could go on a wild adventure it would be at...Tropic Star, Pinas Bay, Panama...Having yet to catch a Marlin in my life, this would be a dream come true - a thrill, the great adrenaline rush! Rated No.1 Saltwater Fishing Camps, Tropic Star is a dream!

From Asia, to Europe, Africa and South and Central America, I think I'm set for the next few years...what do you think?

Flora xoxo