Marc Jacobs discusses about his tenure at Vuitton and addresses the rumors about Dior  in French Vogue. But the most interesting part to me is how he deals with stress and creativity.

It’s a given that artists are one of a kind and therefore more sensible to pressure and afraid of the wild world outa there. I honestly think it’s bullshit as everyone of us is exposed to pressure at some points in life, and it’s all the more true in our competitive world. I can talk for white collars, because it’s the population I’m part of, but I think it’s applicable to any of the millions of slaves who got to work every day, cope with commuting, do their best at the office, and still feel irresponsible toward kids, parents, friends as they do not pay bigger attention to them.

All of us live under pressure, I mean those who’re hungry for more. But most of us cope with it because we cannot afford to just give up. And drink, do drugs or commit suicide. I’m glad to hear from an artist like Marc Jacobs that it’s his duty to cope with creativity and commerciality and to balance perfection of one collection and timely delivery for the season, and confess that he seeks help when he needs some. I’m pretty glad to read in Vogue that an artist can be grounded in reality. I’ll keep this February issue in my archives for sure.

My beautician is making me switch over to Dermalogica products. My fav is the daily microfoliant which really washes off my face from all dead cells and daily dust and brightens my complexion wonderfully. I start over enjoying water on my face 4 years after I banned it over ‘micellaire’ solutions like Bioderma’s. I refilled last month and the package was overwrapped into a secondary one inviting to make a microloan to a small entrepreneur. I didn’t need to pay any more money since I already paid for it when I purchased the product (clever isn’t it?), but I needed to check in to the website, and make the donation: £1…. Hell! No one’s hurt! So did I do my charity action, clicked on Latin America and picked clothes, because it’s my thing. And forgot about it. And just today I find this email that I helped Castula buying soft drinks, costume, jewelry, bags and ladies’ accessories. How gracious she looks with her her skirt and matching handbag, that she carries with as much elegance as Bernadette [Chirac, the French First Lady before Carla Bruni Sarkozy].

The email goes on, describing who’s Castula, her family and how my £1 (yes £1) will help her strive her business.

And for £1 (yes £1), I’ve been pushed to act by myself (not give £1 to the cashier that would go to whatever charity that I would never look further into), log in to that website, voluntarily put my details and choose what was more appealing to me. And because I receive back some news of how I contributed … you know what! I feel compelled to do more. The ‘business’ model is just brilliant. It’s on Kiva‘s model which was created by a Stanford MBA, a fellow graduate of my boyfriend. It makes me feel so proud to be part of the Stanford community.

I’m off relaxing in the Alps with family for one week and for once I get time to think and plan rather than rush as I’m used to do ever since I moved back to Paris and London. Taking photos (the  Alps are not bad), planning my next vacations (by end of May/ beg of June, there’s a couple of weeks off peak) and improving my blog look (which I’m struggling with for almost one year now as I’m no techie, just computing savvy) are the most cumbersome of my activities.

While touring the blogs, tourism office websites and travel guides, I bumped into those pictures of Sicily in my photos archives. It was in October 2010 one year ago, just at the end of the peak season. It was still warm and sunny while Paris was already drowning in the most freezing Autumn ever. I landed at Palermo and toured the island clockwise thru Castelbuono, Taormina, Modica, Agrigente and back at Palermo over a 10-day road trip. Unsurprisingly, I loved loved the countryside and small towns (relaxing, peaceful landscape, strong and diverse culinary traditions), and have been less than impressed with the ‘big’ cities of Palermo and Catane (too busy, too crowdy, too grey). Many places in Sicily are still peaceful and quiet. Those elderly relaxing on a bench, gazing at passers by looks the most enviable retirement to me.

My recommendation of B&B. All tidy, comfy with the most hospitable hosts:Antico Baglio at Castelbuono, Villa Sara at Taormina, L’orangerie at Modica, Agrigento’s Terrazza di Monteluza

I slept at city garden hotel last night in Zug, Switzerland. I usually hate traveling for work. Waking up at 6am, queuing at the airport, getting stripped at security gate, put out your coat, scarf, jacket, shoes, belt, pull out the laptop, the second personal one, the camera, get bipped, cross back the gate, strip further, pass the security once more, put everything back on and in, queuing at the gate, queuing to take your seat, have a Pitt look alike seating on this seat ” seats behind yours… For what? For work! … not even vacations! See what I mean?

But this time around I was pleasantly surprised that my client booked me a pleasant room. Comfy bed, big bathroom, pleasant staff.

You see the blue colors in the miror? it’s the bathroom color. I wouldn’t pick that color for my home, but it was pretty cool at the hotel. Glad I signed for one year with this client!

I spent my summer walking accross Hyde Park whenever I could.

When I moved in to London, my friends all told me how lucky I was to live nearby Hyde Park and how wonderful the park was in summer. But in January the naked trees looked just depressing. I was like what’s the fuss with Hyde Park, I want my Bois de Boulogne in London. Then spring blossomed and after summer heat up and sad grey turned to pale green to vivid green and pink, yellow, blue (sky) (like fashion actually!). It’s hard to believe that you actually walk in town as it’s big enough for you not to see one end from the other. The Bois de Boulogne is not in Paris indoor, it’s actually in a nearby town called Boulogne Billancourt.

Fall is now definitely on. For the first time in 6 months, I jogged with proper socks, long sleeved shirt and kept my dry fit running jacket on and zipped up. I guess those are my last pictures of summer in Hyde Park. I’m off tomorrow to Paris for 1 day and then home to the Caribbean for 17 days (not 2 weeks only, 2 weeks and 2 days!). When I’ll get back, trees will look again as I got to see them almost 1 year ago.

On my way out to Guiana last week, I stopped one day in Paris to have my hair cut and shop beauty products to refill my bathroom cabinet. I am loyal to my Sisley products, which are cheaper in France, and nothing is as good as the beauty products I’ve been purchasing in French pharmacies for years. Among my favorites, Klorane’s shower gels smell really good and are still gentle to my dehydrated skin.They are available in tens of fresh to floral fragrances. I stocked my Bioderma cleanser as well.  It’s a non rinse soothing lotion that’s liquid like a toner but that you can use alone, no prior milk needed. I wet a cotton pad and wipe my face. All dirt and make up are gone. It leaves my skin fresh, and doesn’t dry it. Dexeryl is a hydrating cream intended for really dry skin that I mix with Melvita 100% Organic Argan Oil to moisturize my thirsty body skin. Dexeryl costs close to nothing in France. It’s really thick, but it moisturizes really well.

Yeah I know what you’re thinking. My posts’ titles are repetitive. But it’s green. And yesterday was red.

Let me introduce you to Paddington basin at the back of Paddington train station going toward Edgware Road. There’s a kind of water pond it’s nice to stroll along rather than walking Praed Street.

It’s been some days the pond is covered with a green something, pollen I guess. It’s so neon as a green that it looks like some chemical contamination.