Life after Paris

While in Paris, I met several Americans who went to Paris and never went back to America.  After living in Paris for a month, I could certainly see why.  Just the quality of a fresh French baguette is a big reason. The food is just so good, and you know how much I love food!  And there must be something in the air, because I was super creative when I was there.  Michael and I wrote ten songs while we were there, and four of them will be included in my album.  I met some amazing people, including Jack Robinson, an award-winning songwriter who worked with a myriad of artists from Grace Jones to Meredith Brooks.

Now that I’m back in Los Angeles, it’s time to get busy.  Recording the songs, filming music videos, and playing shows are on the agenda for the next few months. Stay tuned!

On graduation and getting my MBA…

(Backdated from August 8, 2011)

Today I have such a strange feeling of relief and gratitude.  Getting my MBA on Saturday was so momentous and I actually did get a little teary-eyed during the ceremony, especially when I looked around and saw the 300 graduates who made the same kinds of sacrifices I did in order to get through grad school.  All the studying done on nights and weekends, group meetings, and not to mention class from 6pm-10pm twice a week for two and a half years. And having the honor of singing the national anthem was also a moment of achievement for me.  I think it was the biggest crowd I’ve ever sang in front of! 2,000 people were there.

But hey, now I have my MBA so I can do some forecasting and commentary on business-related matters and people will have to listen to me!

Mr. Bernard Kinsey, a distinguished Pepperdine alum, made a very inspiring speech. The best I have ever heard, and I am so lucky that he spoke at my graduation.

xoxo Layla xoxo

Day 8 in São Paulo

The day started very early-7am. We went to the American chamber of commerce of Brazil where we learned of the different resources that American companies have if they plan on doing business here.
Then it was time to go to our next appointment which was to the regional office of UNICA which represents the ethanol and sugar industry in Brazil. In an hour I learned so much about cane sugar ethanol (ask me about it sometime, it’s quite interesting!). On the way to our next appointment, we got super stuck in Sao Paulo traffic which was very reminiscent of being stuck on the 110 north during rush hour. We went to Brazilian business school to talk about the Brazilian economy with Brazilian MBA students. It was nice to hear the perspective of the local students about their economy as well as what they perceived of the United States.  I enjoy controversial topics.

Day 7 in São Paulo

Today we had a tour of Sao Paulo by bus. We saw all of the important historical sites and even visited the city cathedral. Then we went to this amazing cafe/bakery/grocery store called 24h because it is open 24/7. I had the best filet mignon sandwich in the world.  The highlight of the day was attending a Brazilian soccer game. It was Palmeiras vs MFC which was a semi important game because it was the quarter finals. The weather was gloomy and rain seemed imminent.  Since we were a big group, we each had a buddy, which kind of reminded me of second grade. My buddy was Brett and he actually became my business consultant.  They were selling rain ponchos for 5 reals and I thought that was too expensive. Brett told me, “Just say you’ll buy it for 3 reals”, and I did, and I got it!  And when I had to use the bathroom, I noticed long lines to the porta potties. Brett said, “Why not use the handicap one? They’re not being used.” So I used the handicap one that had no lines. He justified that, “In business we would call that an underutilized asset.” True. So I’ve decided since then that Brett is going to be my business consultant.
It was a long day and when we returned to the hotel, I was ready to take a nap. Unfortunately I was conned to go out right away with three friends in the program.  We went to two different music clubs, only to find that they were closed, and the cab driver then recommended a night club to us.  We didn’t realize that we were in a gay club until it was too late. They tried to charge the girls 70 reals to get in, while the guys were only charged 50.  It was the first time I’ve ever been charged more for being a girl! At any rate, a great time was had by all.  Most of the guys in the club were shirtless and had nice physiques.  Meanwhile, there were many “girls” there who were actually very convincing!

Day 6 in São Paulo

It is always a relief when you arrive at the airport and find that your flight is not cancelled and that you are on time for it.  At least it is for me! I was actually very impressed by TAM Airlines.  Check out their safety video! It was very fun to watch, and I loved the retro feel of it. The flight from Rio to Sao Paulo was only an hour long, and the airport was pretty close to my new hotel.  Sao Paulo is definitely very gray. Lots of tall gray buildings against a gray sky.  Actually the day was nice and sunny, and it was a perfect day to go shopping.  I walked around Rua Oscar Freire and saw some amazing stuff that I can’t imagine many people being able to afford, like this awesome pair of shoes:

I am so tempted to buy it, but for the same amount of money, I bought two pairs of shoes and two dresses.

I am transitioning from being fun Layla to being serious Layla, since my school’s program starts tomorrow.  We are going to be studying the Brazilian economy for a week, which includes lecturers and visits to various Brazilian companies.  For dinner, I met up with an alumni of my school who I met at graduation just last week.  I was helping him with his graduation robe and casually asked what his plans were after graduation.  When he said he was going to Sao Paulo, I was excited because I was going to be there at the same time he was.  Except that he wasn’t just coming to Sao Paulo to visit. He actually got a good job in asset management for an international bank.  He’s a smart guy and we talked about the Brazilian economy over our Middle-Eastern themed dinner. After dinner, he had research to do (such a good employee that he is!) and so my friend from the program Bob and I went out.  I had two ideas of where to go, but both places ended up being closed, so we just hung out at a bar and talked, then went to a club called Rey Castro (yes, alluding to Fidel Castro!) where we enjoyed paying a hefty cover fee, expensive drinks, but at least it had great live music.  I’m not sure where the communist theme comes in to play, because it was quite a capitalist enterprise, if you ask me.