MY FAVORITE WEEKEND : Gabriela Teissier

The former model and singer is an Emmy Award-winning entertainment reporter for KVEA-TV, the flagship station of the Spanish-language Telemundo network.

New Adventures: My perfect weekend has to have a little adventure, a little art, a little nature and, if I get lucky, a little bit of romance. Every weekend I try to go to a place where I have never been before. I love nature, so I enjoy visiting places like the Huntington Library or the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes. Or I spend time just driving around, which is great therapy for me. Sometimes when I’m on my way to a particular place, I’ll come across an interesting-looking little side road and I’ll turn off and explore that. That calms me down, too. And while I’m driving, I listen to CDs that are totally new to me; I always discover great stuff that way.

Entertaining Work: Weekends are supposed to be the perfect time to relax, to slow down, to get away from work. But in my case, entertainment happens to be at its peak on the weekends, and I’ve got to be out and about. Thankfully, I often have several concerts and shows to consider before I find the one I really want to attend.

Comic Relief: I prefer the small venues, which is why I go to places like the Improv on Melrose. I like comedy because I would rather laugh than cry. But musicals are a good option too, and there is always a good one in this town.

Picture This: When I’m busy and I really can’t get away, one of the things I like to do is take long walks--they can be at a soothing place like the beach or just down any old street. If it’s in the city, I’ll stop at some bookstores and browse around. That’s often where I find inspiration for my watercolor paintings--not in the pictures, but in what I read. Poems are especially inspiring to me. Finding some time to paint is also part of a perfect weekend.

Wine and Roses: My balcony looks like a jungle now because another favorite weekend pursuit is buying plants. Not flowers, plants. Oh, I love flowers--especially the bright colors--but I feel guilty when they die. Plants are sturdier. At night, I enjoy just sitting down to write. Nothing in particular, just writing. I’ll also have a sip or two of good red wine. And in the best of cases, I can share all this with someone I love.