Since temperatures have dropped from scorching to chilly, I've put my fall shoe collection to good use, particularly, my favorite suede boots.  When I woke up on Tuesday morning feeling like the sleep fairy had sprinkled iced cubes between my sheets, I decided it was time to whip out my black suede Chinese Laundry knee-high boots. 

A colleague and I had a few interviews for a reporting project scheduled earlier that morning. I paired the boots with a gray sweater dress from H&M and a black blazer from Zara, aiming to look as professional as possible while staying warm in the process. 

I even decided to complement the look by actually doing my hair and makeup. I took the time to brush the tangles out of my jungle-length hair and blow-dry it straight. I even tried out some new eye makeup that I'd been meaning to test drive. 

As I walked out the door of my apartment building, I noticed that it had started to drizzle. I wanted to arrive early so I decided to ignore the weather and instead, jogged over to the bus stop.

After a few blocks down Vermont Avenue, I realized that I had made a horrible mistake. I gazed out the window to see that the harmless trickle of rain I thought would only dampen my suede boots had started pouring furiously. 

I watched in horror as the drops of rain formed massive puddles on the sidewalks and spilled over into the grimy gutters, which were starting to flood. So much for sunny California, I thought to myself. The extreme climate shift meant a horrible inevitability: Death to my suede shoes.

I cringed as I waded through the swampy streets of South Central and jumped over the blackened rainwater that pooled all over the pavement. My boots, given to me as a birthday present last year, were officially ruined. They were soaked through all the way to the inside and I could feel my socks squelch with every step I took. 

There I was, moments away from meeting my colleague and our interviewees (who just happened to be school teachers), and I looked like a complete and utter train wreck. My hair hung in wet, tangled clumps, my eyeliner and mascara were about to drip down to my chin and my entire outfit was totally soaked. 

The rain had, in just a few minutes, transformed my look from star reporter to soggy sheepdog. Nonetheless, I wasn't about to let a little bad weather screw up my Lois Lane state of mind. So I ran to the restroom, composed myself and got back to work.

When I woke up on Wednesday morning to gloomy skies and light showers, I told myself to forego professionalism for practicality. I put my hair in braids and wore waterproof makeup. I put away the trousers, blazer and button-down I'd originally set aside and layered my favorite gray hoodie over a black cotton dress, black leggings and tokidoki galoshes that my mom gave me. She bought the boots while she was on vacation in Canada last summer and gave them to me when we met up in the Philippines, and I took them back to Hong Kong with me so I could brave out the rainy days during my internship there. 

That morning, I was happy that my traveling rain boots finally had the opportunity to make their L.A. debut, especially in a city that's dry 99 percent of the time.