from above

Long time no blog! But here I am, fresh out of my first year of college, with new experiences, friends, and thoughts under my belt for lots and lots of posts. Much of my inspo and ideas stem from photos or videos- and this post was the brainchild of browsing through my photos from the past year.

I feel like many of us are enthralled with being up high- the popularity of rollercoasters, lookout points, hiking, and skydiving are evidences of it. My collection of photos preview places I have visited that are upon higher altitudes- airplane trips, hikes, even the view from my dorm room. What makes views from up above so mesmerizing? Maybe because it gives us a sense of power- having the means to be able to look upon the city from their corner office is every successful lawyer’s or businessperson’s dream. Or maybe its the opposite- being up so high, reflecting upon the struggle to get to the point, humbles us and lets us dwell on the insignificance of our existence.

Whatever the reason, incredible views from above mesmerizes most. I’ve shared some of them below- many were taken on a whim after realizing their beauty, so some are not the best quality but I hope they make you feel something anyway.

Xo,
F

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(Water) Falling in Love | Santa Ynez Falls Hike

A super fun and relaxing way to unplug while also exercising is hiking! There are so many great hiking spots here in LA, but I totally fell in love with Santa Ynez Falls in Pacific Palisades. It’s a pretty easy hike; perfect for beginners, although there’s a few  rocks to climb and streams to cross at the end towards the small waterfall, but nothing too hard. We were there at about 9, and we had the whole place to ourselves! It was cute and quaint, if you could describe a hiking trail as that. I had just finished The Scarlet Letter, and Santa Ynez gave me the woods in Boston vibes although it probably wasn’t like it, besides the stream and the sun peeking through the trees ever so often. It was pretty chilly and shady, so it was a good idea that I had brought a light jacket. Anyway, I’ll for sure come here again to take some better pictures and maybe have a lil photoshoot with friends. Free parking and free entrance- just another reason to spend the day at Santa Ynez Falls. Some photos of the reverie below! Let me know what your favorite hiking spots are!

XO,

Firda

 

another world

 

surrounded by the trees

 

as the light hits the fall leaves

 

nature

 

rock ‘n streams

 

action shot!! drought in California what?

 

we made it! cutest lil waterfall! would be a lovely dip in the summertime

 

nice leaves

 

edgy tunnel

 

art!

 

drives on the PCH with Spanish music> anything else ever

Through One Lens & Another: A Series 

So hey- I was scrolling through my photos and found some gems I took at the Hermosa Festival during Labor Day through the lens of my sparkly phone & sunglasses. Just a simple beach day with the fam- sissy featured.  I don’t know what I was trying to accomplish that day; I think I was inspired by Shelby Hamiltons ‘s blog and how she did some cool photos with her sunglasses but I sure am glad I did. Also, I think I was trying to see Hermosa through the lens of someone from a distant time with vintage-y photos. It’s weird thinking about past intentions. I call this work “Through One Lens and Another”. Enjoy and please tell me what you think!

Xo- Firda

 

Sitting, waiting, wishing

 

Sparkly vanilla cones

 

The flowers (?) reminded me of my old house when one time we used them to make a stew and then a cat peed in it. Don’t know the name of this plant to this day..

Labor day beach mob

I want a boat

 

Would never get tired of this view

 

A perfect imperfection

 

All smiles

 

Pier people

 

DIY Valentine’s Day Gift: Vanilla Cakepops Coated in Chocolate

This Valentines Day inspired recipe is a sweet, thoughtful gift for your loved ones. It requires no special ingredients or tools, and is simply scrumptious. My friend Saki decided to teach me how she makes these delicious bites and we tested out the recipe yesterday and were pleased with how it turned out.

What you need:
1) A Container of store-bought frosting any flavor you prefer. I used vanilla.
2) Yellow boxed cake mix & the ingredients the box calls for, in order to prepare the cake. (mine called for 3 eggs, water,& oil)
3) Semi-sweet chocolate chips.
4) Cake Pop sticks ( if you cant find them, just cut wooden skewers in half)

Directions:
1) Bake cake according to package. I simply mixed all of the wet ingredients with the dry and baked the cake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.
2) Cool cake for about an hour ( its takes waaaaay less time if you cool it in the fridge).
3) Break the cooled cake into small crumbs.
4)Mix the frosting into the crumbled cake. Add enough so that the mixture is not too wet nor too dry. Make sure there is enough frosting in the mixture in order to form cake balls. Do not add too much frosting or it will cause the cake balls to break.
6)Form meatball sized balls. You can use an ice cream scoop in order to obtain uniform sized cakepops. I simply just estimated the size of each cake pop.
7) Insert the sticks into the center of the cake pops. Place the cake pops in the freezer for 10-15 minutes so that they can harden.
8) Melt chocolate chips over a double broiler or in intervals of 30 sec in the microwave until the chocolate has completely melted. You can use candy melts if you want a colorful coating on your cake pop.
9) Coat each cake pop in the melted chocolate. You can top the coated cake pops with festive sprinkles for another added touch.Allow it to cool on a tray in the fridge.

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Xoxo
– Shiza

Guest Appearance: Saki

Something I’ll Never Get Sick Of

Happy Friday lovelies! So since you guys probably want to have some fun this Friday evening, I’ll keep it short and simple. One thing I’ll never get sick of, ever, would probably be sunsets. Everyday the colors of the sunset are different and always breathtaking. Totally cliché, I know, but they are so beautiful and no matter where you are, the sun will always set. I have a thing for constants in life. The amazing sight will always end your day gorgeously. Here are some pictures of sunsets I’ve taken, from the beach to car rides to the streets. Enjoy, and have a safe and wonderful weekend.

xx – Firdausi

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