5 Reasons Why I Could Never Be a Fashion Blogger

We've all seen them- hair masterfully curled, make up flawless, perfectly pleated shirts, and sky high heels. Not only is every outfit perfectly color and season coordinated, their nails are painted to match, and their jewelry looks like it should be on the runway. Each one of their 20 pictures per post is magazine-worthy, with beautiful barn backdrops or in rustic tea shops. As I peruse through these posts, a singular thought stands out in my mind- I could never be a fashion blogger. Here's why: 

1. Most of my outfits look like this, with variations on top. Leggings, boots or flats, and a blouse. Today, I happened to be cold in the 70 degree California weather, so I threw on a jacket. 

2. I do not have beautiful #ootd locations. Beautiful barns? Nope. Cultured cities? Nope. Vintage tea shops? Nope. My mirror at home? Yes. Brick walls because my school was built in 1965? Yes. A lot. Check out this post for more evidence of that. 

3. I take most of my pictures with my pathetic phone, and I do not have 3000 pictures, from every possible angle, showcasing every possible detail of my outfits. Nope, just one for Instagram. Also, as lovable as I am, no one wants to take 3000 pictures of someone else. 

4. When I find something I like, I wear it. A lot. This morning my mother said, and I quote "Hima, you're such a hobo. This is the third day in a row you're wearing that jacket." I LIKE IT AND IT'S WARM OKAY LEAVE ME ALONE. 

5. I could never live up to my swagalicious (hi somya) parents. I mean, look at that deep v-neck. And mom, those hammer pants. #werk. You're also really cool with your gang signs. 

I only wish I had inherited their coolness. 

xo, Hima

Things I'm Guilty Of

Everyone has bad habits quirks, right? I know that there are some stereotypical ones (i.e. nail biting), but I'm sure there are some unique to each person. Here are mine!

*Mentally responding to texts and emails, but never actually responding or responding a week later

*Reading blog posts all the way through but not commenting. I get lazy. 

*Flossing my teeth two days before the dentist, and pretending I have no idea what she's talking about when she mentions my inflamed gums

*Taking 01984029384 pictures so I have one salvageable one

Exhibit A. I made Sneha take at least 12 pictures before I settled on this one. Oh also, I found this bear in a teacher's classroom. I named him Paddington. The first thing I'm going to do when I turn 18 is go buy myself a Paddington from Costco (because no way is my mom going to let me buy one for the house). 

*Recording TV shows (New Girl, anyone?) and not watching them for weeks.

*Collecting WAY too many random notebooks because they're adorable and I will have a purpose for them some day. Remember that notebook I got from Tiny Prints? I still haven't written a word in it because I can't decide what's important enough to write in it. I still carry it to and from school every day though.

*Not being productive until it really matters

*Rewearing an outfit a million times because I really like it- i.e. not making new combos with the clothes.

*Playing with my hair when I'm bored

*Waiting until the very last second to charge my dying computer. (I'm at 8% as I write this!)

*Finding a song I like and listening to it on loop until I'm sick of it

* Putting too many books on hold and not being able to read them, so I end up staying up later than my already late junior year bed time to read and I regret it the next day. 

What are you guilty of? Share them with me in the comments below!

xo, Hima

RECIPE: Healthy Deep Dish Cookie Pie

Hey y'all! So after the success of my Healthy Cookie Dough Dip, I decided to keep working on healthifying some of the most guilt-inducing foods. And so I bring you, Healthy Deep Dish Cookie Pie. 

The secret ingredient is- you guessed it- beans!

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans of white or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained. (I used white in the dip, so I decided to try garbanzo this time, and it came out really well)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking power
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup cane sugar
• 2 tsp canilla extract
• HELLA chocolate chips (Hello, NorCal, where hella is adjective)
• (hella is anywhere from 1-1.5 cups. I did 1 and it was plenty.

1. Use a food processor to blend everything except the chocolate chips. Be sure to keep it going for a long time- no one likes bean or oat chunks in their pie!

2. Pour into a bowl and stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a 9 or 10 inch springform pan and bake for 35-37 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. 

Don't forget to get in some spatula licking action- no eggs so this is absolutely safe!

Y'all, this was my first time using the springform pan, and I think I now know what love it. Look at those clean edges!

The best part about all of this? 1/8 of this is less than 200 calories. Because this is made of garbanzo beans, it's ridiculously filling, and even my brother, who is an almost 10 year-old food monster couldn't eat more than that. My mom and I stuck to 1/16ths, which were still amazingly filling. 

Peace out, girl scout. 

xo, Hima

Linking up with Meatless Monday

Recipe adapted from @whatlindsey ate on Insta! (seriously my fave account, go follow!)

Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me Part 2

Read Part 1 here!

Hey y'all! Before I go subject myself to hours of bio for my exam tomorrow, I wanted to stop by and write a quick note. My favorite blog posts are the personal ones- whether they're super deep, or just a collection of little facts. Today I decided to share a little list of all the weird quirks I have- things you probably don't know, whether you know me personally or not. 

*I believe that Powerpoints are like poetry. You have to put the right word in the right place

*I write notes on my notes. For example, in my history notes, "The Golden Gate Bridge was one o the Works Projects Administration [HOLLA at us- West Coast, Best Coast!]). I don't know why- i just do it. 

* I Always sit super far forward on my chair. Like literally, on the forward most three inches. 

*My joints crack a lot. My shoulder cracked as I was typing this, and my elbow cracked when I raised my hand in class today. It doesn't hurt though- I just don't know why!

*Pressing command-q instead of command-w on my laptop is the bane of my existence. It's definitely a first world problem though ;) 

*I literally cannot do anything without someone else's advice or input. From Instagram filters to major life decisions- it's honestly a vice and it's something I'm working on. 

Now for some completely random photos from this week, because what's a Friday post without a photo recap? 

Formal day at school with my favorite Spanish teacher! (I don't actually go around taking photos with all my teachers okay- it was an Instagram challenge for my school

Look at this ADORABLE little polaroid from last week's dance! I'm obsessed with it. 

Our math teacher was out for the day- for the first time ever! Also, I just noticed how color-coordinated we are. 

Okay- your turn. Tell me something I probably don't know about you!

xo, Hima

Tea Party Tuesday Link-Up!

Hey y'all! Hope you're having a fantabulous Tuesday. Since I'm not feeling so hot, I've been drinking a TON of tea. So this is kind of my life right now: hitting the books, drinking tea, and being sick. So, how perfect is this link-up for today? I'm kind of obsessed with Jacky and her British-themed blog, so check it out! :)

One of the best parts about blogging is meeting new friends from across the world. I've done this by participating in many link-ups and blog networks over the past year. After much deliberation, I've decided it's time to start my own. Since my blog has a major British theme going on, I thought a weekly tea party would be the perfect way to bring bloggers together. Of course you don't actually have to drink tea while you link up... but it is preferred! The rules are pretty simple - you can link up ANY type of post you'd like (fashion, travel, recipes, etc). I just ask that you link back and follow me and whoever might be co-hosting.  Speaking of co-hosts - if you're interested in co-hosting a future Tea Party Tuesday, please email me here. 

The (easy-peasy) Rules: 1. Link up ANY post and link back here. 2. Follow Keep Calm and Blog On and your co-host(s). 3. Visit at least three other bloggers below and say hello.
Sip your tea and nibble your crumpets - let's hop to it... #teapartytuesday

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Your Host: 

Keep Calm and Blog On//Bloglovin'//Twitter

Your Co-Hosts: 

             

Amy V. Norris// Bloglovin'//Twitter 

Hima-Hearts//Bloglovin'//Facebook

Tiny Prints Makes My Life

Hey y'all! I hope you're as alive as one can be on a Monday morning. 

So a couple of weeks ago happened to be my parent's 20th anniversary- 20 years of love, laughter, and learning to love each other's faults is a long time, so naturally, I wanted to do something memorable to commemorate the occasion.

That's why I was so excited when Tiny Prints, an branch of Shutterfly, I received an email from Tiny Prints about the fabulous services the site offers. One click, and I was in love- gorgeous, and completely customizable card designs, thank you notes, stationary- they have it all! On top of everything, their customer service is impeccable (Thank you Kricel, for all your help!)

I knew we'd be having a party for my Parent's 20th anniversary, but they didn't know what hit them when I set up these two cork boards with pictures from the last 25 years through present day. I called it "The History of the Rajanas"

In addition to the photos, I wanted my parents to have something to remember this day by, so I ordered two lovely sets of photocards from Tiny Prints, and had guests leave notes- advice, memories, good wishes- just about anything!

I've gotta say, it was a HUGE success. My parents were absolutely surprised, and all the guests loved the idea. It was so nice to go through the photos and relive the memories of the last 25 years, and even more fun to see how fashion has changed. (Look out for my post on why I'll never be a fashion blogger soon!)

As a little bonus to myself, I couldn't resist this adorable notebook. How cute is this?

I loved Tiny Prints, and I'll definitely be working with them again soon. Their service is amazing, and shipping is really fast too. The website said it would take 8 days, but my notebook got here in three!

Do you like to do things with your photos- apart from Instagram-ing them? (Yes, that is now a word). I love making prints and putting them up on my wall- I feel like there's a special quality that just can't be captured through digital images alone!

xo, Hima

*I did receive free materials as a part of this collaboration, but all opinions stated above are mine.
Linking up with Monday Morning Gossip and Manic Monday!

February Books

Hey y'all! So at the beginning of this month, when I published my February Goals, I mentioned that I wanted to read four books, and surprisingly, I was able to follow through with that. I tried to write short and spoiler-less reviews, so enjoy! 

*fyi, didn't read the Portuguese version- it was all I could find, photo wise 

I definitely didn't like this as much as Catching Fire, of the Hunger games series, plot-wise. It was too focused on the love blossoming between Tori and Four. (not that I'm some kind of sadist, but I'm reading dystopian fiction, not thinly disguised romance). The action scenes were written well- I dried out my contacts two nights in a row staying up late to finish this! Ultimately, I was a little tired of Tris's internal conflict by the end of the book. The ending was a cliffhanger- I was ready to start Allegiant right away. (Rate: 4/5)

 1. I hated the back and fourth between Tris and Tobias. Too much going on ,and it was hard to follow since the other tow books didn't follow the same model. 

2. Too many plot twists: I think Katy Perry summed it up pretty well in Hot N Cold!

3. The ending....seriously? This is not okay (Rate: 3/5)

This book is not something that you will tear through in a night of feverish page turning. It's the kind of book that needs to be picked up for twenty minutes here and there, the kind of book that takes a couple of weeks to get through. It's also the kind of book that will leave laying in bed, content, and looking up at the ceiling when you're finally finished. Extremely Loud and Incredibly close is hilarious at times, and absolutely sob-worthy at others. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and felt a deeper understanding of two things when I finished: 1. The devastation that 9/11 brought to New York specifically and to America as a whole. 2. How not everyone has a happily ever after at age 25-love takes years to cultivate. (Rate: 4/5)

Smiles, chuckles, tears, and outright sobs: all things that I experienced as I read this book. This personifies the love that dogs and owners cultivate SO very well, and I viewed my Bella in a completely different way after reading it. (Rate: 5/5)

Well, that's it! What books have you read this month? Have you read any of the above ever? What did you think? Also, I'm in need of suggestions- hit me up in the comments below!!

xo, Hima

P.S. Remember that election I was talking about? I won. :)

Yes, this Blog is Still Alive

Hey y'all!

 Ahh, that feels nice. It might not seem like a long time, but a week is AGES without a blog post. For once, I have good reason. I have been up to my ears in work for my student government campaign. Elections are today, so we get results tomorrow. I'm incredibly nervous, but I know I gave it my all. 

One thing that really struck me as interesting is how social media has changed student government elections over the years. It used to be simple- posters and flyers at school, and a speech. Now?
While you still get most of your votes from your speech at school, social media plays a huge factor in your campaign. I ran a Facebook event, released an 10-picture series on reasons to vote for me via Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #himaforidc, and added plugs into my Snapchat stories.


If any of y'all remember, I was my school mascot at an event a few months ago. Super hot in there, and you can't actually see out of the eyeholes.

Totally taking advantage of an incorrect email my assistant principal sent out ;) Props to Sneha for the idea. 

What, you didn't think I'd somehow find a way to tie in the blog? It's a huge part of my life! :)


Our homecoming theme was this year was the Wizard of Oz, so a few of us dressed up. Clearly, I'm tin man.


Is this not the cutest #tbt ever? Makes me miss Minnesota and all the snow!


I went to school dressed like this and walked around for a day. 'Nuff said.

And finally, as if I hadn't posted enough, a selfie to remind people to vote online. 

If you go to Lynbrook: To access the 2014 ASB Elections log onto your district's Infinite Campus Parent Portal at https://campus.fuhsd.org/campus/portal/fremont.jsp and select the survey link in your inbox. Thanks everyone!

See what I mean about social media? It's all about bugging people in as many ways as possible- heck, some of us even added it into our Snapchat stories! (P.S. Marla, thank you for enduring those HAHA) I don't know, just something interesting.

 Okay y'all...sorry if this post was painfully awkward. I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but we should be back to regularly scheduled programming by Wednesday.

xo, Hima