I am half-Finnish, half-Lebanese, born in Helsinki, Finland.

I was given the opportunity to move to LA for work, so I immediately packed up, sold almost all my belongings, flew to LA with two suitcases and started a new chapter in my life.

I live in Hollywood. I kinda just ended up there when I first moved to LA. My employer provided me a place to stay for a few first months as I was settling in, and I ended up staying in the same area. It’s the most convenient location for my commute and I love living walking distance to things.

It’s a love story (laughs). I traveled to LA for the first time in 2007, and I remember being blown away by the weather, the iconic skate spots, NBA, NHL, entertainment and all the concerts and other things a small city like Helsinki just doesn’t have. Finland is possibly the best place in the world to grow up: schools are great (and free), it's safe and you can really live a worry-free life, but LA is just full of endless opportunities.

The sun! When the sun is out, I want to be out. I want to be doing stuff, going to places. That’s something LA is not running out of: sunlight. What I also enjoy about LA is the diversity. For photos, there are so many different opportunities to capture the city. Just to use as an example, on Olympic Boulevard that cuts through the city — from East LA to the water, which is a quick drive — you can see a full spectrum of different income-level housing, downtown skyscrapers, and everything in between, and end up on a beach. I think LA is very photogenic.

I’ll never get tired of looking at the downtown LA skyline, so any elevated places like rooftops or hills with the view of the city. Griffith Observatory offers great views and I like to run up there, working out and walking through the planetarium.

I’m currently working on a project with Diamond Supply Co. and Nike. It’s been a really amazing experience to see this project come into life. Can’t wait to show everyone what we have been working on. I also just recently released my first printed zine titled Out of Bounds, which was a basketball-inspired travel journal; it was a really fun project. The feedback from some of my favorite art-book stores selling it has been great, so I’m gonna try to make more books in the future.

It’s always going to be traffic and weather, like it or not. A very highlighted conversation starter at the moment has been LeBron though!

Get lost, walk, run, bike, drive around, and leave your comfort zone. Use Waze (laughs) because it always takes you through the most random streets. The best thing about LA is you could have lived there for years but you can still discover something new all the time.

I love Jon & Vinny’s on Fairfax — the food is amazing. On a day-to-day basis, I find myself almost once a week at Tocaya on Sunset Plaza, or Tender Greens for comfort food.

During the summer, we always drive down to Laguna to hang out at the beach. The water is beautiful there. When in Hollywood and you want to grab a cold one, find me at Frolic Room. In Downtown LA, I always want to go walk through the Broad Museum; they have a beautiful building and a very very impressive collection of art.

Rose Bowl Flea Market. This is one of my favorite things to do in LA, and I highly recommend this to everyone. Set your alarms early.

The candy and chocolate is so good in Finland; I haven’t found a match yet from the US. Luckily I have friends traveling all the time, so usually it’s pretty easy to get it. Also there is Sockerbit on 3rd St next to the Grove — that has an okay selection — and Shoop’s European Market on Main St in Santa Monica has a lot of my favorites too. The only thing I’m really missing and haven’t found yet from LA is the dark rye bread from Finland. When I’m missing a home cooked Lebanese meal, I go to Open Sesame Grill for lunch or dinner, or Bowery Bungalow for brunch.

Always a window seat!

Wavy.