KISS. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. Far too often I catch myself overthinking, overexerting and over-doing things. Trying to mesh lots of things into one design or do too many things at once. This only makes for a lot of “less good” things done at one time, or not enough great things being done. Less is more and quality over quantity. I’ve learned this in New York, more than anywhere else I’ve lived so far in my life. Here in New York, you can get almost ANYTHING you want to eat. It’s a blessing and a curse. We can get that $1 pizza slice, or you can get that $5 pizza slice that has the tag line “Organic” or “Farm fresh” in front of it. While the cheap price point might be on point, you get what you pay for most of the time and it’s not always pretty. Definitely not as pretty as the meal above or even the one be low.

Okonomi is the cutest little restaurant tucked away in the BK. That’s Brooklyn, Williamsburg to be exact. Thanks to friends who live in the neighborhood, I have only heard good things about their traditional Japanese set breakfast. Over a year later, I finally got to try it myself and it did not disappoint. The colors, the flavors, the presentation, the ambiance. Everything so simple, yet tasty and made from local, fresh ingredients. Every time you go it’s different, and this time I selected to have the sake-marinated Big Eye Tuna. Combined with picked veggies, egg and swiss chard, it was divine. Living up to it’s hype and then some. Not to mention the company. This was my second time at Okonomi, the first was for a ramen birthday dinner, and I would go back again and again. With only 12 seats and 1/3 of them being at the bar, it’s not great for big parties so keep it simple, stupid. Bring A friend, not 10.

And then there’s Umami Burger. Straying away from the small quaint vibe, to the borderline loud boisterous bro-bar. This California implant holds a special place in my heart because of the times I had Umami in LA. The burger isn’t big, the choices are also changing and not of a wide variety, but the burger is done right. I am a burger girl. I love to eat a good one cooked just right with a little pink. Not really a fan of the Whopper Jr. anymore and will pay for quality over that White Castle quantity. Umami hits the spot, and when you get your plate and think “that’s it” trust me–that’s all you need.

New York, as complicated as you are, thanks for the reminder to KISS. That’s right–keep it simple, stupid.

I have a temporary new home in Manhattan. Not just in Manhattan but in the West Village. Pretending to be ballin’, but really just balling when all meals are $15. Guess I’ll be eating in more often and getting getting round off #pizzanight #everynight.

Behind every good morning is an even better breakfast. Better breakfasts lead to even better blog posts.

I live far from the “traditional” lifestyle of work. As a freelancer, I wake up, roll out of bed and into my office (my desk), sometimes still in my pajamas. The first thing I do in the morning, after brushing my teeth, is make breakfast. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with smoothies (like this avo-kale-mango-almond milk-chia seed concoction), but a lot of times I have  greek yogurt and berries or some type of oatmeal. Growing up breakfast was just more minutes to add in to the morning routine that I would rather have spent sleeping. Now, I can’t live without it. I eat my breakfasts as I write my blog posts for matsumoto studio.

When I find it hard to design things first thing in the morning, I can easily write. Writing is like a warm-up to the rest of my day.  I look forward to morning breakfasts and blog posts. This is a routine, but with a different subject everyday, it’s never rudimentary.

Today’s Aloha Friday matsumoto studio pos, finds it way here too. A phrase that deserves a double share here because I really never want to forget it. I never realized I grew up surrounded by aloha. People in Hawaii are nice. People in New York are just sometimes not. Surrounded by strangers everyday, it’s like being in a different city all the time. You don’t often see familiar faces and you definitely don’t run into people you know very often. It’s easy to  not care. It’s easy to demand attention. It’s easy to look the other way. But that’s not aloha. Aloha is more than just flower leis and hula girls. Aloha is a way of living. You help out a friend, go the extra mile, or give up some time for yourself to practice aloha. Aloha is giving, loving and heartwarming. Aloha is how you carry yourself in the worst situations because that rubs off on others who might have it worse than you. New York City is not a place to be “Aunty Aloha” and talk and smile at strangers like how we do in Hawaii. In a world where I often still feel like a fish out of water and where the weather is a little colder than what I am used to, aloha is something that I can practice to keep me warm just like home–aloha over everything.

Behind Gramma Flo’s pink-lipped smile, is a one tough cookie. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot of G-Flo. Maybe it’s because she’s been calling me from her cell phone requesting for a family photo I promised to print her a month ago.  Maybe it’s because I hear stories about her daily shenanigans from my mom and sister. Maybe it’s because I can’t believe she will be 88 years-old next month and still has the same brain and quick thinking I’ve known her to have. Mostly, I think it’s because I miss her. As bossy, headstrong, and demanding G-Flo is, she has always been loving, giving and my lifeline. She made me breakfasts, lunches, dinners, cookies, cake and jell-o too! G-Flo taught me how to fry an egg and will continue to tell me how I should be doing everything. I can probably credit G-Flo for turning me into the grandma that I sometimes am and that’s not surprise because she is, a grandma. She’s not just any grandma, she’s my grandma and I wish everyone could meet her.

The first month of the new year is over. Oy. Yeah, that happened fast. With the cue from the groundhog we also know we have six more weeks of winter. Now that’s pure evil. The island girl in me wants to cry but I will tough it out. Sorrytherestofthewordsweretoomuchbrainpowertomakeintosentences.

Juno shut down the subway and the city at 11PM as the city prepped for the worst and hopes for the best. The walk around the freshly coated city makes everything new again. There is something refreshing about seeing white everywhere. A city famous for its grit and grime, trash problems and rat neighbors, for a moment, the snow makes us forget what is underneath it all.  The snow has already brought a fresh perspective onto the lonely deserted mattress down my block making patterns I never saw before,  winds giving a chill I never felt before, and making me eat like I’ve never eaten before (I bought the food, so I should eat it). As limiting as a snowstorm sounds, there is a nice warm feeling about being stuck indoors. Your responsibilities are somewhat lifted and time stops for a little bit. The snowstorm is a pause button and it might have come at just the perfect time.