People, they all look the same but on the inside they are different.

Only nine with a refined mind.

We whine whine whine about winter for months (well, we totally had the right to do that this year) and then it’s finally spring. The flowers are blooming, allergies are emerging, and it’s like the city just got a fresh coat and a new attitude. We waited a long time for this, so of course we need to enjoy it. Sunday walks are back and this time, they are filled with cherry blossoms in the trees and bright blue skies. Let’s hope this weather is here to stay because if it’s one thing I learned this season, it’s that the weather can just be a big fat tease.

This Easter weekend I walked 13.1 miles in one day (according to my Apple Health App). WOW. While many of my days are spent looking down or forward, just trying to get to where I am going, the weekends are times when I can stop and look around. I take the long way home, even if it means walking 40 blocks south, or meander through streets and ignore my map discovering new parts of the city I never knew.

I can also look up. Looking up to the buildings and sky to see a different perspective than the daily commute. A lot of New York looks down and I’m guilty of that too. We try not to make eye contact, especially to avoid those people who want you to sign petitions and just want “a little of your time to save ______.”  We just want to get where we’re going in the fastest way possible. This weekend, I found  new perspectives on things as I looked up on the city and not down to my feet. My phone helps me to remember these moments and also prove that I finished my first “half-marathon” this weekend. Here’s what I looked up to: 

Looking up to the Highline

Looking up to Rockefeller Center

Looking up to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral

Looking up 5th Avenue toward the Empire State Building from Washington Square Park

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.

With 5 weekends in a row of snow (make it 6 if the white stuff falls tomorrow), a record breaking February (coldest since 1934), and six more weeks of winter (thanks Groundhog), I feel like I’ve hit a new low (body temperature).  My nose hurts when I breath, if breathing is even possible with icy air blowing through my face. I walk with caution, everywhere looking down at every step because I don’t want to slip and fall (did that once already this winter).  I even have to add 10 minutes before I leave to go anywhere to put on those extra layers before wearing my warmest coat. WINTER BLOWS (really cold air). My friends got a new plant though so until spring decides to show up, I’ll just pretend to be in a tropical paradise.

The technology complex is a big one. We live in a world where we never really have to “wait” for anything anymore. In fact we are doing more. Things come and go in an instant. We can upload and delete seconds later if we change our mind. We can go back in time and change history if we really wanted to–digital history. We no longer have to think about precious portraits like the ones that came from cameras like the ones above (seen at the Brooklyn Flea), because our iPhone 6 Plus with 128GB of storage can save and delete them ALL, for free. The growth of technology has changed the way we live our daily lives. I know it has changed mine. I can take pictures or videos with the touch of two buttons, then two clicks later share it out to hundreds of people. In an instant, someone hundreds and thousands of miles away from me can see what I am doing.

I love that technology keeps us so connected. Most of my friendships have continued because of technology and some have even blossomed because of it. We have a fine line to go between. The one that puts us on the side that depreciates precious moments–the real face time–we spend with people and the other side that gives us priceless moments our devices won’t capture. We also have to remember to give people a chances and hear what they have to say beyond the  blue, green and gray bubbles on our phones. Just another way technology can change things in an instant. We have a lot to think about these days; what we share, how we say it, where it goes, when we do it and all of this, we do, in an instant.

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.

The Christmas rush is well underway. The last few days have been a whirlwind of events. The missing days from the blog are an indication of just how crazy things have been. Major life changes have occurred. I celebrated friends getting married and friends who are moving on. I made new friends and once again, reconnected with old ones. I’ve been in three states in three days. As I write this note, 10,000 feet in the air somewhere above the Pacific Ocean I am anxious and ready to go home for the holidays.

I know once I get there it will be a whole different rush. I am excited to see my family and friends. I have a very loveable and demanding Grandma waiting for me and lots of questions will be asked and answered. We have holiday cookies to bake and family dinners to make. I’ve been running on little sleep. I don’t expect that to change much once this plane touches down on Maui, but I do expect to enjoy every minute of it. I am always crushing on Maui, and I am in love with the idea that I will spend the last days of 2014 here:

One more week and I’ll be back here, on Maui.  Amazing that this place is what I call home. Maui made me. The more years I grow up, the more years I spend away from home, I  realize how Maui–the people, the community, the lifestyle–made me who I am.  Now I live in a place that could  not be more opposite than my hometown. The island of Maui has a population of 145,000 and New York City has one of 8.4 Million. Maui’s tallest building in sight is only eight floors high, while New York City’s is 104. With all these contrasts there is something that Maui has taught me that has been useful in New York–patience.

In a city where you share all your space with everyone, friend, neighbor, unwanted or wanted stranger, you also have to learn patience. When the lines to check out a the Trader Joe’s wraps around the store, or the subway platform is compacted with busy commuters trying to make it home, sometimes you have to learn to wait. When a subway car comes and it is packed with people, you let it go and the next will arrive a little more empty. In New York, many things come at an instant and many do not.  People bump you, but usually not on purpose. There simply is not enough space for everyone. Today I waited in a very annoyingly long Post Office line. Thankfully it moved pretty quickly, but the woman behind me thought otherwise. In this moment she could have practiced more patience. If I let all these little moments bother me, I would be fed up with New York. Instead, I have to think that it’s just how it is and I need to get used to that.

Maui is the rock (literally and figuratively) that keeps me grounded in this fast paced life. I think about home while being away from home and how each step of my journey on and off the rock, has made me who I am. Well, next week, I’ll be back on it. I really can’t wait to be there, so until then I’ll just have to practice my patience.

Now that we are three months in to 2014, the time has come to recommit to this personal blog. Last year, I made it a challenge to post something everyday, or two days, and I did well. This year, with an overloaded phone, a career path taking shape, and just life, it was a little harder for me to do that. Something that I want to change from here on out. My life has been busy with work (the stuff that pays the bills) and also keeping up with Matsumoto Studio. My sister and I are fortunate enough to have a lot going on right now, so if I am not here, find me on our other blog, the adventures of annie & flo! With spring in the air, and the Macy’s Flower Show in full bloom, so will be the start of something new here. A new chapter of the life of jenmatsumoto–even I can’t wait to see what happens next.