omg, did you see last nights moon???  i saw it from my house and it was so beautiful!!!every single new years, i always spend it in the ocean.  watching the first light of the year is very important for me.  it dictates the full year ahead for me as this is where i want to be…this morning i wanted to start it off by foiling.  flying like a bird into the first light is breathtaking…i respect surfers that wake up early and want to do the same thing.  so yeah, this morning, we spent this new year sharing wave after wave.  2 years ago i got hurt on new years day foiling.  last year i got hurt on new years day surfing.  this year of course i thought about it but i blocked it out because fear is my enemy…i wasn’t the only one enjoying the first day of 2020.  FREEDOM!this year i’ve already made my resolutions.  one of them is to just keep life simple.  and in the meantime, connect more with the ocean, mountains, and people.  and that all starts NOW!came home and had my traditional mochi soup.  my Grandma use to make it every year from us since i was a little kid, and i never forgot it…

REFLECTIONS:   every new year, i always like to reflect on the previous.  some good things, and some bad.  but what’s done is done so i always look at the good.  and to summarize up 2019, i’d have to say it was one of the best!

TRAVEL:  i went on a few surf trips and scored the most perfect waves.  surfing with only a couple friends, enjoying the whole ocean with not a soul around.  i’ve seen many perfect empty waves like this and i don’t mind just watching it peel right on by.  it’s moments like this that make me appreciate the ocean and everything it’s given me.  i’m very thankful…

SURFING:  in 2019, i got back into surfing.  i felt more connected than ever.  something i missed being on the foil so often.  but now, i’m at a place where i can do both and enjoy it equally…

FOILING:  foiling has brought a new dimension to my life.  more exciting, more dangerous, and more rewarding.  i can fly like a bird across the sea and even do an off the lip if i wanted to.  so yeah, i can fly like a bird and surf at the same time…

SHARING:  in 2019, i changed my schedule a lot to share moments like this with my students.  i experience things like this my whole life and now i want to share it with everyone.  and when i see them enjoying it even more than me, i feel happier than ever…

LEARNING:  just in a year, i learned how to forgive, and i learned how  to forget.  i finally understood that no two people are alike.  so instead of everybody having to adjust to me, i just adjust to them.  it’s simple and it’s amazing how better our relationships are.  and by doing that, my friendships are better, my family is better, my whole life is better, and even my surfboards are better.  haha!

so to all my students out there, REFLECT, AND LETS MAKE 2020 A BETTER YEAR…

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!  Namaste!

Good morning 5:20am.

North shore 4-6′ and good.

Ala Moana waist to chest and good.

Diamond Head shoulder high and bumpy.

Trade winds at 10mph.

Sunny and warm.

Going surfing/foiling.

Have a wonderful day!