FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF TWA HOTEL

My flight from NYC/JFK to OSLO/GARDERMOEN ended up being really delayed. Since it was in the middle of the night with no restaurants or lounges open I decided to take the (free!) Airtrain from Terminal 1 over to Terminal 5. Why did I do this? So that I could check out the new TWA Hotel of course! Check out the video I made and please like and subscribe if you want more content as I’m going to upload a lot to my Youtube channel in the coming months.

Xo,

Seena

My Fave Hike In Iceland

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My fave hike in Iceland comes with an optional dip in a hot spring river! If you find yourself in Reykjavik looking for a nearby hike, I recommend renting a car and driving 30-45 minutes to Reykjadalur. The hike up to Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River is beautiful! It’s easy to follow the main path and the incline will definitely get your heart rate up, even though it’s not too difficult a climb. One note: If you are scared of heights you might have to turn around at a certain point; about halfway into the hike the path winds around a valley where the edges are pretty steep.

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Once you are close to the part of the hot spring thermal river where you can bathe you have to pass through an area filled with steam blowing from nearby hot springs - simply amazing!

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The hike to Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River is about 3 kilometers in each direction.
You’ll understand it once you’ve reached the area you can bathe in, as it boasts a few changing-screens (FYI they are not enclosed so people can still see you change) and steps down into the river. Don’t forget to bring a towel.

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This is just one of many incredible hikes in Iceland and I can’t wait to go back and do more! Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Benefits of Matcha

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Every year as spring comes around I find myself craving Iced Matcha Almond Milk Lattes. The one above is from my fave place Cha Cha Matcha. Here is a list of just a few of the many benefits of Matcha:

  • It’s super high in antioxidants, which can prevent aging and chronic ilness

  • It specifically contains the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate which can prevent free radical damage to cells

  • It has approximately 3 times the caffeine and 10 times the nutrients of regular steeped green tea

  • It brings a focused, alert energy without the jitters coffee can bring with it

    Enjoy!

    Xo,

    Seena

Ikigai

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Are you familiar with the Japanese concept of Ikigai? Directly translated it breaks down into ‘iki’ which means life and ‘gai’ which means worth. So Ikigai = life’s worth; It’s a philosophy and way of living for the most meaningful life. This graph explains it:

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There needs to be a balance between all the components in the graph above in order to experience Ikigai. I feel like the Ikigai graph also speaks to us as a reality check, because it demonstrates that it’s unrealistic to focus on one or two of the components and expect a complete sense of happiness and meaningfulness.

xo,

Seena

The Old Man & The Sea

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Have you read a lot of Ernest Hemingway? I haven’t but I recently decided to check out two of his books;
‘A Moveable Feast’ and ‘The Old Man And The Sea’. They are both pretty short and available as audiobooks.

‘The Old Man And The Sea’ touches on a few different subjects.
At first glance it’s a simple story of an old fisherman that hasn’t caught a fish in a very long time,
but he goes out fishing again.
It takes him days out on the open sea, but he finally catches a huge marlin,
only to have it eaten up by a shark while trying to transport it back to land.

To me, the general deeper meaning of the story is of course about resilience and not giving up,
but on a more specific level it’s also about proving to yourself that you can uphold your standards and push yourself to your own limits, while being respectful and humble to your environment.
Because in the end when you return to the shore you are left only with how you acted and not with what you caught.

There are plenty more moral lessons in this book, but you can check those out for yourself if you want :)

xo,

Seena

Two Netflix Faves

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My new favorite Netflix show is 'Selling Sunset'.
It just came out on March 22nd, and I’ve already finished the first (and only) season.
The show centers on five fierce real estate agents in West Hollywood.
If you love LA, real estate and RHOBH you should definitely watch this!

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Also, I’m so happy that one of the other shows I love is coming out with Season 3 on March 29th.
’Santa Clarity Diet’ is a super funny horror comedy show about…well you can see for yourself:

My fave way to start the morning in Rome

15 Likes, 0 Comments - Seena (@seenamusic) on Instagram: "#good #morning #rome"

Saw somebody eating donuts today and it made me flash back to one of my favorite memories from the last time I was in Rome: Getting up really early and jogging along river Tiber with the final destination being Pasticceria Boccione in the Jewish Quarter for some freshly made donuts. You should try it!

Arrive right when they open at 8am.

Via del Portico d'Ottavia, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Xo, Seena

Three Tulum Favorites

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One of my favorite vacation spots that I can’t wait to go back to is Tulum. I find myself dreaming back to my trip there a few years ago on these cold winter days here in New York City. Here are three of my favorite things I wouldn't mind doing again:

  1. Waking up to bird song and a view of the ocean at hotel Mi Amor.

  2. Biking down through the whole beach community on the main road, then:

  3. Eating lunch and hanging out all day at Be Tulum.

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About Hope

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Last week I stumbled over what must be one of the saddest sentences I’ve ever read: “Hope is just delayed disappointment”. It’s so dark to me, also because I find that sentence to carry truth in it. But I don’t agree with it fully. Because yes, hope can be a form of delayed disappointment half the times or even nine times out of ten, but not every single time. What makes hoping worth it is that one time something works - that makes all those other delayed disappointments into stepping stones to your success. But I realize it’s easier to take that view looking back, of course. And I guess it also depends what it is you’re hoping :) Hope you’re having a good day and that all your dreams come true. Xo, Seena

Music is a Dream

Here are two book recommendations and one documentary recommendation. They are all inspirational and about music - directly and indirectly. ‘Broken Music’ is an honest and beautifully written autobiography by Sting full of memories from - and reflections on - his early life and career. One of my favorite books for sure. Another favorite is ‘The Soundtrack Of My Life’ by Clive Davis which I think is a must-read for anyone interested in music. This is also an autobiography, and because Clive has discovered and made so many artists it’s very much a piece of music history, as well. It’s truly inspiring to read how someone who’s speciality is recognizing what’s amazing and unique in others have been able to achieve again and again and again.

I also recommend the documentary ‘The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life’. I can almost guarantee that if you’re having a bad day you will be humbled and moved (and hopefully have a better day) after watching this Academy Award winning documentary short. It’s about Alice Herz-Sommer, a Holocaust Survivor and pianist.

What I Know For Sure

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Dear reader,

Are you a big Oprah-fan, like me? If yes then I’m sure you know about the ‘What I Know For Sure’ column in O-magazine. If you have no clue what I’m talking about let me quickly explain that it’s a column Oprah was inspired to write after getting asked the question of what she knew for sure. It’s also something she asks her interview subjects very often. So, inspired by Oprah here is a list of a few things I know for sure.

  • It’s better to sleep on it if you can. If you have the opportunity to not rush your decision, you’re not going to regret taking an extra day making sure you’re making the right decision.

  • People can have slightly different perceptions of reality. It’s good to remind yourself of this once in a while as it makes it easier not to take things personally.

  • You can’t take back what you said or wrote. Think twice.

  • The road to success is not a straight line to the top.

  • Goals and dreams can change over time, and once you’ve reached one goal you very often have even more goals and dreams already lined up on your to-do list.

  • Money can not buy health nor the feeling of being content with what you have over time, no matter how much you have.

  • I feel happier when I exercise.

  • You teach people how to treat you. If something is unacceptable to you, let them know.

  • Life is full of surprises and curveballs for better and worse.

  • I’ve never regretted it when I’ve said ‘no’ to something to take care of myself physically or mentally.
    For me it’s better to say ‘yes’ to fewer things, and then be 100% present at those things.

on discovering what works for you

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Do you ever reflect on why you make the choices you do?
I’m not thinking about big choices, but rather those small choices you make every day that eventually add up.
I’ve reflected a bit on this and I’ve realized that there are as many “correct” answers to what good everyday choices are, as there are people.

Therefore the point I want to make with this post is that I think it’s a good idea to once in a while double check if what you are choosing to do is based on what you know for sure is correct for you.
Or are you making some of those choices because you think that that’s the only right way to go about things since those choices are working for someone else?

You are not that other person, so it’s not 100% sure that even if you follow the exact same choices as them (for example with your diet and exercise), you will have the exact same results.

A big part of life is discovering what works for you and then respecting that.

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The picture above is from a gig with my jazzband this previous Sunday. xoxo, Seena

A Funny comedy on Netflix

I watched ‘I am not an easy man’ on Netflix a few weeks ago and loved it. This is a french comedy by Eleonore Pourriat with Vincent Elbaz and Marie-Sophie Ferdane. I think it’s an excellent commentary on certain aspects of our culture and time. This film is perfect for you if you like ironic and dry humor like me :) Enjoy!