Dustin Ahkuoi

Love this song and I am digging this live video.

When I am fully living

She feels free to shine

She opens up her heart the most

When I look deep in mine

She’s rattled when I go astray

Yet kind when I return

She lifts me up despite the fact

I’ve still got much to learn

She is my home, Oh She is my Home

I don’t need no bricks and mortar

I don’t need no straw or stone

She is my home, Oh she is my home

And No matter where I roam I always know

She is my home

Her soul is like the waters

Filled with mystery

When I pursue her first

She lets me deeper in the sea

And when I think I’ve landed

Assured in all I know

She gives me something new

By simply reaping what she sows

She is my home, Oh She is my Home

I don’t need no bricks and mortar

I don’t need no straw or stone

She is my home, Oh she is my home

And No matter where I roam I always know

She is my home

My good friends at Whitestone Motion Pictures have done it again! Please take a second to check out their latest short film entitled “Awake O’Sleeper” – ENJOY!

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/1782005]

You can check it out in HD here.

Ran across a picture not to long ago from back in the day. In high school I used to travel for a singing ministry team called Alternative. We would pack about 12-15 people in a van and go from church to church singing songs and eating lots of church pot luck dinners. We even sang a song called “We are a People” that had choreography…I think we would’ve won “So You Think You Can Dance” if it had been around back then.

So here you go…for the whole world to see!!! Please notice the men’s matching multi-colored vests and the ladies matching aqua and teal dresses…

That’s me on the upper left side of the picture. One of these days I will convert the old VHS video I have of us singing so I can post it on the web. Any of you who might be in this picture…I will consider not posting it on the web only if you offer me cash bribes : )

A few videos I found online about American Samoa. These are follow up to my previous post – “Confessions of an Island Boy” – Just a small glimpse into the Samoan culture.

I have had a life long dream of being able to visit a certain place

Paris? Italy? Africa? Australia? Yes to all of those…but they all come in second to Ameircan Samoa

If you know me you are aware that half of my heritage is Samoan. My dad was born and raised there for most of his younger years. My mom is from Iowa and her father moved their family to American Samoa to take a job as a school superintendent. She met my dad there and they got married in Samoa which is where both of my brothers were born as well.

I have grown up in the United States my entire life and aside from the culture rubbing off on me from my dad…I speak no Samoan and I am somewhat disconnected from that part of my roots. It is an interesting thing to hear the culture through my dads language, cooking and personality…but never to have actually experienced it first hand. My dad has given me glimpses of his homeland through music which is a big part of why I love to sing and why it has become such an integral part of my life. Growing up I was even nicknamed the “Flowin Samoan” by my friends…but the truth is I am much more in tune with my Caucasian roots than my Island ones.

But every once and a while when I am standing by the ocean or listening to my father play the guitar…I can sense something. It feels like an old friend touching me on the shoulder. I feel it inside of my spirit…and it is a connection that this “Island boy” hopes to make someday.

As funny as this video is…I think I would have loved to have had these guys at my church growing up. They would have kept me up and entertained me as opposed to some of the church soloists I have had to sit through : ) – ENJOY!!!

John Mayer said it well in his song “Clarity”

“By the time I recognize this moment
This moment will be gone
But I will bend the light, pretend that it somehow lingered on”

Have you ever had a moment that was full of bliss? One that was so good that when you actually stopped to think about it you got overwhelmed and tried to hold onto it? This past weekend I had a simple moment that was much like this. It was early morning and I decided to go out on our porch swing and read a book. At first I was sitting and swinging…but after a while I went inside and grabbed a pillow…brought it outside and laid down. The temperature was in the upper 70’s with low humidity and the breeze was blowing just right. I was reading a book on dreaming big and I fell fast asleep.

Life is full of these moments. I think the key for me is not to try and muster them up or tighten my grip on them so as they wont get away…but rather to just recognize them in the present….take a deep breath and thank God for his kindness. Do you feel me? Enjoy the song…

In the midst of all the negative campaigning it is nice to have a little laugh here and there. Thanks to technology we have funny videos like this…

Shout out to Rick Astley!!!!!!!

I am finding that it is so easy to get sucked into the everyday routine of things and forget what recharges and invigorates me. I read two blogs recently that I thought were very insightful. You can check them out here and here.

These are a few ”Dream Killers” –  things that if I am not careful they will suck the life out of me:

1) Neglecting my physical health: This is not about vanity it is more about clarity. When my body feels good and looks better I tend to be way more outgoing, energetic and focused. Some of it is mental and some of it is just plain body chemistry.

2) Watching Too Much Television: I love people…I get recharged around them. I also love to veg…which is not necessarily all bad. The problem comes when I find myself watching hours of mindless TV that does nothing to stimulate my mind or help me feel rested. After I am done watching I often feel more drained and emotionally comatose.

3) Not being intentional about the things that connect with my heart: I love hanging with my wife. I enjoy talking to people face to face. I enjoy making people laugh. I enjoy listening to what people are going through. I enjoy good music. I like good movies. I love playing basketball. I love writing and performing music. When I do these things I feel more alive and refreshed…but for some reason I have gone weeks were I have barely done any of these. Over extended periods of time when I do not do these things…I become a watered down version of myself…and people can sense it.

These are just a few things that help me to be a better me. Forget about setting goals and taking action…if I am not doing the above things I can’t even pull myself off the couch to get started.