Ken Nhu

Photo

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:25:28 -0800

Intramural Basketball

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:22:00 -0800

Intramural Basketball

What is Valentine's Day?

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:27:00 -0800

Valentine’s Day. A day that singles hate, men dread, and women own, to say the least. For most, the holiday is a hassle. It sets upon expectations that those in relationships must act upon in order to keep the peace. But like most holidays, the true value of the celebration is lost behind materialistic, superficial, and exterior principles.

For example, thanksgiving becomes more centered on eating food and watching football. Christmas becomes focused on presents, shopping, and large sales. Independence day becomes focused on obtaining and lighting illegal fireworks. Valentine’s day is no different. With all of the teddy bears, chocolates, cards, and flowers, we forget the true idea of Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day can be a tough day. For those that are single, they have to spend an entire day being reminded of how lonely they are and how they wish they had someone to share anything with; to love and feel loved by someone else. And for those that are in relationships, they have to live up to the expectations that the holiday has set upon them as couples. They have to give certain gifts and plan certain events to keep within the conventions of the holiday, yet be original or be judged for it.

But with all of that aside, what is something else the holiday does for us? What is something else Valentine’s Day has to offer? How can we get the most out of Valentine’s Day?

How can we make Valentine’s Day more enjoyable?

The answer lies in our minds.

The idea of Valentine’s Day, like anything, can be perceived in numerous ways. Like said earlier, it is easy to be pessimistic and bitter about the holiday if you don’t believe it has anything to offer you. On the other hand, it’s also easy to take advantage of the holiday if you do have someone to share it with. However, with both of those views aside, the most rewarding thing Valentine’s Day has to offer us is that it reminds us of the potential of love.

It reminds us that love is important, that love is valuable, and that love is present . It reminds us that love exists and that it is prominent. It reminds us to give. And love is a gift. It reminds us to stop and remember to integrate love into our lives. It reminds us that love is important to our wellbeing. It reminds us that love should not be forgotten and most importantly that it is real.

All holidays have a theme that they teach us and this is Valentine’s Day’s theme. It isn’t easy to understand this directly and it takes a very open mind to accept this concept, however by reading these thoughts, it is a step. Unfortunately, social pressures slowly take this theme away from us and make us want things we don’t actually want. So with this article, I remind you that the idea is to feel the core of Valentine’s Day. To understand the truth. It isn’t about whether we are in a relationship or not. It is about what we feel on the inside and how we view love in our heads and our hearts.

Nothing is stopping us from enjoying Valentine’s Day, whether we have something tangible and physical or not. Likewise, nothing is stopping us from taking in the spirit of Valentine’s Day whether it’s February 14^th or not. The overall idea is that certain mindsets like these can help us make the best in all situations and opportunities presented to us. If we choose to think this way, in the end we will end up being happier and healthier. Whether or not we actually take action, it relies on creating the thought, however long that thought lasts.

-Ken Nhu

Music Performance of the Week Paulina Faith-The Bluebird

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:53:07 -0800

Music Performance of the Week

Paulina Faith-The Bluebird

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:55:41 -0800

““The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.””

- Morrie Schwartz

"You can have anything in life, if you will sacrifice everything else for it."

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:17:26 -0800

“You can have anything in life, if you will sacrifice everything else for it.”

- James M. Barrie

Photo

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:32:25 -0800

"Would you like me to give you a formula to success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your..."

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:30:53 -0800

““Would you like me to give you a formula to success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.””

- Thomas J. Watson

"Action is the foundational key to all success."

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:26:11 -0800

““Action is the foundational key to all success.””

- Pablo Picasso

Music Performance of the Week Mark Pelli-Pin Drop

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:29:07 -0800

Music Performance of the Week

Mark Pelli-Pin Drop

Strengths

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:52:00 -0800

According to Strength Finders 2.0 by Tom Rath and the researchers at Gallup my top 5 are:

1. Empathy

-You can sense the feelings of other people by imagining yourself in the others’ lives or others’ situations.

2. Intellection

-You are characterized by your intellectual activity. You are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

3. Developer

-You recognize and cultivate the potential in others. You spot signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.

4. Futuristic

-You are inspired by the future and what could be. You inspire others with your visions of the future.

5. Individualization

-You are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. You have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

Conclusion: I highly recommend Strength Finders 2.0 by Tom Rath. It’s not much of a read, it’s more of an assessment. It gives extremely valuable knowledge about oneself and from my experience, is fairly accurate. The idea of identifying a person’s strengths and developing those strengths to live a better, more productive life is simply smart. I believe this is a book everyone should own.

-Ken Nhu

Music Performance of the Week Kye Kye-With or Without You (U2...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:34:10 -0800

Music Performance of the Week

Kye Kye-With or Without You (U2 Cover)

Top 20

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:15:00 -0800

1. Be Ken Nhu

2. Close your eyes & take a deep breath

3. Smile at people

4. Laugh

5. Don’t gossip

6. Don’t take anything personally

7. Don’t make assumptions

8. Express yourself clearly

9. Seek first to understand, then to be understood

10. Approach everything as an opportunity to learn

11. Relax, slow down

12. Chew your food

13. Always do your best

14. Go with your instincts

15. Forgive people

16. Drive safe

17. Take care of your body

18. Be thankful

19. Listen to your heart

20. Follow your heart

21. Act from your heart

-Ken Nhu

With my most recent thoughts on the Grammy’s and Bon Iver.

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:53:45 -0800

With my most recent thoughts on the Grammy’s and Bon Iver.

Mountain Road

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:00:00 -0800

Mountain Road

Music Performance of the Week Andrew Ripp-Savior (Acoustic)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:07:10 -0800

Music Performance of the Week

Andrew Ripp-Savior (Acoustic)

Mindful

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:28:55 -0800

The word, Mindful. There’s something about it.

Hands down, it would have to be my most favorite word.

It’s special to me. It makes me feel great. It resonates deeply and squarely with my emotional well-being. It’s like it walks with its own atmosphere. Inside and out, it’s like no other.

When someone says it, I’m surprised. It catches me off guard and I have to turn my head to see who said it.

Why would they use that particular word? What does it mean to them? What were they thinking when they used that word?

It’s like a bell. It’s delightful. It’s sweet. It’s melodic. It reminds me. It always remind me.

It reminds me to breathe, to look up, and to center myself. It reminds me that my body is alive and that my mind is rested.

It’s like my fuel. My energy source. A matter of soul to taste.

I’ll say it myself. With no hesitation. I’ll say it here and there. I’ll think about it. Give you. A taste as well.

-Ken

"Obstacles are things a person sees when he keeps his eyes off his goal."

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:47:09 -0800

““Obstacles are things a person sees when he keeps his eyes off his goal.””

- E. Joseph Crossman

My Collection

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:01:00 -0800

I never thought of myself as a collector of anything, but as I thought more about it, I realized I was wrong. I am a collector and I do collect. Maybe others collect watches, or photos, or music. But that’s far from me. What do I collect? I collect thoughts.

It begins with a single word. And it’s quick. It’s spontaneous. It’s thrilling. And it doesn’t come alone. They burst into my head like a winter breeze and flow on like a river rapid. As strong as a bridge.

It smiles. It smiles tenderly. In my face, but away from my eyes. Against my chest, but hard from my corners. Then it hides. So quietly.

So I go and I just take it and run. Nothing else can keep up with me. I win, but I’m not a winner. I’m just a one half to anything that would be one half.

Nothing is ever enough. Nothing is ever decided. Nothing gets done.

And so I take it to bed with me. I think, it’s a capture. But me? or him? me? or her?

This goes on, so I eventually wake up. I wake up and I decide. I decide on deciding. I decide on what is my collection.

-Ken Nhu

Music Performance of the Week Matthew Mayfield-Toxic (Britney...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:37:00 -0800

Music Performance of the Week

Matthew Mayfield-Toxic (Britney Spears Cover)