Holy Cow

So in India the main religion is Hindu and they love their bovine, so everywhere you go you see them hanging out enjoying the best parking spaces. Love your cattle well go to India and treat em like kings.

We Were Stars

So after getting settled in at the school we went into one of the local towns to do a little shopping for some local cloths. As soon as we got out of the vehicles we were surrounded by the locals who would gather around us in droves and just stare at us. It is obvious that they don't see many white people. From store to store we would draw big crowds of Indians staring and following us, and occasionally on of them would try and communicate with one of us, but mainly just stare. It made you feel a little like a star with all these people following you except instead of them wanting to take your picture they wanted you to take theirs.

So how was the food you ask? Awesome, the food was delicious, they had a cook just for us who cooked some delicious Indian food. Some of my favorites were the samosas which were great, the naan or flat bread, and daal or lentil curry. If you like Indian food you would have loved the food on this trip.

The Great Welcome

So when we finally arrive at the Cuddapah Seventh-Day Adventist school we are greeted by 100 little kids placing leis on us and throwing flower petals at us while saying "welcome to India". It was a great greeting. The School will officially open in June, the 100 kids there now are orphans, have only one parent, or are extremely poor and thus are at the school already. The plan was to enroll 1000 students but when they opened up for applications 2000 kids enrolled, but they could only accept 1600 and that will stretch their facilities. Keep in mind that most of these 1600 students will be in the dorm. It costs $25 dollars a month to attend this school, now take in mind that the average income for a normal family is less than a dollar a day making this education almost impossible for these children. So how do they do it? Through sponsorship, you can sponsor a child in India for $25 a month and that includes dorm fees, food and a private education all in English. If you are interested (and trust me I met the kids that will benefit and it is worth the money) just visit Adventist Child India to find out more.

Travel to Cuddapah

So after about 30 hours of travel we finally arrive in Chennai India where upon we load on to a bus at around midnight and start a 9 hour bus ride to Cuddapah where the school is located. Along the way we had to of course have a couple of potty breaks the first of which took place in the wee dark hours of the morning. We stopped and as I awoke I saw a building and was thinking it was time for a potty break. I got out along with a number of others and the girls were instructed to go around one side of the structure while the boys were to go on the other side. As I'm standing there taking care of business I realize we are at a persons house and then we hear a dog barking in the house, one of the boys then thinks the sees movement in the house. At this point I realize there are a bunch of Americans standing on the lawn of an Indians house relieving themselves, boy this felt awkward. I finish up and quickly start moving to the bus at which time the gentleman of the house comes out and his little dog in toe. Then the girls come around the other side of house as the man stares and motions to either them or the dog (who was yapping) to cease or leave. It must have been weird for this poor man to have over a dozen Americans use his yard as their latrine. Well from there we went on and the next potty stop was the more conventional yet filthy gas station. The second pic is the sign for the bathroom, notice the female is in a sari, I thought that was cool. Next time our arrival in Cuddapah and the school.

Stop in Singapore

So here are a couple of pics of us at the Singapore airport which is amazing. As you can see the have foot massagers (free of cost), gardens, free Internet stations with computers and many other cools things like a free movie theater. It is the best airport I have ever been in and I think is the top rated airport in the world and if you see it you know why. We had about a nine hour layover and were able to take a short tour of the city. The Singapore airport was a nice respite from the long travels. When our group went to check in for our next flight however we were informed that 19 of us including myself were not on the list and had to be on stand by. After some waiting and prayer we all were able to get on the plane last minute, but the stress was worth it seeing that as a result 17 of us including myself again got to ride our last leg to India in business class. Can I tell you how nice that was.

Kaiya's B-Day

So yesterday Kaiya had her 2nd birthday, she is growing fast and time is just flying by. She has been and joy and a blessing in our lives and we're trying to enjoy every moment. If you want to see some pics of her big day just click her picture link on the side bar.

Back from India

So this past Wednesday I got back from a mission trip I took with the school. It was quite the experience, both enjoyable and eye opening with some hard work sprinkled in. We went to a school in southern India, that is being built by Maranatha, and will be opening in June. I have never seen so much poverty and so much trash as I did in India. If anyone thinks they lack anything or are not blessed I suggest you visit India especially rural India and you will realize the blessings you have and maybe how we should use those blessings for human kind. I plan on uploading a pic a day for a while and sharing a little more so stay tuned for the story.

Favorite #5

So what happens when you mix A Tribe Called Quest with some folk music add a little rock sprikle in some Motown soul and top it off with positive lyrics, K-OS happens. I usually don't listen to much hip hop due to the suspect content of the message which includes disrespect of women, love of money and word fit for the potty, but in 07 I came across K-OS and his album Atlantis: Hymns for Disco and I was blown away by the artistry and the positive vibe. It seems that now genre of music is off limits for his inspuration and his lyrics have a spiritual feeling much like those of a switchfoot. Some standout songs of the album are; the folk inspired Ballad of Noah, the soulful The Rain, Born to Run with its Davie Bowie flavor, and Sunday Morning which will make you want to move it. Trust me on this one this is a great album and artist whose music is not at all chaotic but rather a beutiful mixture that produces K-OS.

Favorite #4

HDTV

So right at the end of last year our TV died and we go a tax rebate which together led us to get a HDTV. When your in a store and you see HD programing you don't think its that great, but when you get your TV home and compare the same program your impressed. The normal channel looks downright blurry, muddy and unispiring, and the HD channal looks like your looking out a window at the real thing. When a show I want to see is not available in HD I'm dissapointed and I can't wait till all of TV goes digital and there is more HD programing.

I Endorse Obama

So super tuesday is over and we have a dead heat in the democratic party between Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama. Just in case you were wondering I endorse Barak Obama, he is an inspiring canadate that offers hope and unity and in the political landscape I would love a president who isn't divisive but rather inclusive, one that can bring people together to get things done. Now the Clinton years were good but to be honest I just don't trust the Clintons there always seems to be something shady with them and their politcal contacts and tactics. On top of that Hilary is a very polorizing person and after 8 years of president with that same trait I'm ready for somthing new. I know that Obama might not have the experience of Clinton but I'm ready to give change a chance I've had enough of the old Washington and would love to see what Obama can do. If you haven't had your chance yet, please consider carefully and I hope you see the qualities the Obama.

Favorite #3

The Wii

So for number 3 I give you the Nintendo Wii the new video game sysem that brings motion control gaming. It is the first system that I have showed to a varity of people who have all enjoyed playing it. Usually I play games and I get ignored or looked at like, "aren't you too old to playing games", but with the Wii I have been able to get others to play due to the accesabilty of the system. I have always liked Nintendo for having quality family games that aren't about killing or questionalble content. I have enjoyed the system all year long and will continue into the future thus the Wii is one of my favorites of 07.

Favorite #2

Ratatouille

So I love childrens movies especially Pixar films and this year Ratatouille did not disapoint at all. It may have been in the theaters in 06 but I didn't see it till it was on DVD seeing as having a baby limits the time you have to go out. Ratatouille was great from the characters to the story to the humor all of which were great for the whole family. If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and enjoy this great film.

Favorites of 07 #1

So I hope you all had a great holiday season, I've been gone for a while and am putting together my favorites of the year list a little late but better late than never.
Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass

Last year I had the Nintendo DS as a favorite and it continued to be a favorite due in part to my first entry this year; Zelda The Phantom Hour Glass. I have always liked the Zelda series but never got into the portable ones till this one. PHG is awesome the gameplay is fun the worlds are expansive especially for a hand held system. It kept me playing till I finished and the game felt immersive and engaging the whole way through, and is the first game of this kind that has me wanting to play it again. Not to mention it is a beautiful game and the graphics along with the scope of the game are an impressive feat for the DS hardware.

Thank you Giants

So the Super Bowl was super this year and I want to thank the Giants for keeping the 72 Dolphins as the only team to run the table. The Pats were great this year but they just couldn't finish it off. It was also a very exciting game especially in the fourth quarter and it was the first Super Bowl in years that kept my attention pretty much the whole game which is a little bad considering that I wanted to see the commercials too. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Art show

So I dabble in oil pastels and do some art when I can. A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to show my art at a little show that my friends girl was putting on. It was pretty fun being able to show it off. Not a lot of people stopped by due to a few factors from location to holiday shopping season, regardless it gave me a chance to frame the majority of my stuff and have a few people look at it and we may try again at a better time and better place. Here are couple of pics of the show and venue, my stuff is the framed art.

Hair today gone tommorow

So here is the fro, the straight hair and the buzz.

Guitar Hero II

So here are a couple new pics of my guitar in making. My father in law has kept it going. I'm loving the way it is turning out and I can't wait till it is done and I can have with me and I get to play it. Sorry bout not posting in a long long time but I've been busy and my internet down for a couple of weeks.

Daydreaming

So this is our overweight beagle Ima propped up on our couch wishing she was running loose. You ever wonder what you pet is thinking? Well I know that this dog is dreaming of knocking over trash cans and eating whatever she can.

Guitar Hero

So I am building my own guitar, with lots of help from my father in law (who is making his 33 guitar at the moment) of course. It is so cool to be able to design and create your own instrument. To pick out your own wood and make the inlays and shapes that will make you instrument and one of a kind. In the first pic you can see my handy work on the neck of my guitar the top chunk of wood is what I started with and the middle is the final neck shape with my fretboard below it. The inlays on the tuning head where all done by hand and the inlay is done in blood wood (click on pic to see inlay up close). In the next picture you can see the front and sides of my guitar the top is spruce and I can't remember what the sides and back are but I know it's cool looking wood. Now my in laws live in Nashville so I have only been able to work on it when I am out there visiting, so I have asked my father in law to keep me up to speed with the guitar his is making, I would love to have it by next summer. It has been a great experience learning more about the guitar by seeing how they are made on an intimate level.

Customer Service?

So one of my pet peeves is the decline and absence to customer service. It seems now a days you go somewhere and give them your business and they treat you as if you are the one serving them. No one is friendly no more everyone seems to hate their job and they let you know that they don't care whether your there or not. I don't want to be treated like a king or even have a conversation, I just want a smile or an acknowledgement that I am there. This Sunday though I found some customer service in an unlikely place, Taco Bell. I was shocked to hear a friendly voice over the drive through speaker asking how I was doing, now that's no to big of a deal, I've heard it before. What surprised me was that the guy continued to be downright nice. I drove up to the window and the young gentleman continued to be nice and even wished me a happy fathers day, and gave us tons of napkins and hot sauce which I usually have to beg for more of. The encounter with the good customer service had me so surprised I couldn't stop talking about it for about twenty minutes. Maybe just maybe this is the return of customer service (yeah right), well at least at that one Taco Bell when that young man is working.

Sabbath Thought

The read: 2 Kings 4:1-7

The thought: Gods limit to his blessings is our capacity to recieve.

Pirates of the Caribbean

So this past Sunday we had our last school banquet, which was themed Pirates. Here you can see pirate dad with his little sailor girl. It was a nice banquet and it was fun to dress up. The food was good so I thought till a Tuesday when both me and Alana and a bunch of the students go a sick with stomach stuff, I don't wanna say it was food poisoning so I guess I won't say anything at all. Just thought you might want to see this blogspot exclusive pic of us pirating.

Belated Happy Mother's Day

My computer at home has officially crashed so I wasn't able to blog for a while. I just wanted to wish the two most important mothers in my life a belated happy Mother's Day (on the blog, I did wish it to them personally on Sunday). First my Mom for being a wonderful mother putting up with three boys and not loosing her mind. Second my wife for being a wonderful mother to our daughter while still putting up with me often acting like a little child. Honorable mention to my wife's mother who raised a great daughter and mother.

Congratulations!!

Just want to wish my brother and his wife congratulations for the birth of their first child a baby boy named Camden Tehler Montes. He was born this past Sunday and now Kaiya has a new cousin and I have a new nephew. For those interested in seeing the young fellow just follow this link http://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/josefermontes/ to see the handsome little guy. Its about time seeing as my brother is 7 years older than me, but I know he is going to be a great father because he was a great brother. Way to go Montes family.