"You get an A+ in boyfriend"

So I have given my review of the G1 phone (<----- this is a link to my review) that I got about a month or so ago, but I have yet to mention the story of how I got it.

Well, I had been following this phone for about a year (yes i am that much of a nerd) because I heard that it was going to have an open source operating system. (if i lost you i am sorry, please keep reading) Anyways, the price tag was about $179 in the commercials, but when i went to a few T-Mobile stores and they quoted me $370 before taxes as the offer was for new customers. So i decided to give T-Mobile a call.
A young lady about my age picked up and I told her that I wanted to know when my contract expires, she asked why and I said I wanted the G1 at the sale price, not the $370 i had been quoted before. Well, she tried and saw that she could take off $20 for me at the moment. I wasn't exactly thrilled but it got us talking about my plan. I have 400 texts a month and i said i use those to send a compliment to my girlfriend every morning before work. There was a pause on the phone and she said, "That is just the sweetest thing". We keep talking about my plan and she notices that i talk mainly at night, i reply, "Yeah, my girlfriend and I talk every night to unwind and to see how each others day went. I mean, I want to take care of my girlfriend. I make sure flowers are a somewhat regular part of her life, give her compliments and what not" The young lady then says, "You need to talk to my boyfriend, you get an A+ in boyfriend!" a minute later I am on hold when i hear, "Ok, sir? I got you the maximum discount, how about $170 and just $20 extra a month for unlimited internet?" I was speech less. "Ok, lets do that"
2 days later i had my new G1 in my hands.


Allan

Friends you should listen to......

Hello Everyone,

This is a fun one! I am showing off some of my friends that you NEED to listen to. They are beyond cool and i love talking music to any of these talented folk when ever i have the chance. All of their names are attached to links, so please click on a link, support an Independent artist. In no particular order here we go........

Michael Ocean
This guy is awesome. he is a true lover of music, all types, and puts anything which i consider to be music knowledge to shame. He is also in a Weezer video. (yes i am jealous) His album, The Manuel, is great. For sure, check it out.

Happiest Lion
Caleb, the man behind the music, is so creative. I wish i could be as into music as he is, just a plain out great musician.


Nate Highfeild and The Good Cheer
I have been following these guys since i was in high school. Nate and Aaron, are great guys and have made (along with the band) a great album. They are great to watch, Aaron (the drummer) is the most intense guy I have seen on stage. If he is playing for a few people or a packed room, he puts everything into that drum.


Brandon Louis Jones
Classical guitarist who makes me want to give up on anything guitar and just stick to listening to it being played much better than i could ever do. He has 2 albums out and i suggest that you buy both. His style is so smooth and well, i love any chance i get to hear him play.

Jonathan D. Roth
Another classical guitarist extraordinaire. He has written more than a few pieces of music that are complex yet, very welcoming to the ears. He too has a few albums out which you too should buy.

Long Beach Caravan Trio
Gypsy Jazz is a little nitch in jazz that is very overlooked by the main populous but is admired many musicians. These guys are good and i are just great guys to hang around. I saw them play at a restaurant in Long Beach and was so impressed by their style and talent. Please check out their site and give a listen if you have never heard gypsy jazz.

The Monochromes
These guys are just too much fun to listen to. I have known a few of the band members, Josh and Jordan, for a long time and well, it was very easy to for me to add them to my list. Josh is a great guitarist (far better than I) and I love to catch their shows.

Swing the Lead
While i don't know this band, i do know one of the guys - stephen - in the band, and well, he is cool so i just had to add him to this list.


Well have fun checking out the talent. New blogs will be coming.

In Christ,
Allan

My G1 (for Brady)

Well, if any of you have Facebook, you have probably see my updates about my G1. Its a smart phone from HTC. I have been waiting to get this phone (which is a story in its self) for about a year and well, i am glad that i finally have it. So my review........



Ok, so G1......It is a good phone, not an iPhone killer, but for a first version it is really good.

Bad stuff....
battery - drains fast with the use of the browser or anything involving the GPS
Limited Apps - I just heard that the iphone kit 100k aps, seems to have only a few hundred at max.
No head phone jack! - you have to get a converter for a USB 2.0 connection.
Price - unless you are signing up for a new plan, the cost of the phone straight up is around $370

Good Stuff
So easy to use - the interface is so clean and so fun to use
Speed - browser has great speed.
Open Source - anybody can make ANYTHING for this phone. The possibilities for the applications is endless.
Feel - it is just a cool phone. Really, the feel and weight let you know this is a cool phone.

Ok, that last one may have been a little bias but really, its a good phone. I would recommend it, but for someone that doesn't already have a smart phone or wants to upgrade. If you already have a smart phone you like, hold out till the next version.

Guitar heros and muscial influences 2

So this is the follow up to my last post about my guitar/musician heros. This is not meant to be a best of the best guitarists list, but my own personal list of musical influences. Some of these have links attached to videos of the artist and others have actual videos of the artists themselves.

So who to start with? Umm...in no particular order.....

Django Reinhardt - He is my definition of a guitar hero! His left hand was badly disfigured in a fire and he had to re-learn how to play with, basically, 2 fingers. But what he did was invent a new genre of music and a style of guitar which most people have a hard time playing with all their fingers. His music inspires me and i listen to him in many times when i have hit a musical wall. Please watch the vid




Jimmy page...YES! Who doesn't love this guy! I mean, now everyone wants a double neck guitar or how to use a bow.

Nickel Creek - So creative, especially 'Why should the Fire die'. Its not a country album nor a bluegrass album, it is a Nickel Creek album. They have their own style almost created their own genre. They know their instruments and seem to be draw every so much emotion and life out of them it makes me so jealous, yet i love them.


Chile Thile - AMAZING! let me say that again AMAZING!! His solo work, Punch Brothers and random recordings with other amazing artists, he makes me want to give up and try harder all at the same time.


The Edge - I know he is very "pop" and simplistic, but he just makes good music.

Jars of Clay - I call these guys the Weezer of the Christian music world. 1st album was great, then second album...well....not so well (at least at first for me). Then with time, i got to know the 2nd album better and now really like it. (note - Pinkerton is still my favorite weezer album)

Kaki King <- (please click on link if you have never seen her play) She rocks....this girl can play. I am still trying to learn playing with pink noise. i have been working with this song on and off for almost a year, and well, am no where near close to being able to perform this song.

Andy McKee - His attack is intense! He has no problem in what seems like he is beating the crap out of he guitar, but knows exactly what he is doing. He is one of the reasons i started to play in the "tapping" style.

Antone Duifor - This is what i would love to sound like one of these days. He is clear, complex and very good. It seems like he has poured over his songs over and over, not just practiced.


Jon Brion - I have seen him play live and his ability to improv is out of this world. Really, when you watch him play it brings you into the music. He can also play every single instrument under the sun. What makes him an influence on me is that he has such mastery over the guitar, he can pick up and play anything and i do mean ANYTHING he hears.


Jim Croche - My mom and dad introduced me to Croche. At first i thought of him as 'old people music' along with John Denver, and well, now he is one of my favorite song writers. I think about his lyrical style and ability to tell a story through song.

Robert Johnson - So eerie yet so captivating. One of my first CD's was his collection. The first song, Crossroads, grabs you, or it grabbed me. It was the first time i made the distinction in how finger picking can add so much to a song. I know more appreciate this skill as i have my own feeble attempts at this craft. He made me see this skill stand out.


Stevie Wonder - I love the musically and arrangement of his music. There is just something about the songs, "Superstition" and "I wish" that makes me want to better my skill at arranging my own work.

Elton John - He has probably one of my favorite rock voices. When i have tried to learn his songs, not only do i learn some new chord progression, but i have to learn some new vocal skill. i love it.

Christopher Parkening - A craftsman of the guitar. He has a great story too. I love his arrangements of several classical pieces, especially, Romanza. Every time i hear that song, i have to pause and take it in for at least a little while.


Andres Segovia - He is the 'Grandfather' of the guitar. Without him the guitar probably would have had a hard time getting out of the bars italy and spain. He drew the guitar into the spot light and made it a respectable instrument for study.

Modest Mouse - Listening to these guys makes you question what is really going on in their music. They have a great hand on their effects and bring out quirks and subtleties that bring a song to a new level. Listening to these guys have made me think so much more about what else is going on in my songs besides the melody and chord prgression.

Resse Roper - The singer for Five Iron Frenzy and Brave Saint Saturn, while not my favorite singer, there are a few songs that he has written that are probably some of my favorite worship songs. There is no way you could play them at church, but that is what is good about them. He has helped me find out that there can be worship songs beyond the set church/acoustic guitar.

George Harrison - When i heard that he didn't play the solo to While my guitar gently weeps, i almost cried. But then i started to really listen to the Beatles and have found out, that it is ok....he is still a great guitarist.

Wes Montgomery - The man can play! He doesn't use a pick, everything is done with his thumb and that makes it all the more amazing. I know there is no way i could explain his music with any authority, but for me personally, his music moves me. I makes me think about how i play, what i am putting (as in way of emotions or skill) into my music.


Well that is it for now. I mean, there are way more than this, but i thought this would do for now. In an upcoming blog, i would love to show off some of my on friends who are musicians. In the mean time, please comment and enjoy the music.

In Christ,
Allan

Of Allan and his guitar heros pt. 1

So i pomised a blog about this a little while ago and I am excited to get to it, and that would be my obession/border line love affair with the guitar.  I started playing a little over 12.5 years ago with my grandfathers late 70's Harmony acoustic that my mom bought for him at a garage sale.  I now have about 3 acoustics, 2 electrics, a classical, mandolin and 2 ukuleles.  

So how did it all start?  Well, it started with a friend of mine, Jeff.  We were best friends and he had his dads guitar laying around and started playing it, so of course I had to know a little something too. I found my grandpa's guitar and started at it.  I remember that the first song I learned all the way through, and still do know, was Green Day's, "When I come around". A classic (well, now at least)  I can't remember how long it took me to get that stupid song down, bt when i did i felt great. I learned something very important at that point and time, learn to play songs you like.  My next song, and still probably one of my favorite songs to play was Weezer's, "say it ain't so".  Playing that song made me feel like a rock star.  It was also at the time when i knew the guitar was something i could get into.

Now for any other budding guitar player, the first few years are filled with pain and frustration.  I was no exception.   I tell people that the first 2 years should hurt, I know mine did.  But as time went by my fingers grew more and more accustomed to the different chord shapes, althogh i still didn't really know want a 'chord' was. It wasn't until i was at a ministry camp that i leard was G-C-D-Em was and that was about 3 years into playing the guitar. I was and still am self taught.  I rely mainly on picking up stuff my ear and looking at tabs. I wish that i had taken lessons, but glad for where not taken lesson has taken me so far.

Now being from the Chruch of Christ, there is a problem with me playing that guitar, and basically, it would be that I...play guitar.  When i started I had no idea what kind of trouble that it could get me into!  The church i grew up was great to me in this aspect. They let me lead worhsip with the youth group and I learned early on that there is a difference between leading worshp and singing in worship.  But it wasn't all like that. I will always remember the little old lady that said, "your going to hell for that....you know right!?" There have been times when I was told I could lead worship with my guitar after a small gathering, and then, as soon as my part came they stopped everything and started passing out icecreme.  I was not going to do my part there.  This was something that i never expected to find when i started and don't it believe will ever truly leave me.  I truly do understand why some people believe it is wrong and I hold nothing against them, i  just disagree with them.  I now find less and less of people that i disagree with about this, which i like, but at that same time, i hold nothing against those who disagree with me.

Well, I wanted to take some time in all of this and show a few of my guitar heros. These are people whos technique, skill and creativity I have ever so poorly tried to imitate and learn from. Please feel free to comment.....

This was a song that started so much of my fascination with the guitar. Its not just that these guys are fast, its that they are creative, very clean and VERY VERY fast.

You just have to love this song and this band. I still love to play this song and have grow to appreciate the skill that it takes to write a great song from these guys.

I saw Phil Keaggy at Pepperdine play this song and it got me hooked with what you could do with a guitar w/o the use of a pick. It was also the start of my want for a looping pedal. (which I now have)

Ok, I will be putting up another post of some of my other guitar heroes. I promise to put up more videos.

Allan

Things of China 2

So this is a continuation of my previous China post "Things of China 1". In that post I talk about the lessons that I learned through being somewhat excommunicated while doing Work in China. It was a very dark yet very big time of growth in my life. Now I continue with what I learned in my last semester in China.

Again I am writing this not out of spite or anger, but rather to get some things off of my chest. It has been nearly 2 years since I returned and i have had some time to process my feelings and thoughts from that time. So here we go......

Coming back Cali

Getting back into California was heaven. I ate, ate, ate and ate. Cheese was on the menu almost everyday, as were Deluxe Chili Cheese fries from Del Taco and In-N-Out. It was interesting coming back to Cali because it was a major case of reverse culture shock. It wasn't that I didn't miss everything, it just I had to re-adjust to life in the states. Driving was more than stressful, super markets never seemed so big and well....I missed the Family in China. I loved being with all my friends and family in Cali and it felt so good to be with them, hang out, play guitar and well....drink amazing beer and wine. Anyone that knows me knows I love trying new wines and beers. I hate being anywhere near drunk for several reasons (First I know Our Father doesn't want us to be drunk and second I HATE not having control over my body, and well, hang overs suck.) But I love the art and craft of brewing and the skill and taste of wine making. They are liquid art. I say all of this because there was almost NO good beer or wine in China, I would have to go about 4 hours by bus just to get to a city where i could buy good beer, wine, COFFEE, bread, cereal, milk, cheese, candy, brownies, soups, PB & J or butter. Yeah, so I was in heaven.

Going Home
So being in Cali for a summer was great at the same time, I felt the pull of my former life in China. I left America with 2 things in my mind and heart. First, what in the world am I doing?! Was I not just going back to the lions den of loneliness? Second, I never want to fly on this airline ever again! Way too small seats and well....the movies sucked.
Getting back into my apartment was great. The first few nights were spent being around Brothers and Sisters that I loved. The big talk was about starting a new meeting as soon as they saw me. I knew to expect this, but I really didn't want to address this just yet. This was part of the past year still looming overhead. Many people wanted me to just start up a new Meeting and that would kinda make things better. I knew it wouldn't, but it sure did seem that way. I knew that if i started one by myself that it would still hold too many strings to what happened before. This may seem selfish, but it was never out of pride that I wanted to start anything new. I knew there Chinese were hurting, bad, yet if something new was going to start, i knew it was going to have to be not just becuase of me.

The Taylors
While settling in, I also heard about a new-ish couple in town, Taylors. They were from Tennessee and it kinda freaked me out. I knew i wanted to hang out with them, but didn't know how much. Within a week we had met and planed to hit up dinner and a tea house. Within the first few hours that i met Dale and Lisa i could tell they were different from many of the other foreigers that I had meet before in China. We just clicked. Our talk was filled with laughter and they had a vision very similar to mine, meetings where the foreigners were in 2nd or 3 place. Offering support and leadership but not being the "leaders". They wanted to be in China because of exactly that, they wanted to be in CHINA. Dale was reading a book about Mao and Lisa had a good grasp on Madarin much more than the other foreigners in our town.
With many of the other foreigners I felt like i had to walk on egg shells around them. One wrong word and I would achieve an awkard silence or rolled eyes. In some ways this was fairly amusing and I would do it just to get a reaction. Other times it was in moments of sencerity and I was looked on as wrong. With Dale and Lisa I spoke openly. Weather we agreed or thought totally in the opposite direction, we still showed a mutual love for eachother. I never worried about how i would make the feel uncomfortable that I enjoyed having A beer or that I like the Godfather. We were united because we had a common goal, serving our Father. And within a month we started something new.

A new Meeting
It was a small dinner at the Taylor's when we decided to start up a new Meeting. It wasn't a secret that we were thinking about it, but it took a bit of Thought (that is not a typo) and care to really decide if we wanted to do that. The last thing I wanted to do was cause another stir, but it seemed like if we continued to meet with the other foreigners THAT would cause an even bigger stir.
My thoughts at this time very mixed, and I didn't show it, or atleast I didn't think i showed them. I tried to act confident about what we were doing but it was such a worry on my mind. I didn't know how the other foreigners were going to act. If we were going to have to have a bunch of new 'meetings' about what was being taught or how we were wrong.
Looking back now i was scared. I had so many of the memories and feelings still clogged up inside me and i didn't know exactly how to let out. Dale and Lisa became refuge for me. We talked alot. Much of which wasn't serious, mainly just regular talk, something that anyone in a foreign country needs. It was relief not to walk on egg shells in conversation or wonder what would come back to haunt me.
We started the new Meeting at their place in mid-October, i think. It was a small group of mainly the people that didn't had felt outed or the other foreigners and a few new students that Dale and Lisa knew. It was simple, open and wonderful. I felt like so many of the other meetings tried to take American meetings and make them happen in China. We didn't want that and our Meeting showed it. We had several Brothers and Sisters share lessons, songs could be led by anyone in the group and the songs were sung all in Chinese and we tried to sing mainly songs written by Chinese. The Chinese loved it, but there were some challenges.
Several times we were asked why we didn't do things like the other foreigners. Then there was a time a Chinese brother was told we were doing things wrong. It was a challenge. We tried to answer with grace and love towards the other foreigners, but, atleast for me, it was hard sometimes. I think Dale and Lisa let these things roll off their back better than I.
Our Meetings went on, with numbers varying from few to many, but we really didn't care about numbers, we cared about the people coming.

Getting Ready to Go
For my last two and a half months in China I spent as much time as possible between Dale and Lisa and my Chinese Brothers and Sisters. There are many other stories to tell, but i don't want to get off focused too much. I mainly want to come back to the Chinese.
I knew early in the semester that this would probably be my last semester in China, atleast for a while. I had an student loans that i wasn't able to pay off and well, i wanted to get to paying them off and get my credential solidified. I didn't want to leave, really didn't want to leave. By the end of December I was planning a 3 week trip from Chang Chun (north eastern China) back down to jing Zhou. I had done this before and loved being on the road. As i was getting ready to leave so were many of the Chinese.
In China it is not uncommon for someone to just pick up and go in a weekend. One week a Brother or Sister would be finishing classes and then Friday say, "I am leaving to 'Random city on the other side of China' tomorrow, i want to say goodbye" Many people were looking and finding jobs all over the country. I made special time to hang out with some who had had an especially large impact in my life. They were the few that i had known since day 1. To me they were as close as an of my friends in the states and leaving them would be like any of my friends leaving. We had a great time! One of my favorite times was smoking cigars with some of the Chinese Brothers at a Tea house and then on another night going out to eat dog. (Yes, it is good and you should try it some day) We had a blast.

Leaving
I hit the road for my travels with a sad heart knowing i would be coming back just to say goodbye. It was a good trip, but i had some of my worst experiences ever! I visited a friend that was really struggling in some of the same ways that I had. She was with a group of other young women who were much more conservative than her. I came to visit for a few days and we had fun. I did happen to roll a couple of eyes as I play a song called, "Pink Triangle", but other than that, didn't cause too much of a stir. I then went to Beijing on a sleeper bus. I could write a how page on how bad that was, but will save you from it for now. From Beijing i went back to Wuhan and stayed with Marisol one last time. Again her place was filled with laughter and good food. I can never thank her enough for all the mexican food i had at her place.
Going back to Jingzhou was interesting. The ride seemed almost short. (a normal trip on bus was about 4 hours) I knew all the land marks and felt like i was really going home. I had only a few days before my plane took off to say my goodbyes and do some last minute shopping. It was a whirl wind of busyness.
The day i was suppose to leave I had a more than a few Chinese Brothers and Sisters stay the night at my place. They helped me clean my place, get thinges ready for the next guy and tried to help me pack. In the morning I got everything ready and had my bags in hand when i had to stop. It was a tradition that whenever a Brother or Sister would leave, the Family would gather over them. I had done this with many and now it was my turn. I have never been to filled with joy, sadness and hope. They spoke kind words in English and Chinese. My favorite request was that i find a "hot girlfriend" (check). I left feeling nothing but love and that love still remains in my heart.

A Uncertian Adjustment
Coming back to the states was interesting. I knew I wanted to go back to China and was telling people and myself to get back there by 2012. I still hold that to this day. My plans are to get the rest of my credential cleared, maybe go back to school for a masters and then head to China for a while. How long i don't know. I love the quote, "If you want to make The Father laugh, make plans" I am trying to keep my heart and plans open to His will. I know that I want to go back to doing that kind of Work, and China is very much in my heart, but I want to be willing to change to His will. That is still a lesson i am trying and will always be trying to learn.

Allan

Low Strung - Don't Stop Believing

Probably one of my favorite songs covered by a quartet. I am watching the wedding singer and well, i just thought i needed to post this.

Allan