God and Talent

I think its wonderful to be a christian and be excellent in your craft... means so much more...

Snow!

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I do wish it would snow...

Bí-se I Mo Shúil

(Be Thou My Vision in gælic, English translation by Adodh ó Dugáin)

Bí-se i mo shúil, a Rí mhór na ndúil
Líon thusa mo bheatha
Mo cheadfaí's mo stuaim
Bí thusa i m'aigne gach
oíche's gach lá
Im chodladh no im dhúiseacht líon
Mé le do grá

Bí thusa mo threorú i
mbriathar is i mbeart
Fan thusa go Deo
Liom is coinnigh mé ceart
Glac curam mar
Athair is eist le mo ghuí
Is tabhair domsa
áit conaí istigh i do chroí

Be my Eyes, O King of creation
Fill my life with understanding and patience.
Will You be my mind every night and every day,
sleeping or awake?
Fill me with Your Love.

Will You be my guidance
in my words and actions?
Stay with me forever
and keep me on the right path.
As my Father take care of me,
And listen to my prayers,
and give me a place
to live inside Your heart.

Already End November

It is already been three weeks since I've come back- been terribly busy w stuff: had a crusade alumni conference, multiple services and wedding to play at (with two more coming), cell outings, Thesis submission and Registrar confirmation red-tape to clear through, and people to catch up with. I've yet to complete my college applications, nor my papers. Me bad...

Been spending this time evaluating and weighing my options- I seem to be at a crossroad- indeed, not just any crossroad: seems more like a 4 or 5 dimensional crossroad. Issues at many level, interlinked, crosslinked, some in parallel worlds. Help!

I've also finally managed to sort through my thousand odd photos from my trip, and put them in more-or-less intelligible order (follow the link in the right hand column- "Монгол&Сибирь", if you're keen to plough through them). Some are rather delightful impressions from my trip- places and friends. Finished emailing e various wonderful people I've met on this trip, attaching pix or resources where relevant. Also, i'm proud to announce that I've completed my responsibility as postmaster for people (siberia, mongolia, china) who've passed me packages/letters/barfbags to pass to friends back in singapore. I've also did a short follow-through/update session with a strategic-coordinator for western inner-mongolia, jogging through strategies, updates and contexts.

Left TO DO:
- columbia appln (deadline end dec), UIUC and Indiana applns
- Acoustic Papers
- find job (applied for one liao!)
- learn Russian and practice Morin Huur

I realize this is probably gonna rank as one of the most exciting periods of my life, so i'm gonna savor each moment; tremendous freedom comes with tremendous responsibility!

God, grant me the discipline to bum constructively!

Whew!

I'm back in hot, humid Singapore... had a long trip back, including a massively delayed flight from Ulaan Baatar (for no apparent reason...) which involved a 30minute wait on the runway. Thankfully, my connecting flight was still hours away, unlike some less fortunate passengers who completely missed their flight. Oh dear. I think at my writing, they're still at Beijing airport trying to catch the next day's flight out.

I had wonderful company on my return trip- my mongolian friend Batraa met him at the airport by chance! Ariel, a philipino bible school lecturer teaching in mongolia was off to chiangmai for a conference. We were introduced, and soon began sharing and fellowshipping well into the trip. Amazing fella! Another divine appointment thingy. It turns out we know the same people, here, there... haha...


Goodbye Galaa and Bataraa!

with Ariel, amazing man of God... really blessed by his company!

Beijing airport, as it turns out, is one massive traveller's nightmare. The direction signs don't seem to add up. Transfers and Transit signs all point at different places, with certain counters which should be open closed, and other counters for diplomatic bags open to everyone. Thank God for Ariel- he's been through there dozens of times, and we wormed our way through queues and stuff... found myself out of the airport for all glorious 5 minutes of it. Anyhoo, we checked ourselves back in and continued chatting. Wonderful time of simply sharing.


Courtesy shot at Beijing airport

Had a relatively pleasant flight back to Singapore, crammed flight, but cos i was the first passeger to check-in, i got seat 6A, a nicely spacious first seat with lotsa legroom. Good for stretching and peering out the window without being intrusive. Landed, and waited for my bags... checked in two from Ulaan Baatar... but only one arrived in Singpaore =( oh well! But I still thank God... at least one bag arrived, and it was the one with the important stuff... BUT the other bag contained my clean clothes and a pack of processed fish from Lake Baikal! I hope it arrives soon, or some airport out there would be smelling badly of FISH. Bah!

Glad to be back. Thankful for everybit of the trip. Amazing places, amazing people, amazing God! =)


crazy parting shot... beijing airport runway light strips...

Last Night in Mongolia

Tonight's my last night in mongolia... the land of the eternal landscape! Been having a wonderful time back from siberia, catching up with mongolian friends, especially those from the music group.


music group students!

Got a bit of cold, but better now. Got to rest... Met with a professional morin huur player and hoomii singer. He sings and plays with the national cultural ensemble! Christian too! Gave me the low down on hoomii and morin huur. He's in the midst of producing and album- must get my hands on it once its done... simply amazing fella. And i finally got hold of a morin huur this morning!

Got invited for another wedding today... and again, got asked to play at the reception. Had fun... Thank God!


Another wedding in the crusade family! (Pretty powerful couple too! Bride just graduated from Biola in LA)

Trail of wedding cars

Maestro Dugeramaa does his stuff at e wedding reception!

Galaa and Olnaa at the reception

I'm chugging away on this too! Amazing eastern european grand piano that's seen better times...

Bataraa and kid (Bataraa is the bride's brother-in-law)

And OH! Met crusade staff Janice here! She's here in UB for a few days for the wedding and some teaching engagements... An amazing lady! Had wonderful time fellowshipping w her today throughout the wedding, reception, and we had dinner at Bataa's place. Just shared. Amazing. Am blessed by how God moves.


Janice sharing at the student meeting

deep in the message...

janice, sok ngin and local staff at e wedding, together w Bataraa's parents (R)- medical doctors (movers and shakers in hospitals and local politics!)

Dinner at Bataa's place

Well, flying off tomorrow, and return on 1st nov. Will have to miss this place, the people and the weather. I thank God for his faithfulness and blessings... Countless ones. Thank GOD!

Somebits are different too... Guess my heart has grown somewhat. Will have lots of homework to followthrough once i get back: weddings to attend, conferences, several journal papers i owe my proff, emails to write, pictures to send, colleges to apply and inquire, jobs to seek, moriin huur to practice!

Jesus, how I need You more and more!
I am spoilt for anything less!
Thank you that You are Lord of the Future,
that you call us and draw us from the future.
I have nothing to fear nor worry in You;
Thank you for your self-emptying goodness!

Баярлалаа! Есус надад хайртай!

Здравстуйте! (Zdrastvyte)

That means Hello! in Russian... But if you say that to the same person again later in the day, he'd think you'd forgotten you met him earlier... In that case you should say Привет (Privyet)! Tonight will be my last night in Russia, closing an exciting week of awe, amazement and wonder!


ULN-IKT onboard the MIAT Antonov Twin Propeller!

Frosty landscape below

Irkutsk from the air...

Boatman on the mighty Angara River

Trans-Siberian Rail just across the Angara

Typical intricate woodwork on Siberian houses

Some important fella with big beard; the Russian double headed eagle below

Outside the Irkutsk Regional Museum

Ploshchad Kirova- seat of the Regional Government

My first 5 days in Siberia was spent at Lake Baikal... Just a simply amazing creation of God! Its huge and totally humbling to stand on the shore and realize you can't see the edge to your left and right, and neither can you see the opposite shore- and its a lake.



May the road rise up to meet you??!

Ferry point to Olkhon Island... background body of water is the Maloe More (small sea), an extended bay area separated from the rest of the lake by the island

Maloe More (Small Sea)

splash of color and life in an extremely harsh place

ferry to Olkhon, the Doroshnik

I stayed on Olkhon Island, incidentally, bigger than Singapore by 5 times... Olkhon is situated along the deepest part of the lake, the land dropping from the 1000m high cliffs on Olkhon's eastern side dipping down to the lake's deepest point of 1.8km, all in the space of a few kilometers. Wildlife is abundant (took lotsa pix) here, amidst the steppe and taiga landscape... amazing how life still clings on and flourishes in such harshness. The wind never stopped during my few days there- but its normal for the people of Khuzir- the biggest village on the island. The men are all fishermen when they aren't drunk. Apparently, Khuzir has the cleanest air and water in all Russia, but the average life expectancy there is compromized by liver failure!


Main Street (Ulitsa Lenina), Khuzir (pop 1400), the main fishing village on Olkhon Island

in Khuzir, electricity is optional! Provided 3 hrs each night by the town council, you share power with your neighour alternate nights

the much over-rated Burkhan Rock, situated just outside Khuzir

View of burkhan and surrounds

Yellow lichen encased in ice, burkhan rock

Burkhan and the Maloe More

Baikal is a beauty in all her harshness, wildness and grace that's God-given; you should all visit sometime! You get a glimpse of God's majesty and wonder there. Love the moonlit nights too, under the stars- big dipper is just right overhead.


Fishermen out to fish... any capsize is certain death by hypothermia

lovely beach... if it was 30 degrees warmer

sun's out! woohoo

Postcard

Frosty morning

Yes, that's snow

Priceless

colors of Baikal- blue, green and yellow

on the northern cape

Northern Cape

yoohoo from the northern cape! behind me, the vastness of the Baikal sea... on a super fine day, you can see the other side... hundreds of kilometers away!

at the Three Brothers... dun let e pic fool you... these are immense rocks behind me, hundreds of metres tall!

Spot Jack (my excellent tourguide)... and you get a sense of scale

sunbow... caused by ice-bearing clouds

yellow tree

yellow snow

yum! fish soup a-cookin'

(L to R) Jerome, Andrea, Harry, Jack, me

picnic in the woods, on a lovely yellow carpet

Jolly russian 4WD that got us everywhere! With luxury seats too!

somebody else also enjoying lunch

Herd of Maral (Red Deer), apparently an extremely rare appearance! (Actually, this is the first time in years my guide has seen it with guests, and the first time someone on his trip has managed to photograph it!)

closeup shot of Maral... at 40X zoom

Lone Golden Eagle in flight

herd of Siberian Wild Horse

More wild horses

view from the weather station, eastern cape

well, its a sheer drop straight down...

stately cliffs and mountains

Ushkani Island appearing to float, due to temperature inversion

starbursts

Red lichen and snow

sunlight filtering through snowclouds

golden trees and I in sunset

slice of heaven

Sunset at Baikal

The rest of my time, back in Irkutsk has been rather interesting... got to have church w Spencer, the campus crusade director here for Eastern Russia. He invited me to his place to have dinner with his family too! Wonderful fella, and amazing stories to tell... God uses amazing people; or people are amazing because of God! Got to meet a local Buryat crusade staff over dinner... exciting!


Smile!

power cables waiting to be laid... that will change and shock the village!

Super Anti-freeze Siberian Cows!

icy shoreline

last glimpse of Lake Baikal

here i go again!

the road goes ever on!

last stretch home to Irkutsk

Spencer preaching at church

Dinner At the Nichols: (L to R) April, Yulia, Alix, Andrew, Annette, Katie, Spencer, me

Visiting more museums and combing shops (which turn out rather unexpected treasures!) has been somewhat tiring... My walk home today was interrupted rather rudely by a policeman, who stopped me to check my passport and visa. After making sure everything was 'cleared', he openly asked me for money! It was one of those situations in life where you just jam heaven's airwaves w emergency prayers and you get this numb feeling of peace and assurance in spite of the situation. So anyway, after some banter (like, ya nye panimayoo- i dun understand), he let me off without further trouble (he even returned the money he took from my pocket!). Thank God for that! Peace in times of trouble. I'm humbled and grateful for the peace that surpasses understanding. Again, it was a nice reminder (if not a rude one), that this is still a rough country, reeling from a tumultous past. The police, as my homestay hosts says, are simply thieves in uniform... Oh well, I'm thankful and humbled and glad for the whole incident. Thank you all if you happened to pray for me...


Irkutsk street

war memorial

Tree at the War Memorial

Brrrrrr!! Fishing anyone??

Ducks in frosty river

Quack!

Gull

in the Irkutsk Regional Museum

at the department store... lalala

Head Office of the Trans-Siberian Rail

Meow!

Accordianist

At the meat market

Fish market

Babushkas (grandmas) selling their ware

Russian Dolls

camel in siberia??

What's this doing in Downtown Irkutsk?!

The Lace House

Lace House 2

Lace House 3

Lace House 4

Church of Transfiguration

More siberian lacework houses

My room in Irkutsk... lovely place!

A watched kettle doesn't boil or does it?

Tomorrow I return to Ulaan Baatar, back to warm friendly people, and enjoy being part of a community of faith. More later then! пака!


MIAT Antonov back to Ulaan Baatar... on flight with some american diplomats! (grey head, center)

courtesy shot, leaving siberia

Buyant Ukhaa Airport/Airfield, Mongolia

Cool plane! Check out those in the background!

Frosty Mongolian landscape... Beauty!