Christmas 07

California Winter

My russian friends think that winter in California is always warm and sunny. Well.....they're darn right!!! We spent couple of days at Doheny Beach with Heather's parents. Ok, it wasn't very hot, but still a lot warmer than in St.Petersburg.

Everybody Dance Now!

Some people feel that youth group should be a place where you learn about spiritual things and stuff like that. Well...I guess they're right. But check out the video from our latest youth group. They say that dancing is just another form of worship. I hope so.

Выезд в Тихвин 18 ноября 2007г.

Recently we have started something that we called "Calvary Youth for Orphans". Our first trip was to Tichvin which is about 3 hours away from Saint-Petersburg. It was awesome. Did I say awesome? It was absolutely amazing! I wasn't wearing winter shoes. That sucked.

Еще раз про любовь.

Завтра "Зенит" станет чемпионом. Да знаю я что мы еще не обыграли "Сатурн"! Но написать пораженческое "возможно" в начале предложения я не в силах. Потому что мы выстрадали это вместе с командой. Мне даже кажется, что страдали в основном мы, а кержаковы с аршавиными в это время неплохо зарабатывали! 23 года в ноябре были счастливы другие: Москва;Киев; Днепропетровск; Владикавказ... А теперь мы! Как не любить теперь Адвоката?! Да он не говорун Петержела, не дед Морозов, не свой в доску Садырин наконец! Он как теща, которая вытащила тебя из горящего дома: любить ее непросто, но теперь ты ей многим обязан.
Мой Зенит начался в начале девяностых. Тогда нашими соперниками были не цээски и спартаки, а сатурны (вот ирония) и смена-сатурны. Первая лига. В то время на футбол ходило человек двести. На ключевые матчи естественно: с балтикой или черноморцем.
Мой Зенит по-настоящему начался в 96ом году- в том году зенит вышел в вышку. Первый матч в марте случился с КАМАЗом. Сценарий того матча помню как сейчас: все шло к тому, что наши в первом матче после возвращения победят, 2:1 незадолго до конца. Но тут нелепую травму (ударился о штангу) получает наш основной кипер Приходько. Вышедшего на поле Рому Березовского не знал никто. Более того, к его выходу на поле не были готовы не только мы, но и сам Зенит: на Роминой спине рядом с цифрой 1 жутко коряво была пришита шестерка- двух первых номеров в команде быть не может. Несколько минут спустя Рома взял пенальти и надолго застолбил место в зенитовских воротах.
Потом был кубок в 99ом. Это казалось наивысшим счастьем, о чемпионстве тогда мечтать боялись.
На смену старым героям (где вы сейчас Вернидуб, Куртиян, Максимюк?) приходили новые. Помню как мои однокласник Андрюха Васильев бросил такую фразу: "что за состав у Зенита, играют всякие аршавины..." Это было лет восемь назад. На прошлой неделе "Ньюкасл" предложил за Аршавина 8 млн. фунтов стерлингов...
Потом был Петржела. Его любил Питер потому что он сам был таким же как Питер- дерзким, нахальным и противопоставляющим себя всему на свете.
В начале этого сезона я сказал, что не хочу чтобы Зенит стал чемпионом. Не хочу чтобы чемпионство было куплено за 20 миллионов Тимощука. Но сейчас, за 11 часов до стартового свистка в Раменском, я прощаю тебе все, дорогой! Только победи. Ведь покупают же у нас права, дипломы и санитарные книжки. Ты купил себе чемпионство и я прощаю тебе эту маленькую прихоть:)
А в понедельник- хоть трава не расти! И пусть хоть Адвокат в Австралию, хоть Шава к бриттам...ПО Б-А-Р-А-Б-А-Н-У!
Я еще припомню тебе все твои "газпромовские лимоны". Но сегодня- пофиг! В моих жилах течет сине-бело-голубая кровь...

Take That, Barry!

NEW YORK (AP) -- The ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fashion designer Marc Ecko, who bought the ball in an online auction, set up a Web site for fans to vote on the ball's fate, and Wednesday announced the decision to brand it won out over the other options -- sending it to Cooperstown unblemished or launching it into space.

Ecko said he believed the vote to brand the ball showed people thought "this was shrouded in a chapter of baseball history that wasn't necessarily the clearest it could be."

Ecko, whom Bonds called "an idiot" last week, had the winning bid Sept. 15 in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit Aug. 7 to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. The final selling price was $752,467, well above most predictions that assumed Bonds' status as a lightning rod for the steroids debate in baseball would depress the value.

The asterisk suggests that Bonds' record is tainted by alleged steroid use. The slugger has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Fans brought signs with asterisks on them to ballparks as he neared Aaron's hallowed mark.

Bonds publicist Rachael Vizcarra did not immediately respond to an e-mail sent early Wednesday seeking comment about the ball's fate.

Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey said accepting the ball did not mean the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., endorses the viewpoint that Barry Bonds used drugs.

"This ball wouldn't be coming to Cooperstown if Marc hadn't bought it from the fan who caught it and then let the fans have their say," Petroskey told The Associated Press. "We're delighted to have the ball. It's a historic piece of baseball history."

Hall of Fame officials and Ecko are discussing how to affix the asterisk on the ball. It's not yet known when the ball will go on display.

The Giants announced Friday they will part with Bonds after this season, the seven-time NL MVP's 15th in San Francisco and 22nd in the majors.

Ecko, known for his pop culture pranks, said he bought the ball and arranged to let the public decide its future online as a way to hold a conversation about a classic American sport in the digital world.

"This is obviously something that struck a chord with fans," Ecko said Wednesday in a phone interview with the AP.

Bonds broke the home run record with a shot into the right-center field seats off Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

Matt Murphy, a 21-year-old student and construction supervisor from New York, emerged from a scuffle holding the ball. He said he decided to sell it because he couldn't afford to pay the taxes required to keep it.

Russia Wins Eurobasket 07

It was amazing. I can't explain it. You gotta watch it!

Appenzelle Аппензелль

Appenzelle is a small and very cute town in St.Gallen area. The place is known for its great cheese factory. I've discovered that I actually like Swiss cheese a lot. But.....what's up with all the smells?!! Some of the kinds stink so much that it totally feels like you're eating your own socks. Very old socks.

После относительно большого Цюриха, городок Аппензелль даже и городком назвать сложновато. Тут бы и житель Павловска почувствовал бы себя пришельцем из мегаполиса. Дерееееевня. Но симпатичная весьма. Главная достопримечательность города- завод по производству сыра. Здесь все доступно объяснят, покажут фильм о тонкостях сыроварения ( очень познавательно) и даже дадут понюхать конечный продукт (а вот это совсем не рекомендую).










Can you remember when was the last time you saw a cow walking downtown? Didn't think so. Now look at the picture and envy!

Я все больше подозреваю, что корова священное животное совсем даже не в Индии, а в здесь в Швейцарии. Относятся ним здесь, прямо скажем, весьма хорошо. Местные фермеры разве что "спасибо-досвиданья" им не говорят. Хотя может и говорят. В швейцарско-немецком я не силен.

Zurich Цюрих

Zurich is a very cool place. It's the biggest city in Switzerland-350.000 people. Me and Ry had a lot fun. You probably can tell. Notice the look on his face?

Цюрих- отличный город. Для человека приехавшего из пятимиллионного Питера, он мог показаться малюсеньким-350.000 всего- но он совершено не оставляет такого впечатления. Видимо благодаря тому, что во всей Швейцарии по-моему нет ни одного ровного места, Гора на горе и горой погоняет.
Раян не хотел фотографироваться. Местные смотрели на меня как на идиота))



People that know me well, wouldn't be surprised seeing me taking pictures infront of Starbucks. Yes, I'm a coffee addict. I'm very excited about Starbucks in Moscow, though i think my addiction is becoming pretty expensive: a cost of an actual drink+ticket to Moscow.
P.S. Swiss Frappuchino sucks.

Для моих постоянных читателей не секрет, что среди моих вредных привычек, одна стоит особняком: я- кофехолик (да, я хочу поговорить об этом). Привычный к Старбаксу в Штатах, я был в шоке увидев любимые зелененькие буковки всего в трех часах лета от дома. Теперь правда есть один в Москве, но это предмет не радости, а бесконечной зависти москалям.

Switzerland Швейцария

It's hard to believe, but I'm writing this from Switzerland. Boy, do I like it here! I am actually thinking about staying here forever illegally. Shhhh.....I didn't tell you anything.
It's been a while since we used russian airline and to be quite honest, "Rossiya" is not my favorite. Couple of times I wondered: Does the airplane supposed to make sounds like that or we're going down?))

Трудно в это поверить, но мы в Швейцарии! До чего же симпатичная страна! Я всерьез намереваюсь попросить политического убежища, но не знаю куда с этим обращаться. Папа-мама не волнуйтесь- это шутка)))
Довольно давно я не пользовался услугами российских авиакомпаний, и, скажу честно, правильно делал! Все таки на борту очень важно ощущение спокойствия, а когда видишь неулыбчивых стюардесс бегающих(!) по проходу, хочется обернуться и посмотреть: а нет ли у них на спине парашюта?



Our dear friend Manue lives in the small village called Degersheim which is about 45 minutes away from Zurich. As we were driving from the airport, I noticed that there are a lot more cows in Switzerland then people. Manue told me that no one was outside because it's Sunday. Today is Wenesday. We still haven't seen anybody.))

Наша дорогая подруга Маню живет в деревушке Дегерсхайм, в 45 минутах езды от Цюриха. Страна маленькая, поэтому это считается далеко. Вообще далеко здесь начинается со следующего поворота. Пока мы ехали из аэропорта, я обратил внимание на то, что коров в Швейцарии значительно больше чем людей. Маню сказала, что это из-за того что воскресенье. Вранье. Сегодня среда и коровы продолжают доминировать. На фото дом в котором мы живем.



I dont have anything against russian cows. I don't think they're ugly or anything like that. But you can't even compare them to cows in Switzerland. It's like comparing me and David Beckham. I'm a lot better looking.
Swiss farmers can't watch their cows 24/7. Instead, they put electric wire around their fields. Too bad I didn't know that in advance. Ouch! Kids, learn from my mistakes!

Я понял, что животные в России, которых я называл коровами всю свою жизнь, не заслуживают такого громкого названия. Здесь, в Швейцарии, коровы выглядят лучше многих моих человеческих знакомых. Месные фермеры обносят электрическим заборчиком коровьи пастбища, чтоб буренки не надумали сбежать. Я этого не знал. Дальше додумайте сами....



This is just a pic with a local girl that happend to be very hot. I couldn't resist taking a picture. We're madly in love now.

Хэзэр сказала, что я порчу все наши совместные фотографии, строя рожи. Это не так. На этой фотографии я ничего не строил. Такая вот рожа. Естественная. Мы плывем на корабле из Цюриха в Рапперсвилль.

Ry and PapaDaddy.

#756

Today is a very sad day. Actually it was 3 days ago.
BARRY BONDS PASSED HANK AARON'S RECORD.
There should only be two types of people right now:
1. People who are really really sad.
2. People from SanFrancisco.
If you want to know what i think about that, i'll give you a hint: i'm not from San Francisco.

Pics from MA 07

Original logo of this year's theme.

Our own version of the show.

Kids showing their program for the first time

Phil. A tough guy with a soft heart.

Outreach in one of the local villages.

IdiotBall. Part of Summer Olimpics 2064.

Take that, amerikanski!

Bringing sexy back.

A group from Good News Mission church.

Nastya.

Me and Mark as Jack and Rose from Titanic
One of the groups that came this year

That's right, baby. Men In Black!

Final scene from Titanic

beginning of Passion play

Mission Adventures 2007

Mission Adventures 2007 is officially over.
4 weeks. 13 staff. 42 participants. 10 churches. 1.649.022 mosquitoes. 3 army tents. Lots of fun!
This year theme was "Lazarus. Wake up dead man!", based on John 11.
Also, this year's outreach was in Belarus (former Soviet respublic), which was a big eye opener for all of the kids, since preaching the Gospel outside the church is illegal out there. Each team had only three days to learn all skits and dramas; evangelism tools and songs. They were all VERY stressed out, but did a really great job. One of the best parts of the programm, was thursday night outreach in one of the local villages, For the first time kids would perform their entire programm in front of strangers. Anywhere from 30 to 50 people would gather to watch it, Probably 70% of them were kids. Awesome! Usually we would stay for about 40 minutes after the show to hand out Bibles and just to talk to locals. Not last thursday.
We completly forgot that august 2d was Spesial Forces Day (Day of VDV). Usually that means a lot former soldiers walking around in there old uniforms absolutely drunk, looking for an opportunity to fight. That night we went to Garbolovo- one of the biggest villages in the area. Kids from Calvary Chapel team started inviting people to watch the programm. I saw several guys standing by the store, drinking. They were all wearing their uniforms. Crap... I told Mark (volunteer from Scotland) that we have to be ready to..."Fight?"-he asked. "No! Get the heck outta here!".
Right in the middle of the show, one of the "soldiers" started yelling things that i can't really write here. Here's my edited version: "Would you please leave this village, dear sect members or this beautiful summer day will be the day when your life will be over!")) Crap...
He promised to come back in 5 minutes. And he did. This time he was right behind the team, while they were performing. He kept saying that he killed a lot of morons like us, while serving his country in Afganistan. I asked him if we could move a little bit, so we wouldn't interrupt the show. He was amazed: "Do you really want to fight me one on one?!". Crap...
Me and Tim decided that instead of waiting we needed to go and talk to this guys. What can be more desirable than a conversation with a group of drunk, mad former professional killers? Especially, when they're mad at YOU!
It was a difficult conversation. They hated America, they hated Bush, the hated Putin. They were calling themselvs "orthodox believers" and we were foreign agressors to them. I had a long conversation with a 45 year old guy Viktor. He was by far the most intellectual and sober guy there. He was convinced that America is evil and anything that sponsored by american money evil as well. Every time i would switch the conversation to Jesus, we could talk. Every time he would switch it back to politics, we couldn't. I would love to tell you that all of them became christians after we talked, but they didn't. And i think that is what sharing Gospel is all about: viewing yourself as a link in a chain and hoping that you would be the last one.
We had to leave immdeatly after the programm. When we got back to YWAM base, kids were so pumped! That night Tim told me: "I think this outhreach did more for this kids than 10 years of going to church". Amen.
I posted all of the videos we made this year at www.youtube.com\zhuliker. Go check 'em out. Let me know what you think.

Numero Uno

Recently, i had a very painful revelation: None of my russian friends expressed ANY interest in my new blog! So, I guess, this is for you my english speaking friends. I apologize for mistakes and misspelings (did i misspeled "misspelings"?) that you'll see here- english is my second language. My russian isn't any good either though....Post comments- it will make me feel better.