Manila, T minus 3 days

I'm going on a research trip this Friday, will be out for about two weeks. Here's my itinerary (in IATA airport code): MNL-SIN-DXB-IST-FRU/ALA-IST-SIN-MNL. The FRU-ALA leg will be by land. Might go around IST on my way to FRU, since I have a 10-hour stopover there. Might also have lunch with dr.sbdink in SIN on my way back to MNL.

It will be my third time in Kyrgyzstan and my first time in Kazakhstan, and in both countries we will be visiting different far-flung villages. Kyrgyzstan is officially my third most-travelled country after the Philippines and the United States. Need to brush up on "Говорите по-английски?", "Я не понимаю", and "Где туалет?".

I'll be spending my birthday on a plane. I'll be departing from ALA at 3am on my birthday, stop for two hours in IST, then fly to SIN where I'll land at 7am the next day. Since I'm travelling from West to East, about three hours will even be shaved off my birthday. Maybe they'll serve cake for dessert on SQ.