SIFF2009
10th - 18th Dec 2009
Indiespace (Jung-ang cinema), Seoul
Presented by: The Association of Korean Independent Film & Video, Korean Film Council
Organized by: Seoul Independent Film Festival 2009 Executive Committee
Location:
Subway line 2, 3 Oeljiro-3 ga station, exit 12
(walk underground to the direction of oeljiro-ibgu about 7-8min)
line 2 Oeljiro-ibgu station, exit 5
Subway line 4, Myeong Dong station exit 10 (7-8 minutes)
Tickets: Opening ceremony 7,000won, normal 5,000won.
Ok... this chocolate is not from Korea, for sure.
My Korean friend gave me this Toblerone Chocolate, made in Switzerland, last week - which I miss it so much! Erm... I can get it easily in Malaysia, but not here. Erm... I know, the Koreans will say to me, Chocolate is too sweet, don't eat too much, and it will only cause your teeth worse. Erm... I know that.
I think I will write about the chocolate in Korea in my blog later. There are quite a lot of choices!
Anyway, today is 11.11 - pepero day - a day of a chocolate stick. Koreans buy the chocolate or chocolate stick to give to one another. I got to eat it today as one of our classmates bought for the whole class.
This chocolate stick was started in 1983 - Lotte brand.
Almond flavor 1984, Strawberry and Fried - 1994, Cheese and Coffee - 1995, Peanut, Hazelnut, Bulgogi - 1996, Peanut cream - 1997, Nude - 2000, Black - 2005, Cacao - 2006, Nut Lemon Cheese - 2007.
However, now available in the market now:
Choco Pepero - 700 won.
Almond Pepero - 1000 won.
Nude Pepero - 1000 won.
Starting from 1994, from Busan, Middle and High School girls gave 1111 to one another as gift. The meaning is - to be tall, slim, and pretty 키 크고 날씨하게 예뻐지자'.
Anyway, this is a special culture for the students - hope this will not be a must but just as a fun - because it will encourage them to buy chocolates more!
Anyway, happy pepero day!
Happy 5th anniversary to our marriage too!
Korea has a famous thing that everybody should know - delivery service - efficiency and effectiveness! Fast and good service! It applies to almost everything!
Internet service - shopping mall for clothes, daily necessities and even food. Even you no need to walk in to the mart to choose the things you want, but choose online and on the day you order (morning), you can get it in the afternoon/evening.
What I want to say here - is home food delivery service - almost apply to every food too! From pizza, chicken, Korean main dish like pork leg, noodle, even cold noodle and etc. 15-30 minutes they will reach your home. Cash is needed while some can offer card payment.
Tips: If you order from chinese restaurant, there is a plastic bag given to you too - after finishing your meal, put in the plates in the plastic bag, put it outside your house so that they can take it back later.
We order chicken once in a while.
Today we chose a shop which sells chicken cheap - 2 + 500ml cola + coupon = 19,000 won. However, it was not very delicious.
It's 촌닭치킨 shop. The special is that it has rice cake mixed with the chicken. Not bad. Anyway, I don't think I will order from them again. :P
or known as
Director: Lee Jong-yong
Actor: Lee Beon-soo, Jo Ahn
This is also another sports movie, one of the best movie in 2009.
This is also based on a real story.
This story touches heart so much as the ending is out of expected.
If you are a teacher who loves your students so much, watch this movie.
If you are a student in a team work, watch this movie.
If you are a trainer or a leader, watch this movie.
It is worth to get the ideas from this movie how the team work moves the hearts of the people rather than the success of a bronze.
Synopsis:
"Not everyone gets the gold medal.
If you don't give up and do your best, at the end that alone deserves a gold medal.
I believe in all of you."
The words were in the mind of a female national weightlifting athlete in the Olympics game.
Story was like this:
Lee-Ji-Bong, a bronze medalist of 1998 Olympic Weightlifting athelete, hurt his hand and quitted the sports after the game. He didn't want to involve in sports again but he was invited to teach in a girl high school, under the sports department.
To join this new sports, the interested parents were invited to have a preview. He informed them the danger of the sports and scared them away. Yet there were still a few girls regardless of that joined him and wanted to be trained. One of the girl comes from a poor family. Her grandmother just passed away and she lost her home. She joined the weightlifing group so that she can have a place to stay in. Then the teacher starts to accept them and teach them.
However, he didn't want them to involve in the game because he knows that - only one person- the gold medalist - will be recognized among the all. If not, all their hard work will be considered nothing. He gave them normal exercise and training while he did fishing.
They asked him, "Why don't you teach us?"
He answered, "If you don't get the first, you won't even be acknowledged."
He didn't take much interest to teach them any skill.
The teacher even wanted to burn out the bronze medal he won, but one of the girl got it back and set as her secret tool. She is the one who went to the Olympic Games later.
Without any proper training and skill, they went for the first inter-school competition, and all the girls felt disappointed. They felt shamed and lost their confidence. The teacher of another girl high school even teased them.
Thus, Lee made up his mind and trained up the young ladies - gave them hard training - a serious training with records and good planning. He even asked them to study hard though most of the time they have to do exercise.
Finally, the day of competition has come and they won in the inter-school competition.
They were recognized. They were encouraged by the school and even promised to build a temporary dormitory for the team.
However, good things not always happen in one row. The teacher was asked to send his students (5 of them in total) to another girl school and be trained. They had a hard time and wanted to go back to Lee. He was not allowed to and even his authority was taken away.
For their future, Lee sacrificed himself and sent them away. While he decided to send out the letters he wrote to the students, he had a heart attack on the road and he passed away. The students were so sad and they used their strength to send the teacher's body to the graveyard.
The girl, who continued the sports, went to the Oympics game and achived the success that her teacher and her companions could not do.
The movie actorsThe real people of the story
Review
May be because I'm a girl, I cried when I watched this movie. Truly girls are emotional. The storyline is well written and the spirit of the game is shown in the movie. The effort of the teacher and his students should be the model of the school today. There is always fruitful if a good teacher is willing to lead and teach his or her students, no matter what the result is. Students need proper teaching, most of all, need pure and true heart of model.
Any thumbs up for the girls - they're willing to make themselves be tough and strong - from their original slim bodies.
This Korean movie, means National Athelete, is highly recommended to watch and I can say that, it is one of the best movies in 2009.
May be it is because:
first, I like ski.
second, I like sports movie.
third, it is based on a true story.
forth, the patriotism - the unity of Korean - the brotherhood as a team - is shown in the movie.
fifth, low budget brings out good movie.
Synopsis:
A famous high ski athlete (Korean-American) was back to Korea to look for his parents. He can speak Korean well and he showed up in a TV program. The national team co-ordinator, plus trainer, looked for him and asked him to join the Korean national team. He didn't think it is fair to him as this country sent him away first. Anyway, later he was little bit moved by the trainer as he promised to help him looking for his parents.
Thus, to be in a team, they need 4 people in a group. They went to find the candidates, whom have totally different backgrounds from one another. One is a club's attendee, one is a poor worker staying with a younger brother and his grandmother and another one is a father's boy. The trainer invited them to have a preview of high-ski and asked for their participation.
When they saw the scenes of failures, first they wanted to quit. But after they were told that if they become the national athelete, they no need to join the military service. :) They decided to be trained and become the national team.
However, it was not an easy task. First, they don't have a proper place to be trained. They were trained in the construction place of the high ski stadium. Second, they don't have much budget. They could not get any financial support when they are training. Third, they had to use their own imaginations to build a temporary ski jump route. Without the support of the government, they only can use a haunted roller coster place. Even later when the decision of the high ski stadium was canceled, they were not allowed to use it too.
After much training, they went for the first competition yet it was not successful. They were lucky to be in the final round list because of the weather. The quarrel of the team leader and the ex-US team members made them have a hard time to get into the competition.
Besides the story of the sports, there are also stories of the atheletes:
Team leader found his mother but she was having a hard time, she is a housemaid under a cruel daughter of the house owner. At the end of the story, she came to her son and recognized him again.
The daughter of the trainer made a spotlight in the story - a beautiful lady but is a liar. She seduced one of the team member but she was touched by his true heart at the end.
The brother of the good grandson joined the team later as a back-up as he was hurt in the first competition. He was too young but encouraged by his brother, he jumped for the first time and he was success.
The father's boy got married with a korean-chinese lady who works in his father's restaurant, and she was pregnant. Her father tried to push him back to work but he finally fight for his own life.
In the final, they joined the international competition and they won the 3rd prize. The jump scene was shown in the movie but not the prize award.
Review
I watched this movie in the theatre and with the big screen, I could feel the true spirit of the sports. Though later I found out that the whole view of the international ski jump competition are all computerized-making, they did a good job. Their hard work burns my passion to work for my dream too! I also want to work hard for my own dream!
I hope you can enjoy this movie too!
This photo shows the real national atheletes. They have a hard time getting support from the Korean government. It is a true information (as I have friend who knows one of them). The Koreans only like sports like soccer and baseball. They do not give much subsidy to this sports although they have a high potential to get into the international field successfully. I hope this movie, and more supports from the Koreans, can influence the support from the government.
Every year the Children Grand Park of Seoul (Subway line 7 exit 1 to main entrance, line 5 Achasan station exit 4 to back entrance) will have new renovation and improve their facilities for the benefit of the visitors.
This time the bird park has new changes after the bird flu. There are not many birds as last time but the benefit is we can enter the bird park and touch the little yellow birds - parrot village 앵무마을. It opens from 10am to 5pm, 1st April to 31st Oct annually. You are freely to touch the birds if they fly over to you. You can buy the food in the food machine for 500 won.
parrots' mini houses
they're so beautiful and cute!
the best moment for parents and children!
When I visited the park last Monday, I accidentally met the family from my hometown. They come to Korea every year to visit the parents. I miss the Malay words they speak. :)
Another area I would like to introduce to you is the Korean folk tales' village. The popular stories are shown here with the characters made and shown here.
mini water fountain decorated with traditional pots
famous story - fairy lady with wood cutter
a sample of traditional house - traditional kimchi pots and a cow.
Also, you can touch the real traditional soil-made wall. My friend who is pregnant is my best model.
There is also a new football field, and this park is a very good place for jogging and walking.
Last Monday we went to the Grand Children Park to have a walk as I knew that the leaves started to change colors. These two days the temperature suddenly dropped down so fast - below zero - that stopped me to visit the park . :(
Anyway, I snapped some photos for my 2009 autumn collections. I will join a photographing session on next Saturday with a Korean photographing club in order to learn some basic photographig skill from them.
The beautiful yellow+green+brown tall grand trees welcomed me from the Guui entrance to the park.
Walking on the jogging route - slightly change color of the trees.
We found here beautiful and we took a group photo together.
a lot of small roads link here and there
Red leaf on the floor is always my target.
I still remember this view - last year I was here and there was a graduation photo session of a kindergarten.
Which one do you like? Portrait or landscape?
Yellow ginkyo trees - the first to shine in the autumn
It's hard to take photo for this tree as they are to bright- but it turns out good and it looks like a postcard for me!
Erm... this red is not shining, yet it tells me that... they are coming soon!
Have you seen the beautiful autumn scenery this year? Go out and have a look. Despite the swine flu, wear a mask and make sure you drink lots of water and intake vitamin c, and the most, do exercise or have sports, to make your body healthy. The long and cold winter is coming - I think the best precaution is have exercise regularly. Take care! Hope you enjoy the photos!
Oct and Nov are also the months of taking graduation photos and having graduation dinner. The real graduation ceremony is held on February every year (some even in September too). The weather in Oct/Nov is the best for the whole year, also the autumn scenery is amazingly wonderful.
Koreans normally have their graduation photos taken formally. Girls have the full make up and some even have their hair set. The dress code is formal - so... this is the time when you can see the most handsome and most beautiful moments of your seniors / classmates. :P
Anyway, we also just took our graduation photos informally with our classmates, fun and nice!
I not yet received the photos but I have some backstage photos here
My camera is not the offical camera (not qualified for sure), but I got some interesting moments only.
This was our lunch main dish - 족발 jokbal - glazed pig's feet.
oh... another visit to VIPS family restaurant again. I think we're mania.
This time before chuseok (mid autumn festival) we visited with 6 other female Korean church family. They ate more than us! We learnt from them a lot how to eat more in buffet style restaurant. :P
We went to the branch near to Grand Children Park at Seoul. If you go at the lunch time, you're expected to wait at least 10-15 minutes. However, you're free to have a cup of cold juice and cookies or snacks. It really helps when you bring children along with you. Also there is computer which is free to use.
This branch has wider space and the interior design is nice too. See the love shape made by the wine?
This is the salad bar view... ok... not spain food but just a Korean wore a no. 3 Spain soccer t-shirt.
Let's see what we had this time!
They change their menu again.
salad - add on mushroom salad, soup add on ginseng chicken soup, and the rice noodle change back to soup style. Finally I tried the taco this time, yummy!
They serve 2 types of pizza at this branch too.
Do not miss their ice-cream - both yoghurt and green tea ice-cream are available. Also, yoghurt!
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