Baseball game

View from Jamsil Baseball Sports Complex to Sports Complex

Korea is famous of its baseball team, especially in the Olympic Games 2008. They won the gold medal. However, they were crazy for the sports, even before that. In Malaysia, we do not play this sports, thus actually I don't have much idea how to play the sports.

We have a friend who works at LG company and his company provided some free tickets when LG play in the tournament. On 25th May, we got the chance to watch the game LG vs KIA. It's very lucky for us that LG won that game. The result was 5:4. But actually LG lose in the early stage, but because of homerun, and later they worked hard and they won the game.

Oh ya! I finally got the chance to see Home Run! But the ball didn't come to our side.

My ticket!

I don't know about the guy in the ticket but my friend told me he is a good player (though that night he was not the star).

The game started 6.30pm and the sun still brightly shining. I like summer.

There were already thousand over people there in the sports complex. We missed the chance to see the celebrity who started the game with either throwing or hitting a ball. We were looking for the ticket booth because we got free tickets and so we were late to enter the stadium. :(

This picture just to show you that... we sit far away from the field.

The players are so tiny, right? See from TV is clearer.

Another one is, the seats opposite of us is KIA supporters.

Our side is LG supporters.

When any of the team hit the ball, the cheerleader led the supporters to sing, to shout and the cheerleading team danced. Wow! I like the Korean supporters!

But... since I'm pregnant, I felt so exhausted easily and left earlier.

This photo was taken at 7:52pm

Round 6 (if I'm not mistaken)

It's getting dark but ... the cheering sound didn't stop.

They used these balloons to make sound.

Let's see some videos, not very clear, but hope you can enjoy the live performance as we were.

There were also free stuff to give away in the middle of the show, like kissing couple, lucky number, etc. The big screen showed the audience in the supporter zone randomly then they can get free gifts. It is such a good marketing way.

Congratulations to Yuna Kim!!!

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2009-2010 was held at Tokyo, Japan (Yoyogi National Gymnasium).

Photo searched from Naver.

Kim Yuna
4th Dec 2009    Short Program    65.64
5th Dec 2009    Free Skating     123.22
   Total 188.86

Though she lost some marks on the first show and got the 2nd after Ando Miki, she did it very well on the second night and she broke the myth of Japan and got the first - nearer to the gold medal of Winter Olympics 2010.

Ladies Senior Group
1. Kim Yuna (South Korea)    65.64 + 123.22 = 188.86
2. Miki Ando  (Japan)             66.20 + 119.74 = 185.94
3. Akiko Suzuki  (Japan)         57.54 + 116.46 = 174.00
4. Ashley Wagner (US)           54.26 + 107.81 = 162.07
5. Joannie Rochette (Canada)  60.94 + 95.77 = 156.71
6. Alena Leonova (Russia)       61.60 + 94.95 = 156.55

Men Senior Group
1. Evan Lysacek (US)  249.45
2. Nobunari Oda (Japan) 243.36
3. Johnny Weir (US) 237.35
4. Jeremy Abbott (US) 235.28
5. Daisuke Takahashi (Japan) 224.60
6. Tomas Verner (Czech Republic)  192.32

Cute Yuna!

My 2nd support banner for Yuna - I took the photo of a handcraft made by DaHye.

I love Yuna! 김연아

To show my support to the young and potential young sportswoman - Kim Yuna - famous figure skater of the world who will participate in the Winter Olympics Games 2010, I especially use the recycle chinese mangarine skin to make the support banner!

화이팅!

Actually I only know one figure skater - Michelle Wing Kwan 关颖珊 from US, who was so famous in 2001-2003. It is because she is almost the same generation as me, she was born in 1980.

I come from a 365-day hot country and thus winter games seems like no relation to my life. However, after I moved to Korea, I started to realize that there is a winter games. Especially after Kim Yuna won a lot of world competitions and she will participate in the Winter Olympic Games soon.

Kim Yuna
Sep 5, 1990.
She was born at Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do and she stays at Gunpo.
Her height is 164cm (we're the same) but she is only 47kg (I'm 50-51, she must be so thin).
She is still a student in Korea University Frontier Spirit and she likes Michelle Kwan the most.
Her coach is Brian Orser (a Canadian retired pro figure skater. Silver medalist in 1884, 1988 Olympic games, 1987 World champion and 1981-1988 Canadian national champion) 
Choreographer (dance notation) : David Wilson
Her main training site is at Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.

She is well-known as the 'Queen' Yu-na.
She placed second at the JuniorGrand Prix Final and earned Korea's first international medal in the history of figure skating.

Erm... I'm not going to state down all her competitions and prizes as you can find from her official website: http://www.yunakim.com/

As a summary:
She is the 2009 World champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, a two-time (2006-2007, 2007-2008) Grand Prix Final champion, the 2006 World Junior champion, the 2005-2006 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and a four-time (2002-2005) South Korean national champion.

Her James-Bond program

Photo is from here.

Let's see one of her video:

Korean Movie: 킹콩을들다 Lifting King Kong 2009

Jul 1st, 2009

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.

Enjoy the movie.

 from Arirang

Korean Movie: 국가대표 Jump 2009

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.

Enjoy the OST.

Swimming lesson

I joined swimming lesson since April this year. For the past 3 years I was here, I didn't dare to join any lesson as I could not understand Korean well. But this year I want to give it a try to challenge myself - to overcome the water-phobia.

My hubby found the sports complex which is nearest to our house, Namyangju area. At first we wanted to join in March but it was full. We finally made it in April.

Let's me share about the application to the local sports complex:

For Namyangju sports complex 남양주체육문화센터,

• Foreigner with alien ID can only register on-desk, but not online
• Online registration is normally in the middle of the month (for existing member) and then left spaces for new members in the following week
• always check online for the registration date
• they will always send sms for reminder
• Ladies have 10% discount
• The swimming lessons are from Monday to Saturday (Mon, Wed, Fri & Tues, Thurs, Sat) at different time. Price is about 42,000 won for 3 times per week and etc. Check the website for details.
• Free time swimming:
• 08:00-08:50,
• 12:00-12:50 or 13:50
• 18:00-18:50
• (July and Aug only) 21:00-22:00
• Adult: 3,000 won, teenagers: 2,500 won and children 2,000 won
• Saturday, Sunday & public holiday (30% more): 3,900 won (A), 3,200 won(T) and 2, 600 won(C).
• call: 031-560-1092/3
  

Shuttle Bus: x:20 from sports complex, x:40 from DoNong station... for every hour

There are not only swimming lessons but also other sports activities like tennis, health club, yoga, belly, aerobic.

The swimming pools here are bigger than Seoul's one - big pool (6 lanes) and small pool (3 lanes). We learn freestyle, back stroke and butterfly stroke at the small pool. Then you can move to the next stage when you're familiar with the 3 styles.

I also have the chance to join another swimming lesson in Seoul, Seoul women resources development center 서울여성능력개발원.

It is just next to the KonKuk Uni Station (line 2/7). Due to summer vacation, I join the morning class 9am-10am. The price is 50,000 won for Mon, Wed, Fri lesson, but I also can go for free swimming on Tues, Thurs, Sat at 8am. Thus, it is cheaper. But the swimming pool and the shower room is much more smaller than Namyangju one.

Benefits: only girls in this place, and only members can swim here.

It is also easier to register here, only accept online registration - foreigners are possible if you have your alien ID.

This place has also a lot of other courses for women to equip themselves for working, provided you can speak Korean fluently and understand well.

ok.... I'm not sure what the rules in other countries' swimming pool, but in Korea:

• bring your own swimming suit, swimming cap and spectacles for the lesson
• bring your own shower kits
• get the key from the information desk
• take off your shoes (put in the box if provided - with the provided number)
• enter the changing room and take off all your clothes (put in the locker with the number of your key)
• tie the key in your hand / foot.
• get into the shower room with all your shower kits and swimming things
• take shower
• wear the swimming suit and cap
• get into the swimming pool
• do warming up together with the instructor before lesson starts
• After lesson, take shower and you can have your swimming suit dried up with the dryer.
• Bring your own tower and hang it in a place out of water (or in a waterproof bag)
• Hairdryer is free to use
• Bring your own face toner and cream, etc
• Go out with your key, sure and take back your member ID if not electronic type.

So, do not take shower at home, and do not wear swimming suit at home.

Bring your member card all the time.

Sauna and big bath tub are free to use.

You can enter the shower room 30 minutes before your time, e.g. I have 9am lesson, I can be there at 8.30am. Since the class before ends at 8.50am, I must keep away from crashing the shower time with them and reach earlier. Or else, there will be no room to take shower and get into the swimming pool on time.

Keep the swimming kits in the shower room with a bag you can identify easily. Anyway, it's safe unless you and others have the same bag.

Anyway, I enjoy the swimming class here. I meet a lot of new friends and most of them are very friendly. You will surprised to see that ajummas are the majority - they are really eager to learn! They are my model actually.

Share with me about your swimming lesson at Korea or your country too!