As of December, I've moved from Gwangju to Jinju. I'll be moving my posts to a new site soon.

Bad Movie Day 1

Bad Movie Day

While living in Korea, one has to cope with living in a new and totally different country. For me, the biggest challenge has involved remaining productive while working in a mediocre job that is soon changing. I'm always thinking about starting something new. That may be the problem but the latest thing involves movies. My Co-Workers and I are always talking up horrible movies. Unfortunately, I love most of these movies. Well, today I've decided to start doing something about it and listing them. Before you go and say "Hey! That movie is awesome! How dare you call it bad?!?!" just think about it. You're wrong. This movie is bad but in a good way.

Here's today's bad movie:

The Running Man

Tagline: The year is 2019. The finest men in America don't run for President. They run for their lives. 

Arnold: "I'll be back."
Richard Dawson: "Only in a rerun."

Let me know what you think about this movie. Is it not bad but totally awesome. Anything goes. 

-Carl

Learning Korean (for free)

Since I've been living in Korea, there hasn't been much time available to study Korean in person. There is a Korean Class that has been running in Gwangju (not to be confused with this Gwangju) but unfortunately my work schedule interferes. Therefore, I'm left to search online for Korean lessons.

Enter Talk To Me In Korean.

This site is free and provides detailed yet fun lessons. I'm not trying to sound like a fanboy or anything but I truly love this site. I know there are many more people out there who love TTMIK and I think the website deserves a shoutout! In my years of trying to study multiple languages, I've found it difficult to find something as easy to use, educational, and FREE as TTMIK. 

Each lesson comes with a PDF to follow along with and can be accessed either from the website or through iTunes after subscribing to the podcast. If you'd like using the site another way, there are more options. You can receive updates by email, Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, or simply by subscribing to their RSS feed. If you want to be truly dedicated, just subscribe to all of these and you will never go a day without seeing a new post from TTMIK. There's also a community feature that connects users through a chatroom as well as multiple forums.

For more free and great help with Korean, you can also check out the Korean Wiki Project. They are listed as one of TTMIK's affiliates and provide a good background for those learning Korean. Since it's a Wiki, KWP doesn't hold back in the Korean topics displayed. The website includes dialects, tidbits about grammar, vocabulary, and many more things to help improve anybody's knowledge of Korean language.

If you can think of anymore resources for free Korean or any other language learning, let me know! As far as a website that incorporates audio and visual aids, TTMIK is the place to go! Supplement that with the Korean Wiki Project and one can easily become a well-rounded Korean student. 

Transformations

There is something that has been happening since I came to Korea in the sports world. I like to call it a Transformation.

It has to do with Rugby and how the World Cup has changed me. As far as sports are concerned, I'm not too familiar with Cricket and would never leave Baseball for something similar to it. I grew up with Baseball first and everything else second. As I grew older, American Football began to take hold. After attending a University where football was more important than education, I was turned off. 

Courtesy of http://ratedargh-jcw.blogspot.com/
2008_12_01_archive.html

Then there was this thing called the Soccer World Cup that grabbed my attention and turned me into a fan of The Beautiful Game. I've almost lost touch with baseball recently since my team (to never be mentioned until they stop sucking! *cough* The Mets *cough*) is an embarrassment to the borough of Queens in New York City. They gave new meaning to the word "choke". This new journey began in April 2011 and I'd like to break it down with a timeline. The dates are rather rough because I wasn't initially documenting everything that happened. Also, there are lots of exaggerations of some events which occurred so please take this with a grain of salt. Let's start:

April 20

It's my first month in Korea and things still seem strange. Not only do I have Korean as a second language to contend with, there are occasional bursts of Afrikaans from my South African co-workers. When busting back into English, I hear them talk about teams named "Sharks" and "Stormers". I ignore them for a bit but they just won't shut up about it. Hearing "Sharks" confused me because I didn't think the NHL was well known in SA. After my curiosity peaks, I ask what they are talking about and come to find it's about Rugby. I watched a bit of Rugby in the U.S. thanks to ESPN3 and the variety of sports it offered but promptly go back to ignoring them because it's way out of my sports knowledge-base.

May 9

I keep hearing more about Rugby because it's 3 months before kickoff of the World Cup. Something comes out in a conversation about how the U.S. is the reigning Olympic champion of the sport. For a moment, I get excited to think we're not a total joke as a Rugbying nation until my Springbok friends reveal that the last time Rugby featured in the Olympics was in 1924. I hang my head down even lower in shame now until they pat me on the head and say that the U.S. is good in Rugby 7s.

June 9

We heard previously that our boss had been trying to hire this couple from New Zealand but nothing has been mentioned since. Finally, our boss tells us that the Kiwis should be coming very soon. It's the first time that I think to ask the SAs about the movie Invictus. It is this day that I realize just the magnitude of the time period depicted in Invictus. Being exposed to Team America, many people like me are obliged to mock Matt Damon even though he's been in some knockout movies. Anyway, I truly gain 120% more respect for Rugby and how it can unite an entire country through one major event.

Courtesy of http://www.filmofilia.com/
clint-eastwoods-invictus-poster-11583/

July 9

Our new coworkers arrive from New Zealand and we get what I believe to be the other side of the story. As far as Invictus goes, I get to hear about the story of the mystery waitress who apparently poisoned The All Blacks and then appeared to have never been employed by the restaurant in question. This is a touchy subject and I quit bringing it up in jest since it's only funny to me. I'm not sure where you'd compare something like that but I guess it'd be like saying the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team juiced before the match against the Soviet Union. Anyway, there's only 2 months left before the World Cup starts but there's also this thing called the Tri Nations going on in a couple of weeks.

August 9

While we are in the midst of camp season at my job, teachers have to get a beer after work to unwind. The Tri Nations is in full swing with The All Blacks just having disposed of The Wallabies (Australia for those not in the loop of Rugby or the World) 30-14. My Kiwi friend doesn't seem too concerned with the outcome of this tournament because everything seems to ride on the World Cup. In the past few weeks, I've been boning up on my Rugby knowledge with help from Wikipedia and am able to somewhat contribute to a conversation about Rugby. Success!

September 9 - October 2

The First Stage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup

New Zealand is playing while we are at work but my Kiwi friend is surely keeping up with that. The All Blacks thrash Tonga 41-10 but it's still not good enough. How could those All Blacks have given up 10 points and only won by 31? South Africa survive a scare against Wales (17-16) and the U.S. gave Ireland a bit of trouble before succumbing 22-10. Ireland was responsible for the biggest upset of the tournament by beating Australia. That loss by the Wallabies dropped them to second in their group. We'll get back to that in the next stage. I watch a few games but still don't understand everything that happens. The main observation I make is that you turn over the ball if you go out of bounds. Please put that in American Football rules. I hate it when a guy runs out of bounds to avoid a tackle. 

October 8 - 9

The Quarterfinals

I miss the first day of Quarterfinals but strangely notice that every team involved are located in the Northern Hemisphere. Wales beat Ireland and France knocked England out of the tournament. Equally as strange is the fact that all teams who play on the second day are on the Southern Hemisphere. South Africa face Australia while New Zealand take on Argentina in the later matchup. This is where Australia's loss comes into play. Had Australia beaten Ireland, they wouldn't have been stuck facing South Africa. Anyway, I head to the local bar in Gwangju (Speakeasy) with a couple of friends to see the day's matches.

Courtesy of http://impossibleblacktulip.blogspot.com/2010/09/
gwangju-speakeasy-formerly-mike-and.htmlion

South Africa versus Australia is a cliffhanger. Seriously, I've witnessed some low-scoring NFL or College Football games and none were ever as entertaining as this one. Even though there was only one try in the match, the action was intense. Some around us in the almost entirely Pro-South Africa crowd complained about referee mistakes. Some people even proceeded to prank call the guy and tell him about it. However, many of them called the wrong guy. I don't consider myself knowledgable-enough to comment on such things. I do, however, feel like South Africa should've gone for it a bit more instead of playing things according to "The Game-plan". It seemed that the Springboks only aspiration was to draw penalties and hit drop goals. In all fairness, they did have the only try and completely dominated the game. Sometimes, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Thank you, Jim Carey. I do respect the passion that flowed around the bar as the South Africans cheered on their Springboks. It made me a bit sentimental and brought back thoughts of being at home cheering on the U.S. in the World Cup. I still tear up when watching that video. Maybe it's the Rudy music. Anyway...

The following game was the complete opposite from the first with regard to playing style. Although it was tense from the beginning to nearly halfway through the second half, both Argentina and New Zealand went for the jugular each time they were on the attack. New Zealand grew increasingly smart in this match and ended up scoring 7 penalties. It seemed that they were sticking to an actual Game-plan as opposed to running the ball down Argentina's throats. I love my Kiwi friend to death but this was a hilarious match to watch with him. As Argentina scored a try in the first half, my unnamed friend lets out the loudest burst of expletive that echoes throughout the bar. Then he proceeds to laugh like a maniacal scientist who is about to unleash hell on the rest of the world. As New Zealand began to take over in the second half and eventually win, he assures everyone that "it was never in doubt". I've never known anyone who can go from fear on an unknown scale to cocky assuredness within an hour. For that, I'll be joining him anytime I have the chance to watch a match featuring The All Blacks.

October 15-16 

The Semis

Once again, I miss the Northern Hemisphere battle thanks to working on virtually every Saturday. I'm not bitter. *Smash* Anyway, it was a battle between Wales and France. Truly, it was tight but France came out on top by the score of 9-8. This worries my Kiwi friend tremendously. "Why?" I ask. He tells me that France are kryptonite to The All Blacks. Throughout the tournament, I've been reading up on as much history as possible through Wikipedia and failed to pick up on this. I double-check and find that France knocked the Kiwis out of the '99 and 2007 World Cups respectively. Anyway, there's still one more Semifinal to play.

Courtesy of http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/
showthread.php?p=57553118caption

New Zealand and Australia are friends diplomatically and have very flexible procedures for anyone who lives in either country and travels back and forth between the two countries. However, that diplomacy ends when it comes to sport. The best comparison I can think of would be between any nation in the EU and Germany. Great diplomatic ties and easy navigation abilities but that country's fans probably hate the Germans because of something they did in World War II or before. Game on!

The Haka is impressive. Some people don't like the appropriately named "Throat-Slitting" Haka. From the onset, the Australians are bumbling around exactly as they did against South Africa. However, this time they aren't facing a team making mistakes as well; nor are they getting any help from the referee. New Zealand pound the Wallabies throughout the match and win 20-6. Once again, I start hearing "Never in Doubt" from my Kiwi friend as if New Zealand were playing the U.S. 

The Final

October 23

Here we are. It's the culmination of a great tournament and I'm more excited for this than I have been in quite some time for a sports match. The last time I was this excited was before the U.S. playing Ghana in the Soccer World Cup. I won't go into the outcome of that match. Anyway, there's a bit of history shown about the Haka and how it was viewed as a joke for a long time. Seeing and hearing that news is a tad discouraging because I've regarded the Haka as the single greatest pre-game tradition in sports. You can tell me anything and I will disagree. I'd love to hear about something cooler because the Haka is really cool. What makes it cooler is that there are variations and changes made depending on the importance of the match at hand. 

The nerves abound amongst the Kiwi fans and memories of two defeats in previous World Cup knockout stages are going through everyone's brains. The All Blacks are not the concern for the night. Although they looked a bit nervy against Argentina, New Zealand redeemed themselves against Australia in convincing fashion. No, the big worry for the evening will be Les Bleus. This is the side described as the Wild Card, and for good reason. The French went through the group stages of this World Cup and lost twice. One of those losses was to the All Blacks (37-17) but the most shocking display was in the loss to Tonga. The French made it out of the Pool Stages with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses. Hardly impressive for a side who are now awaiting the All Blacks in the Final. 

Nevertheless, the French didn't have an exactly easy route to the Final. They beat the English 19-12 and defeated everyone's pick for favorite team to watch (Wales, 9-8). This French team is battle-hardened from their previous matches while New Zealand have mown through the opposition with apparent ease. Although they didn't reach 100 in the Pool Stages, the All Blacks have not lost a match in the tournament and haven't really been threatened throughout. Anyway, the Haka begins....The French form a Flying V straight out of the Mighty Ducks. I think that's the only formation that would counteract an intimidating Haka. Anyway, Les Bleus break out of the V and form a straight line not far from the All Blacks. That's not a good move. What did I just say about FLYING Vs?!?! Anyway, let's start the match. 

Courtesy of http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-25/
french-fined-for-haka-response/3600294?section=rwc11

The French look like the bigger side from the start. The All Blacks don't have the flare that helped dispatch the Aussies. A Try is scored from a set-piece and the Kiwis are up 5-0. However, they miss the conversion. 5-0, the score stays. They start missing penalty kicks and keep the French around to play. My friend tells me that this is due to injuries and that the Number 10 (much like the Quarterback in Ameri-Football) is out. Much to his dismay, the second-string 10 gets injured in this match as well. This leads to the much-maligned Stephen Donald being brought in as a replacement. Groans abound in the bar as I ask why people are mad about this substitution. Many expletives are uttered and the point is simply that Donald loses his mind at crucial moments. I brag that they'll be hailing him as a hero after the match. I'm vindicated as he hits a penalty to put the All Blacks up 8-0 (this will be the match-winner). 

The French make things very interesting by scoring a try and converting to make the score 8-7. The remainder of the second half is nervy and turns into a series of scrums and battles for territory. New Zealand eventually celebrates as winners of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the Kiwis are overcome with joy. For a nation which has dealt with lots of adversity in the past year with the earthquakes in Christchurch, this victory was much deserved. Anything less than winning would have been disappointing in the best case and devastating in the worst case. For that, I feel that this World Cup left nothing on the table and that everything was settled. 

Post-World Cup Thoughts

Although Rugby has underwent many rule changes and adjustments over the years, it's still closest to being a "pure" sport that I can think of today. The flow of the sport is truly endearing and should be replicated by other sports in the world. With regards to my beloved Football (Soccer), here are a couple of characteristics or nuances which should be addressed immediately. The first item doesn't occur in Rugby and the second is simply not tolerated. Here they are followed by a brief explanation:

1. Diving or "Simulation"

For example, diving would never be approved of by referees and fans alike. The most discouraging thing for me when watching a league or even international match is seeing a player flop and then act like they've been shot repeatedly in the leg. One of the most embarrassing displays I hate to witness is when a player slaps another in the face and the victim falls to the ground like Mike Tyson just knocked him out. Go to 2:17 of the video. It's disgraceful! Stop doing it! Referees, get your yellow and red cards out and put a stop to this. In Rugby, players dive to score a try quickly before the opponent can reach them.

Courtesy of http://www.rugbydump.com/2011/02/1825/
chris-ashton-dives-into-the-record-books-as-england-punish-italy

2. Arguing with the Ref or "Dissent"

I hate seeing a player receive a warning from a referee who turns his back or gives a scowl like a spoiled little baby. It's disrespectful. I think a player should be further punished for turning their back on a referee after receiving a card or warning. Dissent will gain you further punishment but Football (Soccer) has to stop this sort of behavior. In Rugby, the referee appears to have complete control of the match. I had the misfortune of seeing the U.S. players backtalk the referee and it made me cringe with discomfort. My favorite scene from this Rugby World Cup was during the group stages. I can't remember the two teams who were playing but here is the scene. The referee doesn't like what he's seeing. He takes the captain aside and says the following: "You are the captain. I shouldn't be telling you this. Now it's number 5 over there. You sort it out with him or I'll send him over there (Sin Bin) for 10 minutes." After that lecture by the referee, the captain went and talked to his teammate and I fell in love with Rugby.

Courtesy of http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/18052011/2/
photo/18052011202538.htmltion

This sport has truly transformed me from casual spectator into fan within a few short months. The non-stop action on the field along with the two points I just made have converted me. Though I'll still follow League and International football, Rugby will still have a special place in my heart. The next World Cup in 2015 will be marked on my calendar as a must-see event. This following message is directed at my American friends: If you haven't watched much Rugby or missed out on the World Cup, do yourself a favor and download some of the matches (legally) or start following the sport. It may take you out of your comfort zone of following something else but you should just try it out for a bit.