M 슈퍼 콘스트

It was freezing at the O2 resort. Probably the coldest weather I have ever experienced. The wind was so strong that it even swept up the snow on the ground, sending them up in a vortex. It was the first time this winter I have to put on a beanie because my scarf just wasn't good enough to keep my head warm.

The M Super Concert was staged at the "Ski House" of the resort. To get there, I first took a taxi to the O2 Resort Condo (condominium). Free shuttle bus service was provided between the Condo and the Ski House. I arrived at the Ski House half an hour to 8pm. There were still empty seats available but I chose to stand since I wanted to take pictures. For the next 2.5 hours, I was standing on the same spot. The snow beneath my shoes actually melted and re-frozen as ice. My legs suffered bad ache after that. However, the experience of watching a concert at 1,420m above sea level during winter is worthed the pain.

By the way, I think my face will be appearing on Mnet on 12 Feb. I caught a glimpse of my face appearing on the big screen during the concert, thanks to the mobile camera that kept moving around shooting the crowd at short distance. Its hard to avoid the camera. At one time, the camera was just hanging right in front of me. Being camera-shy, I covered up half of my face with my scarf. So my scarf actually served dual purposes.

A lited ski slope. I think overnight skiing is possible.

The concert uses the ski slope as the backdrop.

Looking at the stage from the back.

Prize presentation for amateur ski board competition held before the concert.

Doing white balancing for all the cameras. This took quite a long while to complete.

Heavy metal group - 체리필터 (Cherry Filter) singing Rolling Heart.

Bobby Kim singing "사랑 그 놈". A very nice ballad.

"Stay" singing "너를 사랑하는 게".

They call themselves "Wink". Their trot song "부끄부끄" is quite popular now.

A new duo called the "Blue Spring" singing "사랑한다 사랑한다".

She is Lyn. One of my favourite singers. Her recent piece is "사랑 다 거짓말"

Ha Ju-yeon of Jewelry featuring in another person song "이젠 남이야"...

... That person is the youngest member of V.O.S - 김경록.

The roving camera.

아주 singing 재벌2세.

주보라 singing "Want You".

양정승 singing "어린 여자".

"Dear Cloud" singing "Lip"

He is Park Hyeon Bin, a famous trot singer. His "샤방샤방" (means 반짝반짝) is a big hit.

They are Jewelry-S.

The trio belong to the group Gavy NJ. Its the first time I heard of the group.

Kara singing Rock U and Pretty Girls.

Baek Ji Yeong singing "총 맞은 것처럼".

I left the concert before Baek Ji Yeong finished her singing because it was getting a bit late. It was about 10pm when I left. I was actually prepared to walk back to my hotel in darkness if I couldn't get a taxi. Fortunately, I didn't need to. Except for my aching legs, it was a wonderful day.

태백산 눈축제

Getting to the Snow Festival at Mt. Taebaek Provincial Park was not a straight-forward thing. First, I have to take an intra-city bus (33번) at the Inter-city Bus Terminal. I found out about the bus to take and the place to take it after paying a visit to the Tourist Information Centre located outside the Taebaek Train Station. The bus journey took about half an hour and cost 1,200won. The bus dropped me off at a disused petrol station at the foot of Mt. Taebaek. After that, I have to take a free shuttle bus up to somewhere nearer but not very near to where the festival was held.

Took this picture while queuing up for the shuttle bus to go up Mt. Taebaek.

After alighting from the shuttle bus, I have to walk uphill for another 20 minutes to get to the ticket booth. Along the way, there was a line of floats parked on one side of the road.

A pumpkin carriage float.

A flying cow float? This will not be the last cow you see.

The newly-opened O2 Resort at Taebaek was represented at the festival.

An eye-catching inflated float.

A double-dragon float.

The admission fee for the festival was 2,000won. After passing through the admission gate, I have to walk some more distance before finally arriving at the main festival site. The warmer weather in the last one week has already ruined many of the ice sculptures. Those that were still standing were melting away.

A board to paste one's wishes for this year.

A close-up of the wishes written on post-it.

A remaining cow ice sculpture. In the background were ruined ice sculptures.

Snow sculptures were also not spared. Workers have to keep patching up the sculptures with more snow so that they don't fall apart before the festival ends.

Very little snow left in Mt. Taebaek. It was a disappointment.

One of the 3 mascots of the ice festival standing at the entrance.

A sculpture of swallow.

A sculpture of midget groom and bridge.

When you see pig heads, you are in luck.

Seeing pig heads may make you rich.

Korea is going to launch a satellite-carrying rocket this year.

A monster from the Korean traditional folklore.

Workers were busy patching up the Namdaemun sculpture.

Another cow sculpture to remind you that 2009 is the year of ox.

A view of the main festival site. Not as big as thought.

Two of the 3 mascots. The other mascot has wings. Remember?

Some flower decors to add colour to an otherwise white landscape.

Beautiful lanterns in four different colours.

A close-up view.

A lantern tunnel. I thought this is more worth seeing than the snow sculptures

Wish is written on a card and hung below the lantern.

A view of mountain, shrine and snow.

Another snow sculpture of cow. This will be the last cow you will see here.

Melting snow sculpture. Signalling the arrival of the warmer spring weather.

The Cat Bus which appears in Totoro. Behind the bus are two mini slides.

An ice slide to keep the youngs and grown-ups entertained.

A father carrying his child down the slide together. Isn't it a bit risky?

The snow at Taebaek is melting even though it is at 900m above sea level.

On the way down to the shuttle bus pick-up point.

After spending about 2 hours sightseeing, I was back at the base of Mt Taebaek around 5pm. I need to wait for more than 40 minutes before Bus 33 arrived. I returned to my hotel to change up before leaving for O2 Resort at about 7pm. I anticipated that it would be very cold up at the resort, hence, I have myself fully wrapped up in warm clothing.

Mt. Taebaek, like the rest of the cities in Gangwon Province was not getting a lot snow this winter. What I saw doesn't match my image of it which should be covered in thick white snow. This winter is probably not a good time to visit Taebaek.

1박2일 – 태백산

Hi~ I am now at Mt. Taebaek (태백산, 太白山). I have checked into a 3-star looking hotel but the room is 5-star standard. It has a new 42-inch flat screen TV, a new computer with 19-inch screen and the toilet is in pristine condition.

I left Cheongnyangni Station at 7am this morning and arrived Taebaek Station at 11:30am. The train ticket costs 15,400won. Before reaching Taebaek, I saw a row of about seven giant wind turbines standing majestically on top a mountain ridge. The view was awesome.

I shall be visiting the newly-opened O2 Resort and the Ice Festival later. Coincidentally, there will be a M Super Concert tonight at the O2 Resort. It should be quite interesting watching a concert at 1,420m above sea level. Bye for now, I gonna go sightseeing. ^^

The wind turbines which I saw before reaching Taebaek Station

Taebaek Station. The snow festival is on until Sunday.

Comfy bed in Eastern Hotel Taebaek.

A new 42-inch LCD TV and high speed internet provided free of charge.

오늘 입춘입니다

About 2 weeks ago, daytime temperature was as low as -10degC. These days, the daytime temperature is hovering around 10degC. Goodness, that's 20 degrees difference! Anyway, drastic temperature change means the season is changing. It is now 환절기 (換節期) and today is 입춘 (立春) or the onset of Spring. So I guess I will have to bid my beloved Winter farewell. It is forecasted that the last cold wave for this Winter will arrive mid of this month. After that, it will be Spring weather throughout.

Today, I got my tongue all "twisted" early in the morning. Our teacher gave us 5 short tongue-twisters to practise our pronunciation.

1. 멍멍이네 꿀꿀이는 멍멍해도 꿀꿀하고, 꿀꿀이네 멍멍이는 꿀꿀해도 멍멍하다.

2. 악어 다섯 마리 머리 허리 꼬리 반짝반짝 번쩍번쩍

3. 우리오리우리 수리해서 으리으리 어미오리머리 통통해서 둥글둥글

4. 도토리가 문을 도로록, 드르륵, 두루룩 열었는가? 드로록, 도루륵, 두르룩 열었는가?

5. 내가 그린 기린 그림은 긴 기린 그림이고 니가 그린 기린 그림은 안 긴 기린 그림이다.

Today is also our class photo-taking day. Our class was interrupted for about half an hour to have our photo taken in front of 본관 (本館) or our school's main admin building. Our teacher became playful during our photo-taking session.

Our teacher as a kiss-blowing "sexy kitten".

It was back to lesson after photo-taking. Today, we have presentation on tours and festivals. I am scheduled to do mine on Friday. We have presentation almost like every other week.

Sun beam entering our class through the window.

500원짜리

There is an inspirational story behind this 500won note which has since stopped circulation. The story is not about Admiral Lee Sun Shin (the figure head in the 500won bill) but another influential Korean - Jeong Ju-yeong (정주영, 鄭周永), the founder of Hyundai Group.

Picture of Admiral Lee and the turtle ship appearing on a 500won Korean note which is no longer in circulation. Just like the turtle ship which was victorious in all sea battles fought against invading Japanese ships, the 500won note also helped Korea to wrest the world leading shipbuilding nation status from Japan.

When the Hyundai Group decided to branch into shipbuilding business, Jeong Ju-yeong brought his plan to an English bank to ask for loan. Despite delivering an impressive presentation, the bank was not willing to facilitate his loan because Korea has no proven track record of shipbuilding. From the bank's perspective, the risk was too high to take, so they turned down his loan request. Jeong Ju-yeong's never-say-die attitude didn't allow him to give up easily. Upon being rejected, he pulled up a 500won Korean note from his wallet and showed the bank.

"See this? Who said that Korea has no proven record of shipbuilding. Korea was already building the turtle ship (거북선, 龜背船), the most advanced warship of its time, during the 16th century.", he said.

Of course, Jeong Ju-yeong didn't exactly say what I wrote above. I was just attempting to re-enact what he might have said in that situation. Anyway, whatever he said probably would not have mattered if not for the 500won note. Jeong Ju-yeong did get his way in the end. The English bank agreed to his loan and the rest is history.

Hyundai Heavy Industries, the shipbuilding arm of Hyundai Group, located in Ulsan, is now the world largest shipbuilding firm. It holds the record for building the world largest bulk carrier (a type of ship that carries raw materials in bulk). Led by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea became the world leading shipbuilding nation - a status they wrested from Japan in 2004. It is both enlightening and inspiring to know that the rise of Korea's shipbuilding dominance can actually be linked to a humble piece of 500won note.

명사화

One great thing about Advanced Korean is that we get to learn to differentiate some very similar grammars. I really like the way my teacher explains those grammars because she can explain them together with their '느낌' very well. Probably because of this, she remarked jokingly that our school textbook is really bad at explaining grammars - the more you read its explanation, the more you are confused. I cannot agree with her more on this point.

I think it should be useful to share what I have learnt in class. So starting from this post, I shall update my lesson notes periodically.

There are 2 ways of changing a verb into a noun. Actually, it will be more correct to say changing a sentence from its verb form to noun form. This can happen either by attaching ~(으)ㅁ or ~기 but they cannot be used interchangeably. One general difference between the two is that ~(으)ㅁ is used in situation which is formal and of importance (like law and verdict) while ~기 is used more in casual situation (like agreement and plan).


~(으)ㅁ

1. ~(으)ㅁ is used in situation involving some form of judgment (판단, 判斷) or realisation (인식, 認識). You can tell if a situation involves 판단 or 인식 by looking at the verb used in the sentence.

Verbs relating to 판단: 분명하다, 증명되다, 주장하다
Verbs relating to 인식: 알다, 모르다, 기억하다, 느끼다, 발견되다


2. Specific situations where ~(으)ㅁ is used: sentence in dictionary, verdict, memo, warning, notice and where there is a certain truth or information to be made known.

기상 악화로 비행기 출발 시간이 지연되였음 (Notice)
(The flight departure time has been delayed due to worsening weather)

피고를 징역 1년에 처함 (Verdict)
(The accused is sentenced to 1 year jail)


~기

1. ~기 is used when an opinion (의경) is to be made of a casual situation. It is also used when plan (계획) or agreement (약속) is involved. In addition, it is used with verbs like 시작하다 and 끝나다.

Verbs relating to 의경: 좋다, 싫다, 에 알맞다
Verbs relating to 계획 or 약속: 로 결심하다, 바라다, 기원하다


2. Specific situations where ~기 is used: Tagline, Regulation and Proverb.

반찬은 먹을 만큼만 가져가고 남기지 않기 (Regulation)
(For 반찬, take only what you can eat and do not leave left-over)

식은 죽 먹기 (Proverb)
(Eating cold porridge. It means 'piece of cake' or its an easy task.)


숙제

Below are some homework to check your understanding. As I am taking the sentences directly from my lesson, the vocabulary may be slightly difficult. The correct answer is given within the bracket below each sentence. Just highlight it to view.

다음 문장을 '~(으)' 또는 '~기'를 이용하여 완성하십시오.

1. 새해에 하시는 일이 _____(모두 잘 되다)을/를 기원합니다.
[모두 잘 되기를]

2. 3시 이후에 다시 전화하겠다 → _____(전화 내용 메모)
[3시 이후에 다시 전화하겠음]

3. 요즘 공공장소에서는 _____(한 줄로 줄 서다)이/가 확산되고 있다.
[한 줄로 줄 서기가]

4. 이번 일은 모두 _____(그 사람의 단독 범행이다)이/가 드러났다.
[그 사람의 단독 범행임이]

5. 부모님은 _____(내가 거짓말을 했다)을/를 아셨다.
[내가 거짓말을 했음을]

6. 내일부터는 _____(일찍 일어나다)(으)로 결심했다.
[일찍 일어나기로]

7. 나는 전에 _____(그를 만난 적이 있다)을/를 기억했다.
[그를 만난 적이 있음을]

8. 선생님은 학생들이 _____(학습동기를 가져야 한다)을/를 주장하셨다.
[학습동기를 가져야 함을]

9. 그 아이가 갑자기 _____(큰 소리로 울다)을/를 시작해서 당황했다.
[큰 소리로 울기를]

10. 이 논문은 이번 발표 준비하는 데 _____(참고하다)에 적당하지 않습니다.
[참고하기]

11. 앞 차와의 간격 문제로 열차가 다소 _____(지연되고 있다)을/를 알립니다.
[지연되고 있음을]

12. 나오코는 빌리에게서 _____(메시지가 왔다)을/를 알고 기뻐했다.
[메시지가 왔음을]

13. 이 집은 아담해서 _____(혼자 살다)에 딱 알맞은 것 같아요.
[혼자 살기]

14. 그 지문이 _____(영수 씨의 것이다)이/가 증명되어 영수 씨의 알리바이는 거짓말인 것으로 드러났다.
[영수 씨의 것임이]

15. 한국 생활에 익숙해졌지만 한국 문화를 _____(재대로 이해하다)은/는 쉽지 않다.
[재대로 이해하기는]

사랑에 관해

Generally, Koreans have five ways of meeting their life-partners or 배우자 (配偶者). They comprise one '선' and four '팅'. 선 is usually arranged by parents or match-makers and it is meant for people who are serious about marriage. As for the other four '팅', they are 소개팅, 미팅 (Meeting), 채팅 (Chatting) and 헌팅 (Hunting). 소개팅, 미팅 and 채팅 are kinda common so I am not going to talk about them. What I need to explain is 헌팅. 헌팅 means going on the street to 'hunt' for life-partner.

A Korean couple changes their '호칭' (address) for each other according to their state of relationship. Before marriage, they will call each other '자기야'. After marriage, they will switch to calling each other '여보'. When they have children, they will address each other as the father or mother of their child's name. For example, 지영의 아빠 or 지영의 엄마. A change in '호칭' is not just simply a change in address for one another. To look it deeper, it is a reflection of a maturing relationship.

I learn these during my daily lesson. The two music videos below are also related to my lesson. The first mv is called '여자를 내려 주세요'. It is the OST for the movie '신부수업' (Love So Divine). We were made to watch this movie during our Hanja class. Don't ask me the connection between watching movie and the teaching of Hanja because I have not figured it out myself. Anyway, I thought the mv is the best part of the movie. The song and dance shown in the mv is meant to be a performance for a wedding ceremony.



The second music video was introduced to us when we were being taught the differences between nouns that end with ~(으)ㅁ and ~기. 욕심쟁이 as the song is called, is meant to help drill in the usage of ~기. The lyrics of 욕심쟁이 is all about agreements made between a couple. As ~기 is used in making agreement, that explains why the song lyrics is full of 기. It is said that this song is widely played during wedding ceremony. A very nice song that may set you into thinking about getting into a relationship or marriage.