J.Y. Park to Arsenal

The captain of Korean national football team, J.Y. Park (formerly C.Y. Park) joined Arsenal with jersey number 9. No.9 belongs to a true striker, so he’ll have lots on his shoulders.

It comes as a huge surprise to me, not only that another Korean has entered English Premier League, but to join one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. It is true that he’s now part of a free-falling team that has lost by 6 goals to its long-time rival, but playing for the Gunners is honorable.

I’ve been a huge fan of Man Utd since 1997, watching Beckham and Giggs performing wizardry from left and right wings, and accomplishing treble in 1999. Back then, Arsenal was always the toughest opponent for the Red Devils. Who would have imagined that both sides have Korean players to play critical roles for their respective sides. This season, the Gunners doesn’t seem to even stand a chance against Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, and not even Man City. If Arsenal places 5th this season, it will have done its due.

So here comes J.Y. Park to rescue Arsenal from a black hole. For Korean soccer fans, it’s truly amazing to witness this historic moment on the Gunners’ homepage.

Hotel Mongolia

This year’s KOICA Annual Evaluation Meeting (my own translation) was held at Hotel Mongolia. There are more modern and neater hotels in Ulaanbaatar, but this one possessed Mongolia’s identity while maintaining top class quality of a 5-star hotel.

Below picture is the room I stayed in.

Entering Hotel Mongolia, you can’t really call the ‘inside’ inside. Once you pass the frontdesk, you are outside again, with rows of Ger and culturally iconic buildings.

These Ger rooms are surrounded by walls, it almost feels like you are in an ancient Asian castle. You pass the middle wall and there is a huge backyard. It features swimming pool, soccer field, number of rest areas and shelters, and of course, jaw-dropping scenery of green mountains.

At night, we KOICA members enjoyed a BBQ party, followed by traditional performances. We made the outside BBQ terrace into a mess with talent shows and almost all of us jumping around like in a rock concert.

Hotel Mongolia is a must visit if you are traveling to Mongolia and looking for a decent stay. It is roughly 40 minutes from the center of the capital.

Manchester United vs Arsenal – Their first clash of 2011-2012 season

Man Utd is going through a semi generation shift, and Fergie looks ingenious yet again. Two 20-year-olds are making a huge impact in today’s home clash against Arsenal. No doubt that Arsenal has surely weakened with the loss of Cesc and Nasri, but Welbeck scored the first goal, and the Spanish goalkeeper De Gea saved a penalty shot by van Persie. Then, he made two tough consecutive saves. De Gea’s reaction speed looks fascinating. Welbeck and De Gea are very promising.

Well, Danny Welbeck just pulled his hamstring running for the ball. The 20-year-old is showing physical immaturity, but I hope the injury is not serious. Here comes the substitute Chicharito.

By the way, Ashley Young’s goal that made 2-0 Man Utd was one for the ages. Fergie has made some smart moves this past summer without acquiring any superstars.

And what more to say of Rooney’s free kick with 4 minutes to go in the first half.

Man Utd is having a clinic in what ought to be a classic rivalry match. 3-0 Red Devils, and not even half finished.

—

Added after the game. 

Manchester United 8 – 2 Arsenal. When was the last time this classic rivalry ended in a 6-goal difference? Just before this game, Manchester City proved they are worthy of the title this year with 5-1 win at Tottenham. Well, Manchester United just showed they can do better. Rooney’s hat-trick and Ashley Young’s beauty strikes, and personally Ji-Sung park’s goal as soon as he got to the field. They just need to play at this level to beat the mighty Barcelona.

Manchester 13 – 3 London. Watching 16 goals in merely 2 matches is thrilling.

Camelot

Recently, I’ve been enjoying watching Camelot. It casts mainly British stars, with famous Joseph Fiennes and Eva Green, and bright prospects Jamie Campbell Bower and Tamsin Egerton. Personally, i find Tamsin Egerton extremely attractive it made me forget how much I liked Eva Green as the bond girl in Casino Royale. Many claim that King Arthur is too feminine and its actor Bower is a miscast. But you still watch strong performances by Fiennes and Green.

The season 1 premiered this year, and I am already waiting for it’s sequel. On top of solid story line, its script is intelligent. Almost every line is a piece of art.

One of my favorite quotes from Camelot.

“For all we know, death could be the greatest good that could happen to us. The life of the dead is placed in the memories of the living.”

A couple of screenshots.

To Be Successful

• Be adventurous.
• Accept challenges.
• Take risk and learn to manage risk.
• Always appreciate what you have.

A Life Wisdom

An insightful quote copied from my friend’s Facebook wall.

‎”Man…. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Life should not be centered around money. I pledge this to myself every day.

Horse Riding at Terelj National Park

Led by a group of KOICA managers, my fellow trainees and I traveled to Terelj National Park last Saturday. It was about an hour apart from the center of Ulaanbaatar. The first and only time I rode a horse was at Jeju-Do, the most famous touristic island in South Korea, perhaps 8 years ago. Back then, my horse walked as slowly as possible for safety reasons.

Mongolia is referred as “heaven” by many horse riding lovers. Hence I was expecting some action at Terelj. Needless to say, the excitement was much beyond my expectation. Well, except for the wicked saddle that constantly jabbed my buttocks.

Below is a picture of Terelj National Park. This is just one small part of the entire park. What more to say about the jaw-dropping landscape?

Another splendid shot.

The above shot was taken while I was on my horse.

Close up shot of horses.

I’m ready to roll! (Still a bit nervous at start.)

After a top-speed run with my horse, I became exuberant.

Below is my favorite shot from the trip.

To this point, I never thought that horse riding would be more thrilling than 5-level roller coasters.

Too much excitement also caused shocks to my less-regularly exercised muscles. I stayed home the next day, half the time on my bed. It was the most widely felt soreness around my body. My butt hurt more than anything.

Let it go.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope,  but failures all you’ve known.
Remember all the sadness and frustration
And let it go.
Let it go.

From “Iridescent” by Linkin Park.

The rest of the lyrics is quite sophisticated.