I met Ben Folds!

It was one fine day in Adelaide, 2007. I was working at the fast food restaurant in the airport, and my friend came to see me. I should have finished when my friend arrived, but the manager asked me to work a bit more. I could have denied his request because my shift was over. But I knew that there were not enough workers at that moment. So I worked more. I felt sorry to my friend who was waiting outside.
After I really finished, we took a bus to the city. Looking for a place to eat something, we took a walk along the Rundle Mall. Suddenly, I recognized a familiar looking person passed me. He was not a friend of mine, but I thought I knew him. I was thinking for a while, and I remembered the face of my favorite singer. It seemed to be Ben Folds! But I hesitated because I wasn’t so sure. Then, my friend coaxed me into trying asking. He entered a book store and I followed him. He was looking around the inside of the book store with his children. I approached him, asked him whether he was Ben Folds, and he said yes.
I became extremely excited. He was one of my favorite musicians. His song ‘Adelaide’ was the motivation which led me to that city. But I never expected that I would meet him in person. I asked him to take a photo with me. I also asked him for an autograph. He signed on my iPod because I had no paper at that time. He was nice and kind.
I thought I was lucky. If I rejected to work more when the manager asked me, I wouldn’t have met him.
I hope that I will be able to see him in Korea someday.

Making a wish

A full moon of the Chu-sok
(an image from : http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2009100321064516924)

Yesterday was Chu-sok holiday (the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar). In Korea, there's a tradition making a wish before a full moon. A long time ago, people believed that something which looked grand have some great power. A full moon might have been one of them and people might have worshipped it in that reason. Last night, when I walked out of the library, I made a wish to a full moon as well.

People also believed that their ancestors have supernatural power. That's why Korean people have worship ceremories every year on the dates when their ancestors died. In the morning of Chu-sok holiday, they also have that kinds of ceremonies. During the ceremonies, they also make wishes while bowing. Yesterday, I made wishes three times, one was for my grand-grandparents, another one was for my grandparents, and the last one was for my late father. It seems that I made a lot of wishes but I just repeated the same one.:P

I don't believe in superstitious things; specifically, I think that they might happen and affect some events of the world, but I don't want my life to depend on things like them. The reason why I still make wishes to them, even though I don't believe, is to think positive. And it also mean that I appreciate the existence of those things; nature is the place I live in and my ancestors gave a life for me.