THE RAIN THAT TOUCHED MY HEART

A couple of weeks back, I gave the students of 5EN3 the task of writing an essay titled, "My Idol". Before they started to plan their essays, I told them about my idol. I am sure many people who visit this blog know that I admire the Korean multi-tainer, Rain, very much and so did many of the boys and girls in my English language class. When I asked them why they thought I liked him. Their answers ranged from he was very sexy to he was a great dancer. Yeah! I admit that he is all those but that was not how I became his fan. Initially, it was my Aunt May and my god-sister Sophie who liked him a lot after watching a K-drama series he acted in and they had asked me to get information about him from the Internet for them (knowing I practically sleep next to the computer). I had not watched the drama at all and knew nothing about this fella called Rain (pictured above with the Koala) that they were so crazy about. They showed me a picture of him in the Chinese newspaper and I said to them, "Oh my god, like that also you like-ah. Aiyah! Mata sepetlah. Not handsome at all!" Anyway, I still looked up all the information I could get about him for the two of them and guess what I became a fan from reading about him without seeing him act, sing or dance. From what I had read, I admired his determination, his drive and all the hard work he put in to succeed despite all the odds stacked against him. But it was all the stories about his relationship with his late mother that captivated me. According to translations of what he wrote, he had been too engrossed in his training and did not realise how ill his mother was. It was too late when he asked his manager to help pay for treatment for his mother as she was seriously ill by then. However, he promised his mum that he would make something of himself and make her proud of him. When she passed away 6 years ago, he was devastated. Nevertheless, he kept his promise to her and is today one of Asia's most successful entertainers. During his concerts, he keeps reminding his fans to be respectful to their parents and treasure and value them. He keeps telling his fans not to take their parents for granted and to make it a point to tell their parents that they love them. Today, he lives with his dad and sister and from what I read, he is a very filial son to his father. Also, I read that each time he returns to South Korea, he would visit his mother's grave. What really melted my heart was when I watched him crying and dedicating the award to his mom when he was receiving the best entertainer award on You Tube a year after she had passed away.