Satisfaction

 SPSB at Insadong

I was scrolling through the photos I took during my trip to Korea with SPSB (thanks Facebook!) and whew, it's been 5 years! Well I kinda miss those days. Days filled with kimchi and laughter and traveling on the bus. Making music in a foreign country, and a foreign city. But the photo above stood out the most. This photo was taken during our performance in Insadong street.

One of the fondest memories I have with SPSB is this particular performance. We performed in Insadong which is quite a bustling shopping street. At first I thought that it was an "awkward" location and there was nobody watching us perform. Except for a few uncles who were carrying goods. But as we play along, and also after our guide introduced us, a couple of locals and tourists stopped by.

I remember when we played John Barnes Chance's Variations on A Korean Folk Song (which is essentially variations on Arirang), I saw two Korean ladies serenading and smiling as we were playing. A few locals stopped and just watched us in awe. It was truly a sight I will never forget.

I think one of the greatest feelings in life is to make others happy through the music you play. So seeing the locals smile as we play that song, in Korea, was definitely something I will never forget. And boy, I really miss this feeling. I miss feeling that satisfaction of playing music. I miss band so much.

Well I really don't know when I will perform in a band again. Or even, when I will perform again. It's been four years since I last touched the clarinet. And since I performed on stage. There are nights where I just think about all the good days, and how bad I want to return to them.

Music will always be a part of my life. Right now I only have the ability to enjoy it. But well, we'll make things happen. I can't wait to go back to playing the piano again.