Being a foreigner in this industry definitely has its ups and downs. When I first began I used to think that it was a huge disadvantage because I wouldn't be able to interact with any of the other artists or my fans. It wasn't much later that I realised, not interacting with fans was probably the greatest befnefit in not knowing the language or culture. Afterall, if I could speak the language I probably would have given up on everything to return home where I was accepted for who I am rather than rejected for what I seemingly represented.

Watching the Korean idol groups achieveing stardom and treating each other like family endeared me to the idol life, but I was very much misled. 

Lee Soo Man, or Mr. Lee as I call him, would become the most important person in my career. It was his companny that passed me through their auditions and took me on for training. Why they thought a Chinese-Canadian would be more accepted in a Korean-Chinese market, I will never know, but being as naive as I was then, I thought it was my ticket to stardom and a life of creating the music that I loved.

Even in Canada I had heard of Super Junior. Nearly every Asian has in one way or another. Super Junior, the group of 13 young men who made their way in stardom through not only their vocal and dancing abilities but MCing, variety show, acting and so many more that people were starting to label them entertainment idols. 

Everyone at the academy were in awe of them and aspired to be as talented as they are. However, my biggest challenge wasn't learning all these skills, but learning how to first communicate. I spent my first few months there barely managing to maintain civility with the little I knew about their customs, which wasn't very much. Although I assumed it wouldn't be much different to the Chinese ones my parents had drilled into me. I could speak barely any Korean and minimal Mandarin, my Cantonese wan't much better and English seemed too foreign for any of the others. 

Compared to the other trainees, I had spent the most minimal of time in training before catching my big break. With my abilities in playing the violin and passable dancing I was given the opportunity to appear in Super Junior sunbaenims music video, Don't Don. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, they said, it's your gateway to success, they said. What they didn't say was that it would also be a ticket to the seven levels of hell.