BLACKBURN, Scotland – Finishing runner-up in the "Britain's Got Talent" contest almost seems anti-climactic for Susan Boyle.

Hers was a story that one almost expected would have a Hollywood ending. At least that's how it began. But Saturday night, for reasons we will probably never know, the British public decided that a dance troupe from East London and Essex should perform for the queen, leaving the second place spot for Ms. Boyle.

At the community center in her hometown of Blackburn where some 200 people showed up to watch the finale, you could imagine hearts collectively drop. It was a nail-biter of a show and if a microphone was attached to every heart in the seconds before the announcement, one would probably think all 2008 Fou drummers from the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony were performing right there.

After the announcement, residents went home visibly disappointed. For them, it was a depressing end to what has been an amazing six weeks from the moment Susan Boyle captured the world's attention.

One resident told us she "was disappointed for Susan" but that "her career starts now."

Back on Yule Terrace, Boyle's street, neighbors shook their heads in amazement at the outcome. Margaret Miller who lives across the street and has known Boyle since she was a baby said she was sad for her.

But when we asked her what she thought about reports that Boyle could stand to earn millions, Miller replied, "Good for her, because they were a hard working family. There were nine children and had lovely parents, lovely mother - she was a gem."

She went on to say that by performing on a national stage Susan had made her mother's dream come true and that "it was a pity her mum died before all this."

So while this particular chapter in Susan Boyle's life has come to an end, her story continues. Newspapers predict she could earn millions with a recording contract, a book deal, and perhaps even a movie about her life - all possible projects that could happen for her.

And when you visit her street and learn more about this woman who grabbed hearts globally, you wouldn't want to begrudge her that.

BLACKBURN, Scotland - Hearts collectively dropped in Blackburn Saturday night. The town's shining star Susan Boyle did not win the contest “Britain's Got Talent.” That prize went to a dance group called Diversity - a group of young men from East London and Essex.

Susan Boyle remains at the top of the charts for people in Blackburn, Scotland.

It was a nail biter, though. You could almost hear hearts thumping in the community centre where the town gathered to watch and wait for the final result. And when that result came, Susan Boyle could be seen looking almost relieved that she didn't win the big prize. After hearing the announcement she said graciously "the best act won." But in Blackburn it was a devastating disappointment. For many in this small town just outside of Edinburgh, the excitement Susan Boyle has generated has been more than many have seen and felt in a long time.

For all intents and purposes, Boyle put Blackburn on the map. From the moment she stepped onto the stage six weeks ago, she had everyone's attention. In the beginning, though, Boyle was subjected to looks of scorn and disdain … simply because of the way she looked. But as soon as she started to sing, everything changed. From that moment on, life for Susan Boyle would take a dramatic turn. Celebrities supported her and media from around the world camped outside her home to catch a glimpse of the woman who defied stereotypes.

But for Blackburn, it's a dramatic end to a rollercoaster ride. A neighbor said "I'm disappointed for Susan, but this is just the beginning of her career.” In July, Susan Boyle is scheduled to record an album with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and there's even talk of some performances in London's West End. And while she didn't win the opportunity to perform in front of the Queen, she did make her and her late-mother's dream come true, to sing in front of the world.

But perhaps more than that, Susan Boyle showed the world that just because one doesn't look like a stereotypical star, doesn't mean they can't shine.

BERLIN, Germany - I travel to Poland a lot. My wife is from Szeczcin, and we visit our in laws every few months. So from the beginning I was very excited to be given the task of reporting from all over the country for our special, “The New Poland.”

We traveled more than 2,000 miles though the country and visited Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Lodz, Wroclaw, Legnica, and Lubin.

What I learned was that most people around the world don’t appreciate enough the transformation that has been going on and the extent of the progress that has been made in Poland in the past 20 years.

In Gdansk, after finishing and interview with Archibishop Tadeusz Goclowski, we visited Galeria Baltyka - one of the biggest and most modern shopping malls in Europe.

Inside we could see first hand that Polish consumer confidence remains robust, even in the face of the international financial crisis. The shops and food court were full of people having a good time when in other countries retailers are struggling to make ends meet.

In Krakow, the picture was much the same. We were impressed by the Polish youth, with most young people perfectly fluent in English, well traveled, and ready and willing to explore and learn.

All of this was mixed with the hospitality and pride Poles are so well known for.

We got a tour of the town from a young photographer who showed us the sights that make Krakow so famous and the hip places not so many tourists see.

Culinary expert Robert Maklowicz agreed to give us a course in Polish cooking even though he had just returned from a long trip to Iceland the night before and we had not even given him any notice that we were coming.

I have never seen anyone who knows more about food than Robert, who gave us a virtual culinary tour of the world and gave us advice on where to eat in places like Italy, Thailand and of course Poland.

I am German, and I think many of us Western Europeans still see Poland as a country on its way to becoming “fully” European. That is wrong. The truth is that Poland is as Western and as European as any other country on this continent.

Poland is shaping the future of Europe and especially the young people we met showed us that it will play a leading role in European affairs and development.

Of course you cannot shake off the effects of 40 years of communist rule overnight. Poland still has quite a way to go to improve its infrastructure (anyone who has traveled the roads extensively will know what I mean). But that will be overcome, have no doubt.

SEOUL, South Korea — I did not know at the time that my interview with the late President Roh Moo-Hyun for Talk Asia in December of 2007 would be the one of the last ones he ever did with a foreign correspondent.

If I had, I would have wanted to know more about why this man, who was the most powerful in the country, was so sad.

That is the feeling I was left with as we ended the sit-down discussion, probed his computer system together, and walked around in his private office.

One of the last things he said to me was that he was really looking forward to stepping down as president.

“I think I will be able to watch the news with a more peaceful state of mind. I will be able to move when I want to move. That’s freedom. To be able to achieve such freedom fills my heart with anticipation,” he said.

I could see his face visibly brighten as he talked, and that to me indicated just how much angst this man experienced during his presidency.

For, despite good intentions, his presidency was one that was marred by controversy and deepening division between liberal and conservative factions.

The establishment never really acknowledged that this man who started out in a poor farming family, and never even went to college, had the right to lead the country.

It was Roh’s supporters on the streets that elected him president … the relatively young, of middle- or low-income status, and Internet-savvy.

They called themselves NoSaMo, the Korean acronym for “Group of people who love Roh Moo-Hyun.”

Their color was yellow, for the people’s movement.

They were the ones who took to the streets when the establishment tried to impeach their champion, and they are the ones who are the driving force behind the huge nationwide wave of mourning.

And they are also the ones that are most angry at the current government of President Lee Myung-Bak, who they believe initiated an unfair investigation into the late president that ultimately led to his death.

It was their presence that I felt in the late president’s private office as he proudly showed off a wall hanging of miniature piggy banks.

Thousands sent in coin-filled piggy banks to support Roh during his presidential campaign.

There were also memos of love and support, and even a gold medal someone sent him to use as campaign funds.

He said he put these things on his wall to remind him just who made him president and who he was working for.

It was this wall that was a huge burden as well, especially when Roh was going through the impeachment process.

“I couldn’t help thinking, they made me president, and now I am going to get myself impeached,” he said.

After he stepped down, he indeed seemed to enjoy life as a “normal” citizen.

He retired to his home town in southern Seoul and was shown doing “normal” things, riding a bicycle with his granddaughter in the back, walking to the corner store, always with a big fat smile on this face.

But the peaceful farm life did not last long. Prosecutors started an investigation into alleged corruption by the former president and his family, and he was summoned to the prosecution’s office to answer questions about his alleged illegal actions.

The smile was gone, replaced by the slightly sad grin I so vividly remember.

So as I cover the late president one last time, I am reminded of the words he left behind on a computer screen just before leaping to his death.

“Don’t be sad.  Don’t blame anyone.  Life and death are both a part of life.”

President Roh, may you finally be at peace and free.

BARCELONA, Spain (CNN) – For many fans here in Barcelona, the celebration started after the first goal, by Samuel Eto’o, in the Champions League final against Manchester United. Others, older and having seen more disappointments from their beloved Barcelona over the years, were more cautious. They didn’t become jubilant until Messi scored the second goal in the second half.

Barcelona fans celebrate in the streets of the Spanish city.

By that time, from our position with the thousands of Barca fans watching the game on a big screen in the old port area, it was sheer pandemonium – a field of red and blue Barcelona stripes, sparklers and fireworks, thousands of well lubricated (it wasn’t the local coffee, I don’t think) fans singing the Barca hymn.

Doing one liveshot after another for CNN, I could barely hear the questions from colleagues in the studios. But we were able to transmit the sheer joy of the historic moment – Barcelona getting its third trophy this year - the Spanish league and the Spanish King’s Cup and finally the sweetest of all, the Champions League.

And all of it for a first-year coach, Josep “Pep” Guardiola, just 38, a former Barca player whom one leading Barcelona newspaper on Thursday said was “touching heaven.”

After the game we headed toward the central Plaza de Catalunya, along with almost every other man, woman, child and house pet in town. Others came in from across the region of Catalunya, some six million people in northeast Spain who consider this team part of their identity.

They celebrated on foot and in cars. And on top of cars and hanging out of cars, and on top of fountains, and waving banners and singing the Barca hymn.

Until about 3 am local time, it looked like the happy cops weren’t even trying. Although over the course of the night, we learned there were more than 100 arrests for various disturbances and more than a hundred injured.

As we drove back to the hotel after 4 am, having sent our final TV story by broadband, we saw various trash containers burning, a strange way to celebrate such a momentous victory.

On Thursday, we are at the fabled Camp Nou stadium. The team arrives from Rome around 6 pm local time, then boards open air buses for a three-hour victory lap around central Barcelona, finally due to arrive at the stadium which will be filled. Hundreds of thousands of people expected to continue the party across Barcelona for a second straight day.

At the stadium, there’ll be a presentation of the players and the cup, and the ceremony will be sure to include, yes, the Barca hymn. It’s a catchy tune, and I might just learn it by the time we’re finished here.

HONG KONG, China – It's the eve of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's funeral and, even though I am sitting in the CNN newsroom in Hong Kong, I can't help but feel melancholic.

President Roh never quite fit the mould of a president. He was an everyday man who altered the authoritarian bent of the job.

I don't live in Korea, but I am Korean-American and have a strong affinity or attachment - "jeong" in Korean - to the country.

I interviewed President Roh while he was on the campaign trail ahead of his election in 2002. I remember how approachable and hopeful he was and how different his demeanor was compared to previous presidential candidates.

He was a human rights lawyer who had passed the rigorous bar exam by studying on his own. He despised the abuse of workers and, in his estimate, fought for the little guy. But because of that, to me, his suicide is even more tragic.

Korean society, though changing, is highly goal-oriented and can oftentimes, I think, be unforgiving for those who don't quite fit the accepted social norms. People have to go to the right school, get the right job, marry the right person. The university system doesn't allow for late bloomers. And though events such as the Asian financial crisis have challenged those expectations, in Korea, as one of my friends always tells me, conformity is a virtue.

President Roh never quite fit the mould of a president. He was an everyday man who altered the authoritarian bent of the job. Many people appreciated his different approach. However, my fear now is the message his suicide sends to young people struggling to find their own way in a nation where calling a psychologist is still seen as a weakness.

I think fondly of my meeting with President Roh and can only imagine his agony as he stood on that cliff. President Roh was unable to fight his demons. Please don't succumb to yours.

SEOUL, South Korea — Since I arrived in Seoul early Tuesday morning, I have been struck by a scene that I walk by every day: a long line of people waiting to pay their respects to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, who committed suicide last weekend by jumping off a cliff near his home.

This makeshift altar is one of several set up in Seoul and across the country to mourn Roh.

The long line of mourners is full of professionals, dressed in business suits. I have seen them at lunchtime, all afternoon and even late at night. Police buses line a roundabout nearby. The mourners stand behind a cord of yellow and black ribbons.

Yellow is the color associated with Roh's presidency. The line of mourners ends at a makeshift shrine under a yellow tent. That is where people bow several times before a portrait of Roh.

On the side of the tent, video screens show Roh meeting dignitaries during his 2003-2008 presidency. I have seen residents writing messages of condolences and taping them along the cement wall of the nearby subway stop.

While the rest of the world is watching what North Korea does next after its nuclear test on Monday, surprisingly, South Koreans are taking that news in stride. They are accustomed to and cautious about North Korea's unpredictable moves. To most South Koreans, they are less moved by the North Korea news and more connected to mourning their late president. That is the big story for them.

A man reads messages of condolence posted at the City Hall subway stop in Seoul.

The public is angry, shocked and saddened by Roh’s death. Angry because many believe his suicide was the outcome of an intensely political corruption investigation; shocked and saddened because Roh was a politician who had campaigned on rooting out corruption. Before his death, he had denied allegations against him.

This morning, I walked to the bureau and passed the line again. I smelled incense in the air. Incense is burned to pay respects to ancestors or when someone passes away. With the state funeral set for Friday, the lines of mourners will surely grow longer and larger.

HONG KONG, China - Last week, I found myself lying in a coffin watching video images of my supposed demise. No, I am not entranced by the macabre. I was just one of the lucky few to get a sneak peak at the attractions of Hong Kong's newest theme park: a life-size Noah's Ark.

The claustrophobic should probably skip the coffin adventure.

So what does a coffin have to do with a Biblical boat full of animals?

Organizers told us both are supposed to get visitors to reflect on their lives. Spencer Lu, the project director, said, in the story of Noah, a father (Noah) saves his family from pending doom (massive floods). He says his 450-foot long wooden replica aims to remind tourists of the importance of family values. Marketing family or "positive" values, as Lu likes to call them, helps to distinguish his park from others.

The coffin is the most obvious attraction geared to visitors unsure of the afterlife. Before climbing into the box, I was asked to think for 20 minutes about my life and draft my goals over the next five years. Once I had sorted out my life's plan, I was shut into the casket where a computer monitor flashed scenes of doctors hovering over me, darkness, pallbearers carrying my body to a cemetery, human skeletons, a piece of paper fluttering in the wind at, presumably, my grave.

For me, the experience was eerie but not life-altering (though it did make me think about changing my life insurance plan). Lu told me the ride is only for people ages 16 and up - no young children are allowed. I would suggest the claustrophobic skip the coffin adventure as well.

Lu insists that, despite the Judaeo-Christian origins of the story, the ark is not meant to be religious. He says visitors can have fun taking photos with the various animals (male and female) or take a spin around the learning centers for children (where they can marvel at the not-so-Biblical dinosaur skulls).

The park was funded by the Hong Kong government but is run by Sun Hung Kai Properties, a local developer whose leadership includes Christian evangelical billionaire Thomas Kwok.

The park hopes to attract half a million people a year and is targeting the Chinese. Visitors to the ark will bring profits to its creators and, perhaps, also bring them closer to their Creator.

Noah's Ark opened on May 25, 2009, in Hong Kong.

I'm back in the helicopter with the U.N. delegation leaving Sri Lanka's war torn north.

I am beside myself with frustration. We we're given mere minutes to speak with the victims of war now living in camps.

There are more than 250,000 people in these camps and we only got to talk to two.

No matter what anybody writes from this trip it will not be sufficient.

We were hurried by the soldiers and hurried by the U.N. delegation that had a flight to catch.

I realize we would not have had much of an opportunity at all to tell the civilians’ account of the war if it wasn't for this chance handed to us by the U.N., but as far as I'm concerned the story of the innocent caught in the middle of Sri Lanka's war still hasn't been told properly.

BEIJING, China — The news of North Korea’s nuclear test made the front pages of the state-run newspapers here in Beijing –- a sign the Chinese government is taking this issue very seriously.

The front of this English-language newspaper reflects how seriously the Chinese government is taking this issue.

The China Daily, an English-language newspaper, ran a front-page spread with the headline, "Pyongyang nuclear test shocks Beijing," a timeline and a picture of women in Tokyo looking shocked.

Other countries responded quickly and strongly, but China took several hours to release a statement … so we can assume it was well-thought, crafted, but ultimately stern. Here is a portion:

“The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to this. Upholding the peace and stability in northeast Asia is in the mutual interest of all parties. China calls on all parties to keep calm, deal with the situation appropriately, and to solve problems peacefully through discussions and dialogue.”

What the statement does not talk about is how China intends to act with respect to the United Nations, and some might call the language vague.

Last month, when North Korea test fired a long-range rocket, China urged the world not to overreact and they seem to be taking the same strategy in this situation.

Though China is clearly disappointed and frustrated by the test, their position is do not react too strongly, do not provoke the North Koreans any further, try to persuade them to come back to the bargaining table, come back to six-party talks –- disarm through dialogue.

Much has been made of the relationship between China and the secretive North. Chinese officials feel they understand the North Korean mindset - do not respond to threats, only concession - and clearly Pyongyang does not feel like it has gotten enough concessions.

China seems to want to resume the constructive role again as liaison between North Korea and the rest of world.

I spoke with China analyst Victor Gao, who said: “North Korea has always been a very close friend of China, over the past several decades.”

“And I think recently, in the recent years because of North Korea’s attitude with regard to the six-party talks, China has had to bend backward to do whatever maneuvering and persuasion work as necessary.

“China will continue to work in that particular direction, play a very constructive role with North Korea as well as with other members of the six-party talks in order to eventually help all of us achieve the outcome of denuclearization,” he added.

But China has also always cautioned not to overestimate their relationship, saying their influence over North Korea is useful but limited.

Surely, China will be getting pressure from the international community to take a strong stance on North Korea. Going back to North Korea’s first nuclear test two years ago, China was much more outspoken, calling it a brazen act.

But Pyongyang has continued to defy the international community. Beijing has learned from that and believes it is better to be more restrained - how firm they can be while also being restrained is still a question.