I don't know if it's too early to say this but.... I really enjoy reporting haha. It's super fast-paced and my brain funct...



I don't know if it's too early to say this but....

I really enjoy reporting haha. It's super fast-paced and my brain functions like clockwork whenever a press release suddenly appears. I enjoy writing long pieces for people to read and also packaging tv stories for people to watch. I've been running on adrenaline the past two weeks and it's amazing.

I've also not been able to lead a healthy lifestyle. Think I haven't exercised in that span of time. And on some days, I don't eat properly. There was one day when I only survived on a full loaf of bread the entire day, and by the time I got home, I was exhausted and too tired to even eat.

But what keeps me going are the stories, the sense of satisfaction I get when I see them published, and also meeting and speaking to so many people. Like the kids above!!! They clamoured all over me and they're super fun.

One of the highlights the past two weeks was trailing Inuka the polar bear. I went to the Singapore Zoo three times. I saw him on my first day when I was at the zoo... then saw an empty enclosure on the second day when he was kept away from the public and finally, the eventual day when he was put to sleep -

That day was quite intense.

We were not told exactly what time the press conference would begin. It was supposed to inform us about whether Inuka was put to sleep. All we knew was that the conference was possibly slated for 4pm, which was quite late. Then that morning, I got a call from my frantic colleague at 9:30am, "Si Hui are you awake??? Oh you picked up the call yes you are awake. The press conference starts at 11am!!! Go down NOW!!!"

I got out of bed, got dressed, put my makeup on, and hopped on to a cab to make my third trip down to Mandai.

When I arrived, we were led to a room where the press conference was held. The room was silent and tension palpable. We were not told whether Inuka was euthanised or not. We just had to wait for his vets and keepers to enter the room before the conference could begin.

And so we waited.


Then they finally arrived.
And we were handed a press release. I held my breath and read the first sentence...

"SINGAPORE, 25 April 2018 - Singapore Zoo said goodbye to her well-loved senior polar bear Inuka this morning, following a second health examination in three weeks....."

I'll be honest with you. I almost wanted to cry upon reading the first sentence. I was sad. I had been trailing his story for three whole days. I started out quite apathetic about this polar bear, didn't feel anything for him. But by the end of it all, I felt terribly sad to see him go, after seeing how so many people were so attached to him.

Afterall, he was born here in Singapore and grew up in my generation. He was born in 1990 - same year as my bro. So Inuka felt like a bro.

But of course, there was no point in crying. I had a press conference to listen to and work to do. So there I was typing away to every word they said, and firming up my article. Journalists fired questions, "How serious was his condition? What was the team's morale when he was put down? What's going to happen to his enclosure now?"

Type, type, type.

After the conference ended, I finished writing my article and emailed it to the digital team once the embargo was lifted.

But it wasn't the end yet.

At about 11:50am, I got a call from my colleagues.

"Hello, we need you to do a live cross about Inuka's death. Audio check at 12:30pm and we'll have you live at 12:40pm"

I should have felt anxious since it was my first time going live on tv as a reporter. But I just felt a sense of calm... and said, "sure" then got myself prepared.

During the live cross, everything went pretty smoothly. Then I packed up, went back to my office, only to be told that bosses were excited about the story and wanted to turn it to a bigger story.

So I went back down to Mandai...


.... only to see this board there.
sad.

Got reactions from visitors who found out about his death that morning, how they felt, etc. Then I did my PTC in front of his empty enclosure.

:'(

Started my job at 9:30am and finished work at 11pm.
But what a day and what a story. I poured every ounce of emotion left in my body into Inuka's story and delivered it the best I could.

It was a soft, human-interest story, and I must say I'm happy I had the privilege to cover it even though I was so new to the job. A story close to so many people's hearts.



Then there are also stories...

... where I have to act like a creepo by following ministers.

And when you have a funny cameraman like Sazali, the day goes by without a hitch ;-)
Looks just like cute Inuka here HAHAH

Then, there's also the usual... Mediacorp colleagues leaving the industry for other opportunitiessss
Mysara's last day at CNA - she'll be pursuing her Masters!

And also the usual old friends who stick with you from wkwsci all the way to mediacorp bahaha
noreen keeps me sane or rather, insane :-P

I no longer have a full weekend to myself - either a Saturday or a Sunday will be taken up by work. Erratic timetable. And each day, I wake up not knowing what day it is, wondering whether it's a work day or rest day. It'll take time to adjust....

But so far, it's been goooood ;-)

Soooo yesterday was my last day as an International News Producer My team was just the.... most amazing team ever. They got me two cake...

Soooo yesterday was my last day as an International News Producer

My team was just the.... most amazing team ever. They got me two cakes and a voucher for an online clothes store (my favourite love bonito hahah) - new work clothes!!!! It was as if I be gone forever from Mediacorp. But in actual fact, I'll still be working quite closely with them, just in a different department -

I'm going to be a reporter!!!! Starting Monday.

and i'll get to exercise this furrealz now

When people ask me how I feel about this, I say I'm excited and also filled with a sense of trepidation. I've been waiting for this day for so long!! This sounds extremely cheesy but it's a childhood dream fulfilled. Never would I have thought I'd be that tv journalist someday... I grew up watching CNA.

At the same time, worried as well because I have to start from scratch again - I have to learn things again. And the past almost two years, I've just been constantly adapting to changes. Learning the ropes of being a producer - moving over to the new swanky campus - learning the ropes again to be an international news producer - and now reporting. It feels as if I've been taken on a rollercoaster ride in that short span of time.

I must say, it hasn't been easy. When I first started, I was so stressed. I had to adjust to a work setting - it was no longer school. Had to make new friends. Learn all the technical bits and pieces. I once thought, perhaps I was not cut out to be a journalist.

But I've come so far. It's been nearly two years in my job. And I am ready for whatever that comes.

While I am looking forward to starting this new phase, I must always remind myself that whatever happens, I need to take it in my stride - mistakes will happen, challenges will come, but I must always keep my chin up and never let them get me down.

And I am only excited to dig for stories - the more unearthed they are, the better. With diligence, and a little bit of courage, I see myself going the distance. Who knows where this path will lead me to?

Some tell me TV as a medium is dying, but I don't ever see it completely dying out. Because as long as journalism as an industry exists, there still needs to be some form of output. Video, images, storytelling - people still need that. The digital realm offers that as well, but until there's a consolidated go-to platform, tv will still be around (even if only your folks watch it hahah)

And as with all stories, there are different narratives, and different truths to different people.

I finally understand what it means to remain objective as a journalist - and to tell it as it is. To let the audience decipher information themselves. While many may criticise the fact that I work solely for the government's narrative, I'd like to think that we all strive to do our best in telling a story that's balanced, no matter what. Because I've worked with the people who deliver the news to you, and all of them strive to provide you with the most accurate information as best they can, with whatever amount of information they're provided. I can attest to that, and I'm proud of my colleagues.

In an era of fake news, there still needs to be some trust in established news organisations.

Maybe this is the part where I insert a campaign slogan like "Make Mediacorp a Better Place" or something haaaaa!

----

In other news (haw haw)...

I passed my driving test!!!!!

All I need is my P-plate and I'm ready to get out there and do my thangggg. Can I show off that I passed on my first try??!?! waaaaaa

Ok, but seriously though, this was one big mental obstacle that I overcame... I used to think I'd never be a good driver and that I'd kill someone someday (choy ah!), so I just never did it. But this year... something in me just convinced me to go for it. And I'm glad I did. My friend says my life will change from hereon HAHAH, I think so too ;)

That friend was Huiquan bahahah  - us at the script concert two days ago
And this was about two weeks ago~
Jo-ann's last day with CNA, Faruq as usual, and Deborah, my new colleague-to-be who'll be my teammate in the education beat

Soooo, that's my life so far folks!

I must say 2018 has been pretty damn amazing so far. And there's so much more to come. Remember I told you guys I reckon this year will be a great year?

Turns out I'm bledy right ;)

Around this time two months ago, I was on a two-week adventure to Sri Lanka, with STRANGERS. You see, I had a ton of leave to clear and wh...

Around this time two months ago, I was on a two-week adventure to Sri Lanka, with STRANGERS.

You see, I had a ton of leave to clear and whilst at work, I had to figure out where in the world (literally) to visit in February (without needing thick coats and jackets).

I googled, "best place to visit in the month of February". Of course Sri Lanka was on the list, and ever since my dad went and came back with beautifuuuul photos and stories of the country, my heart was set. I announced to the people in my office that "I AM OFF TO SRI LANKA" and my colleague Faruq (or should i say, former colleague hyakhyak) said that he too, was going. He told me I could join his friends if I had no one to go with. I took a chance.

And I'm glad I took that chance. Company was excellente~ and I wished they could've joined me on my last three days - I went solo (cuz I had too much leave to clear) Strangers turned friends - i laughed my ass off every day. Every, single, day. Faruq's friends are great, which means Faruq has good taste in friends, and Faruq is my friend, so I have the best taste in friends. In other words, I AM TASTY HAHAHAH alright let me just shut up and write.

In the months leading up to February, I was superrrr excited - I could feel it in my bones that it'd be an adventure never to forget. And believe me, Sri Lanka truly was. I'd say it's one of my most favourite destinations - it has everything that I love - Mountains, the ocean, beaches, elephants and... tea.

The best thing? Nobody knows about it - that's why I say it's... Asia's best kept secret!! (no longer a sekret now eh?)

Words can never describe, so I can only take you with me through pictures, here goes!

Presenting to you my Lanka crew!
Angelica, Godwin, Amirul, Edwin and... who's that? Oh right, Faruq.
Look at that ocean behind... that was our view for the night at our first stop, Colombo - Sri Lanka's capital.

ahhhh wtf!!! it's not the sea, it's the OCEAN
cuz Sri Lanka is surrounded by the Indian Ocean so it literally has beaches all round the island nation

hiiii!!
i was still so fair on our first day. Godwin even said i don't look the sort who gets tan easily, what a way to strike up a conversation with a new friend

Our first meal in Sri Lanka - their famous Sri Lankan crabs (I'm sorry I didn't take photos of the food)
that ocean viewww



was so excited that they were using these classic old bottles!!

Soon we were off to explore Colombo - hahahah yeh yeh we off to Brazil

Don't be fooled - these tuk tuks have an app similar to Uber/ Grab and I'm super amazed they have an app like that.
It's called 'Pick Me' SO USEFUL - this way you never get cheated by the locals, everrr again!!!! (all thanks to our colleague shereen's awesome recommendation)

A beauuuutiful red mosque
which i now look at with a tinge of sadness because of recent religious clashes in Kandy between Buddhist and Muslim people.

In the evening we walked along these railway tracks...
remember this father-daughter pair because....

:')
 The next day, we were taking a train travelling ON THOSE RAILWAY TRACKS!!

early morning train

Off to Galle!! (prono: "gall" bladder)

Now, the day we travelled to Galle was also...

Sri Lanka's Independence Day!!!! (4th Feb)
Those are Raffles Institution kids for you hahah
We were treated to this most wonderful, colourful parade!! We were sooo lucky.
Reminded me of one of those NPCC NCC uniform group parades though 
  
Galle is known for their forts, which overlook the granddd indian ocean



I've never been to Greece, but a lot of their interior designs remind me of the pictures I see of Greece's
lovely white walls and earthy colours

That's what I like ;) 

Lovely churches they have as well -
dutch, portuguese influences~
So diverse, so multi-cultural - we never knew that about Sri Lanka - cuz all we knew about the country were Tamil Tigers and the LTTE. No thanks to Social Studies.

We didn't stay in Galle for long, late afternoon we were off to...

this is gonna be annoying but.....

Ella, ella, ella, eh, eh eh


And welcoming us to Ella on our way there was....

AAAAHHHHHHHHH
We went crazyyyy seeing this lovely lovely magnificent creature at the side of the road. We badly wanted to pull over. And he was just lapping up the attention from the locals as well as us. Elephants are awesome.




.... and we're awesome friends too.

Now....
THIS was why we loved Ella

Having this amazeballs breakfast in front of that bloody beautiful mountain....
what more can i ask for, WHAT MOREEE 

That breakfast is for champions, as we set off to hike Ella Rock.

Cheyyy this one

Angelica!
We had to walk along these train tracks to get to...

Ella Rock!


"we're from Singapore!"
"where were you originally from though?"
".........."

And the next day, we were off to yet another hike~ Little Adam's Peak



conditioning my new shoe for my next hiking trip

my sri lankan guide bahahahha

Faruq and I had a lot of fun climbing this mountain, acting all vogue and shit

da top,
not that easy i must say
Felt so tiny

but actually we're not so tiny

chey x2

And now.... my friends.... this is easily...



THE SICKEST CAFE IVE EVER BEEN TO!!!!!!
Just look at that goddamn view - we're literally on cloud 9

we so hapi
and faruq so burnt turnt wurnt

nomz

I. COULD. CRAIIIIII

not very chey anymore lololol

After chilling at that cafe for like... hours....
We came to...


Nine arches bridge

these two had a photoshoot, smizing, posing all
On our way back...

They somehow got pregnant
HAHHAH i really dunno what they were thinking la wahlaueh
(btw we had our share of rain too over there)

posting this cos i'll never forget how amirul trolled me that night while playing that indian poker game
two middle fingahhsssss!!! three if i could to you amirul!!!!!!!

Woke up before the break of dawn to head to Kandy...




And we were off on the most beautiful train ride on earth!!!!


you've to be right there to really see and feel this amazing sight
i couldn't stop taking photos

amirul would know cuz he ma train buddeh
i had to reach over to his side window at least 10,000 times to get a good capture
so sometimes i capture a lil bit of him. just a little bit.
*rolls eyez*
city kids
*rolls eyez*
strawberries
*rolls eyez* hahahh

What was fantastic about this train ride was talking to this whole bunch of 18-year-old Muslim boys who were on their way back to Colombo after a week-long religious studies trip.

they were soooo candid, so curious to know who we were and where we came from


They were also curious as to whether we were husband and wife HAHAH. I was about to say yes, but Faruq said "friends". And they gave a quizzical look.

I think it's difficult for them to understand that concept... Faruq explained to me that the boys are probably not allowed to be physically close to a girl until past marriage. So they must be puzzled by the fact that we're both travelling together even though we're not married.

So I guess...... Faruq and I should just get hitched huh? ;-)

Their faces lit up when they heard Faruq and Amirul's names. So Amirul quickly gave me the name "Salmah" just to blend in hahah kanasai this Amirul!!

I quite like the name though. Hi, I'm Salmah Tan nice to meet you.

---

We only spent one day at Kandy and there wasn't much in the city. I would go back again someday to the countryside, despite all of that religious clashes in the past month. I'm sure it still is a beautiful place to visit. 

We had a nice airbnb house though~ a bit old but quite charming.

reallyyy enjoyed our meals at this table :)

loooove sri lankan breakfasts!!! all those fruitsss argh
string hoppers, bread, jam, and eggs yum

We arrived at Dambullah after Kandy to see this UNESCO heritage site.
It's called the Sigiriya Rock.

Reminded me a lot of the historical ruins of Ang Kor Watt in Cambodia. Amazing how people used to live in these quarters.


Them boys were like Myanmar people smeared with Thanakha on their faces HAHAH
their skin were peeling badlyyy


I must say tho, the climb up was pretty darn treacherous with the hot sun beaming above
there were thousands of chinese tourists, and we wanted in on the action too

I didn't want this action though.
Left - posing; 
Right - saw a stupid monkey about to snatch stuff from my bag


The top!!
View was quite spectacular, but i don't know if it was totally worth it

emotional at the top

glamourous at the top

fun at the top

sisterhood at the top

Us at the top :-)
so so so glad to have made these new friends.
Back down at the bottom at our lovely hotel
tea in the backyard garden, love thisssss

my cutest host!!!

We headed back to Colombo where we first began our trip and soon....


it was time for me to leave my strangers-turned-friends

It'd been a hell of a good ride with them but it was time to leave for my solo 3 days. I was soooo sad to say goodbye to them!!

Edwin and his polaroids :)
for keepsake

After being with a group of friends for 8 days straight, it was a bit tough to be on my own after. Cos everything that I did felt a little more lonely, a little less fun. But hey, that's also when the excitement of meeting new people along the way begins~

I was gonna head south to Mirissa beach, sat on a bus full of locals for a couple of hours before I was whisked away in another bus.

it was shady as heck with dim lights and rock ballads blasting inside
a local ushered me in and i found out it was the cheapest way to get to the beach from the station i was dropped off -
20 cents only 

It was a bit tough finding accommodation wandering around at night and it's hard finding a cheap rate with just one person sleeping in a room. So a lady took pity on me and let me have one of her rooms at a not so expensive rate. noice.


The next day.. I found myself in paradise

Wasted no time and went straight to DIVING!!!!!

I read online that over here, there's no need for a PADI license to dive, and after reading the reviews, I decided ah heck, let's take a chance.

so out i went!!

whoooooo

we didn't go too deep though - pretty shallow

TURTLE!!!
criessss

Me happy
Diving checked.
Definitely needa get my PADI for more expeditions!!!!!! It's another world deep down under.... and a very pretty one. I still long to see corals.

real beautiful sunset :')

The next day....
I rented a bike and OFF I WENT

Soooooo good to relive those days pillioning Sianpei as we went around Southeast Asia. This time however, I had no one to give me directions - Sianpei would always bark commands to turn in whatever direction and all I had to do was focus on riding.

This time I was on my own!!! Was pretty scary at first, I couldn't even remember how to start the bike's engine HAHAH. And I had to take that picture of my bike at one point so that I could remember where I parked and what the plate number was.

After a couple of missed turns and using google maps to navigate,

I arrived at my destination

It's a temple overlooking this amazing, amazing ocean.
I could cry just looking at this with the wind in my face

sat here for at least 2 hours...

... reading this book on meditation that i found in my apartment.
learnt many lessons from this unassuming book.

met this wonderful family as well :)
Then rode to another beach in the evening...

it was so secluded, i felt like it was mineeee

The next day would be my last day and I had a flight to catch at midnight.

so I took one last chance to ride awayyyy

rode for a good hour to find this spot where i could supposedly find fishermen who stand on those sticks on the left to fish.
but they only come out in the evening so i just sat here to contemplate bout life..
then a family saw me and approached meeee :)
it was even this little girl's birthday that day!!!! sadly i had nothin on me to give to her
one last selfie to end the trip!
i was more than ready to come home by then :)

I said goodbye to my host, took a bus to the bus station, before taking a long bus ride back to Colombo. It was about 8-9pm by then and I was starvingggg.

I was about to head to a nearby coffeeshop when a man in his 20s approached me and started talking to me. I happily chatted away with him, since it's always nice to make a new friend!

He even offered to pay for my chicken kotthu (roti dish), which I adamantly refused but he insisted so I couldn't do anything about it. That evening with this stranger turned more insidious however. Throughout that meal, he tried to ask me to sit beside him, but I didn't want to, saying it's fine with me facing him. Didn't think it meant anything much, but in hindsight, I should've seen it coming.

He offered to walk me around a lake and since I still had time, I thought why not. While we were walking, he kept offering his hand... and it looked like a gesture for me to.... hold his hand. I simply ignored it. Further along the lake, he found a bench, and this time I couldn't escape from sitting beside him. I thought I was overthinking so I sat down beside him. He asked to take a photo. And it was this time when I felt his hand slide across the length of my thigh. I was disgusted. After that I told him, I had to go.

All this time, I'd thought that if something like that were to ever happen to me, I would scream, shout and slap the perpetrator if I could. But when it actually happened, I was shocked. Too shocked to process what was going on and all I could think of was to walk away. silently.

The whole experience was awful. I'd never been so blatantly molested before. Mind you, I was even fully clothed in jeans and long sleeves with a huge backpack and one small one in front of me. All this time, I had blamed myself for even being friendly towards him. It's quite sobering and now I understand how it feels to be violated in such a manner - sometimes it's not the act itself that plays out in my mind, it's the self-reproach. "I shouldn't have done this, I shouldn't have done that. Did I lead him on?"

In the end, I realise it wasn't my fault. There was no flirtation involved.

He simply should not have touched me.

I may sound like I'm giving him an excuse, but I think culturally, they're also not used to seeing women out at night at that time, which is normal by all standards in developed countries. 9pm, 10pm. So he might've seen me as fresh meat, while I had forgotten how dangerous it can still be in places like that. He could've also perceived my friendliness as 'something more'.

Despite all my solo travels, it's reminded me that there are risks that come with the adventures I take and the trust I put in strangers. Often, I choose to take the riskier side for the sake of seeing more things and meeting more people. This time however, it came with a price. A reminder in life as well.

Nevertheless, it was still such a wonderful trip to Sri Lanka. One dirty experience couldn't taint the rest of it.

In fact, it ended really well. All it took was one tuk tuk driver to turn it around.

When I ran off, I quickly booked a tuk tuk to the airport and the driver turned out to be an honest and nice man. I told him how beautiful his country was and he was happy to hear that. But he also reminded me that his country was still lesser developed, and that people were still poor - that I should sometimes, err on the side of caution, which was very sound advice at that point of time. We laughed as well at one point when I saw some buildings that looked just like Singapore's HDB flats. I gave him an amount that was over the price of what was needed and he said it was too much.

It was just a trick on my part, I intended to give him the tip anyways.


Thanks Stanley, for ending my trip in the best possible way! :)


Yay! Thanks for reading my Sri Lankan experience till the end. I hesitated about writing that horrible experience and almost wanted to leave it out so that the entire trip would've sounded like a fairytale. But then, it would have been far from the truth. So yknow, I thought it's always good to have the awful bits written out as well. They're exactly what makes the experience whole... and real.

Till my next adventure, Sri Lanka has been bloody amazing :-)