Journalism and my place in it

I've been helping quite a bit with organizing the Asian Journalism Fellowship, an event that brings together for three months the region's finest journalists. The fellows will be staying here in Singapore, free accommodation and with monthly stipend, to attend workshops about the country's press, sightseeing, and working on their research projects.

Benedict of the Temasek Foundation (standing) tells us a story about farming, to explain why Temasek is supporting the fellowship. My super duper favorite, Prof. APH (second from left, wearing a blue shirt), had only this to say, "Corny story, Benedict!" Hahahaha! APH is such a big shot he can get away with making comments like that!

During the first orientation, the fellows introduced themselves and the kind of journalism they have done. Some are business journalists. One writes about cars. But the ones who have impressed me the most are those who write about human rights, political unrest--the nitty, gritty kind of journalism which I think I can never get involved in. See, while  I may have more education that is considered useful, I'm don't have enough guts and persistence to do investigative work. Guys like these have my utmost respect.

My work pales to theirs in comparison. I write mainly about entertainment and popular culture, with a little fashion and makeup mixed into the equation. While not as life-changing as other people's work, I still believe though that it still has a place in society. Like what another blogger, MC, said, what a boring world it would be if we all did the same type of job. What's more important is to have passion for one's job, and to do it ethically.

After school and achieving my nth diploma, I still plan to write about fashion, makeup, entertainment, and maybe even travel. These are what I live my life for. Maybe, someday, I'll write about politics. But at this point, I'd like to write about the beautiful things that life has to offer--even if some may think it's shallow.