13th June

13th June 2006.

This day marks my first anniversary at work.

How time flies.

On this same day a year ago, I entered the company with the vision to produce good stories for the benefit of readers. To fulfill the mission of inform, educate and entertain.

Have I moved a step nearer this vision? Or am I running parallel to it? Worse still, am I running further away?

I think for any young person who just started working, these are the questions that will pop up every now and then. And although it happens to me as well, frankly, I think I have not given it enough thought.

In the past year, many things have happened, but still many things have yet to happen.

I have done a lot, but many things are yet not done.

Before I received the “Confirmation of Appointment” letter today (all new employees have to go through one year probation before their appointment as staff is confirmed), I had a discussion with my direct supervisor, which was meant as a mutual evaluation.

I was asked, “What news did you cover in the past year that left the deepest impression on you?”

For a moment, I was stunned, and I could find no answer to that question.

When I was in crime, I covered the two big chopped up body cases and numerous other cases. There are some which I feel disturbed, some which I fought really hard to get a scoop, some which I did not produce a good report even though the information was good, some that I managed to do a good story with a stroke of brilliance. The whole experience taught me how timing and making contacts are extremely important.

Now that I am covering general news, I saw how professionals react under adverse circumstances, and how they behave off-the-record (meaning situations which are not for publication or broadcasting). I am also learning how to work with PRs more efficiently to get interviews done.

Yes, I have gained invaluable experience.

But no, I find it simply impossible to pin-point a particular case which I have very strong feelings about.

Perhaps I have not done enough reflection over the past year? Perhaps I have yet to produce my best piece?

At the end of the discussion, my supervisor left me with these words, “Because the pace of life is so fast, it is easy for people to find themselves doing work as if it is just a routine, and it is dangerous because people lose motivation easily that way.”

How true.

A year is too short for a full report card.

I am still full of passion, hope, motivation, ideas and stamina.

Let’s see how things go for the next year.