janemoh86

It took me about six months to think about what to write in 'About me' box. I didn't know whether I have anything about myself worth sharing. Then I thought of this..that I believe I should share... to let you guys know something about me. Here it goes.

When I was in school (secondary school to be exact), English was one my weakest subjects. I either flunk my English, or just managed to get a little above the red ink mark. I did not even manage to be in the 'average' group in English subject. I was one of those worst students. It was embarrassing really.

But in my heart, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I was a little discouraged, I thought 'Well, maybe..writing is not for me'. But still, I knew where my passion is, so I determined to improve my English mostly through readings. I read everyday and somehow I fell in love in reading too.

One day, when I was in form 4 (16 years old) I went to see my primary school English teacher. I didn't tell her about my ambition or my dreams. I just wanted to pay a visit. As I sat at her office that day, she told me something that I will remember forever for the rest of my life.

She said 'You know, you can be a writer one day.' My English was okay when I was in Primary school. I think because it was only basic English. You know, fill in the blanks,matching, circle the correct answer..simple short essay writing. Entered secondary school, I realized, my English sucks.

'You can be a writer.' I will remember that for the rest of my life. That encouragement managed to push me forward. I worked hard to improve, even I had to sit for MUET (Malaysian University English Test) twice. I managed to achieve good grades in my Form 6 examination and got an offer to study at one of the best universities in Malaysia.

Graduate in Bachelor of Arts (major in Southeast Asia Studies, minor in English studies) I kept to my goal. I wanted to enter journalism, but was scared that my English was not good enough to land on the job.

I thought...do it, or regret it. I decided to go for it and surprisingly, I got the job as a reporter in the largest English Newspaper in Borneo. The interview was scary, I was given three questions and I needed to write news based on the questions. Sitting in front of the chief reporter, he said 'Not bad, you have the basic, you definitely can write. But you need to learn to write in a more journalistic style. No worries about that, you'll learn as you go along, and some minor grammatical mistakes..no big deal.'

It has been three years I worked as a reporter but still consider as a 'newbie' in the field. A few months after landed on the job, the chief reporter decided to give me a try to write feature story. He liked it, and I was given more opportunities to write feature stories. Now, I found my own feature stories to write, which is GREAT!!!

Every since I became a reporter, I learn to become a photojournalist as well. I learn to take photos with a photojournalist eyes. It is tough, but I will never give up.
Starting this blog is a challenge for me because although my passion is in writing, there are a lot of aspects that I need to improve. To put my 'raw' writing materials, or should I say unedited version could be intimidating, but I decided to take up the challenge, face my fear, and put them up. I hope to see myself becoming successful in the field I chose, not just as a journalist and photojournalist, but in achieving my dream as a writer.