Barely two weeks since I joined the New Straits Times' general news desk, I was pulled to join the crime desk. This, was after I survived the deadly Genting Highland's bus crash, which took away 37 innocent lives.
First thought? Wow crime desk, so cool. I can do this.
But as a rookie, there was so much to learn. Took me a while before I find out that crime journalists would be more independent than general news journalists. All information are not spoon-fed, but will come either from your friends, seniors, or sources. Which I do not have at that time.
No, I can't do this.
For three months, I dreaded being a crime journo. I don't know what I was doing. I don't know where to get my stories (okay lah this one until now also sometimes don't know where to get), my leather bag lost its handle while I was covering a raid, and I just hate every single working days.
Fun Facts:
- Among my first assignments I covered as a crime journo was Michael Chong's assignment. It took me four bloody hours to write a simple story (lol simple story when I look at it now, at that time it was so hard).
- Among my first mistakes in crime was I assumed IPKKL was Bukit Aman. Kill me.
- Among the first observation was that crime journalists are closer to each other than their own peers from the same company. Why? Because we see that same faces during assignments, we hang out with that same faces FOR HOURS - smoking, vaping, gossiping, makan, minum, wasting time tepi longkang- during raids, while waiting for the forensics or that assignments where they invite us three hours too early.
At first I thought I could not fit in, since they were so damn close to each other but overtime we grew closer. I finally get the hang of it, writing crime stories have become my...passion?
Yeah, I actually can do it, and I love it.
***
February 1, 2018
Fast forward about four years later, convergence came. I did not make it into the crime team.
I was transferred to the Current Affairs Desk (Weekend, Probe/Special Report) for our beloved newspaper. A bunch of young reporters were chosen, in hope to give this old man a new breath.
I am open to new challenges, I am willing to learn and be guided, but I sure as hell will miss my time doing crime reporting and of course, the people who has been so helpful and supportive.
(Yes, sure we will still meet at certain assignments but it wouldn't be the same! No lepaking tepi longkang anymore)
So...can I do this?
