Inspiring Word from an Ex-Journo

She started her career at the age of 20 as a newspaper reporter for an English daily and ended her run at the age of 60 as a public-relations (PR) practitioner in a private sector. She takes pride in saying she learned from the best in the industry; Samad Ismail and Adibah Amin among them. She is 70 years old now and has been active on social media by letting her creative juices flow freely and occasionally, tutoring her followers in English.

In some of her posts, she deprecated herself as a cantankerous old sod, who raves and rants occasionally, with equally old-fashioned take on things. However, I think she is a kind soul.

I came across one of her posts about English usage on social media one day and have since followed her posts. I have had a few exchanges with her on the usage of English, seeking her advice on some questions that I had; and she has always been patient to answer all my questions.

I have treated her as one of my teachers in life and I always address her as Kak (a Malay word that means sister) although a lot of her friends and followers call her Opah (a Malay word that means grandma).

This morning, I had another round of exchange with her and was delighted to get her recognition as a potential writer.

The passion for writing has long faded away since I started working in corporates 10 years ago. It is hard to squeeze in some time for writing in virtue of other priorities. It is a lame excuse because it is all about time management and self-discipline. With her inspiring word as a confidence booster, I hope I could progress further.

A snapshot of the conversation between Kak and I

Abdul Samad Ismail

Adibah Amin, the first woman named the National Journalism Laureate

Looking for My "Innisfree"

'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' is one of the poems that I learnt when I was in Form 1. Back then, I did not have much appreciation about this poem though I had read through the analysis and understood its theme.

Fast forward to 20 years later, on a quiet Sunday evening in August 2024, I was sitting and sliding my smart phone on a sofa in my house. I came across this poem again on a random post in Facebook.

Since I graduated from the university in September 2014, I have been working in Singapore, living through a monotonous and robotic life of executing tasks week over week – 10 years have flown without I realise it. Time flies when I have spent most of my time working like a robot every day and rushing through meeting deadlines. My days have just passed like tearing each page away from a Chinese calendar swiftly.

I was sitting on a couch in a flat of a block, standing quietly among other blocks in a city. The night was slowly engulfing the land. Next day, I was going to resume the robotic life.

Deep inside, the voice echoed, "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree..." – the Innisfree" where I shall have some peace.

Note: This is a journal that I penned on an electronic note in my smart phone when I was sitting in my company's bus that was travelling to my office in the morning the next day after I read the poem. 

A random picture to illustrate the Lake Isle of Innisfree