It’s a different world, but my new section definitely has its benefits. Although I miss the glitz and glamour of being a lifestyle writer, being a reporter is teaching me that there’s more to writing than being grammatically correct.

News writing entails that you follow a strict rule and imposes that you carry a careful responsibility for your reader. You can’t just write about what you ‘think’ but what your readers ought to ‘know’ – which is nothing less than truth. You can’t just give them your side of the story – you have to let them make their own choices. And if your editor tells you to give her a 45cm material, by god, give her a 45 cm material. The training under the new editor is amazing, although you miss the friendship and lessons of virtue and loyalty of the old one.

But perhaps, one of the best boons that I got for being transferred to this section is the office view. We used to be situated in the 2nd and a half-floor, very Harry Potter, but it was really just the mezzanine. We were literally hidden from the rest of the world, that you wouldn’t even know if it’s raining or if the sun is out.

Now I’m situated right in front of a large glass window, where the view is a panoramic delight of the old city outside. I can directly see the ancient walls of Intramuros aging wonderfully under an intense afternoon light, and setting a serene, almost whimsical appeal to it before dusk.

Minutes before the street lamps start to burn, the entire area glows with the pink tinge of what I can only presume is from another glorious sunset from the bay area nearby. All you need is to open the window just a little bit and a distinct waft of sea breeze instantly makes you long for the beach.

You see people of all ages tarry around the top of the walls, most of them couples mindless to a possible audience from an office (ours) nearby. You see them kiss, and the image is so fantastic, a genuine "Never been kissed" scene that’s corny and romantic at the same time, that there are times when you become mindless of your work, and just imagine whether their kiss is different from the one you shared the night before.

Evenings are entirely different scenarios. The streetlights transform the city into a Mecca for the nocturnal and the uninhibited, utilizing the darkness as their cloak of anonymity. One can only imagine what the ‘dancing’ shadows are. After all, the night bares many secrets. A stretch of green illuminated in vast fluorescent lights for nighttime golfers is a glaring contrast to the golden lights of the old walls. The large city clock not far from where we are is my only indication that time will never stop for me.

Everyday, the view reminds us that it’s really a big world out there, both scary and intriguing. But amidst all its dust and grime, there really is a hint of brilliance. Makes me think, perhaps, the world isn’t so bad after all.

I never really thought being a reporter could get so hard -- to think I'm just covering health, motoring, real estate/ home and travel. Mine would be considered a sissy beat if compared to ex_groupie's former-gruesome-cub-reporter-makati-bombing assignments. But the challenge lies with how to deliver the news and not make the reader nod off to la-la land, and to stick with the basics of reporting what has been covered. I finally received my first "re-write your story" after more than two years of no serious overhaul. I wasn't sure how I was going to react. I always thought I write pretty decent but that note was a wake-up call that I'm a long way from being a great journalist.

My editor told me to consider the new section as a pit stop and aim for the highest beat -- Malacañang. BUt can I do it? And like Andrea, do I want to? I've been so comfortable for too long in my youth lifestyle section that I'm not sure how long it would take me to be complacent on the more 'serious' stuffs. But I've always wanted to be a journalist since I was in sixth grade, that's why I'm holding on to this job and didn't run off to the first magazine who offered me a post.

This section holds more than the title of training ground for me. This is actually my medal of pride. BEfore I was transferred, the big boss kept hinting that the new youth lifestyle section which replaced my old one wanted to keep me in the team, that the new editor actually liked my writing style. I had every chance to choose their more comfortable department where I can stay with fashion, parties and all those society stuffs that I used to enjoy. But I know i could never work for people who see themselves too good to even consider small things like respect and decorum. That's why I chose to be transferred to a dead beat, and so far, I'm enjoying the peace of mind I know I could never get if I remained with the new one. Now I can proudly say I wasn't a sell-out.

I'm struggling in the new department, but the new boss has been more than a good trainer and she shows us respect born out of someone who has ahieved her post because she deserved it -- and not because she weasled it out with the use of deceit and flowered talks. You think I could make it? I sure hope I can.

Ex_groupie: good luck saten!

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Hey, I was actually able to blog!

Go me!