Skip to main content

My year at The Rakyat Post




 

Dec 31, 2014, the last day of the year and the end of my one year stint at The Rakyat Post , an online news portal.

Educational is the best way to sum up my year at The Rakyat Post.

Leaving your comfort zone is intimidating at first; it has a steep learning curve. But now I wish I had done it sooner and the whole exercise reaffirms my motto: “learn, learn, learn”.

Einstein was spot on when he said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it”.

When I left the New Straits Times to join The Rakyat Post on Jan 3, 2014, I didn’t know what to expect.

Nelson Fernandez, also known as Mohd Ridzwan Abdullah, had invited me to join him at the website this time last year.


Nelson Fernandez at his office at The Rakyat Post


He was charged with assembling a team to provide content for the portal. And I am glad I said yes.

Switching from traditional journalism to online journalism is challenging, as anyone who had made that transition will tell you.

Editorial content is disseminated by way of the internet as opposed to publishing through print or broadcast.

Think immediately, at once, suddenly, straight away, right now … the list goes on.


Azah Azreen is a designer at The Rakyat Post
Daunting turned into heartening as confidence set in and the job made easier through consistent practice.

And I am leaving today. My decision to depart from The Rakyat Post is in response to an deep desire to try something new but that is another story.

The best part of my experience at the portal has been exploring my creative possibilities and learning and working together with a group of hard-working and dedicated journalists, new and experienced.

We were siblings on a boat in the deep sea and strength and comfort came from a shared desire to survive.

Survive we did and much more.


Kesala is one of the uploaders at The Rakyat Post 


That The Rakyat Post was the 13th most visited local website on desktop computers and the third most visited local website on smartphones for the month of October 2014 was testimony to the fact that hard work, resilience and optimism are essential ingredients of success.

TRP staff deserve all the praises heaped on them.

The Rakyat Post is entering a new phase of its existence and quiet introspection can be extremely valuable. It is time to ponder on the next steps to take.
Sub-editor Tan Kok Tong is one of the pioneers at The Rakyat Post




Thank you very much The Rakyat Post.

I leave you with this quote: "At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." Albert Schweitzer


This post was first published on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2014 (16.42).

Labels:
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Comments

Azreenchan said…
You were the first one that gave me a task on my first day at TRP, an infographic on Music Award - and I stayed late on my first day at work.

To tell you the truth, you are one of my favorite, the positive vibe. I'm glad I know you <3
1 January 2015 at 10:55
Taylor Davidson said…
Glad to see that you are at Rakyat post. Are you no longer managing/updating this blog? It seems like a really nice blog.
29 November 2015 at 11:08
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Dealing with death of a loved one

Today marks the end of Rabiaa's mourning period. She had completed four months and 10 days or 130 days of grieving, the stipulated period for expressing sorrow for Muslim widows.  The death of her husband on Dec 30, 2020 was expected  but it still came as a huge shock to her. It was too sudden, she felt. Yet  observers would not agree. Her husband became bedridden in mid-November after a collision between his big bike and a car which had come from the opposite direction after taking an illegal turn.  In addition to being bedridden, Anwar, lost his voice which was the direct result of the  brain injury he had suffered after the accident. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. How does Rabiaa feel now? The pain is bearable but the memories remain as vivid as ever. She is still unwilling to clear up all of her husband's things and some items remain in their original positions as before he became bound to the bed. His belongings connect Rabiaa to Anwar and sh...
2 comments
Read more

Buah Tarap: A chance encounter

You learn something new everyday. My friend Alina is very fond of repeating this. And I agree with her. Today I tasted the Buah Tarap (Tarap Fruit) which is said to be unique to Sabah/Borneo. My colleagues and I arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah this afternoon; we are here for the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right Challenge which will take place at the Suria Mall over the weekend. After checking into the Beverly Hotel we walked to a nearby eatery for a spot of tea. It was then that I chanced upon the Buah Tarap and began snapping away. My colleague, who had eaten the fruit in Bandung, Indonesia, was excited to see it. He bought one for us to try. The stall vendor split the fruit into two and we bit into its flesh. Everyone liked it but describing its flavour remains a challenge. The fruit, which looks like nangka (jackfruit) or chempedak,  has an unusual combination of tastes: it is sweet but not as sweet as the jackfruit nor as chunky. Words fail me. It feels so lig...
5 comments
Read more

Next stop, Sungkai

The locomotive joins the failed train A routine trip to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a medical check up turned out to be a nightmare for Rabiaa Dani and her husband. Their ticket was for a day train ride to KL Sentral , leaving Ipoh railway station at 8.20am, and returning to Ipoh at night. The couple arrived safely at KL Sentral Station and proceeded to the hospital immediately. Everything went well at the hospital. They even managed to sneak a shopping trip to KLCC for a quick look see before returning to KL Sentral for their 7.40pm train back to Ipoh. The train (9032), like clockwork, departed at the scheduled time. Both Rabiaa and her husband fell asleep about ten minutes after the train had left KL Sentral station. They woke up shortly before hearing the sound of a heavy object hitting something; the train came to a halt soon after. Replacement train at Sungkai station Their nighmare had begun. Rabiaa and her husband later learned that the train had hit a pig...
Post a Comment
Read more