Ravages of time..

Before I knew it, the day was over. And right before my eyes, I went through stories after stories. The
captain's chair is no easy task and well, after helming the desk for two days, I know what it's like to have
your ass on the frying pan.Nevertheless, it was been a learning experience for me. It's been more than 10 months since I started work
at The Star and life has been treating me really kind.Despite a looming cloud of darkness ahead, I still managed to put food on the table and pay the bills. I
guess my constant struggle - is to overcome my demons.Owing the bank money is no fun. So, in the months to come, I have to hunker in to face the long cold winter.
As for the hits and misses this year, I counted that there were more hits as most of my targets were
spot-on and dead-centre.I put my money where my mouth is. Right about the same time last year, I was accused by being lazy and
unproductive by a woman who was put on the desk to run the show.She was highly inexperienced and had no idea what running a desk was all about. For her lacking, she
took out her frustration on my co-workers. I saw her as a legacy from my ex-boss. The bringer of pain and chaos. People were unhappy with her
attitude and as predicted, she self-destructed and went back to the public relations line.Way I see it, its simple. Good management skills comes from within. If you cannot even manage your
household, I don't think you can manage other people at work.My heart sank when I saw her antagonising a young reporter. Screaming on top of her lungs, yelling,
inditimidating the guy by making threats.That is bad. Worse if you don't know what you are talking about. Coming from an inexperienced
supervisor, that is a lowly thing to do.And why pick on one individual when the rest are slacking? Some of the reporters are 'protected' by given
choice assignments. They deliver one story a week and get away watching movies during lunch hour.This is bad practise and a case of abuse of privilage. I felt that if this is left to continue, the rot will get
bigger. Bad enough, the workplace is running out of capable people and to add more water into a sinking ship,
they promoted all the wrong stuff.So, where they are today, its a result of neglect, abuse, mutual mental masturbation and wrong doing.

I for one, am glad to be out of the fold. I proved her criticism wrong by taking my trade to a new environment. Whatever shit she threw at me had bloomed in full blossom.

I took her negative remarks and turned it into my own personal development goals - because without it, I wouldn't have succeeded with the Food Trail and Metro Hygiene Campaign columns.

That aside - I have plenty of positive things to look forward to in 2009. One of it is to rekindle my adventures and with proper planning, it will bear fruit.