The book

My buddy Mr Kee wanted to know if I am interested in writing a book.I told him that I was too lazy to do so. There has been too many food guides in the country and personal memoirs
by reporters and writers.A book would be the launching pad for any journo's career and being a published author is certainly an ego
boost. Right now, I don't need any. But I have got some ideas for the later years. I still feel that as a writer, I need to build
my following.As far as food is concerned, I've been doing it for a few years. I have yet to gauge the following or folks who
actually bother to scrutinise my work.Yet, people do chime in to give their two cents worth. Most were good and a few rather abrasive remarks were
made.I agree that the readers are important because without their support, the paper or book wouldn't sell. And having
known the industry over the years, I knew who were the real deal and the bogus shit artists.Its not hard to sniff them out because it shows in their work. The good ones are products of passion and after
going through some weblogs on the subject, I found that at least one or two part time writers are passionate
about their work.They may not be trained for the task, but the enthusiasm and willingness to improve made up for it. As for me, a
book on food is certainly far from reach. Good writers are not easily found, but they can be groomed. At this point in life -- that's how I see it.

The Hoax

Never listen to rumours.Especially when it comes to financial rewards. A month ago, news about a month's gratuity payment had spread like wildfire. The folks at my workplace had placed some bets on getting some extra moolah in their April paycheck. Sadly, nothing came through.Short of a grinding halt, many are cursing the top honcho for allegedly making a hint. Way I see it, I can still survive and with the last pay cut on my taxes, I can breathe easy.So, technically speaking, two thirds of my wages would go into repayment of loan, debts and utilities. This leaves very little for savings. Last month, I was glad to have some cash stashed aside to pay for my vehicle's road tax. It took a big chunk away and I can immediately see my bank balance shrinking. Won't be another few months till things would float back into the black. That said, at the mean time, I had to trim the fat and go on a very lean budget.A huge portion of May's expenditure will go into the squid trip. To offset the cost, I sold some knives. While keeping things at a bare minimum, my hope is to pull through this month without a hitch.

Next?

Wow! Three days had gone by and tomorrow morning, I have to send my wife to the airport and see her off.She'll be going to the US to complete the final part of her accredidation exam with the National Association of Corrosion Engineers.Michelle has been studying hard for this and I wish her success. Back at work, I've completed three days of my duties manning the regional pages.The guys in the bureaus were shocked to hear that their former liaison is no longer with the section. While most of them are groping in the dark, the execs in my section are taking turns to man the desk till a replacement is found by early June.Meanwhile, I caught up with an old friend who is retiring this month. We've known each other for nearly 15 years. He's also a published author, playwright and actor.In between meals, he told me that he has no set plans after retirement, but acknowledged my question about employment.Since both his kids are going to University, there's a huge pile of bills to settle. At 55, life is only at the crossroads for this guy.Later, I caught up with my ex-colleague and had tea. We spoke about the ripples in our former workplace where an ex-honcho is said to be hired to 'steer' the machinery out of its rut.Nothing but profanities came out of the whole conversation and well, for their sake, I guess its game-over. Today, the tabloid is doing around 100,000 copies daily and falling.With the new guy at helm, its pretty much expected that he too will ressurect some former cronies who were given the golden handshake.As my buddy puts it: "Its a place even maggots would find hard to survive.." Well, I concur with the statement and right now, I can only wait to see what is their next move.