Short Essay
Geography was never my favourite subject. I could hardly imagine one day I would stand on the ground in tundra area, collected a soil profile specimen and verified the findings with the textbooks I read. There was apparently something missing in the chapter on population theory. Perhaps it would be more inspiring to show us at the very beginning that it was all about the power of resources allocation or posing a question on what would it be the ideal city for living.
Until the day my teacher took us to a field trip and things started to change. We were given a guided tour at Mai Po Nature Reserve. Supposedly it would be a leisurely stroll but I couldn’t help stop noticing the tour guide whom put on a solemn face. She picked up a Cerbera on the ground and told us although it looked like an ordinary mango, it was deadly poisonous. She didn’t throw it away but knelt down and placed the fruit on where it belonged.
My love to nature grew at that decisive moment. I came into deep thought of why some people pay highest regards to Mother Nature while some are indifferent.
After graduated from university majoring in Chinese journalism, I became a communications officer of WWF-Hong Kong. One of the major job duties was taking care of the membership newsletters, About Life for mass audiences, and Panda Club Post for the junior members. With experts and professionals around, I didn’t need to worry about the accuracy of the facts but to stay focus on contributing with my strengths developed in university. Apart from editing, I tried to soak up as much nutrients as, and as fast as I could. One day, I finally felt confident to raise up my hand during the editorial board meeting, volunteered myself to write feature stories and interviews and gave my humble suggestions on editorial direction.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye. With growing interest in art and culture, I undertook a master course in cultural studies at Lingnan University. What I think is there are certain similarities between art and nature. For example, they can be abstract but they are soul healing, and they are both deserved to be properly nurtured. I started to look for suitable jobs and finally read about a job advertisement with a line stating “A passion for art and culture events preferred”. It was a vacancy in the marketing department of Swire Properties.
The most memorable event in the five-year stay in Swire was the retrospective exhibition of “King Kowloon” Tsang Tsou-choi (曾灶財). Timeline, as usual, was very tight. I drafted the exhibition synopsis, prepared press materials, chased after artists and co-organsier for content and transformed them into reader-friendly format. The endearing time was that I devoted nearly half of my working time in editing (with help from my seniors) over 100 pieces of exhibit caption, over 20 video subtitles of interviews. I was lucky to be part of this project – a man who chose to use writing to accuse the world for leaving him with nothing, and I tried to put together the bits and pieces and presented his story in form of text.
Today, I still have strong faith in the power of word in communications, despite I prefer ringing somebody to whatsapping. If I have gained new perspectives and accumulated more experience after working for a corporate, I believe it is now time for me to return to those may need our help. This naturally, leads to my decision of applying for this job.
Geography was never my favourite subject. I could hardly imagine one day I would stand on the ground in tundra area, collected a soil profile specimen and verified the findings with the textbooks I read. There was apparently something missing in the chapter on population theory. Perhaps it would be more inspiring to show us at the very beginning that it was all about the power of resources allocation or posing a question on what would it be the ideal city for living.
Until the day my teacher took us to a field trip and things started to change. We were given a guided tour at Mai Po Nature Reserve. Supposedly it would be a leisurely stroll but I couldn’t help stop noticing the tour guide whom put on a solemn face. She picked up a Cerbera on the ground and told us although it looked like an ordinary mango, it was deadly poisonous. She didn’t throw it away but knelt down and placed the fruit on where it belonged.
My love to nature grew at that decisive moment. I came into deep thought of why some people pay highest regards to Mother Nature while some are indifferent.
After graduated from university majoring in Chinese journalism, I became a communications officer of WWF-Hong Kong. One of the major job duties was taking care of the membership newsletters, About Life for mass audiences, and Panda Club Post for the junior members. With experts and professionals around, I didn’t need to worry about the accuracy of the facts but to stay focus on contributing with my strengths developed in university. Apart from editing, I tried to soak up as much nutrients as, and as fast as I could. One day, I finally felt confident to raise up my hand during the editorial board meeting, volunteered myself to write feature stories and interviews and gave my humble suggestions on editorial direction.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye. With growing interest in art and culture, I undertook a master course in cultural studies at Lingnan University. What I think is there are certain similarities between art and nature. For example, they can be abstract but they are soul healing, and they are both deserved to be properly nurtured. I started to look for suitable jobs and finally read about a job advertisement with a line stating “A passion for art and culture events preferred”. It was a vacancy in the marketing department of Swire Properties.
The most memorable event in the five-year stay in Swire was the retrospective exhibition of “King Kowloon” Tsang Tsou-choi (曾灶財). Timeline, as usual, was very tight. I drafted the exhibition synopsis, prepared press materials, chased after artists and co-organsier for content and transformed them into reader-friendly format. The endearing time was that I devoted nearly half of my working time in editing (with help from my seniors) over 100 pieces of exhibit caption, over 20 video subtitles of interviews. I was lucky to be part of this project – a man who chose to use writing to accuse the world for leaving him with nothing, and I tried to put together the bits and pieces and presented his story in form of text.
Today, I still have strong faith in the power of word in communications, despite I prefer ringing somebody to whatsapping. If I have gained new perspectives and accumulated more experience after working for a corporate, I believe it is now time for me to return to those may need our help. This naturally, leads to my decision of applying for this job.
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