I don't know if it's too early to say this but....

I really enjoy reporting haha. It's super fast-paced and my brain functions like clockwork whenever a press release suddenly appears. I enjoy writing long pieces for people to read and also packaging tv stories for people to watch. I've been running on adrenaline the past two weeks and it's amazing.

I've also not been able to lead a healthy lifestyle. Think I haven't exercised in that span of time. And on some days, I don't eat properly. There was one day when I only survived on a full loaf of bread the entire day, and by the time I got home, I was exhausted and too tired to even eat.

But what keeps me going are the stories, the sense of satisfaction I get when I see them published, and also meeting and speaking to so many people. Like the kids above!!! They clamoured all over me and they're super fun.

One of the highlights the past two weeks was trailing Inuka the polar bear. I went to the Singapore Zoo three times. I saw him on my first day when I was at the zoo... then saw an empty enclosure on the second day when he was kept away from the public and finally, the eventual day when he was put to sleep -

That day was quite intense.

We were not told exactly what time the press conference would begin. It was supposed to inform us about whether Inuka was put to sleep. All we knew was that the conference was possibly slated for 4pm, which was quite late. Then that morning, I got a call from my frantic colleague at 9:30am, "Si Hui are you awake??? Oh you picked up the call yes you are awake. The press conference starts at 11am!!! Go down NOW!!!"

I got out of bed, got dressed, put my makeup on, and hopped on to a cab to make my third trip down to Mandai.

When I arrived, we were led to a room where the press conference was held. The room was silent and tension palpable. We were not told whether Inuka was euthanised or not. We just had to wait for his vets and keepers to enter the room before the conference could begin.

And so we waited.

Then they finally arrived. And we were handed a press release. I held my breath and read the first sentence...

"SINGAPORE, 25 April 2018 - Singapore Zoo said goodbye to her well-loved senior polar bear Inuka this morning, following a second health examination in three weeks....."

I'll be honest with you. I almost wanted to cry upon reading the first sentence. I was sad. I had been trailing his story for three whole days. I started out quite apathetic about this polar bear, didn't feel anything for him. But by the end of it all, I felt terribly sad to see him go, after seeing how so many people were so attached to him.

Afterall, he was born here in Singapore and grew up in my generation. He was born in 1990 - same year as my bro. So Inuka felt like a bro.

But of course, there was no point in crying. I had a press conference to listen to and work to do. So there I was typing away to every word they said, and firming up my article. Journalists fired questions, "How serious was his condition? What was the team's morale when he was put down? What's going to happen to his enclosure now?"

Type, type, type.

After the conference ended, I finished writing my article and emailed it to the digital team once the embargo was lifted.

But it wasn't the end yet.

At about 11:50am, I got a call from my colleagues.

"Hello, we need you to do a live cross about Inuka's death. Audio check at 12:30pm and we'll have you live at 12:40pm"

I should have felt anxious since it was my first time going live on tv as a reporter. But I just felt a sense of calm... and said, "sure" then got myself prepared.

During the live cross, everything went pretty smoothly. Then I packed up, went back to my office, only to be told that bosses were excited about the story and wanted to turn it to a bigger story.

So I went back down to Mandai...

.... only to see this board there. sad.

Got reactions from visitors who found out about his death that morning, how they felt, etc. Then I did my PTC in front of his empty enclosure.

:'(