Two days ago, I went to bed at 2 AM after ironing the shirt and pants I would wear on that morning for court coverage.
Haha, it's been a while since I was this diligent, ironing clothes the night before. Usually, if there's a morning assignment, that's when everything needs to be done—choosing outfits, finding socks, and always being in a rush to head out for assignments.
So I thought, tonight I’ll prepare everything: charge my laptop, tidy up my room a bit, and choose what to wear tomorrow to avoid being frantic. A slow morning is the best start, right?
I don’t think I slept for long before I dreamed of taking my car out of a parking lot that looked like a residential complex connected to a market building. It was late at night, approaching morning.
In the glow of orange lights, it seemed like I had just returned from a night assignment and had to leave the place before the market opened. But I drove into the wrong area; I was supposed to reverse to turn out of the narrow parking space and pass in front of the market.
I realized my mistake after seeing another car exit through that route. So, the path I wrongly took ended in a wall with an elevator door. I woke up. I said to myself, what kind of dream is this? It left an unsettling feeling in my heart.
Dim in the amber light and stuck in a parking lot near dawn.
I tried to go back to sleep. Before drifting off, I noticed that my room wasn’t pitch black but had a faint white light filtering in from the window. Could it be dawn? I didn’t hear the adzan (call to prayer). Maybe it was moonlight. Everything outside was eerily quiet.
My eyes felt heavy, and I went back to sleep. Then, I dreamt again. In that dream, I was talking to Lee Joon-Gi. He seemed to be consoling me with a soft, low voice. Maybe I was angry or sulking; I’m not sure (haha, being dramatic).
Then, Joon-Gi accompanied me (or I was accompanying him because I don't know/remember why I was there) into an area that looked like a market (another market, almost same like previous one).
The setting seemed to be early morning, around 8 AM. Not many people were around. It was like in the dream, I saw myself and thought, why was I walking a bit of a distance from him (maybe we were both lost in our thoughts at the time).
Not long after, he backed away and asked me to go home. I grabbed his arm with my left hand, stopping him from leaving. But he still insisted on going back even though the place we were going to was already so close, and I felt like a group of people was waiting for us.
So, I gently held his hand with my other right hand and said, "We’re almost there, let's just go since we’re so close, don't go back now." But I gave in when I saw his gloomy, sad face, as if he was really traumatized and didn't want to go there.
I hugged him (perhaps as a gesture of encouragement), and he returned my hug. In that dream, I felt like my height was increasing, almost surpassing Joon-Gi’s height hahaha.
For some reason, I spontaneously kissed his cheek (what’s with this cheekiness and audacity, haha, or in a more romantic sense, trying to describe my actions, haha).
Joon-Gi’s eyes welled up with tears, and as they streamed down his face, he asked me never to kiss anyone else, even if I were paid. [Haha, my realistic side finds the dialogue quite paradoxical; after all, actors are accustomed to such scenes, and it is a 'paid job,' isn’t it?] But it was a dream; I suppose it was meant to be beyond logic, right?
Joon-Gi, in my dream, was casually dressed in a red plaid long-sleeve shirt. After that, we got into the car and left the place, heading to an unknown destination. During the journey, I glanced at an album and some cute items in boxes that were already in the car. As we drove, we talked again, though I’m not sure about the details of our conversation—it felt like a cheerful scene from a drama.
[Dear Joon-Gi ssi (as if you could actually read this, hahaha), I apologize for dreaming about you out of nowhere, and if it seemed like I was acting inappropriately or being a bit weird. I genuinely wish you happiness with those around you, your loved ones, and in all that you enjoy. Saranghae, hyung, just the way you are]
When I woke up, I reflected on how melancholic and fragile Joon-Gi appeared in my dream. Many people recognize him for his elegant sense of style and his humorous, energetic persona.
Off-screen, Joon-Gi is regarded as humble and friendly, often seen interacting with his fans in a positive and appreciative manner. Yet, in my dream, he was portrayed in a more frail and delicate light. This contrast was striking, as it diverged from the powerful and charismatic roles he is typically known for.
While he is celebrated for his captivating portrayal of Gong Gil and his sophisticated, poised demeanor in roles like Lawless Lawyer and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, seeing him in such a nuanced, emotional state in my dream revealed a different dimension of his persona—one that is rarely showcased in his public image or on screen.
This dream reminded me of the depth and complexity of his acting ability, beyond the elegant facade he often presents."
But regardless, after waking up from that short sleep, I unconsciously smiled to myself. I mean, dreaming of Joon-Gi, how can you not feel a bit happy in your heart, haha. I guess such a beautiful dream will never happen again. Ah, no matter how wonderful a dream is, it's still a dream.
I wondered, If I got the chance to meet him (maybe during a fan meet-and-greet session, haha, who knows right?) would I scream his name and wave? But I think I would just stay silent, watching him from afar.
Last year, I had the opportunity to interview Ella after her concert, along with about 10 other journalists, including bloggers. I believe I was the only reporter from the state, while the rest were entertainment journalists who had traveled all the way from Kuala Lumpur (KL).
After the interview session, we had the opportunity to take individual photos with the hijab-wearing rock queen and I shyly said, "Thank you, Kak El, for the photo," (while others requested videos and more content for their social media) then, I headed straight home.
At that moment, I thought, wouldn't a group photo be easier? Why does everyone want to take individual photos? Isn't it tedious and exhausting? I am so considerate as Ella's fan, huhu. I felt just seeing her from afar on stage during the concert was enough.
Maybe I am not suited to be an entertainment journalist. I noticed that sometimes it's a real 'ordeal' for entertainment desk friends to dig up stories and gossip, haha. You need a special skill for it, and I think I would be tortured if placed on the entertainment desk.
Back when I was working for newspaper X in KL, my desk at the Features Department was right next to the Entertainment Desk chief, who had also been one of the panelists during my initial job interview with the company, haha (this was July 2015).
I remember bluffing during the interview, saying that no matter which desk I was assigned to, I would fight, not caring deep down if it wasn't the Entertainment Desk, haha. Yeah, I was not destined to be placed at the Entertainment Desk during my time at company X.
I survived at the General Desk, Court Desk, Sports Desk, Features Desk, and got the opportunity to be attached to the Foreign Desk, and later the Economy Desk before I resigned and joined another company and come back to state (2022).
But today, I’m a 'rojak pasembur' reporter (I don’t even have desk or office) because we work on the go). I started as a crime reporter when I was a rookie in the state (2012– June 2015), and now I cover a wide range of beats, including general news, human interest stories, politics, court cases, sports, and sometimes disasters and crimes.
I also write articles periodically for a religious column, addressing community complaints, and covering both trivial and significant news. I embrace every opportunity as long as there’s room to do so—taking on as much as I can. But honestly, Sometimes I get fed up and feel like we ask questions to feed our ego, and the answers don’t really help make things better.
Back to today's story. Earlier in court, I attended a trial for a defamation case filed by three leaders of Party R against an MP from Party B. It turned out to be quite a plot twist for me. I arrived at 9:15 AM and immediately opened my laptop in the courtroom, which was quite spacious. There were only two of us representing the media—me from a mainstream newspaper and another from a news portal. The rest were about 5 to 6 people from the parties involved.
I found it hard to find a straightforward point to write about because it had become a 'trial' with questions about political ideologies and many questions that seemed to beat around the bush. So, I felt like maybe I shouldn't write about it.
At noon, I had an assignment to cover the Mayor (DB) event, which was only 300 meters away from the High Court. So, I waited until 11 AM, and they took a break, so I went out, walked slowly, stopped by my car before reaching the hall at 11:20 AM.
But my friend from the portal called and said the defense lawyer got the green light regarding the subpoena that requested two more witnesses from Party D to be called as witnesses tomorrow. So, I walked back to court quickly.
So, what a plot twist—R and B are suing and being sued, Party D gets called as witnesses, and the two individuals from Party D are part of the P Government's Cabinet. Interesting. So, after it ended, I went back to the DB press conference, sweating a bit in the hot midday sun.
The press conference, held in a meeting hall (many friends covered it too), started at 12:15 PM. There was a presentation on several issues, and I just listened until after 1 PM, with quite a long Q&A session (I enjoyed asking questions because the topic interested me and I felt the story could 'sell,' haha).
After the PC, the communications officer invited us to eat, so we ate while chatting in the building. After finishing, I went to my car to get my friend's stuff, which was already in my car, intending to return to process the story at the dining place because it had plugs, tables, and chairs.
But after getting the stuff, the wind suddenly turned strong as if a storm was coming. Since the area was near the sea, we saw high waves, some splashing onto the road, so my friend took a video. At that moment, many people ran for cover. I went back inside the building.
I started working on the DB story; there were two things that could be written separately. I think I finished the first story around 2:24 PM and the second at 3:16 PM. By then, it was raining heavily with strong winds outside.
After that, I continued working on the court story that was left unfinished. It took a while; I think I finished around 4:48 PM and sent it to my friend. My friend said he hadn't processed it because he wanted to confirm if the two witnesses from Party D would come tomorrow (since I made that the intro). But eventually, we found out that neither would come, and the defense closed their case with the verdict on December 4 (looks like we have to change the whole story direction).
At 4:51 PM, the photographer called and said two foreign tourists died after being struck by a tree and a building collapsed on Jalan G, about 500 meters from the building where I took shelter earlier. So I went to get my car and drove straight there. I had to park far because the road was closed due to the incident, and I arrived there around 5:15 PM. By then, a few friends were there, and we waited for the fire department's press conference.
After the PC, I was puzzled about where to write the story because the incident location was on a narrow, congested road with no visible eateries. So, I walked back to my car and wrote the story there. I sent the flash at 6:16 PM and the full story with 12 paragraphs at 6:39 PM. Then, I went straight home, arriving at 7:30 PM.
Yeah, actually, I completely forgot that I need to rewrite the court story. When I got home, I showered, prayed Maghrib and then Isyak - I only remembered when my friend from the portal showed me his article, which was completed at 8:41 PM and published at 9:55 PM.
But I've lost interest in finishing that story. There's a lot to double-check, and I have to listen to the recordings again to avoid misinterpretation, which could backfire not only on the parties involved but also on me. I feel like the story could become troll fodder, stir up a sensation, and might even spark a new controversy, leading to more trouble for me and my publication.
This post turned out to be quite long, haha. Lots of laughing to myself today, haha. Because there's no friend to laugh and have a deep talk with.