Jhola Bag Journalism

Well i got a chance to write for a fashion magazine... lemme be more explicit. We're having Fashion shows in delhi and they want people who are reasonably articulate to string a few sentences together and pay em 500 bucks per 'piece'. Sweet. But i got lazy with the whole 'have to reply professionally' bit and didnt get back to them. (Ladies and Gentlemen, my tragic flaw- Laziness) Plus i figured since am leaving town in three days anyway, didnt make sense to stress myself out...when i have the option of oozing and flopping down in one room after the other. Ahem. (i distribute my time equally in all rooms of the house, except the kitchen...not counting rummaging for scraps)...

The thing is.. in the last 6 months have done a LOT of Journalist-ic work. Worked with a national daily, online newspaper and college-level print paper. So what have i learnt? (apart from the fact that this is not gonna be my full time occupation- ever)

-Creative satisfaction is a myth
-Under times of stress (and otherwise) the 'source which does not wish to be named' can be your pet cat
-You don't literally get ink on your fingers
-Working till 1 am only happens when you've been procrastinating all day
-It doesn't really 'improve' your english, maybe its flow
-Not everyone who plans to be a full-time journalist can write well (that surprised me)
-Bylines have the oddest way of being handed to me (though i didn't really write the content!)
ie. (unconscious)misappropriation of bylines is a live n' kicking reality
-People are so disorganized that it almost deludes me into thinking im competent
-You-Dont-Get-Your-Certificate unless you punch the daylights outta them and then feed em' glucose stuffed in meetha paan. (random example)
-The most shallow articles are the MOST fun to write. No brains or effort required.
-The pen is mightier than the sword only when it works and the readership is on a high
-People are well, people. Just not that lovable. (but that wasn't exactly a heart-stopping shock or anything)

Everything has its plus and minuses... It depends on how much you enjoy stuff that you wanna stick it out. For me, the journey has lost its bubbly excitement. So i guess its time for the last swig of the drink before i call it a night on my journalistic ambitions.

Ps- The aforementioned things 'learnt' do not reflect on any one organization but move well beyond the sphere of the three i worked in. Call it personal human experience that is not liable for being sued.
Yes, they taught me disclaimers and self-protection. :)