It’s one of those days when I’m filled with new love for my career. In that spirit, here’s a post dedicated to all things great about working in a magazine! 

1. You’re a girl-about-town I love being out and about. My restless nature suits the job perfectly because as a journalist, you get wind of cool events, new trends and product launches before anyone else. Last month, I attended an exclusive showcase of Dita von Teese’s famous “Martini glass” dance in Singapore. Too. Cool!  

2. You’ll never get bored Every assignment is different and I never know who I’ll meet. Will I interview a CEO? Stake out a seedy bar? Undergo laser skin resurfacing? For the record, I’ve done all. 

3. You’re always buzzing with ideas Every conversation and encounter becomes a possible story. You start to unconsciously think about angles and package the entire article in your head. The mental rush is exciting.  

4. You’ll see people at their most vulnerable…I once wrote a story on nightlife in Singapore and had to interview a man (anonymously) on his not-so-honorable nocturnal activities. It was the first time we’d met and we spoke for two hours. I asked why he felt comfortable sharing so much with me. He said: “Well that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? Pouring out all your secrets to a stranger.” You’ll be surprised at how some people aren’t willing to confide in their friends, but share their darkest secrets with a third-party. You listen and learn.  

5. …And when they relive awe-inspiring moments There are many unassuming people who do awesome things. For instance, I met three women who mentored a group of youth who wanted to raise funds for tsunami victims. Everyday heroes can be hard to find, but when you do, it’s the most awesome feeling knowing that you can share their story with others - and hope it inspires someone else.  

6. You travel the world I’m very grateful to have flown to Tokyo and Hong Kong for press events. Right now, I’m researching attractions in Milan to prepare for an upcoming story. Email me if you have any tips on what to do there!  

7. You’ll have lots of “coffee catch-ups” I get my best story ideas just talking to people over a good cuppa. Being out of the office, they’re relaxed, chattier and likely to share interesting anecdotes. So during lull periods, I try to meet someone new every other day. This past week, I’ve had tea with an airline stewardess-turned-career coach, feminist author and pastry chef who, incidentally, makes the best mango tarts in Singapore.

8. You create something new…every issue I always feel a rush of pride when proof-reading the colour layouts of my stories. This is when my text is brought to life with snazzy fonts, illustrations and beautiful photographs - basically, how the story will look like when it goes into print. And yes, I still get a thrill seeing my byline.   

9.  You’ll hate cliches I’ve struck the terms “whopping”, “at the end of the day” and “you can have it all” from my vocabulary - boring, overused and redundant. You learn how to express ideas in engaging and refreshing ways - and that includes all kinds of writing outside of work. Like my resume. It’s been purged of hackneyed phrases like “team-player” and “problem-solver”.

10. You flip through magazines for work What more can I say?

The most common question I get about my job is: “So is there a storeroom full of awesome clothes and shoes?”

They’ve obviously watched The Devil Wears Prada - y’know the scene where Stanley Tucci leads Anne Hathaway through this super-sized walk-in closet, flings some Dior at her before muttering “Mmm…Chanel, you’re in desperate need of Chanel.” 

I’ve always found this funny because as a junior beauty writer, I used to spend weeks in one such storeroom, itemising the hundreds of products we receive at the magazine. It was pretty humdrum work, and I used to put the radio from my iPhone on speaker while working. The storeroom’s located at the back of the office. You literally could get lost in there and no one would know until they opened the door and found your body impaled on a stray clothes hanger or something. 

So, yes, there is a storeroom. And sometimes you’ll find a rack of designer labels in there. But that’s where the similarities end and Hollywood embellishment begins. 

Firstly, ours actually resembles a real storeroom. A pokey space with cluttered shelves and an odd assortment of items - nearly-expired face creams, a mess of shopping bags and dusty champagne bottles from God-knows-which-photoshoot. Certainly not a gleaming, well-curated fashion library where you can breezily check out a pair of Louboutins.

Do we get to keep the clothes? No. If they’re for a photoshoot, they’re on loan. Once the model’s stripped off the last piece of garment, they’re packed up and returned to the boutiques - and if there’s a stain or tear, we foot the bill.

The only free piece of clothing I’ve gotten was a plain black t-shirt from an indie Haji Lane outlet. The owner was in a generous mood. (I still have the tee. It’s very comfy). 

But people still look skeptical after I’ve explained this - “Really? You don’t get to keep anything? Or even ‘borrow’ it for a party?” Listening to them, you’d think brands were throwing Chanel purses at us left, right and centre.  

I put it down to two things: one, people give the industry more glam brownie points than it deserves - sure, there’s the glam, but there’s also the mundane as with any job. 

Two, people really just want to believe that somewhere out there, a fantasy walk-in wardrobe really exists - a portal to a happy, shiny world of make-believe and dress up. Where the people are photoshop beautiful and Madonna’s “Vogue” plays in the background. 

Didn’t you cry when you found out Santa Claus wasn’t real?