There are moments in life when you don't expect very much because things are overwhelming. It's at those times when having a good day can really be a surprise. Today is one of those days.
After going to Monday's press conference to hear British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett talk about the future politics of Hong Kong and climate change (our AP story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070521/ap_on_re_as/hong_kong_britain), I got to go to another press conference today at the Four Seasons.
A fellow intern from the Hong Kong Baptist Univeristy went with me and two AP staff for this announcement from the Venetian Macao casino and resort. I'll put up the link to the story when it's out, but I think someone's writing and editing it now. Federer and Sampras will play each other in November at this 15,000-seat arena in Macao. So exciting! Too bad I'll be gone by then.
The cool part was that Phoebe, the other intern, and I got to practice filming with a tripod and a Sony PD170, which is almost the same as what we use for Impact. I've worked with a similar camera before, but it's a whole other story actually walking the walk with the other reporters on the scene. Cameras are heavy, if you haven't noticed. A girl like me needs to work out some more arm muscles before signing on to become a photographer.
After the press conference, we got a very lovely buffet lunch (can you imagine the Four Seasons, looking out over Victoria Harbour?) with dim sum, salad, pasta and scrumptious mini desserts. I thought for a moment about all the ethics we talked about in school, and journalists not accepting any meals, gifts or freebies...but my supervisor, Diana, said these things happen very rarely and since this wasn't an underhanded "deal" to make the journalist promote the event, it was ok to accept. Different companies have different policies.
On the taxi ride home, I got a message from my mom, saying that Ma Ying-Jeou (current mayor of Taiwan and candidate for the presidency in 2008), agreed to my interview request. I would be meeting him in Taiwan after my whole Hong Kong and China extravaganza, and I would be interviewing him for my thesis documentary on Taiwanese/Chinese identity. This is a huge opportunity, but daunting of course. If I make this work, it could launch me in great directions...if I screw this up, I'll go apply to be a Grey's Anatomy set intern. Who am I kidding...I would intern for a drama or sitcom anyway. Maybe I'll be a journalist/entertainment producer? An oxymoron if ever there was one. What I do know is that this thesis could be a great project, and I'll get to produce a feature piece similar to the skills needed to produce any entertainment piece of the same length. It's good practice for anything I end up doing.
In about three hours, I'll be following Diana back out for an AP exclusive interview with Martin Lee, Democratic Party leader in Hong Kong. I'm sure I'll get great insight into the Hong Kong/China relationship and reflections in light of the 10th anniversary of the handover. Wow, I'm really diving right into international politics, aren't I?
This is all well and good, but I've got to keep it fun too. Throw in a little tennis star hoopla, and a night out on the town tonight at the Lotus Bar with fellow USCers.
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