All the R.AGE

Niki Cheong. That name wouldn't ring any bells but he's very much a household name. This active journalist is currently one of the brains that's working R.AGE, the fortnightly pull out for The Star. Common among college students and the young crowd, R.AGE talks about the hip, the happening and the concerns thats going round our youngsters lives.

Back in 1995, Niki joined a young journalist programme by The Star called BRATs (Bright, Roving, Annoying Teens). Now, 13 years later, Niki says that he has come full circle and have been facilitating the workshops since he joined The Star.

In a recent talk, Niki gave his views about the future of technology and his goals in R.AGE. Currently being the Assistant Editor of R.AGE, Niki says that there is much to learn from social networking sites like Facebook, Friendster, Twitter and MySpace. He did of course talk about the booming of the web, the speed and availability of internet connection wherever we go, and of course connectivity through mobile phones.

"The hard thing about what we're doing is that we have to be constantly connected wherever we go. So i'm trying to get funds so we could upgrade our team with the latest phones that can keep us online at all times", he says.

But of course R.AGE is continually growing in readership due to their content, nevertheless, the road is rough, and times can be hard. Niki adds "We see ourselves growing immensely by reaching out to others, not only through print, but through the internet as well. The online version of R.AGE just opened recently, and we're already getting thousands of hits."

Niki mentions the recent visit by the talented young David Archuleta as a thrilling yet heartwarming one. His incorporation of technology into his journalistic work has been fruitful, as he says "When David came down recently, everyone was speculating on where he would drop by. So when everyone found out it as in Sri KDU, i was twittering happenings as they were going on right here in the school."

I have yet to meet someone as enthusiastic about their work as he is. Niki has a great future ahead of him, and he's only halfway to the top.