lioness in japan

I had a good day. I was commissioned to write my first story for an expat women’s magazine. After trawling websites for research all day, I decided to toss up some pancakes in the shoebox.

The kangaroo is away and before I always experienced some measure of anxiety and dread of being by myself. But it’s day two so far and I feel good. For a long while, the pain of being separated was something I was increasingly unable to handle properly. I would slip into sorrow or negativity often. I think I came to Tokyo expecting a couply existence but we don’t have that. I thought it was a warning sign that maybe it wasn’t working smoothly, but it’s okay to be separate for a while or even regularly.

If I were with Mr.D 24/7 I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I want to do or the people I want to meet. So these pancakes are a symbol of that. I wouldn’t have these if he was around because he’s not a fan of carbs in his food. I’ve been searching for things to do and groups to join, plus I paid USD6 to join a language exchange network. On this front, i’ve had many responses — not that my profile was so sparkly but a paid subscription means you can approach any person in the network. I realised that not many pay for the contact service because almost all the women I emailed said I was the first woman to contact them. So, it’s been busy and my calendar looks nicely filled.

I don’t think I want to just be a social butterfly. I want to meet useful contacts for work and with my new contributing gig, I hope to gain credibility in the publishing industry here which could lead to other opportunities. For successful freelance journos, always publish first, then go corporate — that’s where the moolah is.

So here’s to trying a new chapter — flying solo but really enjoying it.

Related posts:

1. Walked into a different kind of women’s world
2. No gal power
3. Busy days

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