True Stories & Reflections
Short stories based on true events sent every other Sunday to enrich your imagination and help you with the art of living.
The Tale Of The Two Kyotos
The day had started well but by its end, I would be homeless for the night. During my internship in Japan, I’d managed to sneak in some backpacking with two of my fellow interns, and today we were exploring the beauty of Kyoto in the summer. It was only after I had…
Interning For A Geisha In Tokyo
It was the summer of 2012 and in a few minutes, I would be cancelling my flight to China. ‘We would love to have you’ read the email that had chimed in my inbox moments earlier, ‘Can you arrive in a week?’. The message was from a lady in Tokyo. There are two important…
Do You Use Your Degree At Work?
“Do you use your degree at work?” It’s a fair question as we don’t have the luxury of spending a fortune on a degree that’s decorative. It should be functional, too. So, was my degree a chocolate teapot? It turns out what I learned during my time studying Philosophy,…
How I Didn’t Become A Software Engineer
Some times taking the less obvious path is the right move. ‘Can I leave after 5 weeks?’ is an unrecommended way to end a job interview, but that’s how I wrapped up mine back in 2015. I was due to start my Software Engineering job at Kano, but I needed some money to…
A Personal Finance Flowchart
Inertia’s a funny thing. Back when I was 14, I decided to give up something for three months for New Year’s. The choice was obvious: fizzy drinks. They’d become a staple, and at 14 it felt like a true test of will power. 3 months passed, and I found myself celebrating…
A Mantra For Spending Your Money Wisely
‘Is this another one of your phases?’ would be my dad’s go-to challenge when I was a kid. Like how thunder always follows lightning, my dad’s question would always follow from me sharing my latest obsession – Pokemon, martial arts, building my own house out of…
Making Your Own Job Opportunities
Many of your will be graduating into the slosh that is the current employment market. While the front doors to most companies are shut, the back doors are wide-open to those with the will to create their own opportunities rather than waiting for something to…
What Advice Would You Give 21-Year-Old You?
Like many others in 2014, I sat eight three-hour exams as part of my Oxford finals. Thats 24 hours worth of mental sprinting that would be scrutinised, judged, and distilled into a degree representing the effort I’d poured into my academic career – a career that…
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📮Jamie’s Journal
Written for kind, curious, and ambitious readers who believe there’s a better way than the default. We just need to find it.
Every other Sunday, receive one unguarded true story and one practical tool, habit, or reframe for better ways to think, feel, and live fully.
No noise, just a little hindsight to guide your foresight.