My entire life I've yearned to explore and travel the world. I wanted to do more than travel the world in fact, I wanted to leave it entirely! I desperately dreamed of being an astronaut.

    For the past several months (more accurately, for the past several years) I've been seriously considering my options for world travel. Presently I don't have the money to pay for some sort of lavish vacation so I thought to myself there must be some other way. Then it hit me. Maybe I could do what others have done and teach English overseas.

    Such a wild thought! I mean, to think of travelling abroad to an unknown country in order to teach English to people who speak a foreign language. It would be nerve wracking to say the least! However it would also be an adventure.

    An adventure. I have always imagined going on an adventure. To travel to some sort of distant land and meet strange, new people. To eat unusual food and see fantastic things. It's everything I've dreamed of. Not to mention all the experiences I could gather and use in my writing.

    Before my break-up, I never thought it was a legitimate option. Now it doesn't matter. I can be free to do what I like! I really was trapped. Given the option of freedom, I want to fly away to another country and live there instead!

    So I registered for a TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Certification course and it starts in June. I'm very excited. It takes about a month or so to finish and then I can start looking for work! I still haven't decided where I'd like to go yet. Here's a list of some of the countries I'm considering:

- France
- Italy
- Hungary
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Japan
- South Korea
- Belgium
- Austria
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Finland
- Sweden

    If I really had to narrow it down, I'd have to say that I'm probably leaning more towards Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. I think the sort of cultures present in those countries might be something I can enjoy. Especially France. Okay, maybe I partially have my mind made up. I just need to do more research.

    I would have said Japan was my number one choice however I am all too aware of Japanese culture. It is quite patriarchal, racist and sexist. Not really something I like. I prefer people to be equal. Although I do speak some amount of Japanese. My Japanese is probably just as good as my French. Very basic.

    Anyway, I will keep you updated. Especially in June! I can't wait to start!

Dear Readers,

    After much deliberation I've decided there are going to be some changes to the website. This is just the short and sweet version:

    1) A brand new art gallery showcasing photos and drawings
    2) Instead of Storytime Sunday, I will be replacing it with a brand new segment

    Please do not worry, Storytime Sunday will remain as it is but for various reasons I will no longer be making contributions to it. There will be a whole new addition to the website. As of right now I'm still in the process of organizing and preparing my website for the new changes.

    I will keep you updated! In the meantime, please fill out a brief 5 question survey.

    This is the very first Storytime Sunday for this year. I'm quite excited. This segment will begin a new adventure (with the same characters) since the last adventure was concluded. As usual everything will be improvised and unedited.

    Let's continue our journey. . .

Silent falling snow,
Wind whispers gentle kisses,
The chill is warming.

    These past few days I've been writing up a storm and in turn I've ignored the blog. Right now I've just been prioritizing my novel ahead of everything else. Honestly, I'm very pleased. I'm making excellent progress and at the moment I know exactly where I'm going. It's a wonderful feeling. Still, I realize that I will need to be updating content on a regular basis so today I will be thinking about what I can add to the website in the meantime.

    You can expect another update later this week. Probably a lot later in fact but there will be one. Anyway, thanks for visiting!

    Happy New Year!

    I'm back! After a long break from the blog I'm finally back. As I'm sure most of you realized, I skipped the last three days of Christmas. First of all, I apologize. It seems that I overestimated how much free time I would have during the holiday season. So in order to make amends I'm going to make a list of resolutions for the website.

#1 - I resolve to fulfill any promises I make on the blog despite time constraints. (That should do it! Right?)

#2 - I will dedicate more time to adding content on the website. (If you ever have any suggestions, feel free to contact me.)

#3 - Top 10 lists will be updated biweekly instead of weekly. (I discovered that Top 10 lists are really hard to come up with and even more difficult to edit.)

    I think the key to New Year's resolutions is to make them attainable. Too often we make goals for ourselves that are nearly impossible which prevents us from achieving them. You can't go from one end of the spectrum to the other. That's why I think it's important to know your limits. I'm not advocating incredibly easy goals either. The point of a resolution is to acknowledge an area that needs work and set in motion the attitude to change it.

    I'll also be writing resolutions for my day-to-day life. Would you like to hear one?

#1 - I resolve to have a completed manuscript by the end of the year a.k.a. to finish writing my book.

    I know it's going to be difficult but I also know I'm up to the task. The first thing I'll do is set up a schedule to write. Last year (2012) I attempted to write everyday but often found myself spending most of my time thinking about my blog. This year I want to dedicate more time to my book.

    I hope everyone takes a moment to consider goals they want to accomplish. I look forward to sharing the progress of my resolutions. Once again, happy new year!