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I love reading. Books have to be one of my passions in life. People always say that there is nothing better than a book which you can't put down, one that captures you and you simply have to know what happens next. I agree that these books are great, but even better are those books which you can put down, those that you must put down. The books where the situation or character relates to you so much or something so profound is said that you need time to think about it and so you set your book down and simply stare into space contemplating it, letting the message sink in. I love these moments.

Recently I have read 3 such books. The first is called Tuesdays with Morrie. A truly inspirational book written by Mitch Albom about his dying professor Morrie. There were so many moments in that book where I had to put it down and think about what was being said. One of things that really hit me was what Morrie said about ageing: he says that those people who yearn for their youth are just reflecting a life that hasn't found meaning. Because if you have found meaning you don't want or need to go back. He also speaks about society and the culture we live in and how it has shaped our lives, sometimes in a negative way. It was such a powerful book and that had a significant impact on me.

The second book is called "Eat, pray, love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I intially chose this book because it was a travelogue and I was pleasantly surprised with the content. It's about Elizabeth's story of spending a year travelling in Italy, India and Indonesia because she is trying to heal herself from an emotional trauma. You get to travel with her on her physical journey aross three countries but also her emotional and spiritual journey where she comes to accept herself and be content . A great story about self-discovery and soul-searching whilst travelling. Something that also really hit me, cos I love to travel and I feel that the journey within yourself is just as important as the actual journey across foreign lands.

The "third" book was actually two but I'm going to treat them as one simply because I read them together and felt they complemented each other. They are both by Paulo Coelho, the first being "Like the Flowing River" which is a collection of thoughts and also "The Alchemist". I'm even going to say that The Alchemist is definitely near the top of my best books list. It's about a boy who has a dream and despite his fear has the courage to follow it. There are many people in this world who have a dream, but for whatever reason they don't fulfill it. This book showed me that anything is possible as long as you want it, as long as you are true to yourself and follow your heart. Obstacles are put in our way to test our strength, our loyalty and determination. Why do so many people die with an unsatisfied heart? Why do we not spend our days doing things that make us happy and ultimately lead towards our dream? When I die, I want to be able to answer the question "What have you done with your life?" with a response such as "follow my dreams".

I know this site is supposed to be a travel blog about the places I've been and people I've met, but I added this information here because since I got back from visiting my family and friends back home in Australia I have felt somewhat homesick and I have been questioning my decision to leave everything and everyone that I loved behind. Is it all worth it? Am I really happy here away from everything I know? And so after reading these three very dynamic and uplifting books I realised that my dream is to travel, and that's what I am working towards. Living in Japan being a big part of my dream. Of course it's scary and lonely and difficult because thats what it's supposed to be.

And that has been one of my journeys, in the last month or so.

Other things I have done over the last 4 months since my last blog have included attending Laura and Akihiro's beautiful wedding back in October; trips to Kyoto and the Fuji Speedway; watching Nagoya's big annual festival; a girly onsen weekend away with Laura; Halloween parties; birthday parties; catching up with friends over dinner; watching a Cirque de soleil show; having a festive christmas decorating night at the Takenaka's; enjoying visits from friends back home and finally taking the Japanese Language Profiency test back in December!!!

It's easy to get caught up with life even in a foreign country and to forget that these are experiences that you may not get the chance to do again. But I'm glad I love to read cos those books gave me the nudge I needed to remind myself to experience and enjoy where I am right now, through the lonely days, the frustrating days and the sunny days. Because ultimately I am on the right track.

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