A New Direction

Hey there!


So, I have decided to finally pursue something that's been important to me for a long time... making the world a better place. Maybe I can't cure any diseases or stop war (yet), but what I know I can do is make people happier by helping them to focus.


What am I talking about? Well, I was always the person who people came to advice. I studied Psychology, volunteered with counselling services and even completed a certification in counselling. My plan had always been to start my own business using these skills in some way, but after taking a weekend taster in Life Coaching, I got a good feeling that this was something I wanted to do.


Don't get me wrong - I love teaching, and I'll still do it to make ends meet! And, of course, I try to incorporate compassion and good listening into my teaching anyway. But I need to help people change and grow, while I experiment with what makes me really happy, too. Japan was an amazing, amazing way for me to learn about myself and the world, become stronger and more open-minded and just really grow. I'll never stop travelling, and will never stop encouraging others to follow their dreams and get out there, too.


You can now find me at Make Life Magic: Blog! and Find your Magic Life Coaching- where I hope to bring useful tips for making life a little bit more awesome. Sometimes it'll be ways to help you manage your time, alleviate stress and relax. Sometimes there'll be tips for starting your own business, and sometimes there'll just be wonderful recipes (because you are what you eat - so eat great things!). As well as asking probing and encouraging questions, as a life coach I will try to load you up with the most useful resources that I can find! 


So, for regular bits of inspiration, advice and magic, head over to my other blog. You can also subscribe to my lovely newsletter - full of even more tips, links to products and websites that you might not know about, and special offers! I'll love you forever if you do. Also, if your own life is in a bit of a spin and you need some direction, don't hesitate to email me - it doesn't matter where you are, as Skype sessions are very effective too!

Prague vs Hamamatsu: Round 1

Hey there, folks. It's been a long time, but I'm very excited to see that I'm still getting page views and comments.

As you know, I'm not in Japan anymore. It's sad. Sometimes I really, really miss being there so much that I want to cry, and other times I think how glad I am to be away.

Well, here I am in Prague, and while we all might like to pretend we don't compare our hot new lover to our previous one, it's only natural to draw up a little list of similarities and differences in our heads. Right? Well, this is what I've been doing recently with Prague and Hamamatsu, anyway. I would say the Czech Republic vs Japan, but I haven't seen enough of this country to truly decide. So, let's take a look at some of my recent observations...

1 - Restaurants

This...

Reverse Culture Shock - Back to the U.K.

I couldn't believe that I was going back to the U.K., even if only for a few days. I had never been away from Britain for more than a week at a time before I came to Japan, but I quite quickly got used to the idea that I wasn't there anymore. I had adapted to thinking of the British isles as being miles away (I visualise the world map a lot, and my relative position on it), nine hours behind us, my old friends and family members reduced to pixels and occasional Skype conversations. The U.K. was no longer my reality... it was a memory which, like childhood, like school and family holidays and old TV programmes, I had lovingly crafted and distorted with my mind. Going back seemed surreal, like going back to school again, back to an old job. I tried to distract myself on the flight, getting myself back into the mood with English films, but as the plane began its descent onto British soil, I could not get my head around it.

The thing is, I might have been in Japan for nine months straight, but every night when I close my eyes, I inevitably dream in British. I am usually always somewhere back home, in Wales, as if my subconscious was never able to evolve past the landscape of my early years.