Why I love the Blogosphere

I love the Internet and I especially love the Blogosphere. The Blogosphere is like a whole new community for me where I can get to share ideas and thoughts with a group of like-minded people, in a fairly anonymous way. Some bloggers choose to remain faceless and some choose to use pseudonyms, but they always have something of interest for me to latch on to, once I have discovered them.

I started out following a few bloggers in the beginning, but that list keeps on growing because I get introduced to new ones through the first ones, or I just stumble upon them while searching on a subject of interest. For instance, I started with a handful of bloggers, such as my friend, over at “Just Maintenance” blogging about his wild adventures in Taiwan, while on a short term assignment teaching English to a group of young school age kids. Then there’s Connie, who is a very talented cartoonist, among other things, blogging about her frantic life as a University student and her secret desire to be a paparazzi? over at Beaversatile, and of course there’s my hubby, recently blogging about his adventures and misadventures? while travelling in China and visiting his ancestral village.

Another favourite blogger is “The Journal of the Girl who loves to cook”. I have been following her blog for the longest. She started out blogging about assorted favourite recipes, usually with an Asian theme, but then progressed to her love of baking and finally to blogging on her fledgling and what appears to be a very successful business of creating pretty awesome and cute looking edible cakes and cookies. Her work is truly AMAZING!!! I highly recommend you check out her Chinese New Years Treat Baskets at: http://cookingismypassion.blogspot.com/

I could go on and on, but I just want to say that in addition to my interest in all things funny, cutesy and arts and crafty, I also enjoy reading up on anything which is “Green-Issue” related, as well as topics relating to “Early Retirement Planning” and “Financial Independence”. Strangely enough, there is a strong relationship between “Early Retirement Planning” and “Green Issues”. Basically, the simpler you live your life, the less impact you have on the environment (Green Issues) and the faster you can reach your goal of “Early Retirement” since the less you spend or consume, the faster you can save up in order to give up your hours spent working on a job you may not necessarily like. “FREEDOM 55”, HERE I COME! I’m still trying for “Freedom 50”, but it doesn’t look like it’s quite achievable yet in this economic climate, unless I can convince my family to pursue an even more simple style of living.

Anyways, I happen to have discovered another blogger which is sure to become a favourite for me. I found his link from a recent “No Impact Man” post which talks about how the Japanese manage to live very happy lives by using only 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the average American. After checking out this blog: http://www.idratherbe.tv/injapan/, I’m totally convinced that living a SIMPLE LIFE is my GOAL for 2009. Once I have achieved “Financial Independence”, meaning I no longer depend on a weekly paycheck, my next GOAL may be to live out my life in semi-retirement, teaching English in some quaint town/village in Japan.

I leave you to admire some of the utterly enchanting photos I found on this latest favourite Blog depicting “Simple Living in Rural Japan”.