Most of us are already familiar with the Internet as an e-mail or leisure tool.However, the Internet offers many more exciting possibilities.

The Internet is probably the greatest equalizer of our time. It is the one single vehicle that allows anyone to access the same information and opportunities regardless of who they are. With the help of the Internet, a high school student in suburban Tokyo can use of many of the same sites that a multi-billionaire,a president of a country, or the editor of the most influential newspaper in the world visits or uses.

This kind of opportunity has never been available on such a scale before. Can you imagine all the exciting possibilities for ordinary people like us?

Also, Japanese are luckier than most other people. Many homes have at least one computer for family use, and those without access to a computer can use one at school, a public library, an office or even an Internet cafe. In other words, there is no excuse not to use the Internet.

The key to maximizing the Internet is knowledge of English and the patience to learn how to navigate the Internet effectively. Although there are many how-to books on the Internet available today, I find that a hands-on, trial-and-error experience is the best way to becoming an expert Internet user.

Personally, the Internet has improved my life radically. I would like to share some examples.

Every morning I start my day by reading news from all over the world via the Internet. Before the Internet era, on a regular basis I only had access to papers published in Japan, because international newspapers like The Financial Times (www.financialtimes.com),The New York Times (www.nytimes.com) or The Asian Wall Street Journal (www.dowjones.com/awsjweekly/index.html) were all too expensive for me to subscribe to. Today, I have every major publication in the world at my fingertips!

These days, too, I rely on the Internet for almost every aspect of my life - from managing my investments and deciding on which mutual fund to invest in to planning my holidays.

Last month I spent a weekend in Guam and I used the tourism site www.visitguam.org to plan my trip. In September, I am planning a complicated month-long trip to Italy, Malta and Israel; and I was able to coordinate all the logistics - everything from airline and ferry schedules to tour itineraries - via the Internet.

I got tips from the travel experts at www.concierge.com; booked all my hotels via www.hotelbook.com; and bought my airline tickets for travel around Europe at www.travelocity.com.

By using the Internet, I not only saved money by finding the best deals and eliminating travel agents' fees;but I also had more choices and more freedom to plan my trip.

Also, most of my work is now done over the Internet. I receive projects and assignments by e-mail and send back my work also via e-mail.

The Internet is already so much a part of my life that I log on an average of 15 times a day - and yet, I still feel there is so much more I can do with it. Don't waste the opportunities - start surfing!

ST

(C) All rights reserved