I have just discovered a phone that, for its time, was revolutionary.

Introducing the 183 Space Saver!

It was described as one of the first attempts at a compact wall phone, for those that had little wall space.

Now, if I could get my hands on a 183 phone, that would be really cool.

My great mate Andy left for Japan last weekend.

As is custom, he received a few going away presents.

Amongst these presents was, in my opinion, one of the most creative and thoughtful presents I have ever heard of.

And it is one you can do yourself, with just a box and an imagination.

Andy received a box, and in this box was a list. The list contained a number of things Andy needed to do or collect during his time in Japan. It included obtaining an Asahi beer coaster, taking a trip to a Sumo wrestling contest, and getting a photo taken of Andy next to a cherry blossom tree.

Evidence of each goal achievement is to be put into the box.

What makes this such a great present is that is shows a lot of thought on the part of the giver, and it is a present that gives the recipient a motivation to get out the front door, live life, and try new things.

In a year, Andy will be back, and he can share his memories and experiences in achieving everything on the list with Jaime-Marie, the thoughtful soul that gave him the list.

Next time you are struggling for a present idea, why not give this a try? I guarantee the recipient will appreciate it. Wouldn’t you?

Want to know my favourite place to eat in Melbourne?

Well then, have a read of an interview I did recently with Miss Sandi, a Melbourne-based freelance writer. To read the full interview, click here.

I have now responded to most of the comments that have been left for me (mostly by email, rather than clogging up the comments boxes), and the willingness of others to help me out has been great. Some of the offers I have received include:

- A trip to the farm to milk cows

- Acupuncture

- Potential work at an ad agency

- Investment portfolio setting up

- Richard Branson’s details

- Beer-making lessons

- Scuba-diving

- Going to a buddhist retreat

- Going geocaching

- An animal rescue company that can provide snakes to put around my shoulders

- Half-marathon training partners (x2)

- To join an Oxfam Trailwalker team

- Plenty of suggestions for new goals, including going to visit Santa in Finland and shaving all of my body hair off

- A stand-up comedy routine for me to perform

Keep ‘em coming. To get through the last 150 goals, I need all the help I can get.

I heard a great quote the other day:-

If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space - Cindy Tillbrook

How true is that?

Last Tuesday marked the one year mark of Project 183.

After 12 months, I have so far achieved 25 goals, which is about 6 goals off the pace that I should be.

Luckily, I think I will start this year off well, with at least 3 goals to be completed during April.

12 months in, I am still as excited about completing goals as I was on day one.

Here’s to a productive next 12 months. I can’t wait to write the second anniversary blog post!

Just noticed that Safeway has started doing some subtle promotion of Project 183, judging by the price of parsley at our local store.

If you see any other examples of 183 out there, please send them through.

You may have noticed no posts for a while - unfortunately this month has been a little barren of completed goals.

So I thought I’d write a post about the weird keywords some people have typed into a search engine to end up at this site.

Here’s my top 5 favourites so far:

“Clearway car parking penalty best reasons”

“Indian restaurant tutorial videos”

“How to beat the hammer brothers on nintendo”

“Mega bloks aquarium”

“Weird looking landmarks”

I guess when you write about such a variety of topics and areas of interest, you are bound to get a wide variety of visitors.

No complaints here! Thanks to everyone who has visited so far, however you managed to stumble upon my humble e-abode.

What’s that Heath? You already have a fan club?

I’d like to think so, but no.

The 183 Club is actually a Taiwanese Boy Band, named because the members of the band are all about 183cm tall.

Possibly their secondary reason for the band name was because of a keen interest in Project 183, but for whatever reason that hasn’t been mentioned on their Wikipedia profile.

They must have just forgot.

The sudden and tragic death of ‘Crazy John’ Ilhan today provides a sharp reminder of how short life really is, and how important it is to treat every day like it is your last, making the most of all opportunities thrown at you.

Ilhan was an story of inspiration, a man who worked his way up from practically nothing to become one of the richest and most successful enterpreneurs in Australian history. He was also a man who did not forget the little people, donating millions to various charities.

He will certainly be missed.

Rest In Peace.