I love a game of cards. Doesn’t matter the game. I am happy with 500, gin rummy or even snap.

Luckily I have some mates that are similarly inclined.

A little while ago, we decided that we should start having monthly card nights, with the venue changing each time. The games to be played would include Big 2 and 500, but with the main game being poker with a high stakes buy-in of $5.

To do my little bit to try and keep these nights happening, and not have the plan fizzle out after the first two or three nights, goal 73 is to have 15 card nights.

So far, we have had 7 card nights.As yet, I have not had any success at the poker table. A couple of 2nd place finishes is the best I can say so far.

Month completed: October 2007

In about a year I am planning to move over to the UK, specifically to London if things all fall into place. The plan is to live there for at least a year, working wherever I can and traveling throughout Europe whenever I can. And on my recent trip over to London, I discovered that having a car anywhere near central London is a waste of time, and that scooters are everywhere, and seem to be the way to go.

Thus, I have decided that before I head overseas, I must learn to ride a scooter. The first step was getting my learner’s permit, which I received a few weeks ago, and since then I have been on the search for the scooter of my dreams.

Not being a massive rev-head, I wasn’t after anything too big and powerful. From the start I was set on something in the 125cc range, and came across the Vmoto Montego.

It is a cool looking bike, with retro styling, and after I took it for a test ride on the weekend, I realised it was the one for me. As you can see from the photo, I went with the black model, which shows a tinge of green when the sun shines on it. It even came with a top box, which was very handy.

With petrol prices the way they are, I look forward to getting about 120 km from 5 litres of petrol. And also no longer struggling for a parking spot in the city or at work.

The only thing left now is to give the scooter a name. Any suggestions?

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.

If you have been inspired by this blog to start your own list, but are daunted by the prospect of coming up with 183 or more things, why not try 43things.com.

You can see what other people have done, or are doing, and create an easy to manage page to keep track of your progress.

Project 183 is a pretty original title, right?

Wrong!

I just found out that back in 2004, someone else used the phrase Project 183. Spooky!

Click here to view the original Project 183

I have always had a fascination with southern Africa, in particular Zimbabwe. It all started because the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team used to be a man called Heath Streak. He was the first famous Heath I knew, so naturally I was a fan of the team, and therefore the country.

Zimbabwe was once one of Africa’s strongest countries, and a model for how different ethnic backgrounds can co-exist successfully.

Unfortunately, in the last few years, the country has gone downhill in a big way. Life expectancies are now among the worst in the world (life expectancy for women is 34), inflation is beyond belief (just topped 4500% per year), trade sanctions have been imposed and the country seems to be on the brink of a civil war. And in my opinion (and that of many other people) it is the fault of one man.

Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

Initially a hero after leading the group that helped overthrow British rule in Rhodesia, which led to the country’s independence and Mugabe’s rise to Prime Minister, Mugabe’s reputation and hero status is now in ruins.

He is a classic example of a person being corrupted by power, and in order to stay in power he has orchestrated despicable act after despicable act.

In an attempt to learn more about the current situation in Zimbabwe, I made it goal 30 on the list. And during the week I started this goal, by buying a DVD with two documentaries about the issues of Zimbabwe. One was by a foreign journalist, who had to pretend to be a tourist in order to get into the country, because Mugabe has banned all foreign journalists. The other was by a Zimbabwean local, who went into exile after making the film.

Both were enlightening, and showed in graphic detail the damage Mugabe has caused this beautiful country. As much as I would like to watch a documentary showing the Mugabe side of the story, it would be difficult for anyone with a conscience to create such a film. There would be absolutely no way to justify what he and his political party have done.

He uses threats and scare tactics to remain in power. One campaign line he used was ‘Vote Zanu PF and live’ (Zanu PF is the name of his party). If that isn’t a scare tactic, I don’t know what is!

I plan to read a lot about this issue before I can claim to have completed goal 30. If you can recommend any resources to me, it would be greatly appreciated

I am not really sure yet what I can do to help, but unless I am informed, there is nothing I can do.

Below is a picture of what we should be thinking of when we talk about Zimbabwe. It is the Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Unfortunately, it seems that until Mugabe is removed from power, the only thing we will be talking about when we think about Zimbabwe is that this once great country has now become one of the most corrupt and bankrupt countries not just in Africa, but the world.

Month completed: October 2007

It was love at first sight.

The first time I saw the new MINI Cooper a few years ago, when it launched in Australia, I knew this was a car for me.

I have never been keen on big, road-hogging cars, but zippy little race cars I have always had a certain passion for. And the MINI Cooper is exactly that. A starring role in the movie The Italian Job only served to heighten my appreciation.

So naturally, I have always wanted to get behind the wheel of one, and take it for a spin. And today, my dream became a reality, thanks to MINI Garage Kings Way, who were open-minded enough to allow me to take one of their cars for a test drive in order to complete goal 41.

The model I was given to test was a red manual MINI Cooper S and Nat and I took it for a quick trip around Albert Park, a very scenic lakeside area in Melbourne.

My impressions?

The car was all I expected and more. Best gear box in the business, funky key with a button to start and stop the engine, plenty of get-up and go, and one of the coolest interiors I have ever seen.

With the smooth gear changes and the ability to zoom around corners quickly, I felt like a race car driver (most drivers would give a cheesy thumbs-up when photographed, wouldn’t they?).

Would I buy one?

Absolutely. I am completely sold on this car, and now it is just a matter of time before I sign up to become a full time race car driver.

One thing is certain – I will be speaking with the team at MINI Garage Kings Way when I am ready to purchase. Cal, who arranged the drive, was fantastic and I really appreciate his willingness to assist me in completing this goal. If you are in the market for a MINI, give the team at Kings Way a call.

Agatha Christie used to be my favourite murder mystery writer, and I have always believed that she deserves her title of being the Queen of Murder Mystery. I have read dozens of her books, and never thought I would find a better author of murder mystery.

Then I read ‘The Vanished Man’ by Jeffrey Deaver. It initially intrigued me because the murderer in the story based all of his murders on famous magic tricks, and used illusion and sleight of hand to escape the authorities. Once I finished the last page of the book I knew that Christie was no longer number one for me. It was Deaver by a mile.

The twists throughout his books are what makes Jeffrey Deaver so good. Just when you start to get comfortable, he hits you from behind with something you did not see coming.

Goal 53 therefore will be a fun one to complete. The goal is to read every Jeffrey Deaver novel, including the short stories. Below the chalk outline is the full list of Deaver’s works, with those that I have read written in red. If you are any sort of crime fiction fan, make sure you give Deaver a try. You will not regret it.

The Bodies Left Behind

The Broken Window

The Sleeping Doll

The Cold Moon

The Vanished Man

Mistress of Justice

The Lesson of Her Death

Praying for Sleep

A Maiden’s Grave

Speaking in Tongues

The Devil’s Teardrop

The Blue Nowhere

Garden of Beasts

Manhattan is my Beat

Death of a Blue Movie Star

Hard News

The Twelfth Card

Shallow Graves

Bloody River Blues

Hell’s Kitchen

The Bone Collector

The Coffin Dancer

The Empty Chair

The Stone Monkey

Twisted

More Twisted

Month completed: October 2007

Sometimes things just fall into place. And that is what happened with goal 140.

I have always loved basketball, more so from a playing perspective than a watching perspective. I played for 15 seasons, and even worked as a basketball referee for four years. But in all that time, I went to just one National Basketball League (NBL) match, and never really followed a particular team.

In the last few years the NBL has suffered from a slow decline in attendances and interest, capped off by losing free-to-air coverage. Case in point for the state of basketball is the history of the Victorian NBL clubs in recent years. In the last few years, three Victorian teams (the South East Melbourne Magic, then the Victoria Titans, then the Victoria Giants) have tried and failed to attract a crowd or make money, and all suffered the same sad fate of extinction.

I have been saddened by this, because I have always thought that basketball should be much more popular. It is widely played throughout primary schools, but this just doesn’t translate to strong NBL attendance figures. I could hypothesise all day as to why this is the case, but I would just give myself a headache.

Anyway, the whole point of that rambling was to introduce the fact that two seasons ago, the latest Victorian team joined the league. This team is the South Dragons.

Rather than lament about yet another Victorian team failing, but doing nothing myself to help, I decided that I should start actually going to matches. Thus goal 140 was created.

This is where a nice twist of fate has come in.

The company I work for has just become very closely associated with the NBL. If you do your research, you will work out which company that is.

This means that now I get free access to any NBL game, anywhere in Australia. At each match we have a corporate box, which is where I sat to watch tonight’s Dragons match, where they unfortunately went down to the Perth Wildcats 97-81. As disappointing as that was, just seeing the game meant goal 140 was achieved.

Having free access to a corporate box made the achieving of this goal very, very easy, and very, very enjoyable. I even got to meet the players post-match.

For those who may be thinking that by getting free tickets I am not really supporting the Dragons as much as I could be if I paid for my seat, I hope that my writing of this post will help the Dragons by inspiring at least one person to go and check out the next Dragons match. Trust me, it will be worth the visit.

Did I mention there was a dozen very fit cheerleaders?