NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

My New Year's resolution is to achieve values in the following areas:

• Career

Finish my education in project management (international project coordinator) in May 2005. Find a new job somewhere in Europe, and eventually achieving the long-range goal: my return to the Land of Opportunity.

• Hobbies

Read plenty of books and improve my thinking skills. Intensify the work-out and training schedule.

• Relationships

Continue to search for a romantic partner. Maybe I will find the right one during my future trip to the United States of America?

BOOKS BY P. G. WODEHOUSE

I got plenty of nice X-mas gifts. For example, I got two books (The Adventures of Sally and Piccadilly Jim) by P. G. Wodehouse. The books are from an antiquarian bookshop. I have added the titles to my media list.

PAPA JOE'S

Papa Joe's is a steak house in Sopron.

SOPRONI CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Soproni Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 by Iváncsics-Roll Pince won a bronze medal at the international wine competition (Challenge International du Vin) in France. I purchased the bottle for HUF 2000.

KADARKA

Here is an interesting combination of "east meeting west":

Kadarka wine together with salami sausage and tortilla chips and salsa dip!

CARMENERE

Last weekend I went to a tasteful wine tasting. I have to make a note to buy a bottle of Tarapacá Carmenère 2002 in the near future.

UPDATE 10/11/04: I had a hard time to pick out the different wines at the blind test, so maybe John Cleese could give me some help at the next wine tasting. Would you buy a "wine clip"?

LET'S DANCE

My interest in learning how to dance has increased a great deal after watching the movie, Shall We Dance?

UPDATE 03/07/05:
Read Scott Holleran's interview (Steppin' Out) with film director Peter Chelsom.

CAFE SPICE NAMASTE IN LONDON

Cafe Spice Namaste
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.

Great Indian dinner @ Cafe Spice Namaste.

VISITING M&M "DOWN UNDER" IN LONDON

Monica & Matthew
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.

Monica & Matthew: Thank you very much for your hospitality! What's up with this stuff called Vegemite?! ;)

LONDON

I want to visit the following shops in London:

• Charles Tyrwhitt.
• Taylor of Old Bond Street.
• Alfred Dunhill museum.

BEBEL GILBERTO

Bebel Gilberto sounds like a musical artist in my taste. I found her site via an odd chain of links...

CHILE PEPPER CHEYENNE

I just harvested my first batch of chile pepper fruits. I have about 20 pieces of Cheyenne F1 Hybrid. I am thinking of making a jar of pickled chile peppers. Are you a chilehead?

BLOGPET

I have got a virtual blog pet! [Hat tip to Karl Martin Mertens.] [Editor's comment: I have to compensate for missing the Tamagotchi craze... Haha!;)]

CONSUMING MORE MUSIC, BOOKS, AND LINKS

As a true consumer advocate, I have added All Consuming control panel. I have added new music albums to MyMediaList.com. What are you reading and listening to at the moment? Scroll down the page and check out the new links.

BIRTHDAY GIFTS

I bought myself some birthday gifts! I will soon receive the following:

* Equinox by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.

* The Boy Next Door by Stacey Kent.

* Frank Sinatra - A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim.

NEW FEATURES

You could now leave comments on my posts. You have the opportunity to get this blog in a "really simple summary" (atom) format by using a feed reader. If you want to find out more about yours truly, check out the "about me" (Blogger user profile) page.

THE HUMAN LEAGUE

I went to a concert with The Human League ("icons of the 80s") on April 30. It was a nostalgic trip through the musical landscape of electronica. I am thinking of buying their "new" (2001) album, Secrets.

SUSIE ARIOLI SWING BAND

Here is a new album to my collection: Pennies From Heaven by Susie Arioli Swing Band. Hat tip to Quent Cordair Fine Art newsletter (03/26/04).

WHISKEY & CHILEPEPPER: REMEDY TO A COLD?

I am feeling a bit under the weather right now. I have catched a cold. I need some kind of pick-me-up drink. Maybe I should experiment with some of the whiskeys that I tested at the whiskey / chocolate / cigar tasting on April 3? I sampled the following:

* Heaven Hill's Mellow Corn.
* Labrot & Graham's Woodford Reserve.
* Jack Daniel's Single Barrel.
* James B. Beam's (Jim Beam) White Label.
* Old Rip Van Winkle's Handmade Bourbon.

Read Charles K. Cowdery's (Malt Advocate) article, So What Is Bourbon Exactly?

If I catch a cold later on, I could test and take a bite of a chilepepper called Hot Tepin.

I'M A CHILEHEAD!

I have received Jonas Borssén's book, Eat the Heat. A couple of weeks ago, I planted some different pepper seeds.

KRAFTWERK

I attended a great concert by Kraftwerk on February 10. Afterwards, I went to a nice bar. The place is located at the top of an elevator, 125 feet up in the sky. (Click here for a view of the bar. Use the left mouse button or the arrow keys to move around, key A to zoom in and key Z to zoom out, and space bar to click on red targets in the picture.) I smoked a Mehari's cigarillo, and drank a Hemingways and a Ginger Cosmopolitan cocktail.

AFTERNOON TEA

Mmmm... I want to drink a cup of tea in the "big apple" - New York City! [Via Sidney Cammeresi.]

STRENGTH TRAINING

I have added some new books to my reading list:

* High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way by Mike Mentzer.
* Max Contraction Training: The Scientifically Proven Program for Building Muscle Mass in Minimum Time by John Little.
* Strength Training Anatomy by Frédéric Delavier.

I am going back to the gym!

UPDATE 02/13/04: Listen to Prodos' interview with Mike Mentzer.