First, some "statistical" data. After I was born my family started to call me "Jacek" and it stayed this way till now (they have also given me a last name, but this is another pair of shoes...). I have already lived through 23 summers and hope to see at least twice as many. Height: 176 cm (5'8"), weight: 70 kg (154 lbs; after dinner it's possible I weigh more...), eyes: brown (a Polish adage says I'm going to have an interesting life because of them), hair: very dark. If you look to the left or right I'm sure your eyes will go wild - these are photos of myself... Of course, I won't make you look at them in an "express mode" - simply try clicking on any of them.

One of my main attributes (at least here, in Poland, it's not very common for guys at my age, unfortunately) is that I do not smoke and I drink barely ever. I consider myself a tolerant guy (to some extend, of course... ), thus I try to accept other people's behaviors. That is why I do not ban my co-workers from smoking - in the designated areas, which is... not in the office! As for drinking - drink as much as you want to, but only if it is not too much for you!

The history of my life is quite complicated thus I will begin it with a paragraph. After finishing my education in the primary and secondary schools (is there anybody that did not do that?) I began to study computer science at the Independent College of Business and Administration in Warsaw, owned by last election's candidate to the post of president of Poland - PH. Tadeusz Kozluk (I have lately heard that the college is going bankrupt - interesting...). Unfortunately, I did not like it very much there and my "adventure" with this college continued only for one year. In the meantime I began to seriously collaborate with the economical department of a Polish national daily called "Sztandar Mlodych" and a few months later I became an editor of a computer insert to this newspaper (unfortunately, the newspaper is not published anymore, for some time already ).

So, I switched to the Polish - Japanese College of Computer Techniques. Alas I did not manage to stay there any longer either. It ended up with me having several years of holidays from studying... Instead, I have taken up a job in an international company providing telecommunication services (it's over three years now). I started my career there as an assistant, but after a few promotions I happen to be now (among other posts I hold) Media and Marketing Director for Central and Eastern Europe (how serious it sounds... ). My main responsibility is supervision over media advertising spending (which amounts to approximately $500'000 per month in Poland, while in other countries more or less [censored] ). I also hold the post of Editor-in-Chief of our monthly, color magazine/catalogue, which is printed in tens of thousands copies. As if it was not enough I also happen not to be worried about looking for my "other half", since at the very beginning of year 1998 I met Sebastian (Mrowa on IRC, but don't try flirting with him! ) with whom I spend really enjoyable moments. It seems that we love each other and will spend "some" of our lifetime together...

One of my biggest life's passions are journeys. I just love them. Unfortunately (?) I prefer going abroad, which is the most costly option... When I was very little I was (at least that is what I was told) in the Turkey. Later, when I grew up a little bit, I was in the former USSR - in a Young Pioneer's camp near Moscow. I remember very little - I won't ever forget though how we were buying by stealth small electronic games called "Nu pagadi zajac!" in otherwise empty shop...

My next journey was a trip to former Czechoslovakia a year later (to a place near Bratislava). I only know that we lived in a scout's camp in a big forest and that I had to come across the river on a thin rope. More sins I do not remember... After those "wet" adventures I decided to learn some foreign languages. I went to the United Kingdom (I had so much fun there that I crossed English border twice - not without some problems) and later Vienna (in Austria - I remind you just in case... ). As the first trips mentioned allowed me to greatly improve my knowledge of English I can't say that about the latter. It turned out to be a great sightseeing journey only. From German I do not remember much: "ja", "nein" and perhaps two words more. I do not regret visiting Vienna though since it's a gorgeous city!

With the time flying by I got a little bored with the trips within Europe and I thought about flying somewhere farther. Luckily for me exactly at this time I was invited to take part in a business program for high-school seniors in the United States (Cleveland, Ohio), so I obviously accepted the proposal. The airplane flew quite long (and return took it even longer - two days), but it was worth it (just my luck...). What followed...? I visited one of the world's civilization cradles - Egypt. I spoke with the ghosts of Pharaohs walking in the pyramids and I paid a homage to the ancient gods in their temples. I bathed a little on the sun at Red Sea beaches, which was quite relaxing before my return to Poland. I have also got a chance of visiting Prague in the Czech Republic - it was a business trip (which means that it was paid from my company's money... ), but I was able to spend some time on sightseeing - both historical and leisure destinations...

This is not an end of my travelling, though. At the end of 1997 business duties "forced" me to have a second trip to the States - I spent three days in our HQ located in New Jersey. Afterwards... I took almost a month of vacation! I walked around New York (both the "touristic" and gay one), I saw Washington D.C. (there I did only sightseeing - I did not have time for anything more ) and I changed climate quite a few times driving around California, Arizona and Nevada. I had the time of my life although I did not lose any money in Las Vegas nor saw no celebrities in Hollywood... Well, bad luck, huh...? After that I had a six-month break - I am supposed to work, aren't I...?

Fortunately at some point in time the company has thought about its poor, overworked employees and all of us were sent for a three-day weekend to Zurich, Switzerland. Obviously, it would be an unforgivable sin not to use the occasion and drive around - thus we drove to Luzern and afterwards to the vineyards of France (by the way here is a quiz-question - who was driving the rented car? Answer: I was, having the driving license in my pocket for only two weeks and approximately 500 km driven on my own in my whole life... Not to leave any doubts, though - the rented car was returned in exactly the same state as when we took it). The following foreign travels were strictly for business purposes. I visited for a couple (and I mean "a couple") of days Moscow, Russia. Obviously, I did not have too much time for revisiting its touristic destinations. Later on I was given the responsibility of media and marketing in just-openning branches of the company in Ukraine and Macedonia, which caused since then my quite frequent journeys to Kiev and the capital city of Macedonia - Skopje (although with the latter one the situation got a little bit complicated ).

To complete the picture of my time over usage (Mrowa knows something about that... ) please note, that in last quarter of 1998 I "reminded" to myself about the studies and I decided to return to a college (well, director without at least MBA...? ). I joined the Warsaw School of Management and Marketing (the first Polish private college, which was given the right to graduate its students with an MBA title). I have to attend the lectures every second weekend... I admit, sometimes it is veeery hard to make myself get up early in the morning on Saturday, but I believe that I am going to survive - finally the studies' major is what I really like (maybe that is because it is so closely connected with what I am doing professionally?). As for now I have an average grade of over 4,7 (in the American system that would be A- ) and I hope to keep it at least at this level in the future. Well, its "only" three years and six examination sessions left .

To be continued...