Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve 2010 in Vienna

This time you don't have to learn German, but simply enjoy the atmosphere on the so-called Silvesterpfad in Vienna.

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5YFhdSawVs

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggvzORU8XuA

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Qhst3DuiE

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xuc6fHvbiQ

HAPPY NEW YEAR / PROSIT NEUJAHR

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Video: Silent night (Medley)

So, right on time - here's my christmas video! It's a nice medley of various christmas carols. In German it's called "Stille Nacht", in French "Douce nuit", in Spanish "Sainte nuit" and in Russian "тихая ночь".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lho33kpVo2w

Have a nice christmas and happy holidays!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Lesson 12 / Lección 12 / Leçon 12 / Урок 12

Well, that's me again on a so-called Christkindlmarkt, the name for a Viennese Christmas market. Guess what? - Yep, my next lesson is available - right now and here:

English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrbQWobgS64

Spanish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZnZnuTPJ1M

French:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XfJ59Q4DH4

Russian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAHCBQeO368

LEARN & ENJOY !!! :)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Christmas in Vienna

Well, know it's been quiet some time since I last wrote something, but it's just because I'm really busy working on my new language lesson. Guess, I've already been to all possible Christmas markets in Vienna, as my next lesson will be about Christmas.

Normally I'm not too enthusiastic about snow, but this time I really prayed for some snowflakes. It simply looks better on video and puts you in the right mood for Christmas. It wasn't too cold, but I enjoyed my cup of "Punsch" anyway.

So, if nothing unforeseen happens, my next video should be done by the end of next week.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

My videos on Utubersidad in Latin America

Never thought that my videos would be featured in Latin America, but as you can see on the right side, it appears on the website http://utubersidad.com

They're featuring the best and most popular educational videos. If you take a closer look you will spot me there.

As I don't know for how long they'll feature my video, I just loaded up this screenshot. So, it's just something to remember. It really makes me proud and shows me that I'm on the right track.

Hope, I can continue my language learning project as long as possible.


Thursday, October 14, 2010

Lesson 10 / Lección 10 / Leçon 10 / Урок 10

Wanna go to the Heurigen and drink a glass of wine? Well, here's a little something about the Vienna Heurigen + Lesson No. 10!!! CELEBRATE!!!

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5SMy29RdHE

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OHDKYDHVIg

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N34xjTCbHmQ

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdrYeEf5TAQ

HAVE FUN!!!!!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

House building Level V

Yes, it's got windows! Doesn't it already look like a real house, at least from the exterior? Inside things look a bit different, as there are cables and cables and even more cables. But one can already imagine what it will be like when it's finished.

Anyway, I'm glad that I'm not the one who's building a house. There are always a lot of unforeseen things that can drive you made. But, that's what my brother's got to deal with ;)

Yet, I'm pretty sure that they will move in within the next couple of months. I'll let myself surprise.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Bahnorama - New Central Station

This is the "Bahnorama"-Tower. From up there you get a view onto a huge construction site, where the new central railway station is being built. It will not only be a new station, but also a complete new quarter of Vienna with apartements, offices, a park and a lot more.
Why am I showing this to you? - Because it will be my next feature in my German Course. So, if you wanna see a bit more of it, you'll have to wait for the video, which I'll upload within the next week - hopefully.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Lesson 8 / Lección 8 / Leçon 8 / Урок 8

Hi, everybody. I proudly present you the Vienna State Opera. Hope, you've been waiting for it.

So, here are the video-links:
English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPblVhPKXsk

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQeRNuihFko

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPu1u00PQJQ

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca-JBg5uGvs

Hope, you enjoy it!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Vienna Opera Museum

Me in the Vienna Opera Museum. It's been really interesting watching all those pictures and reading the bylines. The entrance fee is only 3 Euros and those of you who are real opera fans will surley like it. It's very clearly arranged with lots of portraits and information. What a shame that I didn't go there earlier. You know, I live here in Vienna since the day I was born. But, maybe it's just the way it is. You never pay attention to the attractions and the beauties of your hometown.
I'm still working on my Lesson No 8, which will be about the Opera. It's not as easy as I thought it would be, but I promise I keep on working so that you'll soon get a nice video on the Vienna Opera.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Giving up our videostudio

Here is a photo of the demontation of our video studio. It's not really been easy to unplug all those cables and get rid of the old equipment. Technical things are really getting too old too fast. So, one should only buy all this stuff when excessively using it. Otherwise it's nothing but an unnecessary expenditure. Anyway, we did use it for several years and so it's time to make a new start. Nevertheless, it's a dirty job!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Seefestspiele Mörbisch - Zarewitsch

Yesterday I've been at the famous Seefestspiele Mörbisch, though I must confess, it wasn't really planned that way. My sister-in-law, opera singer Alexandra Reinprecht, my brother and the rest of my family were just in the middle of the celebration of the 90th birthday of our beloved granny in a relaxed atmosphere, accompanied by some glasses of wine. Suddenly Alexandra got an emergency call from the director in Mörbisch. He begged her to substitute her collegue, who fell ill. So far so good, only problem was, that this "nice" collegue had cancelled her appearance only two hours before the concert. So my brother, Alexandra and me raced to Mörbisch to save the production. Well, I didn't safe anything, of course - Alexandra safed the show, but I was really glad to watch this unique outdoor spectacle. Despite the few glasses of wine, Alexandra sang exceptionally well and performed as gorgeous as usually. I guess, I'll always keep this evening in mind - it will be a long lasting memory.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Lesson 7 / Lección 7 / Leçon 7 / Урок 7

Yep, finally made it. Lesson No 7 for all those who wanna learn German. Never thought I'd have so much fun doing it. Hope, I won't lose my energy and my ideas, but I've already planned the next three or four parts. So, here are the links to youtube:

SPANISH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaMJAW0weZs

ENGLISH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaIdqWPcZzk

FRENCH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkdhDrj6LUg

RUSSIAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH39LBdGcbM

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Tree cracked after thunderstorm

After the severe thunderstorms of last week we found our patio looking like this. The storm had just blown away this big tree here. Fortunately the strong winds didn't damage our warehouse on the right side, as the tree crashed straight forward onto the ground. However, I was pretty amazed when I saw what the thunderstorm had done. To me it seems as if the storms are really getting worse each year, all over the world. Until now we were quiet safe here in Vienna but who knows what the future will bring. I only hope that we're not getting any tornados or hurricans within the next decades.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Moving our audio-studio

Me struggling with tons of cables. As we're moving our audio-studio to another place, there's no way of avoiding this kind of work. But I usually try to see it as a form of meditation. Eventually I even started talking to the cables like, "where do you come from" or "where are you leading to". Before I got into this uncomfortable position I coded the cables, writing down where they were plugged in, in order to get them into the right inserts afterwards. So, I guess, plugging out all cables and devices was the easier task. Plugging them in again (so that everything works) will be a much harder thing to do.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Nationalpark Donau-Auen

Isn't it beautiful and breathtaking? Today I've been in the Nationalpark "Donau-Auen", just one hour from the center of Vienna. We drove there with the so called "Nationalparkboot", which is actually a boat taxi on the Danube channel. By the way, it's been a quiet ancient boat, dating back to Soviet times, as you still can see some russian writings and instructions on the walls and the panels. Nevertheless we've really enjoyed the trip into the national park. There we went
through forests and along coast sides. Our guide showed us some idyllic places and I took some nice pictures. If you wanna see "running pictures" (video), then you'll have to watch my next German Lesson, which will be about this beautiful National Park. Guess, I'll have to go there again for additional video material. So, it may take some time.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Go-Kart Racing in Teesdorf

I just came back from a little go-kart race in Teesdorf, Lower Austria. Though we were only four pilots (Horsti, me, Norbert and Alexandra), we've really enjoyed the speed. What I didn't enjoy so much was the bad weather - cold, windy, light rain. We had fun, anyway. Especially me! I drove a very passionate race with full energy, but somehow the car didn't do what I wanted it to do. In it's former life my car must have been a lawn mower, rather than a racing go-kart. It's been about three times that I involuntarily slipped off the track, two times I rattled across the meadow and in the last round I nearly bumped into a crash barrier. Still I must say that my lap times weren't that bad. My fastest lap lay by 34.654 seconds. Horsti's and Norbert's top speed were about 34.34 seconds and even Alex made it to 35.344 seconds in her very first kart-race. What I've learned from this experience is: Little less passion, more brains!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Life Ball 2010 - Video Short Cut

As I don't wanna let you wait any longer, here is the video short cut from the red carpet (before the thunderstorm).
Just finished post-production and in case you wonder, who's singing the song "Coole Schwule", well - it's me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR3mDz0WRdw

Enjoy the costumes!!! They are really great!!!

Life Ball 2010 blown away by thunderstorm

Everything started so well, preparation, decoration, organisation and then ...
Well, let's start from the beginning. Yesterday I wanted to film some impressions of the famous Life Ball that takes place every year on Rathausplatz in Vienna. (My next German Lesson will contain a short feature on the Rathaus). I was quiet happy that I've found a good position right beside the official camera teams from all over the world. So I was able to capture some fantastic scenes on the red carpet (costumes, stars, a.s.o., which you'll hopefully see in my next language video).
Due to the thunderstorm warning, the organizers had decided to start the opening ceremony one hour earlier, but in vain. Nature said "no" after about one hour of broadcasting this major event and sent millions of raindrops from heaven. By the way, we really needed the rain after about three consecutive weeks of a tropical heatwave, only the moment wasn't that brilliant. Two hours later and everything would have turned out fine for the Life Ball, but there's nothing that one can do against nature. So, maybe the event will have better luck next year!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Lesson 5 / Lección 5 / Leçon 5 / Урок 5

Hi, everybody! It's not that I'm lazy, but I've simply had no time to blog something, at least, nothing of interest. Besides, right now I'm pretty busy in the office at Kleine Zeitung as my collegue is on vacation, so there's not really much to say. But now I've just finished my 5th German Lesson and I proudly present you the following links:

English version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cMzhd8bxSE

French version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxN3AMx6Ato

Spanish version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__LUYIx3bks

Russian version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPjnUc3LOm8

So, hope you enjoy it.

I've got to update the website of my sister-in-law, Alexandra Reinprecht, a very talented opera singer. She's got her debut of the operette "Zarewitsch" in Mörbisch. So, there's always something to do for me.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Danube Island Festival 2010

Ready! Just loaded up my "masterpiece", a musical short-cut of the Danube Island Festival that took place last weekend. I'm quiet proud of it as I did it with only one camera and it's been a lot of cutting work on the computer. So, here's the result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVHaIcBnlZk

Hope, you'll like it. Now I can concentrate on my next German Lesson, which will also be about the Danube Island and the Festival. As I'll have to "shrink" the musical short cuts in favour to my German Lesson, I wanted to give you the possibility to watch the full video that I've produced, anyway!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Donauinselfest - Day 3

Crowds of people as far as the eye can see and guess what? Yeah, I actually made it to the very first row!! I really got a brilliant position for my video recordings. I've been there about four hours earlier, waiting for the main act, our local legend Reinhard Fendrich. Everybody in Vienna knows his songs and the crowd sang along with him. It's really been a great atmosphere. The groups before Fendrich were also pretty good - The Dubliners, Die Seer and lots of other not so well known artists. I enjoyed the whole show, though a few steps behind me a man collapsed and fainted away. The securities had quiet some difficulties to lift the heavy weight guy up and carry him over the metal barrier that separated the crowd from the stage. Don't know what happened to him, but I hope he's well.
So, now my real work starts - post production!!!!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Donauinselfest - Day 2

This is Manuel Ortega, one of the many artists that performed on the Danube Island Festival. I tried to film as many bands and singers as possible and hurried from one stage to another. Though the atmosphere is really great, I'm a bit glad that today is the last day. My feet are really hurting and I'm pretty tired. It'll be a lot of work cutting all the acts in post-production. Guess, I'll enter the Guiness Book of Records as the one who filmed (as a single person with only one camera) as many acts as possible.
Sorry, gotta go now, last day of the festival - last torture!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Donauinselfest - Day 1

Yesterday I've been on the Danube Island Festival to prepare lesson no. 5 of my German course. The weather was very pleasant, not too hot, not too cold. In the beginning there were not too many people and so I could get quiet close to the stages. But towards evening things changed and the path leading from one stage to the other was overcrowded. Yet I managed to push myself through. The picture on the right shows me stuck in the middle of enthusiastic Billy Idol fans. Unfortunately I was a bit too far away from the stage, but I'll have to check it on my video. Maybe I can use at least some video-shots.
Another thing: It was so difficult to determine who was singing on all those stages, as lesser-known artists didn't wear name tags around their neck. I've also had some difficulties to find the right stages. Though there was an orientation map with numbers, there were no numbers in front of the stages, so I only could make a guess. I enjoyed it anyway (despite running up and down for about four hours). Today the madness continues ...

Friday, June 25, 2010

Lesson 4 / Lección 4 / Leçon 4 / Урок 4

Just uploaded my 4th German lesson. You can choose from four languages. This time it's all about the Vienna Zoo in Schönbrunn. It took me about 3 days to get all the animals in front of my camera. Don't ask me how long I had to work on post-production, cutting and inserting texts. (had to solve another computer problem). Anyway, I'm quiet satisfied with the result and hope, you'll like it.
I'm already working on the concept for lesson no. 5, which will be about the Danube Island (and the festival, of course). It is the biggest european open air festival, lasting three (hopefully sunny) days and attracting millions of people from all over the world. I've already been there yesterday to film some preparations. It's been a strange feeling, because it seemed to me as if I were the only spectators on that day. All around me just technicians and stage workers. Well, I'll tell you more about it ....

Saturday, June 19, 2010

House building Level IV

Well, it's getting bigger. Despite the heavy rainfalls during the last weeks (or shall I say months?) the construction works went on and the result isn't that bad. By the end of next week they wanna be ready with the first floor, which would be really amazing. The only thing that isn't too good is the water all around the house and in the cellar. As there's no roof yet, it's raining in and frankly, I don't know how they wanna get rid of all the water, but I'm very positive that they will manage it somehow. Thank God, the weather forecast for the next weeks isn't that bad so I'm still hoping for some sunny days. At least, it's summer!!!!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Vienna Zoo

Today it's been the third time that I visited the Vienna Zoo. To be exactly, the third time within only one week. It's because I'm working on my German Lesson No 4 and it's because it's simply impossible to get good pictures from all animals in only one day. On my first day it was so hot that all animals were asleep and didn't move an eye. Not quiet what I was looking for. So I had to go again and again and ... again! Thank God I bought a "one-year-valid-card", though it hopefully won't take that long until I have my video done. It's really nice walking around the Zoo and watching the animals, if only there were not so many school classes with screaming and yelling little animal lovers ;)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Lesson 3 / Lección 3 / Leçon 3 / Урок 3

Now, here's my 3rd lesson of "German with Sonja". This time the feature is about the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna. Hope, you enjoy it. I won't write too much as a video says more than a thousand words!

Spanish Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t8pHQTR1dU

English Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB0Go3OiR3c

French Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCc8GSNrEB8

Russian Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSbK42uf5Ew

Friday, June 11, 2010

Schönbrunn Concert

What I forgot to add in my last posting is this picture from the concert in the Schloss Schönbrunn park that took place a couple of days ago. I've been there with my spanish friends right after our meeting at the Havana Club in Burggarten.
We sat down on a planket and enjoyed the overwhelming atmosphere. There were thousands of people, most of them tourists from all over the world. At least, that's what I assume, because I've hardly heard a German word around us. The evening was really nice. The weather has also shown mercy on us, as it didn't rain. Though I'm not really a particular fan of classical music, I've appreciated the entertaining concert. The whole show was broadcasted on a big video wall and so you also could see quiet well in the back rows.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Mojito Bar - Burggarten

Me (not in the picture) and friends from Spain and Latin America in the Burggarten, celebrating the Mojito-Party of the Havana Club. The drinks were for free, but don't ask how we got them. I stood for about half an hour in a crowd of people waiting for my free drink. There was no way back, no way forward and no way out. Anyway, it's been an interesting experience. Next time I'd rather pay for my drink ;)
We've had a nice afternoon with lot of laughter and good vibrations. The weather was really fine, though some said it's been too hot and humid. But after all these rainy weeks, I was glad to
sweat a little in the sun.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Preparing my third lesson

Just came back from my little video-tour to the Hundertwasserhaus. I recorded the introduction to my third German lesson. It's still not so easy to concentrate on my text - at least not in four foreign languages, though I have the impression that my ability to memorize things has already gotten better. You know, when I started acting in front of the camera (filming my self in public and saying something into the camera), I felt a little uncomfortable, as I was distracted by people passing by. I simply couldn't concentrate, as I was constantly thinking: "What are they thinking? Why are they staring at me?"
But as I wanted to do these introductions to my video lessons, I simply had to overcome my fears and I'm really glad that I'm obviously on the right track. Today, when I did the introduction for the Hundertwasserhaus, I felt less insecure and tried not to notice all those people around me. So I'm not only learning something about Vienna or how to speak a foreign language, but also something about myself and the further development of my personality.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Demonstration against Israel

It's been more by chance than on purpose that I've attended the demonstration against Israel that took place here in Vienna. But I'm really glad, I've been their. Though you could feel the anger about the brutal attack of Israeli soldiers shooting at civilians on the ship Mavi Marmara, the demonstration was peaceful and the atmosphere was absolutely breathtaking. For those who don't know about the facts: On June 1st, Israeli soldiers dropped from a helicopter onto the Turkish passenger ship and started shooting directly into a crowd of sleeping civilians. The attack has happened in international waters and violated international law. I've taken a couple of photos that you'll find on my website www.sonni.tv (Photos, behind the camera). I believe that it is important to support peaceful movements in order to prevent the Israeli government from such kind of criminal actions. I also think that Palastines have the right of an own country and that Gaza should be free!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

House building Level III / German Course Lesson 2

Well, work in progress, despite rainy days.
I guess nobody could have predicted this years heavy rainfalls. I really can't remember anything like that before. Seems like the climate is actually changing and now we're apparently in the rainy season, though with nearly arctic temperatures. To me it's like a miracle that there is a visible progress in the house building.

Another good thing: I've solved my software problem - at least temporarily. I've simply installed the video program on another computer and - oh wonder - it is working, at least until now. So, I was in the lucky position to finish the second lesson of my multilingual German course. Prior to this lesson I've produced a little clip about the Vienna Prater. I hope you enjoy it.

German with Sonja (Lesson 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTenSyRJn_c
L'Allemand avec Sonja (Leçon 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLW53d0HuUQ
Немецкий язык с Соней, Урок 2
Alemán con Sonja (Lección 2)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Song Contest 2010

Song Contest Party in the mansion of Peter Müller (picture), one of Austrias most successful producers. We were about ten people, among them Elisabeth Engstler (TV-host), Michael (Mosaro) Scheikl, Jack Fronczek and René Reitz - also well-known music-producers. Anyway, we had a lot of fun voting and guessing who would make it to the top. Only one of us made the right guess (not me). I voted for Greece or Serbia, but also enjoyed the songs of Iceland, Denmark and Ireland.
So, afterwards we were discussing about the German victory. Some said, Germany only won because of political reasons. Everybody's hoping for Germany's and the EU's financial aid. So, frankly speaking, I fully agree with this point of view. Though the performance of Lena was quiet unique and extroverted, the song had no appealing melody and there were undoubtedly better singers on stage.
Over the years the song contest has gradually lost its original cause, to represent songs and artists from other countries in order to learn something about their musical culture. Now it turned out to be a political and economical event. To me it's a sad thing watching how things are changing to the worse. Though I think that the English language should be spoken by everyone on this planet, I'd prefer songs to be sung in the original language of the participants. No country should lose its musical roots!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

I HATE MY VIDEO SOFTWARE!!!!

Everything looked so good. I really thought I've overcome all my computer problems, but now they are here again. I'm talking of the video program Studio 14 from Pinnacle. All of a sudden the program refuses to open my projects. The failure message says "unexpected error" - well, never heard of an expected error, but to me it's really ridiculous that the program is asking me whether I wanna open a new project or continue with the existing one. By the way, none of these options make a difference in the malfunction progress. To me it's absolutely annoying as I only would have had to render the project and everything would have turned out fine. But now? No idea what to do next. I've already tried to repair Studio 14 - didn't work. I've even uninstalled it and installed again - also didn't work. Now I'll have to visit a friend who's got the same program and hopefully my files will open with his version. Otherwise I'd have to insert my textes all over again - a two days work!! - You sure can imagine that I want to avoid this senseless "baby-one-more-time-work". But okay, there are worse things in life, though in this very moment the non-opening of my files seems to me like one of the worst things that are happening in my life.
Oh yes, forgot to say. I was working on my German course, Lesson 2. So, due to the electronic desaster, I was only able to upload the Spanish version, which you'll find on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQYvgTJpuN0

Wish me luck, because I've got to solve this problem!!!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Vienna Prater

Well, I know, it's been a couple of days since I last blogged something. As you'll probably know, I'm working on this German course (in four different languages!). It's not as easy as I thought it would be, but it's fun getting lost in translations. In the trailer to my second lesson I wanna feature the Vienna Prater and so I just came back from there. As in this new part, I'll be talking about the Giant Ferris Wheel and the fantastic view over Vienna, I couldn't help but getting in one of those big red wagons. Maybe I didn't mention it, but I suffer from a severe kind of aerophobia, so to me it was quiet an experience - not a good one. I only dared to "wheel around" because I wanted these damn video recordings. Otherwise I never would have done it. However, you'll soon see the second part of my German course, including this short sequence showing this "wonderful" view of the Prater area.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Did it again ;)

Now I've uploaded my russian version of "German with Sonja". Maybe a bit daring, as my russian is not really that good, in fact, I'm still on a beginner's level. Anyway, it's been fun doing it and I hope some people in Russia will enjoy it and benefit from learning German. So, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUpnWb4Yx-0

I'm already working on Lesson 2 (English, French, Spanish, Russian) and I'm planning a little report on the Wiener Prater. So, it may take some time until it goes online. Unfortunately, my video software is still not working the way it should, but I got a new version of Pinnacle Studio, which I'm about to install right now. Hope, things will get better as it's not easy to insert text displays without hearing any sound. So, wish me luck!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Level II in house building

Today the construction team was working on the foundation. Everything went fine until the moment when - due to the rainy weather - a piece of the earth wall broke away. So, it seems that some planned things need to be postponed. Anyway, to me it's been a very interesting experience. What a pity that I'll have to work next week, so I'll miss a lot of exciting things that sure will happen in the construction zone.

By the way, I've just finished my french version of my "German Lessons". You can watch it on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILM8jjGYNFs

Monday, May 10, 2010

The beginning of the construction works

A deep hole in the ground is the obvious sign that the construction works have finally begun and now there's no way back. It's still hard to imagine that this is the place where the future house will be standing. Only time will tell. These two tiny persons on the ground are my brother and his wife, the proud home builders. If you take a closer look you will also see our family dog Mimi (left side of the picture) and if you're focusing on the right side, you may spot my white tennis shoes, which I took off before I climbed this huge mound of earth (about 4 or 5 meters high). The rest of me is on top of it, enjoying the "marvellous" view and wondering how things will be going on.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

German Lesson 1 on Youtube

Did it! - I just put my first german lesson online. So you can watch it right away. As I've probably told you before it is not only a language course, but also a little documentation about Vienna. In this first edition I'm talking about St. Stephan's Cathedral. To take a picture like this (on the right) I had to climb up 343 stairs to the so called Türmerstube, situated in the South Tower of the cathedral. So, here is the link for the English version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApuCdQgTYCA

And if you are interested in the Spanish version, you simply need to click onto this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-aU-q-jzn0

The only thing missing is the French version, which I'm about to do within the next few days. Maybe I'll also add a Russian version - not before the year 2020 ;) - still need to improve my knowledges of this fascinating but tricky language.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Working on a German-Course for foreigners

Hi, everybody! Sorry, it's been a couple of days since a last wrote something, but it's just that nothing really important has happend. Today I've been on the Cobenzl, from where you've got a fantastic view over Vienna. You know, what I have in mind is creating an Online-German course for Spanish and/or English speaking people. But in addition to that I wanna film some places of interest and do a little documentation on St. Stephans Cathedral, Karlsplatz, the Vienna Prater, a.s.o. The bad thing about it is, that I've got some technical problems with my laptop and Adobe Elements, resp. Pinnacle Studio 11. Well, though I've solved some of these annoying problems, I still need a little time to finish it and put in online. Once, I've done it, I'll tell you and link it to my website. However, it's not as easy as I thought it would be, as I've got to meet my own expectations concerning quality and the way of making it.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Vienna Prater on May Day

Hi, everybody! Today I've been in the Vienna Prater, which is our most famous amusement park. Due to the celebrations of the 1st of May, there where thousands of people strolling around. I took some pictures and made a little video that you can watch on youtube. I've added the link at the end of this post. Well, though I know that Vienna is really a multi-cultural city, I was surprised anyway to see so many different people from all parts of the world. Of course, there were a lot of tourists too, but most of the visitors are inhabitants of Vienna. I originally intended to film some of the Prater attractions, but in the end it turned out to be a video on human beings, on a variety of faces, languages and smiles. Only for those who may not know it, on May Day we are celebrating the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. There are also a lot of organized street demonstrations going on.

So, if you wanna watch my video, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b630AimjcKs

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Time for a poem

As nothing really exciting has happened, I think it's about time for a little poem. This one is out of my book "200 Erlesene Gedichte". Sorry, it's German, but maybe you're just about to learn our beautiful language and in this case you may want to memorize it in order to impress your student colleagues. It is a poem of love and the headline says "Silent Desire". So, here it is:

Stille Sehnsucht

Ich wage kaum zu atmen
im dunklen Kleid der Nacht
denn sehnsuchtsvolle Träume
sind zaghaft aufgewacht

So still und im geheimen
berühr’ ich Deinen Mund
liebkose Deinen Körper
und streichle Dich gesund

Bin voll der Liebesschmerzen
die rot im Nachtwind glühn
verbotne Fantasien
sind quälend schön und kühn

Ich würd’ Dir meine Liebe
so schrecklich gern gestehen
doch Furcht trag ich im Herzen
ich kann nicht zu Dir gehen

Und meine stille Sehnsucht
die werd’ ich aufbewahren
und was ich wirklich fühle
das wirst Du nie erfahren

By the way, you could translate it with the Google Translator. Sometimes the translations are a bit strange, but it will give you a little impression of the content anyway.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Baby Shower Party (Part Two)

... people in Latin America are really innovative and we were playing a lot of funny "baby shower games" like making a guess of the pregnant lady's belly size with a roll of toilet paper. Everyone teared off a certain length which we compared afterwards. I was close to being the winner, but someone else had won the prize. Than we tried to hang some clothes correctly on a string, while nourishing a baby and talking on a cell phone. It's really been funny! Another difficult thing was memorizing some baby stuff in a basket. It was not my best performance. What the hell are the spanish words for "nail scissors" or "soother"? To make a long story short, I enjoyed this party and I feel a bit sorry for us (the Austrians) that our sometimes uncommunicative and reserved mentality prevents us from having real fun!!!

Baby Shower Party (Part One)

First of all, sorry for the bad quality of the picture. I took it with my new mobile-phone. By the way, it does not synchronize with my computer so I always have to remove the SD-card from the cell phone and put it into the computer slot. But that's not, what I wanted to say right now. Today I've had the pleasure of being invited to a real "baby shower party". A dear friend of mine from Venezuela is pregnant and only 10 days away from giving birth to a new human being. There were about ten people from all over Latin America and Spain. We ate a lot and were talking about all kinds of subjects. Of course, I've had some difficulties do understand each and every word, but I'm glad that all these women accepted me right from the start. I've never heard of such a party before. Here in Austria, or especially in Vienna, people are celebrating after a child was born and there's another interesting fact: When we say "celebrating" or "partying" it normally means that people come together and chat and drink alcohol (in most cases more than they should) and that's it. But in Latin Ameria it's different ...

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Presidential elections in Austria

I just came back from the polls, or let's say from the Presidential elections that took place in Austria. There were only three candidates, two of them rather unknown to the public. The third one, Mr. Dr. Heinz Fischer, had been reelected. I've also voted for him, although I think he is a bit colorless and unspectacular. If you want to put it positively, you could say that he is cautious and diplomatic, if you look at it in a negative way, you'd have to describe him as boring and indecisive. Anyway, I'm sure he won't cause Austria no harm. At least he is not a selfish man. However, I think that the salary of a Federal President is much too high. He earns about € 319.872 p.a.!! A first step into the right direction would be to cut back the salaries of all politicians, but I doubt that this will ever happen. I'd be happy with far less, but unfortunately I didn't stand as a candidate. So, I celebrated my birthday and, believe it or not, I'e already grown used to the new cipher, which is now 42!!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

My birthday!!!

Today we've celebrated my birthday - the 42nd!! - Well, time goes by so quickly. Unfortunately my parents had both catched a cold and so we did not go to the "Heurigen", a kind of wine-tavern, where wine-growers serve the most recent year's wine. Normally they offer a limited selection of food and in "the good old days" you were allowed to bring your own food. Anyway, we didn't go there and started our little family-party at home. I enjoyed the birthday cake and was quiet happy to receive some very useful gifts, like money and somewhat like a care-package with a big bottle of shower-gel, a t-shirt, some candies and several other cool things. But the best about a celebration is always the good atmosphere and that everybody is happy. Furthermore, I practiced some piano pieces and tried to get familiar with my new cell phone. I kinda like it, though there are still some open questions.

Friday, April 23, 2010

My new cell phone!

Yeah, got it! - Finally it's there! - My new cell phone, a Samsung Galaxy Spica. Okay, I confess, I originally wanted an I-Phone, but simply couldn't afford it. So, I thought the next best thing would be this little baby here. I'm not quiet sure, whether it works the way I am expecting it, but we'll see. At least it can't be worse than the one I've had over the last five years or so. Well, right now I'm a bit in a hurry as I've a meeting with my language-partner from the Ucraine, but I'll tell you more about my experiences with this new cell phone when I've grown used to it.