Sonjas Little World

Sonni - Wüsst du bei mir bleiben

2012-03-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Another beautiful song. It’s again a song inthe Austrian dialect, which I call „Austro-Dialect“. The only purpose of thissong is to spread good vibrations. So, there’s not much to say about it, except– listen & enjoy ;)

Lyrics: Sonja Hubmann

Music: Hubmann/Encanto

Arranged by: René Reitz

Wüsstdu bei mir bleiben / Willst du beimir bleiben

http://www.amazon.de/W%C3%BCsst-bei-mir-bleiben-Radio/dp/B007GMD67O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330791781&sr=8-1

Wüsstdu bei mir bleiben / Veux-turester avec moi ?

http://www.amazon.fr/W%C3%BCsst-bei-mir-bleiben-Radio/dp/B007GLARTU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330791441&sr=8-2

Wüsstdu bei mir bleiben / Quieresquedarte conmigo?

http://www.amazon.de/W%C3%BCsst-bei-mir-bleiben-Radio/dp/B007GMD67O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330791781&sr=8-1

Wüsstdu bei mir bleiben / Doyou want stay with me?

http://www.amazon.com/W%C3%BCsst-bei-mir-bleiben-Radio/dp/B007GLFQJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330791853&sr=8-2

Wüsstdu bei mir bleiben / Тыхочешь остаться со мной?

http://www.amazon.com/W%C3%BCsst-bei-mir-bleiben-Radio/dp/B007GLFQJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330791853&sr=8-2

Sonni - Du bist nit alloa

2012-02-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

SONNI - DU BIST NIT ALLOA

Here’s my latest release. It’s again asong in the Austrian dialect, which I call „Austro-Dialect“. So, it’s abeautiful ballade, composed by Köck/Hubmann/Encanto and arranged by René Reitz,my producer. When I wrote those lyrics I really thought of helping people whoare feeling a bit lost and alone. The words in the chorus say something like“You are not alone, because I’ll always be there to help you and guide you andone day you’ll realize that I’m with you and that you’re not alone”. Though Ireally like the meaning of my words (of course I do), I’m absolutelyfascinated by the extraordinary arranged instruments that play such animportant part in this song. To me it’s one of the most breathtaking and magnificent songs I’veever done. I’ve listened to it about a thousand times, but I’m never bored withit. I simply love the warm and gentle feeling of this song and I believe thatmy voice fits the song perfectly. (A little self-praise is okay, don’t you think so?) J Just listen and enjoy!

Du bist nit alloa / Du bist nichtallein

http://www.musicload.de/sonni/du-bist-nit-alloa/musik/single/11913518_4

Du bist nit alloa / Tu n'es pas seul

http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B0073NADEA?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis0b-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1642&creativeASIN=B0073NADEA

Du bist nit alloa / Tú no estás solo

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0073LNNQW?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0073LNNQW

Du bist nitalloa / You are not alone

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0073LNNQW?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0073LNNQW

Du bist nit alloa / Tы не одинок

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0073N0WJQ?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1638&creativeASIN=B0073N0WJQ

My new song "Heut feier ma bis uns da Teufel holt"

2012-01-20T04:11:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest release. It's a party-song that wants to make you dance and sing. As always, I sang it in a mixture of various Austrian dialects, which I call "Austro-Dialekt". You may translate the headline as "today we party 'til the devil is taking us away". So, listen for free and enjoy the audio-sample.

Jetzt anhören & downloaden!
Mein Party-Song „Heut feier ma bis uns da Teufel holt“
http://www.musicload.at/sonni/heut-feier-ma-bis-uns-da-teufel-holt/musik/single/11699535_4

Вот вы можете слушать и скачивать моя текущая песня на австрийском диалекте
http://www.musicload.at/sonni/heut-feier-ma-bis-uns-da-teufel-holt/musik/single/11699535_4

Listen for free & download my latest party-hit!http://www.musicload.at/sonni/heut-feier-ma-bis-uns-da-teufel-holt/musik/single/11699535_4

Ici vous pouvez écouter et télécharger ma chanson actuelle en langue autrichiennehttp://www.musicload.at/sonni/heut-feier-ma-bis-uns-da-teufel-holt/musik/single/11699535_4

Aquí podéis escuchar y descargar mi última canción en la lengua austríaca.http://www.musicload.at/sonni/heut-feier-ma-bis-uns-da-teufel-holt/musik/single/11699535_4

MY SONG - Vom Christkind geträumt

2011-12-19T03:55:00.000-08:00

XENIA - VOM CHRISTKIND GETRÄUMT

Vom Christkind geträumt

Happy German Christmas song, especially popular with children.

Listen to it right now and here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ITDCES?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B006ITDCES

Vom Christkind geträumt

Fröhliches Weihnachtslied, das vor allem Kindern gut gefällt.

Hörprobe und Download gibt’s hier:
http://www.musicload.at/xenia/vom-christkind-getraeumt/musik/single/11582480_4

Vom Christkind geträumt
Счастливая рождественская песня, особенно популярнa среди детей.Здесь вы можете скачать эту песню на немецком языке!

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B006J1BN3C?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1638&creativeASIN=B006J1BN3C

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ITDCES?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B006ITDCES

Vom Christkind geträumt

Alegre canción de Navidad, especialmente popular entre los niños.

Aquí podéis escuchar y descargar esta canción en alemán.

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B006J1BN3C?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1638&creativeASIN=B006J1BN3C

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ITDCES?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B006ITDCES

Vom Christkind geträumt

Jolie chanson de Noël, particulièrement populaire auprès des enfants.

Ici vous pouvez télécharger cette chanson allemande :

http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B006ITVOFC?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis0b-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1642&creativeASIN=B006ITVOFC

MY SONG - Vom Christkind geträumt

2011-12-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

XENIA - STERN VON BETHLEHEM

Stern von Bethlehem

Follow the star of Bethlehem – that’sthe meaning of this lovely Christmas song. Though I already recorded it in1993, it hasn’t lost anything of its peaceful charm.

Listen to it right now and here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006IL625C?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B006IL625C

Stern von Bethlehem
Dieses friedvolle Weihnachtsliedhabe ich bereits 1993 aufgenommen, aber es klingt nach wie vor wunderschön undsollte bei keinem Weihnachtsabend fehlen.

Hörprobeund Download gibt’s hier:
http://www.musicload.at/xenia/stern-von-bethlehem/musik/single/11578286_4

Stern von Bethlehem

Следуйте заВифлеемской звездой - то есть перевод этой замечательной песни Рождество. Хотяя уже записывать ее в 1993 году, она не потеряла своей мирнойшарм.

Здесь выможете скачать этусчастливую песню на немецкомязыке!

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B006IOV0G0?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1638&creativeASIN=B006IOV0G0

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006IL625C?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B006IL625C

Stern von Bethlehem

Siga la estella de Belén – es elsignificado de esta hermosa canción de Navidad (en alemán). Esta canción es unenriquecimiento para cada víspera de Navidad.

Aquí podéis escuchar y descargar estacanción.

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B006IOV0G0?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1638&creativeASIN=B006IOV0G0

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006IL625C?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B006IL625C

Stern von Bethlehem

Suivez l’étoile de Bethléem – c’est latraduction de cette belle chanson de Noël (en allemand). Cette chanson est unenrichissement pour chaque fête de Noël.

Ici vous pouvez télécharger cette chanson :

http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B006IPYSSG?ie=UTF8&tag=rebeaartis0b-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1642&creativeASIN=B006IPYSSG

My song - Es kimmt die Zeit

2011-12-16T04:14:00.000-08:00

Sonni - Es kimmt die Zeit

Besinnliches Lied über dasLeben und den Tod im österreichischen Dialekt

Hörprobe & Download:

Musicload AT

Созерцательной песни ожизни и смерти на австрийском языке

скачать эту песню

Amazon com

I-Tunes

Canción contemplativa de la vida y la muerteen el dialecto austríaco

Descargar esta canción

Amazon DE

Amazon comI-Tunes

Chanson contemplative sur la vie et la mort enallemand

Télécharger cette chanson

Amazon FR

Amazon comI-Tunes

Contemplative songabout life and death in the austrian dialect

Download this song

Amazon comI-Tunes

Merry Christmas everyone!

My Song - Mami hat den Weihnachtsmann geküsst

2011-12-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

Xenia - Mami hat den Weihnachtsmann geküsst

Wanna listen to my new Christmas song? You can listen to the sample for free. If you like it, just feel free to load it down on the following platforms!

Jetzt noch schnell vorWeihnachten dieses fröhliche Lied downloaden!

Musicload AT

Mami hat den Weihnachtsmann geküsst

(Mommy kissing Santa Claus)

Download this happy German Christmas carol!

Amazon US

Amazon DE

Mami hat den Weihnachtsmann geküsst

Мама целовала Санта-Клауса

Здесь вы можете скачать этусчастливую песню на немецком языке!

Amazon US

Amazon DE

Mami hat den Weihnachtsmann geküsst

Mamá besando a Santa Claus

Aquí podéis escuchar y descargar estabonita canción de Navidad en alemán.

Amazon US

Amazon DE

Mami hat denWeihnachtsmann geküsst

Maman embrasser le Père Noël

Ici vous pouvez télécharger cettejolie chanson (en allemande) de Noël

Amazon FR

My Song "Hey, hey, hey - der Weihnachtsmann bringt Schnee"

2011-12-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Xenia - Hey, hey, hey - der Weihnachtsmann bringt Schnee!

Wanna listen to my new Christmas song? Just feel free to load it down on the following platforms!

Jetzt noch schnell vor Weihnachten dieses fröhliche Lied downloaden!

Amazon Deutschland

Hey, hey, hey - der Weihnachtsmann bringt Schnee

(Hey, hey, hey - Santa Claus is bringing snow)

Download this happy German christmas carol!

Amazon US

Hey, hey, hey - der Weihnachtsmann bringt Schnee

(Эй, эй, эй - Санта приносит снег)

Здесь вы можете скачать эту счастливую песню на немецком языке!

Amazon US

Hey, hey, hey - der Weihnachtsmann bringt Schnee

(Hey, hey, hey - Santa trae la nieve)

Aquí podéis escuchar y descargar esta bonita canción de Navidad en alemán.

Amazon US

Hey, hey, hey - der Weihnachtsmann bringt Schnee

(Hey, hey, hey - Père Noël apporte de la neige)

Ici vous pouvez télécharger cette jolie chanson (en allemande) de Noël

Amazon France

2011-12-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

Xenia - "Frohe Weihnacht"

Christmas is coming closer - and so are my christmas carols that I produced only a few years ago. Now I've put them finally online so everyone can download them.

I'm starting with "Frohe Weihnacht" (Merry Christmas).

You can download it on following platform:

Amazon - Listen & Download

Besinnliches Weihnachtslied, das man unbedingt haben sollte – eh klar, weil ich es gesungen hab ;)

Musicload - Hörprobe & Download

Ici vous pouvez télécharger ma dernière chanson de Noël.

Amazon France

Aquí podéis descargar mi última canción de Navidad

Amazon - Escuchar & Descargar

Здесь вы можете скачать моя текущая рождественская песня на немецком языке.

Amazon - Listen & Download

Hospital / Marriage

2011-12-10T08:55:00.001-08:00

Hi, I know it's been a long time since I last blogged something, but you'll find the explanation for this in the attatched video links.

So, just feel free to choose your favourite language to watch the video:

English

http://youtu.be/gYOLRkW8nj4

Spanish

http://youtu.be/nMbyWUYp25Y

French

http://youtu.be/tSDc0SCTzc4

Russian

http://youtu.be/10U0KARXmHg

Lesson 15 / Lección 15 / Leçon 15 / Урок 15

2011-03-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy that I nearly forgot to post my last video lesson. So, here it is - and it's all about SHOPPING IN VIENNA!

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRblxK_23UE

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBa3cRe0CXo

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6SsPdSzGuI

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AasiP71HsQw

Chinese singer Hexiang Huang

2011-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Don't know, if I ever mentioned that I've started taking lessons in Chinese. However, I've been to the concert of Mr. Hexiang Huang, who peformed several of his songs in the Vienna Musikvereinssaal, which is really beautiful. Well, it's a bit a shame that I've never been there before. There's a lot of gold on the ancient walls and the paintings on the ceiling are also fantastic.

I liked the concert. The orchestra was marvellous and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Mr. Huang has a very charming and soft voice, although I've to admit that I had the impression of a little lack of power in his voice. I really could imagine buying a CD of this artist, but for such a big hall, you'd better be an opera singer. Anyway, Mr. Huang enchanted the audience with his chinese pop/folk songs. I even understood a couple of words - what a feeling :) Zàijiàn 再见

Lesson 14 / Lección 14 / Leçon 14 / Урок 14

2011-02-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

Made it :) Took me quite some time, but now you can watch lesson no. 14 on youtube:

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndP-X8MaXKo

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnTifh6dfZ0

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qjJe-w8vJ4

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVBx1tnOfIc

Have fun and learn ;)

Peter Alexander - Last Farewell

2011-02-20T09:48:00.001-08:00

This is me, writing a last farewell to the greatest entertainer that the world has ever seen - Peter Alexander. He died at the age of 84 on the 12th of February 2011. I've always been a big fan of his entertaining films and outstanding shows. His voice is legendary and his fine humor always made me smile. I even composed a song for him, called "The last waltz (Da letzte Walzer)". Unfortunately he'll never be able to sing or perform it. So, maybe I'll find someone who will sing it instead of him, so that at least I have something to remember and dedicate to this wonderful human being.

May thou rest in peace, Peter Alexander! - What a big loss for all of us!

At the Sigmund Freud Museum

2011-02-04T10:52:00.001-08:00

Where am I? - Right, at the Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna. Why am I there? - Well, it's because my next lesson will be about the "father of psychoanalysm". Though the museum is really not big, you'll find a lot of useful information on Freud. There are pictures all over the walls with significant biographical data.

Unfortunately his famous couch is to be found in London, where Freud died in 1939. I enjoyed the visit anyway and on this picture you can see me in his waiting room. People used to say that a picture says more than a thousand words, but I hope that my video will say more than a thousand pictures.

But first of all I gotta there's a lot of translation-work to do. This one's gonna be a hard one, as psychoanalysm is really not so easy to explain.

We'll see, or better, you'll (hopefully) see the result within the next weeks!

Lesson 13 / Lección 13 / Leçon 13 / Урок 13

2011-01-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

Here it is!!! If you wanna see me in action, just watch my latest language-videos:

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3k93Q0F2xU

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEVfJ-65cxQ

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4judPORqmEQ

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2fhiUxKp1g

Hope, you'll have as much fun watching it, as I had doing it.

Ice skating on Rathausplatz

2011-01-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

Not bad, right? - Well, as you've probably already guessed, I'm still working on my video which will be about winter sports in Vienna. It's a bit harder than I thought it would be as this time there are a lot of locations that I have to go to. Here I'm skating in the heart of Vienna on Rathausplatz - you'll see it it my video (provided I'm able to finish it).

I'm desperately waiting for a bit of snow. In December we've had a lot of it and now? - Nothing! :( I really need it for my last scene, which I hopefully can shoot within the next days. At least, the weather forecast promised some snow and though I hate snow, this time I'd really be glad to see some snowflakes falling down from heaven.

Oh Lord, please let it snow !!!!

Me on "Hohe Wand Wiese" skiing

2011-01-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

After half an eternity I tried out what it's like, to go skiing after such a long time. It's been my first time on the Hohe Wand Wiese, which is located in Vienna. I was really lucky as there were perfect conditions and very few people. So, it's been the ideal day for my video-report. I even tried out snowboarding - well, you'll see my desperate fight with this board in the video.

Still on my storyboard is "ice skating" and some other funny things. Unfortunately right now there's no snow in Vienna - not even the smallest snowflake, so I hope I can keep my timeschedule. We'll see ...

Going skiing ...

2011-01-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

... that's at least what I wanted to do. - But due to the bad weather, which consisted of fog and light rain, I decided to postpone my plans.

You're wondering, where I am? - Tyrol? Styria? - No, I still haven't left Vienna. This is the Hohe Wand Wiese in the 14th district, but the slope looks steep anyway.

When I was a child I used to ski during the whole winter. My parents taught me how to do it and I even won a couple of small ski-races. Well, but that's really years ago and nowadays I even haven't got a pair of skis.

So, I really wanna try it after such a long time - I actually have to, as this will be part of my next video-language-course. So, you'll soon see me "racing" down this hill ...

My personal New Year's speech to the world

2011-01-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2011! - This is my little New Year's speech to the world - I wish everyone on this planet love, peace and freedom!

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CJp07cz5tM

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

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK3qOcnG8uM

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6iQI4nBKCI

New Year's Eve 2010 in Vienna

2010-12-31T20:44:00.000-08:00

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

Video: Silent night (Medley)

2010-12-14T03:40:00.000-08:00

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!

Lesson 12 / Lección 12 / Leçon 12 / Урок 12

2010-12-07T14:47:00.001-08:00

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 !!! :)

Christmas in Vienna

2010-12-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

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.

My videos on Utubersidad in Latin America

2010-11-17T07:39:00.000-08:00

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.

Lesson 11 / Lección 11 / Leçon 11 / Урок 11

2010-11-14T06:05:00.001-08:00

Better late than never, but here's my 11th German Lesson. This time it's about the Vienna Central Cemetery.

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VzFlzBOI-8

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7VtpFei-YM

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmQt71oVp-0

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYH7YJvkWg4

Lesson 10 / Lección 10 / Leçon 10 / Урок 10

2010-10-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

Lesson 9 / Lección 9 / Leçon 9 / Урок 9

2010-09-28T02:31:00.000-07:00

What you've hopefully been waiting for - here it is:

English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMOEk8IS7qE

Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqfaE7-M0MM

French
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JXkv3BSbR0

Russian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsDoBxvdTI

Learn & Enjoy!

House building Level V

2010-09-21T02:07:00.001-07:00

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.

Bahnorama - New Central Station

2010-09-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Lesson 8 / Lección 8 / Leçon 8 / Урок 8

2010-09-13T04:40:00.001-07:00

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!

Vienna Opera Museum

2010-09-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Giving up our videostudio

2010-08-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

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!

Seefestspiele Mörbisch - Zarewitsch

2010-08-23T09:20:00.001-07:00

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.

Lesson 7 / Lección 7 / Leçon 7 / Урок 7

2010-08-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

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

Tree cracked after thunderstorm

2010-08-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Moving our audio-studio

2010-08-11T01:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Nationalpark Donau-Auen

2010-08-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Lesson 6 / Lección 6 / Leçon 6 / Урок 6

2010-08-04T02:13:00.000-07:00

So, here is something new. It's about the Vienna City Hall and I've also added a short video clip of the Life Ball 2010.

English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfZWCHwltk0

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

Spanish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjdzAi-Uaoo

Russian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0akuykPvFWk

Go-Kart Racing in Teesdorf

2010-07-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

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!

Life Ball 2010 - Video Short Cut

2010-07-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

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

2010-07-18T03:34:00.001-07:00

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!

Lesson 5 / Lección 5 / Leçon 5 / Урок 5

2010-07-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Danube Island Festival 2010

2010-07-01T11:08:00.001-07:00

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!

Donauinselfest - Day 3

2010-06-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

Donauinselfest - Day 2

2010-06-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

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!

Donauinselfest - Day 1

2010-06-26T02:57:00.001-07:00

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 ...

Lesson 4 / Lección 4 / Leçon 4 / Урок 4

2010-06-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

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 ....

House building Level IV

2010-06-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

Vienna Zoo

2010-06-15T10:15:00.001-07:00

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 ;)

Lesson 3 / Lección 3 / Leçon 3 / Урок 3

2010-06-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

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

Schönbrunn Concert

2010-06-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Mojito Bar - Burggarten

2010-06-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

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.

Preparing my third lesson

2010-06-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Demonstration against Israel

2010-06-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

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!

House building Level III / German Course Lesson 2

2010-06-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNp6NbVr-5Y

Alemán con Sonja (Lección 2)

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

Song Contest 2010

2010-05-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

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!

I HATE MY VIDEO SOFTWARE!!!!

2010-05-27T05:35:00.000-07:00

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!!!

Vienna Prater

2010-05-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

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.

Did it again ;)

2010-05-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

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!

Level II in house building

2010-05-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

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

The beginning of the construction works

2010-05-10T03:29:00.000-07:00

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.

German Lesson 1 on Youtube

2010-05-09T03:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Working on a German-Course for foreigners

2010-05-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

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.

The Vienna Prater on May Day

2010-05-01T09:48:00.001-07:00

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

Time for a poem

2010-04-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

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.

Baby Shower Party (Part Two)

2010-04-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

... 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)

2010-04-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

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 ...

Presidential elections in Austria

2010-04-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

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!!

My birthday!!!

2010-04-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

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.

My new cell phone!

2010-04-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

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.

The healing of my elbow

2010-04-21T02:59:00.000-07:00

I guess, I've already mentioned it before, but I'm suffering from an aching elbow, since January! After having consulted all kinds of doctors (a general practitioner, an internist, a neurologist), I tried it with a physiotherapist. By the way, none of the doctors had made a correct diagnosis. They were all more or less clueless and only prescribed me some dubious medication which I fortunately did not buy or take. In contrast, the physiotherapist, my "healer" Ingrid, immediately found out the reasons for my pain. It's a kind of muscle injury. No inflamation, as the general practitioner assumed, and it's also got nothing to do with nerves, as the neurologist guessed. Ingrid even had the right therapy for me. She used a strange device that's got something to do with electricity. Don't ask for further explanations, but after all it really got better and to me it seemed like some kind of spontaneous healing, though the pain's not gone completely, but it's a lot better than before. So, maybe I should sacrifice my "healer" Ingrid a lamb or at least do some ritual dancing. However, I'm really glad that I've found someone who literally cares and cures!

My "healer's" website:
http://www.lymphpraxis.at/

Trying to learn Russian in the VHS

2010-04-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Just came back from my russian course in the VHS, which is the abbreviation of Volkshochschule and is somewhat like a school for adults. Today we were only four people out of ten. It's really a pity that most students have lost their interest quiet fast and have given up studying after only a few months, though this fact is not so bad for the remaining people. We're progressing very rapidly, but the problem could be that there won't be enough people for the next semester. I've borrowed a Russian slang dictionary from the library and it's really funny. Here's an excerpt: "Ты с ума сошёл?" (Have you gone mad?) or "Ты мне действуешь на нервы" (You're getting on my nerves). Well, these are just the unoffending phrases. Folks, believe me, you don't want to hear the other ones!

The Vienna Town Hall (Rathaus)

2010-04-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

As today nothing really exciting happened (I practiced playing piano, worked on the translation of my website, went to the library, a.s.o.), I thought, I'll make you happy with another picture of Vienna. This is a rare view from the park that surrounds the Rathaus. Most photos only show the front view, which isn't bad either, but I prefer the unusual and rahter unexpected. By the way, I'm the photographer of all the pictures you see in my blog (just in case you'd like to have one in a higher resolution or for publishing purposes. Only wanted to mention it). So, on Sunday I'll probably add a picture of our parliament, as we've got the presidential elections on the 25th of April. Actually, this is the day of my birthday! I'll go to the polls anyway, though the choice isn't really overwhelming. We've only got three candidates. Two of them are pretty unknown and won't have the slightest chance of being elected. Maybe I'll vote for the present president Mr. Heinz Fischer, but I'll let you know on Sunday!

Dying my hair - superblonde

2010-04-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Actually I wanted to add a photo of the Vienna City Marathon that took place today, but unfortunately I've somehow overslept this important event. Ok, it was not my intention to take part in it, but anyway, some pictures would have been nice. So, I'll postpone it to next year. Instead of running around with my camera, I visited my mom. She had the "pleasure" to dye my hair. She doesn't mind and I can save a lot of money. I've been dying my hair since I was 25 or so and I've really grown used to this color. My natural haircolor is boring brown which I didn't like at all. So, I started dying my hair and I must say that it only had positive effects. It's not greasy anymore and it's stronger than ever before. That's why I'll probably continue dying my hair until I'm old an grey (or still superblonde).

Me in front of the Votivkirche

2010-04-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

I just met some friends of mine on Rathausplatz (you know, the Styrian festival in Vienna). It's been nice strolling around with them and having a good chat. On this picture you see me relaxing in the park in front of the Votivkirche. The weather's been really fantastic and not a single airplane ruined the idyllic silence. You may have heard about this ash cloud from the islandic volcano that stopped all flight-traffic, which is quiet a disaster for the aviation industry, but frankly, I don't really mind at all, as I suffer from a severe kind of aerophobia, due to a bad experience. (Maybe I'll tell you more about it in one of my upcoming posts.) Well, so my fear of flying makes me stay most of the time in Vienna. Maybe bad for me, but good for you, as you'll see some of Vienna's hotspots through my eyes.

Better weather on Rathausplatz

2010-04-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

After I've created an Excel-sheet for our fiscal balance and filled it out properly, I took a little walk to the Rathausplatz. I know, I've already been there yesterday, but today the weather was a lot better and of course, there were masses of people. The Edlseer, a famous Styrian band, performed their hits on the main stage and most of the fans sang along with them. The atmosphere was really good and everyone enjoyed the Styrian food and especially the different sorts of Styrian wine. After having strolled around for about two hours, I shortly dropped in at the office of Kleine Zeitung. Now, again a couple of hours later, I continue working on the translation of my website. As this "Steirerfest" goes on until Sunday, I'll probably pass by one more time. So, chances are good, that you'll see another picture of this event.

Kleine Zeitung on Rathausplatz

2010-04-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hi, everybody! I just came back from a celebration on Rathausplatz. My company, the Kleine Zeitung, had rented a stand right in the middle of Rathausplatz. Business managers and representatives from Styria showed the beauty of their province in the heart of Vienna. The only bad thing about it was the weather - cold and rainy! Anyway, me and my collegues had a good time, drinking some couples of white wine (Muskateller from Styria). Maybe I'll go there tomorrow to make some better pictures. At least, the weather forecast promised no rain.

Income and Expenditure Statement - ugh, yuk!

2010-04-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

René (not in the picture) and me, while working on his Income and Expenditure Statement. After we've questioned two officials in the tax office about the "how to do a tax return", we started working on it. But we soon found out, that there were still a lot of open questions and so we went to the secretary of our former bookkeeper. She told us more about it and we tried it again, this time with a little more know-how. Yet, I'm not too fond of working with numbers and accounts and all that stuff. It's always been my most hated subject in school and now I know, why. It's really boring! Anyway, I guess, we'll just have to go through it. Tomorrow's another day!

My visit to the doctor

2010-04-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

Today I went to see the internist with the vague hope that he might take a blood sample in order to provide a firm diagnosis of my aching elbow, or at least send me to a radiologist. To make a long story short, he did nothing of the sort. He gave me the address of a neurologist and told me to go there and have my arm examined. Frankly, I have little hope that the neurologist will find out the reason for my pain, but at I think, I should give him a chance. Though the social system in Austria is quiet okay, it's nevertheless very complicated to get the treatment you're looking for. So, I'll just keep on wandering from one doctor to another. Maybe in the meantime my elbow will heal itself.
Guess, I've yammered on long enough. Now it's time for my Russian course. Gotta go!

Elbow pain - how annoying!

2010-04-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Again I'm working on the translation of my website, despite an aching elbow. Well, to be precise, I don't know exactly the reason for this pain, but fact is, that I've had this slight pain for about four months and now it really starts annoying me. So, I went to see the doctor this morning to find out what's wrong with my damn elbow. I expected that she'd examine my arm, or at least send me to a specialist who'd analyse my blood or someone who'd x-ray my arm. Well, all she did was prescribing me a package of anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving tablets. Maybe she thought she'd do me a favour, but come on, it's not even clear whether it is an inflammation or not. So, tomorrow I'll have to consult another doctor and I'm very curious what his diagnosis will be. I surley am not going to take any kind of pills without knowing against what!

Burgtheater / Vienna

2010-04-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

After a two-hour-meeting with my "language-exchange-partner" from Spain, I took a little walk around the city, though the weather wasn't too nice. I decided to add a picture of our famous Burgtheater, which is situated on the Wiener Ringstraße. On the opposite side of the Burgtheater there's the Rathaus, which I'll probably add one of the next times. I've just copied the following information on Burgtheater from the internet and pasted it to my blog. Speaking Spanish at 11.00 a.m. on a Sunday is not so easy. So, I'm a bit "perezosa" (span./lazy)!

The Burgtheater was created on 14 March 1741 by Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria to be a theatre next to her palace, and her son, Emperor Joseph II called it the "German National Theatre" in 1776. After the second World War it was reconstructed. It is one of the most important German language theatres in the world. Three Mozart operas premiered there.

So, that's it for now. I'm just watching "how to play piano" on youtube and found some very interesting lessons.

Torturing the piano

2010-04-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've just spent a lovely afternoon with my parents. You can see me sitting in front of the piano that my brother has kind of "parked" here for an indefinite periode of time. Well, at least until the construction works of his house are finished, though they haven't yet begun. However, after nearly 30 years of not playing piano, I gave it a try and guess what? - Right. It's been a horrible, discouraging and disastrous experience. I've forgotten everything! Okay, about time to admit that I never really knew how to play this tricky instrument. I started out with about 9 or 10 years of age and continued taking lessons for the next two or three years (don't remember exactly), but the point is that I never wanted to play by notes. I simply hated those boring Etudes and so I gave up far too early. Now, 30 years wiser and more disciplined, I'm willing to give it another try. I even found some pieces that I'd really like to play: Ragtime and Boogie. BY NOTES!!! So, that's one of the reasons why I didn't add an audio- or video-file of my "virtuosity", as you wouldn't notice that it is ragtime. Well, maybe the notes I play are really r-a-g-g-e-d, but certainly not in the scheduled time. So, please be patient!

UNO - United Nations Organization

2010-04-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took part in a guided tour to the UNO. I've been living in Vienna all life long and now I thought it was about time to pay a visit to this building. We were only a few participants, about 8 people and a disabled girl, who always wanted to be led by the hand (my hand included). But it was a nice group and an interesting tour. It's just been a bit astonishing that there were not too many employees. Closed offices, an empty conference room and a confusing labyrinth of stairs and endless corridors. Maybe because of the Easter holidays. Anyway, though the interior appeared to me very clean and modern, I still felt a bit uncomfortable. Two interesting things that our female guide told us. One, the official languages spoken in the UNO are exactly those, that I'd like to learn or have already learned: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. The other thing is: The rent for this huge building is only 7 cts/month. That's kind of symbolic and had been negociated during the Kreisky era (one of our former chancellors). In conclusion I can only say that it's been a nice experience, but I don't think I'd like to work there. (okay, I may never get into this situation, but it's just the impression that I have)
http://www.unvienna.org/unov/en/index.html

Cupping

2010-04-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

Just came back from a "cupping session". Just in case, you're wondering what it is, here's the explanation: It refers to an ancient Chinese practice in which a cup is applied to the skin and the pressure in the cup is reduced (by using suctioning out air), so that the skin and superficial muscle layer is drawn into and held in the cup. It didn't hurt too much, though I really could feel something going on underneath my skin. I just wanted to thighten up my thighs a little and it seems as if it works. After the treatment my thighs looked a lot better than before. So, I guess I'll repeat this procedure someday soon. Well, I decided not to add a cupping-picture as it doesn't look too appetizingly. (Maybe next time, so you've got some time to prepare yourself mentally)
Instead of me suffering, you see a photo of my yesterday's "rainy Vienna tour". This is the statue of Empress Maria Theresia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresa_of_Austria

Buying storage boxes at IKEA

2010-04-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

After a short visit in the office at Kleine Zeitung, I met with my friend René and we bought some storage boxes. Make a guess where? I'll give you a hint. Look precisely at the picture!
Just in case, I didn't mention it before, we're about to sort out all paperwork that has accumulated over the time. We really have the intention to organize and store everything in a better way. As we've been renovating the whole apartement over the last four months, we're yearning for an end. Next step will be, to move our audio-equipment from the basement to the first floor. I don't even wanna think about it! Tons of cables that we'll have to unplug and reconnect. So, I'm sure, we'll have lots of fun within the coming weeks.

Taking pictures in rainy Vienna

2010-04-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Rain, wind, clouds, low temperatures! - Yet, I decided to go for a little walk and as it is boring to do nothing while strolling around, I took my camera along. On the picture on the right you can see me on Heldenplatz. Maybe I'll add some of these photographs to my website, but not right now, as I still have to work on my translations. Anyway, it's a bit strange to walk through your hometown, taking pictures. I really felt like a tourist, though there were not too many because of the bad weather. An advertising man tried to offer me a city-tour and another recruiter wanted to sell me some concert-tickets. I've cordially rejected both offers. After about two hours of wandering around, I finally went home. The pictures I've taken were not too bad, but one thing, I'll have to do before my next photo-trip is to learn a lot more about the camera-settings. The other important message to myself is: Only go out, when the weater is fine and the skies are blue!

Studying Russian on Donaukanal

2010-04-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

This time I took advantage of the lovely weather to sit down on a bank on Donaukanal. Of course, I didn't only relax by doing nothing. I tried to read the russian magazin "По свету". Thank God, it's got some translations within, as I'm just a beginner. Yet, I've already managed to translate a few stories. Learning like this is far more interesting than memorizing all those boring grammar rules. To give you an example of my progress, I'd like to write the following phrase in russian. One moment, gotta change the keyboard settings.
Я считаю, что в наши дни очень важно знать несколько языков.
What does it mean? Translation: "I believe, that in our days it is very important to know some languages." But please don't ask me, how long it took me to type this simple sentence. My excuse is, that until know I haven't got a bi-lingual keyboard, so I only can guess where the russian letters are. However, it's always fun to take up new challenges.

Hard work in the garden

2010-04-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

That's me, family and friends (from left to right: Alexandra, Horsti, me, Norbert and Hanna). As I've already told you, my brother and his wife Alexandra are going to build their new house. But before the construction works are going to start, we had to move the thujas from one side of the garden to the other. It's really been a lot of work. Unfortunately I couldn't do as much as I wanted, as I suffer from an inflammation of my elbow. Think, I'll have to see the doctor to X-ray my damn arm. That's why I've only done simple things, like holding the thujas or pushing the wheelbarrow from one end of the garden to the other. Thank God, it's been a lovely day with pleasant temperatures and everybody enjoyed working underneath the sun. By the way, the picture you see, was photographed by my mom. She's really got talent. However, after all this hard work, we celebrated Easter. We've had a lavish dinner, accompanied by a tasty wine, called "Grüner Veltliner" from the vineyard Wöber. It's really the best wine I ever drank. I guess, within the coming weeks and months I will add some more pictures of the procedures, concerning the construction works.

A hard day's work

2010-04-02T02:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I've really had a hard day in the office. I transcribed two long interviews and did a lot of paper work. I'm not going to write about details, just wanted to let you know how my workplace looks like. Sorry, I'm in a hurry, gotta go right know ...

Fiaker in Vienna

2010-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

As promised, I've added another picture of Vienna. On it you see the fiacre stand on Stephansplatz, which is a very popular tourist attraction. You can rent such an ancient coach and take a guided city tour. In 1900 there were over 1000 fiacres cruising through Vienna, now there are about 144. Sometimes I feel a little sorry for the horses. I'm sure, they'd more appreciate to gallop over green meadows. Another thing that is not too pleasant when passing by, is the smell of their stinky "apples". Then you better not breathe. So, just enjoy the picture - it's odorless!

St. Stephen's Cathedral - Vienna

2010-03-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

For all those who are not so fortunate to live in Vienna, I've added this picture of St. Stephan's Cathedral, Vienna's number one sightseeing spot. Unfortunately the picture doesn't show, that it's been a quiet windy day and around St. Stephan's Cathedral (Stephansdom) it is always windy.
Just wanted to say, that I've got to substitute my colleague (only this week) and that's why I have to pass by this huge monument every day. By the way, I work as a part-time secretary in the Vienna branch office of the styrian/carinthian newspaper "Kleine Zeitung". I really enjoy working their. Nevertheless I won't report on internal matters, so I'm afraid there won't be too much to write upon this week. At least I can always add some pictures of my beloved hometown Vienna.

More information on Vienna's number one attraction:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen

My pet Spocki

2010-03-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

May I introduce you to my cute pet "Spocki". It is a boy and was born in 1993 so I really hope that he will make it to his 17th birthday in august. On this picture you can see him eating his favourite dish, which is raw chicken. I'm really glad that he never overeats and I guess that's one of the reasons for his relatively old age. The only thing I've done and am still doing over the years is, to add some water to his food, as cats normally die because they're not drinking enough. Result: kidney failure! To prevent Spocki from dying this way, I always mingle cat food such as Sheba, Whiskas a.s.o. with plenty of water. I think this is a good way to make sure, that he is drinking sufficiently.

Translating my website to English

2010-03-28T10:26:00.001-07:00

That's me, performing in my own musical, called "Country Hasi Show". It's already been in 2006, but right now I'm about to translate my whole website to English, which is pretty time-consuming as I have to translate all those tiny little bylines. I wish I hadn't added so many pictures back then, but I'm always telling myself that it is once and for ever, so I guess I'll have to keep working on it. Next challenge will be to do the whole thing in French and Spanish. Well, though I absolutely wanna bring it to an end, I'm not really looking forward to it. I console myself with the modified song-title "Creating your own website is a dirty job, but somebody's got to it."

Relaxing with 4.4 pounds less

2010-03-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is me, enjoying the sun with "coffee cool". Guess where? - But what I'd like to let you know is that I've already lost 4.4 lbs (finally found a converter, so 50 kg is 110 pounds) within only 10 days.This may not sound too much, but I think I'm on the right track. Just wanna make it to 101 lbs. That would be great!
What I found out concerning weight-loss is as simple as that: You can eat whatever you want, but not as much as you want. So forget about diet pills, slim drinks and all the other expensive stuff. It's more a psychological thing. It all starts in your head. If you don't believe in yourself, you simply won't make it. And talking about losing weight: Your body needs far less food than you're probably thinking. Success is always a matter of patience and endurance! So, good luck and never give up on your dreams!

Language Exchange with Oksana

2010-03-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

I just met with Oksana, a friend of mine from the Ukraine. I'm very glad she came back to Vienna to study German. By the way, she speaks German a lot better than I speak Russian. It's a very complicated language. Anyway, I understood a little bit more than the last time (that was in December 2009) and we were talking for about two hours, while we strolled through the inner city of Vienna. After some time of walking we sat down on a park-bench on Heldenplatz, where we enjoyed the sun. To me it is always amazing with how little knowledge of a foreign language you are able to communicate with others. And we were talking about almost everything. Of course, we have an "emergency language", which is English, though we're constantly trying to avoid using it. So, I wish you blog-readers health, good luck and success, which means translated to Russian: Желаю вам здоровья, счастья и успехов!

Another day in the garden

2010-03-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is Alexandra, my sister-in-law, and me. We've bought some wooden stakes to put them behind our thujas, just to make sure that the soil doesn't fall on our neighbors property. Well, we really worked like hell. Thank God it's been a windy day and so we didn't sweat too much. I wonder what it's gonna be like once the construction works for their house have started. They're planning to have it finished by the end of this summer. Though I do hope that it will turn out this way, I have a few doubts. However, after our busy garden work we all (including my parents) drank a good glass of wine. I'll keep you up to date concerning the construction-progresses. Now I've got to finish, as I'd like to watch "Germany's next Top Model".

Studying Spanish on Donaukanal

2010-03-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

The best place to study are the green slopes of Donaukanal. The birds are singing, the water of the river gently babbles by and one can't help but fully relax. You can see me reading a spanish book (okay, it's for children), but I don't wanna be demoralized by some sophisticated lecture, that makes you look up every second word in the dictionary. To say something in Spanish: A mi me gusta mucho leer cuentos infantiles, porque casi siempre están llenos de humor y de actividades. Aúnque a veces no entiendo todas las palabras, creo que vale la pena. Me alegraría mucho recibir comentarios de Espana o Latino America o tener amigos por correspondencia.
Well, back to English. For those, who don't speak Spanish, I only can say: Mala suerte, which means bad luck. (big smile, just kidding)

Exercising on Donaukanal

2010-03-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

Though I wasn't quiet in the mood for jogging, I have overcome myself and went outside to do a little workout. I'd like to lose at least 3 or 4 kilos, which means that my ideal weight would be around 45 kg. Now I weigh shocking 50!!! - I know what you're thinking right now, but you have to keep in mind, that I'm only 1,55 m tall, so I've got to do something before it's to late. Furthermore, I've seen the other day something real spooky: A frightful documentary about the Brookhaven Obesity Clinic, where people suffer from 200 and more kilos (or pounds?) overweight. I hardly could believe my eyes. To me it's simply incredible what a human body can look like, I mean, the overstreched skin, all this fat around the inner organs. I never knew that something like this really exists.
You can watch it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPXITCU3HZM

Seeing this, should encourage everyone to lose weight.

Anyway, back to my own workout. It's been a lovely day with warm temperatures and it smelled like spring. After some minutes of slow running, I started to enjoy it and even played a bit around on a public training ground. On the picture you can see me hanging up side down a bar. I just wasn't fast enough to push the 10 sec "delayed-action-shutter-release" (there should be a better word for this) on my camera and so it looks a bit dangerous.

Dog-sitting

2010-03-22T06:11:00.001-07:00

Today I've had the honor to take care of our familiy-dog, as my brother had to work and his wife couldn't get away from her rehearsals. By the way, her name is Alexandra Reinprecht and she's an opera singer. I'll tell you more about her in one of my future blogs. But what I wanted to say right now is, that Mimi (the name of the dog) is really cute. It is a girl and sometimes I have the impression, that she understands every word you're saying and knows exactly what you're thinking. I walked her around in the nearby park and then the both of us relaxed a bit on the small balcony of the appartement. When she felt, that I was about to leave, she went to the entrance and layed herself down, right in front of the door. Then she gave me an accusing look as if to say: "You're not going to leave without me!" Of course, I had to, though it almost broke my heart. "Poor, little Mimi", I thought, "it's really hard leading a dog's life."