We have often visited the Albertina and Mom would always have the same complaint; "they aren't even half the Louvre and they don't allow photos." Lol. She managed to take shots sometimes, I think but  only with her phonecamera...on our Saturday's adventure though, she wasn't able to take any except some at the front lobby and outside. Albertina was showing the works of Walton Ford, Picasso and Michelangelo then.

(Poster about Michelangelo and a blurry photo of me with the Oper behind)

Mom sees to it that we learn about great artists whether be it paint, poetry and music. Of course I know better now...Michelangelo's name - from the teenage mutant ninja turtles and all the other 3 turtles' name come from an Italian great.

On our way to Mozarthaus mom and I chanced upon one of the city's old tram. This tram is special in a way because it has been preserved and is only used once in a while. For the long nights at the museum for example, during special exhibits and I think they can also be rented for weddings.

At first this is much the same face of the present higher trams but inside you'd see the difference. The insides are completely made of wood and there were no doors!

October 2002 (8 years ago)

Dad and I taking a nap on one of those cold autumn days.

It has been exactly 8 years ago on this date when mom and I came to Vienna. This is one of the earlier pictures I had with my dad. (Dad came a year earlier to Vienna.)

Mom would always tell me a story of how I never wanted to get near my dad, if he approaches me I slap his cheek immediately...Well, maybe it's because I don't know him from infancy. I only saw when in person when I was more than a year old. But now, I know how I love my dad and that I could never hurt him in that way or another. :)

This is another of mom's "go-there-and-pose-like-this-as-I-take-your-photo" photo. We had at the most three times visited the Danube this summer (and fall). Dad was actually practicing his flying skills....well, with his RCs and mom and I and my brothers are just there by the grasses and side of the river, enjoying the view.

Oh! Thanks to tita Irish for my hello kitty watch, it's my fave.

Our first hop during Saturday's long night was Hundertwasserhaus then the Belvedere...it was there that raindrops started to fall but for just a few minutes.

I remember visiting the place back when my younger brother was still small, he was in his strolller then. It was spring so the tulips were in full bloom and the sun was shining brightly. We toured the whole Palace grounds and the  park beside it. We didn't get to the museum then, I think they were doing renovations.

So that night, mom and I had the chance to see the display at the Orangerie. We turned right first and there were the info desk and the souvenir shop. To the right again was an event, make-up styling I guess. Mom was allowed to take photos in here since there were other photographers there. She urged me at first to had my face painted but I refused so she settled with the other subjects in the room. I also refused having a photo with them.

Before going to the other wing, I asked mom to buy me a small musical box playing Beethoven's Für Elise. My little brother enjoys playing with it.

At the other side were displays of "Sleeping Beauty" (Schlafende Schönheit) opposite to that of the what we saw earlier, Living beauties ( lebenden Schönheiten).

Again, photos were not allowed but I saw lots of people who did. Take stubborn Mom for example...she had two.... :D

(E.B-Jones)

Posted for Wednesday Window.

(Display shelf outside the haus)

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Mom long wanted to visit the Mozarthaus. She just couldn't because we started school again and as always she's been really forgetful. Thanks to this year's Long Night at the Museums, we were finally able to pay a visit.

(The big door)
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Mozart's house is at the back of the big church where my brothers and I shoo the birds during summer. The street reminds me of the game My Empire, it is uneven and would do the toktoktok when you walk on it...must be really old since mom said Mozart lived there 200+ years ago!

(Mozart drawing made by his friend)

Mom could be hardheaded at times, I told her not to take photos while we're inside but still she had two or three after seeing someone else doing it. (She was tempted she said.) We saw lots of things that belonged to Mozart, even letters, coats, piano sheets he wrote, masks and a lot lot more.

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I can only play part of twinkle twinkle little star, the piece which Mozart composed. Though I think Emily Bear, a really wonderful pianist my age (see my sidebar for a link to her webpage) can do all Mozart pieces...she even composed a lot of pieces already ...wow!

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See more photos and related story here.

I started my piano lessons last year. Since I had studied flute before I can read the notes easier now. Five months into the lessons, my teacher; Walter, teaches me pieces by Beethoven like Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy) and Für Elise. Here's a video of Ode to Joy mom took sometime in March. The piano seem a little out of tune though. :D

Yesterday was the first day of the new semester and I started learning number 7 of Opus 823 (The Little Pianist) by Carl Czerny. Hopefully I get to play it well soon.

Hair clips, hairpins, barrettes, headband, hair band - with small ribbons, flowers, big ribbons, in different colors or plain, if a girl wears it she becomes cuter. Well, that's what mom would often tell me or that's how she persuades me to have one. I anyway like having them on specially on bad hair days. (Yes, I often have those days...)

Mom said that when she got time, she'd be doing some for me using my headbands which have lost color.

Here is a step by step "how to" in making a hairbow.

1. Cut a length of fabric for the main part of your bow. Make it twice as wide as you want your finished bow to be and twice as long. A 2O inch width of fabric is good. But you can measure just by eye.

2. Fold the fabric in half, to make a rectangle, with the patterned side of the fabric in the inside. Pin in place.

3. Sew along the long side of the rectangle, to make a tube.

4. Sew along the top of the rectangle and the fold the tube inside out to show the patterned side of the fabric.

5. Fold the rectangle in half again, then sew the two short ends together.

6.Organise the fabric so that the two joined ends are at the back and in the middle of the rectangle. So that you wont see them when the bow is finished.

7. Squeeze the rectangle together in the middle, and play about with how you want your bow to look.

8. Make another, smaller rectangle of fabric and wrap it around the middle of the larger rectangle to hold it in place how you like it.

9. Cut and sew the end of the smaller rectangle, whilst in place around the larger rectangle, leaving space to slot a hairclip or hairband.

From: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Big-Hair-Bows

Dad got a new camera to mom's delight. I just knew that she'd be using it immediately for sample shots. That spells "me and my brothers."  :)

We went to our regular bible study last Sunday. Afterwards mom asked me to pose by the yellow wall...she long wanted to have this kind of shot. Yes, you noticed...I cut a bit of my hair all by myself and this is the result...you can clearly see those loose bits flipping away. So here it is, me without earrings, a not so nice haircut and as often as other times before, in pink.

This bolero that mom bought back from the Philippines is becoming a favorite. When the sun goes a bit brighter at noon but the wind still cool I wear it over tops...just perfect.

I got a few centimeters taller. :) My pants is now in the 134-140 range. Yipee!!!

"That pink hat," as my mom calls it has been very helpful this summer...Notice that my skin hasn't returned from being beach-color to sunkissed. With this hat, I can hid my face and actually not add more color lol. I had other summer hats before and all of them from straw but this one has the widest brim therefore the bigger shadow to occupy...

I'm not sure if I'd still be wearing a hat when I get older...for now, mom fondly takes pictures of me with it, so I just let it be.