LSS - Old Photographs

Listening to this song means going down memory lane. Whenever I'm out to pick the kids, I sing this unconsciously and then I wonder why people were looking at me (admiringly, I guess haha). It is as though every word has been written for me, being away from the rural place I'm familiar with..."the country lanes and byways that makes us long for home."

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Congratulations!

I remember back in school we had recognition days allocated for kids finishing grades 1-5, this is like the equivalent for the graduating class only they will still be in school the following year. If I'm not mistaken, it is called "moving-up" nowadays...please correct me if I'm wrong. This event is to recognize kids for their achievements in class, character development and extra-curricular activities. Back then I had my share of receiving medals and certificates; for being an honor student, for topping the Spelling Bee or the Bible Quiz or for being "behaved." I never got an award related to numbers except for being Best in Numbers when I was a 6-year-old in kindergarten class. lol. Somehow, I know I made my parents proud...

Looking at it now, I think award-giving does not only boost kids' morale but it feeds parents' egos as well. Don't get me wrong, I think such awards are beneficial too but I don't like that some of those left without an award are affected by the fact that they didn't get any. I think competition in this sense is unhealthy. :( I might be wrong but that's just my opinion. Being on top of class has it perks, you get to be a scholar, you get to have a say...but I think I also learned that ability and strategy in life (speaking from experience) matter, a lot.

Since schools here doesn't have such recognitions and awards I find that my kids doesn't have this pressure to be ahead of the others. They learn and study and play at the same time. Since the theme is scheduled for March I thought that it is timely to show recognition and graduation photos...I have none but to all of you moms, Congratulations to your little one! 

Lourdes Parish Church, Tagaytay City, July 2010

Today, I'm relating the theme to the same wedding event I featured last week. I know, it sounds odd but my older brother was the last of us three to get married. Too bad that my dad wasn't able to witness his unico hijo walk down the aisle (he passed away June of 2009). 

The photo above shows us without the bride (sister-in-law). That would be D, my youngest at the farthest side; MG, my nephew carried by my brother-in-law; my older sister, my mom, my brother, my daughter and I (in gray) and hubby and his look-alike, our older son.

Taal Vista Hotel, July 2010

Here you'll see sister-in-law and our uncle (mom's brother) included. It may take some more years before we get the chance to have a family photo again...Congratulations to my Kuya and his wife...not just for tying the knot but for the new blessing coming their way! (Heard the wonderful news yesterday.)

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Getting to know me q's

Fickle-minded me can't contain myself in one blog...I got a personal blog, a foodblog, a city blog and a mom blog and still, am not satisfied. :( I've joined a number of sites, networking, aggregators, photo communities and most of the time I forget my login details for them. lol.

I discover things around me and about me in different situations...I think, getting to know one's self is a continuous process. So here are some of the questions for this week that I'll answer.

1. what inspires you?
- photos, vintage edits, bible, reading

2. what was the last thing you bought yourself?
- nozzles (baking)

3. would you rather watch a movie in a theater or from the comfort of your own home?
-home theater :)

4. household chore you don't mind doing?
-washing the dishes

5. coffee or tea?
-tea please

6. what could you eat every day and not get sick of??
-sushi

7. what's the last book you read?
- reread: Daddy Longlegs

8. do you think you look you "look" your age?
-no, I look older :(

First entry for:

Blossoming

Spring, at last! Like a moth to a lamp, I am loving the flowers despite the sneeze brought about by pollen allergies.

Boat

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime,” goes the cliche. I say give him a boat as well and he'll feed the whole village. :)

A post for UE Challenge's theme boat.

White

Dawty and little boy goofing around at the Taal Vista Hotel grounds.

July marked my brother's wedding and we flew home to be part of it. First time the kids attended one to be precise. They absolutely loved the prince/princess play being in white ensembles.

Papa's girl and Papa

I love weddings most particularly garden and beach weddings. Where there's not much demand to be all too formal and quite. Where there are less instances of people getting unconscious having enough air to breath... :D

Look alikes

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Itim (Black)

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Hindi maikakaila ang galing ng mga rebel artists o yaong mga gumagawa ng graffiti sa mga pader. Ito ay isa mga guhit na nakapukaw sa aking atensiyon...habang naglalakad isang gabi ay natanaw ko ang gorilla na ito sa pader.

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Chiaroscuro. Matagal ko ng hindi  nakapag-eksperimento at maglaro ng ilaw. Yaong tinatawag na chiaroscuro...ang paglalaro ng ilaw at kadiliman upang lumitaw ang hugis ng isang bagay n ipinipintura o nililitratuhan. (Kuha sa aking archive dahil umalis si Moks - aka hubby - bitbit ang camera.) Happy LP!

Hajimemashite...

Hi! I'm Gizelle or Marie to some (G to my closest friends). I am Harold's understanding wife and AB, C and D's wholesome mom. If I may add, I am also one  who firmly believes in the one, true God. 

I was born and raised in the Philippines, south of Manila, so I only learned Tagalog while growing up. Given the chance, I would have chosen another or two other dialects.

I am a writer and photographer by profession...should I have pursued my career. :D Back in college, I consider myself more of a hands-on writer and photographer than a journalism student. I was learning the ropes of how to be a journalist as a staffer of UST's publication, the Varsitarian, instead of as a student listening to lectures. I was doing beat report in and outside the campus.  I was there being part of and writing history during the oust of then President Joseph Estrada and I also covered the NBI for the Philippine Daily Inquirer for some time. Those were the days...

Unforeseen circumstances lead me to another path...that of motherhood. A welcomed and exciting path. I became a mom 5 days before my 21st birthday...and have been a proud mom of 3 beautiful kids for 9.5 years now. I've decided to take my kids as the subject of  my writing and photography. Thus, the stories behind the photos that you often see featured in this blog.

(hubby is of Singaporean descent, my kids took on more of his genes)

We've been in Vienna since 2002 (two boys born here). Been taking photos since day one; all archived by hubby for posterity. When my youngest boy was born (March 2006), I've stayed a stay-at-home mom to help all three with school stuff and be with them longer. In between, I submit articles and conceptual photos for magazines featuring my kids...my stint as a stagemom slash photographer (click to see some of the printed photos). ;) I also sell photos and of course write paid reviews. I used to host the SAHM Project, a bi-weekly project (almost like a meme) where I feature things I do with my kids. Hmmm....must be high-time I revive this project wilth all you moms out there!

I love reading books ever since I was a child. I'd pick up my mom's college books and read them repeatedly. This is the reason why I love writing too.  I take inspiration from Jane Austen, the Brönte sisters, the Bible, Neruda and Haruki Murakami. The latter prompting me to study Japanese, my fifth tongue (still learning). Aside from Tagalog and English, I also speak German fluently and am still mastering Spanish. 

Japanese food is my weakness,  I can eat raw salmon 24/7...ohhh Unagi (barbecued eel) and tuna in all its glory  too!

Like most of you, I like to shop. I especially  like to shop for shoes. I am  from the land of Imelda after all...

I love traveling. I particularly like to take photos of different places capturing their culture, what is known in them and what is different from the other places I've seen. This is one of the many common things I share with hubby. We also love movies, animes, mangas, playing tennis and other sports (basketball included) and go on adventures in different places though he's more to it than I am, I'll just take photos if given a choice. I won't go beyond climbing up the Eiffel tower...he'd go bungee jumping had he the chance. He loves to snowboard but I'm contented taking his photos.

I enjoy being on the move, taking the chance to sweat when I can. I do bellydancing and  Pilates but have stopped since I started going to  the gym regularly. I see to it that my heart races even for just 15 minutes a day.

Why "Mirage?" Mirage (/mi-rash/) means something unobtainable...it's an adjective that I've always associated myself with. In life, there are things that would be just an illusion, no matter how near they may be.

There are a dozen more things I love and spend time doing but if I am to sum  up my life in photos, these would best describe me:

 Please pardon that I am so used to being behind the camera that I rarely have a solo shot. :D Sorry too that this  write-up has taken so much space. I think this is the first time I wrote about me and I discovered myself more as I write. Arigatou gozaimasu; Gracias; Salamat; Danke schön;Thank you for taking the time reading about me. Again, this is Marie, a jack of all trades, master of none but for now, I'm just a  contented stay-at-home mom.

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I used to have different niched blogs but have combined them all here....this blog is actually in the process of renovation. :D

I maintain a city daily photoblog, ViennaDailyFotos.
A drive by photography collaboration, Drive By.

A listing of memes and a collection of badges's codes, DailyMemeBadges.
An inactive meme for photo postcards, PostcardPerfect.

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Special thanks to Mommy Willa for listing me at PMC and guiding me to the the Bloggers Exchange. To Mommy Rubz for additional ideas for Meme Badges and also creating this community and all you mommies for the warm welcome.

P.S. heads up to Stef, Irish , Janice and Anna for the companionship. ;)

A post for Weekend Blog Follower Caravan #9

Lighthouse

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.” - Dwight L. Moody

Lost in Translation

I went to the turkish shop at the corner of the street to buy some fruits. I particularly wanted oranges, the kind with loose peel. (That actually sounded like cellulite!) Inside, I can't help but take a photo seeing this: greyfruit instead of grapefruit. :)  I had to check if this is the turkish name but I was convinced that this is just a confused fruit. lol. 

Anyhow, I did bought some oranges and bananas...the kids need this regularly as spring approaches...their allergies are also starting to. Aside from the usual medication they take Vitamin C and what other minerals thec can from fresh fruits.

Whenever I'm not able to get those loose peel oranges, I get the other types but make orange juice from them...we just love this citrus! Some weeks ago, I had this supposedly healthy meal from Yili...that's where I get my fix of wraps and bagels. I came back last month because I promised Kuya O that I'll get him some bagels. To my dismay, they've changes their menu. Gone were the bagels and wraps, there are still a few of the familiar food I like but not my favorites... :( There were more catered to chinese food now which is not so healthy IMHO.

(Chicken guacamole wrap, orange juice and a sort of turon-banana in a wrapping with sugar glaze, chinese style)

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Vintage

A post for Shutterday's Challenge: Vintage.

Blogged

In my attempt to be a work at home mom, I sell photos and write articles for certain magazines. Blogging, where opinion is a big influence, is another way for me to earn money. It's not much but at least, I get to do something I like, and get paid for it too.

So, I signed up for a get-paid-to-blog website where advertisers and publishers interact. Publishers get paid reviews about services and websites, while advertisers gain promotion and readers from the links. Both parties gain traffic and deeplinks that would be easily indexed in the blogosphere. Thus increasing their page ranks.

The website is very easy to navigate (and with an all-new hip layout), once you sign up and give the necessary details, you put certain codes in your blog and wait for approval (which takes no longer than 3 days). If your blog passes the requirements, you're good to go. You can choose a category where your blog fits and this will determine the assignments that will be given to you. Also, the advertisers can pick and give assignments to blogs they deem would fit their exposure purpose...direct hiring, so to say, where an extensive list of publishers is available.

The fee given ranges from 1$ up. :) Measly? No, it will add up soon, like what happened to me now...5$ more and I can have a withdrawal...Payment is sent through the publisher's paypal account.

If you own a company, this is a better option to have your services and products advertised. Blog advertising is not only cheaper, it is more effective as each individual blog is global and exposed to different groups of readers. Read , why blog marketing is the new trend in advertising.

Yoyogurt

(strawberry milkshake, dawty and her yogurt in a cup with smarties and candy sprinkles, older son with his yogurt on a big sugar cone with the same toppings as Ate and 5kg jars nutella)

This is my second yogurt post for this month. :) As what was previously said, I don't usually get my fix of yogurt craving unlike the kids. I stock yogurt and yogurt drink (like yakult) in the fridge for them. Speaking of yakult makes me think of Japan again. Seriously do I have to link every post to them? Waaah. I'm just glad that Mommy Clang of Kizuna has sent a message that she and her family are doing okay, save for a few things to be cleaned at home.

Yakult (yakuruto) is derived from yogurt too, it is a Japanese probiotic milk-like product made by fermenting a mixture of skimmed milk with a special strain of the bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota. (I remember this from the TV ads lol).

Yoyogurt also serves crepes, fillings of which include apricot jam, strawberry jam, nutella, vanilla or a combination of any of them. I hadn't the chance to try as I was still so full from an earlier lunch out. We only decided to try out the place as I got another deal from Groupon.

Other delectables to choose from would be doughtnuts, milkshakes and cookies.Kuya O had strawberry while I had Pi


One of my favorite food bloggers is raising funds for Japan here, we can donate a bit or so too.

Talkative as I am I chatted with the server and she has a familiar smile that prompted my to ask where she's from (I assumed she's not from Austria based on her looks). I was surprised when she said she is Austrian-Filipino with a wide grin.

It would be awesome if they would have other branches throughout the city. The lone yoyogurt is a bit far from our place so we cannot go as often as we'd like.

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 Yoyogurt
Gasometer
Guglgasse 6
1110 Vienna
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and

Purple!

(goofing around at the city center)

Yesterday's meme had Pink for the theme. Today, it's purple. Both of these colors tend to be associated with girls...so dawty would be the subject of today's post again. :) I had to rummage my file photos to find a solo shot...nada.

The beanie she wears is actually mine. I let her have it since it fits her down jacket perfectly...well they're of the same shade obviously!

I then opened a facebook album looking for a particular photo when I saw this; a solo, finally!

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Kulay Rosas / Pink

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Prinsesa ka ba noong bata ka?

Tila ang mga batang babae ngayon ay mas pinipili ang rosas kesa sa ibang kulay. Kaya naman ang mga taong  nasa likod ng kalakaran ay ito ang ibinibigay sa kanila. Maraming mabibiling t-shirt na kulay rosas at ibang uri ng gamit na ito ang nakalagay "Daddy's Princess." Kadalasan ay naikakapit ang kulay rosas sa pagiging babae o may pagka-feminista...kaya naman ang karamihan sa mga bestida o toga (gown) ay niyayari sa telang may bahid ng rosas. At ganoon ang pakiramdam ng aking anak na babae pag nakasuot ng rosas....lalo na kung sinasabihan siya ng kanyang mga kapatid "you look like a princess."   Marami ding rosas na damit ang aking anak, ito naman ay personal nyang pinili...gayunpaman pinipilit ko pa din na may ibang kulay niyang mapapapagpilian.

Noong ako ay bata pa hindi naman ako nakaramdaman ng ganito. Hindi ako partikular sa kulay ng damit. Marahil iyon ay dahil sa hindi karamihan ang mapagpipilian ko. Hindi ko masasabing mayaman ang aming pamilya. Ang aking ina ay isang empleyado ng gobyerno at ang aking ama naman ay isang marinero (seaman). Tamang naibibigay lang ang dapat. Dahil palaging malayo ang aking ama, koreo lang ang paraan ng aming komunikasyon. May maminsan-minsang pag-uusap sa telepono at talaga namang masayang masaya kaming naririnig ang boses ng isa't-isa.

Ang pinakamasaya kong alaala ng aking ama ay iyong umuuwi sya. Kapag nakikita ko siya, alam kong palagiang nandiyan ang aking ama. Na kahit umalis siya at maglayag sa Europa ay babalik siya at muli naming makakasama. Hindi man ako prinsesa, ako ang paborito niya...

Pero ang mga ama ay umaalis din...papunta sa kung saan hindi na sila babalik. Masakit man pero panandalian lamang yan kaibigan...kailangan lang magpaalam.

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Itinuring ka bang hindi lamang paborito kundi prinsesa ng iyong ama? Sa mga kaibigan kong namimiss ang kanilang ama kagaya ko, ito ay para sa inyo.

He drops his suitcase by the door
She knows her daddy won't be back anymore
She drags her feet across the floor
Tryin' to hold back time, to keep him holdin' on

And she says, "Daddy, Daddy, don't leave
I'll do anything to keep you
Right here with me
Can't you see how much I need you?

Daddy, Daddy, don't leave
Mommy's sayin' things she don't mean
She don't know what she's talkin' about
Somebody hear me out?

"Father, listen
Tell him that he's got a home
And he don't have to go
Father, save him
I would do anything in return

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Kaya't pakiusap, mahalin ninyo ang inyong ama (at ina) habang sila ay nandiyan pa. Hindi mo na kasi mgagawa iyon kung mawala na sila. (Still, John 5:28)

Yukata

Some of  my sisters and brothers in faith  during a convention. Obviously, the yukatas will tell you where they're from. 

The Japanese people of the war ain't the Japanese people of today. The war itself was very bad but there are  those who found forgiveness in their hearts (thank you). I hope you find it in yourself too. (Watch this video on youtube and read the comments to know what I mean.)

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Thoughts of Japan

I was watching videos of the earthquake and tsunami that occured in Japan. I can't help but cry, my heart goes out to everyone affected of the tragedy in one way or anoother. I am specially wanting to hear of a fellow blogger, Mommy Clang. She left a comment around 12 noon (Japan time) on Friday and I've since been visiting her FB page and her site, Kizuna, to check on her. My cousin who I messaged at the same time I messaged Mommy Clang replied yesterday that they're ok and another friend living in Chiba still feeds me with news of tremors, grocery stores being empty and whatnots.

I've had for so many times expressed my fondness for anything Japanese that it even prompted me to learn the language. It's no secret that I enjoyed learning it more than I enjoyed learning German, the language of the country I am living in. I love watching animes even as a kid but my enthusiasm was amplified later on when my kids show the same interest.  It was my ex-boyfriend (now hubby) who made me love Japanese food and inclined me to read mangas...so you see, I cannot discount the feeling of sadness seeing the devastation a country who brought the world karaoke, video games, cosplay, and most especially their greatest contribution to the food industry...

I wrote a haiku over at my other blog and I'm sharing it here too.

doko ka ni 

 akai taiyou Nippon wa 

joushou suru ne

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somewhere there

 the red sun

Japan will rise 

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I believe in their capacity to pick up the pieces and rise as a nation. Until then, my thoughts and prayers go to everyone in Japan, my home country; the Philippines, neighboring countries and  all places where the tsunami ripples ended up.
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Here are some of the photos I took some weekends ago...during the Aninite cosplay event. It's being held in Vienna annually and very near our place too. Hubby and I would certainly prepare for this come October. We will all each dress up as an anime character. :)

(A styrophor onigiri at the door, onigiri has been a Japanese staple dating back as far as the 11th century  as Samurai's quick lunch. Mario, Luigi and friends; one of the most popular game characters Japan's Nintendo has created. Aerith Gainsborough,  a player character in Square's (now Square Enix) console role-playing game Final Fantasy VII.)
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I've mentioned Kuya O in my previous posts. He's my highschool senior who's been based in Osaka for some years now. He is in Vienna for a research program. We've been scouring the city for good scenes and good food...having been used to the freshness of seafood in Japan, we would often go Japanese.

Below is Kirin's big serving of sushi that my little girl ordered. Kirin is a restaurant specializing in Asian cuisine...located at the heart of the city and coincidentally very near the Nihon News agency. Kuya O pointed the building sign to me while we were looking for Kirin. (I sometimes...rather, often get lost around.)

We were at the place around two o'clock in the afternoon and there weren't much people dining...well, most were leaving already considering that it's late lunchtime. We were greeted by a friendly server, a Japanese-speaking Chinese! :)  I talked to her in German while  Kuya O talked to her in Japanese. She gladly took our humble orders with a smile...and courteously left for the kitchen.

It didn't take long for the miso soup to be served followed by our obentou. I had grilled tuna and Kuya O had yakitori (skewered chicken)...both are served with spring rolls, salmon sushi and maki and fresh fruits for dessert. The sushi were good but the tuna dish isn't something I'd swoon over. Next time I'll try the yakitori too!

There's a lot more that I love about Japan and Japanese in general but I will save them for other posts. For now, my thoughts of Japan would be enough.

Kirin

Gonzagagasse 17

1010 Vienna

+4319551211

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A thought on Parenting

(my daughter in a red beanie I made for her)

“One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child's name and how old he or she is.” -Erma Bombeck

Parenting is never an easy task. I've been a parent for almost 10 years now and I know that no matter how careful I'd be, there are still a handful of things that will go wrong. To the quote, it is the one thing that I always get right! I know my kids' names, their ages, social security numbers and anything else that needs to be written down when filling up those forms you submit often...I know them down to the smallest detail like how long were they when they were born...

I hope raising kids is as easy as filling up their names on a piece of paper or knowing their ages but this is truly a responsibility not given to wimps nor the callous. One must be versatile, ready to wear a different self when the situation calls for it. I don't believe that there's a perfect formula for parenting...kids after all are as diverse as each of us are.


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A post for UE's Weekly Challenge for the theme headwear.

Freshii frozen Yogurt

I won't deny that I am or have become a health buff as of late. For one, I bake and grill than fry and  I incorporate more soup into our daily diet. I try to reduce the unhealthy fats by substituting olive and coconut oil for the usual vegetable oil when frying. It isn't much for me but I am turning over a healthy leaf for the hubby's sake. I don't get to see what he eats at the office so I have to make sure that he eats healty at home. Sometimes I would fix him a bento complete with fruits because the workaholic him would stay hours on his PC even when his stomach growls.
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One of the health food that I crave for is yogurt. My kids regularly have their share of yogurt but I don't  - so once in a while we go out for some frozen yogurt. The kids actually would actually insert popsicle sticks on yogurt (still in containers) and put them in the freezer and have them as popsies but they enjoy it ala gelato too. Frozen Joghurt/Yogurt is a new in Vienna. (Yep, I've monickered this city as "late-trender" - trender pertaining to trend and not the one who free wool from its filth.) Freshii is the second foodjoint that we visited offering frozen yogurt. They have a wider selection of toppings and other food choices than at Yoyogurt...where the kids and I spent an afternoon snack of donuts, cookies and smoothies after they got well from the cold.

Above is yogurt topped with mango and banana. It was dawty's but after a spoonful, she gave it to me saying the yogurt tastes odd...surely, this is the super sour kind with the toppings not blending in. :( I am not sure of going back soon but hopefully, that was a first and last sour cup experience.

I also took home a bag of chips, garlic-rosemary if I'm not mistaken and this was good. Oh, while at the counter, there was something  familiar that I laid eyes on...those yummy black seeds that we munch on while watching TV at home! Butong Pakwan (watermelon seeds), I exclaimed to myself. Turns out they were actually pumpkin seeds with rosemary hehe. Well, I told the person at the counter that we have such back home and he said it would be a good idea for them to try.

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Freshii
Donauzentrum
+431 202 32 66 
Wagramerstr. 83-85
1220 Vienna

P.S. Though spelled Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt - I prefer using Joghurt (german). lol

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