Makiko Itoh : Not a nameless cat.

Gala Apple: Colored pencil (Faber-Castell Polychromos).

A Gala apple is a medium red with a yellow-green-orange undertone, and quite streaky. Getting that streakiness is rather difficult.

The apple also looks rather lanky.

I haven't really done much with colored pencils before and so far it's a rather frustrating tool But I think I will stick with it for at least a month.

Three little pigs (no. 2): Colored pencil (Faber-Castell Polychromos).

This is the Year of the Pig (or more accurately the Boar) for sure, but pigs are a symbol of good luck in Switzerland and other areas of Europe. These are tiny little sugar pigs (about 1cm / 1/3 inch or so wide), flat on one side so they can lie flat on the top of cakes and such.

New Year's Concert: Wiener Musikverein concert hall, all decked out for the New Year's Day Concert 2007.

New Year's Day doesn't quite feel like the start of a new year, mainly because it's a holiday. I also usually wake up rather late, and slightly groggy. Not that I overindulge on the champagne or anything, but something about New Year's Eve makes me want to stay up way past my usual bedtime, even if it's just watching old movies.