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To Face the New Year with Some New Styles -- Shirley's 572nd Friendly Greeting Which Is from Beijing- Feb 8, 2018

Hi,Dear Friends

How are you? Have you had a good week until now? I do hope you have, and enjoy a wonderfully new day.

On my side, since I wrote to you on Jan 21,2018, except painting two landscapes below, I have done many things.

The best thing is the bad situation which had no a stable technology supporter for about 2 years between 2016 to 2017 has totally finished. Now, I have had a network company as my software developer and a reliable friend as my technology system administrator.

Therefore, since yesterday afternoon, within just 24 hours, both of the network company and I have basically corrected the obvious mistakes on the homepage of my web site, which could not be resolved during I was working on my last publication for over 1 years.

Because having the stronger technology supporter, yesterday, I had a discussion with the publishing house for I wished to improve something in my publication, which I did not satisfy yet but I had no way to do it for I had just a temporary and quite weaker technology supporting during I worked on the publications, after asking help from many individuals. Now I want to catch the winter vacation of the university publishing house to re-fix it.

In fact, I needn’t to make this trouble for myself since it has passed the checkup of the publishing house and on the way of applying its ISSN and it will be certainly published in the end of March, 2018 according to the plan of the publishing house. However, I wanted to do it, not only because more than 100,000RMB has been spent on it, but also, it did not reach the level we should be and could be if I had a suitable technology supporter, and what I wished to do is something best for my readers and never wanted to give them something so-so for just saving my time, energy and money, even though I have felt more and more pressure from all of these aspects after seeking the cross-cultural and comprehensive dream for 18 years, still, I want to do my best.

I am quite glad for the publishing house not only said Yes, but also gave me some good directions and reminded me to pay more attention to something on the re-fixing job.

With a grateful heart, I had another discussion with the network company and my technology system administrator, both of them and I will work together and try to improve it and re-complete the jobs before March 7, 2018.

Then I will have 6 publications with books, CDs, DVDs and Web Sites under 2 series for the Cross-cultural and Comprehensive Art Project. Two publications of the second series were/ would be produced during I am a student of Chinese National Academy of Arts and before I get my MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from the school.

As a part of the results of the research work, I wished them serve the teaching part of the project. The first series which was published in 2002 should serve the project in China, the second series which was published in 2013 and 2018 and in the future should serve the teaching jobs in the USA and the other Western countries. I mean the Cross-cultural and Comprehensive Art Project in my dream should include 4 sections: creation, research, teaching and business. My current publication is the general publications of the research section. Dissertations or papers should be the other part of the research section.

The other good or interesting news is:

--- I was drawn into a classmate group of my first university, with so much surprise and happiness, 21 classmates and I have had some very kind talks and we had fixed all of the classmates list including cell phone, number of Wechat and mail address already. And on Feb 4, the Beginning Day of Spring according to Chinese solar terms, two of classmates in Beijing Mr. Ma Lianshun (a Senior Teacher of Beijing 101 High School, in the black & red jacket on the 3rd, 5th and 6th photos ) & Mr. Xu Qianhe( an Associate Dean of Beijing College of Sports, in the black jacket on the 3rd and 4th photos ) invited another classmate Mr. Zhao Zhicheng (a Vice Minister of Propaganda of a city of Heilongjiang Province, in the blue sweater and on the 3rd and 6th photos ) and I had a lunch reunion.

My feeling is that I have come back to the university times and be in a very warm, delight and relaxed team. Although we have parted for about 30 years, what we had shared in the university sounds like happening yesterday, so, for me, I had no any psychology block to talk with anyone in the group.

The pity and sadness is 6 of our classmates have passed away, 4 of them are so young and 2 of them for some traffic accidents, that makes me more cherish our reunion, classmate friendship and what I have had today.

--- Because of a quite accidental opportunity, I have made my car much more comfortable and cleaning. Do you know why and how?

On the same day my former class monitor Mr. Yang Guangyin (he is on the last photo on the right and this thing had been told you in a previous letter) delivered my car to me, which he had driven from Shenzhen to Beijing for 2 days. I cleaned it and asked the workers to fill the water for my car’s windows. However, it did not work when I used it later, so, I went to the same car store and asked them why on Feb 3.

A few of young boys (they are on the 7th photo) who are younger than my son checked it and told me that a little thing which covers the connection of 2 tube was broken, but they are a store just cleaning the car and they had no the little things at all. So, I had to buy it somewhere else by myself.

Oh! My God! I just got my car and I do not know anything relates this kind of jobs at all in Beijing. So, I asked them to help me to buy the little thing and I would like to pay for their help.

They said yes but they needed some time to do it. So, they tried to temporarily find something to fix it before they buy it. I was happy and touched by their responsible jobs, so, I wanted to buy some things in their store for appreciating them.

However, can you imagine? When I left from their store, I had not only bought the membership until July, 2019 -- I left from the school, but also, I had also bought a set of stuff and changed the carpet, seat covers and cushions and so on. Of course, they fixed all of these for me.

In two days, they called me and changed the little thing on the connection. I did want to take a working photo for them, however, I forgot to carry my camera and cell phone, so, I gave every young boy a big apple which I just bought from the supermarket near their store during they were working on my car.

So, I am thinking, sometimes, a business patronage to us, does not need a good advertisement, but just for a sincere service or a kind word or a good service attitude.

--- Two artists who had helped me to find my current apartment before I came back to Beijing in June, 2017, Mr. Wang Rong ( whom I met first time, he is on the last photo, the second one from the left), Mr. Yang Guangyin (on the same photo, the first one on the right ) and their friend Mr. Xie (on the same photo the first one from the left) and I had a good dinner talking for welcoming the upcoming Chinese New Year.

--- I have studied 1,600 new English words, read aloud 4,800 example sentences and 90 VOA articles, answered 8,000 questions and completed 30% of my plan in 2018. If there is no anything special, I will complete my work plan on this section for whole of the year ahead 8 or 9 months.

--- A surprised thing which I do not know good or bad is that recently, I felt itch here or there, at the first I was scared it was the sign that a new allergy would come since it had happened twice from feeling itch in two winters in the USA, during the Thanksgivings in 2008 and the Christmas in 2015. The interesting thing was that before I saw a doctor, I felt too bad that I just attached some of Australian Lanolin Cream with Vitamin E on it, which I had just used on my hands in the past for about 15 years, then, the itch was gone at once. So, instead of going to a hospital, I just used it on anywhere I felt bad.

After using 1.5 bottle of the Australian Lanolin Cream with Vitamin E, the itch was weaker and on my hands and face, some old or brown skin was gone and some new and fresh skin appeared there.

Anyway, I had the similar situations after several surgeries although I did not use anyone on the area of the surgeries, so, I guessed they were the results of the iodine or the sterile water.

So, I am not sure, it is because of the Australian Lanolin Cream with Vitamin E or it is a sign that I have totally recovered from the long-term sicknesses, or both. Anyway, I haven’t felt any ache in any bones after coming back from the Taihang Mountain in the cold December, 2017 and now, except two fingers have some tight feelings, I have not had any sharp or endurable aches in almost all of my bones which had often accompanied me for 8.5 years since Dec, 2009 to July, 2017, which symbolized that my immune system was abnormal and led some sicknesses in other systems. .

I am not sure about it yet, but I have thought of the words “hibernation” and “skin peeler”. Maybe just like a little snake, after suffering a long-term severe winter, I am putting off the old skin which has with some breath of sickness in the past 8.5 years, but welcoming the upcoming spring with whole of the fresh skin?

I do not know it clearly, but I would really like to face the new year with a more healthier, confident and grateful heart, to work harder for making my little cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream to be true.

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?

Photo Notes:

No.1. I was eating Spring Pancake in the classmates’ reunion on the Chinese Beginning of Spring (lst solar term) on Feb 4, 2018.
No.2. The white wine in the artistic bottle which I sent to the 3 classmates, the two books which were written by Mr. Xu Qianhe(he is in the black jacket on the 3rd, 4th and 5th photos ) and the Chinese tea which Mr. Zhao Zhi Chuan (he is in the blue sweater on the 3rd & 6th photos ) brought and both of them sent them to me as their gifts and Mr. Ma Lianshun(he is in the red and black jacket on the 3rd,5th and 6th photos) treated us the lunch.
No. 3. Three classmates of my first university and I in the Siping Restaurant in Beijing, from left to right: Mr. Zhao Zhichuan,Mr. Ma Lianshun, Me and Mr. Xu Qianhe.
No. 4. Mr. Xu Qianhe sent the two books which he wrote to me.
No. 5. Mr. Ma Lianshun sent our photos of the reunion to the group of the classmates.
No. 6. Mr. Ma Liansun answered the phone call from our class monitor.
No. 7. The group of young people who helped me to fix my car on Feb 3, 2018.
No. 8. My car in the new "underdress".
No. 9. A group of artists and I. From the left to right: Mr. Xie, Mr. Wang Rong who was major in Chinese mural painting in China Central Academy of Fine Arts. Me, and Mr. Yang Guangyin who was major in Chinese flower and bird painting in the same school and my classmate and class monitor.

Shirley's Art Works-1321--Chinese Xieyi 768--My 604th Assignment of CNAA & the 197th One of the Second Phase-Jan 26, 2018

Shirley's Art Works-1322--Chinese Xieyi 769--My 605th Assignment of CNAA & the 198th One of the Second Phase-Jan 28-Feb 3, 2018

I am just a student on Arts of Painting, Music, English and Management,and work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do something with what I have learned, to make this little web site to be a little Electronic Bridge of Cross -cultural and Comprehensive Art Study and Chinese Language Learning, to help the others while to improve myself.

I would like to appreciate you for your good understanding, directions, supports and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Shirley Yiping Zhang

Feb 8, 2018 (Beijing Time)

In the Past 3 Months -- Shirley's 593rd Friendly Greeting - May 6, 2019
Happy Chinese New Year! -- Shirley's 592nd Friendly Greeting - Feb 5, 2019
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! -- Shirley's 591st Friendly Greeting - Dec 25, 2018
The Road Is Long, Far & Winding, Still I Am Seeking My Dream -- Shirley's 590th Friendly Greeting - Dec 11, 2018
Take Opportunity - Shirley's 589th Friendly Greeting - Nov 11, 2018
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