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The Ordinary and Great Work--Shirley's 103rd Friendly Greeting--Sun, September 2, 2007

Hi,Dear Friends

How are you? I do hope that you are well and have an easy and relaxed weekend.

Sunday noon, as soon as I came back from my vocal music lesson, I cooked food and dishes with my electric cooker and gas, while I was working in my bookroom. Suddenly, my door bell was ringing while I smelled some bad fragrance. Wow! My dish on the gas was burnt! I jumped up and rushed into the kitchen. The smoke was full of the room. Some guards of the building administration office were looking at my kitchen’s window under the building.

I waved my hands to appreciate them for a terrible accident was avoided.

Ten years ago, I gave up the apartment that the company had distributed me and I bought this one, for it’s in the golden area and is convenient for my son to enter the best school. Now, my son has been abroad for 6 years. Many people want to buy it from me.

Yes, I can buy a new apartment or a new house at once. But, I keep living here. One reason is that I have not made sure where I will go after I retire. The second reason is that it is near the company, hospital, sport center, post station, supermarket and bank. The third reason is because I like its topping building administration.

Every Monday morning, before I leave for the company, I can hear the woman official ask her colleagues: What is our target? They answer, to offer a topping service. Yes, they do have done that.

Since I moved here in 1997, I have seen how the garden, where we are living has getting more and more beautiful. The administration from handwork to computers. There are more and more services for the old people, children and women: healthy checking, painting and calligraphy game, singing and dancing, traveling here or there. The best thing is that I feel safe, comfortable and easy to live here. Every morning, I get up in the songs of birds in the green trees and flowers. Every night, I work until midnight and I never worry anything about safety. In case I meet difficulty, as soon as I make a phone call, I would get a good help.

Sometimes, my mailbox, hose or the door bell did not work, my cleaning lady called the service, things would be ok in the same day. Days ago, I was awaken at 3:00 am by some terrible sounds, I called them, they told me that was the typhoon had entered the fire protection tube. They would deal with it within 10 minutes, then the sounds disappeared soon. Sometimes, they reminded me that I had forgotten to close the window of my car. They climbed up the building and entered my room via a window to take my keys out. Also sometimes, they made us sure the people who knocked at our doors were some investigation people from somewhere, instead of tickers.

I do not have any family in the city, since my son left for abroad. I do not make sure who are who and what are their family names. But, I do have a safe feeling. I do feel that I am one of the true hostesses of the garden and the building.

How about you? Do you enjoy living in your community? Do you satisfy with their service?

Shirley Created Combined Art -- 012: A White Snow Song
I created the picture to match a poem by Gao Shi in Tang Dynasty (618-907) and to describe a landscape in the Northwest of China. The first 4 lines of the poem are famous, for it is written out a beautiful view after a too early snow: The north wind rolls the white grasses and breaks it. Snow starts to fly in the Hu place in August. As if suddenly a blast of spring wind has come last night, blossomed thousands and thousands pear flowers. I imagined it in my mind and I created two birds to fly facing the wind with a brave and optimistic quality and the lovely feeling of caring for each other in the hard and cold time... I was excited to paint the snow for I have not seen any snow for about 24 years. When does it snow on your side? Have you felt the spring breath in my painting?


Shirley Created Art -- Chinese Xieyi 0151: An Old Tree in the Spring
After painting 150 Xieyi Painting with colors, my teacher asked me to learn to paint with only Chinese ink and showed me how to paint. To be honest, I did not like this picture and its meaning indeed. But, as a student, I followed my teacher's meaning to paint it. Maybe someday, I will also enjoy painting this kind of paintings? After all, I had not liked Chinese Xieyi Painting and Chinese Gongbi Painting when I just started to learn them. After all, I am interested in them more and more now. How do you see this picture? Do you like it?

Bilingual Song--006: Shirley Sings a Chinese Art Song--0028 "My Motherland & I" in English & Chinese
It is for 6 Sundays,that I drove for about 1.5 hour to have 1.5 hour lesson from my new vocal music teacher. I feel within the 6 weeks, I have learned something more than in 6 months. Today, I have sung until High C, it is higher 5 white keys on the piano than I just went her. She thought that my diapason has been widened to sing as a soprano. So, she is teaching me Italian and hopes me to sing in Italian with Italian style. I recorded the English part of the song alone. And I tried to use the way my new teacher has taught me. It was not easy to sing in English and I always sang the words "Smoke of Kitchen Chimney" as " Smoke of Chicken Chimney". So that I have read it at least 50 times and recorded it about 30 times. Also, there are certainly some mistakes in my translation I think. I do hope my effort will be a little bit help to your Chinese language learning...

Chinese Classical Poem 0094 -- 0022(By Chen Shen) & Shirley Created Music-0022:Bai Xue Ge -- A White Snow Song.
Have you seen snow flowers flying along with wind in August? It was something often 1300 years ago in the far away in the frontier area in Tang Dynasty (618-907). Just in the so hard environment, some people were fighting there with an optimistic hearts. This poem is famous not only for it has expressed a very positive feeling, but also for it has written out a wonderful view after a snow in August. I had introduced its first 4 lines in December, 2005 and I had created a piece of music to match it. This week, I have created a new picture and calligraphy for it, too. I do hope my effort will be a little bit help to you to know more about Chinese culture and language.

Shirley's 25th Chinese Running Regular Calligraphy: A White Snow Song
This is my 25th Chinese calligraphy that I have written on my 12nd combinative painting to match a Chinese classical poem. And hope you enjoy it.


I am just a learner on art, music, English and the work on the web site in my free time. Anyway, I would really like to do a little bit things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be An Electronic Bridge Of Culture Exchange, Friendship and Language Learning. During the process to help the others and to improve myself.

I do appreciate your understanding, directions and supports. I do hope to get your great help continuously now and in the coming time...

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn or shirleyz004@yahoo.com. You are welcomed to publish your opinions in the forum.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Written and Edited on Sun, September 2, 2007

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
More...