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The Warm from Family & Hometown ... Shirley's 78th Friendly Greeting...

Hi,Dear Friends

How are you? Have you had a good new week? I do hope you are well and have a relaxed and easy weekend.

I had a 9 day's Chinese New Years Holiday since Feb 17 and I flied to Wuxi to visit my parents and my younger brother's family last Saturday.

I spent a happy time with my family for 3 days. To teach my niece to paint, to sing for my parents, to walk by the Tai Lake with my brother and his wife, to see a painting and calligraphy exhibition, to enjoy the plum blossoms, to visit my former colleagues and neighbors, to eat in the restaurants. When I sat among my parents and younger brother's family to have the first lunch together, a dear and warm feeling grew up in my heart. I felt that I have had a family.

In the short 3 days, I felt much care for and love from my family. My younger brother bought a new air-conditionor and fixed a new Internet line in his bookroom for me. When I went upstairs to rest in the midnight, the hot air in my bed room and the warmth from electric equipment on the bed made me moved. After all, all of these were done by the younger brother who was growing up on my back. I mean when he was near 3 years old in 1966, the Culture Revolution started, my father was closed somewhere. My mother was in the hospital. I, a 9 years old little girl stood the responsibility to look after my sisters and my paralysis elder brother who had gone away 4 years ago, while I carried my younger brother on my back no matter where I was.

Now, the youngest one in the family has not only had his own family, but also he has created a very successful career. Following Chinese tradition, he wanted to stand the responsibility to take care of our parents as the only boy child in the family. He picked up my parents to his home and offered them a comfortable life condition. However, my parents chose to live in the rest-home for they wanted to live among the people with same age, while they did not want to bring my younger brother any burden. Then, like two Elder Little Children, every weekend, my brother and his wife bring them back home and every Monday they send them back the rest-home (I call it as a kindergarten).

Ha, my parents are really a couple that the more they are elder, the more they love each other. With a 82 years old age, they still play Men ball, cheers and music; reading books, writing calligraphy and doing everything hand by hand with a happy and harmonious way. They took part in a Men Ball Game by Wuxi TV Station as a couple of the elders, as the members of an elder's Men Ball team of a university, they took part in the game of 6 China eastern provinces and cities in 2006 and ended in the second place.

Tuesday morning, when I sat between my parents in my brother's car to go to the airport, I felt as if I had come back in the time as a 5 or 6 years old little girl, who was in a light blue dress that was sewed by my mother and be carried on my father's shoulders to see some music performance. When we were at the airport, my father drew my suitcase and my mother's hand my hand, I hold her when I felt her hand was cold and I wished to warm her with my body temperature. I felt that her body has changed weaker and smaller and she is at the age that needs to be looked after by her children. Both of my sister in law and I are thinking of ordering a wheelchair for her, for making her to have a rest at any time.

That day, since I was on the airplane until I reached at home, I made or got 5 telephones with my family. The care for and love among family are warming our hearts via the telephone calls.

How are you? Have you had a good holiday recently? Have you felt the warm love among your family?

Shirley Created Art -- Chinese Xieyi 0124: Fine Spring Scenery
This is my 2nd picture within 3 days after I came back from my New Year's Traveling to celebrate that a good friend got 2 babies within 2 weeks. I worked on painting it from 10:00 pm until 3:00am. As usual, I did not make any draft, just painted it with my brushes and colors directly freely with a very enjoyment emotion. After I finished it, I could not help to smile to myself and asked myself, if I had a boyfriend or a husband, would he like me to start a creating at such a late time? Would I have a freedom to have a creating as today? Do you have any artist family? If your dearest was in the emotion to create at some special time, how would you treat her/him? Give a support? Be Angry? Or to wonder at nothing?


Shirley Created Art -- Chinese Xieyi 0123: Welcome Spring
It is still in the Spring Festival holiday. But, it is near the time for Chinese art students taking part in their national exam of the art colleges. My Chinese art teacher still works and I have my lesson normally. First time that I learned to paint this new plant, as soon as my teacher left, I forgot its name. But, I can imagine what it is like. My teacher thought it is a good picture except the leaves of the bamboo, so I got 85 marks only. I do agree with the comments and I think that my bamboo painting level needs to be improved via much more practice. How do you think of this picture? Do you enjoy it?


Shirley Created Art -- Chinese Xieyi 0122: Happy Valentine & Spring Festival
I created this picture in the last art lesson on Valentine's Day. It is not a holiday and most people do not celebrate it, except the young people and the students in the university. Especially when the most important Chinese festival and holiday would come on Saturday, so this year, the atmosphere of Valentine's Day is weaker then the other years. Most of the people are still working on things they have to do. So, I kept having my art lesson as usual. Anyway, for it is import to you, so, I had sent you a Valentine's Day and Spring Card and I wish that both my card and picture will express my wishes to hope all of the lovers and families in the world happy and lucky. My teacher thought that I did a good work and I got 90 marks. And my teacher thought that I can send it to some exhibition to show it.


Friend--014: Some Chinese Xieyi Paintings By My Niece & Little Friend
Wenjing is my lovely niece, my younger brother¡¯s daughter, a 13 years old middle school student. She loves painting and she is learning gouache. In the 3 nights when I was in Wuxi, I taught her to paint for 2 nights. She is quite talented on Chinese Xieyi painting and worked very hard. In the two nights, she worked until 0:30 and I really thought that the bamboo leaves she painted were better than mine. So what my mother said is, that within 1 year she can learn to do the same thing that I needed 4 years to learn it. She also plays piano and on the 7th grade level. It is a pity that time did not allow me to make a record of her piano music. Maybe next time?


China Tour -- 005: Wuxi City -- My 3rd Hometown
Wuxi is my 3rd hometown. I had been there for 9 years. It is the place I started my work and life after I left from the university. Then, my younger brother went there to create a successful career. Then my parents went there to enjoy their happy later age lives. I love Wuxi for its great human culture traditions, beautiful landscape and its kind and friendly people... The more than 3000 year's history makes it full of the Chinese traditional culture's breath. Its developed light industry and private economy makes that its economy power is listed one of the first 10 cities in China. The beauty of Wuxi is for the nature of Tai Lake and the Great Channel. Just on the beautiful land, I became to be a model college teacher and a responsible mother. Before I left, I Sang A Song to thank my former colleagues and neighbors¡­


I am just a learner on art, music, English, French 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 shirleyz004@yahoo.com or shirley@ebridge.cn . You are welcomed to publish your opinions in the forum.

--Shirley
Written and Edited on Sun, Feb,25, 2007

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