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

I do have a busy and regular business week. Every morning, to read newspapers in a hurry, to attend managers meetings, to deal with my projects, then to write my researching reports in the afternoon in my office quietly, so that I do not know what I should write now.

Anyway, when I see the little box of tea on my desk, I have had an idea, to introduce a former colleague of mine to you.

On Sep. 29 in the afternoon, a guarder called me and wondered whether I had made an appointment with a Mr. Chao? Mr. Chao? No. But, the Mr. Zhao wanted to talk with me over the telephone; soon, I knew he is one of my former colleagues and that I have not seen for several years.

He came into my office to report some good news before the holiday. He has become an editor in the newspaper office while a college student. He has bought his apartment, he has become a formal resident in the city, his wife and child have come to Shenzhen to reunite from the countryside. Both he and his wife wanted me to share their happiness and they wanted to thank me for my help to them and to appreciate me for I had not fired him after he had made mistakes.

To be honest, I have forgotten what I had done for them and what mistakes he had made except he had made "prime minister" to be "general manager"-- Zongli -- Zongjingli in my page so that we were punished together. I just remember that he was the second one that was 22 years old, that I employed for my department after I came to the newspaper office in 1993. As a typist with the lowest education background from countryside, he just liked Ms. Li, the young girl who was just 19 years old, that I had mentioned days ago.

However, he was also the one who was very sensible and supported the department's work with his best work. Except working on 3 to 11 pages of the daily newspaper every night, since 1994, we started to publish our first book of a series, until 2000, we completed the 7th one, every May Day holiday. We worked overtime for 7 or 8 days and his duty was typing and set up type, to connect the printing company, to send the films of the books there. So, every time, it was him to work until 3:00am or 4:00am as the last one. The most touched thing is that in May, 1998, his son was born in the hospital in his hometown, for completing our work in time, he did not tell me the thing, until as well the book and his son were born at the same time...

As a young boy from the countryside, he had not any degree, but he tried to do his best to improve himself. Quickly, he could type over 130 Chinese characters every minute. He had a lower salary as a typist, but when we donated money to help the disaster area, he always kept giving money…

I am really proud of him as my former colleague. I do feel that if there was no the great support from so many good colleagues as Mr. Chao, I would not do any thing indeed. So, I am thinking that I should arrange a time to visit his wife and son or invite the family to have a dinner. I do want to see his son -- a lovely little “ tiger ”.

Maybe I should also call Mr. Charlie Z and his family together.

Do you have any beautiful recalling about your former colleague? What is the deepest impression about your former colleague?
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,too.

--Shirley
Written and Edited On Sun,Oct 15, 2006