How are you? Have you had a good week? Are you enjoying your weekend? I do hope that you have and you are.

On my side, I have had a hard, but meaningful week.

The good news: on Friday, April 12, 2013, I got my first executed contract in Chinese art field between Jinan University Press and I after retreating from Chinese securities industry and after talking for 3 years and 7 months, since I was a student in USA, August, 2009.

The cross-culture and comprehensive art publication II- 1 was made up of a book and a DVD, it was re-named in Chinese: 诗 画 乐：综合艺术汉语（ Poetry, Painting and Music: Comprehensive and Artistic Chinese）-- Together with Me, Learn Chinese Culture and Language by Enjoying Paintings, Music and Poetry will be published formally by the university publishing house before June, 2013.

Its target users are Chinese teachers who are teaching Chinese as a foreign language, non-Chinese speakers and oversea students who are learning Chinese culture and language, to help them teach or learn Chinese culture and language artistically, naturally and easily.

The bad news: I have cancelled my flights for today (April 14, 2013)and the international travel that I have planned for about one and a half years since Sep, 2011.

Why?

-- The publishing time of the publication was postponed until May, instead of the originally planned time April 10.

-- I wished to edit and print a new album of paintings by myself to add a part of the deficiency that there will be no any publication in my hands in my travel.

-- I used the time that I had planned to paint the last several paintings for the art exhibitions to show my comprehensive art with paintings, music and poetry in my travel.

-- The original overloaded work plus the suddenly new work overtime, and the pressure from the time and travels, caused a serious headache, so that I had to lie on the bed for two days at the time that I wished to have 48 hours each day, all of these aggravated my illnesses, almost, I called an ambulance on April 10.

The final result was that I had to give up the travel and cancelled the flights.

Along with the relaxation, my headache has gone and I have completed the last 5th and 6th paintings already.

Anyway, I have been asking myself: What have I lost already? What lesson should I learn from the fault?

What I have lost:

-- I have missed the courses since March 1 until now at Chinese National Academy of Arts, and wasted the tuition that I had paid.

-- I have missed the opportunities to visit old friends, professors, tutors, leaders at Missouri State University and in Springfield, Missouri State, USA. I have also missed an art exhibition in an institute there.

-- I had to pay the added cost to cancel my tickets; while I had to pay a new cost for re-booking some new tickets for my second travel, included the seat- plus for booking the new tickets in a hurry.

-- I had also to pay the added cost that to print a new album of paintings.

-- I had no time to complete the paintings that I must complete before I leave for the airport.

-- The most important was that I have lost face in front of many people and organizations, brought some negative affect to their confidence with me and the project since the publication was not published on the expected time that I had told them.

The lessons that I have learned from these loss:

-- The real world is quite cruelty, it will never look after anyone who just has a good wish but there is no a scientific method and skill to work. As long as we did not go right even though just a small step, we would have to pay a high price.

-- I should not involve whole of my time, energy into a project before the contract had been signed. Especially, I should not book my tickets, arranged my travel and told anyone else about the publishing time of the publication before the contract has become effective.

-- I should not think of resolving too many things once, so that delayed something most important. Many times, the heart is good, the result is bad. For example, I knew clear that I should re-paint 8 paintings before I leave for the airport. I did them in time, but, I just completed 4 of them before I should go, because I painted each painting twice, for I wished to maintain copies of them.

My fault was that I should not do the good thing at the original tight moment, so that I had not leave myself some flexible time to deal with the suddenly happened thing – to edit and to print an album of paintings ; otherwise, I should have had the ideal 8 paintings already.


-- I should pay more attention to the planning of the jobs in a travel, especially for an international travel.

-- I should do anything in business field according to the logic, instead of feelings. To work according to feeling and emotion, lack planning in my original limited time, has become one of the biggest problems that would destroy my project.

So, now, I have realized, if I want to be a pure artist of painting, I can still work as usual; if I want to be a comprehensive artist, to work with a team, in an organization, I must work according to the regulation and the rules of the society and the market. Do you think so?

Do you think that I should become a pure painter, or a comprehensive artist?

Do you have anything to share this week?

P. S.: Oh, I was so lucky person. Last April 12, when I prepared to fly back Beijing on April 13, my former classmate in USA - Amy called me and she wished to live at my home in Shenzhen because she met a suddenness event, then I returned my ticket, went back Beijing April 15 and offered her my home for 2 weeks. This April 12, when I just cancelled my flights to USA for today, April 14, I gotten her phone call that one of our former girl classmates Han Mei who is working in a software company in Shanghai would come to Shenzhen tonight, Amy herself and her American husband would also come to Shenzhen at the same time. As a hostess, without any hesitation, I invited all of them and another classmates of us Shang Jia who is working in a bank in Shenzhen, to have a seafood dinner together. During the time, we called another girl roommate of Amy and Han Mei in USA -- Luo Jun who is working in a bank in Hangzhou. We had a good talking over the cell phone.

I was so moved by Amy for she said that if I need, both of her husband and she would like to help me to carry a part of my heavy luggage between China and USA, after they knew it was me to carry the tools included the Chinese paper and brushes for the participators of my workshops from China, then to send it to my destination from their home in USA.

I have not made sure whether I should trouble them yet, the good friendship among the classmates has really warmed my heart and reduced the light frustration in my heart indeed.

The other good news was that today, I have found a good friend who was the first one told me that I could be able to master the knowledge and skills in my text book after teaching me over the long distance telephone call twice for 5 or 6 hours from Stanford University and California State University, and encouraged me to find a private tutor in the school, and never give up the study in USA at the time that I did not think that I could pass the most difficult course and I had written a formal application to ask the school allow me to give up the master degree in Nov, 2008...

Do you know? Since I decided to be the best, instead of the second best weeks ago, I have found there are so many friends and so much help everywhere in the world. I will certainly cherish my lucky and to do my best on pushing my project forward, to help the others and this world not only with a sincere heart, but also a scientific and artistic method.

If you would like to give me a hand on my dream- seeking journey that will be certainly hard but maybe full of the wonderful views, I will be very happy and return you with a bright smile...

Notes of the Photo: Shang Jia, Amy's Husband, Amy and Han Mei. :-)
I am just a student on Arts of Painting, Music, English and Management, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do somethings with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Cross - Culture and Comprehensive Arts Exchange, Chinese Culture and Language Learning & Friendship Making. To help the others while to improve myself.

I would like to appreciate you for your 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
April 14, 2013(Beijing Time)