Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the most popular modern artists. The Pompidou Centre in Paris is showing its respect and admiration for the artist and his powerful personality with an exhibition bringing together over 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and more. Among the works and masterworks on exhibition the visitor will find the best pieces, most importantly The Persistence of Memory. There is also L'Enigme sans Fin from 1938, works on paper, objects, and projects for stage and screen and selected parts from television programmes reflecting the artist's showman qualities.

    The visitor will enter the World of Dali through an egg and is met with the beginning, the world of birth. The exhibition follows a path of time and subject with the visitor exiting through the brain.

    The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities (无限). “From the infinity small to the infinity large, contraction and expansion coming in and out of focus: amazing Flemish accuracy and the showy Baroque of old painting that he used in his museum-theatre in Figueras,” explains the Pompidou Centre.

    The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration (合作) with the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain, and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

    Writing journals has been one of the most helpful things I've ever done. Through writing journals I've not only learned a lot about myself, but also removed a lot of obsessive (烦恼的) thoughts, by writing them down and considering them.

   Journals give you a place to write down your honest thoughts without being afraid of what people will think of you. There are some ideas for writing journals:

     Draw pictures

    Write poetry or short stories

    Goals: daily and long-term

    Respond to a magazine article that you are interested in

     Write about obsessive thoughts and try to find what's causing them

     A list of things you are proud of (It can always increase your confidence when you need it)

     Make a pro/con (赞成/反对) list when you're trying to make a decision: most of the time the decision will start to be clearer afterwards

   The best way to start is to decide where you want to write your journal. (Though it's called the journal, it doesn't mean you can only do it in a “journal”) . If you like the traditional style of journals, then use a notebook, blank paper or graph paper, whichever you like best. If you prefer to go digital, start a blog. You can make the blog public or private, and it's a good way to keep track of articles or pictures you find online. (You can link to them.)

   Even if you feel there's nothing for you to write about at first, you might be surprised to find that once you start, you can't stop.

    Almost every light comedy or situation comedy makes me feel like I should be drinking wine every night with my best friend while one of us tries on clothes. Not only should we share the same dress size, but we should also have a long, rich history of togetherness and secrets. Clearly, this is not reality.

    I have 598 friends. OK, but if I'm honest, 99.3 percent of those friends are those I met only once or acquaintances who live too far away to see regularly. That leaves 4 people, who I can call anytime, not feeling like I'm absolutely wasting their time. The remaining 0.2, I've decided, is my houseplant. I can tell it anything.

    Feeling the same way? You're absolutely not alone. Most of us find our "people" in school, but over time life changes: marriage, kids, etc. We grow out of our relationships and they grow out of us.

    So when the relationships come to an end, how do you find a new one?

    A woman in my apartment building, who I had seen around over the years, approached me one day and introduced herself. She bravely stated, "You seem cool. Do you want to hang out with me sometime? I'm looking for new friends." I almost dropped my bag of groceries at her social honesty. And now we get together for coffee a few times a year, gossip (八卦) about the neighbors, and take in the mail when one of us is on vacation. But a few times a year isn't enough for me.

    So, what counts as true friendship as you get older? For me, it's feeling comfortable enough to be myself. And if you're like me, it's also trust — not just keeping the secret, but trusting that my life choices aren't their gossip elsewhere.

    The University of Birmingham is the first excellent UK Russell Group university to announce that it will accept the "Gaokao" exam for high-flying Chinese students wishing to join its undergraduate courses in 2019.  High school students who complete the "National Higher Education Entrance Examination", or Gaokao, with top grades will be able to apply for direct entry onto Birmingham degree programmes without first completing a foundation year which is a routine for the freshman.

    Gaokao is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school and, every year, each province in China sets the grades required to gain admission to its universities. It is usually held across China in early June.  Students are tested in Chinese, Mathematics, a Foreign Language and social sciences or natural sciences.

    University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood said: "The University of Birmingham has been challenging and developing great minds for more than a century. We welcome people from around the globe to study at Birmingham and Chinese students form an integral part of our education and research community. We are further opening access to Birmingham's wealth of education opportunities for the brightest and most dedicated Chinese students by accepting this strict and important qualification. I look forward to welcoming these high-flying students to the University of Birmingham. "

    Gaokao is increasingly accepted by universities in Australia, the USA, Canada and mainland Europe. Birmingham will only be considering high quality students who achieve a minimum 80% Gaokao score and meet additional academic and English language requirements.

    Professor J on Frampton, Director of the University of Birmingham's China Institute said:" The University of Birmingham has a long history of educating students from China and one of our most famous graduates is Li Siguang-the founding father of Chinese geology. I am delighted that the University is now accepting the Gaokao. This gives the brightest and best Chinese students an opportunity to move straight into the first year of our undergraduate programmes and experience the benefits of studying at a global Top 100 university, such as Birmingham. "

    A photography exhibition by French artist San Bartolome entitled Moon Door Dreamers opened in the 798 Art Zone in Beijing on December 10, 2011, presenting a cross-cultural perspective (视角) on ordinary life in the capital city.

    Bartolome took these photos in August 2008, and produced a video named Two Worlds, One Dream. These works were displayed in Pingyao, an ancient city in Shanxi Province, under the title Beijing Midsummer Night Dream in September 2010.

    The moon doors serve as a keyhole through which one can catch a glimpse of a slice of Beijing life. He got his inspiration from one cycling trip to the southeastern suburb of Beijing, where he discovered a peculiar street along which a gray brick wall was built to cover the shabby bungalows. These cabins were mostly rented by migrant workers- peddlers, craftsmen, grocers and innkeepers.

    Born in 1950, Bartolome has worked as a photographer, stage director. Artistic manager, writer and diplomat. A noted Sinophile, Bartolome frequently visits China for photographic subjects. In the fall of 2003, he joined the French Embassy in Beijing as a cultural attache. His work experience in China from 2003 to 2015 further enhanced his awareness of and love for China.

    Bartolome not only loves Chinese culture but also the Chinese people. He thinks that Chinese people are kind, welcoming and diverse.

    Back from his bike ride to southeastern Beijing, he decided to shoot pictures about ordinary urban lifestyles. He observed dwellers carefully and made friends with them.

    After about 30 days and nights that he spent with these common migrants, he created a number of portraits. Meanwhile, he learned more about those rural migrants who earn their living in a city with which they are unfamiliar.

    He adopted an optimistic perspective to shoot the sights, and he borrowed the title of one of William Shakespeare s comedy works: A Midsummer Night's Dream.