This is my first blog of the year 2022 since last Dec. Guess where I am now in the summer of 2022? Well, it isn’t a very difficult question as you know I am back to my favorite sin city of Las Vegas to kick off for the summer. I have been here for 8 days already and another full week to go before I return home,to get ready for another 2 week trip to Southern Ca beach city of Oceanside and yes, a complete change of the scenery then.
I must say this trip to the sin city seems to be better in terms of the weather which isn’t that hot surprisingly, but stay at the upper 80’s to mid 90’s with no triple digit temperature for the first time in the month of June. Traffic also seems to be more calm but don’t get me wrong, the sin city is still a dangerous place to drive and the city is full of actions where every corner you turn, there are police vehicles around and people would think that it is safe to travel in Las Vegas and of course, there are no safe places anywhere you go, especially this sin city which is full of criminals, sketchy people and shady environment everywhere. After coming to Vegas for more than 150 times in the past 25 years, I am used to the environment and needless to say, I know every inch of this town, good or bad spots. One thing that hasn’t changed over these years is that I still love Las Vegas for the diversity of the population, the glamorous shows and the vibrant city lives How can anyone not like the sin city?
Last week I was able to follow up on the Warrior’s game and they won the NBA title. Go Warriors!! The local crowd here in Vegas isn’t all that crazy about the Warriors and nobody seemed to pay attention while the games were on, but I always identified myself as from the home state of the Warriors and cheered on the games ( a male cheerleader). So while Warriors winning the NBA title is a good thing, there were many other incidents happening around the nation weren’t so good such as the VA mall shooting, downtown Fremont St fatal shooting in Las Vegas, even the Fremont city back home had an incident involved shooting death of a driver. Yes, gun violence seems to be getting worse these days and there are no safe places anywhere we go, but that won’t stop me from enjoying the lively sin city and I try to make the best of everything no matter where I travel; in fact, the evening of the downtown Fremont St fatal shooting incident, I was supposed to meet up with a friend there but decided to stay at the local bar and avoided the touristy spots of downtown. Hey, don’t get me wrong again, I don’t believe there is a beloved God watching out for me that evening and not the victim of the fatal shooting unless God favors long hair Chinese hippie. Or someone would claim that God has a special plan for the victim and now he is at a better place compare to all the living people on the planet. Catastrophic events happen every day to good and bad people and they don’t seem to have any purposes or patterns behind it. We cannot shut ourselves off from the outside world but to get out there to participate, interact and make the best of our lives to live it to the fullest while the rest is not up to us.
I also watched the hearing of the Jan 6 insurrection and there is no doubt that Trump is guilty of it and the latest statistics showed 58 % of the people in the nation think that Trump should be charged and that number will most likely go up as they gather more convincing evidence of Trump wrongdoing as time progresses. In spite of the growing amount of evidence against Trump, I am still skeptical about whether or not he will be in prison for all the crimes he committed. I can only hope he will; in fact, I hate him so much that I wish he dies soon from a heart attack, or strokes or someone just go shoot him. Trump is no doubt, the worst president in US history, and definitely one of the worst human beings living in today’s world. It looks like the outcome of the hearings and the fate of this evil Trump still got a long way to go and only time will tell what path he is going to end up in.
As always in the month of June when I come to Las Vegas, I write blogs on Father’s Day weekend and this summer is no different and this blog is dedicated to my father who supported me and opened up the door for me to come to America to receive an education. Although his life was cut short, the influence he had on me is still with me today and there is no way that I can become the kind of person I am today doing the kind of things that I do every day and living my life so fully and happily if not for his supports and encouragement including the opportunity he provided for me to come to America, I can only thank him for everything without ever able to repay him. I think he would be so delighted if he is still alive today and see where I am and what I do; in fact, he would be shocked. I was always a weak child, soft spoken, and didn’t exhibit confidence about anything and failed miserably at school. What I become today is a shock to a lot of people including myself. If my father is here, I would definitely have the pleasure of treating him to fine dining in all the top notch restaurants in Las Vegas, glamorous shows in the casinos and the vibrant night life in the sin city which I know he is going to enjoy as he went through all of those back in the days in Shanghai. I think he would be so happy and proud to see that his youngest son who once was a very insecure child in the family, is now able to tour him in the most glamorous city of the world. Although I don’t have much to show for materialistically compare to others, one thing I feel best about myself is that ” I am able to be the kind of person I am today when they told me I couldn’t be, and doing the kind of things that I do today when people told me I couldn’t do.” That is in itself a priceless accomplishment for me. I am unfortunate in many ways where I had to struggle for existence in the past to be where I am today, but the fortunate part is that I become someone whom I didn’t think I could become. Yes, I do wish my father is still around so it would be my turn to take care of him but that dream was shattered 45 years ago when he passed away. Here I wish you all the fortunate people a happy father’s day and to all those big daddies for the wonderful jobs you have done for your kids and you all deserve the best. Treasure your fathers while he is still around,, appreciate him not just on father’s day but every day of the year to share magical moments with him and don’t ever take him for granted. Nothing lasts forever so do cherish every magical moments you spend with him.
As a son, I still miss my father terribly, but as a scientist, I am not ready to accept that his soul is living in another dimension watching out for me, and of course, I can never disprove that possibility but at the same time, I will not treat that possibility with any form of reliability, only the memories of what he has done for me will live on forever!!
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to ALL from the sin city of Las Vegas ( now home of the Raiders )