37 years...

It's that day of the year again - September 19th, the day when I landed in this country 37 years ago. 

The essay Michelle wrote below in red from more than two decades ago has been used so many times over the years. Well - it's still true today.

Today, I found the first diary entry I made after landing in this country 37 years ago. I was right - the impact of this deeply cherished journey on my entire life is immeasurable!!

1988.9.21 （三）

一切梦想都成了现实，

在这现实之中，

生活竟好似梦幻一般。

9月19日下午4点到芝加哥，我像仍在飞机上漂然，完全沉浸在梦中。无意中踏上了梦寐以求的土地... 这是新生活的开始。尽管我根本不知新生活会给我带来什么，但我深深地意识到，这种新生活对我整个一生的影响都是无法估量的！

 

AI Translation below:

1988.9.21 (Wednesday)

All dreams have become reality,
and within this reality,
life itself feels like a dream.

At 4 p.m. on September 19, I arrived in Chicago. It felt as if I were still floating on the plane, completely lost in a dream. Unwittingly, I stepped onto the land I had long yearned for… This is the beginning of a new life. Although I have no idea where this new life will lead me, I deeply realize that its impact on my entire life will be immeasurable!

On Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 06:05:20 AM CDT, Pei Tang <tang_pei@yahoo.com> wrote:

Today is the 35th anniversary of me being in this country - what a journey!! 

So grateful for everyone here, who has helped me in various ways throughout the years.

So grateful for everything, especially for being able to raise Dr. Michelle in this country...

Looking forward to the next 35 years!!

On Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 07:21:29 PM CDT, Pei Tang <tang_pei@yahoo.com> wrote:

It was 19 years ago, on 9/19/88, I arrived in this country and started my life in America.  It's been a great experience.  Looking back, I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had over the past 19 years.  I am particularly thankful for all the help and support I received from my graduate school professor, Dr. Edwin Thomas, during the early and most difficult days of my long journey in America.      

 

The following is an interview Michelle did for school when she was only 10.  I can say that it still accurately reflects my believe today. 

 

 

By Michelle Zhang

2/25/2001

 

For this report, I interviewed my mother who immigrated to this country from China.  She, like most other immigrants, came here for more opportunities to be successful in her career.  She also wanted to provide a better life for her future children. 

 

She came here in 1988 as a graduate student.  Right before the trip to America, she was a graduate student in Beijing.  Her life was not as bad as some immigrants because she knew some English.  In her high school in China, she was taught the American Language.  She was a little scared of her new life she'd have to start.  She didn't know anyone and only had $45.  After the first few weeks, she came to realize that people here were open and friendly.   

 

Fortunately, she did not experience any racism and prejudice.  She made many American friends at her job and they all respect her a great deal.  She says she likes America because you have all kinds of opportunities, and if you work hard, you are sure to succeed. 

Nature and Me

In nature, you reset bars of harmony, stillness and presence.  It shows you where you were and where you could be. My mind was empty. An empty perception looked and saw...

Southwest Desert

August 2025

Amazon Orders: 2002 - 2009

I got an email from Amazon saying my "Amazon Invitee" status will end on 10/1/2025. I didn't even know how Rudi set this up 20+ years ago... 

There are various suggested options for me to continue with my free Amazon Prime status. What really freaks me out is - unless I become a new Amazon Prime member on my own, all other options - including joining "My Amazon Family" will cause me to lose all my purchase history over the past 23 years. Not that I care about the 21st century consumerism purchasing habits and history, but looking back on the past two decades, my early Amazon purchases were quite revealing. 

Yeah, here are all the orders I made from 2002 to 2009. They are the footprints covering my journey of evolution...

The purchase of my very first Garmin GPS on 2007-3-10 was the monument of my true independence -:)). I could finally drive around without getting LOST!!!

Colors of the Deserts

Although we didn't get to see much of the storms and lightning on this trip, we did witness the amazing lights in the American southwest deserts.

Pictures 1-2: Grand Canyon

Picture 3: Coalmine Canyon

Picture 4: Totem Pole

Picture 5: Blue Canyon

Arizona-Utah

August 2025

Desert Storm Chasing

It was a 10-day storm chasing trip - hoping to capture dramatic storms and lightning in the southwest deserts.

Summer days were long. We usually got up around 4:30am to catch the sunrise, drove up and down the deserts chasing storms, and then finally returned back to the hotel after 10pm. It was unusually dry this year in the desert. The monsoon season didn't generate mush rainstorms in the southwest. At the end of the exhausting 10-day trip, after driving over 1,000 miles, on the very last day of the trip, I caught ONE lightning in my photo - yeah, it's a very expensive photo in so many ways!!!

This photo deserves to be viewed on a computer - enlarge the lightning portion of the image...

White Pocket, AZ

August 25, 2025

 

Laptop Crash: 7/23/25

To me, surviving each and every iPhone/Laptop crash feels like being reborn - as if I just came back from death! Each time, I am reminded of what’s most important. I usually come back with a renewed focus, a clear priority, an intense level of discipline to back up everything systematically - OFTEN!!

My laptop Leno died on 7/23/25, out of the blue!! Thanks to a good friend of mine, who has been in the computer hardware business for nearly three decades and was able to give me the last chance to back up my important files. Yeah, Leno was basically being resuscitated, put on a ventilator, undergone a series of surgeries, and finally, came back to life - for a very brief moment…

At that moment, it felt like I came back to life too. 

When you realize that your time is limited, you suddenly, truly understand your “priority.”

I just hope I can maintain this level of clarity - even in good times, when there is no crash, no drama…

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Dr. Michelle!

Here is a clip covering your footsteps from the past 35 years – Wow, what a journey!! Thank you for taking us with you on this incredible ride – it’s been FUN!

 

Found a little note you wrote at 12 – so precious to look back on the imaginary tale, and thank goodness you landed so close to Coronado Island, California.

 

“…In her free time, Michelle likes to shop, listen to music and read. She also enjoys figure skating and playing various instruments. “I like to do things that keep me upbeat during the day, and I write at night when it’s quiet and I can see stars.” She also loves to travel and often visits Mackinac Island, Michigan.

 

She now lives in Las Vegas with her two dogs, Puppy and Founder, working as a lawyer. She owns a beach house on Coronado Island, California and a ranch in Dallas, Texas.”

 

Love,

Mom