First cards

On early morning last Thursday, I was certainly not lightened with the dream I had the other night, nor the task I assigned to myself on that day was pleasant. I was still in bed and wished I could delay the start of the day when I checked my phone for schedules. Then suddenly my day became so shiny that I got up quickly and started working with the enthusiasm I should have always had. What happened? I received a message from the first receiver of my official postcard on postcrossing -- he just registered my card! Luis from Spain said he liked my card and that was his first, too.

Bringing happiness to others makes me happy, too. I think Xiaoyu believes this.

Xiaoyu is my good friend here at Michigan. On her way to vacation in Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend, I texted her for a postcard. And last Friday, I received this very first postcard since I regained the interest in postcard collecting. Imagine how happy and appreciative I was!

This cards showcases MGM Grand Las Vegas, a hotel casino (of course, it's in Sin City and the Entertainment Capital of the World), which is the second largest hotel in the world, only behind the Venetian, also in Vegas. MGM's mascot, Leo the Lion, can be seen in the lower middle part of the card. An interesting story about Leo is: when MGM first opened, the main entrance was inside of a giant Leo, which scared away Chinese gamblers because Feng Shui belief indicated this was a bad luck. I would believe many Asian visitors, especially those from Hongkong, went gambling there. But was it because of the Feng Shui that MGM changed the main entrance? Maybe. I never believe any superstitions. But I would feel weird to walk into the mouth of a beast. Who wants to be swallowed by a predator anyways?

There is a MGM Grand signature attraction that is not shown in this card: the glass-sided lion habitat. I'll definitely check that out next time I visit Vegas. Hope the lion keeper who got injured recently will recover soon and presents us with amazing but safe display. So Vegas is on my trip plan now although it's not the type of destination I long for? I think so and I trust the recommendations by no less than ten people in the last two years, including Xiaoyu.