Board on and off Tampa, Florida/Carlos Pueblo

Board on and off Tampa, Florida/Carlos Pueblo

Board on and off Tampa, Florida is an art and patience. I am very frugal

and don’t like to take taxi or shuttle bus if not necessary. I did call Tampa

mass transportation authority to request the information of bus from the

airport to the cruise terminal in vein, instead, the MTA personnel asked

me to call the call the airport. I didn’t get any phone number in the airport

to call to. I was confident because that one time I did take two buses to

reach the cruise terminal which was closed to a convention center.

I asked the airport information center for guidance to buses to the terminal.

The lady pointed to a shuttle bus service stop outside of a red elevator. I

knew that was a place for shuttle bus to gather enough passengers to the

terminal for a fee of $12, if it was on the way back $8 per person. I had had

almost 10 hours to get to the terminal and the bus fare is $2 one way. I admit

that I am very cheap. I saw a sign inside the airport about public transportation

on the fourth floor and when I exited there was two buses and several passengers

waiting to board. The bus driver was on his break. It was Route 30 directly to

downtown Tampa and he promised to show me where to get off and walk to the

cruise terminal. After some walking, I saw the cruise ship standing on the pier

that I was sure not to miss it.

After disembark at the terminal, it was in heavy raining outside. There were no

$8 shuttle vans available. I kept asking people which way to the bus stop of Route

30 to the international airport. Most of the employee at the terminal had no idea

of what I was talking about and finally, I was instructed by a mono light rail driver

to take another electrical train toward another direction to downtown. The light

rail is free of charge. We reached to the end and was in the middle of a downtown

section. The driver was not quite sure where to find the bust stop yet did find the

Route 30 on the map. I kept on reading the big map posted on the street and finally

found the route and the stop right across the intersection of two streets.

One time, Houston MTA changed an express route from downtown Houston to

IAH due to economic reason that bus was a losing money business. Someone told

me that the MTA still need to maintain the airport route due to the reasonable way

for airport employee to get on and off work. The route must keep open as late as

possible and that makes sense. Overall, I find the public transportation in Tampa is

a super one among all ports which I have bee through.

天帕市登船/莊峻華

天帕市登船/莊峻華

珍珠號在天帕灣碼頭待客，天帕機場到城中不遠，但需搭車，步

行不得，我有多次經驗，自信可搭巴士，但行前電話探詢不得，

來到機場後，詢問案內站女士，也是語焉不詳，指向包車服務站

，我猜是招客服務類，天冷尚無生意，於是我繼續徘徊機場，我

曾經搭過一次巴士，從機場到巴士轉運總站，然後換車到城中，

下車步行些許，就看到郵輪雄姿，況且，機場員工需要有巴士服

務上下班，果然在四樓外，有30號巴士直達城中，然後步向郵輪

停泊方向，其實， 回程往機場，發現有一輕軌電車，免費接駁城

中站到碼頭，非常方便，所謂窮則變，變則通，一般天帕市民，

包括公車電話服務，和機場服務櫃台，都不清楚，電車駕駛，好

意教我看地圖，但仍不甚肯定，其實，接駁車站，僅過街耳。

我一直慕名天帕市，天帕海灣，有很多毫華住屋社區，我因為抗

了一小行李，上下巴士步行不便，結果有五次，路過不探望，非

常遺憾，但我仍有許多機會搭船，就是需要妥善設計。

也許我可以租車一日，行李放在車箱，然後驅車逛海灣豪宅，天

帕大學，搭巴士電車上船，夜宿郵輪套房。

The Buddhism explained by Thich Nhat Hanh/Carlos Pueblo

The Buddhism explained by Thich Nhat Hanh/Carlos Pueblo

A recent article appeared on the Time Magazine about Thick Nhat

Hanh was shown to me by Amy because she heard my admiration

of him for years. I have proclaimed as my master in philosophy as

I myself as a disciple who have not taken lessons directly under him

during my life time. As a Buddhist, we believe that after his pass away

in his hometown, Hue, Vietnam, he will go directly to the Western

Extreme Happiest Heaven managed by Namo Amitabha and that is

his next life and good enough to avoid reincarnation of another

suffering of life.

What I have gotten the most of his philosophy is the meaningful life

we must have had during our limited life time. Some asks me that

how do I define a meaningful life to live. I believe that to live simple

routine, i.e. be a good child, study hard at schools, to work for living,

and help the others as much as we can. After I read his book, Buddha

and Jesus are brothers, I learn very much from his explanation of life.

He brings up the definition of the God by Baruch Spinoza, the totality

of the nature that God is everything and almighty.

He also brings up the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, both Kant and

Spinoza emphasize the enlightenment and Nhat Hanh makes it very

easy to understand. In Buddhism we also pay attention to the

enlightenment as a fruit of human life. He points it out the necessity

of learning as much as we can of the phenomenon in order to understand

the vertical relation between the human being and the god in the heaven.

It is abstract and can be apprehend or understand in some way by practice

in the real life as the phenomenon. Since then, I have practiced saving and

investment to reach the financial independent and help my own family in

every way possible as I can be and I have been very happy.

It is the phenomenon we have experienced in our life span. We can’t avoid

the suffering such as life, aged, illness, death, and so on. Once we understand

those as our human path, we must avoid stress and progress to a meaningful

way of life until the last moment.  

釋一行和尚等待圓寂/莊峻華

釋一行和尚等待圓寂/莊峻華

郵輪旅行回家翌晨散步，愛美提時代雜誌近期，有專文描述釋一行

老和尚，返鄉準備圓寂一事，老和尚是我緣覺大師父，我經常介紹

他，講到我如何讀他之箸作，改變我之人生觀，佛家稱和尚之死亡

為圓寂，功德圓滿者，可以渡到彼岸，不再轉世輪回。

佛學上提到，因說而悟，謂聲聞覺，像是當年三千大千之眾，聞佛

陀宏法而覺，現代人朝聖法國南部李園，聞一老開示，都是聲聞，

有一部份人，無法在一生中，遇見覺者之助而覺，像我讀他之書，

佛陀與耶穌兄弟也，而有所獲，人生之真義，不過是渡過一有意義

之生活耳，有人好奇，願聞其詳，如何定義有意義之生活？我將之

簡化，先幫助子女，過一有尊嚴之生活，一生如一日。

在該書內，老和尚提到甚麼是上帝？他引用史賓諾薩之自然之總稱

，後來我真正到西班牙旅行多次，體會到史遭遇到之宗教破害，我

覺得史之被迫離開西班牙，是西班牙一䟩不振之主因，西班牙已經

趕走所有異教徒，無法面對日後之工業大革命。

他也提到德國大哲康德之物本論，我讀其書遠較康德為易，他認為

需要多方認識現象，始能體會物本，現象是水平面之常識，學校教

育和人生體驗，大有幫助，物本就是人與神，抑或是與天之垂直關

係，惟博學多聞於現象者，始可體會。

老和尚在書上，提到歐洲大教堂之鐘，他說鐘聲有震懾作用，隨時

提醒要過有意義之生活。我年輕時，有越南客戶佛家人也，我說真

想到緬因州，老和尚之美國李園朝聖，客戶曰無慮，老和尚或許來

德州宏法，一轉眼三十年，彈指而過。

My fishing teacher 2019/Carlos Pueblo

My fishing teacher 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Ming Chia, my fishing teacher and alma mater of Taiwan Normal, has

been serious sick ever since May, 2018. He had had a minor stroke before

two falls which cause his loosing blood and unconsciousness. He is in a

rehabilitation at home with his wife care and a help short time from his

insurance coverage. It takes 3 hours for him to recognize me and murmurs

my first name. He is about my age and also in diabetes and I believe that

the illness is related to that disease. I ask Mrs. Chen to keep him warm to

pass the severe winter coldness in Houston where I have seen many casualty.

He immigrated to this country in late 70’s with his family of 5, wife and 3

young children with unlimited dream. At the start, he lost his saving from

Taiwan as a high school teacher, then converted to a handy

man business to fix houses. He has made it as a career and helps his three

children to complete colleges and become professionals. We met at the

alumni association and became good friends. He was also from the rural

area of the south of Taiwan with a lot of experience of life which I adored

in  my childhood, such as gathering small milk fish at the beach and sold

them to the whole seller for cash. The whole seller would transfer the tiny

fish to a fish farm to grow the fish. Milk fish is one of the protein source in

Taiwan.

He has taught me how to fish at Freeport, Texas that I have had a very good

memory. I once thinking of taking him to the American West to fish trout on

the stream, such as Yellow Stone, Colorado, and California, etc. and now that

becomes a subject to get his attention. We all promise him to get better and

I shall make that fishing trip happen.

In Buddhism, age and illness are two of our major suffering in life. I have met

many healthy elders on board of cruise ships to enjoy retirement and also

seen many friends get sick at old age. We all like to live in a meaningful way

of life and we all like to help the other to have a good life. After that, we also

desire that we can leave something after our death, money or name recognition.

After visiting him, I feel that the short of my life and I can’t worry too much of

what is going to happen in my remaining life.

釣魚師傅2019/莊峻華

釣魚師傅2019/莊峻華

明嘉兄重病，兄嫂來話曰，家有酸橘落地，盼我領取，過去

釣魚歸來，偶採其前院酸橘，製作蜜酸汁，剛好兄病情稍有

進步，可接訪客，我聞此連忙拜望。兄原有重疹糖尿病，需

賴胰島素注射，兩年前有小中風，去年五月，檢視租屋落瓦

，不慎摔跤，隨後又跌倒觸石，頭破血流不止，送醫院急救

後，仍是昏迷不醒，在鬼門關走了一遭，校友會幾位女校友

，前來探訪，兄均無法認人，我也坐上三小時，再三哄騙，

恢復後帶他釣魚，始見笑容，講出我小名。

我以為這是糖尿病之併發症，我也有此病，但仍舊不夠警覺

，平常飲食，稍有節制，一旦外出郵輪旅行，就毫無節制，

任所欲為，幾個月前，吃西瓜過多，血糖過高，嚇壞醫生，

因醫生依法，需要處理，若需要注射胰島素，則病情日趨嚴

重，高血壓腎臟病等，將一一出現，所以日常飲食需要節制

，而且要經常運動鍛鍊。

兄自病後，累壞兄嫂，這是24小時工作，我們都不願意走

到這一地步，而又不知如何避免？剛才愛美提到時代雜誌一

篇報導，越南釋一行老法師，也是重病纏身，今年92歲，

回越南故鄉，準備圓寂，人終有一死，死有輕於鴻毛，死

有重於泰山，又人有寂沒世而名不稱焉，一行長老強調過

有意義之生活，何謂也？末以善小而不為，助人為樂，不

以惡小而為之。

Off I go for cruise today/Carlos Pueblo

Off I go for cruise today/Carlos Pueblo

Yesterday morning I was rescued by my travel agent who found a ticket

for the cruise which I intended to board on. I made a mistake to wait for

the last minute deal after I bought a round trip tickets to Tampa, Florida.

The advertisement for that route was disappeared after the second day

and obviously fully booked. I had been worried about what to do with the

12 days in Florida. I thought of hiring a car to go coast to coast from Tampa

to Key West and back. I checked the room and board, transportation, etc.

all very complicated and I had been depressed. I was actually attempted to

have a $100 less last minute deal.

My last land trip was more than 7 years ago in Seattle where I was involved

in accident on a raining night. I was sleepy and hit a vehicle in front of me and

forced that vehicle hit a car ahead. I since than quit long distance driving

except to Austin to visit Michelle, our daughter. I also select the cruise trip and

the train trip in both Europe and Japan for my leisure traveling. This miss of

cruise ticket purchase was really my worry for a few days.

Now, I can complete my visit to Key West, Florida to have a piece of lime pie.

After Key West, it is the eastern Caribbean where I have been several times

and I don’t mind at all.

今日出發旅行/莊峻華

今日出發旅行/莊峻華

今日出發旅行，昨晨郵輪代理來電，找到一張船票，解決我四日

之困擾，原因是如此者，我突然決定增加此行，是有幾個原因，

一琳兒贈與機票款，三月到期，二榮祥兄郵輪優待券，四月到期

，三元兒白內障手術定期二月初，四剛好一船珍珠號有特價，所

以買張機票，這是啟航前一週，我又自作聰明，想節省一些前，

準備最後一日，再買船票，結果第三日，郵輪廣告，此行已客滿

，於是我開始手忙腳亂，後悔自己之魯莽，不該如此決定，我剛

好有一理想之新年，有新網球局，新西班牙語課，第二期日文，

還有桌球等活動，也增加家庭烹飪次數。

於是開始研究，如何解決這十二日，佛羅里達州行程，我想來完

成一項旅行願望，就是驅車遊覽佛州西東海岸，就是租車從天頗

灣南下，在那波里鎮東向，就是愛佛格瑞特國家公園北端，折入

邁阿密市，然後南下基威特，海明威之故鄉，就是老人與海小說

之背景，但是想到長途開車，心有餘悸，八年前，我在西雅圖下

雨夜，有過車禍。

郵輪代理福特君，聞我心急，安慰我可能有船票空出，他可以設

定鬧鐘提醒，而且肯定我十二日內，可以充容開車來回基威特，

我查過租車，旅店，甚至準備自行煮食，真是麻煩，郵輪上，一

切都包括，食衣住行樂，而且價格相當。終於他找到一張票，郵

輪通融，讓我免費升一等，住有窗景之房間，想來內室已無空房

。

台灣之歆姑娘回信曰，已調到此輪服務，我幾天前前，就買三包

義美奶糖，準備贈送三位愛女，而且可以帶兩位喫牛排，因位我

之鑽石級優待。此行首站是基威特，餘程東加勒比海四港，我去

過四次，仍舊有趣。

American poverty/Carlos Pueblo

American poverty/Carlos Pueblo

It is very difficult to imagine the American poverty in existence and

yet it is very true. I thought that I would write about a Tibetan woman’s

daily life as a story to break the bragging of the richness of China, the

second largest GDP nation next to the U.S. Now, there are so many stories

on You Tube documentaries about the American poor and I feel very humble

and almost feel guilty of my unnecessary trips in my life nowadays.

I was brought up in a humble background of my childhood, as a matter of

fact, our family didn’t have a television set or a telephone in the house when

I left for the U.S. That was in the summer of 1975. I accepted an arrangement

of a bunker bed on the back of a storage room for P.E. equipment next to an

office while I was a teacher in Taipei. My parents held the family up very well

to provide us the opportunity to study, of course, our elder siblings stepped in

to help when they were employed.

There is an You Tube piece about the native Indian in South Dakota with a very

stressful condition. I have visited several Indian Nations in the west of the U.S.

and I haven’t noticed so desperate condition. There is another piece involving a

poor county in Alabama without sewer lines in the residential area. It is not just

loss face of the U.S. and also in violation of the human right. It is all because of

poverty. In comparison to the Tibetan, I feel very sorry for them. That Tibetan lady

works from daybreak to sunset every day. I don’t see any help from Chinese

government at all.

My understanding is that there is a certain welfare program provided to the poor

in the society to get started such as welfare subsidy, food stamp, and Medicaid, etc.

Parents or parent should at least to provide an environment for their children to

get school education. No matter what the minimum wage, we must get a job first

of all and manage the income wisely. I only have free drink and I don’t smoke. I

consider that is a virtue. Of course, I don’t get involve drugs.

There is no way that a governmental help will get you out of poverty, in other words,

welfare won’t make you rich. When I travel in Europe, I always chat with the European

youngsters about the subsidy from the government, the common number is 500 Euros

a month. Some of them can take advantage of it to travel around the world and that is

how I meet them in the cheap hostel.

貧窮帶來之話題/莊峻華

貧窮帶來之話題/莊峻華

貧窮話題充斥網誌版面，引來我最近之注意力，我發現這是今

日社會之問題，而且是無解。我原以為一網誌節目，西藏女人

之日常生活，可以讓我發揮一下，但是網誌上，也有美國貧民

之報導，像南達科達州之原住民村落，加州矽谷區，低收入者

為每日生活之掙扎，影片甚至影響到我的旅行情緒，我是否應

如此浪費？這些旅行，都不是需要，我真需要再三考慮。

中南美洲幾小國，社會動亂，國民一小部分，成群結隊北上，

想來美國，尋求工作，美國川普總統，想築牆圍堵，民主黨不

給錢，部分政府關閉，有些員工無錢週轉，非常壓抑，就是這

些非法移民入境後，也是生存有困難，語言，就業，無法想到

健康保險，美國社會之議題之一。

美國社會話題，真是五花八門，語論自由，出版充沛，每一

項問題，都有人討論，也都有人注意，因此也提供很多就業

機會，貧富問題是歴史，永遠無解，這是生存競爭，適者生

存，不適者淘汰，也無需我之感慨。

明日，我將出外旅行，原設計再上船，但機票購妥後兩日，

船票售罄，被迫改為陸地旅行，就是開車逛佛羅里達州海岸

，暫時離開網路之貧窮問題。

Politicians’ agenda/Carlos Pueblo

Politicians’ agenda/Carlos Pueblo

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly elected congresswoman from

Bronx, NYC, posts her 4 progressive political agenda, national health-

care for all, minimum wage to $15 per hour, living justice, and climate

change concerned, etc.  She has drawn very much attention to the current

U.S. politics. Everyone asks her how do you pay the costs and she does

prepare to answer those concern. She says that a wealth nation like us

should be able to afford the healthcare coverage for all like the Scandinavian

by cutting the excess budge to the defense on top of what they ask for;

the rich and the corporations pay their fair share of tax; therefore, in 10 years

we can save 2 trillion. On minimum wage that she points it out of Seattle as

an example. It is an issue of the profit distribution among parties involved such

as the owner and employee. I don’t recall that she has time to answer the

homeless issue and climate change solution.

I adore politicians with idea and agenda when they enter politics. I believe that

the politician is a good job to serve and benefit the society. In the U.S., the President

has the power to lead and decide the order of national preference of expenditure

such as defense, welfare, education, infrastructure, etc. I have noticed that the

Democrats are moving to solve the national healthcare issue, i.e. Medicare for

working citizen, Medicaid for the poor, Chip for children in  poverty as a part of

Medicaid, Obama Care expand the health coverage to some portion of citizen a

Little bit above the poverty level. I believe that some Democrats newly elected

post some idea to expand the purchase of Medicare coverage before age 65 as

their agenda. I believe that one day we can reach to the national healthcare for

all.

About the minimum wage which I do have some experience. I can’t wait until a

solution from  above, the government. I do have a son under this category, $6.5

an hour in 2007 and $8.0 now as a sale clerk of a supermarket. He has had a

degree of marketing; however, he just can’t get a better job. We insist that he

stay home and I pay all the expanse, just add a pair of chopsticks and start saving

immediately. His total investment savings dividends income is more than half of

his earned income in 2018. We know the difficult condition of minimum wage and

we must respond it right away by saving and investment strategy. Let the politicians

to work on their agenda solution.

I vote for Democrats all the time because that I feel the political idea in their agenda

that would make a better nation.

美國政治人之抱負/莊峻華

美國政治人之抱負/莊峻華

紐約市布朗區，新當選聯邦眾議員，年輕有抱負，主張全民保險，

大學生免學貸，最低工資美金十五元一小時，住屋正義，改善所得

稅務等，她自稱為社會主義派之民主黨人，引來社會賢達之非議，

直接要她說明，如何支付這些理想和抱負？她有清析解釋，像稅務

稅率公平，國防經費，無需浪費，要五毛給一塊，十年可以節省兩

兆美金，她說選後，有諾貝爾經濟獎得主，前來跟她分析，我一猜

就知道是誰？她的抱負，一直在歴史中出現，帶來很多青年希望，

也有很多失望，我一直心儀如此理想和抱負，但我從未相信台灣和

美國，可以真正達到如此之理想國，而且北歐諸國，這些理想政治

人之目標地，真況亦非若是，而且這四國人口總數，尚不及大紐約

市人口。

我在五十四歲被撤職，失去五十五歲退休年齡，可續維持團體健保

之福利，一直到十一年後，始得老人健保，愛美年輕怕事，買一保

險簡單，一萬元自備款，住院開刀而已，開始為七十五元一個月，

現在是四百五十元一個月，一直不曾得到任何理賠，但可以免入歐

巴瑪健保稅，歐法是正確之政策，使美國全民健保，更邁進一步，

所幸愛美一月開始領社會福利金，再過兩年十個月，她就可以取得

老人健保。美國貧民健保，已經行使多年，幼童健保也包括在內，

連歐巴瑪健保，也是貧民健保之延伸，老人健保，貧民健保，社會

安全制度等，都是民主黨政治人之理想抱負之實現。

我是推銷員，論件計酬，有時後公司給機會，參加健保，所以我不

曾有過最低工資之煩腦，但婚前我卻有過店員工作副業，是最低工

資，兩美金許一小時，那是1978年，元兒大學畢業當店員，一小時

六塊五2008年，現在工資約在八美元一小時，我們住屋就在其店附

近，我們早知他會有獨居之困難，就一把抓住他不放，鼓勵他節約

儲蓄，十年有成，無法等候美國民主黨人之理想抱負。

大學生貸款額，已經超過一兆元以上，又是美國一大問題，我們堅

持子女就讀公立學校，而且是家庭儲蓄支付，美國很多學生，沒有

家庭幫助之條件，這些學生很早就需求生存，不能飲鴆止渴，學貸

如此之巨大，誰能代付？此款比川普之萬里長城還大，負債如此之

大，能無工作？能無儲蓄？這些政治人之抱負，只是悅耳而不能濟

急。

Returning to Spanish class/Carlos Pueblo

Returning to Spanish class/Carlos Pueblo

At the beginning of the year, there is a beginners’ Spanish offered at

the same community center where I take the second Japanese class

at. Our teacher is Sara Rodriguez Aguilar from Mexico originally. Many

students like me are very anxious to learn the language properly. I

consider myself as a beginner even though I have attempted to make

some progress all of those years. I have had two of this kind of class

at the same center and self-study thereafter and I can only pup up

two or three sentences and unable to continue. It is because that I

don’t have the opportunity to practice that most of the Spanish speakers

speak English in Houston and around the world which I travel around.

She makes up practice conversation one by one. The progress is very

rapidly because some of us are prepared before. My brother and his wife

also attend the class and sit at the same table with me. I explain the sentence

to them one by one. Spanish and English derive from Latin and there are indeed

some vocabulary are identical. Then, into the verb conjugation that we need to

have a textbook to make the drill.

I can ask question and understand the answer most of the time; however, I run

Into problem when the question comes back to me. I am not prepared and some

of the words I am not familiar with then I am lost. I can’t understand at all on the

dialog on the movies and I feel very sorry for myself. I hope that I can break the

bottleneck. I started learning Japanese and Spanish simultaneously and I come back

to the classes almost at the same time and I’ll see which one turns out ahead.

返校讀西班牙文/莊峻華

返校讀西班牙文/莊峻華

今晨返社區中心讀西班牙文，我雖學此語言多年，但仍然是初

級程度，昨夜和今晨，先溫習一本教課書之幾課。老師是位墨

西哥裔美國人，很感謝她週末來教書，我們班課滿，一共有36

位學生，我猜幾週後，人數會減少，因為她之進度甚快，而且

很有節奏，學生中稍有準備者，可以跟上進度，真正初學者，

惟恐手忙腳亂，因為西語屬拉丁語系，有較多動詞變化，我稍

了解，但缺少實用，仍舊陌生。

老師直接會話造句，然後對話問答，和日文仲本先生一般，都

是實練，這中間就有文法動詞變化，我是駕輕就熟，下週放假

，所以我郵輪之兩週六，只耽誤一節，而且我可以帶兩本書上

船鍛鍊。

學生中老少均有，許多知識追求者，我覺得老年生活有目標，

非常幸福，我現在可以朗朗上口，幾種不同語言，我希望有生

之年，我可以讀日文報紙，西文報紙，像我之漢英文程度一般

。