重訪西班牙巴塞隆納市2022／莊峻華

 重訪西班牙巴塞隆納市2022／莊峻華

因為他事攪亂我今年三郵輪遊記，馬上又將外出三郵輪行，連忙續記此歐洲行，我是搭乘寶石號從紐約市出發，跨越大西洋，在西班牙亞莉堪地亞迷路，翌晨船抵巴塞隆納港，這是我最喜愛之城市之一，來過五次以上，我在碼頭熟練購妥來回巴士票，抵達城市哥倫布廣場，然後沿著大道，找到一銀行取款機，一位高中生，幫我領出歐元現金，我前日在亞港迷路，找不到銀行提款金，十分懊惱。我的目標甚為簡單，只逛一條大道，然後就回船上。

先到這家大市場，市場龐大，許多豪華美麗之火腿商店，五花十色，西班牙火腿非常馳名，船上偶爾提供，真是壯觀，有客人當場坐下品嚐，當然也喝葡萄酒，我找到當年騷包坐下之餐廳，今年沒有當年之客滿，都是虛席，我還是逛上幾圈，然後離去，大市場附近，許多電子手機店，店員許多亞洲印度裔西班牙人，我在迷路後，終於走回大道，這時候已經有許多遊客，道中間是一畫廊，美麗城市都有畫家駐紥，這些是人像素描寫生者，可愛小女孩坐在畫家面前，畫家當眾揮彩筆，甚是真實，我真的從頭看到完成，一幀畫是75歐元，小女孩母親交待女孩給上小費。

我在畫廊附近巷弄，找到一廣場，內有幾位年輕人耍特技，就是體力奔跳，博取小費，這奔跳若不巧，是會傷人，我有點忌諱，旁邊剛好有一對年輕東方人，有位年輕女攝影師，幫他們拍照，我馬上了解是甚麽一回事，年輕人是新婚便裝，在巴塞隆納網路找到一位職業攝影師，我猜三位都是日本青年，事畢，雙方各自離去，我問攝影師是否為當地者？她說是，如此較為經濟合算，不是嗎？琳兒在哥斯達黎加婚禮，也是如法泡製。

拿到歐元現金，回船上我就給這位朱博士200歐元，她也很慷慨換我美金，她是準備續搭此輪再遊歐洲一程。

Never give up/Carlos Pueblo

 Never give up/Carlos Pueblo

Patrick Chen of New York City sends me his autobiography, Never Give Up, via internet Line about his struggle to break the poverty class in his early life and I am so touched and impressed. Never Give Up is my motto in tennis games and I like him to point it out in our life. He personally has told me his story in Taiwan several times and I remember. I got to know him on my first quarter in the United States during the end of 1975 and the beginning of 1976 in NYC. We're on on a speedy ride from NYC to Washington, D.C. to participate a political demonstration against the Nationalist Chinese regime to oppress a victim, Pai Ya-Tseng simply due to his question to Chiang Kai-sek's son Chiang Ching-kuo how much he paid for the estate tax when the elder Chiang dies on that year, 1975? He was sentenced to death for his dis-respect and later changed to life sentence. My brother Yancy took me along with group of Taiwanese dissidents to join such strike. 

Later before 1980, He came down to Houston for his real estate business and visited Yancy and I was there. I remembered him very well. Yancy has mentioned so many times that Patrick tried to have him matched a pretty girl in Taipei when he went back to Taiwan in 1975. The deal didn't go through not that regretfully because my match making for his wife was in success at that trip. One year I was in Taiwan and visited my home town Huwei. I ran into a pretty school principal who happened to be Pat's sister-in-law. I asked a friend in NYC to locate Pat and got connected. He has treated my brother-in-law of Staten Island twice when I visited him, a Taiwanese cuisine and a Korean cuisine both were delicious indeed.

I am glad his success can be read in print for the world interested. I was in similarity to him yet not that dramatically. I also fight for my success up from almost nothing. His father had nine children and relied only for a small 0.4 acres rice field to support the family. It was due to the school educational systems in Taiwan provided him the opportunity to become an engineer and came to study in the United States. His autobiography is similar to the famous Booker T. Washington, Up from the Slavery, I read that book when I was a freshman in senior high school in Taiwan, one of the main motive to immigrate to this great nation.

He has made up his mind very early in his life and that is why he is successful. We don't see that such inspirational writing is popular in demand nowadays. It is fine with me and only people like me can appreciate it.

少年勵志典範／莊峻華

 少年勵志典範／莊峻華

日前紐約市老友阿火兄贈文大作，永不放棄，深為感動，特為文恭賀其為少年勵志典範。我無意邂逅兄於1975年底與1976年間紐約市，我在環遊美國，峻嚴帶我參加在華府白宮前，為台灣政治犯白雅燦示威遊行，白為早期異議人士，因詢問蔣經國交遺產稅否？為蔣政權判無期徒刑，我們一行五人，一路飆車南下，阿火其一，後來阿火因業務來訪休市峻嚴府，我有印象，應該是在我婚前，他已無所記憶。約是十年前返台探親，在虎尾巧遇一位美女國小校長，是阿火兄之小姨，再加上峻嚴津津樂道當年返台探親，1975年夏天，阿火幫他作媒一事，諸多巧遇事。於是我煩請紐約市黃再添兄，查詢阿火電話，不久連襟榮祥帶我拜訪阿火，蒙他慨請我們一豐盛台餐，後來又請一次豐盛之韓國料理，他媳婦是韓裔美人，因此他能點韓國美食。

永不放棄一書故事，先有所聞，這些年阿火提起幾次，阿火在台灣是學霸，雖說家境赤貧，一家11口僅賴兩分薄田，阿火省桃中畢業後，就考上建中和台北工專，今日之台北科技大學，先父之母校，工專畢業後來美留學，水牛城碩士後，就業工程師職，然後創業電腦電子底板，在中國廣東惠州設廠，一直到2020年。我所羨慕者為其少年勵志經驗，我真希望他的經驗，能給世人相信努力以赴，奮戰不懈之道理，他的成功，充滿自信。

當然此需當代人如我者，始能體會，我常以為我已經非常艱辛，想起來先父真是吃苦，不是他之氣餒，而是我們子女不夠努力，考上名校，但是學校教育後之社會生活，則需要一本少年勵志精神，來渡過此難得有意義之人生。

Buy low and sell high/Carlos Pueblo

 Buy low and sell high/Carlos Pueblo

I the stock trade, there is a rule to buy low and sell high in order to make a quick buck. I do it some time and not that bad at all. Yesterday, Amy informed me my oil stock price and I sold it all for some quick bucks. I shall keep the money for my cash needs in the coming years. Today, the oil stock is still climbing yet I don't feel bad at all.

There is no reason for me to explain the reason why the oil stock rises and falls all of a sudden this year. I am out of my trap for some time by now till the 2022 inflation. I can use the fund to satisfy my annual requirement of the minimum distribution. I think that I can keep the fund for seven years to wait for the depressed high tech funds to be recovered that would make me more comfortable.

I hope that I shall keep a good health or the manageable senior health under the Medicare coverage; therefore, I don't have extra cost under my retirement funds. I am at the old age and I don't like to worry about my retirement funds exhausted before the end of my life.

股票買低賣高／莊峻華

 股票買低賣高／莊峻華

昨午愛美告知，石油股沖高，於是我上書房，一一售清庫存石油股，今晨油股股續漲，我已無能為力，賣出兌現是保證手上現金，免得拮据不堪，一般股市仍然不見起色，因為通貨膨脹是將步入經濟消條委縮之結局，無人能清楚判斷。

今年通貨膨脹，尤其是汽油零售價，拜登總統努力，汽油價在休士頓，回跌到一加侖3美元，如今石油產國聲稱每日減產兩百萬桶，是為日後消條減產？抑或維護高油價高收入？我想是在警告美國石油公司，切末增產石油，輕舉妄動，還是強調環保，鄙夷化石能源為是，我是如此想，沙烏地石油政策如此，已經超過70年。

我年紀已大，體力無法繼續工作，倖好年輕時有儲蓄，現在退休金賺錢，只要身體健康，老人健保可維護，又因糖尿病改素食，開車僅在附近社區球場來回，物價是上漲，但是我消費少，不受大影響，郵輪旅行，都是精打細算過，這是財務稅務之安排，股票買低賣高是變錢，無中生有。

The mid-term elections between Taiwan and the U.S./Carlos Pueblo

 The mid-term elections between Taiwan and the U.S./Carlos Pueblo

The mid-term elections between Taiwan and the U.S. is one of main issues in my current days life in Houston, Texas. It will be on November 8 for the U.S. while November 26 for Taiwan. The U.S. mid-term election shall decide who will control both houses while in Taiwan, there are many local positions will be decided to influence the future national election for Taiwan in 2024. It is more interesting for me to follow the one in Taiwan than the one in the U.S. Of course, I don't have very much to say in both elections. I don't have the vote in Taiwan and I am a minority voter in Texas most of the time because I vote the Democrat and Democrats are the minority in Texas even though we do start voting Democrats in Houston area lately.

I have followed Taiwanese politic for a long time especially after I immigrated to the U.S. since 1975. Taiwan has been changed to a real democratic system governments since 1996. I is still very short yet very interesting. The new local party, the Democratic Progressive Party, is the incumbent in the national level both the executive and the legislative branches. The DPP has defeated the old Nationalist Chinese Party several times and forced the KMT become the second large party in numbers while there is another local party, the Taiwan People's Party, is joining to take their share of the national resources. I am against the KMT myself and prefer DPP or Taiwan People because both parties are clearly preferring that Taiwan is an independent nation and has nothing to do with China.

I prefer Democrats to Republicans in the U.S. elections. I don't like Donald Trump and the conservative. I believe that the Governments can do more for the poor and the needed. Of course, people must help themselves simultaneously like that I help myself. I have no complaints ever since I come to this nation.

年底的台美地方選舉／莊峻華

 年底的台美地方選舉／莊峻華

美國是在11月8日，台灣是在11月26日，兩國均將舉行地方選舉，比較上，台灣地方選舉，較為熱鬧，台灣有三大政黨互相競逐，非常劇烈，美國民主選舉超過246年，已經相當習慣，連參衆兩院是否換手？我們德州居民，甚難使力，這是事實，我在選前一日，旅行回家，趕上投票，這是我的興趣，我雖非台灣國公民，但從小關心台灣政治，而且津津樂道，我有我的看法，這個看法，真正傳承於先父，十分有趣，他出生於大日本帝國，接受過日本教育，我出生時台灣已是中國殖民地，一直到離開台灣21年後，台灣人民始能票選，正式授權統治台灣之政府，地方政府選舉，也比較有趣。

最有趣者，為首都台北市政府之選舉，台北市長和台北市議會，此次台北市長有三大政黨角逐，其實有12人參選，民進黨提名陳時中醫師，國民黨提蔣萬安美國律師，民眾黨提親民黨籍黃珊珊律師掛無黨籍參選，我以專業判斷，加上個人喜愛，我看好黃珊珊，也認為她是最佳後選人，民眾黨之議員後選人，也將有所斬獲。

八年前，柯文哲醫師入主台北市，執政有業績，而且是例年來之最，陳水扁僅4年，國民黨中國人馬英九和郝龍斌各8年，卸任後有五大弊案，官員鋃鐺入獄，主要是中國官方衙門貪污之傳統，柯市長有日本家教，台北帝大醫科之傳統訓練，日本精神，講話算話有紀律，台灣民進黨媒體分辨不清，我能了解，看不出柯執政8年政績和建設，黃珊珊副市長，建議大家參考各位連任議員政見，了解這些議員任內之代表作，都是議員爭取，柯市府執行完成，柯絕對不是共匪同路人，他們夫妻都是台大醫科出身醫生，都不做生意，她可能誤入基金，投資中國，這是證券股市非醫學專門，我不能笑她，我過去服務之壽險大公司，亞洲太平洋基金，僅指日本一國而已，我勞記在心，幾十年後，看看中國，香港，和新加坡，投資者慘況。

我已經有8年餘，未曾回過台灣，剛好是柯執政後之8年，台北沒有地方便宜居，無法欣賞柯市長口述下之台北市容，市場更新，台灣要不斷之進步，要鼓勵年輕人參加公眾服務，民進黨黨比中國國民黨優質甚多，我相信民眾黨更好，就像美國民主黨比共和黨好，誰都比川普好一般的道理。