疫苗注射/莊峻華

 

疫苗注射/莊峻華

 

新版本武漢肺炎疫苗，已經開始在藥局供應，我剛好準備出門郵輪旅行，因此特地約定注射，這是武肺疫苗第七支，效果甚高，我從來未曾得過武肺.五點抵達藥局，藥劑師準備文書工作，一面又幫忙配藥，藥局忙碌，美國健保普遍，許多人拿藥，藥價也在總統大選中被討論著，大概是疫苗注射利潤高，藥局和家庭醫生辦公室，都一再招攬生意，因為藥局疫苗注射方便快速，所以我就選擇藥局，這藥劑師能幹，又招攬我打一針流行性感冒疫苗，走前再提醒要打一種肺炎疫苗，我說待我從魁北克市回來再打，很有趣的是，這些疫苗注射，都是免費.

 

在我等候注射時，我就觀看藥局客戶前來拿藥，有一女士攜帶女兒同來，幫她翻譯，這是西班牙語裔，小女孩可以當場即時翻譯，非常令我佩服，我也注意到客戶報出生日，然後比較我的年紀和蒼老外貌，很快時間就到輪到我注射.

 

這家藥局不是我住家附近者也，因規模稍大，比起我拿藥的那家較遠，需要開車，約是零點六哩，仍是非常方便，我的老車已經退休，只好開愛美座車辦事.

Life without the desktop computer/Carlos Pueblo

 

Life without the desktop computer/Carlos Pueblo

 

A month ago, my desktop computer was broken due to age and virus. Suddenly, my quiet life changed. I couldn’t spend my daily life on the internet doing my routine, managing my blog, checking my investment in the security stocks and funds, watching Youtube, etc. My son Arthur told me that was due to the age of the computer, i.e. I was still using Windows 7 which couldn’t be updated any longer and there was no way for him to reformat the hard drive; therefore, we should purchase a new model and I agree.

 

While I was waiting, I used my old Smartphone to do the e-mail, check on the cruise line, and do the stock trading, etc. Finally, he set it up for me in a month. Now, I have Windows 11 with my new edition of hardware. I gradually got into my banking and security accounts even though I did run into problems with new logins. 

 

The next issue is how I can go back to my blog work. He helps me to set up the language choice such as Chinese Kanji selection; however, I lose the keyboard this time and I can’t use a Kanji Ju-in print out to write my Chinese composition; therefore, I must suspend my Chinese prose for the time being. I shall figure it out later.

Precious example of up from the humble origin/Carlos Pueblo

 Precious example of up from the humble origin/Carlos Pueblo

Recently I met a distinguished alumnus of my Taiwan Normal University during a global alumni conference. She is a precious example of a person from humble origin. There were many such examples at my alma mater, an institution which provided tuition and fee free for training secondary school teachers in Taiwan. I always stop everything and write a piece of prose to compliment such a story to show my admiration.

She was introduced to us as a smart graduate student who converted her graduate study from Chemistry to Electrical Engineering  and made it. After the conference, I correspond with her and she introduces herself and briefly explains her story which reminds me to another two identical stories occurred in the past yet still in my mind. She was the only graduate from San Chong Junior High School to pass the Entrance Examination to enter Taipei First Girls Senior High. Her grandparents who brought her up at that time couldn't afford her to study at the most prestigious high school in Taiwan. Luckily, a kind teacher from her junior high stepped in to convince her grandparents with three years of tuition and fees prepared for her to spend. She entered that senior high and made it into Taiwan Normal with the governmental support to finish Chemistry study and got her bachelor science degree.

She was at the top of her class; therefore, she was invited to be a teaching assistant at the Chemistry Department after her graduation. She had worked for that position for four years and saved some money for her grandparents in order to study abroad in the United States in 1986. She briefly stayed at our Texas A&M University with a scholarship at College Station. She then transferred to the University of California at Irvine with her new Advisor in Electrical Engineering. After graduation, she has worked in several famous high tech corporations until recently.

When I was a high school student in Taipei, I loved to read Booker Washington's inspirational book, Up from Slavery. I firmly believe that her story and Cora Chou, my fellow 1971 NTNU graduate in the English Department, and another girl student at Huwei Senior High of all whom I described on my Blog with similar achievement as Booker Washington.

珍貴力爭上游的故事／莊峻華

 珍貴力爭上游的故事／莊峻華

今日下午，我和一位剛認識的台師大校友簡訊，這位校友非常傑出剛退休，她提到如何力爭上游的往事，我聽到如此勵志史，必需放下一切，專心報導這件社會美事，過去我在我部落格中，提到兩位，一位是台師大英語系朋友，一位是虎尾高中的學生，這次第三位，都是純樸社會中的善人大德，幫助清寒學生向上的故事，義舉尤其令我欽佩羨慕。

這位台師大的校友，三重國中後，一舉考上北一女中，而且是當屆唯一，照顧她的外祖父母，實在無法讓她繼續就學，學校老師及時介入，籌款學雜費三年，當然包括那令全台羨慕之綠色制服費，三年後她讀理工科的甲組，台師大是公費師範生制度，化學系是她一志願，少數選擇之一，當然考取，當年有些出身清寒高中學生，選擇台師大為第一志願，尤其是理化系，數學系，和英語系，減少家長負擔，這是我親自目睹的事實。

台師大畢業後，她因為成績優秀，留在系內當助教4年，儲蓄一些錢給外祖父母生活費，然後她就拿我們德州農工大獎學金來美國，她未提但我相信她的美金，也繼續援助台灣的家人。我在台師大校友峰會裡認識她，聞陳副校長介紹她時，提到她讀化學博士，又跨理到工讀電機博士，頭腦一定特別好，又用功努力，人又漂亮，做人做事都是第一流，工作到自然退休，愛女又剛醫科畢業，真是令人肅然起敬。

在台灣的古純樸社會，家長重視子女學校教育，習以為常，子女學業優良，也給父母驕傲，當然不是每位子女都能在學校教育中，脫穎而出，行行出壯元，要力爭上游。

Can't get rid of the heatwave 2024/Carlos Pueblo

 Can't get rid of the heatwave 2024/Carlos Pueblo

There is a hurricane called Beryl which causes Houston to lose power in the summer. There were four days we didn't have any power to maintain our house. Finally, the power was back and the air conditioning was cranking for three days and the fan motor was broken at dawn. We just can't get rid of the summer heat wave in 2024.

Arthur was alert to get some ice after work. He works at a supermarket three miles away, yet on the second day, he couldn't get anything due to no power at the store as well, of course, the store had a generator; however, the power volume is less than demand. They can't even save refrigerated foods regardless of the cooling of ice. We managed the dump to melt water all the time and kept all the meat up to the frozen box and prepared to cook them in the backyard because we still desire to salvage some of our groceries. Not like the supermarket, they can claim loss from the insurance company.

At the moment when the power was back on, it's after four long days. I immediately cooked all the beef, shrimp, and pork, etc. We manage to bag them and consume them every meal of a day. I even drink the wine and Brandy which I carry home from my previous cruise trips.

Our air condition fan motor quit after three days of hard work. our house inside is back to severely hot again. Air conditioning mechanics are busy as the power company's technicians. We can't recruit out of state mechanics like the power company. Our relative advised us to purchase a small portable window unit air conditioner to meet our temporary need. We did and put it on the breakfast room window. At least we can make the room air circulation about 250 square feet.

The 7 years old fan motor has a 10 years warranty and we only have had it for 7 years, yet it will take more than 3 days to have it if there is any available.

溽暑揮之不去／莊峻華

 溽暑揮之不去／莊峻華

颶風貝若重戧休市地區電力設備，中點電力公司修護隊不負重荷，遂使各處停電，休士頓溽暑熱浪襲人揮之不去，幸好偶有陣雨，清晨氣溫稍低約華氏80度，到了中午室外已經抵達華氏100度，無冷氣的室內，已經是華氏120度，如此的夏天，我家有四整日。第五日上午，電力到來，冷氣機開始重新起動，我們方釋去身體痛苦，三天後的週一，冷氣機馬達休克，頓時恢復溽暑，冷氣機師不接電話，工作太忙，無法分身，我們無法像中點電力公司一樣，從外州調入技師，前來解圍，眼看就是繼續吃苦。

退休的親戚指導，到五金行購買窗型冷氣，安裝在早餐室小窗，讓冷氣吹入，我們三人就睡在一沙發，一雙座長凳，和一行軍床，暫時應活應活。今年夏天真苦。

早上，我步行到社區游泳池，開始今年的晨泳，七點許尚無人，我就放鬆心情，忘卻溽暑，滿意後步行回家，到景英兄府採無花果，電力來日，我馬上滷掉未融化之牛腱，大蝦，和滷蛋，像梁山伯好漢一般，大塊吃熟牛肉，大塊喝紅酒白蘭地，這幾瓶都是船上帶回品，對矣，何不再回阿拉斯加避暑郵輪旅行？今年郵輪旺季，買不到便宜特價票，而且票價高昂，令我怯步。

電來後，除餐餐熟牛肉滷蛋外，又有冰凍西瓜，西瓜令我注意到通貨膨脹，還有特價牛排，但是股市仍舊上漲，減少溽暑無電和無冷氣之壓力。

Welcome the visit to Texas from a group of professors from NTNU/Carlos Pueblo

 Welcome the visit to Texas from a group of professors from NTNU/Carlos Pueblo

During August this year, a group of professors from the Chemistry Department, National Taiwan Normal University shall visit Texas including Houston and Austin. These five professors are Yi-Chun Yeh, Chong-You Chen, Yi-Hsin Liu, Yun-Ju Lai from the Biological Technology Department, and Pin-Chuan Chen of the Taiwan Science and Technology University assigned to be a Science and Technology Director of Houston Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

The group leader is Yi-Hsin Liu who sends me their purpose of visit and schedule. First, they will come to visit Rice University on the 14th, Director Chen will treat them to lunch and our local alumni association will host them for dinner at Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant in the evening. On the 16th, the group will visit the University of Texas for a meeting in the morning at the Chemistry Department to discuss a coordination platform between the two institutions. They shall have  a late lunch and the Austin Alumni Association will follow up to have another early evening dinner to welcome them at Ho Ho Bar B.Q. Chinese Restaurant.

Early this year in March, I was in Taipei for my dental restriction work, I formally visited my Alamater and learned about the visiting scholars program from NTNU, professors Yi-Chun Yeh and Ling-Hsien Tu, to the UT Austin campus for 6 months. With the approval of our local alumni association presidents, Nancy Chang and Melonie Jan, we quickly offer them our sincere welcome parties both in Houston and Austin since this is very meaningful and helpful to improve our alamater's reputation and spirit. I am aware that it is getting more and more serious especially after the University President Wu and Senior Vice President Chen's visiting Texas within a 6 months period.

Other than the purpose of the visit described by the leader Liu, I sense the new strategy of Taiwan National Government under the former National President Tsai and following up by current President Lai, we shall send out professionals to visit our friendly nations all over the world to benefit both professionals and the Nation to help scholars to keep in touch with their respected fields and also stay away the imposed isolation of Taiwan for the rest of the world and that is why Director Chen will present this platform's funding from Taiwan Government.