The stock market under the Pandemic/Carlos Pueblo

 The stock market under the Pandemic/Carlos Pueblo

There was a market crash early this year due to the Chinese Wuhan Novel Corona Virus pandemic outbreak. Many people have lost their jobs and business are closed. All indicates that we are in deep trouble of recession or even depression. I was out of my requirement minimum distribution due to a loan to Michelle's purchase of a rental house plus a two credit cards balance transfer loan to make up that loan. However, there was a withdraw account which was wrong that I thought I would have to do it again. The government waives that RMD requirement for this year for the market crash reason; yet I am still concerned. The market is coming nicely and I don't know the reasons. I took the mistaken amount out in order to prepare to pay off the credit card loans before a short break of a stall in the market.

There is something which I don't know even though I really want to know, why the stock market is coming back up so rapidly. I don't see people are going back to the office to work, I don't see that I dare to spend my money and I am in the minimum consumption and not helping the gross domestic product number at all. I shall leave it alone as long as I am all right with my retirement funds to live by. I am up on certain high tech funds, even with a major capital growth funds, and down with two single stocks, one oil and one auto maker stocks. I am taking out my RMD first from the loosing stocks first and leave all my rest savings on the market to help me to earn some money.

I have a goal to live up to age 80 which is not that far away. Based on my basic calculation, I am OK with my social security income, Michelle's mortgage payment, a small miscellaneous income, plus the RMD yearly to be survival. I exercise every day in order to keep a healthy body and a quick death. I am very satisfied with what I have come through. If I can live longer and save more money for my children that will be even more meaningful. 

疫情下之股市/莊峻華

 疫情下之股市/莊峻華

疫情下之股市，又吸引我的注意，因為中國武漢肺炎肆虐，股市重挫，慘不忍睹，這應是二月之後，我想我之退休金大幅縮水，因此不再注意每日股市變化，很奇怪，股市又開始回升，雖然許多美國人，仍舊失業，許多行業，仍舊關閉，但是我的高科技基金，已經超過去年底之收盤，一般大型資本股票基金，也開始恢復，只有兩張長年持有石油和汽車股票，仍舊損失慘重，但我已經恢復關看股市指數，計算每日漲值。

我的退休金數目尚小，所以仍舊在心算範圍內，雖然我無法了解，股市如何回升如此，但也無需了解後始投資，我先處理一領出年度退休金，雖然今年可以暫緩免領出，但我有兩張信用卡債，即將到期，我先放在銀行準備，其餘仍留在股市，我相信末日尚遠，退休金在股市，較在銀行低利息合算。

我猜測股市認為，美國經濟將在六個月後，恢復正常，因此股市已經開始活動，我非相信此解釋不可，如果美國經濟，仍無起色，股市仍會委縮，關稅物價和消費等，均將面臨新之評估，股票兌現為美金，也非安全，美國政府，猛印新鈔票，貨幣有貶值壓力，拿美金也有壓力。

讓我先將債務還清，然後繼續節約儲蓄，保持舊投資，我要留給子女，我的退休金和傢具等，他們可以送走我的舊書。

Make a good use of a text book/Carlos Pueblo

 Make a good use of a text book/Carlos Pueblo

While at a school, we must make a good use of a text book. What I have stated as how to catch up at a school is based on making a good use of a text book. It is because that the curriculum is mainly based on the text book of a school to select. I was late to understand the factor only when I was away from college and teaching at a senior high school. My dad's old boss at work was retired and teaching at a junior college at that time. He mentioned to me how wonderful a text book served to him as a reference, i.e. the glossary for our search for the definition of a word. Most of the text book has a basic definition of such word and we can also go to the chapter to find more in details. Our schools education are all related from the elementary school up to the college even the future continue education. A good text book is very handy even as convenient as the current day Google search.

I was very good at the arithmetic when I was at the elementary school. My next door neighbor who was a year ahead of me gave me his old arithmetic text book and my teacher gave me a brand new note book to drill. I was ahead of the class for at least one year. I lost that habit after I entered the junior high school and was behind on algebra, plane geometry, and trigonometry. The failure to catch up with the mathematics continue to the senior high school and the college. I has been very miserable and regrettable in my life. I believe that to make a good use of a text book, like the math book, at least can help us to catch up with the class. In Taiwan, there are varies entrance examination for senior high school and colleges; therefore, we can make it up to pass those examinations by reviewing and drill all of those we are behind by repeating drill of the text book. My goal is to study abroad especially in the United States; therefore, I must select the natural science field at college, i.e. chemistry. I must go back to the old math text book to drill more and more in order to make it to average level and make up with the other courses to bring up my average in order to pass such examination to enter a good college. 

I went to a teacher's university to study with the tuition free for my degree and then, I got a teaching assistant position for my graduate study in the U.S. Even though I had had a hard time to prolong my carrier as a trained chemist, I did make a successful change of carrier as an insurance agent and some general security business. I didn't work for as long as I desire; however, I did save sufficient fund to make the family going through. The old text book helps me to get the knowledge of numbers and to make a balance sheet in my family life. Now, I can even manage my budget to pay the minimum tax due by making a tax plan to direct my yearly income level. Amazing isn't it? It is all from the old text book of the math.

善用教科書/莊峻華

 善用教科書/莊峻華

教科書是學校教育過程中，一項準則，教師編排教案之根據，因此我覺得其重要，學生學要善用，有些教科書，似乎過於簡易，但卻無妨學習，可以提前完成，再求其餘，學業是循序漸進，像登樓一般，重要者為打下基礎耳，我喜歡填鴨式讀法，適用於幼年，等到高中以後，教科書份量稍高，則需做作業，來證明學有所成，就是通過考試，就是現在之美國學校，仍舊採用傳統式之筆試。

幾日前，愛美想起小孩幼年，我常購買學校教科書，大部份是算術，所以我可已在家幫忙作業，就是不讓小孩畏懼上課，琳兒一直順利跟上學校進度，元兒稍慢，但在初中後，開始落後，也不再有興趣讀書，於是我開始調整對策，他就像我在學校時之窘境，但所不同者，為我仍舊不放棄，我仍舊有強烈之求學動機，我把幾本舊教科書，帶到美國來。

先父之上司陳輔光先生，武漢大學出身，退休後在彰化兼課，一次在虎尾與我談到教科書，他說教科書真方便，不清楚之字彙，可以在書後之索引查閱，就像現在之谷歌搜尋一般，因此我都留下教科書，但又不常讀書，婚後被丟掉，幸好我有機會拾回一些，現在都在大廳書櫃上，我曾取出莫理森之有機化學，想重溫習過去不曾完成之課業，可惜仍舊中斷，但也無妨，只不過我與有機無緣，倒是理論化學，我讀畢兩次，但都在大學之後，幫忙跟上學校進度無涉。

最近又閒來無事，找到一本美國歷史教科書，這是第二冊，講到南北戰爭到書出版之現在，我剛讀畢第一冊之扼要，已經非常有趣，美國現在政治之變化，和當年移民建國有關，而且必需遵從，要依法有據，愛美最近喜歡政治，我鼓勵她也讀此教科書，我問元兒，他說這是必修課程，但許多人並不了解，而且也無所謂，生活只求溫飽而已，反正人生短暫而且無常，何需斤斤計較？

Say hi to young kids in the neighbor/Carlos Pueblo

 Say hi to young kids in the neighbor/Carlos Pueblo

Recently I have enlarged my circle of friends to young kids in the neighbor in addition to my pet dogs friends and their owners. I mentioned a baby girl waving at me from a distance when I came up from the pool. I chat with her parents and express my adoration of her. Yesterday, another pair of kids waving at me also when I came out from the water and I briefly listened to her subject about a girl whom I thought was her baby sister. I am so happy that now I have had another group of friends.

Many younger families are moving in to this subdivision to raise their family. I can see them on the pool in the summer. American kids are so lovely and well manners. They are all equipped with the swimming tools to the pool. That baby and this couple were watching me swimming on the pool and I thought that they liked to swim like me when they grew up. If i had grand children, they should be older than them. On my way home, I saw Anna was talking to their dad and I would ask her their names for our next time to meet.

We planned helping to take care of the grand kids, i.e. to the swimming classes and tennis lessons if their parents were busy. I could even make or purchase kites to fly in a parks and I knew where they were. It would be much fun with them instead of slow walk and swim every day. Of course, visiting pet dogs is a different story.

I shall tell her parents and her to swim like me in the pool to build up a hobby for life like what I have learned in my childhood. It is both healthy and fun to last for life.

喜與幼童招呼/莊峻華

 喜與幼童招呼/莊峻華

平常清晨散步，偶遇嬰車上嬰兒，其父母抑或祖母，常停下容我稱贊，於是我們開始認識，我甚有信心，可以看到他們上學，最近連續兩日，在游泳池，遇見幾位幼童與嬰兒，非常可愛，一位女嬰遠處與我打招呼，我趨近稱贊，與其父母相識，今是網球局後，穿過鐵門到游泳池，剛好遇見一家庭，母親稍入池不久，隨即攜小嬰兒離去，留下父親和兩位幼童，我開始圈游不久，年輕父親，就將幼童小池清淨，移兩童到小池戲水，我一直看到小水池，父親將兩折椅攤開，兩童坐椅觀看我在池中，游來游去，他們收拾準備離去時，我也上來，我們互相招呼，似曾相識，小孩們正準備騎單車回家，其父則有拖車，載運座椅和毛巾等，小孩戴運動膠盔，非常可愛，我過鐵門，這位約四歲大女孩，對我輕訴，她描述一位女孩，我停下傾聽，另一小孩也箸運動盔，和其父均留意傾聽，我未聽清楚即問，是剛才隨其母離去之妹妹？她說不是，於是我祝她們有一好週末，更衣後他們已離去，我正後悔未問其名，好可愛美麗之女孩。

我沒有直系親孫，因為子女選擇單身，否則這時候孫兒女，可以來家渡暑假，學游泳和網球，以前我們就如此安排子女，琳兒甚至參加少女網球賽，我們都尚可開車陪伴。我尚攜小孩們放風箏，遞紙信隨風線而上，我也帶他們到處旅行，我相信我是一位好父親。

這是我天堂似之老年生活，前日網球局不順，我的伙伴無法跟上節奏，於是我要求對手，不能老攻擊他，應該多與我交鋒，其實我之球路溫和，多半是擊回球，等待對手犯錯，大家都想贏球，因此皆攻弱者以得分，屢敗之球局，甚為無趣和壓抑，我寧願與幼童招呼。

Swimming reminds me the siting mediation/Carlos Pueblo

 Swimming reminds me the siting mediation/Carlos Pueblo

It is so calm and peace to swim in a pool by myself during the summer and reminds me of the siting mediation which I have learned since my childhood. My dad is a devoted Buddhist at the later days of his life. He told me that was a way to avoid the anxiety. Of course he had had with such a huge burden in the family for an insufficient income to support a large family. He discovered that a siting mediation might do some help to quiet down my stress and showed me how to do the lotus sit like the current day Buddha. He also referred me to a visiting friend of his from Philippine, Mr. Liu to reinforce the idea. Mr. Liu explained that the sit shorten the distance of the running blood from the feet back to the heart; therefore, our body got warmer. What the idea behind the sit is to think that our eyes look down  at our nose and our nose again looks down to our hear to form a concentrated mind. I learned to recite the secret chanting from Buddhist sutras along with the sit. In order to finish my swimming distance, I count my completed laps along the way; however, I have lost the counts most of the time; therefore, I abandon the count and let it be. I swim till I am tired like I sit till I am sleepy.

I don't practice the sit any longer because that I am very settle with my life now a day. I don't believe that I can achieve anything more. All what I desire is a healthy body and mind. I did my sit during my loss of a job each time to help me to get some sleep. I worried so much for the family because of the decreasing of income and worried that the children were still young, etc. The sit comes back to my mind likes something failure in my life. I didn't think of the swimming then due to lock of the facility and time.

I can do it now with exercises to consume some parts of my daily life. Instead of siting I swim, walk, and playing tennis. I also do the gardening and writing. Every day comes and passes by and I anticipate every coming day.