自歐洲返美郵輪行2023／莊峻華
三日前甫自歐洲搭乘郵輪返美，正值歲末，諸事纏身，心神稍定後，再寫報告。我是在十二月二日晚，搭乘土耳其航空，經伊斯坦堡機場，抵羅馬機場，然後搭火車到羅馬北郊之一外港上船，經馬賽港，巴瑟隆那，卡迪斯，里斯本，碰達德拉卡達，閃避颶風百慕達，直奔紐約港，一共在船上15日，旅途順暢，本無驚訝，但因節省，引來一些緊張。
我使用銀行卡優待點數，購買機票，以便節省支出，所以機票是免費，但時間冗長，需要長期候機，但我早已習慣，我又想省錢搭公車，又拖笨重行李，非常吃力，一直到船上房間開放，始得換洗休息，真正開始享受郵輪旅行，曼哈頓港下船，還好搭上專車抵內華克機場，然後搭夜機回休士頓，趕到半夜三班公車，抵家門已是翌日清晨二時。
今年，出外搭船旅行多次，全部是舊途重訪，郵輪算法是11次，另外還加上一次陸地旅行到日本，當然我跟不上兩年遊記，這次旅行我也將描述，就是加入回憶。
我們家開始整修地基換地下漏水管等，這是大工程，我們已經準備好經費，工程進度迅速，約四日內完成，然後換木板起居廳，應該是明年初，還有很多老屋翻新工程，均需一一克服，我也需要暫時中斷出外旅行。
The cost of a house remodeling/Carlos Pueblo
Owning a house to live is a life time achievement, yet we almost forget the cost of maintaining the house. I am leaving for my next cruise tomorrow; however, I need to face an additional cost to fix our house foundation issue to replace the waste sewer lines in addition to the 42 piers to support the shift foundation. The cost of both reach $40,000. I am aware that there are more to come such as the interior painting after fixing the crack on walls, replace the hardwood floor, replace the lawn front and back yard, and furthermore, replace a new roof, etc.
We have moved to this house of 1982 in 2012 and now all issues are appearing. I thought that after we paid cash for our purchase, the only expanse would be just the local taxes and the homeowner association fee. These kinds of maintenance won't happen, yet it is true. The earth underneath is shifting and the plastic pipes, the Polyvinyl chloride PVC, are corroded. The waste sewer are leaking that the mechanic can't fill up the tube to check on the leak. He recommends to replace the whole lines. The PVC is almost 43 years old. I can't do anything but agree. They will come in to dig the underground replace all PVC tubes and fill up muds to spaces. Piers work will be done in one day and sewer lines will take 4 days.
I don't think that I can go to cruise trips that often as this year. Lucky me, the cost of cruise trip is more to meet the inflation pressure. I don't think that I can go to visit abroad like before. I must be frugal again to meet these additional costs.
仍舊是碎事／莊峻華
明日我又要遠行，赴羅馬外港搭船回紐約共18日，行前仍舊是碎事，修理地基打50支地磚，仍舊需要換污水道塑膠管，兩項工程需耗四萬美金，完工後，仍需要換新木地板，全室內修葺粉刷，我真想離家出走，雖然我們已無房貸，但是房屋稅所得稅等，仍舊令我喘息不已，我仍舊不是富裕人也。
我們社區房屋，都有地基下陷問題，房屋在1982年初建，原屋主在1996年，整修地基，也修理污水道換塑膠管，但現在已經開始出現結構不支，愛美希望整修，找人來估價，我同意因為整修遠較重建便宜，而且社區環境好鄰居友善，交通方便。
專家從後院污水管口灌水，半小時後仍灌不滿，表示地下有破裂漏水，塑膠管壽命有限，但比鉛管安全，記著要隨時換新，否則屋老就有麻煩，像地基移動，牆壁破裂，門都關不上，很是困擾。
好，修理換新地基水管，這是需要挖掘土地打地洞之工程，當然費用高，再來就是換木地板，室內粉刷，換屋瓦，還有修葺庭院草皮等，居屋費錢，即無房貸，也逃不過這些維護費用，我真想離家出走。
Re-visiting Kyoto, Japan in 2023/Carlos Pueblo
It is about an hour ride on express train from Osaka to Kyoto. That day was a cloudy day and was not that promising; however, I decided to go ahead to re-visit this lovely ancient capital of Japan. there were some places which I missed in he spring this year. I bought a day of the city bus pass and started with the Kiyomizu-Dera Temple and the Gion Area, then I took the same bus 206 to visit Kyoto University main campus, then the Ginkakuji, then across the central part of the city to the Kinkakuji Temple. On my way back, I even made it to visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
First, the Kiyomizu-Dera Temple which I visited in March this year is still very attractive to tourists who fill up both Gion area and the Temple. The Temple is over a thousand years old. Tokugawa Ieyasu used to stay here to do his military business against the Osaka Castle. Gion area is a narrow street where the classical movies are taken place. It is still very popular where you can see beautiful ladies dressed the kimono walking on the street. You can rent the kimono dress and the shop would help you to make up.
The same bus 206 took me to visit the Kyoto University campus. I have had a special interest in the Japanese Imperial Universities system. Before the War, Taiwan was under Imperial Japanese rule and Japanese built the schools system according to Japanese system. Kyoto Koto Gakko merged to Kyoto University after the War while Taihoku Koto Gakko in Taipei becomes Taiwan Normal University when Chiang Kai-sek's army occupied Taiwan in 1945.One of my Chemistry department head went to this University to study and that's why I always have a dream to visit this campus.
The Ginkakuji Temple is located north of the Kyoto University campus. It was built in 1482 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa as his office. It is a Zen Temple now. I did go through a road called the Philosophy Road of 1.8 Km by a ditch of the Lake Biwa.
After Ginkakuji Temple, I took 206 again to Kinkakuji Temple which I had visited more than 15 years before. Ginkakuji is Silver Pavilion while Kikakuji is Golden Pavilion which was built by Shogun Ashikaka Yoshmitsu in 1408. Both are still well maintain and beautiful, world treasury.
On my way back to the Kyoto Station, I found the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It was closed to the public yet you can still see the large garden and some building inside the high wall. Emperor Meiji didn't like the battle damage in Kyoto before the end of Tokugawa Shogun by one of his supporter army. He decided to move his palace to current day Tokyo. Once he came back to visit this old deteriorated
再訪日本京都市2023／莊峻華
今年春天，我們搭機前來日本賞櫻，京都市是一遊之地，但我們僅拜訪清水寺，然後就回大阪市酒店，十分遺憾，這次我隻身旅行，胸有成竹，也從清水寺開始，我先從福島站搭普通車到大阪站，再換快車到新大阪站，然後換新幹線快車到京都站，下車後馬上購買京都府公車一日劵，先上清水寺線，全程都是客滿，巴士是一輛接一輛，全球和日本遊客，雲湧到來，我印象中德川家康經常住清水寺，雲籌維握，處理關西兵事。我很熟練的步行上崗，拍攝相片留念，這清水寺諸廟宇，都有千年以上之歷史，秋季年輕女遊客，更不吝打扮成日本姑娘，穿著美麗多彩和服，頭㻸鮮花，非常美麗。
祇園就在清水寺緊鄰，也是鬧區，電影背景處，真是擁擠不堪，天色陰暗，有下雨之威脅，我連忙回清水道搭巴士北上，上次愛美同行，只求安全，這次我鐵定找到京都大學，地圖上標誌在清水寺北端。當然我也是不斷詢問，下車時已經在京大校區，也找到正門，我對京都帝大特別羨慕，我在台灣師大讀書時，系主任程祥榮先生，早年畢業於京都帝大化學系，據校園內一位溜犬退休老教授曰，當年化學館迄今屹立，我特別拍攝一些相片留念。最近，台灣師大副校長陳焜銘博士來訪，我們提到高等學校，師大前身是台北高等學校，京都也有三高，副校長提到金澤市之四高，真令我驚訝，東京是一高，仙台是二高，先父諱明來公在我考上台師大時，就告訴我台師大和台北高等學校之淵源，也是我旅行日本各地，拜訪舊日高校建築之動機，舊日高校，英帝國學制，在戰前均已改制為帝大，連英國之伊頓高校和落格比高校，均已升格為學院，土井晚翠和夏目漱石在東京帝大畢業後，都先在仙台之二高，和熊本之五高任教。
銀閣寺是下一站，是在京都帝大校園之北端，搭公車下車後，就沿著哲學之道，琵琶湖疏水道前進，我未進入參拜，這是室町幕府一位大將軍之辦公室，環境幽雅，下次再來拜訪。於是我又搭車到另一方向之金閣寺，約是15年前和愛美及琳兒，進入拜訪，非常特殊美麗，是世界之寶藏，這次我也未進入，因為時間和陰雨威脅。
搭地下鐵回京都站前，我看到舊京都京畿皇居，這是明治天皇舊居處，大政奉還後，明治因京都戰亂破壞至巨，遷都江戶，我也是最近才學得知識，長州軍攻入京都，破壞甚巨，後來薩摩軍聯手長州軍擊潰德川幕府。舊皇居仍是緊閉，規模甚大，沒有天守閣。
Welcome NTNU Vice President Chen to visit Houston, Texas/Carlos Pueblo
Our alumni association vice president informed me that NTNU Vice President Kwun-Min Chen would visit us in Houston one night on his way to College Station and Austin for school business. We would accommodate his vegetarian diet to treat him at the Sultan Pepper Mediterranean Restaurant inside the Memorial City Mall closed to his Westin Hotel nearby. It all went on smoothly as our association executives went to the airport to pick him up and I went to the mall to arrange seats for about 16 of us to welcome him. The restaurant also offers light meal such as chicken dishes in addition to the pure vegan menu which includes four salads.
We feel very closed to our Alma Mater NTNU, the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan. Last year, University President Chen-Chih Wu came to visit us and also treated us a very nice dinner box and fruits. This year his Vice President continued to visit us because of the universities academic agreement among Taiwanese Universities with two distinguished Texas Universities, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas.
It's even more closed for me to think about it. Chen graduated from the Chemistry Department in 1982 while I did it 1n 1971. He went ahead to get his Ph.D. degree at the University of Pennsylvania and returned to NTNU as a professor, department head, and the dean of the college of science, a perfect academic achievement and resume.
We all had the opportunity to chat with him that night. I ask him about the school direction since NTNU is no longer an university to train the secondary school teachers. He says that the chemistry department is very busy to prepare students to work for the famous TSMC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. It's been really amazing that 10 years before in 2014, I had a brief tour of the department at a new campus, the department head showed me how they accepted some jobs request to detect material preciously like to cover the applied chemistry fields. Now, the department goes on further ahead in the material science and electronic fields. I know that is amazing for the current days universities especially he National Universities in Taiwan.
I have had a good chat with him about our mutual teachers at NTNU. He says that the University likes to gather more about our past, the school life and our faculties. It's so nice to converse with a scholar to remember my university life nowadays.
歡迎母校台灣師大陳副校長來訪／莊峻華
週餘前，休士頓師大校友會來訊，母校陳焜銘副校長，將路過休士頓，校友會將招待他一頓簡易素食晚餐，我們在他下塌之大飯店旁找到一地中海型素餐廳，陳是我們化學系1982年畢業，常春藤賓系法尼西亞大學哲學博士，任教母校25年，擔任過系主任和理學院長，學資歷完整豐富，和去年來訪之吳正己校長，都是青年才俊，而且平易近人。
校友會長副會長，赴機場將副校長接來，因為時間蒼促，副校長也不嫌棄，我們就在紀念市大購物中心的食街蘇丹胡椒店設宴，就是將食街雙人桌10套合併擺齊，於是我們坐滿，這餐廳很精緻，素食在美國有廣範定義，副校長是全素，不能有動物產品，餐廳也嚴格遵守，我們可選四種食物，我曾全素11年，因糖尿病又無健康保險之故，副校長選擇素食，是因信佛之故，非常難得。
因為人不多，大家都有機會旁坐與副校長聊天，我與母校行政主管，稍有接觸，因為曾辦理校友會業務，例如2008年和2014年，都拜訪過公館校區母系，和兩位系主任有交談過經驗，也經過學校公關室，拜會過五位校長，幾位院長和系主任，因過世的張清朗院長之好心紹介，2008年還讓音樂系主任請過一豐盛主午餐，非常親切，留下美憶。
副校長告訴我，母系近況，母系教授陣容堅強，我在2014年就讀過教授陣容，大部份是留美博士，有些是留日和留歐博士，我想這是因為美國大學常年提供獎學金之故，2014年那位系主任，帶我參觀實驗室，當年系實驗室，已經可以協助對外實驗偵測，就是做應用化學之功能，副校長曰，最近都進展到半導體，為台積電等提供人才，母校已不再是培養中等學校師資之師範學校矣。
據副校長言，明年六月母校將在洛杉磯舉行全球校友會，我要將該月時間留下，拜會全球傑出校友，群聚一堂。
