拜訪母校師大附中／莊峻華

 拜訪母校師大附中／莊峻華

每次回台北市，我都會拜訪母校師大附中，過去多半是附中同窗河南臨漳人郭鵬霄兄帶領，參觀他為母校興建之體育館，這次我藉參觀大安森林公園和建國假日花市，步行到附中校區，剛好遇見六千位小學績優生，參加附中初中部理科班甑試，非常劇烈，名額有限，許多家長不知道，理工科甚難當總統，統治國家。

日治時代，昭和12年四月一日，成立台北三中，就是師大附中之前身，1937年，國民黨不承認日治時代之學校制度，但仍舊繼續使用當年之建築，日本人實在，當年附中之紅樓建築仍在，而且很漂亮。附中的前操場已經蓋上幾棟大樓，都沒有日治時代之氣魄！而且需要經常維護。後操場較為完整，舊游泳池已拆除，有兩網球場，非常難得。後門出去是舊空軍總部，和私立延平中學，延平是台灣本土學校，現在令人刮目相看。

我讀附中時，附中是第二志願，這是傳統中華文化之大壓力，還好附中當年尚有四二制實驗班，非常優秀，後來我考入師大，藉口家境清寒，需要公費補助，始解脫此社會之窩囊氣，到了美國之後，海闊天空，沒工夫煩惱當年考不上建中和台大，在社會上混得可以，讀附中和師大，不再羞怯道出。其實當年，我舅父陳定遠牙醫之長子，陳超群醫師，就是附中出身，四十班，當年第一志願考入台大醫科，西德波昂大學醫科博士，他普通40班名人有連戰和陳履安，黨國後裔，國民黨顯赫，聽聞附中在中國較有名氣。

我在附中這位同窗好友郭鵬霄兄，是位傑出的建設商，有約300位職員的公司，我在網誌上看到他也承包柯文哲市長之大工程。他帶我參觀工地，有一座在鶯歌15億以上之美術館，已經完工正待驗收，牆壁堅厚像附中體育館，可以阻擋中國人民解放軍之礟彈和坦克，此建築位於鶯歌第二捷運線，面對我祖先三峽鎮，我特別拍照留念。

How do I budget myself to live in Taipei twice for two months?/Carlos Pueblo

 How do I budget myself to live in Taipei twice for two months?/Carlos Pueblo

Recently, for my dental repair needs I went back to Taipei once for a month and was required to go back again for another month to complete the job. How do I budget myself to live in Taipei twice for two months? Is it worth the cost instead of staying in Houston for the job done by the local dentist? I did make such calculations before I made such trips. First, it is my third fake teeth installation and it is more complicated involving 11 teeth and two crowns. My dental work including two layers of new denture built, two crowns covered on two teeth, and some minor chain to solidify around existing teeth, etc. is about NNT$100,000 equivalent to US$3,500. This is with a discount of my dentist's taking back my fallen golden crown to recycle it for NNT$20,000 or about US$700.

I have stayed in a small inn in front of the Taipei Main Rail Station for about US$40 a night for about 30 nights with a total of US$1,200 cost of room service, of course, I am alright with sharing a bath and toilet. I am used to the conscription life as well as the hostel in Europe, Japan, and the South American traveling. There is an 18 days cruise and 4 nights free stay at my hometown with my brother should not be counted as my expense on my dental work according to the true comparison.

I am so frugal or you say thrifty in English that I really don't spend unreasonable money on eating in Taipei. I eat like poor students preparing for all kinds of National Examinations around my hotel area, Nan Yang Street, for my daily meals. I estimate about US$15 a day for my food cost including daily fruits consumption. All fancy meals are treated by my Taiwanese friends because they appreciate my old friendship and they are doing very well and can afford such meals to treat me. I estimate those are about 6 days in total.

The public transportation systems are very advanced in Taipei. There are light rail and subway systems around the metropolitan area including two international airports and my dental clinic is only 8 stations away, about a 20 minutes ride one way. I have purchased US$50 worth of tickets for such service and am still not exhausted. The Taiwan High Speed Rail Authority will not allow me to enjoy a 50% discount on their high speed rail tickets and I refuse to take such service and I take the regular fancy high class rail service with 50% senior discount, i.e. two pairs of round trip tickets, a pair from Taipei to Douliu(my home town city) and another pair ticket from Douliu to Kaohsiung for a grand total of less than US$30.

Only two short legs of flights which I paid in cash and all other flights I have used credit points and mileage which I have gathered in advance for  minimum f

如何解決短暫台北食宿行問題／莊峻華

 如何解決短暫台北食宿行問題／莊峻華

選擇在台北整牙，問題是在經濟實惠，比較起在休士頓，我的第二次整牙是在休市，因為當年老人健保增加一年四千美元之整牙福利，但僅包括拔牙，不包括假牙製作，因此我的第二具假牙，上下兩具十一齒全塑膠是五千美元，美國牙醫還耗盡四千美金之年度整牙福利，包括拔掉五顆牙齒和愛克斯光。這次整牙，也是上下兩具共11齒，上下層都是金屬焊接，拔掉一顆牙，清除上下兩顆蛀牙，填上金屬，並蓋上兩牙套，鞏固假牙結構，還有幾齒有金屬圈套，看起來就是非常牢固耐用，我的牙醫要價12萬新台幣，收下我的金牙落齒一顆，給我兩萬元新台幣折扣，所以我的台灣整牙費是約三千四美金。

再來是宿費，我住客棧，前五日是在網上訂房，四十美金一夜，公浴公廁，以後直接訂房，節省一些是三十八美金一日，所以客棧費是一千一百美金大約一個月，現在又要回去十八日，約是增加七百美金住費，一共是一千八百美金。

吃在南陽街非常克難，這是一補習班林立的補習班街，都是克苦上進的用功學生，小吃路邊攤林立，早上我走路到228公園衡陽街買甜鹹豆漿各一，燒餅油條，是三元美金有找，就是七十五元新台幣，我吃上一整個月，中午和晚餐都在自助餐選擇，若是素餐是兩美金多一些，加香腸是三美金多一些，鐵道便當是三元半美金，都可以裹腹，有時候我走到重慶北路吃一碗牛肉麵約是五元美金多一些，就是一百六十元新台幣，偶爾我到省城皇廟旁小巷添財日本料理，吃刺身烤鰻魚飯和台灣啤酒，是三十五美金，這是豪華享受，我在台北一個月，有五日是親戚朋友請吃飯，加上每日水果不斷，食費最多四百美金。

我最喜歡台北之捷運，我大蓋買三張五百元新台幣，就是五十美金，台灣高鐵歧視我拿美國護照，不給我敬老票，幾經力爭無效，我改乘台鐵莒光號，台北斗六來回，斗六高雄來回，四張票不到三十元美金，我是因禍得福，也無需抱怨，台灣很小，高鐵台鐵相差甚微，我常坐日本新幹線，沒有甚麼遺憾。

五月五日開始第二次返台，其中溫哥華到東京是跨太平洋18日行，抵東京後直飛台北松山機場，六月十三日返美，滯留洛杉磯三日是參加師大全球校友會，行程都是累積信用卡哩數和點數，機票幾乎是免費，不能計較在整牙食宿行成本。

A graduate of Chemistry from the National Taiwan Normal University/Carlos Pueblo

 A graduate of Chemistry from the National Taiwan Normal University/Carlos Pueblo

Recently, we all pay attention to the immigration issue of our southern border that seems to be out of control. People all over the world love to immigrate to the paradise-like nation like the United States of America, indeed. I have always appreciated my opportunity to come to this nation in 1975 as a graduate student and married a green card holder's wife to become a citizen of this nation. \It is all because I graduated in Chemistry from the National Taiwan Normal University.

The best high school students in the U.S. have a strong desire to enter colleges to prepare to go to medical schools, engineering schools, pharmacy schools, and veterinary schools, etc. therefore, they must take some chemistry courses and there are needs of teaching assistants in the chemistry laboratories, such as the general chemistry, the organic chemistry, and the physical chemistry in the pre-medical and the chemical engineering majors. This was how we came in to fill those needs in the United States. The U.S. has been a dynamic nation for a long time and it needs many such supplies of talent from the rest of the world.
I was from a very humble family background. I passed a national college entrance examination to enter a university to train a secondary school chemistry teacher in Taiwan. The government made it free of tuition and fees in return we, the graduate must teach for 4 years to return such favor. I have passed all necessary academic examinations such as TOEFL and GRE to satisfy the U.S. graduate school admission. I came here to study for a graduate degree and eventually became an immigrant after I got married.

According to my own estimate, I have contributed much more to the United States than my original nation which I came from, Taiwan on the income tax calculation. Of course both the U.S. and Taiwan don't care very much about my immigration, yet, in my mind I have appreciated such an opportunity to immigrate to this nation and wish more and more people can fulfill their dream to immigrate to this wonderful nation.

師大化學系之因緣／莊峻華

  師大化學系之因緣／莊峻華

最近我又開始熱衷於大學母校之活動，我在台北市短居一個多月，有兩次造訪師大校區，一是公館理學院，一是和平東路本校，我和師大之因緣甚長，包括高中時代，我是師大附中之畢業生，從高中時代，就在龍泉街出入，我們家有五位師大畢業生，二姊家政系，大姊夫國文系，大嫂和大弟生物系，我是化學系。因畢業於化學系，我服完兵役，教兩年書，就順利拿到助教獎學金來美國，兩年後取得碩士學位，工作三年不到，結婚成家，不久失業，改從事於販賣保險證券20餘年，在美國立足生根。我歸功於師大化學系，成就了我的自信。

2013年，我曾拜訪公館的化學系，當年的系主任，就是現任的師大副校長，陳焜銘教授，當年他出示我系教授陣容，非常堅實，泰半是留美博士之教授，設備如Mass和NMR等都非常普遍，大學部學生都可已使用到，系裡已經接受社會上之化驗疑難怪症，走入權威性之應用化學領域。去年，陳副校長來訪，我再提到化學系畢業生之就業出路問題，副校長曰已經替台積電培養人材，這次我到系主任辦公室，願聞其詳，有位洪教授曰台積電這種高科技公司，需要有邏輯訓練背景之大學畢業生來接受實業訓練，就像現在化工電機博士班學生，早已在化學系物理系上挑選，我猜是物質科學，休大的謝兩參退休電機教授，確實證明此趨向，近代科學之演變如是。

我確實在上世紀七十年代末期，找不到化學工作，所以只好賣產物和人壽保險，後來加上一般證券，其實主要是基金退休金，我說我能無中生有，其實主要是上述之邏輯訓練，化學系之學生培養，有這麼一段，微積分，微分方程，高等微積分，分析，有機，物化等一系列，有一套完整之訓練。

當年，師大是公費制度，造就像我這一般的清寒學生。

A month long short stay in Taipei/Carlos Pueblo

 A month-long short stay in Taipei/Carlos Pueblo

It is because of my need for dental work, I have to make a month-long short stay in Taipei. Yet, it is not finished, I shall go back again for another month in May, of course, there is 18 days on the cruise across the Pacific to Tokyo from Vancouver in Canada. I selected an inexpensive hotel in front of the Taipei Main Railroad Station to budget my total cost. I eat at food stands nearby. I share bathrooms and restrooms. I only manage my visits to the dental clinic and gardens among several city parks.

Where there is a will, there is a way. I don't like to spend unnecessary money if I can save it. It is my third time in 11 years to get my fake teeth installed. I believe my cousin, Dr. Chen, 50 years practicing dentist can do the job to satisfy my needs. He tells me that making dentures requires many adjustments. He always receives me after 4:30 pm once in many days due to the making of a new set and regular dental preparatory work. I have most of my days free. I go to 228 City Park to get my soybean milk breakfast, sitting on a bench by a pond with birds as my company. After breakfast, I shall walk to several garden parks nearby including the only famous President Palace, the center of the Republic, every day.

I walk to the old city business center where my first aunt's family used to live and do business even though I can't locate their exact location. It was a gift shop to sell gifts and straw mats produced in the center of the island. Taipei is very busy, full of people and tourists from all over the world.

There are several garden parks nearby the city center, the 228 City Park in memory of the massacre of February 28, 1947, to Taiwanese by Chiang Kai-Sek's army, the Freedom Square include the Chiang Kai-sek's Memorial, two National Musical Hall and Peking Opera Hall. The huge garden with various spring flowers attracts me dearly. Another huge garden park is the Da An Forest Park with an outstanding garden full of the azalea blossom, spider flowers, the dahlia from Akita Japan, and many beautiful sets up ponds and trees. During the weekend, there is a flower market open nearby.
I went to visit my old alma mater, the affiliated senior high school of the National Taiwan Normal University, the National Taiwan Normal University both the old main campus and the new college of science. I also visited all four old city gates dating back to the Manchu Dynasty.

短住台北市／莊峻華

 短住台北市／莊峻華

這次回台北市整牙，一共住超過一個月，和2013年一樣，同樣是整牙，這次過程稍微複雜，需要的時間較長，我又找不到民宿，只好安置在台北火車站前的一家小客棧，需要使用公廁浴室，我年輕時當過兵，過去在歐洲日本南美等旅行，為節省也住過類似客棧，故不以為忤。這客棧尚稱整潔，交通方便，因附近都是辦公大樓和補習班，所以到處是小吃店，食衣住行都方便，我搭捷運上門診，板南線八站就到後山崥。

早上，我散步到228紀念公園，這是過去的新公園，買下甜鹹豆漿各一杯，一套燒餅油條，然後攜帶到公園內水池旁小凳上，常有飛鳥前來為伍。飯後，我就散步到總統府，凱達格蘭大道，介壽公園，北一女等台北市著名地標，公園內杜鵑花怒放，尚有些櫻花。後來，散步範圍更廣，走到北門，東門，南門，自由廣場，若大安森林公園和建國假日花市，則需要搭捷運兩站。

有幾次我更是行軍到大稻埕，就是延平北路和迪化街，這是台北老商區，以前住台北不曾來過，我有一大阿姨過去在延平北路開禮品店，賣大甲草蓆，我前一週常行軍到迪化街前段近淡水河，拜訪一禮品店。

有一日，心血來潮，行軍到小南門，路過東吳大學，台北西本願寺舊址，然後一不作二不休，沿貴陽街一段走到二段舅父故居，折入一觀光夜市，從龍山寺出來。

每次回台北，我都設法回去參觀我讀過的母校，和服務過的學校，像師大附中，師大，和新店文山國中，當然也想辦法參觀曾考不上的台灣大學，這次未曾到台大參觀，但是路過，心裡不再憤憤不平，蓋大學畢業後，我發現許多新價值和成就感。