Perla de Occidente

Tapatio and Proud

I was born Tapatio and every time I tell my origins I just feel proud of saying it, specially when I have to describe GDL to an extranger, in which case I will always say something like "Guadalajara is a city known for the beauty, history, culture and hospitality". This is a city that is known world wide for its rich art and beautiful women, from prehispanic art to urban and modern artist GDL is one of the art capitals on Mexico. Guadalajara is relevant to the country not only for its beauty but also for its historical relevance, maybe the most important event that took GDL as setting was when Hidalgo signed the pact to abolish slavery in GDL, or the defeat of Hidalgos army in Puente Grande. For its history and its location GDL's culture has many faces and it is so extense and rich that I wouldn't dare to make a list. People in GDL are just great, we are known for being great hosts and for usually treating well any visitor. La Perla Tapatia is were I was born and rised and If I had the choice I would choose this city again. 

Added towns 

 Tonala 

The city had a 2005 census population of 374,258 and the municipality had a population of 408,729 and an area of 119.58 km². The municipality lies adjacent to the east side of Guadalajara. The city and the municipality both rank fourth in the state of Jalisco in population, after Guadalajara, Zapopan.

 On two days a week (Thursdays and Sundays) there is a giant street market covering the main streets, with numerous vendors of , glass and all kinds of handcrafted items and novelties. Most of the art found on Tlaquepaque and Guadalajara was manufactured here.

 Due to the clay soil in the area, pottery or alfareria has been a traditional occupation for centuries. 

Tlaquepaque

 Known also as San Pedro. During the 20th century it was absorbed by the outward spread of Guadalajara urban mot , lying only a few kilometres from the city centre. The city had a 2005 census population of 542,051, while the municipality had a population of 563,006. The municipality's area is 270.88 km² The name.

 Tlaquepaque derives from Nahuatl and means "place above clay land". The area is famous for its pottery and blown glass. 

Tlaquepaque features El Parián, a large plaza surrounded by columns and surrounded by restaurants and bars. The main square in the city centre is known as El Jardín Hidalgo.Other main features include the two important churches, El Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad  and San Pedro. You can also visit Forum Plaza (a mall) and the Benito Juárez market. 

 Tlajumulco 

Municipality in the state of Jalisco, It forms part of the Guadalajara metropolitan area and lies to the southeast of it. The municipality covers an area of 636.93 km². As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 416,626. 

 The name is interpreted from Nahuatl as "Land in the Corner."

As it is part of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Tlajomulco has an industrial base and is a large commercial area. This is also where the Guadalajara International Airport.

   Guadalajara’s top landmarks:

 Guachimontones

   

La Estampida

   

La Minerva

 

Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres

   

Glorieta Chapalita

Plaza de la Liberación

El Parian
 
Calle Independencia
 
Arcos de Vallarta
 
Plaza Tapatia
 
Plaza de los Mariachis
 
Avenida Chapultepec
 
Callejon del Diablo
 
Instituto Cabañas
 
Basilica de Zapopan
 
Expiatorio
 
Basilica de Guadalajara
  
Teatro Degollado
 

Con-Comic

Last Saturday the Con-Comic took place in Expo Guadalajara. For a weekend all kinds of people were able to enjoy the greater comics event of the year. As every year many people suit their selves on cosplays of different animes or comic book's characters.

I wasnt able to recognize a lot of characters mainly because I mainly read amercian comics, and many went dressed as anime or manga characters. Some people went there and stayed outisde waitng for you to ask them for a picture, some will respond only if you call them by the name of the character they were dress like. People ran exited when they saw any cosplay of a character they admired, like if they saw Johnny Depp or something like that.

Inside I was able to see many interesting stuff that I would have love to bought, but everything was expensive and Im no rich guy so I was happy just to see. 

It was a nice feeling whenever I saw a family attending this event together as if Con-Comic was a family trip. People of all ages and also from every social class attended together just sharing their love for anime, comic, manga and even some cartoons.

Some might say it is dumb to dress like a comic book character and that people should grow up but I meet some really nice, fun and mature people there. I even felt excited whenever I saw someone doing cosplay of a character I know.

Next year Ill propably go again but this time with more friends and                      money. Probably Ill find a nice costume to wear this year.

Juan Pablo II Gym & Pool

The brand new UNIVA's gym is near the great oppening, its been a long wait but finally we are able to see the results. In order to know how does the UNIVA's community feels about it we asked them 10 questions wich results are showed below.

Graphs

The way I see it the gym is going to become atractive to anyone who is looking for a high-school. I do not believe that this will turn more people to do excersice, but the ones that do excercise now will certainly use it constantly. The original due date was not respected, the name is probably not the best one for a gym, but still I support the fact that they want to tribute one of the most popular pops ever. I will use it mainly because I like swimming and its an opportunity I just can not let go.

World War 3?

In late days we have heard a lot about the possibility of a war between North Korea and USA-South Korea. Some have said that this might unleash the world war 3, but luckily this does not seem possible nor China nor Russia have any intention of getting involve in this conflict, so this is still between Koreas and USA.

The tension between the Koreas is nothing new it all started when North Korea became communist, following China and USSR. Since South Korea does not support this the trouble start showing up. From kidnappings to aggressions things were not going well. Whit Kim ll-sung on the power North Korea formed a powerful and organized army with nuclear power.

In the last 3 years the conflict has reach a critical point. North Korea tested weapons near South Korean shores leading to a large variety of events that caused the dead of many South Koreans and the sinking of naval vessel. North Korea denied the event and blame Seul. In 2011 it was revealed that high-ranking South Korean military officers were kidnapped in 1999. In 2012 North Korea launched a Satellite, causing US to move warships to the area.

And all of that lead us to this year which has been pretty intense. On January 1, 2013 Kim Jong-un New Year's Day message on KCTV calling for better relations with South Korea. North Korea announced its intentions on January 24, 2013 to target the United States in its missile and nuclear programs. The statement called the United States the "sworn enemy of the Korean people". During the training exercises conducted between South Korea and the United States, North Korea threatened to abandon the Korean Armistice Agreement , arguing the exercises threatened North Korea with nuclear weapons and that the U.S. was unwilling to negotiate a peace treaty to replace the armistice. JoongAng Ilbo reported that U.S. vessels equipped with nuclear weapons were participating in the exercise, and the Pentagon publicly announced that B-52 bombers flown over South Korea were reaffirming the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" for South Korea.

 On March 8, 2013, the North Korean government announced that it was withdrawing from all non-aggression pacts with South Korea in response to UN Resolution 2094

On March 11, 2013, the United States and South Korea began military drills amid high tensions and Pyongyang strongly condemned the exercises.

 On April 4, North Korea moved what is believed to be an intermediate-range missile to its east coast, possibly in preparation for a drill or test-firing. Many nations, specifically Japan, South Korea, and the United States, viewed this move as a continuation of North Korea's attempts to provoke confrontation throughout the beginning of 2013.

We can´t tell how is this going to end, but les hope that the young president of North Korea is clever enough to retreat. And that the USA doesn´t find any petroleum in North Korea or else the war is secure, at least that’s what history shows.

Spring Break, Vallarta

The spring break have different meanings for different people, for parents it means to have someone to help with the labors, for teachers is a nice vacation with the oportunity to mess up with the students with homework and for students and workers is an ocassion to rest and have a good time with friends.

This year I have the chance to make a trip to Vallarta in company of Martin, Adrian and Ramon. We stayed at a department and a beach house. Of course the beach was crowdy but that aint a problem for us, we just
wanted have some fun. At night Vallarta starts a new life, all for spring breakers. There are plenty of places to go and a bunch of things to do. Bars, live music, restaurants, clubs and the whole Malecon. People dance around, have one or two..maybe 6 or 7 drinks, enjoy their friends and just have fun in an American Way. I lived this for 4 days and it was just awsome, a lot of fun, a lot of memories and the good times that will never be forgotten. Spring break is made to have a scape from the routine and just chill out.

A great experience, but I strongly suggest people to spend at least a couple of days having fun with your family, this is the perfect time to visit the zoo, a fun park or even the grandma. Enjoy good times, good memories are that one thing to hold on when bad days come.

Stress Interview

Stress Interview with Univa Phsycologist, Raquel, about side effects, ways to avoid it and definition of this 21st century illness.

Stress

Stress is know as the 21st Century illness and nowadays it has become as unusual as a flu. We are exposed to a certain amount of stress daily but it affects people differently depending on each individual. Stress can be caused by family, friends, school, work and almost any challenge. As a personal experience I know that stress could be dangerous, it is silent but it suddendly hit you not only in an emotional way but also physical. It affects health in a strong way I was literarly sent to the hospital several times by ilness caused by stress. So after a couple of though lessons I learned to deal with it in a much healthier way, taking things lightly.