Author: José Luis

PR to Romeo and Juliet. Jose Tostado

“Romeo and Juliet” is an intense ride. Everything hits you hard. At the party, you can see how much Juliet and Romeo love each other, even though their families hate each other. It is so obvious in the movie. 

But you know it is all going to end badly because they both die in the end. It gets even more stressful when things can calm down but do not. It is tough to watch the tragedy happen, especially the last moments of Romeo and Juliet. 

You feel hopeful seeing how much they care for each other. The movie shows that nothing can get in the way of their love. It also shows how Shakespeare keeps pointing out how terrible things happen when people do not communicate well. 

Watching “Romeo and Juliet” makes you feel a lot of things. It is not just about love; it is also about how hate can mess everything up. Even though it is sad, it is also nice to see how strong love can be even when there is so much hate around. 

The movie also makes you think about fate and whether Romeo and Juliet could have avoided their tragic end. It makes things even more complicated by showing how misunderstandings can cause big problems. 

The movie shows how society’s rules and expectations make life hard for the characters. It makes their struggles seem more real, with families fighting and responsibilities getting in the way. 

“Romeo and Juliet” stays with you, even though it ends sadly. It reminds us how terrible things can get when people hate each other and how powerful love can be. This old story always gets to people, making us think about being kind, understanding, and making peace in a world full of conflict. 

IRJE #6 Jose Tostado

In the “Art of Losing”, a book written by Roberto Martinez, he talks about how we must lose the fear of taking initiative without caring about the opinions of others. Although much of the book focuses on this topic, Roberto also mentions problems that happen in society today. One of the topics he talks about is how we develop and follow our passions to create our paths.

“We live in a time where we are told that we must choose a single career or passion. However, this decision is something that we can later come to resent, since, if we cut off our other passions to choose just one, the others will remain like phantom limbs, and we will feel that something is missing to find our voice.” (p.191)

For me, this quote is very important because nowadays a lot of people are not allowed to do the things that they like to do and instead, they are forced to do something else just because their parents did it or just because that has to do with their future, a future that they didn’t choose. So what this quote represents to me is that if you like doing something that might not like to your parents or friends or whatever, you have to show them your capacities to create your future by doing the things you like.

Jose Tostado PW #6

In Guadalajara’s lively streets,

Where Mariachi melodies meet.

Underneath the Mexican sun,

A city’s tales have just begun.

On cobblestone paths, we stroll,

Where vibrant hues take control.

Tacos sizzle, tempting bites,

Filling streets with foodie delights.

Marketplaces with colors ablaze,

Crafts and spices, a vibrant maze.

Laughter echoing, oh so clear,

Guadalajara, hold it dear.

Chapels whisper stories old,

In the bricks, history unfolds.

Colonial charm, a timeless grace,

Capturing hearts in this warm embrace.

Tequila’s warmth in crystal glasses,

Echoes of joy, as time passes.

Plazas bustling with vibrant life,

Music and rhythm, erasing strife.

Hillsides adorned with scenic views,

A city that never quite snoozes.

Sunset hues paint the sky,

In Guadalajara, time slips by.

From Tlaquepaque’s artistic flair,

To the secrets the cathedrals share.

Guadalajara, in your embrace,

A lively dance, a warm embrace.

IRJE #5 Jose Tostado

“The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People”, by Stephen Covey, published in 1989, is a step-by-step guide to complete the development of your life and your career or profession, a highly recognized book in the zone of self-help and self-development. The path to achieving effectiveness is built from seven habits which start from mental self-control, learning to work as a team, knowing how to communicate, and reaching the habit of constant improvement. The book makes clear its opposition to the search for quick solutions to internal or serious problems, making us understand that they never work in the long term. Also, the book through anecdotes, from the author and from people he has worked with, and practical exercises, Covey guarantees and facilitates the creation of habits in our daily lives. The book offers wisdom through its quotes from the author himself, for example.

“Sow a thought, reap an action; Sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” (p. 46).

Stephen Covey’s book today remains a highly regarded book that provides lasting habits for a balanced and principled approach to success, inner happiness, creating and implementing good habits into our daily routine, and continued self-improvement.

Jose Tostado Personal Response to both Brave New World and Amusing Ourselves to Death.

In my opinion, I see a very important connection between Postman’s ideas and Huxley’s novel. In “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” Postman criticizes television’s negative effects on public discourse and intellectual engagement. He argues that the change from a print culture to a visual culture, driven mainly by television, has led to a society more focused on entertainment than on debates which should be discussed or taken of greater importance. Similarly, Huxley’s “Brave New World” explores an imaginary or fantasy future where advanced technology and entertainment lead to a passive, dehumanized society. In both works, there is a shared concern about the possible loss of critical thinking and the importance of communication and individuality in the face of technological and entertainment influences.

Both Postman and Huxley warn of a future in which the endless pursuit of pleasure and saturation of distractions could lead to a society with a huge lack of deep reflection and meaningful connections. The differences between Postman and Huxley are that Postman speaks or interprets history at the end of the 20th century and Huxley’s vision of a pleasure-driven and controlled society in the future highlights the importance of his ideas about the potential dangers of technological progress. which today is advancing faster and faster.

PW #5 Mexico in a poem

In Mexico’s embrace, the sun’s fiery kiss,

Desert landscapes echo tales of bliss.

Ancient pyramids rise with silent might,

Whispers of history dance in the night.

Mariachi melodies, guitars strummed with glee,

Vibrant colors adorn each jubilant spree.

From Chiapas to Chihuahua, a diverse song,

Mountains and beaches where dreams belong.

Tequila sunsets paint the western sky,

A symphony of cultures, a nation’s lullaby.

IRJE #4 “We first have to learn how to listen and then how to talk”

When I got to read the ” Leadership ” book by Sir Alex Ferguson; one of the first chapters talked about the power of listening.

“God gave us two ears to hear twice; he only gave us one mouth.” (p.18)

For me, this quote encourages a mindful approach to communication, emphasizing the importance of listening. With the metaphor of two ears and one mouth, it suggests that we should listen twice as much as we speak. This highlights the value of active listening, empathy, and the careful use of words. This quote promotes humility by inviting us to learn from others and create a shift towards more considerate and understanding interactions. In essence, it serves as a reminder to approach communication with thoughtfulness and a genuine desire to contribute.

Personal Writing #4 Conviction

“I would rather to die from my own sword that from someone’s else.” Gary Vaynerchuk in “Twelve and a half.”

Conviction represents those feelings and beliefs that keeps you motivated and makes you enjoy the process to achieve your goals no matter what; but in the last years most of the people have lost conviction in the last years, just think about it, a lot of people prefers to have a good salary than doing what they love to do, lets create a story to make it clear, Andy since high school wanted to become an artist, he enjoyed painting and demonstrated it with his unique and well-made works. But as the time passed Andy’s conviction was decreasing because of the bad comments and beliefs of him from the people around him that just wanted to see him give up. The years passed and Andy lost total conviction as he decided to dedicate himself to something else that he disliked but that guaranteed him a stable future asking himself every day “What would have happened if…? So the story showed us what happens without conviction and believe it or not those stories represents the lives of many people. Also the question “What would have happened if?” sounds like the saddest question in the whole world; because it shows that you chose or committed something of what you regrets. Like I said, conviction frees you from the “swords” of others leaving all your belifies, feelings and motivations alone and it eliminates the question “What would have happened if?” Conviction only leaves you with your own sword making you respondible and independent of your own actions; and if you fail you will carry all the responsibility making you free and improving yourself by creating new beliefs, feelings and motivations and also improving your conviction.

IRJE #3 Accountability.

Lately I have been reading the book of “Twelve and a half” from Gary Vaynerchuk. This book is about the important values in business success and also in life. I got a little quote that goes like this.

“I prefer to die by my own sword than from someone else’s.”

This quote is from the chapter called “Accountability” which it explains that is very to fail because of your own desicions, beliefs and actions than from someone else’s, like you have to be independent and take moves by yoursefl and if you fail it would be only your responsability.

 

Personal Response to All Quiet on the Western Front.

The book All Quiet on the Western Front left me a great lesson which I will talk about later but for now I will talk about the book in summary. The book is a narration by Paul Bäumer, a young 20-year-old German, who, together with his friends, joins the army to fight in the First World War. At first, for everyone the war was something exciting, it was something they could feel proud of since they were defending their country, but very few managed to see the consequences and the negative social impact that the world would suffer due to the war. As the war progresses Paul and his friends live the cold reality of war, seeing a friend die and having to continue fighting for life or death against other human beings was what Paul and his friends had to experience in war. Sadly, Paul and his friends, except one, end up dying, leaving us to understand how cold and cruel war is. The lesson that the book left me is how pride can blind a human being so much, leading him to do negative actions from which the people around us can be affected and, apart from that, those same actions can lead us to repentance. Pride can be used positively as motivation, although there must always be a limit and control.

PW #3 Twelve and a half

This days I’ve been reading a book called “Twelve and a half” by Gary Vaynerchuk. The book is about how to create the twelve most important ingredients for business success. The ingredients are, gratitude, self-awareness, accountability, optimism, empathy, kindness, tenacity, curiosity, patience, conviction, humility and ambition. Okey I know that now that I just told you the ingredients you may think that it’s easy to achieve the ingredients, but what this book has showed me is that is harder than that because you also have to use them in your daily routine so you can be successful in business but you can also be successful in life.

IRJE #2 Leadership, Alex Ferguson

Months ago I read a book about leadership from Alex Ferguson’s point of view. The book it’s mostly about how Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United soccer team with his leadership. The book has a lot of important quotes for me about leadership, like for example.

Nobody can be a leader if these people feel that they do not have guaranteed permanence in their position. (p.189).

This quote is told in soccer terms, but if you think about it is true because I don’t think that anyone could be a leader if they have a lot of pressure all the time, like since the beginning to the end of the time that they would last as leaders. Also because nowadays a lot of people is afraid of being a leader because of the pressure that a leader carries. Like I know that a leader will always have pressure but what the quote is telling us is that no one can be a leader with so much pressure, like no human being will bear it.

 

PW2 Day of the Dead, mexican tradition

The mexican tradition, “Day of the Dead”.

In Mexico every 1 of November we celebrate the “Day of the Dead”. The “Day of the Dead” it’s a very famous mexican tradition that it comes from a prehispanic origin, in this tradition we celebrate and honor our deceased relatives by placing altars and offerings on their graves or in their homes, depending on the region of the country in which they are located.

On famous thing on this celebration is the bread of the dead, it’s a sweet bread that has become very popular because of it’s flavor and shape.

Jose Tostado IRJE #1 Think Again

I just finished the book “Think Again” wrote by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at The Wharton School. Before reading it, I didn’t understand why the book was #1 New York Times Bestseller but when I started to read it, I found the reason. The book is about how we can rethink our beliefs in life and also how we can learn from the fails of our lives and take advantage of them. A very important quote for me was this one.

How to acquire wisdom, live, make mistakes, learn from your mistakes, repeat steps 1 to 3 until wisdom is acquired, realize that the wisdom you acquired in step 4 was not really wisdom at all, repeat steps 1 to 5 for the rest of your life. (p.58)

This quote is very important to me because when I first read about it and I reflect it, I realized that it was true like, when you make mistakes you learn about them, maybe it can take time sometimes but you always learn. Like now in these days a lot of people is afraid of making mistakes so they don’t learn anything about themselves and their beliefs. Since I read that quote I’m not afraid of making mistakes because I know that every mistake it’s an opportunity to learn something new.

WWI Literature Jose Totado

How curious is the attitude of the human being when it comes to war, right?

My feelings and thoughts about the movie “They Shall not Grow Old” are very reflectives and a little bit shocking because, for me, it´s curios how at the beginning when the British entered the war against Germany, all british citizens were excited to go into the war and defend their nation, it is curious and interesting how sometimes pride or in this case patriotism can blind human beings from what they are really going to face. Like I said, at the beginning the british citizens were excited, also because they thought it wouldn´t last long and that in a certain part it would be fun.

As the war progresses and the British soldiers see and live the harsh reality and cruelty of a war, their intial attitudes are destroyed and little by little they create cold and unfeeling attitudes. Althought as time went by, many soldiers became accustomed to the fact that at any moment they could die, either from a wound generated in combat or from a surprise attack by the enemy.

At the end when the war finished and the Allies won the British army captured a lot of germans and I kind of empathize with the Tommies of how they treated them and how they tried to communicate with them to have a normal talk.

My conclusion from the movie ‘They Shall not Grow Old’ is that it is shocking how, both in those times and currently, pride or patriotism can affect and decieve the attitude of human beings, leading them to do things that they may regret for their entire life.

PW #1 What is Jalisco?

Hi! I´m Jose Tostado and I´m from an amazing state in Mexico named Jalisco.

What makes Jalisco special? You might ask, well actually a lot of important people and significants things for Mexico and the world came out from Jalisco just like the Tequila, El Chicharito, Guillermo del Toro, Las Tortas Ahogadas and more…

It is located in the western region in Mexico near to the Pacific Ocean, it was founded in June 16, 1823.

What I like most from Jalisco? Well I like a lot of things but I think that what I most like about Jalisco is the food because its good (obviously) but also because the feelings that I sense every time that I eat things like Las Tortas Ahogadas or La Birria. Every time that I eat those things I feel some kind of satisfaction, I really don´t know why but I just feel it.

If one day you visit Jalisco I really recommend you to try the traditional food and be prepared to experience new feelings.

Introducing Jose Tostado, another mexcican

I´m Jose Tostado, I´m from Mexico, I live in Guadalajara, I really like sports like soccer, tennis and football, I´ve been playing soccer and tennis since I were 6 years old and I also like to play football but I prefer to watch on TV. I´ve been attending Brooks Westshore 3 days and I really like the enviroment of the school and the location of it. My biggest interests are things like bussines, law, sports and technology.

I like to read books about bussines, successful people and self development. I like them because I know that it helps me to improve my life and create new skills that can help me in the future like for example, I´ve been reading a book about Stephen R. Covey that talks about the 7 habits of highly effective people and I´ve been really enjoying it because it teachs me step by step how to create good habits.

I don´t really like to be a writer because sometimes I don´t have the creativity or the inspiration to write something new or to create something like a story or things like that, but when I do have the creativity or inspiration to write something I really enjoy it and I always try to do give my best.