GUILLERMO ARANDA-MENA

It is perhaps time that I write few humble words about my only and much beloved little sister PAULINA and her own chosen artistic name is HANKA  (http://hankagoesforawalk.blogspot.com/). Paulina and I have been living in different countries since 1995. First she left Guadalajara to spend a year in Cambridge, England. The following year I left to Seville, Spain to continue my studies in architecture and since then we have been crossing roads somewhere in the globe. We have visited each other and/or travelled together or with our parents - we have always been a bit of a "nomadic" family and I am happy to see how little things have changed for us over the years. January 1996, Cambridge, England - I visited with her host-family the Isdens (Roy, Ruth, James and Jackie). April 1997, Barcelona - she visited with my 'catalan' host-family Eduard and Babette Ferrer. November 1997, Reading, Loughborough and the Midlands, UK. We did a family road-trip an...

Where is the ‘sombrero’? ... the frikin "Q." is driving me crazy !! ... well, this was the case until not long ago. I was so sick of such a stupid question - that most people ask when I say I am from Mexico! And always would hope that people get to know Mexico for more than a silly stereotype, for its arts, its culture, its rich folklore, its beauty... Mexico the land of the Aztec and the Mayas empires, the land that had over 40 different languages and cultures by the time Hernan Cortez and the Spanish 'conquistadores' arrived ravaging and pillaging during the early 1500s. The land of the Puma and Jaguar warriors, the land of the most amazing ancient temples, pyramids and perfectly well planned cities .... well, that is what I expectd people to know as a minimum of a country called Mexico [maheko]. Back to “el sombrero” – yes, 'the hat' - why is there such a strong association between Mexico and the big-hat! That remains a mistery to me, but is perhaps to do w...

It's been over 12 years since I last had a motorcycle - this was back in MEXICO - so it comes to no surprise (at least to me :) that by the end of 2008 I could not wait to get back on "fast" wheels and decided to give to myself a little 'Xmas' present - and what a present as - I ended up with a 2009 Harley-Davidson Sportser 883 Low dark blue wich I bought in MELBOURNE - my home town since August 2004. The selection process for such a 'beast' was simple - I got a lovely piece of ART and timeless engineering which looks like a bike, sounds like a bike and feels like a bike. Despite the ocasional critique that Sportsers are 'baby' Harleys is simply false. The Sportster is a really powerful, nice and solid machine. It is also aesthetically pleasant to the eye, the tact, the ears ... it actually turns few heads around - I could understand that if riding along Lygon street or Beach road, St...