• The College Cynic

  Plane paranoia and Daddy Yankee

  By Luis Flores | Wed, 20 May 2009 5:29 AM

  When planning for this blog I was advised to write about whatever I am passionate about.  For the past week or so, I’ve been passionately “google-earthing” every square mile of Puerto Rico, reading up on crime statistics, and following reviews from travel websites.

  I am very glad to write that I was accepted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Student Campus summer program in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  If I had to rank the program’s level of exclusivity from one to 10, one being a “my child was student of the month”  bumper sticker, and 10 being a Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship, I would have to say this would be a solid six or seven… I think/hope.

  Regardless, it’s all expenses paid, and it’s somewhere outside the Imperial Valley, and that was enough to get me to sign my life away without hesitation. But for a person with an unhealthy level of paranoia, it would not be long before too much free time would help create unlikely hypothetical action movies in my head.

  While I’ve flown on airplanes, I’ve never flown over a substantially large body of water like the Caribbean Sea. At first, the simple thought of flying in an airplane over the Bermuda Triangle was enough to make me nauseous–too many History Channel alien marathons. Also, given that it’s the Caribbean, pirates can never be too far away. But perhaps the most terrifying of all threats, the one that keeps me from sleeping, has to be Daddy Yankee.

  The Puerto Rican reggaeton “musical” sensation known for his hit song, “Gasolina,” which advocates the irresponsible use of gasoline by asking fans to dump gas on dancing women.

  Don’t worry about me, I will be taking precautions. With me, I will be carrying small speakers and a few music sheets from concert band.  I figure that if I run into Daddy Yankee, I could play some Mozart and flash the music sheets at him, he will be so confused that I will be able to escape safely.

  I look forward to writing as many blogs on location from Puerto Rico starting June 21. I assume my thousands of blog followers will be anxiously waiting.

• 

  About the Blogger

  It’s Friday night and you want to know where you can find a typical Imperial Valley teenager. Should you look in El Centro’s bowling alley? No. Just follow the herd of overly dressed teens gasping and reaching for the U.S./Mexico border.

  Thankfully, 18-year-old Luis Flores keeps his Mexicali escapades to a minimum; and instead, observes and is too often entertained by this and similar trends which rarely take place outside the valley.

  Luis Flores is a Brawley-born Calexico resident. He graduated from Calexico High School in 2008, when he enrolled at Imperial Valley College. Like a fellow ivnews.INFO blogger, Luis was a Boy Scout at his local Mormon church. Unlike his fellow blogger, Luis is NOT an Eagle Scout, not even close.

  Luis considers himself an “artist,” and no, not just because he’s broke and jobless. This fall he will be applying for transfer admission into various universities and plans to study some form of English, and some form of art.

  Luis' blog will deal with those interesting things that make the Imperial Valley unique, aside--and outside--from our depressing national standings. Everything from the point of view of a college student who is still trying to get out of the valley.

  Previous Posts

  • The College Cynic: The perfect newspaper business model: wrap ‘em over caguamas

    By Luis Flores | Mon, 7 Sep 2009 1:35 PM

    Newspaper industry, I have seen the future! On a recent trip to Mexicali, I discovered the business model that the Mexican newspaper industry is surviving on. (…)

  • The College Cynic: The College Cynic: I believe I drowned, not choked

    By Luis Flores | Sat, 8 Aug 2009 9:57 AM

    If guided by the correct use of the English language, then what I experienced was choking. But it is because I am a big fan of the proper use of English that I think choking does not accurately define what I experienced.

  • The College Cynic: A sobering look at Hispanic culture, journalism and myself

    By Luis Flores | Tue, 14 Jul 2009 6:48 PM

    I strongly disagree with the assumption that all Mexican-Americans have this melancholic longing to express their culture in whatever they end up doing.

  • The College Cynic: A non-cynical farewell to Puerto Rico and new friends

    By Luis Flores | Thu, 9 Jul 2009 6:14 AM

    Some new friends from the NAHJ convention in Puerto Rico
    Not even the anticipation of flying first class could drown down the premature melancholy I felt as I prepared to leave Puerto Rico.  It’s neither the horrible humidity nor the glorious finger foods that I will miss the most, it will be the people. (…)

  • The College Cynic: Pre-convention crazies in San Juan, Puerto Rico

    By Luis Flores | Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:44 AM

    Noche de San Juan ritual: I would rather keep the evil spirits in me than risking a concussion after hitting my head against another cursed soul.

  • The College Cynic: Puerto Rico–reminding myself I am not in Mexicali

    By Luis Flores | Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:02 AM

    Given that I slept during my flight from Newark to Puerto Rico, when I arrived I thought my airplane had taken a detour to Mexico.  Even now, I need to turn to the ocean to remind myself that I’m on a Caribbean island and not Mexicali on a VERY humid day. (…)

  • The College Cynic: Observing a quinceñera….hmmmmm

    By Luis Flores | Wed, 17 Jun 2009 1:49 PM

    The ritual-like celebration consists of a mass–in which God is thanked for… something– followed by a loose version of a wedding reception, in which the newly God-approved teen hosts an alcohol and sin-filled party.

  • The College Cynic: Plane paranoia and Daddy Yankee

    By Luis Flores | Wed, 20 May 2009 5:29 AM

    At first, the simple thought of flying in an airplane over the Bermuda Triangle was enough to make me nauseous–too many History Channel alien marathons.

  • The College Cynic: The Summer Scarf–Cool or Hot?

    By Luis Flores | Thu, 14 May 2009 7:00 PM

    Unlike the traditional western bandana, this scarf is much larger, has fringe tips, and is not worn to wipe sweat off one’s forehead.

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