2014 Los Angeles Auto Show

Sunday December 1, 2013, my friends and I were driving down the California 60 freeway heading westbound, on our way to the final day of the Los Angeles Auto show.  Although we have missed the celebration and all its grandeur of opening day, we still were able to experience the ambiance, and enjoy a day out with other car enthusiasts.  There were cars that we've been wanting to look at, and just like gamers anticipating for a midnight release on a hot new video game title, we waited in line to purchase tickets.  When we made our way inside, we traveled to the Nissan area in South Hall.

2014 Nissan Skyline GTR Photo by: Melvin A. Agrazal

The first car that we looked at was the Nissan Skyline GTR, this car is rumored to go from 0 to 60 in under 3 seconds.  After asking a representative to confirm, he simply said “We cannot confirm this because it hasn't been road tested." The representative was really tight lip about its actual speed.  What we do know is that the GTR has added so much more electronic handling and response than its predecessor and sports twin turbo 3.8 engine that puts out 545 horses.  To reduce heavy lag, it has air dams in the spoilers to support the aerodynamics of the car.  This car is guaranteed to turn heads on the freeway.  Pricing is unknown.

2014 Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk Edition

As we continue along, we run into the lavish yet stylish 2014 Jeep Cherokee and the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk edition.  Alison who was the spokesperson on the rotating platform introduced the luxurious SUV with its 25 miles per gallon highway on a 4 cylinder engine.  This 4X4 comes fully equipped with safety features that will definitely benefit any safety conscious driver.  Features include a park assist, an active breaking system that will vibrate and alert the driver when there is a hazard present, and if you’re like me, you hate it when drivers cruise alongside your vehicle on your blind side, ready to deny you from crossing onto their lane, but the Cherokee keeps you safe with a blind spot monitor.  So you will be able to see those selfish drivers creeping on your blind side.  For those who drive many hours a day, or simply are groggy in the morning, the 2014 Jeep Cherokee is equipped with a lane departure warning.  So if you are dozing off, the vehicle will alert the driver so they can stay in their lane.  It is best in 4X4 class and features Napa leather.  The last row of seats slides and adjusts to the driver’s needs.  The 2014 Jeep Cherokee starts at $23,000 for its base model and may cost up to $40,000.

2015 Ford Edge Concept

With so many sport utility vehicles out in the market, we cannot forget about the 2015 Ford Edge Concept.  This vehicle has been completely redesigned.  The concept SUV has been fitted to be aerodynamic reducing lag with air inlets.  It comes equipped with laser fog lamps and and tail lights.  If you are wondering what exactly are laser lights?   If you've ever seen a 2013 Dodge Charger at night then you will understand what i'm talking about.  Further features include hidden door handles, an HMI (human machine interface) touch-screen with Microsoft Sync entertainment.  Although it is only a concept vehicle, it was really cool to see another American car company implement laser lights.

There were so many cars to cover, but I decided on writing on these cars because these vehicles had spokes person that were happy to help with any questions I had.  Not to mention that with all the cool cars present, I felt like a kid in a candy store.  Overwhelming, but in a good way.  So if you were there at the L.A. Auto show, let us know how your experience was.

Lingo

Photo By: Melvin A. Agrazal  Mark and Iris Estrada's Backyard party.

September 24th, 2013

Lingo, slang, jargon, we all use it. From our coworkers, to friends and family.  It separates certain groups of people.  Gives you a sense of belonging.  My essay discusses how lingo has changed over time.  I also compare lingo to the military jargon that is discussed in the book called The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

“ADM” (Aye Dios Mio)

        We, as humans, are social creatures; with every group we have our own lingo.  As we evolve, so too does our language.  Add technology into the equation, and now we’ve taken a form of communication to a whole new level.  From the first moment our parents speak to us in baby talk to the jargon we speak with our friends and coworkers, our language is not just a form of communication, but it identifies who we are and where we come from.

As the screenwriter, director and producer Greg Thompson said:

        “It is said that children learn languages from their environment.  They get into an environment where language can happen, and language learning happens."

        Many people, especially in the Latino community can relate to this.  If you are Latino, like I am, more likely, your parents taught you “Spanish baby talk.”  This is when a young child is brought up learning Spanish, only the parent would talk to the child in a diminutive manner.  Parents speak in simple terms to make it easy for a child to understand.  Such words would end with “ita” or maybe even “ito.”  For example, a parent would ask a child in Spanish if they would like some “aguita” or water.  Perhaps a parent would take notice that a boy who stayed asleep would say, “se quedo dormidito.”  Latinos before us have done this because it is our culture.  The power of lingo starts early; it gives us a sense of belonging.  As we get older, we come to understand that lingo goes far beyond our upbringing.  We now see that it’s outside our home; Lingo now exists with our friends and coworkers.  In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, O’Brien describes the relationship that soldiers have through their lingo.  The guys in Alpha Company understand this lingo all too well.

        The Things They Carried demonstrates Alpha Company’s jargon.  In this post-Vietnam novel, O’Brien uses terminology that may not be found in the U.S. Army Survival Handbook, because these are words that are used by a special group of individuals.  You will not hear this from a pogue. A pogue is considered to be a derogatory military slang word used by these battle hardened soldiers to describe support personnel or desk jockeys for lack of a better term.  You will see words such as “hump” which means to march, because this is what they do.  They go on hikes from one destination to the next.  They would stop and eat their M.R.E.’s, or meals ready to eat.  This was nutrition in a bag.  Back in Vietnam, some of the seasoned veterans would call the new guy “cherry.”  Today’s military would call the new guy the “FNG” or the “fucking new guy.”  These guys were cut from a different cloth; they would act outlandish so they wouldn’t show their peers that they were scared, which was the social norm.  These soldiers were more than coworkers; they were teammates.

        Lingo has been around a long time, but it evolves when technology is added into the mix.  The result, is a new form of language use.  David Crystal, a Professor at the University of Wales said:

        “There’s been nothing quite like this ever before.  It certainly is the case that the Internet will have a more rapid impact on language than any previous technology.  If you invented a new word tonight and you sent it out on an e-mail or put it on a website, it’d be round the world in seconds”

        Technology knows no boundaries, and with it, our little cliques have grown into a tribe.  Certain slang words that were used for the “in crowd” is now used by the masses.  Hundreds of thousands of people are trying to keep up with the lingo.  But with the use of internet, people have also created their own language.  First we have speech, and then we have writing, now we have “netspeak” or newly formed words from the internet  (Hearne).  Verbs such as bookmarking have replaced book mark or “Googling” something (I was surprised not to see the red squiggly line under the verb Googling on my computer screen; even my computer considers googling a verb) in order to conduct an internet search using Google.  These are lingos that have been created by the internet.  Once the internet boom happened, it brought life to chat rooms.  People started using abbreviated words that would give new meaning to complete sentences, but it wasn’t until the mobile phone where people really saw a rise in abbreviated text lingo.

        Once the mobile phone was easily accessible to most, people saw it easier to get a quick message across by use of text messages, the younger generation saw it as a means to get their message across while ditching a full on conversation.  As their fingers do the talking, it almost becomes second nature.  The masses now are actually saying what they are texting.  An example of this is my fiancé, Bernadette.  She actually calls her best friend Iris Estrada “bff,” or rather best friend forever.  As silly as it may seem to most, people actually speak in netspeak lingo.

        “Netspeak may be compared to a dialect since it is used by people of similar linguistic knowledge who shorten or change English words for effective communication between the users.” (Kinsella)

        In closing, language may be different from one group to the next group; as children, the foundation of lingo is set by our fathers and mothers, because it teaches us who we are.  It teaches us heritage.  As language and technology evolve, one can only imagine what terms will be in, and what terms will be “so 1990’s.”  Nevertheless Lingo is what’s what makes us unique as people.  It separates us from others.  So if you have yet to learn some of the lingo, you might as well say “WTH” (what the hell) and start learning.

Works Cited

Hearne, John. "Text Wave." 29 October 2001. The Irish Times. 7 September 2013. Web

Kinsella, Naomi. "BW its just netspeak lol." 07 09 2010. Griffith Working Papers in Pragmatics and Intercultural Communications 3,2. 07 09 2013.Web

O'Brien, Tim,. "The Things They Carried." Book (1990): Pages From 1- 25 Print.



Meeting Rob Hayes of Channel 7 News Los Angeles

Wow, I have to say that I have been blessed.  I decided on studying journalism.  I've done a bit of research, but I don’t know anybody who truly broke into this field.  In short, I wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth.  So as I was going home from school on Tuesday, I noticed that there was a channel 7 news van parked right outside of Donlen's Jr Market located on 4811 Azusa Canyon Rd in Baldwin Park.  I drove past the parking lot of the Jr Market and said to myself, "this is the perfect opportunity to speak to a journalist.  This is like finding a unicorn or some other mythological creature."  Yes I did say that to myself.  Good had that talk with myself because that made me turn the Corolla around and go back to the Jr. Market.  As I approached the cameraman I waited patiently as the anchorman was getting his last details from the store owner, I tried to make out who it was but his back was turned towards me.  So when he finished, I realized I was speaking to Rob Hayes of channel 7 eye witness news!  How cool was that?

I mustered up all my courage and approached the man in his pin-stripped suit and tie and gave him my elevator speech, I then asked him if it was okay for me to record as I asked him a few questions regarding breaking into journalism.  Rob was kind enough to share his background, his experience and some words of advice.

Meeting Rob was a blessing.  I wasn't expecting to meet him in Baldwin Park.  All I know is that I had to speak to the man, and let me tell you, I'm glad I did.

The Fiancé

Cultural Artifact: The Fiancé

My lack of direction and responsibility manifested into my negative baggage.  Years later, I met my girlfriend who has taught me about responsibility.  She was raised by parents who taught her how to save, pay her bills on time and always take care of her obligations.  It’s because of her I have structure, love and a sense of belonging.  Although I have changed for the better, there are a few moments where I do go back to my old ways.  This can be disastrous to our relationship.  Today, she is my fiancé.  She knew that I have my baggage, yet she still gave me a shot.  I have changed my life.  No more DUI, I have improved my credit, my identity changed.  I often reflect on how far I’ve come, but there is still room for further improvement. I can sit here and write a complete novel to tell my audience where I’ve been, but I would much rather tell you where I want to be.  It’s with her.