REMEMBER.

Since I'm no longer in AZ, I needed to start a new blog. It's kind of like a new chapter in my life. 

FOLLOW.

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Dear Arizona,

I've been working on this one for awhile now. I meant to make it my final blog after I left Arizona, but it's taken me the entire summer plus some to figure this out.  I know it's probably going to be a bit tedious to read, but here it goes. 

Top 10 life lessons I learned in Arizona: 

10. Don't ever choose a college just because you want to move away and start anew. Choose it because it has your specific major, as well as others you are considering. 

 I chose to go to ASU for all the wrong reasons. I wanted to get out of community college as fast as I could and get as far away from San Francisco as possible. I wanted a fresh start. I found out that's never truly possible. I met new friends who, of course, wanted to know all about my life so I couldn't really leave behind all of the pain and joy I wanted to in San Francisco. I must say that even though I did have to tell my new friends everything about me, it did make me realize that I had MORE than I thought I did. In other words, YOU'RE ALWAYS  LUCKIER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE. 

As far as choosing ASU for my major, that didn't really work out either. I changed my major to political science only because I wanted to go to ASU and it was one of the only available majors that I liked. After coming to ASU, I realized I needed to stick with what I originally wanted to pursue, broadcast media/multimedia communications. Don't get me wrong though, I've changed my major so many times in the past year and broadcast media is the only one that has stuck with me. I went from majoring in fashion merchandising, to graphic design, to kinesiology and finally decided that broadcast media was right for me. If you're like me, and don't know what you want to do with your life, stay in community college, no matter how hard it is. YOU'LL SAVE TONS OF MONEY! 

9. Sometimes you ACTUALLY need to do things for yourself.

ASU was the first REAL thing I really felt that I did for myself. It was my life dream to go to college out of state and I decided to go despite the fact that I would be leaving everything behind. Doing this ONE thing for myself allowed me to regroup myself and find out exactly who I was and what I wanted in life. I finally figured out what direction I really wanted to take my life in.  

8. Long-distance relationships are tough.

Everyone will tell you that long distance relationships are tough in the beginning, but they are tough throughout. Trust and communication play a big part. SO make sure your relational partner is trustworthy and available to talk when you REALLY need him or her. I found out this year, that it's best to keep yourself busy and not be so available all the time. Also, if there's a time difference, don't stay up and wait for him/her so often. You'll only get a great pair of Gucci eyebags and disappointment (if you find he/she is too tired to talk). Technology is a plus too! Texting, videochat, social networking sites and email REALLY help to ease the time apart. So keep up communication, keep conversations light (as in, don't fight so often!) Also, it sucks to feel like you're the last person your partner wants to talk to. Try to text them throughout the fun things you are doing to make them feel like they're right they're with you instead of after, or the next morning. Now i'm not saying you should text him/her every minute but it's always nice to get a "I thought of you when this happened," or a cute, " I love you, " text. This honestly builds so much more trust than a "Sorry, I was too fucked up and having fun with my friends," text the next morning. AND always try to text goodnight, even if your partner doesn't respond.  Don't get too heartbroken if you can't talk every night/day though.  Remember,  the best reward is getting to see each other after a long time of absence! I love you Jolo! 

AND when you do get back home, things might be a little different or hard to adjust to. They may or may not work out but remember, everything happens for a reason. 

7. It's never too late to find your faith.

If you've ever visited the Tempe area of Arizona, then you know you can not walk 5 steps without running into a church (or a bar). One Sunday, I realized I hadn't been to church in over 5 years, minus going to Catholic school of course, so I decided to attend a Sunday mass. I know I'm going to sound like a complete dufus here, but this experience was the most amazing thing. In that first mass, I cried for some reason, but these were tears of joy. I think it was God telling me that I wasn't as alone as I originally thought I was. 

Every Sunday after that, I continued to go to attend mass. In the beginning, I thought that it was the Newman Center's angelic choir and the boy that looked like Peter Petrelli that kept bringing me back but it was much more than that. I found that, God really does pull us through, even through the hardest of times. 

6. Attend Friendship Games at least once in your lifetime.

Even if you're not Filipino, you will experience one of the best weekends of your life! I know most people just go for the afterparty, but if it is your first time, you must go for the entire day. There is definitely something about the SPIRIT, PRIDE, UNITY, and FRIENDSHIP that will make you return in the following year. 

I joined the Philippine American Student Association not really knowing what I was getting into but after this weekend, I found that it allowed me to meet some of the coolest people you will ever meet! 

5. Live in the moment.

In the beginning of my time here in Arizona, I spent a lot of time thinking about how my life was so much better  in San Francisco. Although, I still do this alot, I realized it is a TOTAL WASTE OF TIME. Experience what's around you while it's there and don't dwell on what has has already happened. I do like it, maybe even LOVE it so much more in San Francisco, but Arizona introduced me to so many new things I will never forget. I'll never forget: The Villacorta Resort and Spa, Eba, Saturday night car meets, Mill Avenue, airsofting, and biking on flat surfaces. 

4. Get the most out of your college experience.

To be frank, Arizona would have completely sucked if I had not gotten involved in any school activities. Participating in these activities and events, such as "ASU's Undie Run," the Blaze 1260AM and finals breakfast, allowed me to meet an array of new people. If you sit in your dorm, apartment, home, and do nothing, school will just be school to you.  I experienced more than I ever thought I would in my lifetime at ASU. 

3. Maybe it's not a great idea to move-in with a friend, but IT IS a good idea to have someone you know at school with you, especially if you're somewhere where you have no family or friends.

One of the hardest parts about being at ASU was that the only person I knew before I got there was one girl from my high school. I think the whole "college situation" would have been alot easier if I had one friend out there with me. Don't get me wrong, I can do things by myself and am VERY independent but it's nice to have familiar company in a foreign place. There were so many times I would think to myself and wish my closest friends were right there, by my side, experiencing some of the things I was doing. 

2. If you feel like you're missing out somewhere else, then you're in the wrong place.

I'll admit it, I had an amazing time in Arizona, but I always somehow found myself really jealous when I heard about all of the things my friends and family we're doing back in San Francisco. I started to think that it might have been because there wasn't really anyone in Arizona that had the same interests as me. Although, I did find joy in experiencing new hobbies, I somehow always brought myself back to the thought of being home and doing everything I had grown to love . 

1. You're not always going to know what comes next. 

Right now, I'm in a position where I'm not really sure what's going to happen next year. First, there's school.  As many of you already know, I'm not attending ASU anymore. I took a big risk attending Academy of Art this year but I don't regret anything. I still have no idea what's going to happen next but I'm taking it one step at a time. For example, with my friendships I'm not really sure where anything is going but I'm sure it'll end somewhere good. 

Ok, two more:

.5. Listen to Gabe Bondoc

If you're ever feeling down, youtube this man! He always has a song and a soothing voice that will help you get through your day. For instance, his song, "My Plan," has helped me so much in the past couple of weeks. I can really see why so many people have loved him for so many years. I wish I had someone tell me to listen to him while I was in AZ! It's would have made a huge difference! 

0. Learn to adapt. It's going to be really hard when you get back home.

This is probably one of the biggest struggles I've been dealing with. Everytime I came home, during the year, it seemed like everyone was growing closer together while I was drifting even more apart from them. I found myself going from the outgoing, chatty girl to the girl that was just there, shy and sitting in the corner. I never wanted to be that. I'm learning that to be a well rounded person you must learn to adapt in many uncomfortable situations. Sometimes the outcome will work out for you, while other times it may be a let down. Learn to deal with it. 

Dear Arizona, 

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! You have a huge place in my heart! 

Love,

Vinette

New? New. New!

My blog's moved to a new address! Please add it!

hellovinette.blogspot.com

Long Time, No Blog

I just realized I haven't updated in the longest time! Let's see what have I done this summer so far....

Riverside/Arizona/Las Vegas

...

Mystery Spot (Santa Cruz)

ETD POP 

Giants game thanks to Energy 92.7

James turns 21!!!

More pictures on the way!

Are We Human? Or Are We Dancer?

Seeing that I haven't posted anything in awhile, I thought I'd post a video. 

It reminds me of my time spent in Arizona, climbing the Grand Canyon on weekends and after classes! (jk) See you soon, Arizona! 

Love the lyrics! 

The Killers - Human from Bean on Vimeo.

Special Election.

If you're in California, make sure to get out and vote today (May 19)! 

Six propositions to vote on

Cinco de Mayo

So I forgot that spent my Cinco de Mayo participating in ASU's 2nd Annual Undie Run! The basic idea of the event was that you come with clothes on, strip down to your undies, donate your clothes and run through the school in your underwear. It was a tradition that started last year to celebrate the LAST day of classes as well as help those in need. 

Pictures to come, hopefully! 

I'll Miss You So

So here's everything I'm going to miss about Arizona as well as a few monumental moments(modeled by a note on Facebook by Qyel Villacorta):

VAG

RC Tools

Balling out

Mill Avenue

Peter Petrelli

Longboarding

Full-body laughs

Palo Verde West

Walking everywhere

Things that are "bomb"

Recession priced meals

TrueMuthaFuckingLove

Newman Catholic Center

Scottsdale Fashion Center

Videochatting late at night

Plane rides back to San Francisco

Struggling to get my bike into cars

Check-in circles before/after ballet

Sixteen Coldbuster from Jamba Juice

Chrysanthemum Double Boba from Eba

Airsofting at "2-3 or 11pm" with the "cool cops"

Long nights of studying at Charles Trumbull Hayden Library

Crazy teachers who will not tolerate you disrupting their lecture

Betting on boxers simply because they are CLEARLY more attractive

Going on bike adventures, getting completely lost and ending up on Priest Drive

Walking through hallways/buildings instead of Palm walk to avoid the blistering heat

Showing off raffle prizes while attempting to look good

Sleeveless shirts and sweater optional weather 

Phllippine American Student Association Events

Rainbowrooming at absurd hours of the night

Stealing condiments from Manzanita Dining

Riding our fixies down Mill (next semester)

The feeling of an almost all-inclusive vacation

Hoping I won't fall out of my dorm room bed

Philippine American Smokers Association

Not celebrating Daylight Savings Time

Telling stories no one can make sense of

Dance classes with live accompanists

Making a mockery at Homecoming

Waking up at the crack of noon 

Ridiculously large pizzookies

Visitors from San Francisco

Wall-E Valentines Day Card

The one colored airsoft store

Dealing with "the roommate"

First Fridays in Phoenix

Samples from Mojo Yogurt

Sporatic trips with AJ (1) 

ASU Trance Society 

Villacorta Resort and Spa

Watching The Office

Lightrail adventures

The Blaze 1260AM

Tony B. Conscious

Queen of the Nile

Cement Mixer

Walmart trips

Superbowl

Happyslip

Highpoint

Twitter 

Zipcar

 

 

Weekend Wrap-Up

I've been so busy over the past few days that I really have not had anytime to blog, or to even be online at all! So to catch-up, here are my weekend highlights and then some:

-FRIDAY: Went to this airsoft store where everything was the same color, which I thought was pretty absurd. They did sell those cool scarves fashioned by the characters of Call of Duty 4, as well as things Lara Croft would wear! Their ceiling fans were what impressed me the most (seen below)!

 

-FRIDAY: My first/last, "kind of" care package came in the mail from Andre! A t-shirt for AJ, and a Skyline Community College Summer Catalog for me. Thanks big bro!  

-FRIDAY:I got pushed into this lovely pool at the Villacorta Resort and Spa. Everyone else (except Stussy) then jumped in.

 

-SATURDAY MORNING: Real World 23 casting call. #8!  Sorry, pictures weren't allowed, as they were taping our every movement. They did get really personal with the questions they asked though. 

-SATURDAY NIGHT: Trang's surprise party with special guest, "Vanessa Hudgens"! (No pictures yet)

-SUNDAY: Packing began. 

-MONDAY: Studying aka going to Eba and later drawing this amazing picture in a study room at Daniel E. Noble. 

Stay PASAtive!!

So Friday was my last PASA meeting of the year, and possibly FOREVER. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was getting ready to go to Friendship Games!  Congrats to all of the new officers! Thank you for everything, Eboard 2008-2009!!  I'll miss you, PASA! 

P.S Eboard 2009-2010, invite me to your events! I'm always willing to be your guest raffle girl/MC/ ticket seller/helper! 

One Down.

I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd blog. My first final was today and it was, well, interesting. My ballet teacher styled our final like an audition. So we did our own tombee-pas de bouree-glissade-assemble combinations across the floor many times. That, and made us perform in our groups! All in all, the entire class was a great experience and definitely a challenge! 

I love ballet, but I am SO READY to go back to modern! 

I can't believe this semester went by so fast!!!

Playlist.

I'm sitting in The Blaze 1260AM studio and I REALLY CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS MY LAST SHOW IF THE SEMESTER! and possibly forever! I've been dreading this for weeks. Well, actually a week, I thought my last show was last week. 

I have to say, working (volunteering) at the radio station has been one of the best experiences I have had in Arizona, and possibly my entire life. I walked into the station thinking I'd be the gofer. As in, I thought I'd be making coffee and watering plants, but I actually got to host my OWN show.  Even thought my audience/DJ ratio was about 1:1, it was still pretty exciting!  Before this, I never wanted a career in radio but now I am definitely considering. Oh, and I definitely learned more about media communications, my major (being a correspondent [my goal] doesn't mean you have to be on television).

So long, The Blaze 1260AM! I'll miss you! 

The Blaze

Tempe Marketplace FTW!

WE WON!!!

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds expected to appear at the April 27 premier of Wolverine: Origins. Now, I know that most people have already seen the leaked version online, so the release of this movie probably isn't that big of a deal, but it's probably the BIGGEST thing to happen to TEMPE, ARIZONA in awhile.

CLICK FOR MORE INFO.

My (MGM) GRAND Vacation

Last weekend, Ray, Carlos, and Bunz decided they would come and surprise me in Arizona on their way to Las Vegas! Of course, when they got here, I couldn't say no to going along with them! 

Highlights:

-SURPRISE!!, Arizona

-Carlos and I's quick walk/run through the Hoover Dam

-"Damn, it's the Hoover Dam"

-Vanessafest 09

-Fat Tuesday drinks

-MGM GRAND's "Presidential" Suite complete with bidet, stairs, hot tub, and gorgeous view of The Strip

-Lions

-KA

-Criss Angel's , "Believe"

-the GRAND buffet (X2)

-Almost marrying Carlos

-Circus Circus

-Stratosphere Rollercoasters

-Las Vegas education, "Mono means one and rail means, well, you know." " On the monorail, it is appropriate for one to raise their arms up and yell, 'wooohoooo'"

-The Sound of Music, when appropriate. 

Before this weekend, I had forgotten how much fun it was to be with my three men! Love you, Mooch, Sugardaddy and Bunz! 

Mario Turns 22!!

Happy birthday to my love, JOLO!!  Cheers to turning 22!!

Luigi Turns 22!!

Happy 22nd birthday to my big brother, Andre Schneider! Let's celebrate!!!

HBD CHRIS SISON!!

Last night, after a quick stop at the car show, we went to Gordon Biersch to celebrate Chris' 21st birthday!!!! Now, I didn't have the honor of buying Chris the first shot of his legal drinking age, but I did have the honor of buying him ONE AMAZING SHOT!! 

After getting recommendations from the bartender and people up at the bar, I chose to get Chris a CEMENT MIXER! Everyone needs a shot like this on their 21st!  For those who have no idea what this is, it's a shot of Bailey's and lemon/lime juice. Once the shot hits the victim's mouth it curdles thus making it seem like the victim's mouth is a cement mixer!

Of course, Chris took my shot, as well as the other 2904743507 shots he got, like a champ! HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!

DURING THE SHOT:

AFTER THE SHOT:

Camping Anyone?

I forgot to mention a few other things in my last post: 

1.  Went to see a midnight showing of Fast and Furious Friday, proceeded by a whole bunch of Asian people showing off their cars in the parking lot after. AND a HUGE Pizzookie!!

2. Concert (mentioned in a previous post)

3. RUSH to Highpoint in Scottsdale, AZ to get in line for Nike Air Yeezy's for Andre. 

- I waited 11, LONG, back-breaking hours for the shoes and ended up being #15 (they only sold 12 pairs). I walk into the store to look around and Adrian Wilson (Arizona Cardinals Safety and store owner) walks up to me:

Adrian Wilson: I'm really sorry we didn't have enough shoes for everyone. You were really close, and the only girl in line! Were you getting them for yourself?

Vinette: No. I'm getting them for a good friend in San Francisco. It's almost his birthday and I thought it would be a great present since he's a real big shoe enthusiast! I didn't think you'd run out of those size 12's so fast!   

(At this point, I'm starting to realize that Adrian and Andre are about the same height and could possibly be the same shoe size. I thought Adrian would sympathize and say, " Well I feel so bad. I just so happen to have another pair right here. They're mine and they're size 12. Tell your friend HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"  Okay, didn't happen that way.)

AW: Wow! Tell your friend I'm really sorry. (AW looks to some of his employees) Make sure this girl gets taken care of, give he 15% off.

The employees immediately start handing me donuts and showing me the women's section of Highpoint, and asking me if I want to try things on. 

BASICALLY, I waited 11 hours for a Married to the Mob shirt but it was probably one of the best experiences of my life. I mean, I've never met such friendly people in AZ, who were so hardcore about their shoes! BEST FIRST NIKE CAMPOUT EVER!

P.S I can't believe people camped out in AZ, of all places! I called Highpoint on Monday and the guy on the phone laughed at me for a good 5 mins when I asked him what time people started to show up to campout!  

THNKS FR TH MMRS

 

 Went to the Fall Out Boy/Cobra Starship/ Metro Station/ All Time Low/ Hey Monday concert on Friday with Lauren. I never knew 12 years old emo kids and their mothers were so aggressive!

 

Because It's 3am...

I wanted to post something to give a little insight as to what happens during my procrastination periods these days:

HAPPYSLIP!!! I love this girl! Everything she does reminds me of my family. I guess it's typical with all Filipinos!

P.S My lola used to say "happy slip" all the time and I thought it was an actual word in the english dictionary too!

HBD ALLY IBRAHIM!!

I couldn't find a good picture of my BFF, but I wanted to wish her a HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY!!!

P.S Ally, if you're reading this, CALL ME!

HBD Christina Kim!

Last Saturday, we celebrated CK's bday at a very swanky restaurant in Scottsdale known as Bobby's although CK's birthday is today!

Hope it's a lovely one!

I'll Need It At Some Point

RC TOOLS : A place where men and women, mostly men, in the city of Tempe, AZ generally go to purchase items he or she will need sometime in their lives. 

The other day, after going to Eba Cafe, someone had the bright idea to cross the street and shop at a place, known to the town of Tempe, AZ as RC Tools. Now, I thought this place was going to be another one of those "man places," like OSH or the Home Depot, but we walk in and the store turns out to be an EVERYTHING USEFUL AND CHEAP PLACE. They have everything from airsoft guns to pepper spray to LARGE TOOLS to sword and masks. 

So I realized, maybe I don't need a large wrench at this time in my life, but when I get older and wiser, and there's a broken plane lying around my house, I might need this large wrench. I might also need a large screwdriver to go with it! 

Oh, and MAGNESIUM STRIPS!!

BIG ADVENTURE

I wish I could post pictures of my day, but I have none. SO I have highlights:

-Biked from University Ave. to Eba where I met up with Lauren and Irv (2.7 miles)

-Biked from Eba to Arizona Mills (2.1 miles)

-Biked from Arizona Mills to Daly Park (5.3 miles)

-Biked from Daly Park to University (1. something miles)

Lovely day!!

I'll leave with this amazing video, made by my buddy, Stefon, and his nephew. 

That's NOT All...

Weekend update:

-Went to John's semi annual semester party last night and got waaaayyyy tooooo druuuunnnnkkk (Thanks for taking care of me everyone!)

-Finally got to see my babies, Spike and Jet Gutierrez! (Seen below)

-Intense online research that resulted in finding the full length movie, TWILIGHT!

-Modern dance show? Kind of?

-Wingstop aka Gelato Kingdom (or whatever that place is called)

-Subway

-Peter Petrelli/Edward Cullen sat next to me at church!

-PV Diner with Lauren and Qyel. 

High Top Posse?

So Friday, by random chance, I was selected to go to this "Pimps and Hoes 4" party/club/I'm not really sure. Maybe it wasn't my scene but I felt like I was in middle school again. It back all my great memories of the High Top Posse and watching looooonnnnngggg lines of people "freak" dancing. haha

But funnier part was that, when I was talking to someone about it at PASA I thought I was going to a rave. He described it as, "a restaurant the party throwers rented out but use it as a party place." 

All in all, it was a good time with friends!