Vanessa Carlton in Manila (TriNoma Experience Part 1)

Vanessa Carlton is the fourth foreign artist i've seen this year. the others were Maroon 5, Incubus, and Colbie Caillat. i remember last March, i wished for Vanessa Carlton to come here in the Philippines for a concert. i never thought that two months later, my wish would come true.

i found out about her concert here last April 21, 2008. oh yeah. i'm so weird i even remember the date. hehe. i accidentally stumbled upon a blog post about her series of shows here. at first, i couldn't believe it. it must be a delayed April Fool's joke. i searched the internet and found out that it was true. oh my. i felt like crying. i love her songs.

when my older brother arrived, i immediately told him the news. turned out, he already knew it. the day before, we went to visit our relatives in Bacoor, Cavite. we usually take the C5 road in traveling. for the first time, i slept in the car throughout our travel to Cavite. so i wasn't able to see the huge billboard of Vanessa along C5. my whole family saw it but they didn't tell me. nice. if it weren't for my internet addiction, i wouldn't find out about it. anyway, what mattered to me that time was i would be able to watch her concerts for free since they would be held in different Ayala Malls: TriNoma, Glorietta, and Alabang Town Center. so i marked my calendar. i hardly can't wait.

whenever there are shows in Ayala Malls, free passes are given in exchange for receipts from any store in the malls. so i went to TriNoma early this week to shop. passes for the TriNoma show wouldn't be released until the day before of the actual show. i went back last Thursday at around 3PM to claim my passes. as i neared the concierge, i saw the sign that says tickets for the show are already sold out. OH MY. i immediately approached the lady and asked her about it. according to her, tickets were sold out as early as 11:15 AM. i was still asleep that time!

i really felt like crying. i walked around the mall with no idea where i was going. i called up my friend, Jeena, and told her about it. we really have to acquire passes for the Glorietta show because i want to see Vanessa up close. it was really frustrating! i just kept on walking until i reached Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. i sat outside and did not even mind that i was inhaling the secondhand smoke around me. i just sat there and stared into space. after a century, i stood up and went to TriNoma Park to check out the place where Vanessa would perform. the place is so small. the only chance that i would see Vanessa in person is if i have passes.

while i was at the TriNoma Park, i called up the concierge in Glorietta to inquire about the VC show there on May 10 (Saturday). according to the lady, passes would be given on the day of the show itself. the receipt should be from any store in Glorietta and Park Square 1. the date of purchase should be May 9. so i decided that i would go to Glorietta the next day to spend again just so i could get passes. i then went home with a heavy heart.

as soon as i got home, i immediately posted my frustration in the VC thread in Pinoy Exchange. i "begged" people to send me a PM if they have extra passes to spare. i also said that i wish it would rain heavily the next day so that the venue would be changed. i was monitoring the thread the whole evening. i was also exchanging comments with another VC fan who was lucky to acquire not only passes for seats but a meet and greet pass. later on, she sent me a PM saying that her friend might not be able to watch the VC show with her so she would give me her extra pass if that happens. that really made my hopes go up. though i didn't count on it 100%. but it helped lighten my mood.

a few minutes later, somebody posted that she won't be able to watch the VC show in TriNoma so she has to sell her passes. i immediately sent her a PM and told her that i'm really interested. i asked for two passes so that i could bring Rich along with me. she told me that her friend would send me a text message the next day. i was really happy. i could now watch Vanessa's show. though i wasn't 100% happy until the passes land in the pocket of my jeans. then i slept peacefully.