Gone in 14 Minutes! Lebron James Rise Tour

Photo is from the email confirmation sent by Nile Philippines for the ticket claiming

And I’m definitely coming!

Remember my disappointment some two years back when my idol Lebron James came to visit Manila for the first time and I was not able to see him because I failed to get a ticket in spite that the tickets were for free?  Well this time I got lucky!  I am finally going to see my idol Lebron James in person! 

Thanks to the people behind this tour who thought of  a different way of getting a ticket to James live appearance compared during the last visit.  They were probably overwhelmed from the humongous turn out of crowd during the first visit when the fans stayed overnight just to secure a ticket that will be distributed the following day at Nike Park in Bonifacio Global City in Tagig City.  How can I forget those people who endured the heavy rain and camped outside the Nike Park.  I even befriended some of them.

This time the organizer provided a link where fans can get tickets. The registration is supposed to be from 9AM to 11:59PM on 14th August but guess what!  The registration closed 14 minutes after it opened!  Yes it was a freaking FOURTEEN MINUTES only!

I was at work during the designated registration time so what I did is to give (STRICT) instruction to my son that he should be online before 9:00AM and if he won’t be able to secure a ticket would mean a “No allowance for a month from me!’ Ha ha ha kidding.  My son is also a James fan so I’m sure he will do his best to get the tickets.

So lo and behold we have two tickets! 



The idea is to get at least four tickets for the whole family.  But my sonny said that after his first successful registration there was an instant message that the registration is already full.  This was confirmed later by the people of Nike Park in Glorietta, Makati who emphasized how lucky we are to get at least two tickets. They were in fact very impressed that we were able to secure tickets.  They said that there are still a lot of people who are inquiring how to get tickets and most of them are willing to buy with a tempting price offer. Just like the first time huh!

Our tickets are “General Admission” but nevertheless I’m still happy about it.  Thanks to my angel who probably has one of the “fastest fingers” among the Lebron James fans ha ha. 

Obviously I’m very excited for this event that it motivated me to post again on this “home”.  It amused me big time that this event broke my blogging hiatus.  Well I hope the “breaking” will continue after the show and post another one so I can share my Lebron James experience with you all!

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Basketball Superstar Lebron James is arriving in the Philippines for the second time on August 19, 2015 to take part in the Nike Rise training camp where he will mentor young Filipino basketball players. The announcement of the final “Rise” team is on August 20, 2015 at the MOA Arena.

Wrapping Up July While I’m Lost in August.

Eight days after August and I’m still lost with it.   But the good thing is that it started well and fine for me.  Before my August gets too exciting let me take a quick look back how I ended July.

Starting a new adventure as the month ended
As July came to an end I started on a new adventure.  This adventure is officially called “job” but I prefer to call it that way.  So you won’t see me online as much as I was for the last three months.  But of course blogging is still on top of my priorities.

Ending July with a Run.

I shared the story about the Media Launch that I attended for this year’s (37th) Milo Marathon. I was one among the 40,000 runners who joined the Manila Eliminations leg.  Just like with my other runs I usually bring along with me a camera all though out the run so I can document the event and my own run.  The difference this time is that a media badge is also hanging in my neck. And after finishing my 10K run I still yet to attend the press conference afterwards. Yay! the “BloggerRunner” in me!

This has always been an important event for me because it is a sort of a traditional run for my family and friends.  As I always say and I’m sure most Filipino runners will agree with me if I say that your running life would not be complete unless you joined a Milo Marathon.  My running struggles and progress plus the detailed story about this run is on my running blog.

Joining the 40,000+ runners at the 37th Milo Marathon as I race against myself for the 10K distance and attending the event's Press Con afterwards,

The King came Live in Manila but it was the Princess Birthday

I received one of the most exciting news in July when I learned that my basketball idol Lebron James is coming to Manila.  But sad to share I was not able to see him in person.  The reason actually is not because I was not able to acquire a ticket.  I can move mountains if I really wanted to watch James just the way I did when my football idol David Beckham came to Manila.  But the truth is that I intentionally did not acquire a ticket because I knew that I will not be able to watch him.  James meet and greet date coincides with my Princess birthday.  And this occasion is far more important to me. Anyway James promised to come back so I’ll just see him then the next time. 

Better late than never! Another July celebrant.

Another dear blogger friend celebrated her birthday on July and I want to greet a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Leah of Travel Quest!  Hope you had a good one dear.



TRIVIA:
I am celebrating two birthdays in a year. In March which is my birth month.  And in August which is the month when I sort of "came back" after I almost died on one July.

How’s August is treating you by the way?

Lebron James Live in Manila: Witness The Ticket Frenzy

My July is really turning real good!  Apart from the better days and blessings that is coming along my way, my basketball idol LeBron James is coming to Manila!  LEBRON JAMES LIVE IN MANILA!  Yey!  The Meet and Greet is happening on July 23, 2013 at MOA Arena, Mall of Asia, Pasay City Philippines.

NikePH announced that the tickets for the Lebron James visit to Manila will be distributed for free at Nike Park in Bonifacio Global City, Tagig at 12NN of July 17.  I got excited and started monitoring the event.  However, when people started camping out at the ticket distribution venue I can feel that my chance to have a ticket is bleak.  In as much as I’m a huge LBJ fan and dying to see my idol in person for a once in a lifetime experience I’m not a camp out person (sigh).  The last camped out I did for non-girl’s scout activity was when Pope John Paul II visited Manila. Even then I did not camp out overnight.  I just searched my friend’s camp site out of the millions of crowd in Luneta and stayed at their camp until the Pope arrived.

Also, Nike Park BGC is not very accessible to me and my normally-chaotic-schedule would definitely can not accommodate some time for queuing or camping out. I maybe able to stand a maximum of three hours queuing for a guaranteed ticket but apart from that I doubt it.

Even so, I still headed to Nike park on July 17 the official date of release of free tickets.  I’m not expecting that I could still get a free ticket.  But I want to witness and feel the fans frenzy on James visit.   So I was there at exactly 12NN in spite of hubby’s de-motivation reasoning about the weather (it was raining), the risk of stampede or trouble-making people.

The very organized queue at Nike Park BGC main entrance during the distribution of the actual tickets for the early campers.

It was easy to befriend anyone probably because we share a common denominator – we are all James’ fans.   In half an hour I was chatting with fellow fans like we were long time friends.  They share to me their stories and let me share them with you.

During the heavy downpour on Tuesday night the Nike people decided to give the early campers a claim stub and marked their fingers an indelible ink  so they could go home for the night and rest.  Some of the campers were there since Monday night.  The color of the stubs are yellow, then green, then blue. Each color of stub has a designated claim time.  Later I learned that all those who has the yellow, green and blue stamps got Upper Box” tickets.  I’m not sure if there are other stub colors.

The distribution procedure was very strict.  Claimers should present their claim stub plus, show the indelible ink- marked finger and a valid ID. The ID will then be stamped with red indelible ink and will be recorded. Some were not lucky enough to get the free tickets.  In spite that they queued the night before and have the stubs they don’t have an ID with them (tsk!). They reasoned that there was no announcement that an ID is required.

Jordan and friends are among the lucky fans who got UPPER BOX tickets.
Two of their friends were not lucky enough because they can't present an ID during the distribution

They deserved these tickets considering what they did for a chance to see their idol.  They were  there since daytime of Tuesday until the heavy downpour on Tuesday night.  Those who got tickets earlier than them were there since Monday night (OMG!).  On Tuesday night during the heavy downpour they were given the claim stubs and were instructed to go home and just come back on the following day during the official distribution schedule (12NN). Good thing that Jordan and friends know somebody who lives within the vicinity where they sleep over.  It would be very tiring and expensive to go back and forth from Cavite.  Yes they are from Cavite!

The crowd enduring the heavy rain on Tuesday night  (photo courtesy of King James E. – the fan :)

While there’s an on going distribution of tickets at the official venue, there’s another very long queue at a vacant lot at the back of the Nike Park.  This is the crowd that I first saw when hubby dropped me off along 7th avenue.  I almost backed out when I saw this crowd.  According to the securities they stopped/advised the people from queuing because there are no more tickets for them.  They closed the steel borders that are enclosing this huge number of crowd.  I later learned that these people are just “today’s crowd”.  They don’t have the stub that were distributed the night before. The organizers announced that they may not be enough tickets for this batch however some people still queued to take their chances.  Apart from this people there are still lots of people from the nearby park and restaurants.  This is the first time I saw this place as crowded as this time.  I always mentioned from my other posts that this Nike Park is one of my favorite place and I have several photos taken from here and it is always not crowded

The view from 7th Avenue (across the street).

Media vans from almost all stations were present and there’s a very tight security forced stationed in each every corner. There were also ambulances.

Order of the day is a “James #6” Miami Jersey.  There’s always one wearing in every few yards.  I’m not wearing mine that day.



The ticket distribution for those with claim stubs is still on going until I left.  There was no sign of trouble.  I could say that the ticket distribution is very organized and the security people handled the event successfully – kudos to the organizers!

The Nike people announced that ticket selling is prohibited and that they will take actions against those who will make business out of it. Oh well that seem some kind of “mission impossible”.  Several meters away from the Nike Park, I still can hear people whispering about ticket selling and bargaining.  Some elite-looking people (even foreigners) were asking for tickets for sale. 

I myself is not into buying free tickets (“scalpering”).  I will just dream that somebody will throw me a free ticket (wish ko lang), if not I will just find a way to see James out of the meet and greet event.  Anyway my being a big fan does not stop in not seeing him in person.

Anyway for those fanatic who will do everything to secure a ticket from scalpers – make sure that the tickets are not fake okay?  Here take a look of the sample of a real LeBron James Live in Manila free ticket (Wink*)!

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