I'm so happy that this statement holds true to me now, since this week. For the first few days since securing the tickets, it didn't really sink in. Am I really going to the Eras tour? 😳This was something that I have been chasing for months and I'm just still in disbelief that it has already happened. I still had some hesitation from truly embracing and receiving this blessing, thinking that it might just be a dream, or something that could still be taken away from me. But no, this is for real. I'm going to see Taylor Swift next year.

First of all, I thank the energies of the Universe for making this happen. I am forever grateful to my supportive Swiftie friends, who reminded me of the upcoming sale on that day. They were witness to the heartaches that I have felt during the different sales and lotteries that I have gone through to get tickets. I was already in that headspace that this concert is just really not for me, especially now that I needed to prioritize some family stuff. But I had this feeling that I didn't really need to choose (who says I cannot have both? I am having both!). So when I learned that there's still a chance, I told myself I'll just try. If it is meant for me, it is meant for me. When I finally got that assurance that yes, this is happening, it was a joy to break the news to my friends that I finally got to secure tickets for the tour!😊

A first-come-first-served and lottery ticket selling did not serve me well in the past attempts. Maybe because of this learning, I didn't really put that much pressure on myself. I already acknowledged that these are things that are out of my control. But of course, I still had to prepare. Together with my friend Jean, we geared up for battle. I came from the office that day, and thankfully I was able to arrive home with ample time before the sale. And so I prepared my laptop and my windows, coordinated with Jean (she was still in transit to her home), and waited for the sale to start.

Exactly at the top of the hour of the sale, I began refreshing the page. Expectedly, an error page got displayed, stating that the website was experiencing high traffic. The war has begun. From the past ticket wars, I have learned that the refresh key is your ultimate weapon. And so that was what I repeatedly did for the next several minutes. The error page remained, but I pursued offense. 🤺

I recognized the URL changes whenever I got to the next steps of the pages. And so like an observant warrior, I took note of my adversaries' motions and saw the pattern. I copied those different URLs in a notepad and retried to access them directly whenever I encountered the error page again. And that technique worked. ✨When the page loaded successfully, I saw that my current step was retained. I didn't need to start from the top. 

This technique did not work every time, but when it did, my heart skipped a beat. The defining moment was when I reached the "item authentication" page and realized that it was really all about the timing. Thousands of people were accessing the site at this time, and I just had to send my request at the right moment for it to go through. 

And then it happened. The page loaded and I was redirected to the page to fill out my details. With sweaty hands, I typed my information. Upon clicking the Next button, a red banner at the top displayed with an error "invalid smartphone number". Oh no. What did I do wrong? And so for the next several minutes, I repeatedly tried to enter every combination of my phone number, and the error was still there. I asked my friends for help. I asked Google for help. I asked a phone number generator website for help. 

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I knew I had to figure out how to go past this validation. I looked at the instructions on that field. There was a sample format for the phone number. Gut instincts kicked in, and I entered the sample number and clicked the next button. The error was gone! Instead, I was redirected to a new error message page saying something like the session has timed out. 😓 It was not my desired result, but I knew I was making progress.

And so I was back from square one, but I now knew my adversaries' weakness point. I just need to be face-to-face again with it to be able to execute my final blow. ⚔️ I recognized that I spent a precious 15 minutes figuring out that phone number validation and the odds of securing a slot has hugely dropped by this time. But my hopes did not falter. I repeated my mantra. I believe, I believe. If it is for us, it is for us. As long as the war had not officially ended, I knew I still had a chance. And so back in the main battle arena, I repeated my tactics. After countless error messages and window refreshes, I reached the page with the form details again. I located the enemy's weakness point (the smartphone number field 😂) and performed my attack. I clicked next, and it worked! The new page showed a list of questions with me requiring to select 'I agree' in all of them. I knew this was a critical stage, so I answered them as fast as I could. When it came to the last three questions pertaining to my phone number details, I answered with the correct information. I clicked next and the rest was history.

As if the arena echoed with a voice shouting 'Finish him!', I sailed through my offense strategy. I executed my final blow by entering my credit card number and providing my OTP. "It is done!", I declared. But I had to make sure that it was fatal. I locked my eyes on the screen as the next page loaded: Booking Completed.

With adrenaline still pumping in my veins, I stared back on the screen. It's done. I've done it. I checked my email and there it was, the confirmation email with the booking details. For two tickets. 🥹 Finally, I removed my armor down and rushed to message my friend with a screenshot. We proceeded with meeting over Zoom as we collectively reflected on what just happened. We were internally screaming with excitement! In our group of Swiftie friends, we were the last two warriors standing that still needed to get tickets and to be honest, the last few ticket wars took a toll on our emotional health. 😅 We did not emerge victorious and unscathed during the Ticketmaster presales, Klook sales, and Lawson lottery sales. We were already doing our own thing recovering from those battles. So we perfectly understand what this victory meant for us.

We agreed to wait for the transaction to be "officially sealed" before spreading the great news to our friends. After a few suspenseful days, it was finally locked in. And it finally sank in. We are going to the Eras tour! 🗼💖✨ The next several months will be busy season. A lot going on at the moment, indeed. 

Typing all of this, it's still sinking in. Planning for the trip has kicked off and the excitement is just permeating in my skin and bones. This will truly be a full circle moment as I return to that place, not as a passerby anymore, but as an attendee that will witness this historic event.