Cignal’s Jheck Dionela finds time to attend Taylor Swift concert in Singapore
MANILA, Philippines – It’s been a long time coming for Cignal libero Jheck Dionela, but she made sure she was ready for it when the time came for her Taylor Swift Eras Tour experience in Singapore earlier this week.
Though busy with the daily grind of being a professional volleyball player, Dionela found time to get in touch with her musical side as she took a day off of training to catch long-time idol Taylor Swift perform her iconic Eras Tour on a whirlwind day trip to Singapore.
“Surreal lang na nakapunta ako doon and thankful na nakapunta ako doon, siyempre pinayagan ako [ng Cignal] kahit papano, uwian lang talaga alis, concert [tapos] uwi,” Dionela told reporters after Cignal’s three-set win over the NXLED Chameleons on Thursday night.
Dionela almost didn’t push through with her trip, because she didn’t want to miss training for the HD Spikers. But after missing her chance to watch Swift live almost a decade ago here in Manila, she decided it was worth a try.
“Nung 2014 Red Tour niya before dito gustong gusto ko pumunta kaso estudyante pa ako noon so walang pera. Can’t afford kaya sabi ko talaga sa next tour niya sa Pilipinas manonood ako. Kaso this time around, walang Pilipinas kaya pag ano 'di ko na papalampasin kasi baka mamaya lola na siya kapag yung next concert niya,” the libero quipped. Coincidentally, Red is also her favorite “era”.
“Kasi 'di ba di natin masasabi naniniwala ako na kung may chance igrab, igrab mo na. Isang araw lang naman ako nawala sa practice babawiin ko rin yun,” she added.
Dionela bared that she has been a big fan of Swift since the late 2000s, when she came out with her debut album. More than seeing one of her childhood idols, though, the concert was a way for Dionela to veer away from volleyball even just for a while in the middle of a highly competitive PVL All-Filipino Conference.
“Kasi very passionate din ako pagdating sa music I make sure na balance din yung life ko na hindi lang volleyball lahat ng ginagawa ko,” she said.
“Pagdating ng araw gusto ko i-look back yung buhay ko na hindi lang ako nagvolleyball. Kahit papaano, nagenjoy din ako sa life kasi life is short.”
Still, Dionela knows that she has a responsibility to
