Yesterday was one of the most amazing moments in my Steemit life. I never thought I would be part of an honorable gathering of Steemians within 2 months of my stay here. But before I rave about this star-studded event, allow me to give you a recap of the main event at the University of the Philippines.

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An Event for the Next Generation

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The Machine Design Summit held at the University of the Philippines was attended by high school and college students from various schools. There were several activities from morning until evening, including an obstacle course (in the photo below) for their created little machines.

One of the highlights of the day was a series of talk from prestigious people such as the team that made the DIWATA-1. This is the Philippines' 1st microsatellite.

This made it just the perfect event to promote a revolutionary platform like Steemit!

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Steemit Promotion Talk

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@steemph made it possible for Steemit to be heard by our young generation here in Metro Manila. @luvabi talked for about an hour about Steemit and the regional teams in the Philippines. Even I was surprised by how fast Steemit is growing in the Philippines. There were also several charitable iniatives that was made possible by Steemit. She also presented actual pages in Steemit and shared known celebrities who have joined like @janicehung and @janmarini.

There was a Question and Answer session after the talk. @dreamiely, the crypto expert in the team, joined @luvabi on stage to answer questions from the curious students. A common question raised was: Where does the money come from?. This made me realize that I should also prepare myself for such questions in the future.

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Blogger Mode On!

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In the past, I will attend events and just be a passive watcher but being a Steemian changed all that. I, and the rest of the Steemians present there, were on blogger mode! Most were taking photos in the best angles. I tried to livestream via @dlive but I don't think it turned out well due to the poor internet connection in the area.

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Steemians in the Flesh

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The best thing about this event for me was seeing my fellow Steemians in person. Whenever someone will introduce herself/himself, another would recognize that person due to a memorable post. It was really amazing to see the faces behind the blogs. A common reaction was "Uy kilala kita!" (Hey I know you!).


In the photo below are @itsmechille, @grazz, @monkeypattycake, @dreamiely and her son, @davinsh, @tpkidkai, @stuckinacup, @luvabi and @greymonolith.

On of my concerns about the meet up is that it will compromise my anonymity. So I brought a face mask to cover half my face. I felt silly covering my face everytime there was a camera! And I think these photos are now a give away as to who I am.

I am now considering a face reveal. Would you like that?

In the photo below starting from the masked me are @wilbejel, @stuckinacup, @tpkidkai, @luvabi, @dreamiely, @grazz and @monkeypattycake

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Star Struck!

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Just when I thought the best part of day has passed, here comes @surpassinggoogle! Everyone was suddenly so excited. And why not? We know he's a very busy person but he took time to meet us. I think it's so obvious in these photos how star struck I was.

I was just in awe because he was so down to earth. He tried to give everyone time. I would expect people of status not to even notice me but he also talked to me and answered my questions. And he did this for everyone.

We had dinner and a known celebrity joined the group. @janicehung, her friends and even her manager joined us for dinner. Steemit has apparently caught the attention of media people in the Philippines. Their group was so excited about Steemit and they have big plans for the Philippines.

The dinner turned out to be a learning session. I really feel so grateful to be part of it. We would ask @surpassinggoogle questions and he would answer with such depth and sincerity. We couldn't get enough. The restaurant's waiter had to tell us that it's closing time!

But there's no stopping the conversations even if they have closed the building.

I would like to end this post by giving @monkeypattycake a special thanks for inviting me to this awesome event! Maraming Salamat! After this event, I'm sure that I will be more present physically in the community for every given chance.

See you soon, fellow Steemians!