"The day we all finally met..." aka TeamMalaysia CNY Gathering!

That title...
...looks sooo tantalising ~ like the title of a novel on a bookcase...
Or a suspense-thriller (haha!)

Actually it was @joannewong's idea! Yup... well, we were chatting on discord when she was so very nice to invite me personally to the CNY Gathering. I was lamenting on the fact that after all this time, after all these meetings, I was finally going to make it, to meet some members of TeamMalaysia!

Then I said it! Well, I actually first said, it was going to be like a group blind date! An amazing crazy group blind date! Nerve-wrecking nervousness!! Joanne thought it was funny... Oh yaaa, I told @aaronleang too, who also was very nice to personally invite me too... - just remembered, haha...; she said I should say it in the post-gathering post (There! I'm saying it, @joannewong!!! Lol...)

And especially when it comes to @elizacheng and @littlenewthings as we've known each other for some years from a previous site (that should not be named... that t_u one) but had not met up yet! Technically, I met Eliza on work a year ago and we had a lunch together, but not since we joined steemit. And I hadn't had the opportunity to meet @littlenewthings.

Hence, this intro photograph...

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We had to have this photograph!
Thanks to @littlenewthings' experienced selfie arm... we did!
It was years over-due since we met online... and months over-due after we all joined steemit!

After all the initial, "Aaaahhhhhhhhhh..... and OMGGGGs...." upon meeting, we actually managed to get to the balcony to calmly take this shot.

Lol, well, after a few false starts... when Eliza's mobile phone started taking shots of us with a 'delay' - hmmm, as an afterthought, we should have those as 'behind-the-scenes' shots, Eliza... 😅

Well, I guess by now, most of you have read all about the event, the who-and-who-was-there, what-and-what-happened... so I shall spare you those details...

So, allow me if I may... I shall do a fast photographic run-through of a couple of the highlights for me ~ one of which was the 'yee sang' toss-up which was the most dramatic toss-up I ever experienced! 😆
Let's just say, we are very enthusiastic 'tossers'...

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"Abracadabra! I can make yee sang fly...!"
Well, that's what Tai-Koh, @bitrocker2020 seems to be saying...
(Very good to finally meet you, @bitrocker2020!) 😄
Many hands make fast work ~ as they say, and hands many we had!

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There! Highlight #1 in the making...
Or rather the final scene... just before we managed to dig in
At least we still had some to dig into... lol!
Like I said, TeamMalaysia - not short of enthusiasm!
Which is a great thing!
(You don't see the plate in front of me much... haha, much of it was delicately spread all around the plate! Don't worry, we actually did eat up the 'over-abundance'...)

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Much smiles and laughter with this episode...
Another good thing to start off the new year...
We did well, I think... 😏

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Okay, seeee....
Photographic evidence of how well we did!

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Awww... Host @aaronleang and Tai-Koh, @bitrocker2020, applying swift hands so we could move on to the next episode...
The local Chinese expression which comes to mind here is: 'One Leg Kick' = Jack of all trades and master of every one!
TeamMalaysia... in very good hands!

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Highlight #2 - how can I not talk about The View... from a photography hobbyist's point-of-view. I'll have a few more shots later, but here are a couple first...

Just past sunset.. quite a bit of clouds but some colour here
I didn't take along my camera so was managing with just my mobile
phone camera!
Anddd... I kinda missed the sunset when I was chatting inside... lol... oops!

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The View
I actually didn't do a panoramic shot as I always flop at it...
However, my Sony seems to be quite 'smart' and stitched one together for me out of the shots I took!
(You missed the tips of the twin towers....! Duhh!)
This is what you'll see from extreme left to the very right of the
balcony view!
Yes, do definitely click on this one for a fullscreen view! 😯

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Highlight #3 (my highlights are NOT in any particular order, as I would rate this the tops...) - Meeting TeamMalaysians!

I didn't take as many shots as I should have... so, this is a small selection which I humbly managed to capture...

@littlenewthings, @elizacheng and a new-found friend, @joyceann21 with The View

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Glad I caught these two... @kokuryo and @arwinzen, with
The Inside View!

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And thank you, @joyceann21, for taking this for me...
@chloephuan93, @littlenewthings, @elizacheng and me!

Lots more people and shots, many with others' cameras and
mobile phones...

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Irresistible!
Two more shots here of The View...
I know, I know... EVERYONE would have taken these same ones, but like I said, Irresistible!

Twilight, soft light and the buildings and the city starts lighting up

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Nightfall, the city lights are amazing!

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And just as I was leaving, I managed to catch none other than The Zord, @zord189!
Most fortunate, as also found the opportunity to catch this shot (thanks to @aaronleang who helped with this!) together with @iamjadeline, Jayden and @happycrazycon!! I didn't get to chat with them earlier but sure was glad to have had the opportunity for this last one for the day! (at the carpark too! lol)

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Finally, last but not least... many thanks to gracious hosts, @joannewong & @aaronleang;
The other organising committee members: @bitrocker2020, @littlenewthings, @elizacheng, @karinzdailygrind, @orangila and @zord189;
All the other wonderful people I managed to meet (other than the ones mentioned above, hope I get all the names here): our guests who specially flew in from India, @firepower, @sjennon, @varunpinto and @shenoy;
@nickychu who flew in from Labuan!
@wackybecky, @kimzwarch, @chuazm, @aaronteng, @cshaw, @wanaf, @michelleloh168, @maverickfoo, @kevinwong, @digitalmind, @natalielo & @crypto3d

So many others to meet... Next round...! 😊

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_{Captured with SONY Xperia M5 | Yes, you may click on the images for fullscreen views!}

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~ more of my learnings & experiments ~

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