End of Birthday Party ...and Shootout results!

Thanks to everyone who visited yesterday. It turned out to be a really special day for me, and I hope for everyone. I had no idea how it would turn out exactly. I knew about ~25 people would be attending who are in some way related to me through gaming - friends, acquaintances, and some interesting strangers. That's apart from the family that visited.

I'd like to thank everyone again for the great presents I received! I got about 15 books I think (that'll take me until the end of the year 2009?), I got a couple of movies which otherwise I may have never found out about, and flowers. Some special beers (I'm not a big drinker but I like trying a few special flavours from other parts in the world - Belgian and German beers) and even a neat bag of M&M's to go with one of the movies.

A visitor from the east of Germany brought a guitar (he says he brings it everywhere he goes), and while he started with a modest birth day song (which was the first song I got for my birth day this year), later on the guitar took a life if its own. He was playing on it and people were singing along. It's not as lame as it may sound to you - you'd have to be there, but while I was playing the Warcraft 1v1 Shootout tourney, I was utterly enjoying the live music on the background. My mother was singing along, and guys as well.

One guy even has singing/guitar skills by himself, and he was singing some cool rock song - he was really quite good! (ikbencool)

Well, it started at 1 PM but one guy was too early... I had Boomz0r pretend he didn't formally come in yet. I was considering whether I shall leave him to wait outside for the smallest of moments. What? I didn't actually tell him that :D although he did ask "are you going to make me wait outside?". I quickly opened the door further and let him in - social faux-pas avoided.

It went on till 1 AM actually! After I had played about 10 matches, a group of people had to go so we proceeded to awarding some prizes. When I mentioned I was going to send the first prize to someone, a lot of people echoed my private thoughts by yelling out that eea)ReaL. should win the prize! I agreed with them, and a loud applause and cheering ensued. He got his pick of a mouse pad and I think he was very happy with it. Congratulations to eea)ReaL. for being the closest to defeat me, using a DH+Mass hunt + AP rush strategy!

Second prize went to Tadpole for doing the most efficient execution of strategy with the least mistakes (apart from losing, of course). He went home around midnight in order to catch the last train.

Third prize was awarded to jmt, who, although he didn't play, won the lucky draw of the evening and took home the 3rd mouse pad.

to all the winners!

Thanks to all the other participants of the tournament as well: Kiezel, Zerter, morflinQue, WDG.Kevin, FunFunAll, Mista_Masta, Ins0mnia, Syophan, Infantrist and ikbencool.

Special mention to Ins0mnia who, although admittedly playing practically the worst of all, was the only one to score a hero kill on me. The crowd erupted in mad cheers - he was all suave coolness as he wore his sunglasses (inside the house. at night.) and laughed while losing footmen to green creepcamps and killing my hero subsequently.

Cassandra and me had so much fun, we'd definitely like to do this again next year. Even though she had to spend a lot of time cooking for more than a score of hungry youngsters :D It was ideal for me. Great sushi, great time, meeting great new people and even playing some WC3! xD