EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zEKyq.jpg)
Lets use Google Maps to poorly map where I went around
Anyway, left home with my best friend, who came up all the way from Canberra (3 hour drive) to experience the night with me at around 4:30pm. Had some KFC and Rekordelig to pump ourselves up for what was to come.
Arrived at Circular Quay at around 5:45pm. Went up to the Paragon Hotel where Barcraft was for the GSL finals. Had a couple of drinks before the game and talked to a couple of people, most notably iaguz (Terran pro) and another guy who's name I've forgotten (sorry!). Went and found a table, watched a couple of games until my room mate and other friend arrived to join us. Got a couple of more drinks (Cocktails are so fucking easy to down...) and managed to track down Moonglade. Introduced myself to him, then went back to enjoy the rest of the games.
Hilarious anecdote, literally everyone was in the bathroom after Game 5 (the epic BC Vortex game), raging and discussing said match. I think it was here where LimitSEA (yes, I remember your name) showed himself.
I think by the start of Game 7, I was up to my sixth or seventh drink. I was so glad that Squirtle managed to reverse the deficit to force a seventh game, but in typical MVP fashion, he just had to make the last game lame and anti-climatic. Oh well, that's SC2 for you.
Also another anecdote. If you are going to bring your girlfriend to Barcraft, make sure they show SOME sort of interest. Holy gosh, my mind was so saddened by the large amounts of couples with disinterested girlfriends. Seriously, if they are really reluctant to go or whatever, just go by yourself, and meet up with them later on in the night, or something.
Anyway, the games finished at around 9pm, so me and my mates headed off into the centre of the city to find some grub. This night, I was feeling Shabu-Shabu (Hot Pot), so it was time to venture into Chinatown to find a place with it, and my (Korean) friend found one (Seoul-ria on George St).
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/GlJkv.jpg)
Note to self: Two hotpots is too much for four people
Me and my Korean friend got the Seafood hotpot, while we ordered the 'Combination' hotpot for my room mate and best friend. It was actually not that bad, despite the odd mix of western ingredients, spam, instant ramen noodles, baked beans, frankfurt sausage, you name it. For drinks, we got ourselves Raspberry Wine and Lemon Soju. Needless to say, both were fucking amazing. Oh, the food was really good as well. With two hotpots along with the banchan (side dishes), we all easily filled ourselves up with plenty to spare.
While we were there, a group from Barcraft came in. I think I talked to EsKy (?) and a couple of other people who's names I didn't catch. Come forward if I talked to you! Also while at the restaurant, I acquired an unfortunate liking for this song. Gah.
I think we left the restaurant at around 11:30pm'ish? The initial plan was to do some pubbing and clubbing before the Champions League final at 4:45am, but a friend had to bail due to some other circumstances, so we all decided to head to the Harbour to see what was up. My room mate went off to meet some other people (at a club with a $25 entry fee, fuck that), so myself and my other two friends hit up The Star (or Star City to old folk). Star City is basically the largest casino in the state of New South Wales, only second to Crown Casino (Melbourne) in terms of size in Australia. We made our way to the Sports Bar where we catch a pleasant surprise of a game.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/tImw7.jpg)
You quickly realise how shit the players are compared to the top flight
Like the GSL finals, the match went down to the final minute. West Ham scored in the last 5 minutes of normal time to seal their promotion to the Premier League. Honestly though, I don't know if they'll be still there by the end of next season, we'll see.
It was around 2am (?) when the game ended, and I was digging some coffee to help me get through the night. We then headed back into the CBD to find a coffee place. No dice. There was McDonalds, but with a massive queue, I seriously couldn't be fucked waiting. My Korean friend got pretty tired, so he went home as we left the McDonalds, so it was just me and my best friend for the rest of the night. We walked back to Star City, thinking how we were going to last the next two hours or so before the Champions League final started. It had to be Coke, water, and naps (although not too obvious, or apparently you get kicked out if you get caught falling asleep).
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/KaCI1.jpg)
Random picture I took while walking across the bridge to the harbour
It was finally 4am. A huge roar as the former Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich went up to the front as a guest for the night. From a footballing perspective, I didn't really like the guy, but whatever. At least the energy in the room kept me up. I think the ratio of Chelsea : Bayern fans was 7:3, so I decided to play safe and support Chelsea for the night.
The pre-game was finally over, adrenaline ran through my body, I was dead physically, but mentally, I was invigorated like hell. At 4:45am, Chelsea kicked off to start the 2012 Champions League final, as a huge roar from the crowd at the sports bar started the game.
Anyway, I'll leave all the boring details for you to Google, but seriously, besides being at the game itself, this was probably the next best thing. When chances were rued, you could hear the jeers and applause. When those two goals were scored in the last ten minutes of normal time, everyone was going crazy mad.
Then we got to penalties, holy shit. Words can't fathom how intense that moment was. I nearly shit my pants, first as Schweinsteiger hit the post, and secondly as Drogba scored that penalty to seal the win for Chelsea.
By the end, it was around 8am. The sun was out, and there was a fucking marathon going on outside. How the fuck was I supposed to get to the train station? The security guy said "dare yourself to go through the pack".
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Itdyi.jpg)
So much litter
It was a real life game of Frogger... and I sort of failed. In my semi-drunken/tired state, I accidentally ran into some old guy. After being hurled abuse, I bailed as fast as I could. Time to get home, finally!
It was around 10am by the time I got home. I passed out, fell asleep, and was woken by the aura of Proleague Opening Day at 1pm. Another chapter begins...
