(Click pictures for larger size)
1. The way to a girl's heart is through nukes
The first time Boxer met Jessica, it was during a game where they faced off against each other. Ever the dashing gentlemen, Boxer expressed his attraction through nukes. 3 nukes. Duly impressed, Jessica capitulated to such a grand gesture of devotion. And the rest, as they say, is history.
So if ever you sit down at your computer, and you look up, and with flutters in your heart you see that One True Love sitting across, take a moment. Calm down. Build a Ghost Academy or three. And start those nukes a-researchin'.
2. SlayerS GanZi and Alicia know how to party
They might appear serious on stage, and maintain a steely gaze while in the grips of a StarCraft match, but make no mistake, even Koreans know how to let loose a little. And of all the Koreans, GanZi and Alicia relaxed the most. Though even Boxer knocked back a few after the intensity of three compressed days of StarCraft II, GanZi and Alicia were laughing, joking and generally living it up in the afterglow of a completed MLG.
Next time you think "oh, Koreans are always so serious", just remember: they're people too. And just like the rest of us, some of them love to party.
3. Beware the wraps at the food stall right outside the door
Yes, yes. You got up at 9am so that you could be in line and at a good seat in time for the first game. You didn't go anywhere between games for fear of losing said seat. I know. I realize that the 5 minutes you took for a quick pee break were some of the most harrowing of the weekend, as you raced against time and bladder to be there and back again before someone decided that the bag you left on your seat belonged on the floor. I understand that you were starving, hungry, incredibly ravenous as 8 continuous hours of excitement and tension and cheering took its toll on your underused stamina.
I get that. I do. I felt the same way.
Just don't get the wraps from the food stall right outside the conference doors. They suck. The $8 you pay for them could be better spent practically anywhere else. Including paying someone to sit in your seat while you rush to the bathroom.
And if you do ignore this, and still buy that wrap -- well, I told you so.
kthewelcome 074 by Xensin, on Flickr
4. Boxer is a good photo subject from any angle
I was at Anaheim to take photos. I took a lot of photos of a lot of players. But no player possessed the same photogenic quality as the Emperor himself. Despite the angle, a vast majority of the shots I have of him came out better than average. There are some portrait models that make great photographs the simplest things in the world, and Boxer can count himself in that rarified group. From below or above, in profile or straight on, it's difficult to get a bad shot.
5. If you're bored in between matches, stand up, look around, and marvel at the cheerfuls.
The delay between games can be long, and with seats at a premium, the chance for exploration limited. But do yourself a favor and stand up. Everyone has cheerfuls, and the MLG camera man won't catch all of them. I saw a ton of super clever signs and impressive creations that MLG didn't catch.
Stand up, look around, and you won't miss them too.
And while you're at it, bring a couple beach balls, and throw them around.