When Hive PH had the first meetup, I knew I'd be there again if there's gonna be a second one. It feels good to connect with the real people behind the profile pics and blogs and pick up a few things from them.
When the date and venue were confirmed, excitement bubbled within me as I shared the date and place of the second meetup with my onboarded friends, inviting them to come. Unfortunately, most of them couldn't attend the meetup because of their schedules, but the anticipation of meeting familiar faces and new friends kept me excited.
The Venue
Planeta Vergara in Makati hosted our second meetup. Luckily, overnight is now available for those who want to stay and hang out, as well as for those who have traveled a long way to join us.
The venue is fantastic. It can comfortably fit 16 or more people, with enough room for everyone to stand, mingle, and enjoy the karaoke.
Meetup Day
We made plans to meet up with @wittyzell, @adamada, and @romeskie before the actual meetup time so we could shop for everything we needed. Unfortunately, something unexpected came up, and it seemed like I couldn't join the meetup. Good thing I made it, even if I was quite late. The feeling of almost missing out made me cherish the time spent with everyone even more.
On my way to the venue, I kept looking out the window, afraid we'd miss the gate since it was already dark. When @gabbiebi and I stepped out of the Grab car, we saw @tpkidkai, wearing a Hive t-shirt, talking to a delivery guy. At that moment, I knew we were in the right place. Seeing TP again was great after his absence on Discord for quite some time.
Read Tp's Meetup Post: HivePH 2024 Meet-up in Planeta Vergara
Inside, @akumagai, @intoybugoy, @wittyzell, @adamada, and @romeskie were already there. I thought we'd be the last to arrive, but thankfully we weren't. They all greeted me and @gabbiebi warmly. It was nice seeing Aku, Witty, Adam, and Rome again, and meeting Intoybugoy for the first time. The presence of smiles in the room immediately made me feel at ease.
Just like the first meetup, we filled out a slam book page. To be honest, I struggled to answer mine even though I knew there would be something like this. Favorite quote? Message to Hive PH? I couldn't think of any because all I could think about was mingling with these awesome people.
Then, @kothy and Dave (who are both incredibly cute!) arrived, along with @xanreo and her aunt, and @demotry (I'm not sure if I hugged Demo, but it was wonderful to see him again!), and @lhes who is now expecting!
Romeskie and Witty started the program, and it felt like a reunion.
Read Akumagai's Meetup post: HivePH meetup 2024 - A night of passion.
Fun and Games!
To break the ice, Romeskie and Witty had us line up for the Line-Up game.
We had to arrange ourselves based on how many relationships we had, number of pillows, how long we’ve been in Hive, and of course, height! 🤭 Those funny categories made us laugh and get to know each other better.
During that time, we introduced ourselves and each provided a one-word description of Hive PH. Can you guess what we said? Those words were heartfelt!
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I had a great time completing Witty’s Human Bingo game. Having @cindee08 around last year fueled my competitive spirit. This year, I just enjoyed the game. I spent a lot of time finding people who fit the categories and completely forgot to take pictures.
I knew I wasn’t the first one to submit the human bingo paper because finding a plantito/plantita was challenging. However, I was surprised to find out that I still won the crown when Witty and Romeskie announced the winners. We had a lot of fun during that time.
Surprisingly, @gabbiebi got second place! She finished the bingo fast without my help. Proud of her! Seeing her thrive in the game made me feel like a proud mentor!
Next was the Pass The Message but with a twist: we had to act it out. I forgot to take pictures because I was enjoying their Darna poses 🤣
Those who were not in the pass-the-message game played One Word Story. Group 1 was @kothy, Dave, and @gabbiebi. Group 2 was @tpkidkai, @adamada, and me.
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We had to make a story as customer support, with group 1 being the customer. The collaborative effort showed how well we could work together, even in fun and games!
Before dinner, we sang "That's What Friends Are For" without singing the letter -s. All the attendees have great singing voices! It was funny because some forgot to omit -s. The song choice was perfect!
Read Xanreo's Meetup post: I traveled 5 hours to attend the second hiveph meet-up.
Read Lhes' Meetup post: From virtual conversations at Discord to face to face chichats; Hiveph meetup year 2024.
Dinner and Conversations
Dinner was full of conversations about anything and everything. I loved the inutak brought by @romeskie! @xanreo sat beside me. Meeting Jam in person was something I was really looking forward to. It was cool that she was comfortable chatting with me and @gabbiebi. During our conversation, we covered a wide range of topics. I really enjoyed getting to know her.
Talking to @akumagai about his travels and @intoybugoy about his work and Hive was enjoyable too. @indayclara and @ybanezkim26 immediately came to mind when I saw Intoy. Meeting Kim in person and seeing Clara again would be amazing! I sat beside ate @lhes and rubbed her belly. We had a short conversation about her pregnancy. I'm happy to see her again! Our conversations had a familiar feel, even though some of us were meeting for the first time.
We jammed to a few more songs, attempting to beat the scores on the fridge. TP nailed it again with a perfect score! @tpkidkai was probably practicing while he MIA! The joy of singing together and cheering each other filled the room with good vibes!
@gabbiebi and I were the last to leave. Most of them left around 9 to 10 pm. I mentioned we’d leave at 11 pm but @gabbiebi and @adamada were still chatting while @wittyzell and I were having a convo. Those lingering conversations showed how much we valued each other’s company.
I had a good time catching up with Witty. Because of my busy schedule, it’s been a long time since I’ve had personal conversations with the group. The meetup made me understand the value of maintaining connections, even when life gets hectic.
Before leaving, we took a group photo. I also had a brief and enjoyable conversation with @scion02b. It was great to finally meet him!
Special thanks 🤍
Just like ate @lhes, I’ve kept the souvenirs from last year. During one of my Elyu trips last year, I wore the beanie from @romeskie (which I still haven’t posted about!).
Shoutout to @romeskie for making the Hive shirt possible. Big thanks to @adamada for the crocheted mushrooms, @romeskie, for the personalized HivePH keychain; @jonalyn2020 for the crochet earrings; @cindee08 for the Hive PH mug, and @wittyzell for the Japan goodies. Huge thanks to all the folks who put in their time and effort to make and give these amazing souvenirs.
These thoughtful gifts were a way for us to remember the good times we had and the effort we put into our community. Thank you so much! Sana masarap ulam nyo palagi!
The second meetup went really well! I had the chance to meet Jam, Kothy, Dave, Scion, and Intoy for the first time and catch up with Demotry, Witty, Adam, Lhes, TP, Romeskie, Aku, and Gabbie, the people I had memories with last year. Hopefully, there will be more Hive PH meetups in the future with even more members! 😁
'Til the next Hive PH meetup!
images are mine unless otherwise stated.