First overseas competition

On the 1st Oct 2016, Expy crew was invited by Keep It Street to compete in the Freestyle and Panna competition held in KL. The crew (Syafiq, Daryl, Val) decided to go for the trip together and it was an event I really can't wait to go! We took a 6 hours coach from Singapore to KL, the ride to KL was pretty good as I did not feel much motion sickness since I was sleeping throughout the bus ride. We reached KL in the wee hours of the morning and Checked in the hostel which turns out to be amazing (better than singapore HAHA)! The hostel was well decorated with many facilities and had many rooms. The toilets were clean and the rooms were spacious with a good sleeping environment (The beds has curtains, a small platform to put your devices to charge too. MOST IMPORTANTLY there was a cafe right below the hostel that serves AMAZING food and at a discounted price for people staying in the hostel. We were in a rush to head to the competition venue so we quickly left our belongings and head to the venue.

First day of the event was Freestyle, Valarie was invited to be one of the three judge for the freestyle event while Daryl is taking part in the competition. I really enjoyed joining the competition as a crew, I could really feel the passion and the support we gave each other during the event. As Daryl was competing I could feel the rest of us was giving him encouragement and hoping that he will do well at every round. He eventually made it to the final but unfortunately lost in the finals to an amazing and talented Malaysian freestyler. It was so close, I felt a little disappointed but I think 2nd place isn't so bad, after all it's an overseas competition with many capable participants taking part.

During the break, the crew went around the the futsal area where many futsal players were there to take part in the futsal competition. I WAS VERY SURPRISE at the huge amount of people participating in the event, after all futsal is not very popular in Singapore. We went around the courts playing panna with the participants and taking video of the panna challenges. The players response to panna was really positive and before you know it, challengers kept poring in and a crowd was starting to form, watching us put up a panna showcase. It was an unforgettable experience where we showcase our skills to the public and everyone was happy and smiling. It was an experience that I do not think can be easily done in Singapore. After day 1, My impression of Malaysia drastically changed and my image of the country became very positive, not just because of football but also because of the the nice people we met along the way throughout our first day.