So It Went Like This
The day of the book launch went like this. Breakfast at about 6:30 am, and despite being a little worried about the entire event I slept quite well. My biggest worry was that not many or no one would show up. The event was scheduled for 4 pm, but as it is well known, Indonesians are late for their own funerals. The plan was to launch from 4 pm to six. However, it was going to be more like 4:30 or so to 6 pm. Before the meeting, we had to do a little bit of work.
So this was the plan:
- Leave at noon.
- Lunch at about 1 pm
- Set up
- TikTok live
- Double-check the event
- Wait
Sounds rather boring but there was nothing else to be done at this point!
Waiting
These were some tense moments before the event. So many people told me they would be at the event. Dozens of good wishes and words of encouragement but who will show?
Social media is a funny thing, right? People can say, good, bad, thoughtful, or mean things online. So to get people to come to an event is difficult. So easy to sit on your ass and watch an event. So easy to chat, and say hello on TikTok live. However, getting people to come to a place and meet takes effort.
In order to get them to attend we were giving away some money, t-shirts, and mugs. These are small incentives but hey, gotta do what you gotta do right?In order to get them to attend we were giving away some money, t-shirts, and mugs. These are small incentives but hey, gotta do what you gotta do right?
So How Did It Go?
Well, this is what actually happened. Expectations versus reality. I didn’t know who would show up and I was pleasantly surprised that we had about 35 people. Were they on time? nope. Ended up being nearly five when everyone poured in. Sadly some were late because of the terrible traffic due to the rain and demonstration in Jakarta. Honestly, it was amazing and I will have a much bigger and better photo dump coming later. Usually, there is a slight delay in the blog but this one is being put up ASAP.
The launch was great, and I got lots of cake!
Yup… Because it was my birthday on the first, many people brought cake and Martabak Manis. This was the icing on the cake I guess and helped seal the deal for me. Later dinner with a small group closed the evening and the day that I had been hoping for and worried about was over and done. More on all this later, for now, it’s nearly midnight, and off to bed, I go! Have a great Sunday, everyone!
