Of Meeting Teme Abdullah, Making New Friends & Everything in Between

I don't really remember when and where I first heard about Teme but it has to be from Twitter or his blog back in 2014 or 2015. But, I do remember his book; Pelukis Jalanan was one of the first few books I bought back in 2016 when I first came back to Malaysia. I have been his loyal reader ever since. 

Pelukis Jalanan; the first physical book of Teme that I own

I missed his first meet & greet back in 2018 because I was in Canada, but I remember reading updates and posts about the meet & greet session. Fast forward years later, alhamdulillah, I was given a few chances to meet him. 

Of meeting Teme Abdullah

If I have to sum up my experience of meeting Teme, it was chaotic, nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing. My anxiety was at its highest because I was nervous and because of the 20/30-second time limit. As such, I did not get to tell Teme what I wanted to tell him. I even practiced beforehand but I still did not manage to say everything 😭

Teme Abdullah at Teme Meet & Greet 2024 @ PBAKL 2024

I don't know how other people can be so calm. A lot of them even requested various wishes and funny poses from him. Meanwhile, I was starstruck and shaking so bad. I even just stood and smiled like a fool once.

Teme: Assalamualaikum. Terima kasih datang.

Me: Waalaikumsalam. Terima kasih Teme.

Teme: *Asked a question*
Me: *Loading* *Answered something else* *Loading* *Asked a question*
Teme: *Answered something else*

Me: Thank you again, Teme.

Yes, that's how I interacted with Teme. Rinse and repeat. Kita sama-sama tak dengar ke, Teme? *facepalm*

Honestly, nervous punya pasal, I didn't hear him wishing me, "Welcome back home!" while my sister heard him. I also didn't hear him saying, "Saya pun dah berusia" when I told him that saya dah berusia, tak larat dah nak pergi meet & greet awak lepas ni 😅 Thank god for the videos, eh? 😉

Of making new friends

New friendships were built; and new friends were made while we waited in line for Teme Meet & Greet 2024 especially at MPH The Exchange, TRX. The bond was something because we were there for the same reason; to meet Teme. We also shared the same experience of being let down by MPH the previous days. And, we too, were hopeful that we were given a chance to see Teme that day. After all, we did not have tickets 😢

7am walk-in gang, and then some with MPH staff

Teme, we may not be the first bunch you met that day but we were the first ones waiting for you 😺

I was thankful for these new friendships and friends I gained because we probably would never have crossed each other's paths, if not for Teme (god willing!). It's especially highly unlikely for me to be a friend to a girl half my age, or a friend to a published author since I do not go out that much and I pretty much have been working from home ever since the pandemic. We may never see each other again after this, but the memory remains 💞

Of everything in between

I have spent so much time reflecting on what's happening at every Teme Meet & Greet 2024 session. I was inspired to be a better person (again!), after witnessing how soft-spoken he was, and his winsome personality. Like, Teme, awak soft spoken sangat. Saya yang perempuan ni naik segan sebab tak soft spoken langsung 😳

Observing a lot of his readers doing good deeds while waiting also made me reflect on how easy it is to be a kind and generous person at this age. Ramai sangat pembaca Teme yang baik hati shared their food and drinks with other readers. Ramai juga tolong jagakan barang-barang orang lain while taking turns to go to toilet etc. Idk, I just love the vibes 💙

Teme Abdullah at Teme Meet & Greet 2024 @ Popular, IOI City Mall

Teme and his readers' dedication is something else too. Met a bunch of people coming from different states just to see him even though they did not have tickets. Yang paling jauh datang dari Sarawak solely just for his meet & greet. Yang datang dari Johor, ambil bas tengah malam or started driving 2-3am pun ada 😢 Saya ni, yang adik suruh datang awal pukul 9 or suruh naik MRT pukul 6 lebih pun dah sakit kepala, tak larat 😵 Teme pun, I didn't know where did he get his energy from to stay energetic and upbeat 😢 Thank you, Teme for bringing your best to entertain all of us 💙

Teme Abdullah at Teme Meet & Greet 2024 @ MPH The Exchange, TRX

Teme Meet & Greet 2024 sessions also served as a continuous reminder of the concept of rizq. I had to keep reminding myself, and my sister to make peace with whatever was written for us. I kept repeating, kalau ada rezeki kita untuk jumpa Teme hari tu, adalah. Kalau takde, jangan bersedih sangat. Kalau rezeki hari ni dapat sign 1 item je, 1 je la. Kalau dapat bergambar, gambar sajalah 😊 I think at one point, I sounded like a radio rosak for I kept repeating the same thing. Kitanya tak nak adik kita bersedih sangat 😖

Teme Abdullah at Teme Meet & Greet 2024 @ Kinokuniya, Suria KLCC

Going to Teme Meet & Greet 2024 sessions has also been eye-opening to me for I got to witness how my youngest sister interacted with other people. I think this was my first time seeing her interact with other people after getting her dream job! I don't get to see this side of her often since I am always at home and we don't run in the same circle. Adik kita dah besar, awak 😉

Thank you so much, Teme and team IMAN for holding the 2024 meet & greet sessions! As I mentioned in my Instagram post and TikTok videos, the 2024 meet & greet sessions probably would be my last time attending Teme meet & greet EVER due to my age and low level of energy. No kidding! Saya support dari jauh sahaja lepas ni🌹

Thank you again. I will always look back at these days with fond memories. Bak kata Teme, till we meet again, with a better version of ourselves! 🌹