This is a story of a conventional guy,
Going a bit more... modernized.
Meet Victor.
Victor is a writer. Conventional type of writer. He writes books, and contributes to magazines. One day, he feels like he needs an update for his books. So he conventionally reaches out to a potential partner that can possibly sponsor him, and enable him to give his book a little touch up. He then seals the deal, but apparently, his usual conventional approach just can’t go anymore...
Let’s say this Victor guy is, me.
Some of my travel books are old already. Three-four years old, this year. Super urged to update the info inside those books yet not willing to return to those destinations on my own spending, I had this idea to reach out local tourism boards of the places I covered: Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, and Japan—introducing my books to them, and wondering if they have any programs that probably can... well, sponsor me some trips in exchange of a book publishing.
Half of them responded, to my surprise, because at first I didn’t expect much. See, I’m THAT, conventional to the point that it’s enough to just see my books hanging by the shelf, and that’s all, no other efforts whatsoever to amplify them, DESPITE ALL THESE DIGITAL POSSIBILITIES duh and I’m working in a digital agency wth is wrong with me... VERY WELL! So half of them responded, and eventually, only one that I actually sealed a deal with.
Macao Government Tourism Office.
They’re so excited. AND GOOD GOD SO WAS I?! Their original aim was actually to gather these social media influencers with lots of followers and engaging blogs, but what I offered them was too tempting. Still, they asked if I could do something in digital, just so the profile of these people they gathered could be uniformed and fairly compared. And me, being an ambitious -yet sometimes irrational- human being as I always have been, agreed to their terms.
And so it began,
The digital transformation of
Vicky Amin and Cheating The World.
I’ve never been so active in social media as the one behind all these cheating thingy. Prior to my departure to Macao I worked my ass off to boost my online shit and earn the presence in social media, gain followers and act as if I’m a selebgram.
Then off we went to Macao. Me, and four other REAL selebgrams with TONS of followers. Since the very beginning I was introduced to them, and their Instagram personalities, I felt somewhat, intimidated. Because hey, they’re influencers and hello, I’m just a... influencee?
It didn’t last long though, the feeling only grew at the beginning, because whenever I remembered I have my book, that ultimate weapon which brought me to where I was, while they didn’t have any—it restored my confidence. And I always secretly convinced myself that, obviously, I’m one in a million. In this case, in five. Because the other four have exactly the same ability while I, was unique.
This was when I realized how world had switched. Decades ago internet stuff would be the foreigner amongst conventional approaches. But can you see it today? I'm the only one who writes in REAL OLD FASHION, while those people around me, they write it on their blogs and websites, never actually smell their works like what I always do when I buy my newly-released books! I'm feeling so exotic during my trip to Macao.
But I have to admit. My life in Macao, it’s like a king. The journey to and from the city was so so -BUT FLIGHTS WERE COVERED SO WHO AM I SAYING THAT IT WAS JUST A SO SO!? But the service there, Gosh, so this is why all those people are battling to steal the attention of sponsors by selling the number of followers—IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE TRULY TREATED JUST LIKE A CELEBRITY!?
Our five-day trip was completely covered by a van. We didn't commute by public transport. We had a personal guide. We ate five to six times a day, all in renowned restaurants or cafes, with lots of menus to finish. Our hotel was five starred, I think. We were taken here and there for free. We were given access to shows, performances, observation decks, exclusive screenings, workshops and classes, all those things that would cost us hundreds of Hong Kong Dollars, well, THEY GAVE IT ALL! I’ve never imagined myself as a social media influencer but this royal life was real!
In exchange to that, all of us should post shit tons of contents everyday. IG posts, IG stories, web articles when we return home, la la la. Those four selebgrams had been doing this kind of stuff for ages, and they had the audience, so they did it as easy as posting their own personal social media status. But then again, there's this guy who was so clueless of what to do, and had no audience too, uhh, who's his name again? Victor? No, IT'S ME!
To be honest... No, I didn’t enjoy it.
Oh sorry, not the one treated like a king because of course, I enjoyed it.
I didn’t enjoy being a selebgram.
It seems like a true life for the other four participants in my Macao group, but no, it’s not mine. I can’t, I can't act like I'm hosting a vlog channel. I can't instantly post to IG Story, something I just see during my trip. I can't immediately post whatever cool Instagramable stuff to my feed, no, I don't want to busy myself too much, while wonderful foreign things are happening around me.
I'm just sticking to my conventional approach.
No, it doesn't mean that I'm ditching my digital assets because heck, man, no matter how hard I'm trying to see social media negatively, I must admit I see opportunities with all these tech things. And of course, I'm so open to this kind of partnership again because WHO THE HELL WANTS TO LET GO OF SUCH ROYAL LIFE!? It's just, getting such treatment is not my biggest goal.
Because it means that I have to let go of some real explorations I could actually do when I'm traveling myself.
 |
| Bow, before King Victor and His Royal Crown. |
Now to me, THAT,
is the real definition of
A royal life