Like they say: it didn't rain, it poured. Farish Noor came in at 5.00 pm before going for a drink in the neighbourhood, so we were sure he would turn up, but for the rest, we were absolutely convinced that it was going to be a washout. "Jalan Maarof is a river," someone said.

But for the record, over eighty people turned up for the event - which was not really a book launch as Majapahit has been in the shops for over six months - rain and flood, or not. (After our experience with the air conditioners during Shashi Tharoor readings, we brought in two fans but needn't have - some people complained it was cold.) Introduced by Dr Sumit Mandal, Farish Noor read a short extract from his essay, The Loneliness of a Long Distance Writer, talked about his work, his life and the Malaysian narrative, before taking questions and signing books.

Another wonderful event to remember.