Tammy passed away in the early morning of Christmas Day, after losing battle with cancer. I think about her often.
I miss her most when I’m baking lemon yogurt cake because we once baked one together in my home.
Coming across persimmons, dried figs and whole grain mustard at the supermarket reminds me how much she loved them. Eating hor fun and lor mee reminds me how much she detested thick gravies. “Like mucus!” she’d declare.
Lamb chops, sashimi, cold soba, naan and bbq stingray will now forever hold a special place in my heart. When a friend mentioned a bagel shop in Novena recently, Tammy sprung to mind immediately. But we won't be able to eat together anymore!
Tammy and I travelled together several times. She would take a flight out from Hong Kong, and I would choose a flight that lands at around the same time so we can meet at the airport.
And then, of course, there’s Taiwan. It was Tammy who introduced me to beautiful Taipei in 2009 and I’ve fallen in love with it since. During that first trip, we shopped for shoes in Shingkong Mitsukoshi and went absolutely crazy. I bought 6 pairs! (I think she bought 8!!) I’ve revisited the city by myself a number of times since but I never bought that many pairs of shoes again. Shoe fitting just isn’t that much fun without Tammy. (Might I add that she was a very encouraging friend.)
It was also through Tammy that I got to know her two amazing friends - Anna Chin and Anna Au. I'm proud to say that our friendship is still intact after so many years.
It was also through Tammy that I got to know her two amazing friends - Anna Chin and Anna Au. I'm proud to say that our friendship is still intact after so many years.
Tammy was very talented in sewing. When she was Singapore last I took her to shop for fabrics in Chinatown. I chose this fabric myself.
Tammy turned it into a lovely drawstring bag and added the matching accessories.
Tammy tried to keep her illness from me until Cindy phoned me. It was Cindy who reached out and pulled me to Hong Kong just in time and I’ll be forever grateful to her for it.
On December 12th we celebrated Tammy’s 55th birthday in the hospital. On December 25th early morning, Tammy passed away with her family by her side.
Cindy and I chose this birthday cake because its name was "HOPE".
Last night I had switched off my bedroom lights and crawled into bed before realising that my mobile phone screen was still lit up. If Tammy was in the room with me, she would’ve nagged me out of bed to turn it off. My mind then drifted to the time I was in Hong Kong and Tammy cooked a super delicious pasta with clams. Having food on one’s mind doesn’t really help at bedtime because I woke up this morning craving for pasta. And then I suddenly got downright pissed off at Tammy for dying.
I still keep the letters and cards that Tammy, Cindy and Anna (Chin) sent to me years ago - long before email was a thing.
Memories are meant to be cherished forever. I'd like to think that Tammy is now an angel and is keeping a watchful eye over us.
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