A YEAR OLDER

My boss sent me the most gorgeous bouquet today!  Happy birthday to me.

THE BEST WAY TO SAY IT 2020

Always exciting to hear the doorbell and be presented with gifts, especially during these WFH days.  I'm not huge on flowers - I don't even own a vase - but a bouquet at 9:30am is a welcomed surprise.

甜死了啦！

Bubble tea shops are closed during the Circuit Breaker.  Miss Bubble Tea came along with the bouquet.  

CIRCUIT BREAKER

Today, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the nation to say that the government is introducing new 'circuit breaker' measures in order to slow the community spread of Covid-19. This means that we must stay at home and leave only for essential services.

At least we'll always have food.

IN LOVING MEMORY

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. 

Here we are in Jim Thompson House, Bangkok. The top I'm wearing in the photo is something I bought while we were in Melaka.

Having a jolly time with pelicans at The Entrance, NSW, Australia.

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.

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.

HOPE

When Cindy called me "你来香港看看Tammy，不要有遗憾！" I wanted to fly to Hong Kong right away but there was a meeting to organise at work and the client kept changing the meeting dates.  Still, I managed to spend three days in Hong Kong (Dec 11 - 13).  Cindy treated me like a queen.  She made sure there was a car to me at the airport when I arrived.  We ate wanton noodles, strolled around in Wanchai, had afternoon tea in 金凤茶餐厅.  But the real order of the day was to get a cake for our dear friend, Tammy, who is currently in hospital.

Tammy and I shared much great times and good food together.  So it's very hard for me to accept that she is dying.  The name of the cake is "Hope".

The next day, the 12th of December, was Tammy's birthday.  Cindy and I went to visit Tammy in the hospital.  I think she was delighted to see me.  We both sense that this could be my last meeting with her but I think deep in my heart I just couldn't believe it is happening.  Cindy said most visitors brought Tammy's favourite food.  I realise now that it might seemed cold but I brought a plush toy, and a set of ceramic measuring cups for baking.  I guess I what I really want her to do is to get well, get up and get out!

I hope that we'll be baking and travelling together again very soon.  

Update 25/12/2019.  Tammy passed away on Christmas morning.