Six months have gone by and I still feel Yolanda’s presence around me, each time I use the bookmark or the soap she bought back for me from her travels.

Miss Beh, as she was wont to introduce herself, was Miss Prim and Proper to many, but to me, she was Miss Warm and Hearty. She was frugal yet generous, decorous yet spontaneous, stern-faced yet humorous, naive yet wise. Yolanda loved to eat well but could not cook for nuts, and although appreciative, would reject not-yet-cooked food. I used to tease her endlessly over that. Each time she came for dinner, we had a deal – she would take a doggy bag home so that my fridge could be clear of leftovers.

We became buddies when I moved to Himiko Court near Pandan Valley where she lived. We would meet up for walks, ice-cream, concerts, museum visits, and for makan. Then when she came to ISEAS Library on a short term contract, we were lunch partners on most of the days.

Yolanda loved to travel and was a great traveling companion. When she heard that I was planning a trip to Kerala, she was like a kid clamouring for ice-cream – “I wanna, I wanna”. So, we included her and elected her Kitty Keeper to take care of the group’s finances and accounts. She was a fun traveler to be with, very enthusiastic about almost everything – food, sights, shows, even massages. The highlight of our trip was the boat ride on the backwaters. We had two 2-bedroom boats and six crew amongst us. We all declared that this was the way to retire, sailing up and down in the backwaters on the houseboats and just living the idyllic life. Yolanda immediately booked Sarath, the most handsome and tallest crew on board, to serve her hand and foot in this dream world. Again, a point of endless teasing.

Yolanda’s sudden passing shocked me and I still cannot get over it. I have to let her spirit go but will retain the memories of all the happy times we had together.

Contributed by Linda Yip