in memoriam

As the curtains were pulled up, the lights around Sands theater dimmed, the time dragon on stage came alive; we knew it was showtime.

Just as the Ozians opened the show with No One Mourns The Wicked, Leonie double-nudged me and smiled, pointing her finger towards the brightly-lit stage in excitement. I was equally excited and overwhelmed as she was, as we couldn't believe our eyes that this was really happening. 

That was the first time I met Leonie, in person. And sadly, it was also the last. 

I got to know Leonie through her impeccable brilliant writing on a youth section on the New Straits Times called Niexter. Her writing stood out from the rest and the fact that she was from Johor Bahru, got me interested to befriend her. No, not that way. But because Niexter was relevantly new then and only had a minuscule amount of active youth writers from anywhere out of KL. So, I felt that it would be great to know somebody nearby on the same boat as I was. 

So, I did. I sent her a message on Facebook and she replied. She was really friendly and said she noticed me in some of the NST-Niexter workshops we've been and of course, through the newspaper pullouts every Thursday. We were very fond of each other's writing and were pretty much stalking each other's blogs at one point. I aspire to write as flowery as her, one day.

It was not until Form 6 started and I got to know from peers that she had cancer. I was smitten with shock. I knew that cancer not only affects adults, but children can have it as well. But I've never knew anybody who had cancer. So, it left me feeling lousy.  I found out that she was writing a blog specifically about her condition and how she was coping and I've read every blogpost ever since. Do read her cancer blog here.

It was not until last April that I got to meet her in person. She was a close friend of Gup's and who'd knew that both of them were musical maniacs like me! So, when Wicked the Musical came to Singapore, we were all excited. When we all got nods from our mums, we were exchanging shrieks and excitement tweets on Twitter almost immediately! 

And so, April 14th came by and I really had a blast with Leonie (and her mum and aunt), Gup and her sister. We were just enjoying every scene, every set and every act, like like-minded friends. That's what she likes saying, like-minded friends. Which I find really true. it's really like we have known each other for years and years. I was glad to see her jumping around and had never stopped smiling the whole day. If you didn't know about her health condition, you would have never guessed that she was sick! 

Leonie specifically asked for the pictures to not surface online not because she didn't want to see anybody but because she didn't want to worry her parents by going out. That was why she was referred to as 'Leni' in my blogpost about Wicked and I had to crop her out in some of the pictures. You can read about that here. 

According to Naomi, Leonie's mum told her mum that it was her last wish and she really wanted to watch the musical. And, I am extremely happy that I got to share that memory and spend that day with her. I'm posting up these pictures now for some of you who didn't get to see her before she left us. I'm sure Leonie would want us to not shed tears but to remember the memories we had with her, be it recent or distant, and to celebrate her life.

Although I only got to know her during the later years of life, but I am glad that I had known her and got to share some similar interests and create some great memories with her. Moments that I would reminiscent and smile. Memories that will never fade. Ever.

When I got to know that she had passed on and her last message was that she loves us, it hit me quite badly. Maybe because the last time I saw her, she was so bubbly, happy and enthusiastic. She showed no sign of pain or fatigue at all. Naomi told me that her mum said she was actually in a critical condition when we went for the show but she wasn't gonna let that spoil the great musical experience with us. She was thoughtful, brave, noble, and exceptionally strong. And for that, I really salute her. 

It has been about a week since she passed away, and I admit I still shed a tear when I hear a song from the Wicked soundtrack and I probably will for a while. But it is all okay because I know that she's in a better place now, looking down at us. Content. 

Rest in peace, Leonie.

We love you too.