Zoe Tay revisits almost 40 years of memories with Aileen Tan, from Star Search to mahjong
The veteran actress “travels” around Singapore via the MRT and bus to revisit memorable spots such as the old Caldecott Broadcast Centre and the previous World Trade Centre, where the first Star Search was held.
(Screengrab: Meet You There)
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Give Zoe Tay an EZ-Link card, the words “meet me there”, and eight hours to find one of her oldest friends and where does she go? As it turns out, almost everywhere.
The veteran actress was tasked with finding fellow actress Aileen Tan in an episode of CNA Insider’s Meet Me There. The only clue? Tan would be waiting at a place meaningful to the two of them.
And yes, Singapore’s Ah Jie had to make the journey by public transport. “It’s not that I don’t know how, I’m just not used to it,” Tay said as she made her way out of Mediacorp. “When I first joined the entertainment industry, I didn’t have a car. I took buses to get around.”
Her first instinct was Tan’s home as they enjoy playing mahjong. “I think it’s the place where I’ve spent the most time with her outside of work,” Tay explained. “It’s where we gradually became closer.”
Tay was so certain that Tan would be there that upon arriving, Tay declared that she could smell her friend’s soup cooking. She proceeded to question Tan’s husband and searched the home herself. But Tan wasn’t there.
“I was so confident I could find her at the first location,” Tay said disappointedly. “I come here quite often because mahjong is what brought us together.”
FROM STAR SEARCH RIVALS TO MAHJONG KAKIS
The actresses’ friendship stretches back almost four decades to the 1988 edition of Star Search. The pair were competitors then – Tay emerged champion while Tan was first runner-up – but their shared history would extend far beyond the competition.
They trained together and later appeared in My Fair Ladies, a drama written for the participants of the inaugural Star Search.
Tay remembered being struck by Tan’s singing ability when they first met. Tan’s first impression of Tay, meanwhile, was that she was “incredibly hardworking and resilient”. “I think it was fate that brought us together,” Tan said.
But they weren’t immediately inseparable. “When we were younger, we were both very busy and didn’t really spend much time together,” Tan said. “It was only in the past 10 years or so that we gradually became closer.”
One thing that helped? Mahjong. Tay said Tan’s home became a private space where their group of friends could relax away from their very public careers. “You can really see a person’s character through playing mahjong,” Tay said, adding that Tan was gracious and easy-going, regardless of whether she won or lost.
Tan jokingly protested that her friend was revealing too much. “Don’t spill so many secrets!” she said. “Talking about mahjong might seem like we’re encouraging people to gamble.”
The friendship extended to their families as well. Tay described Tan as thoughtful and respectful towards elders, recalling how she would visit Tay’s mother and bring her food. Tan is also close to Tay’s children and has travelled overseas with the family. “Through these small gestures, I felt her sincerity,” Tay said.
BACK TO WHERE IT ALL STARTED
After striking out at Tan’s home, Tay headed for another place loaded with shared history: the former broadcast centre at Caldecott Hill. It was where Tay submitted her Star Search application and where she first met Tan.
“We shared so many memories at this place. It was like our second home,” Tay said. “I think both she and I spent almost half of our lives here.”
Tay recalled the 1980s and 1990s as the “golden age” for local television dramas, when watching them was part of everyday life for many Singaporeans. “Everyone loved watching our TV dramas,” she said. “Even when people ran into you on the streets, they’d ask what was going to happen at the end.”
Similarly, Tan reflected that the local veteran actors had become “like family to Singaporeans”, with viewers progressing from calling actors by their characters’ names to recognising them by their real names. But Tan wasn’t at Caldecott.
Tay next headed to HarbourFront Centre, formerly the World Trade Centre, where the 1988 Star Search finals had been held. Tan herself had forgotten about that particular piece of their history.
“I really don’t remember. I’m so sorry, my sister,” she said while watching Tay’s search. “You are right, I forgot.”
Tay then tried the hot yoga studio at Millenia Walk, where the pair exercise and spend time talking after class. “When it came to yoga, it was usually just the two of us,” Tay said. “After yoga, we’d often sit there and chat. But I think those moments brought us closer. That’s when our friendship really deepened.”
Still, no Tan. By then, Tay had been searching for nearly five hours. “I’ve never taken so many buses in Singapore before, and trains, thank you,” she joked. “If I can’t find you, that’s it, sister. Don’t be my friend anymore.”
“SISTER, WHERE ARE YOU?”
With the clock running down, Tay admitted she was almost out of options. “Honestly, by the time I got to Millenia Walk, I was almost ready to give up,” she said. “I really couldn’t think of any more places.”
That was when she remembered somewhere significant to both of them: the area around Ann Siang Hill, near Maxwell Road, where they had filmed Kid U Not together.
For Tan, the location represented a particularly precious chapter in their friendship and careers. More than 30 years after they first met, the actresses reunited to play the two leads in the drama. “It’s a memory I’ll always treasure,” Tan said. “After all, we don’t get the chance to collaborate very often.”
Tay made one last dash for Maxwell. This time, she was right. “I found her. Tong Tong!” Tay exclaimed upon spotting Tan.
Tan’s immediate reaction was disbelief: did the producer secretly give Tay a hint? No, Tay insisted. It had simply been her final guess. She then recounted her failed attempts: Tan’s house, the former World Trade Centre and their yoga studio. “I’m so sorry, sister, for making you wait,” Tay told her.
The reunion also brought them back to Kid U Not, which Tan said she hadn’t expected to have the opportunity to play alongside Tay.
“As you know, we’re no longer young, so I don’t know when we’ll have another opportunity to work together again,” Tan said. Tay agreed, saying she was happy that Tan had been her co-star.
For Tay, the eight-hour search ultimately became something bigger than finding the correct location. “Through this search for Aileen Tan, I’ve come to reflect on our friendship in a new way,” she said.
“I’ve been able to understand her on a deeper level from her perspective, and she’s been able to understand my friendship with her from mine.”
After almost 40 years of knowing each other, what comes next? Growing old together, apparently – with mahjong still firmly in the picture.
“We will continue to appreciate our friendship from now on, all the way until we’re old,” Tan said, before joking that they should keep playing mahjong together to ward off dementia.
Tay assured her: “You won’t [forget me]. We’ll take care of you.”
Watch the full episode below.
Source: CNA/bk
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