I met Maja in early 1990 when I first stepped foot on Chinese soil. She was introduced to me by her good friend, Al Wymann, who happened to be my then General Manager.
We remained friends through thick and thin, and with the onset of wechat/whatsapp connectivity, we joyfully communicated on a daily basis with the greatest of enthusiasm.
Maja was one of my most loyal friends and was the unofficial president of my fan-club! In her eyes, I could do no wrong, though that did not prevent her from offering honest opinions that were delivered in her serious, no-nonsense, straight-laced manner, which I found extremely endearing and delightful.
We exchanged and taught each other expressive gems in Slovak and Malay languages which reduced us to girlie-giggles (when Dominic was not within earshot)!
How I miss our daily wechat banter….but Maja or Mdm. B as we often called her, will always remain in my heart and mind, as though she were still here today. I still ‘hear’ her voice ringing in my ear, lovingly chiding me for a variety of things.
Happily, I was inspired to create a mixed-media artwork of us in a dreamlike setting, a few years ago. As her favourite flower was the gentle lotus, I entitled it Lotus Dream. She sent me into fits of laughter when she observed with grave seriousness, that I had given her ‘botox lips’! But Maja treasured this artistic interpretation of our friendship and that gave me immense satisfaction.
In 2013 I wrote about this piece of work in my blog…to read it, please click here.

A mixed-media artwork by Veronica Ann Lee
Mdm B, we loved you then, and we always will. In remembrance of a wonderful lady, I light a candle for her.
Veronica Ann Lee
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