This is my tail, Lolo. She was named Loreena, after my tailmakers' and my favourite singer, and Lolo just stuck. Yesterday was Lolo's very last swim before we travel with her to Hawaii and leave her there for some much needed repairs. In the meantime, I'll be performing with the beautiful new tails being crafted with love as we speak.
I know it might seem silly to humanise a mermaid tail - but she's so much more than a silicone prop. She's a work of art. A masterpiece. More than that, she's become a friend: a friend who's served me faithfully through all these years. She was there at the very beginning, when I was just a girl with a hazy dream, figuring out what to do and where to go. She was there during really tough events and photoshoots. We've been in aquariums together, the most beautiful pools Singapore has to offer together. We've touched the lives of little ones with a tiny splash of magic. We've made their parents smile. We've reigned like queens in gigantic clamshells, with gauze and bubbles and music all around us. We've swum for some of the biggest news outlets.
I know she'll be in the best of hands, though, and that she'll receive the TLC she's been needing after so much hard work! Here's to you, Lolo. Thanks for making my dreams come true.