A piece of sad news

Ten minutes ago, I checked my email and received a comment on my blog. It was from Maria, a fellow blogger. She had dropped by to inform that another fellow blogger, Rosie, had passed away.

Maria and Rosie's blogs were one of the first ones I followed when I started baking. Exactly 2 years ago, they started Sweet & Simple Bakes which organised monthly bakes for whoever wants to join. I diligently joined for some months and always looked forward to what was coming up in the following month. S&SB provided me withe the confidence that I yearned, as a novice baker. Unfortunately, as Rosie was sick months ago, S&SB had stopped its monthly bakes.

Rosie's passing is a real shock and I feel a sense of sadness overcome me. I had not expect myself to feel this sad over someone I had not met face to face, nor actually talk to. But this is the kind of world that we are living now isn't it?

Every day, I make it a point to visit a few blogs in my bookmark list. It is as if I have to be updated on what my "friends" do. I am so familiar with their places in my list that I even hesitated a long time to sort them alphabetically, so that their positions will not change. I have "friends" from all over the world.

Oh, that so-and-so, she has gone for holidays and will be back in 2 weeks.

That lady with 2 kids? She just made a lovely cake for herself the other day!

And the other lady who has not been blogging for some time? I hope her father has recovered now.

It soon started to feel as if I know them personally.

The blogs I follow, these "friends" I made, are all for a reason. They are generous people who share what they know. They share their ideas, their recipes, their experiences to everyone. I salute them for that. There were times when the naughty, selfish devil in me will tell me to keep some secrets to myself, lest others become better at something than me. But I think I will learn very little that way. The world is vast, no matter how good you are, there will always be someone better than you. I look up to these "friends" and try to be like them, to share what I know.

Rosie is one such "friend" to me. If you have not visited her blog before, know her here and here.