It's always sad to see a long-time colleague go.

After nearly 25 years on air, Lim Peifen had her last day as a Yes 933 radio DJ today (Aug 30), and her colleagues prepared a week of surprises for her before her move to Mediacorp's news and current affairs team.

The radio channel shared an Instagram Reel featuring several other DJs giving Peifen, 41, presents.

On day one, Gao Meigui surprised Peifen with a variety of cat-themed items, including a bowl and Pusheen postcard.

"We are both cat lovers," the 33-year-old explained in the clip. "Sometimes our conversations in the studio were just about cats."

On the second day, she was surprised by Siau Jiahui and Tan Ting Fong, who gave her what appeared to be multivitamins.

Jiahui will also be taking over Peifen's radio programme Wuke Lele (translates as Noontime Fun) from 10am to noon, before hosting the segment with Ting Fong from noon to 2pm. The latter will continue to host it solo from 2pm to 4pm.

On day three, Zhu Zeliang and Lim Pin Juen met her in the hallway, saying that the biggest surprise was them - the hosts of the 10pm to midnight show - waking up so early for her, and presented her a bottle of wine.

The next day was Joey Tay, and Peifen was once again surprised to see a colleague arrive early in the morning. She gave Peifen a bottle with the latter's name on it.

Hazelle Teo and Evelyn Tan gifted her an Aesop handwash the following day, and Peifen said she couldn't read the women's letter to her or she would cry.

It was Kenneth Chung and Jeff Goh on day six that had Peifen closest to tears with their framed collage with photos of the three of them.

During their radio programme later, Jeff said: "When I was consolidating all the photos, I felt very happy. Every photo brought back great memories of us these two years."

In a separate Instagram post, Yes 933 shared that Lee Teng and Jiahui also visited Peifen on her second-last day, bringing her a cake. The three had made their radio debuts around the same time two decades ago.

Today, Yes 933 held a farewell party for the veteran radio DJ, and posted an Instagram Reel of her colleagues, husband and kids yelling: "Lim Peifen, we love you!"

'All the emotions over the past 20 years have been stored in my DNA'

Peifen is bad at saying goodbye, she shared on her Instagram.

"Between thank-you and goodbye, there are many things to say, but I feel that it is also beautiful to say nothing," she wrote.

Nevertheless, she carried on with a long caption because "it's easy for radio DJs to talk to themselves".

Admitting that her memory was bad and she doesn't remember everything in the last 20 years, Peifen wrote: "But I am a sentimental person (haha, I know you can't tell, I'm an INFP), and all the emotions over the past 20 years have been stored in my DNA.

"The meaning of radio work, to me, is service and companionship. If no one accompanies me and no one listens, it is meaningless. Thank you, yes, you. Your listening has made it possible for me to talk for more than 20 years and broadcast songs for more than 20 years."

She recounted that a blind listener once thanked her for "giving her world pictures, so that she could see the wonderful world through listening", and things like this have remained in her heart, "forming a powerful force, like the sun that simply exists and nourishes".

Peifen added that she was leaving to step out of her comfort zone and serve and accompany audiences in a different way.

"The sadness of parting comes from the realisation that there may not be a next time, and it will no longer be the same from now on," she added. "Such uneasiness may be based on human inertia.

"But I am not satisfied with the status quo. I heard Ashin from Mayday say that this is the spirit of rock."

She may no longer be a Yes 933 radio DJ anymore, but Peifen said that she'll still be a part of the radio channel as a listener.

drimac@asiaone.com

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