ZOE IN NEW YORK, 1997: Home-grown actress Zoe Tay posted a picture of herself in 1997 on Instagram last Saturday.

Tay, now 52, wrote in the caption: "My son passed me an old photo album, those were the days I was in New York alone."

She had reportedly enrolled herself in acting classes there after winning Best Actress for The Golden Pillow (1995) at Mediacorp's annual Star Awards show in 1996.

Tay, who lives here with her husband and their three sons, added: "I had a super short pixie haircut. I was nervous but also excited, it was my first time living alone... I didn't dare to go anywhere until two weeks later, when I started exploring."

She called New York a "fascinating city" and said she watched Broadway musicals, took walks in Central Park and had tea in Fifth Avenue. The trip, she added, "opened (her) eyes".