“In Memory” by Esmond Ng 02/01/10 © Copyright

I would see you almost every other day,
But yet you, I’d not know beyond your name.
Too few hellos and goodbyes we’d have,
Time too haste, too fast to chase.

We shared too, too little exchanges;
Of hearty smiles and laughter candor.
Of our ups and downs, and cheer and fears.
Fair in times like these never, know not I will ever.

I’d never know how your demeanor,
Of what your friends about you say.
How you’d react to the funny things, I have yet no chance to say.
Know not I will ever, this friend I have yet to truly make.

For our God has chosen for you,
To His bosom side to stay.
And though we’ll all miss you in our each own ways,
We’d like you to know, you were not in vain.

For your memories and image they live on,
In those whom sighted you as you blazed along.
Like a comet gone too soon,
We’ll reminisce till we’re blazed out too.

In three weeks 21 you’d be,
“Happy Birthday, Steph!” to you from me.
A final teary “Goodbye” for now it seems,
Hearts, your family, friends and me.

One of palettes and scents aplenty,
With breaths of each become more compelling.
That this Garden which so seemingly unassuming,
Is really worth one’s time in revisits.

Once on the hills with stalks petaled in,
Against the vast ground of evergreens,
Contrasts that accentuates your lovely lovelies,
Awed stand I when you I chanced to meet.

For under the sky blues and puffs of white,
There they sit demure and so very poised.
And when in gentle winds they brush across,
Their leaves like hair flows just like yours.

Those to the Garden will sight what I see,
Surely those I describe convert too to attest it.
With each picture my lit eyes are color-blushed,
Long I to Kelly’s Garden again fast.

I pray for abounding things,
Of most many yen the same.
Unvarnished to ornamented they be,
How fervently amaranthine we seek.

I pray for prime and clean bill,
To forward my trade pursuits.
From which treasure riches return,
All worldly possessions we yearn.

I pray for Love innocent and true,
The meeting of Hearts to hold to.
I pray this turn finally be mine,
This time to find my Valentine.

But all of these I had asked lavish,
I pray equally take from me; banish.
For give rather I in place of these,
That You in replace will all above receive.

Have a blast; some merriment this day.
Joyful gaiety due none can take away.
And to you all festives will surely give way,
For it be for you that these galas grace.

Though these words replace not how much I have to say,
You of all will know what needn’t be displayed.
It is in times like these when I distanced, I pray:
Longstanding wishes & Happy Birthday!

Miraculous it may seem,
Fate works its ways in us beings.
For never did I imagine could be,
What I seek’d in front of me.

Once I hanker’d and once I did receive,
Paints of memories and etch’d it did.
An innocent Romeo & Juliet story,
Coincidences in most everything.

Like the end of tragic Love stories,
Too ours perhaps guileless and naïve.
But these flowers its’ scent can’t be erased,
Even long after they’re gone we had our Time in some place.

Remember I the times sore,
Stricken; afflicted and wretched.
Besetment assail’d from above,
Like the bottomward that downpour’d.

There sat I at sixes and sevens,
Dazed at what just befell.
For at the bridge knew not I,
What wrong I did nor neither fate might.

How did such beauty and perfection cease?
Why my imaginary cloud shapes no longer pleased?
For the bright blessed day of just 5 minutes,
Now overcast acerbity.

Though things may sometimes I never know,
Left unsolved it may best be so.
Memories more precious for there in Heart stays,
But storms will eventually dissipate.

With time I sat the more I knew,
Darkest clouds too come and go.
Silver linings are there always,
When storms pass there they glow.

Workmanship and quality is top-notched. It has survived seasons, climate changes and a number of plane rides. (warped just very slightly in the 10 years, but still a lot ’straighter’ than most new cues)

Had it made back when I was staying in Queensland. Quite a popular custom cue maker over there.

Specifications
Brand: Zak’s Custom Cues
Model: Custom Made
Type: 2-Piece ‘3/4′ Cue
Joint: Short-Head Brass Joint

Ferrule: Short Brass
Tip Diameter: 9 mm
Tip Used: ‘Compressed’ Blue Diamonds
Butt Circumference: 98 mm
Weight: 18+ oz

Shaft Length: 42″
Butt Length: 13″
Total Length: 55″
Balance Point: 14.5″ from Butt End

Shaft Material: Dark Ash
Butt Material: Ebony with single Rosewood Splice
Badge: Glass-Covered Rectangle Badge (a one-off)

Extensions
- 28″ Custom Butt Replacement Extension (not screw-on below the butt)
- 26″-37″ Telescopic Extension (slip-on)

Some Aluminum Case that I bought from Day 1. (I’m surprised the case lasted this long)

Pictures

The "Onionhead" that my GF bought because she says he looks like me!

The club I used to play at.

Just don’t ask me how much I spent on it. LOL
(Worth every penny though)

The greatest distance between two,
Not for when I not next to you.
But for when face to yours see,
Not oblivious to each’s burning ardency.

It is for then when you in front of me,
And yet when Love we know subsist,
And yet whilst this passion flamingly,
That we know Fate will never let us be.

Choices not apparent the always,
Deceivable most times the case,
If be uninvolved so snap smooth the first place,
Then what of choice would be it in dawning preface?

How we then make verdict of it all?
Consensus concord a volition pray.
For some in haste and foolhardy made,
Regrettable woeful will afflict its place.

Bassanio too was worriment engaged,
For dependent was Portia on his take.
Should gold, silver or lead be his box picked?
Should he cull a coward pick?

As stairs of sand they wear upon their chins,
The beard of Hercules and all their fancy things.
But inward with their milk’d white livers,
So too the precious metal boxes contain.

By King; not of monarchial palatine,
But that of sovereign authority.
That Love is King,
The potent utmost of feelings.

For towers it his adversary,
Hate that chew’d through humanity.
The nemesis most reputed regentship,
That Love defeats whole-heatedly.

So true they say of it,
Love conquers all through ages repeat.
Care it be tempestuous heat,
Love would always cool the salvage beast.

Not of just trouncing its archenemy,
The transmuting to lesser of hostilities.
Also but with Love comes many,
Blitzkrieg transmogrifications scary.

For Love can crash the deepest of seas,
From Love to Hate and aggression leads.
But too Love can scale insurmountable peaks,
Comes Joy and Happiness beyond speech.

What then cursory speak of Love we?
Nay I say speak but only reverence should we.
For it be what it is,
The root of all feelings King.

Venue: Singapore Central Business District
Date: 28/09/08
Time: 8pm
Type: Night Race

What an amazing view I had from Ritz Carlton! I could see 6 turns on the track from where I was. Also managed to catch Piguet smash into the barrier and a “Red Bull” over-shooting into the excess area twice. I did miss the crash-out at one of the turns though as it was blocked by the grand stand area.

There was 2 favorite spots for me; the long stretch along Marina Bay and the “S” bend under the ECP. The long straight demonstrated not only the F1 vehicles’ astounding speed but also their insane braking ability! The “S” bend was really a spectacle of impeded clump manoeuvring for me.

Without ado, a video of the “S” bend at Turns 20 & 21:

This one shows Turns 16, 18, 19, 20 & 21:

A New Topshop Outlet?

]]> http://www.esmondng.com/2008/08/12/a-new-topshop-outlet/feed/ 0 http://www.esmondng.com/2008/07/31/look-before-you-leap/ http://www.esmondng.com/2008/07/31/look-before-you-leap/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:04:40 +0000 esmondng http://www.esmondng.com/?p=305 I recently read in the papers about a really unfortunate incident that happened in Taiwan. A lady plagued by illness decided to take her own life by leaping off a building. The untoward circumstance was that she had landed on an innocent passerby; taking her life. Condolences and solace to the families. I’m not going to blog about who’s outcome deserving or not. But it got me thinking about writing something that we all do so often; leaping before looking.

Whether it be in love, career or daily choices, we all frequently make irrational rash decisions every now and then. All so repeatedly, we draw conclusions from ill-informed information based more on our foolhardy emotions. After which many we would deeply regret.

I’m guilty of falling into this emotive trap at times. I too have many contributions to this lamentable list of imbecilic mistakes. What’s worse is that we ofttimes hurt someone else in the process as well. Remember the Chinese phrase?

Direct translation would mean: “Spilled water can’t be retrieved.” What we do or say are simply irreversible. Once the damage is done, it’s done. I would like to take this chance to apologise to everyone that I have ever hurt directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly.

Maybe it’ll do us all some good if we remind ourselves to really look and think, deliberate if we have to before we start leaping away again.

Well in any story, there has got be some twist and turns right? At some point in time my “perfect” family started to crumble. Sparing the details, my sheltered existence took one of the biggest downturns I had ever been accosted with. I started to blame God for everything bad that happened even though I knew he had an infallible plan for us all. Despite that, blaming someone else was always the easiest option. I simply chose to not see his faithfulness carrying me through.

I wanted more than just contend to know that God was there. Becoming defiant, I conveniently turned my back to him. I wanted my own “Miracle” to prove that God still loved me. I would often say: “If you are omnipotent and all knowing, show me a sign. Show me that you are real to me.”

From then on, things got really bad. I dropped out of church and indulged in almost everything unholy and corrupt. To be honest, I haven’t really fully recovered until this day. Although I knew deep down that God was always watching me and keeping me safe, I elected to ignore all the little rainbows he sent to me. So there I was, continuing with my new-found “freedom” and uninhibited lifestyle.

I guess everything has a threshold. As a balloon can only stretch that much, a person can only tolerate so much pain. My breakdown point was really Jero. (in a few posts prior) He is such a darling to me that I really didn’t have the strength to envisage the possibility of loosing him so soon. In desperation, I could only think of God to turn to. He was the only One that I could really confide in and pour everything that hurt me all these years. In all candor, it felt really good. It felt like all the weight that had burdened me all this time was suddenly lifted.

All this desolate while, my oasis was right in front of me. I had just blatantly brushed it off as a mirage; turning a blind eye to it. I had my “Miracle” all along. It just took Jero to show it to me.

No, the miracle wasn’t Jero’s recovery. It is God’s steadfast love and endless mercy for me. It is God’s undying affection for a wayward child like me. He is the alpha and the omega that I just didn’t want to see. He did not promise life to be a bed of roses. But he did promise that he’ll be there to carry us all through. Amen.

Do I see food?

(Drawn by Kason Valkyrie Tay)

Thanks to everyone who asked about Jero.

He’s pretty much back to his naughty self again now. Still looking for every chance to steal food. Haha.
We brought him to remove his stitches today. The wound hasn’t completely healed but he’ll do just fine.

“There are people buying things that they don’t need,
to impress people that they don’t know,
with money that they don’t have.” ~ Unknown

Poor Jero put on drip

It was a really nerve-racking weekend for me. This is the second time Jero had to go under the knife for the same affliction; stones in his bladder.

I was told that he had a higher risk as the length of anesthesia was longer this time round due to the seriousness of his condition. To make matters worse, there was a complication during the surgery.

They had to first inject fluid through his privates to “pump” the stones from his urinary track back to the bladder in order for removal. Unfortunately there was too much pressure and his bladder ruptured! OMG!

Luckily, the doctors managed to sew the ruptured bladder back, saline flush his abdominal cavities and remove the stones smoothly. Actually I was really pissed. However, the important thing was that he was alright. Imagine the fright I had when they told me his bladder had “burst”.

After spending 3 days hospitalised and 1.9K in bills, he was finally fit to go home. I’m telling you: “This is verily the longest itemised receipt I’ve ever received!”

He’s doing alright now that he’s been home for 2 days; running around and trying to beg for food again. It’s pretty amazing he’s that active actually.

Bet he’s going to shiver again at the vet’s this Sunday for stitch removal. I just want to thank God for watching over my little Boy.