Tribute to one whose absence is the world's loss

I've just found out that a friend of mine has passed away. Ironically I just changed my ringtone to All-American Reject's It Ends Tonight and that was the tone that rang when I got the news. Well, it didn't end tonight, it ended last Tuesday. The funeral is already over and there's nothing we could do - even my friend who called me had just found out. I'd really have liked to be able to go to the funeral and pay him my last respects. I wasn't close to him, but he was a good friend.

He was a photo buff, and he's even had an online photo gallery. He's really talented.

I'm not in the right state of mind to pen any poem, so he'll have to do without one for now. Here's a tribute to him anyway:

CHEANG CHOEN HOE 6th July 1976 - 14th November 2006 I didn't know you very well in university; my final year there was your first year doing Master's there. I knew you through the debate club, and you worked under me in the English Language Club's newsletter. You were quiet, but whenever you spoke, you held the room's attention with your unexpected wit and cynicism. Your written works bespoke your astounding, unending creativity. You were an amazing, intelligent person. You had a crush on me for a while, and I rejected you. I don't regret rejecting you, because I don't think it would have worked out anyway. But I do wish I could have gotten to know you better. We did keep in touch for a while, but then we lost touch when you went to US. Then one day whenI was thumbing through my email address book, I suddenly saw your name, and I thought hey, why not just try to reestablish connections. And that was when I found out about your suffering. And you said that you were surprised at how I didn't give you the usual positive "everything will be OK" response you got from everyone else, but then you found out I had a cousin who had passed away from liver cancer, too. Well, you didn't make it. Between you and me, I'm sure you didn't expect to, because your condition had deteriorated so much. But you outlived the doctor's prediction by one year if I remember correctly, and I think that's pretty damn good. I only wish that I'd known about your passing on, because I'd have liked to buy you flowers. Real flowers. Remember the paper ones you made from scratch for me when you had a crush on me? I still have them. It's one of the best gifts anyone had ever given me. Every rose, folded in red paper. Every leaf, hand-cut from green paper. You even wrapped them in a plastic wrap almost like a florist would, fragranced with rose scent. The fragrance is long gone, and truth be told one of the roses has already dropped off (it couldn't stay on its fake stalk), but I've managed to get it to hang on a little more. I don't think the world realises what a loss it's suffering from with your passing on. So I'm crying for the world now. I'm crying for what it has lost, and what it doesn't realise it has lost. Because I can't pay my respects to you at your final resting place, this is my final respects to you. I'm going to make a proper tribute page for you permanently on my website. You've been one terrific individual, and I hope you know that. I think you know that. This is the only clear photo of you that I've got in my online gallery. Yes, yes, I know it's a terrible photo. I promise I'll get a better photo of you and upload it into my proper tribute to you. REST IN PEACE