Toby Ng

It’s not what I have done, but what I will do next…

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Flashback to 10 years ago when I was starting my competitive badminton career. This was my first trip to Asia in my life and it was because Canada had qualified for the Thomas Cup Finals. We actually played against Korea in the elimination rounds but this photo was taken after the quarterfinal against Denmark where they won 3-2. I remember sticking around to watch the entire tie, which took about 5 hours total, but it was worth it. Afterwards, I was fortunate to get a photo with the Korean team, with many of these players I was looking up to over the next few years of my career. And yes, for a time, I was still younger than most of them. But recently, we have lost Jung Jae Sung (far left), who was one half of a legendary Men's Doubles team whom I would watch for the following four years, one of the dominating teams from that point until his retirement soon after a London Olympics bronze medal. I still remember all the epic match ups at all the major tournaments back then, with Korea vs. China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Denmark, and even against Korea at times. I will always remember the 2008 All Englands and 2009 World Championship Finals. My condolences to his family and loved ones, and may he rest in peace. I'm grateful for the opportunity to meet so many inspiring people through badminton and other sports over the years. Sometimes it feels like we will live forever, but we get a harsh taste of reality every so often. Life is short, for some, a lot shorter than others, so cherish your time in this world. Memento Mori // "Remember you are mortal" #RIP #JungJaeSung #Badminton #mementomori

Got a referral to try @hellofreshca from @harrokittie and it has been pretty awesome so far! Here is a Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe from this week, where they mail me 3 different recipes with respective ingredients, and I just cook everything at home! I highly recommend it for those who want to learn how to cook, because you learn some simple tasty recipes you can probably replicate without too much difficulty. The variety is great and sometimes the best way to learn is to get your hands dirty. DM me if you want a referral code so you can get $40 off your first delivery! I get $25 credit for each referral, but it's a pretty good trade 🤣 #homecooking #eatyourveggies #hellofresh #freshingredients #newrecipes #learnsomethingnew

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A big thank you to my coach Darryl Yung, also a former Canadian Olympian, in getting me started toward my own Olympic dreams! Darryl was a large influence in my badminton as a junior, and he was also the one who encouraged me to keep playing when I wanted to quit at that critical time after juniors and finishing high school. Fortunately, I followed his advice and ended up competing at the Olympics myself in 2012! I hope to follow in his footsteps and help a future athlete make it to an Olympic Games too! Thanks Coach! #WeAllPlayForCanada @canadiantire #athletelife #coachlife #🏸Olympians #Badminton #ClearOne #ClearOneFearNone #live #learn #passiton

She was always my number one fan (besides my Mom of course... they can battle for that title), and yet she still is. We got together a year before my badminton career took off, and I ended up having to move to another city to train. Despite the long distance relationship and only seeing her twice a year because I couldn't afford to go back home, I ended up accomplishing one of my major goals: representing Canada at the 2012 London Olympics. --- But I didn't stop there. I kept on competing, despite going through different partners over the years. I was always trying to find the right partner but I never did. Maybe it's because the right partner was with me the entire time. --- "What goes around, comes around" as the expression goes, and fortunately I came around and proposed... in London! Thank you Carmen for sticking with me through thick and thin throughout a decade of badminton, and I hope to return the favour for the rest of my life ♥ #HappyValentinesDay #athletelife #badminton #timeflies #LondonEye #changes #lifegoeson #loveyou #WeAllPlayForLove

#WeAllPlayForCanada Badminton has been my sport for more than 25 years now, with the pinnacle of my career representing Canada at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Although I'm still competing as a National Team member, I would like to recognize Canada's best badminton player, Michelle Li! Too often we compete as individuals and often we forget to support each other, but in the end, We All Play For Canada. As the journey to the Olympic Games is often long and arduous, I will always be grateful for those who have helped me, one way or another. Although I don't think I can ever repay everyone back, perhaps I can pay things forward to the next wave of Canadian athletes. On behalf of Michelle and I (at our 2018 Canadian National Championships!), we would like to wish our Canadian athletes all the very best at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeong Chang! Good luck, good favor, good fortune, and good health! @canadiantire @michellemsli @teamcanada @badmintoncanada #athletelife #badminton #gratitude #goodluck #TeamCanada #PyeongChang #2018Olympics #CanadianTire #ThankYou

It was a big honour to play with Canada's top player, Michelle Li! We finished with a bronze in Mixed Doubles and I'm very grateful for the result because I would have just played MD if she passed on the Mixed, so I really appreciate the opportunity to compete in my best event! Speaking of MD, big shoutout to Antonio Li (@antoniobli) for a great performance in our MD QFs. We had a few moments where we had the lead, but nonetheless fell short to the 2018 National Champs. Not bad for just 3 months of MD training 🤣 A big thanks to all who have supported me, near and far! Always appreciating your support and encouragement 😁 It's nearing time to start making transitions into coaching and player development in BC, so be on the look out for opportunities to learn my doubles and mixed skill sets! #athletelife #badminton #2018nationals #winsomelosesome #lifegoeson #gratitude #egoistheenemy #stoiclife #coachlife #badmintonbc

Got home late last night after a 2 hour delayed flight and get greeted by this mess this morning on my way to the Richmond Oval for a workout. The irony from this incident was that I probably found more change under my seat than what was stolen (<$5). Although my CD wallet was taken (CDs are worth much today... probably even less than the change stolen), I still have the one CD in the car that really mattered (last photo). But the important thing is to learn from the experience, or use it as an opportunity for growth. For someone who needed to do this, they must be under some intense pressure because I'm sure I would be more cooperative if he/she asked me for $20 instead of smashing my car window. Perhaps it's a lesson for us to learn how to ask for help when we need it. But usually, egos get in the way, even to the extent of crime. The opportunity to this obstacle is to practice patience and gratitude. Patience to overcome the situation in its entirety, and gratitude that it could have been worse. Or that I would ever think or act like this person. I'm grateful that the situation doesn't severely impact me and to all the people who helped me learn the process of how to deal with this kind of situation. I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm being positive, but rather I think it's being stoic. My car being broken into is out of my control. How I choose to respond to this situation is within my control. I choose to share a story, teach a few lessons, and carry on with more important things in my life. #athletelife #stoiclife #carbreakin #windowsmashed #badminton #theft #stoicism #gratitude #theobstacleistheway

Thank you Yan for playing with me this weekend at the 2018 Ontario Elite Series! We actually partnered up when I put up a post on Facebook the day before the entry deadline. Guess it was a different kind of "Facebook Request" 😏 (Okay, I'll stop now). Much appreciated to those who supported us on our journey from being unseeded in the Round of 64 all the way to the finals, and fairy tale endings don't really exist so we fell just a bit short in the final and finished with a Silver. Definitely grateful to get this far as we had close calls most of the way through, and the level of play seems to be improving very much. I'm just glad to be able to hold my own against people 10 years younger than me. Maybe you'll understand someday 😌 #athletelife #badminton #frequentflyer #clearone #badmintonbc #eliteseries #badmintoncanada

Dear Santa, I would like the following for Christmas: - A new shoulder so I can smash again - ‎5 years of youth... better make that a lucky 7 - ‎The ability to code in Python and R, just those for now I haven't been too naughty, but being nice is boring. Just look at all those nice guys out there. But I would like to express my gratitude for the year: - competing for Canada (still) - ‎entering a Master's degree - ‎bribing my better half to stick around with a sparkly ring - ‎and of course the love and support of my family and friends. Well, I don't really NEED anything from you for Christmas. I can do it on my own because I've been fortunate to connect with so many people along the way. Maybe grant their Christmas wishes instead. Santa, I'm good. I don't need to win anymore, because I've conquered the desire to need to win. #dearsanta #merrychristmas #happyholidays #xmaswish #athletelife #stoiclife #coachlife #badminton

I hate distractions, and this is a distraction. But this can be a learning lesson. I had so many other things I wanted to say instead of what I wrote, but a wise person told me once to choose my battles. Why do we post content? Usually it's just a form of self expression. I wanted to badminton matches of Canadians back before we could livestream on our phones. I was hoping people would start doing it themselves because I couldn't manage the load of recording everything anymore, so that's why I've largely only recorded my own matches over the past while. I record them mainly for myself to study, and for some of my fans and supporters who want to watch me play. If I really cared about winning/losing, then I would only upload the matches I've won, but I don't. This is a comment recently left on my 2012 All England match against Indonesia. I had to refrain from making some snarky responses because one person doesn't represent all of Indonesia, nor should me and my partner represent all of Canadian badminton. But it's so easy to take it into that direction and make it personal. I've had my share of problems when people take things too personally, so this is a chance for me to practice. Using Stoic philosophy, instead of getting upset, I would respond with "I've played even worse before, so like a 10 year old Indonesian boy maybe". But if you're at the bottom, then you can only get better. Sometimes it's better to have someone actually write something negative because then you're on the right track of producing content. You have to actually produce something for someone to attack. Most of us usually don't produce content because we fear these people. We fear getting mocked for no views, few likes, or negative comments from haters. But that's all in our heads. Don't let imaginary people hold you back. And when you produce real content, don't let anybody hold you back with their negativity. Use it as an opportunity to provide awareness. Kinda like this. #athletelife #socialmedia #trolls #haters #feedback #justdoyourthing #onelove