The Story of Weezer

Years ago while I was overseas studying, I remembered spending a lot of time online trying to connect with people that I knew back home. Back then, cell phones were not common and people were still in the age of pagers. The internet revolution had just started and everyone was in awe of a simple chat program called MIRC.

Yes, to those that remember MIRC, it was a privilege to walk into a room filled with hundreds of people to be able to say "Hello, how are you?" And to do so with people that I knew back home who could give me updates on the latest happenings meant that I could curb my homesickness.

In a little server known as Dalnet, I started being entrenched into Dalnet Singapore. Before long, I had gotten close to the people within the channel and moved from being a voice (+) to an AOP (@), SOP and eventually a co-founder of the channel. At its peak, we had over 300 people chatting at the same time! Yet somehow, we could remember everyone's nick, persona and even chat habits, which never ceased to amaze me. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet up with hundreds of chatters. Yet one such person whom I still think of today was called "WeeZeR".

Weezer was initially a typical TM (troublemaker). He would constantly come online and spoke badly about the people within the channel. From insulting, taunting and even flooding the channel, he was what we would call a classic problem child. In his late teens, he was arrogant, loud, full of anger and passionate about the guitar. Over the next 3 or 4 months, he started toning down his persona as he got to know the people in the channel. Simple hi-s and byes turned into interesting conversations about his studies, life and his passion for music. As we understood weezer better, we could feel that this young man had dreams and a direction to pursue. The only reason he started out as a TM was simply to be heard and acknowledged by the people in the channel. He would come in late at nights and was always happy to chat with anyone awake at that time. As we understood, weezer had left school and was in a transition of his life waiting to begin his pursuit of music.

Weezer had a date for everything. When you asked him when he intends to be a major rockstar, he would tell you "Bro, I want to become a rockstar by 2005." When questioned on why he is single and unattached, weezer would say that he will only find a girlfriend once his music career had taken off.

Even simple requests to meet up or have coffee would have to be "assigned" a date some 2 to 3 months later.

Naturally, we came to the conclusion that he was either:

1) An extremely organized young individual who had figured out his directions in life and had assigned a priority for everything around him.

2) He was a "loser" who was simply too afraid to meet up and get to know any of us IRL (in real life).

Some of us had chosen to believe the latter.

Then one day, Weezer came online and asked if everyone would meet him a week from now. Most of us started brushing him off jokingly telling him that we were either busy (work, family, friends) or to let us know where and when if he were serious about meeting up. I remembered clearly that weezer left that day feeling very dejected with a quit message that said something like "And I thought you guys were all my frens..."

Well, some 20 of us did indeed meet up with WeeZeR a week later but it was at his funeral wake held in Sin Ming. His sister came online a few days after he left to inform us of his demise and to invite us to see him for the very last time.

Apparently, Weezer had suffered and fought cancer for a few years before finally succumbing to it. He had been bedridden for the last few months (stage 4 since joining IRC) and we were the only friends that managed to cheer him up during his last days. Every single time that he had given us a date for anything we asked, he was merely trying to envision what his life would be if he recovered.

Many of us cried our hearts out that evening. For we could not come to terms with how blinded we had been and the struggles that our poor friend had to live with. For over an hour, weezer's mum recounted the numerous times that she saw her boy smiling at the computer and that in confidence, he told her how much we had meant to him. We had somehow, given him hope in this time of despair. He wanted his mum to "thank us" for being there for him during the final stages of his life.

My friends, even while I write this, I can still feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. What I had learned from my friend Weezer is to NEVER judge a book by its cover. NEVER underestimate the impact, no matter how small, you may have on another person and to ALWAYS treasure those around you.

I am eternally indebted to Weezer for teaching me these lessons in a time when he had nothing left to live for. It had been instrumental in shaping my thought process and the person that I believe I am today. Where-ever you may be, please know that you will forever be in the hearts of those that had the privilege of knowing you.