I have been asked countless of times before by a lot of people - Have I ever been into trouble for writing so many things about the people I know in my blog?
Well, the answer is - Fuck yeah. Many times. Among the biggest one, was this incident when an oversea friend found out about my blog from his colleagues (apparently, my blog’s quite popular), only to realize that I had written many stories about him in my blog… and he went ballistic about it. He immediately sent an email to castigate me, copying many other friends in the process, which kind of blew the matter out of proportion many times over. A war of emails ensued and our friendship was put to test right then.
I felt inclined to share the emails between the two of us, with all of you here, just so that you people get to experience what I experienced first hand - when a friend finds out about the things you wrote about him in your blog.
Because it’s hard for me to cram all the email transcripts into one single posting, I will break the shit up into several parts for convenience’s sake - and you guys can let me know your thoughts at the end of the series.
The emails are reproduced verbatim, except for the involved character’s name - which I’m going to replace with ‘Darth Apeshit’ to mask his true identity (but you guys can go ahead to figure out which are the corresponding entries I wrote about him… it’s quite easy, really). Also, please excuse our poor command of language, for we are uneducated and stuff. First part of the email transcripts after jump.
from: Darth Apeshit
to: Michael Ooi, friend#1, friend#2, friend#3, friend#4… friend#8
date: Tue, Jan 22, 2008
subject: What “friends” are for?Hi All,
Its has been a long time that I have sent emails to you guys. Thanks to “michaelooi.net”, I just realised this is how “friends” are for and I have decide to sent out this email.All the while friends told me about this website but I was to busy to take a peek. I know that at time my opinion never matters to some of you but I did not expect this shit.
I would say all of us have know for more than 10 years and I might have done silly things at times but I don’t think I should be treated in such manner.
Great job Michael of poking fun at “friend”. Oh! I forgot, I just a retard which mix with you. Is this what you think of me???
Interesting stories you have told the world but are you sure you mentioned everything. Oh yes, just non full disclosure and non full disclosure is not lying. Nothing wrong with that right. Glorify yourself and step on others. My mistake..
Some of you might think why I am so petty at times over these things which have passed long time ago. Cos’ you never understand how it feels.
All the while I have working like mad and don’t have time to hang out with you guys which I regreted but this is part and parcel of life. So there are times I try to fit in when I have the chance and I might have did some silly things which I regret. If I really offended you guys, I am sorry.
But I don’t think I deserve this kind of treatment eventhough others don’t know who is this [his given pseudonym in my blog] is. I am sure that none of you guys want to be in my shoes. Now I know why XXXX used to “insulted” me on my past and where the “material” come from.
I have try to fit in everytime have the chance to join you guys, eventhough some have been taking advantages of me at times but I never bother much cos’ some of you help me out when I am down and poor. I remember the times when I can’t join you guys for clubbing cos’ I was broke and some of you have to fork out my portion and help me out in studies etc.
I might be a retard to some of you but I can remember clearly who treat me as a real friend. Maybe that I am just naive to think when you treat people well they will treat you well especially those have know each other for more than 10 years.
If some of you wondering what is the purpose of this email, just read the what being posted in the past 2 years in website of our “friend”.
Thank you.
What he said about us (or me) trying to take advantage of him, was totally untrue. It was a slanderous remark made out of desperation and anger. I could understand that.
I replied his email and only to him, because I do not want this to turn ugly…
from: Michael Ooi
to: Darth Apeshit
date: Tue, Jan 22, 2008
subject: Re: What “friends” are for?they’re just stories about us doing stupid things. we’re 30 years old, still hanging out. if you think i hold grudge against you for some biological reasons (a retard), then either that
a) makes me a retard too (for hanging out with you).
b) you’re really delusional for suspecting everyone (yeah, your dog probably is a KGB agent spying on you, and you don’t have a dog)I have only one thing to say - is that I’m STEADY about it. I could have chosen to delete those stuff if I want but I didn’t. Because you know why? Those are memories, about us kids doing stupid things.
If you can’t take it, well then, maybe you just need to learn how to take dark humor like what we always do. (you could have just confronted me, instead of sending emails whining to the whole world, and that’s very smart of you)
Another friend, Alvin, who was copied in Darth Apeshit’s original email, also tried to calm him down,
from: Alvin
to: Darth Apeshit
cc: Michael Ooi, friend#1, friend#2, friend#3, friend#4… friend#7
date: Tue, Jan 22, 2008
subject: Re: What “friends” are for?Hey, these are petty things and you shouldn’t give any further thoughts to it. The email below is totally non value added, if you do want to move on, you just don’t care what others think. I’m not trying to make you feel any better, but I’m known as some chain smoking idiot who’s trying to kill myself before I reach 40 and everytime Liverpool lost their games, I’ll be self destructive with my smoking, but this is what really happened, so deal with it. And I came to know about this, some 5 years back, if I remember vividly, what, do I really care? He even posted my email on 2 joints which basically means marijuana leaves mixed tobacco, so there you go, do I hold on to it? No…precisely, I don’t give a fug.
It’s Michael’s humour on how he looked at things. He DID NOT THROW ANY INSULTS on you or described you as a tyrant, a bastard or someone who will go fug anything that walks…its just the light side of your drinking binge, you have to deal with it and it’s not even his serious perception on you, ya know wha’ i’m sayin’? If I were you, a real busy high flyer in your company, I wouldn’t worry about that too much, its totally not value added…
You shouldn’t take this seriously though….BUT you know what you should REALLY give a GOOD thought? Yoda once said, Wars doesn’t make one Great….go ponder or something…..
Darth Apeshit got even madder, and shot 2 more replies, one for the each of us…
to be continued,