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sem, sorry that i only finally logged on now to say goodbye. i always expected you to be there to send random emails about mountains, flying, video games or funny video clips. rest in peace my friend.
I love you, dude. I miss you already. Ya know, you always mentioned that you named your plates after the nick I gave you but goddamn, I shoulda checked earlier.
Farewell my young friend. You left too soon, but that is not for any of us to decide.
I am glad that I know you, that you are my friend, and that you shared your confidence. I tried to be a mentor, but I think you taught me as much as I taught you.
I am glad that you lived fully. So many of us bide our time waiting for everything to be “perfect” before we follow our dreams; but you are wiser than most of us. You pursue your passions: to fly, to travel, to experience. You set an example for us to follow.
I’ll look for you by the big mechanical elephant on the far side… save me a seat for the show.
Semmy Sebastian was a close friend of mine. For some reason or reasons that I never really understood, he admired me and wasn’t shy about letting me know that he thought I was, in his words, “one of his favorite people†Rather than saying something special about me, that openness and straightforwardness was a key to the extraordinary person he was. The thing I loved about Semmy was that he figured out what the things in life he wanted to do were, and then he simply did those things. He liked anime, so he worked with the Chicago anime convention until he ran the whole thing. He liked Japanese, so he learned a good bit of the language and went to Japan. He had so many friends there that he never had to stay in a hotel. He thought it would be fun and economical to take a few friends across the country for a weekend, so he signed up for flying lessons and was well on his way to his pilot’s license. The amazing thing is that he did all this without ego, without boasting, without ever trying to prove to anybody how cool he was because he did all these awesome things. He simply did things and shared them with people he cared about. I will miss him terribly because I will miss all the great adventures he would have shared with me, and shared with anybody else who had an inclination to walk off the beaten path. His extraordinary life, and his tragic early passing, serve as a challenge to us all not to let our dreams lie idle.
I wish I would have had the chance to get to know you better Semmy.
I will always remember you always spoke to me and acknowledged me in the halls. That I greatly appreciated. Rest In peace Semmy…your journey has only just begun…
when we made our last convo, we were talking about how your dream was to make it to E3 and be on a video thats on the internet some where and how you accomplished both in one trip….then i was saying how PS3 sucks and you agreed and i didnt reply thinking ill prob just talk to you tommorow a game was on tv…didnt think that will be our last conversation wouldve said a whole lot more.
i remember when i first met you couple times, you didnt talk much and i didnt really talk to you much neither. but as time went on, we both started opening up together and we both are anime and video games freaks (though your knowledges is at yoda level and mine is merely at a young anakin level). through times we started talkin online a whole lot more, im always thinking, there always goin to be some one line that i enjoy talkin that i enjoyin swapping weird websites, talkin bout video games, talkin bout stuff we did during the week, about our careers, about life..etc. kind of took it for granted to a certain degree thinking youll always be there.
always nice to everyone, always entertaining, always fun to be around, always someone i admire and always will be in my heart. Thanks for the memories my friend and thanks for always being there.
i will definitely miss the random nasty fish pictures, crazy news stories, and interesting product links you would occasionally IM me. the most recent being the motor you could add to your bike.
more than that i will miss watching you living life to the fullest, and the stories of random happenings in your life, and that trip to the indian buffet we never took. thank you for inspiring me by the way you lived your life, and thanks for the tea from india. i finally tried it today. it was good. just wish i could thank you in person.
as tito said up above, We were all so much more better people having known you.
its hard for me to imagine that you’re already gone, but know you are still very much remembered and alive in my heart. we’ll all really miss you and its never going to be the same. you are my inspiration, my trilly buddy, my go-to guy for programming source codes, but overall my good friend. just know that you will never be forgotten.
I remember playing poker with you at work, playing Mario Kart DS. You were always a kind fellow- and eventhough I never go to know you better than I should have the thought that you are no longer with us breaks me. Reading through your blogs makes me feel as though you lived life to the extent that you wanted to make everything as good as you could and enjoy life as much as you could. You will not be forgotten, and even in your absence you have truly effected my life. I will see you on the flipside
Semmy, I’ll miss the funny looks I always got from you for maiming your name. Thank you for being such a good person. Thank you for all the meaningful randomness you brought to this world. Your compassion has touched many, I know because I am one of those people. Keep on taking those pictures where you are and we will show it off to each other eventually.
Semmy was one of the kindest people I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet and befriend. Nine years ago there was a time when I didn’t know many people outside of school, there was just a few friends I made. I’m glad that Semmy was one of them. I never had a brother, but Semmy was like a brother to me. He was a big part of my life outside of school. I’m glad we got to hang out as much as we did before he left us. Those times that his friends and I had being with Semmy were some of the greatest times we ever had, or will ever have. Semmy I wish you were still around so I could thank you for just being you. You meant a lot to me and to so many people…you made our lives so much richer. Semmy you won’t ever be forgotten, you will forever be one of my greatest friends. We love you Semmy, and we’ll miss you. If your family ever needs me I’ll be there for them whenever, and wherever.
Semmy was a sharp guy with a great sense of humor. He was easy to talk to, and did his work with passion and creativity. I didn’t really get the opportunity to know Semmy much beyond being his co-worker / boss, but I certainly always had the sense that Semmy led an interesting life filled with good people. It is tragic to talk and laugh with someone on a Friday afternoon and then be told on Monday they have passed away. Semmy seemed to young, too vibrant and too busy to just suddenly be gone – and it doesn’t make any sense. This is something that shouldn’t happen to anyone, and I feel for all the people Semmy was connected to who have to go on without him.
Whenever I think of a defining characteristic that best describes Semmy, I think of his ability to welcome people to this home and making them comfortable. Semmy hosted a number of gatherings in his parents’ home – ranging from BBQ’s to poker nights. Many familiar faces arrived at these gatherings to relax and feel comfortable at his home. But I was also amazed whenever a fresh face would stop by and immediately feel welcome. I think this a good reflection to who Semmy was – in general he was open to experiencing new possibilities, meeting people and making everyone feel like a long time friend of his. I have been to many of his gatherings over the years, and never once did I feel out of place. Overall, I’ll miss Semmy as a friend, but I’ll also miss the BBQ’s, poker nights and times he invited me over to his place and make me feel at home.
By the way Sem, thanks for the postcard from India. Also, thanks for that crazy night years ago playing NBA Inside Drive and the dawn of the nickname “PBiddy.”
Semmy was a co-worker and friend of mine. I left High Voltage soon after the layoffs and I had hoped our paths would cross again in this small industry. He worked a couple anime conventions and if I saw him around he’d always have a crazy story to tell about the costumed locals.
Semmy did work towards whatever it was he wanted to do. He did live his life to the fullest. Soaking up different cultures and traveling. Surfing the web for things that made you think. Challenging all of us to an “all tractor race” in Mario Kart. He was the first programmer I ventured to talk to on my own. I knew nothing about him and somehow he was already an inviting person.
I’m sure Semmy has influenced and encouraged countless people. I can say that he has done just that for myself. So many of us in this industry work so much to try to be happy with our jobs. Long hours. Weekends. Indecisive publishers. For so many of us this is our life. If I’m working 12 hour days for someone who doesn’t understand what I do shouldn’t I at least be happy doing it?
But Semmy understood that there was much more to life. He embodied that. That’s one of the most valuable things I’ve learned from anyone I know.
I can’t understand why you were taken so early. I hope you continue to inspire everyone you knew. I wish you were still here.
May 15th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
Semmy passed away this morning May 15, 2006. You went too early bro, too early. We all love you man.
-Al
May 15th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
sem, sorry that i only finally logged on now to say goodbye. i always expected you to be there to send random emails about mountains, flying, video games or funny video clips. rest in peace my friend.
May 15th, 2006 at 9:24 pm
I love you, dude. I miss you already. Ya know, you always mentioned that you named your plates after the nick I gave you but goddamn, I shoulda checked earlier.
see you at the crossroads, semmz.
~Paul
May 15th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Man.. So sorry that you had to leave. Miss you already, man. We were all so much more better people having known you.
Rest in peace.
Tito
May 16th, 2006 at 7:10 am
my first time logging in, i’m sorry. RIP, semmy.
May 16th, 2006 at 9:07 am
Farewell my young friend. You left too soon, but that is not for any of us to decide.
I am glad that I know you, that you are my friend, and that you shared your confidence. I tried to be a mentor, but I think you taught me as much as I taught you.
I am glad that you lived fully. So many of us bide our time waiting for everything to be “perfect” before we follow our dreams; but you are wiser than most of us. You pursue your passions: to fly, to travel, to experience. You set an example for us to follow.
I’ll look for you by the big mechanical elephant on the far side… save me a seat for the show.
May 16th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Semmy Sebastian was a close friend of mine. For some reason or reasons that I never really understood, he admired me and wasn’t shy about letting me know that he thought I was, in his words, “one of his favorite people†Rather than saying something special about me, that openness and straightforwardness was a key to the extraordinary person he was. The thing I loved about Semmy was that he figured out what the things in life he wanted to do were, and then he simply did those things. He liked anime, so he worked with the Chicago anime convention until he ran the whole thing. He liked Japanese, so he learned a good bit of the language and went to Japan. He had so many friends there that he never had to stay in a hotel. He thought it would be fun and economical to take a few friends across the country for a weekend, so he signed up for flying lessons and was well on his way to his pilot’s license. The amazing thing is that he did all this without ego, without boasting, without ever trying to prove to anybody how cool he was because he did all these awesome things. He simply did things and shared them with people he cared about. I will miss him terribly because I will miss all the great adventures he would have shared with me, and shared with anybody else who had an inclination to walk off the beaten path. His extraordinary life, and his tragic early passing, serve as a challenge to us all not to let our dreams lie idle.
Jerry Karaganis
May 16th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
I wish I would have had the chance to get to know you better Semmy.
I will always remember you always spoke to me and acknowledged me in the halls. That I greatly appreciated. Rest In peace Semmy…your journey has only just begun…
-Karisma
May 16th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
when we made our last convo, we were talking about how your dream was to make it to E3 and be on a video thats on the internet some where and how you accomplished both in one trip….then i was saying how PS3 sucks and you agreed and i didnt reply thinking ill prob just talk to you tommorow a game was on tv…didnt think that will be our last conversation wouldve said a whole lot more.
i remember when i first met you couple times, you didnt talk much and i didnt really talk to you much neither. but as time went on, we both started opening up together and we both are anime and video games freaks (though your knowledges is at yoda level and mine is merely at a young anakin level). through times we started talkin online a whole lot more, im always thinking, there always goin to be some one line that i enjoy talkin that i enjoyin swapping weird websites, talkin bout video games, talkin bout stuff we did during the week, about our careers, about life..etc. kind of took it for granted to a certain degree thinking youll always be there.
always nice to everyone, always entertaining, always fun to be around, always someone i admire and always will be in my heart. Thanks for the memories my friend and thanks for always being there.
May 16th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
i will definitely miss the random nasty fish pictures, crazy news stories, and interesting product links you would occasionally IM me. the most recent being the motor you could add to your bike.
more than that i will miss watching you living life to the fullest, and the stories of random happenings in your life, and that trip to the indian buffet we never took. thank you for inspiring me by the way you lived your life, and thanks for the tea from india. i finally tried it today. it was good. just wish i could thank you in person.
as tito said up above, We were all so much more better people having known you.
amen.
May 16th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Semmy always could make me smile.
He chuckled at my strange sense of humor.
He made me feel comfortable and welcome to be around.
He brightened my day.
The world is a lesser place with his passing.
You will be missed my friend.
May 16th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Here’s the information for those that dont already have it…..
Wednesday May 17th, 2006..
The wake will be held at Haben Funeral Home…8057 Niles Center Road in Skokie, IL . This service will be from 3:30pm-9:00pm
Thursday May 18th, 2006..
The funeral will start off at St. Peters Church… 8100 Niles Center Road in Skokie as well. Burial will be at 10:30am
May 17th, 2006 at 8:40 am
its hard for me to imagine that you’re already gone, but know you are still very much remembered and alive in my heart. we’ll all really miss you and its never going to be the same. you are my inspiration, my trilly buddy, my go-to guy for programming source codes, but overall my good friend. just know that you will never be forgotten.
May 17th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
I remember playing poker with you at work, playing Mario Kart DS. You were always a kind fellow- and eventhough I never go to know you better than I should have the thought that you are no longer with us breaks me. Reading through your blogs makes me feel as though you lived life to the extent that you wanted to make everything as good as you could and enjoy life as much as you could. You will not be forgotten, and even in your absence you have truly effected my life. I will see you on the flipside
May 17th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
i miss you semmy. i am so sad right now… words can’t even express….
may God guide your heart home.
May 18th, 2006 at 12:22 am
Semmy, I’ll miss the funny looks I always got from you for maiming your name. Thank you for being such a good person. Thank you for all the meaningful randomness you brought to this world. Your compassion has touched many, I know because I am one of those people. Keep on taking those pictures where you are and we will show it off to each other eventually.
May 18th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
Semmy was one of the kindest people I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet and befriend. Nine years ago there was a time when I didn’t know many people outside of school, there was just a few friends I made. I’m glad that Semmy was one of them. I never had a brother, but Semmy was like a brother to me. He was a big part of my life outside of school. I’m glad we got to hang out as much as we did before he left us. Those times that his friends and I had being with Semmy were some of the greatest times we ever had, or will ever have. Semmy I wish you were still around so I could thank you for just being you. You meant a lot to me and to so many people…you made our lives so much richer. Semmy you won’t ever be forgotten, you will forever be one of my greatest friends. We love you Semmy, and we’ll miss you. If your family ever needs me I’ll be there for them whenever, and wherever.
-Al
May 19th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Semmy was a sharp guy with a great sense of humor. He was easy to talk to, and did his work with passion and creativity. I didn’t really get the opportunity to know Semmy much beyond being his co-worker / boss, but I certainly always had the sense that Semmy led an interesting life filled with good people. It is tragic to talk and laugh with someone on a Friday afternoon and then be told on Monday they have passed away. Semmy seemed to young, too vibrant and too busy to just suddenly be gone – and it doesn’t make any sense. This is something that shouldn’t happen to anyone, and I feel for all the people Semmy was connected to who have to go on without him.
May 20th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
Whenever I think of a defining characteristic that best describes Semmy, I think of his ability to welcome people to this home and making them comfortable. Semmy hosted a number of gatherings in his parents’ home – ranging from BBQ’s to poker nights. Many familiar faces arrived at these gatherings to relax and feel comfortable at his home. But I was also amazed whenever a fresh face would stop by and immediately feel welcome. I think this a good reflection to who Semmy was – in general he was open to experiencing new possibilities, meeting people and making everyone feel like a long time friend of his. I have been to many of his gatherings over the years, and never once did I feel out of place. Overall, I’ll miss Semmy as a friend, but I’ll also miss the BBQ’s, poker nights and times he invited me over to his place and make me feel at home.
By the way Sem, thanks for the postcard from India. Also, thanks for that crazy night years ago playing NBA Inside Drive and the dawn of the nickname “PBiddy.”
May 29th, 2006 at 1:14 am
Semmy was a co-worker and friend of mine. I left High Voltage soon after the layoffs and I had hoped our paths would cross again in this small industry. He worked a couple anime conventions and if I saw him around he’d always have a crazy story to tell about the costumed locals.
Semmy did work towards whatever it was he wanted to do. He did live his life to the fullest. Soaking up different cultures and traveling. Surfing the web for things that made you think. Challenging all of us to an “all tractor race” in Mario Kart. He was the first programmer I ventured to talk to on my own. I knew nothing about him and somehow he was already an inviting person.
I’m sure Semmy has influenced and encouraged countless people. I can say that he has done just that for myself. So many of us in this industry work so much to try to be happy with our jobs. Long hours. Weekends. Indecisive publishers. For so many of us this is our life. If I’m working 12 hour days for someone who doesn’t understand what I do shouldn’t I at least be happy doing it?
But Semmy understood that there was much more to life. He embodied that. That’s one of the most valuable things I’ve learned from anyone I know.
I can’t understand why you were taken so early. I hope you continue to inspire everyone you knew. I wish you were still here.
You will be missed.
– Bob Rissetto.