Who Am I? | Education | Hobbies | Travelling | Sports
What’s in a name?
My First Name, Ravi, is of Hindu origin, and a common short
form of the full name, Ravindra. It's general meaning is the sun, or,
depending on the context, celestial heavens, though I think that is the more
esoteric translation.
My Last Name, Hayashida, is Japanese and my family name is
traced back to the southern Japanese island of Kyushyu, near the city of Kumamoto. It's meaning is two part: Hayashi means "woods"; Da means "field". Thus, Hayashida means "Wood
Field". Or, as I used to translate back in the day, "Woods in a Rice
Field", which generally makes no sense.
EDUCATION
I am 29 years old and have
finally graduated from McGeorge
School of Law here
in Sacramento,
California. I was
the President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association during the
1997-98 academic year. I guess it was a good year, but I will always think it
could have been better! Like the overeager person that I am, I then became the
Chairperson of the McGeorge Unity Board in it's founding year. A lot of work,
and yet rewarding in its own way.
Hey Jules! I'm Stopping Here! NO MORE DEGREES FOR
ME!
I am a proud Alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in English and a two-year
stint as a member of The Pride of California, The Pacesetter of College
Marching Bands, The
CAL BAND!
I attended Diablo Valley College from 89-91, before I transferred to Cal. At first, it wasn't such a great experience, but with the
help of two awesome people, Jei Jacinto and Joanna
"Joey" San Juan, I was encouraged to work harder, and still have a lot of fun. A
serious shout out to those two who introduced me to many friends like I was an
extension of the family. Sad to say, I lost touch with them both. My own damned
fault. I wish them well, where ever they are!
At DVC, I was also a Co-President of the Asian Student Union,
with Karl Ma, and we had something good started
there. I wonder what's happened to it?
I also attended Berkeley High School, Class of '88!! So, I didn't go to my 10 year reunion Didn't want to go. Why? I
still haven't accomplished enough to make looking back a legitimate pasttime.
HOBBIES
I enjoy playing Golf, Rugby, Softball, Tennis, Basketball and
Racquetball. Of course, I'm so out of shape now, I can barely hold my own in
most of these. But I'm working on it!
I also enjoy playing poker. Now, I may enjoy it, but it doesn't
mean I win. Let's just keep the pot low, fellas, ok?
I collect mostly trading cards:
Basketball, football, baseball, movie [i.e. Star Wars] and a few art/pin-up
cards, ala Gil Elvgren and the likes! Check out my new Trading Card page!
I play a few musical instruments, some
better than others. I have played piano since I was way young! I can't memorize
a piece, but I have fun trying to fake some boogie woogie and blues! I have
played to clarinet since 4th grade, stopped after Cal band. It was
my main performing instrument in the Berkeley High School and UC Marching
Bands. I also play the drums, to some extent. I would love to play like Omar
Hakim, Phil Collins, Neil Pert [SP??] or Carter Beauford who plays for the Dave
Matthews Band. But, the fact is, I don't. I did play in a band once, called the
4 and 1/2 Hour Band. We got the name because our first and only rehearsal was
four and 1/2 hours before the gig. It was cool, but I think I lost the time in
the slow song. [hey, I got bored!] We should have kept playing the Earth, Wind
and Fire song, Let's Groove. It really got the crowd's attention.
Anyway, I've also picked up the guitar.
Really, I picked it up, then put it down again. No, really, I've been slowly
teaching myself to play it. And, after a year of toiling, I must say . . . I
suck. Still, maybe if I had a real guitar and not this, what I call, a
gui-lele: half guitar, half ukulele, it wouldn't be so bad. It's a child's
guitar that's a little warped and eternally out of tune with itself. It's also
really tough on the fingers because the frets are so close and the strings are
so far away from the fret board. So, you know what I do? I end up playing the
Bass Lines to a lot of fast-paced songs and have ended up really liking the
bass lines. My favorite bass lines usually come from ska and punk-oriented
songs, like those from Dance Hall Crashers, Green Day, Hoodlum Empire, and the
Police. I find that these bass lines a very melodic and, therefore, more
interesting.
TRAVEL
I love to travel. With the Cal Band, or friends from there, I've been to Seattle and Pullman, Tampa Bay and Orlando, San Antonio, Philadelphia, New York, Vancouver
B.C. [Keifus, bet you didn't think we would ever get
there!], and Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico [many
thanks to Greg Fair! It was a great two week trip! Of
course, we got kinda bored that last week. J ]
With my family, I've been to Hawai'i many times, and have wonderful memories
of the people and the islands in general. [Indebtedness to the Nakamatsu family.] But I haven't been there since Iniki
and I've heard a lot has changed, especially on Kaua'i. I've also been to Chicago [thanks to the Steimetz family and the Haradas], and Philly with my parents.
Internationally, my family and I went to
Japan back in '90. Met family there that I
didn't even know existed. In two weeks, we covered a lot of ground from Tokyo, the west coast, down to Kumamoto/Fukuoka. I had a great time and I almost
started to pick up Japanese enough to get by with. It's all lost now, though.
Most recently, I attended the Santa Clara University Law School summer aboad program in Hong Kong. That is an experience I will never
forget. Sometimes, I miss the ability to step outside, catch a bus down to the
bay and ferry over to Kowloon. Othertimes, I think about all those
places I didn't get a chance to visit. It's such a fast-paced environment there
that I had a difficult time adjusting to all the rushing around, but after a
while, it was like second nature. Oh yeah, how could I forget Lan Kwai Fong? If only the beer were cheaper....
Hey Mango! Horray, we're in Macao!
After the HK program was over, I was
able to join some friends and head over to Canton and Beijing. In two and half days [I had to leave
because I couldn't extend my plane flight], we saw Tianamen Square, the
Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Emporer's Summer Palace. Simply awesome.
I also ate quite a bit of red bean popsicles, too!
SPORTS
Basketball: I still follow the Cal Alumni, now more than ever. With Jason Kidd leading the Nets to the NBA Championships for the first
time, he has made a usually predictable sport exciting again. If only they’d won ONE of the NBA Finals
Games agains the Lakers. Heck, I think
most of us knew that the Lakers were just a stronger and more experienced team,
but c’mon, ONE GAME was all I wanted.
That’s ok, they’ll make some waves next season.
Other Cal Alumni like Lamond Murray are still with the Cavaliers [I’m
pretty sure] but Ed Gray has slipped off the radar and our last
NBA Prospect, Sean Lampley, was dropped by the Bulls after being
drafted in the Second Round. Check out
my Cal Alumni Sports Page for more on the recent moves.
Football: I've been a 'Niners
fan for the longest time, since back in the Montana-Clark days around '81. But I also followed
the Washington Redskins since Theisman-Riggins and the Hogs Days. I have to admit to
being not as strong of a fan these days. Not enough time to follow up on the
'Skins. Unfortunately, I can't even name a single player on their roster.
Watch for Cal Alumni here, too!
Tony Gonzales, unless he opts for the NBA, will return
as the premier Tight End for the Chiefs.
While Sean Dawkins has moved from the Colts, Saints,
Seahawks and Panthers – there is potential that he will remain a solid 3rd
receiver this coming season. On the
other hand, Brian Shaw provided great play for the Steelers as
a 3rd receiver, but has now been traded to [another team]. Preliminary word is that he could move up,
pending his adjustment to the new offense.
Chidi Ahanatu [old BHS and Cal Alumni] was picked up
by the Rams last season after being cut by the Buccaneers. Chidi provided some very memorable hits and
may still have some play left in him.
Baseball: Well, I followed Barry Bonds from Jim Layland and the Pirates to Dusty Baker and the Giants. He always catches a lot of hell from the Giants fans
because they think him an overpaid egoist. I think he has the ability to create
problems for opposing teams with his slugging power and is an invaluable
outfielder with his speed. I still think his heyday was wth the Pirates, though, under the guidance of Leyland
and the killing one-two punch of Bonilla-Bonds at
the 3-4 position on the line-up. Also at their peak: Doug Drabek and Andy Van Slyke. It was one of the greatest teams that
never won it all.
But now, as of the 2002 Season, I’m back following the
Pirates and the first year of Manager Lloyd McClendon. There are signs of potential, especially
with the pitching staff and Mike
Williams being
their All Star Closer. Their offense
needs more than just Brian
Giles and Ernest Young, with assists from Pokey Reece and Jason Kendall.
While being recognized as the team with the worst run-per-game average
and having only one player over the .300 BA mark, they are going to wear out
their Bullpen if they can’t support their pitchers.
Hockey: Let me clarify my previous statements here: I’m really not a
hockey fan. The San Jose Sharks are
great and I root for them. But overall,
I pay less attention to Hockey than other sports, including soccer and
football.
Rugby:
I loved to play and always look forward to watching rugby. It's such an awesome
sport, but it is a physically and mentally demanding sport. Once in a while, on
the International Channel, I catch the New Zealand All Blacks, those legendary warriors of the sport. I also tried to
catch the Cal Rugby
Team, usually while
I was playing in the Cal Band, cheering them on. They have a great team and
their dynasty is still secure, but those Canadian teams, Victoria and British Columbia always take them to their limits. One of
these days, the US team, the Eagles,
will make their presence known at the Rugby World Cup.
Soccer: Being a new addition to
my site because I never really got into it until the ’94 World Cup, and then it
was only marginally, I feel that with the fantastic performance of our boys in
the 2002 Copa Mundial, Corea y Japon – sorry, the 2002 World Cup hosted by
Korea and Japan – that it deserves mention.
I’m starting to know the names of a few more players, teams, coaches and
playing styles. With a couple of our
players now getting contracts to play with some European teams, including an
English team that’s in the Premiership, I find that the potential for soccer in
the US is growing ever so slowly. This
is a good thing! Now, both Men’s and
Women’s teams are and will be competitive in the international arena. Look out world, here we come!
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