User Profile

So instead of hitting the circuit, I applied to Tenipuri University on graduation. I still want to turn pro, but I can wait. Tenipuri not only has the best tennis program around, it offered me both an athletic and academic scholarship. You can’t beat that. And I get an education. I’ve wised up over the years. It takes more than a mean backhand and a terrific serve to make it in the pros. You need perseverance, tenacity, mental focus, drive, and a whole lot of luck. I have four of those…the luck remains to be seen. In the meantime, I get to play on a great team with great players and travel all over the world. Can’t beat that. Plus there’s a rumor going around that Tenipuri has an in for the Olympic team. I want that so bad I can taste it.

Until then, I’ll play as much as I can and try to ace my classes. I like architecture. It satisfies my creative urges. Sophomore year at Yamabuki, I made the All-Japan Team and we traveled to California (United States). I saw a lot of different buildings there, including several designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright had an almost Asian ideal, that form should follow function. But form should have beauty, too. I’ve started to develop my own style—east meets west you might say—to combine what my inner eye sees. Building, function, landscape—should form one complete whole. Chefs call it fusion. I suppose that works for architecture, too.

Speaking of chefs, I’m working part-time for Catering Services. Funny how my love of cooking has paid off after all these years.