we all know that you want some secret training with dagger G 
good luck man 
Hey all - Thanks for the support! I intend to get in as much sessions as possible while itemizing the things I plan on keeping and selling. Going to T-Wars tonight is a start (if all goes well). Iāll get into individual memories when a I can before I leave at the end of next month. Itāll be a lengthy list =P
Ah shit, I was gonna study tonight, too. See you T-Wars, then(maybe) haha! If not, kick ass in your future endeavors.
Hell dude, you should leave AFTER tournament wars finals lol
Does this mean we have to play VF tonight @ Seattle? Gross
Hi Ray,
I know our friendship has had its ups and downs, and in more recent times Iāve kept you as more an associateā¦ but I want you to know you really have always been considered a friend, even when I felt things were difficult.
That part of me that really cares about you as a friend is actually very happy to hear this. As you said, you wonāt ever retire. But I believe this decision is very important and it will help round out many things important in your personal journey in life.
Nothing is promised, it wonāt always be easy or wonderful. But I think itās a great decision and it was a decision you had to come to on your own. Whether others around you say how they feel, it ultimately comes as a very important and personal decision that only you can make. And so I am very happy to see that you came to this decision on your own, in your own way. And I think itās the right decision.
The past 10 or so years have been an interesting and a good experience hanging out, fighting it out, having our bad times and our good times. Itās part of our bond, and it was the upside of the decisions you made a decade ago and the path you worked hard on. But I am glad you are looking at other paths and taking the plungeāitās never as easy as people say and it takes something deep within to do it.
In any case, if the past 20 years are any indicator, itās likely we will have more sessions and times together down the road. And if not in day to day life, then at least online.
As others have said, you are a pillar of this community and always have been. For serious fighting game players in Portland during the 90ās, you were and continue to be a brand name. I play with friends in California who came from Oregon and arenāt really part of the SRK scene, but they remember you even if they never met you. In the past 10 years, youāve been the veteran, inspiration, and motor in this community. You really did hold things together when the scene kept on changing, you inspired many would-be talents and challengers, you found great peers in the top dogs who shared the top northwest spotlights with you. And you evolved in many ways as both player and community member.
In this new step, you are building on more pillars within yourself and your family. Again, it wonāt be easy, but it wonāt be horrible either. And in the end, I think itās the best thing at this point. And I am confident that everyone who has ever been considered among the best of your friends at any given point in your life will agree.
And furthermore, while Oregon has always been your home. Hawaiii has also always been a part in you.
I wish you the best my friend. Even when Iāve been hard on you, to you or around others, it has always been because I cared and because your life was that important to me. The same applies when I do praise you too.
I know youāll always fight on, I know this isnāt retirement, I know this is going to be a wonderful journey for you!
Your Pal,
Nick
I must say, in the short time weāve known each other, youāve definitely taught me some intrinsic facets of game play I wouldāve never found out on my own.
Weāve definitely shared laughs, and some pretty intense gaming between us for sure. I rather enjoyed the Zangief Mirrors and the some of the best Soul Calibur play around here for sure.
You never doubted me, and I thank you for your continued efforts in the community, it probably wouldnāt be where it is today without you around.
For what it is worth, best of luck in getting a car, a home, and Mrs. Right most importantly. Youāll find more wealth in family than anywhere else.
You are counted among my friends indeed, and should you ever need anything, you know how to reach me.
That being said, I think we should all have a going away party for Ray, complete with IPA, HQ Food and Lots of games.
I look forward to seeing how your life has progressed upon your return, because Iād definitely like you to come back here.
Back in the days before SRK, before marvel, before any of this really; there was still RBX!
Good Luck in Hawaii, Ray. I hope we will still get to see you at EVO.
Ray,
Iām sorry to hear your departure, but glad you are striving for some excellent goals. Youāre a skilled player, but lifes not just about that - so do the things you need to improve yourself.
Peace!
Best wishes in Hawaii, Ray. Itās been great knowing you as a fellow fighting game player. Thanks for being there for the PDX tourneys. We (Tri-Cities/Kennewick) travel to Portland the most so we really appreciate what youāve done there. I know youāll succeed in the things youāre setting out to do.
Best of luck in Hawaii Ray! I really enjoyed our VF and ST games. If I end up in Hawaii Iād love to visit 
Good luck
RAY! my doppleganger from the future! glad i got to see you before you left. i can always think back and thank you for the interview for my senior project that scored me an A in my humanities class. hope to see you in the future and we can get soem games in.
Glad to hear that your going after what you want to do Ray. Hope youāll still come to EVO sometime and thanks for all your help over the past two years with NWM.
It was cool to see you play Guile again at TW. Havenāt seen your Guile since the first few months at Narrows haha. You and some Oregon peeps should roll up again before you go.
i would be down, someone let me know if theres a car pool that gets planned. also agree that we should throw a going away party for Ray.
Iām sure there will be quite a few āsendoff eventsā for Ray between now and his departure. Seattle trip, this weekās tournament, more tournaments, more sessions, etcā¦
I would like to host a party for Ray at my house soon after I return from Thailand (I will be out of town 2/3-2/17). However, I canāt confirm the possibility yetā¦ I need to make sure it will be okay with my wife and make sure it wouldnāt collide with other events like the ones mentioned above. It is also likely that itāll be a daytime event on a weekend, as opposed to a late night session.
But yeah, the party would probably be happening both upstairs an downstairs with food (Thai food and potluckāpeople would be welcome to bring stuff), drinks, hopefully lots of stations (thereās enough space), etcā¦
I would really love to do this, but again, Iāll have to clear it with the wife. Iāll let you guys know probably within two weeks if itāll be okay or not and if so, we can start planning Would love to invite even non-Portland people over too (but I would like to keep it community oriented, donāt want too many unknown people over).
If it works out, we could even plan the āparty after the partyā at Jetayās or something (we within 10 minutes of each other). Or a trip to a bar or something.
-Chanchai
I kinda hope, if its not an inconvenience to Ray, he could leave after Tournament Wars finals because I am trying to make it so I can make it up to the Finals
Some day I will, and I will show you the awesomeness that is tetris DS.
Ray, Iāve barely seen you in the last few years, but I have to emphasize what an awesome presence you always were at any gaming (or otherwise) related gathering. I can safely say that my very first initiation to the depth of tactical play in any fighting game (aside from Marvel, which, letās face it, is itās own beast) came directly from you. I still remember watching you scrape countless people for hours on CvS1, and later dominate at every CvS2 tournament. I recall thinking that I might have a chance to wreck house on that game since it was brand new (back in 2001), but all it took was watching you blow through a full bracket to realize that experience and an ability to master principles will always be a basis for sound play, regardless of the game.
Anyway, I guess what Iām trying to say is that your skill was always a thing to be admired, and I know it pushed myself and many many others to continue struggling to improve. Granted, you still took home the crown most of the time, I always felt great the few times I managed to get in a level fighting chance. And even when you were defeated once around, we were all secretly waiting to watch you get your revenge in the finals. In fact, Iāll never be able to see a Urien player without thinking āRay could take him.ā
In addition, your hospitality was always completely genuine. Some of my favorite moments from my time playing fighting games took place at your old pad with Antoine eating heart attack dogs and in the room at Evo.
I can say all of this not even knowing you that well, and thatās saying something.
So, sir, I salute you- and wish you nothing but the best! Take care of yourself.
Kind of random but good luck with what your going to purse, cya in person
Random thoughts
-Man I remember the two people who made me wanna get hellaaa raw in fighters in games that I actually like were STiltman and Ray. I remember the first time I played Ray in anything was when I was like 14 yrs old playing CVS1 and I saw this dude playing on the cabinet. I knew what I was doing somewhat with my R2 Terry/Benimaru/Saku. Spamming out ground projectiles into burning knuckles on jump-in which was a GDLK tactic. I lose like 8x and I finally beat you once thinking F*** about time. But yea tthaty made me hella strive to compete in fighters.
- That dumb ass SVC chaos tourny was the most disgusting shit Iāve ever seen which you won with Dash cancel throw BS, I got 2nd place using Zero/Chun-Li and sadly that was the most fun serious set Iāve ever played against somebody. You threw the cheat CC sheet I was using to get 0 but itās coo, I never seriously played with the nig anyways. SOme little mexican kid got like 5th in that 30 person tourny. That SNK shit is in his blood.
-The gaming sessions for cvs2 and 3s have been epic. At Artās and Antoineās old spot.
-Also some random 3s tourney at the Tilt which had like 20 randoms, I beat you in winners then we had a close set in 3S until the final game when ur urien just molested my Chun making me wanna learn the game even more. GS on that which made me gain some interest in 3s since I didnāt play that game at all until after that tourny. Sadly it shows you how far a chun-li player can get with some game knowledge can go
-Coming thru with the Evo room(s) when Iāve been lazy and procrastinated
I have more to post but would rather not, I need to go eat