I started watching MotoGP in 2005. For the ill-informed, MotoGP is the ultimate motorcycle race event, akin to the status of F1 for cars. Racers will compete in 18 circuits around the world, in million dollar prototype bikes and the winner of the championship, is declared World Champion.

And there's one name that dominated the MotoGP right now - Valentino Rossi. Generally regarded as the best motorcycle racer of our time, he has won 5 straight championships (2001-2005) at the tender age of 28. Yes he's the same blardy age as me.

Anyway, he's also the reason I stoped watching MotoGP in 2006. Cos he made it boring. He made it look easy and even when he left Honda (which produces the RC211V MotoGP bike, the bike that's generally regarded as the best bike) to join the not-so-kilat Yamaha, he showed to the world that it's the monkey behind the steering bars that made the difference, not the mechanical monster between the monkey's balls.

But, to my disbelief, he DID NOT attain the world champion in 2006! Some will say bad luck. Rossi says it's complacency. The new champion says...well, actually nobody bothers with what he says.

Which brings us to 2007. An exciting year, as we awaits the Revenge of Rossi. And it's also this year that the clowns in MotoGP realise that the older 990 cc bikes is too powerful and hence reduce the engine capacity to 800 cc. Sure, laptimes may suffer a bit because the bikes are less powerful, but it'll make the sport safer and maybe more competitive.

Their decision was right, but not in the way they had anticipated. Yes the bikes is less powerful and yes, by changing the engine capacity, manufacturers have to redesign the bikes and that means manufactureres like Suzuki, Kawasaki and even KR Proton can stand a chance at beating the battle-proven of Yamaha, Honda and Ducati.

But as the first race for 2007 is over, we realise that reducing the power and engine capacity of the bikes DID NOT slow down the laptimes! The bikes are now lighter, more nimble, and in the hands of world-class motorcycle racers, can carry a higher corner speed than the 990 cc monsters of 2003-2005. Furthermore, now the tires can handle the power produced by the bikes. So although less peak bHP, but it results in more useful power. Just take a look at this screenshot and compare Rossi's lap record in Qatar in 2006 (on the 990 cc, 240 bHP bike) against the winner of the Qatar 07 race (on a 800cc Ducati, about 200 bHP).

In case you're wondering how did the demi-god Rossi lost, he lost because his Yamaha was slaughtered by the Ducati on the straights. The Doctor tried his best and overtook the Ducati 3-4 times on the corners but when it comes to the straight, no amt of late braking or corner speed is going to beat the Ducati. Watch the clip and see for yourself! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=380163608596191849&hl=en

Yup, it's gonna be an exciting year again for MotoGP! One more justification for my broadband subscription then!

Guys, try this out! I manage to clear to level 36 on the first try!

Hi guys....

Firstly, the silence in this blog doesn't infer that I was in another catastrophic bike accident. Nope, it's just that things got a bit hectic, with Valentine's Day, CNY and a new job. And basically there's nothing much to blog about really, now that I cannot take leave and my work schedule starts at 7 am and ends like 5 pm.

Also, this blog may get less updates as I have another blog, dedicated to the blood spewing career of a secondary school teacher in Singapore. Ladies and gentleman, may I present:

http://mrguay.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Introduction

Greetings! Another fruitful year has passed and as we look forward to 2007 with high hopes and great aspirations, let us take stock of our glorious past performance at the square table (see here for details).

Executive Summary

A total of 48 games were played since the inception of the mahjong stats board till 31 Dec 2006. The total fund accumulated by wins is $986.90, which brings the mean fund generation to $20.56.

Table 1 shows the raw performance figures:

Performance Details

1. snowparang

snowparang's performance at the Square Table are shown in the 2 charts below:

Review
snowparang's performance sees sharp rises and falls almost periodically, resulting in a low mean output of $0.77 per game. The trend is slightly on the downward slope, mainly attributed to the high losses and low wins near mid till the end of the fiscal period.

The cumulative graph display an almost cyclical/seasonal trend. Sharp rises and sharp falls are common and overall the trend is on the slow but positive side.

Outlook and forecast
Following the cyclical nature of snowparang's performance, we expect good yield in 1Q2007 and 3Q2007. Long term forecast is positive but with little yield.

 2. OWLS

OWLS's performance at the Square Table are shown in the 2 charts below:

Review
OWLS has manage to produce high revenue while keeping low loses consistently on the battlefield. This results in the highest mean output of $2.93 per game as well as the highest average winnings of $12.90. The trendline is almost level but remains firmly in the positive regime.

The cumulative graph display a unique 2 stage, almost sigmoidal curve. Though lacklustre performance are recorded at the start and end of the fiscal period, an impressive sharp rise of revenue in the middle helps to give a strongly positive trend for OWLS's cumulative performance.

Outlook and forecast
The strongest so far, OWLS look set to maintain his current high earnings by continuing to minimize losses and captalizing on winning situations. The mid of 2007 will prove to be interesting for OWLS as he will no doubt attempt to repeat his stellar performance ala mid 2006.

3. Alex

Alex's performance at the Square Table are shown in the 2 charts below:

Review
Alex's performance in 2006 has been disappointing. With more losses than wins (28 losses, 20 wins), Alex has manage to stay very nearly afloat by amassing occasional huge winnings to offset the previous losses. The trendline is almost level and has stayed close to the axis, which corresponds to the very low negative yield (-$0.19 per game) for Alex.

Alex's cumulative graph depicts a negative trend. This is attributed to a sharp increase in losses at the mid period, offsetting the rewards of the initial stable performance. Coming to the end of 2006, Alex gives a more predicatable and positive performance.

Outlook and forecast
More is yet to be seen of Alex's performance. Being a stable performer, Alex should gain positive albeit low yields in the long run if he can overcome and minimize the 'dark' periods of heavy losses.

4. HanSiang

HanSiang's performance at the Square Table are shown in the 2 charts below:

Review
Everyone's favorite Battle partner, HanSiang was a newcomer to the Square Table and this clearly shows in his initial and subsequent performance. With only 19 wins out of 48, HanSiang average yield per game is -$3.51. Not only is he failing to win, he has clocked some of the greatest losses, including the highest loss per game of $42.80. However, HanSiang is the only performer that has managed a positive slope on his trendline.

Correspondingly, HanSiang's cumulative graph stayed below the axis throughout. He displayed great consistency in the negative direction, although towards the mid-end of 2006 there are signs of a revitalisation in performance.

Outlook and forecast
Despite the odds, HanSiang is resilent that he will reverse the current trends for 2007. As shown by the positive trendline and distinct improvement at end 2006, his claims may not be entirely unfounded and overstated.

Summary of achievements

Conclusion

It has been an enjoyable year at the Square Table and I hope you will find the performance review useful and inspiring. As we step into the new year 2007, we shall give a fresh start for everyone and reset the mahjong data.

Happy New Year!

It was raining for almost 2 full days in SIngapore, from 18 Dec till 19 Dec. Bugger, cos I was planning on a trip to the Pasir Gudang track on the 20th. With the rain still coming down relentless even on the night of 19th, it seems the trip was not meant to be....

But hey, Singapore is not known for consistent weather, and miraculously the shine shone brightly on 20 Dec morning! So I met up with Steven at the JB custom (he was 30 mins late, while I was 15 mins late....) and we proceeded to the track.

It was a first time for Steven, but here you can see his enthusiasm! His timing ain't fantastic but it's his first time and he only had a 30 min session, so it's kinda understandable.

After Steven's session, we were waiting patiently for the 'guest stars' of the day. Finally, FHM has gotten a track kaki to join him in the mindless wastage of rubber on Malaysia's grounds. And a faster car at that - a Subaru WRX STi. Though they were late due to jam, we were not disappointed with the action...

Go to http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2222397930948199592 for the video, if you have problem viewing the embedded one.

Sometimes when ill fate comes along, it may bring hidden goodwill surprises!

But I need a stronger hint!!

ORD LOH!!!!

PS: Apologies for the dirty nails...

Scrapped the bike today (after some delay, due to the pallbearer still on MC last few days) at Lim Asia Steels. Relatively simple process.

The pallbearer, loaded with the remains.

All that remains are the chasis and the engine case.



Final resting place. A bleak, abandoned and lifeless world...

Now that I've gotten myself a video camera (thanks to my bike, Mich and Pasir Gudang), why not put it to good use? This short film Rendezvous by french film maker Claude Lelouch seems simple enough....

On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris. The film was limited for technical reasons to 10 minutes; the course was from Porte Dauphine, through the Louvre, to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur.

No streets were closed, for Lelouch was unable to obtain a permit.

The driver completed the course in about 9 minutes, reaching nearly 140 MPH in some stretches. The footage reveals him running real red lights, nearly hitting real pedestrians, and driving the wrong way up real one-way streets.

Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested. He has never revealed the identity of the driver, and the film went underground until a DVD release a few years ago

Watch it here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2851488008488190547

Well I don't really know any F1 racer, but I do know someone bored enough (and stupid enough) to try this....with a relatively fiesty car too. So I risk my camera, while he risk his life, car and licence. Cool!

In memory of Aprilia RS250 - FN2299Y
10 Jan 1996 - 21 Nov 2006

It was a good bike, fast and slim,
served her master well, till master need to leave.
A new master was secured, this servant his dream,
a match made in heaven, or so it seems.

Few days prior to the new haven,
she broke her spine and recovery seems hopeless.
The old master, downcast and sullen,
wish to sell her, to ease the sadness.

Then came along snowparang,
friend of the new master.
He needed her organs,
so he bought her over!

Though her body is broken, she still wishes to serve.
Her body was parted, sold to needy bikers.
Though she may not remain, but she is still loved,
by the riders of the 250s, whom are her recievers.

  

  

Rest in peace, dear italian beauty,
You served us well, in spirit and in deed.
Your legacy will be borne by the other 250s,
we thank you for your parts, farewell and Godspeed.

Burial will be held at 10 Nov 06 at a LTA appointed scrapyard.

All sales and proceeds will be donated to the snowparang's racing and medical fund.