Zen of Tofu

Final exams are over, Summer weather is in full swing, and sports are just about the only thing to watch on television. The tube has been quite bland lately in terms of sitcoms, reality shows, and even news! The only exciting things to watch have been the NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, and the occasional F1 races and sessions.

Go Boston Celtics! Even though my country’s team is in the NBA playoffs, I still want to see the Celtics take the championship. The ideal NBA finals would be Lakers vs. Celtics, and that means I want to see the Spurs knocked out very soon. I just can’t stand their team ever since David Robinson retired. Duncan is cool, but the rest of the team are just guys thinking they’re clever.

I’m not a huge fan of hockey by any means, but it makes for good television with the fast pace, violence, and high-scoring games as per the rule changes. Overtime is always exciting too. Out of all the teams, I want to see Colorado win it one more time with all those veterans (Sakic, Forsberg, Foote, Smith).

The F1 season is still young and Ferrari is starting to show their dominance with Kimi Raikkonen showing why he was champion last year. He’s driving quite brilliantly and his teammate, Massa, isn’t too far behind. McLaren on the other hand is clearly lagging behind technologically, because their cars seem to be not as quick despite the abilities of their drivers. BMW Sauber on the other hand are making a strong showing, and challenging Ferrari in the standings, but not always on the time sheets. Tomorrow is race day in Spain with Raikkonen at pole position and McLaren drivers down a few spots of the starting grid. Let’s just hope Hamilton can pull some magic out of his helmet!

P.S. You guys should check out YouTube and search for the “Friday Night Project”. It’s absolutely hilarious! Watch out for Alan’s topical barometer!

written by tofu \\ tags: F1, NBA, NHL, TV

It was an almost infallible performance by Lewis Hamilton this weekend, as he clinched his first win of the F1 season in Melbourne Australia. The heat was intense and the mechanics of the cars were put to the test, and boy was it a wild race!

Out of 22 cars that started the race, only 7 cars finished the race. None of which were the Ferraris who were left hanging their heads low at their engines and differentials that were the problem for them all weekend. Somehow with a very twitchy car, Fernando Alonso managed to finish 4th after F1 newcomer, Sebastien Bourdais’ car failed him with just three laps to go. I believe he was still awarded points and he definitely deserved them after driving with some of the best. Finishing in second and third were Nick Heidfeld and Niko Rosberg, respectively, who both drove great. Sadly both Hamilton’s teammate, Heiki Kovalainen, and the only driver to test Hamilton, Robert Kubica, had disappointing finishes despite how well they raced. A race full of yellow flags and safety car appearances plagued Melbourne track, and left a lot of work to be done before the end of this week where the teams will be racing in Malaysia.

Hamilton was simply brilliant and consistent today, and I’m rooting for him all the way! It was really something to see the sole British flag being raised between the two German flags behind the winners’ podium. It was also refreshing to see the finishers actually excited and happy to be on the podium. I hope the enthusiasm stays high this season, because I’m sure these drivers all have great personalities but don’t get to show it when they’re flying 300mph down a straightaway.

written by tofu \\ tags: F1, Motorsport

Here’s the video I mentioned about Lewis Hamilton driving on Top Gear’s track. Enjoy!

written by tofu \\ tags: Autos, Cars, TV

I just saw the advert on TV for the first F1 race of the season this year in Australia next weekend, and I’m very excited! The biggest change this season is Alonso’s return to Renault, and speculators are unsure if this is on a good note with Renault’s crew chief.

My picks for the F1 championship this year is the current champion, Kimi Raikkonen, and Lewis Hamilton. Seeing how cool Hamilton was on Top Gear, just makes me even more of a fan. This guy is seriously fast and it’s completely natural to him! He put up times on the Top Gear track in the wet, that were just 0.2 seconds slower than the Stig. The Stig is no slouch as we all know, and it’s the best mystery ever to leave his identity concealed.

I hope Kimi has a solid season as well, and that he keeps Massa in his rear view mirrors, but in the end I want Lewis to continue his dream since his story of how he got into the F1 is so inspiring. Not only that, but he’s even received much praise from the legend, Michael Schumacher, who I speculate will come back to the F1 just to whoop Alonso’s butt again.

written by tofu \\ tags: F1, racing

Coming this Sunday is the final race of the Formula 1 season and the championship is up for grabs between three very good drivers. The driver with the highest chance of success is Lewis Hamilton who is leading by four points over his competing teammate, Fernando Alonso. The third driver who can clinch the title is Ferrari’s Kimi Raikonnen, who has raced his way past his teammate Felipe Massa in pursuit of the 2007 F1 Championship title.

Personally, I think Lewis Hamilton will continue to demonstrate his consistency and win the championship if he manages to stay out of the gravel pits, and if the weather conditions are decent. Fernando Alonso does have a chance, but I think his risky driving technique, especially at the start of the race, might leave him out of the running early on. Kimi Raikkonen however has his whole team on his side, and if Massa is in front, most likely Ferrari will put all their efforts to get Kimi placed as high as possible — even if it means Massa should let Kimi pass or even try to slow down the McLarens if he is a lap down.

I think the bulk of the race will come down to how well each of the three contenders does in qualifying, and who gets the pole position. Hopefully, there won’t be any rain in the forecast so the start of the race can dictate the starting positions a bit better. Hamilton has done well in qualifying and he has been pretty solid through almost all race starts by not giving up position. McLaren better be on the top of their game this weekend if they want to see either of their racers win the championship.

All I can say for sure, is that it will be one exciting weekend in Sao Paulo, Brazil and spectators will be piling in to get a glimpse of their favourite drivers, even if they can only see them in the qualifying sessions.

written by tofu