[advertorial]
Ikea coffee table: $300
HP computer: $2999
Sesame Street soft toy: $25
Waking up at 5am to say 'I love you': PRICELESS

[triple whammy]
three pieces of great news today.... firstly, my buddy and good friend will be comissioning this saturday.... secondly, justin ang called to inform me that i could go on air on wednesday.... and thirdly, i have been accepted for my part-time advanced diploma in mass communications course!!!!

just so cool!!!!!!

[hot]
all the heaty stuff for dinner tonight... beef, durians and chocolates... wierd combo right? that's because i had a late lunch... was at the opening of paragon just now.... lotsa models strutting their stuff along the runway and at the foyer of the building... it was also too hot there.... i'll have to down my herbal tea tomorrow in case i fall sick!!

[simplicity]
that's the title of my new poem written today on the way home from camp.... will release it soon... must add some final touches here and there....

[wasssaaup]
funny to use my irc nick as a title.. but, felt it was kindof appropriate.... posting feelings on this blog is kindof cool... cause when i lookback then i can remember and ponder on them... just came back from my third guard duty....

i'm kindof loving my course... used to hate it and questioned why i had to go for it... but i realise that it is important to know how a car works and how to maintain and repair a car... people can't cheat you when you send the car for repair too... promised regine to help her if her car breaks down... so cool, she's got her driving licence already... once i post out of oeti, i will cheong for my driving license....

will be going for a one year course in mass communications end of the year... by then, i will be of standard to write for LIME (it has always been my dream)... must go knock knock on her door soon.... and perhaps go on power98 once more... we'll see how that goes...

october ish of fullStoP should be in the design stages now.... once it is ready for me to look at i'll pop by the editor's office....

meanwhile, take care man!!! this is ephraim singing off!!!! (machiam like dj sia!!!)

[miracles]
something happened in camp yesterday... suicide... and a miracle happened today to me.... funny... life is so short... we must learn to enjoy what we have.... and cherish our friendships too!!!

baby boom is so cool... i am hooked... maybe cause i wanna be a producer!!!

[exclusive pic]
here's how you would feel if you were behind the scenes of the recent annual report photo shoot...

[thinking a lot]
you will seldom see me posting this kindof stuff here.... have been thinking a lot these days... lots of happy stuff and some unhappy stuff has happened so far....

lesson 1: life is actually like taking a bus ride on life's journey. people come and go in your life, the things they leave behind are memories. when it's time to get off, some people will walk out of the exit door and the bus carries on it's journey. sometimes, they leave presents and stuff on the bus for you to remember, look back and just be happy, some can be sad. but not all do leave something behind. while life goes on, the bus may face some accidents and go for repairs which signify heartbreaks and the bus comes back stronger. diesel fuel could be the blood. when the fuel runs out, the engine signifying the heart dies. then the bus goes to the scrap yard.

lesson 2: i think i am a guy that probably promises myself a lot and sets a lot of high and ambitious targets for myself. lots of targets set but not motivated to carry them out. from primary school to army, there has always been this one motivating force that attributes to my professionalism in work, that motivates me to go to school or to camp and i am really happy seeing that person(s) around because there'll be this great feeling that sends me to work, to ovecome my problems and my fears. this person would know me a lot, cause we probably help each other to succeed and would probably be together all the time. but it will only be a passing phase. after that, all goes back to square one. it's nice to hear from them once in a while. am i pushing myself too hard? no.

lesson 3: being part of SP's news reporting team has let me interact with a lot of high flyers, successful people and it has made me inferior. how come others can be so successful but i am not? these people seem to have unlimited time or maybe good time management skills. they can study, work and even do community service! they win loads of awards, scholarships and have loads of friends. now, how can i learn from them? what can i learn from them? where does their motivating strength come from? i must try to experience this.

lesson 4: another of my character is very wierd. i like to do one thing at a time and concentrate on that one thing only. but before i finish it, i'll start on something new and put that first thing behind and work on it later. does it mean that i am very restless? or that i am not focused? but at least i have completed my poly education. others have completed their's and have even got their car and bike licenses too! now how did they do it?

lesson 5: i just can't understand why we have to wait for things to happen then we take action. why wasn't any preventive measures taken before the fateful event happens? why do we have to let people get hurt then say sorry? why didn't we prevent things from happening in the first place? why live to regret?

lesson 6: human beings are funny. they know what it is like to drink hot soup but when the get burnt they still want to drink sia!! do they get a kick by doing that? or are they just purely cheeky? start gambling knowing that it's a risk and then when they lose, they get into difficulties. are we risk takers? do we like to risk our life? is the feeling fun?

lesson 7: challenge. do i take it up? sometimes. but i am afraid to fail. so they say if you don't try you won't succeed. is that why?

lesson 8: proud? am i? a lot of people have come up to me saying that i have this damn proud look. but i hope that when they know me better as a friend they won't say that. i am quiet but that does not mean i am proud. maybe there's something going on in my mind. some wage of war in words inside.

lesson 9: talk. i love it. but not in a group. funny thing. when i am in a group i am exceptionally quiet. but when i am alone with another person, we can talk for hours! wierd sia! i won't say that i am not a team builder, i have done well planning and organising group stuff. does it lie in my thinking? am i that anti-social? i guess i am just quiet and don't talk much.

lesson 10: friends. they mean a lot. people tell me that i have got many friends. it's the same old story. how do they stay together as friends? they don't talk everyday. maybe cause i don't know their life enough? or maybe.... but i can honestly say that i do not forget people i see, meet and talk to before. which leads me to this scary thing. i can remember faces very well. i will see familiar faces and think where i have met them. i have. and i do remember. sometimes it's scary because there are lots of familiar faces walking around. and i have no idea who they are as i have not talked to them before.

lesson 11: visions. sometimes i do something and it appears that this thing has happened before and i can predict what will happen next. wierd. it'll be something out of my memory but with different people acting it out in front of me. and i know what step i will take next. routine? or is it my mind that is too fixed. wierd.

lesson 12: music. i remember special times in my life with music. when i hear a particluar song, i can be transformed back in time and remember what i was doing when i heard that song.

these lessons have let me think much more about myself as a person. my feelings, what i like and how i behave. am i a powerless mutant?

[photo shoot at SP]
last saturday, during the SB parent's meet, i chanced upon a group of 13 good looking people in a photo shoot for SP's annual report next year.... it's tough being a model you know... therefore, my next story will be a behind the scenes of the photo shoot... it'll be my 50th article in my whole sp life since 1999..... 5 years in SP sia!!!! one great achievement... contract expires in february 2005..... long time more to go... that leaves me wondering... have i expired my shelf life??

[postponed guard duty]
guard duty has been posponed to tomorrow... so won't be back home... must tahan... a few more guard dutys and i will go to a new unit.... hope that new unit is stay out....

[red and blue teams battle it out]
the red and blue teams battled it out at the annual president's star charity just now... and of course, once again, i was there 'live' soaking in the atmosphere!!

[the moment]
three albums 38 months and a one year break... that's stefanie sun for you... leaving the scene with a new album boasting seven new songs... not bad... wonder whether she will be better when she come back... but she's not too bad after all....

[discover the 90/10 principle]
It will change your life (at least the way u react to situations). What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane being late in arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.

How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example.

You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus.

Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 (traffic fine) away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late,

Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is D. You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You and your spouse kiss before you go to work. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED.

You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction. Here are some says to apply the 90/10 principle.

If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc. How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? (A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure rocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work?

Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it. You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated?

It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passengers. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90/10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90/10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartaches. There never seem to be a success in life.

Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seem to be constantly happening. There is constant stress, lack of joy, and broken relationships. Worry consumes time. Anger breaks friendships and life seems dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest. Friends are lost. Life is a bore and often seems cruel. Does this describe you? If so, do not be discouraged. You can be different! Understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It will change your life.

[guard duty]
it's the season for guard duty again... and of course i must not forget my dogtag!!! sianZ.. should be doing guard duty this saturday and i will miss the beach volleyball at sentosa!!!

[a picture paints a thousand words]
sometimes, a small little picture says so much!!! let's rock and roll at the president's star charity show 2003!!

[latest music craze]
been hooked on david tao's music lately... love the song pu tong peng you and the new hit song ji mo de ji jie... david rocks!!!

[paya lebar airbase]
going to paya lebar airbase this sunday to check out the cool gliders in action... organised by the ST Aerospace, this "Ramp-Launched Glider Competition" commemorates 100 years of manned flight following the 12 seconds long flight of the Wright flyer in 1903....

[back to camp]
oh no... back to camp liao.... but some good news here... fullStoP is out again!! check out the september ish... just out today!!!