The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Sleeping is a Right.

I slept through the entire trip to Batangas today. When we got there in the morning, I ended up sleeping under the sun while my sisters were in the beach. I was groggy during lunch so I had siesta in the cabana. Unfortunately, my deep sleep was interrupted because we had to leave already … so I just continued sleeping in the car. Come to think of it, the only time I was awake was during meals and I was pretty decent to talk to, considering I was with my family. This is me without caffeine, and I like it.

It is very unfortunate that in our fast-paced world, sleeping has been stigmatized. Sleeping for more than six hours is already unfairly labeled sloth, as if this action, or actually, inaction, is at the same level as pride and envy. We all know that sleep has a magical effect on all our worries. Even John Steinbeck agrees to this – “It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it”. Even Albert Einstein slept for at least ten hours a day, compare that to our President who claims that she only sleeps for four hours. God knows she must be in a zombie state when she declared the state of emergency. In essence, sleepyheads, not the half-crazed sleep deniers do less damage to the world.

So I appeal to those planning to be heads of state or UN Secretary General, please include “At least eight hours of sleep for all by 2015” in the Millennium Development Goals and “Sleeping is a Right” in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Countries that do not accede to this must be labeled rogue states.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Bringing OCD to the Next Level

Joseph Stiglitz debated for Amherst College at 18. Michel Foucault was suicidal at 22. Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto at 26. Walden Bello got his PhD from Princeton at 30. Ally McBeal was serenaded by Sting and Robert Downy Jr. at her 31st birthday. Salma Hayek hooked up with Edward Norton at 33. Jurgen Habermas took over Max Horkheimer’s chairmanship in Sociology at 35. Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize at 46. Joseph Stiglitz defected from the World Bank at 57. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel never married.

Benchmarking on my heroes’ milestones, I think I’m still on schedule.