The legend of sleep!

I look at the mirror and see the dark circles in my eye and know that I need more sleep. Truth is my body is clamoring for sleep! There were times when I’d fall asleep while we were doing our family prayers and times when I’d get home from work and tell my mama that I’d just take some rest before eating or grooming and I’d end asleep in our couch. So much things to do yet I feel the need to sleep. I wonder why we had to sleep! Some people could sleep just 4 hours in a day, oh I wish I can but I can’t… not for prolonged period. I think I’d end up dead… hehehe

Anyway, I thought I’d write a legend I told my young nieces and nephews long time ago. I used to tell them a lot of made up stories and they too would share their own. Sometimes my brother would also butt in and share his own funny stories but his stories usually border on weird…Hehehe. Anyway, here’s my legend on sleep. I told my story in Tagalog but I tried to make an appropriate conversion in English. I don’t really know if there is really a legend on sleep so here goes my story…

A long time ago people did not sleep. The earth was divided into light and darkness but people went about with their business whether it was day time or night time. People did not like darkness so they made fires to see in the dark. Even at night time people were moving and talking that they never get to rest. Before long many were grouchy. They were tired and grouchy that sometimes they would quarrel with others.

One day a man was walking when he suddenly slipped on a banana peel and fell down hitting his head. His eyes closed and lost consciousness for a while and some thought him as dead so they laid him on a wooden platform. After some hours the man’s eyes opened and he stretched his body and gave a big yawn! The people were amazed! They asked him what happened. He said I “slipped” and fell… BUT now I feel good and so relaxed!!! I want to experience it again!

The other people also wanted to experience what he had!

So the people scattered banana peel on the ground. Then they stepped on them so they would slip and fall and get their rest. The practice became wide spread as people tell others "Come on let’s slip!"

Eventually all people were doing it but sometimes some hit their head and get some bumps and bruise and they complain. Sometimes they had to do it several times to get the right “slip”. Others also complain since there see many people lying on the ground at different times and there were also a lot of rotting banana peels!"

The elder gathered the people to talk of a better way!

A man came up and said “We fear darkness but when we slip and rest and our eyes are closed everything is in darkness!”

“Go ahead” the elder said.

“Why don’t we stop lighting fires and slip in darkness!” he added!

“But that will be the same thing! We will just not see other people lying in the ground!” The elder added.

Then a child shouted “We are not scared when we see nothing when our eyes our closed after we slip. So why can’t we just lie down and close our eyes at night time till we feel we had our rest!”

“Hmmm…. It might work!” the elder said.

So they decided not to light fires at night and found places where they could lie comfortably and tried not move and just remain there. When daytime came many people had their rest but some still haven’t. But they continued to do so until finally all get their resta dn established a rhythm!"

People were happier now and there were less fighting.

The elder called them again and said “I am happy that everyone gets their rest and are more productive and active and cheerful when day time comes. This is something very wonderful and I would like to honor it by calling it SLEEP! This is also to remind us how our deep rest came about from a SLIP”

“So let’s all say it! S L E E P --------!!!” and they said it long “S L E E P!!!”

So that’s how sleep came about! :)

PS. This is LOTS longer but in my original story in Tagalog, I referred to the sound when you hit a hard object “TLOG”, there could be other sounds but I used that since it is nearest to “TULOG” which is sleep in Tagalog. My story to my nieces and nephews was also more simple :)

Third eye

We have been discussing different educational technologies and one of them is Skype. Our faculty-in-charge wanted us to NOT just read about it but install it and use it and so I did. It is pretty much similar to the other messengers but some would say it is better particularly for voice. I believe my hands speak better English than my lips so I am more of a “typing person” than a “speaking person” in messengers. But I am trying it now not just for voice chat but other features. They have Extras that goes with Skype. These are softwares developed by others but works with Skype. Some of them are for free others you have to pay for a fee. Anyway one of the features there was Pamela, a facility to record your voice conversation. I was looking for people to try it (by sending messages to all those in SkypeMe mode) and luckily I was able to find one from Belgium. I was able to record our talk (15 minutes is for free) but I will have to do a better one if I am going to use it as part of my podcast. However, what was interesting was the person. John played different musical instruments and he played for me his OUD. It is similar to a guitar except that it had a lot of strings and sounds different like it was speaking its own language. I don’t think it will be good to use it just to accompany a singer. Anyway, that’s just one of the special things about him One other thing is that he is blind. He can’t see yet he is so good with his computer giving me advice. He installed a software that converts all the text into voice so he gets to “read” all those stuff in the internet (except for pictures but I’ve read on Google working on being to read pictures too). That software has become his third eye! He gets to see the world through it and I think it is wonderful.

I am amazed at technology but I know that it doesn’t even require technology for others to see. It made me remember Kenneth who was in our tour to Tennessee. I have written about him before but I’d like to talk about him again. He was part of our tour but he was on another bus and I would hear our guide talk about him often. Unlike John, from Belgium, He wasn’t blind all throughout his life but turned blind as a result of a bungled up operation. He had been to the places we were going on our tour (The Smoky mountain) and he wanted his wife to see them, particularly the fall foliage, since he knew they were beautiful. It was his anniversary gift to her.

I chanced upon them in Gatlinburg, a very picturesque town. They were seated in one of the benches and we talked a bit, I also asked them how they find the town and Kenneth answered that it hasn’t changed much. He says that there were just more people now but it was still lovely. He was looking through the eyes of his wife and using his other senses. With those he gets to appreciate the beauty that surrounds him. I find it really heart warming and now I think that it will be great if we all had an inner eye (a third eye) to see the innate beauty not just of the things around us but of the people around us. It could be difficult at times but if it were so then we get to appreciate others more… and maybe then there won’t be strife and wars anymore. Ahhh just a thought but a good thought I think… I wish….

Damulag!

Today is the 10th anniversary of my father’s death. It has been a long time still I do miss him. I was not really my papa's favorite (he would say we all were his favorite) but he entrusted the family to me even though I was not the eldest.

Among all my family members, I am the only one who has not left home at anytime in my life except for trips and vacations. The first time I went on a vacation on my own was in our province when I was in my first year college. I can still remember how my father and youngest sister greeted me upon my return. I haven’t fully settled when my father called me and my youngest sister who was around 5 years old then. He asked her “Jenny, ano ang tawag mo sa pagkain ng kalabaw” (Jenny what do you call the carabao’s food?) and she answered “Damo!” (Grass!). He added “Ano ang tawag mo sa pagkain ng kabayo?” (What do you call the horse’s food?) again she answered “Damo!” (Grass!) He continued “Eh ang pagkain ng kambing?” (What about the goat’s food?) still she answered “Damo!” (Grass!) and his final question was “Eh ano ang tawag mo kay Manang Beth mo?” (and what do you call your older sister Beth) and she shouted “Damulag!” (A funny term for a “big person”) and we all laughed! Of course they rehearsed it earlier and they were actually making things light, I knew they missed me and I missed them too. It felt good to be back with my family! Hmmm...maybe that's why I'm still home??? hehehe...

Happy New Year!!!

Finally a new Year! 2008!!!
May we always realize that God's love and blessing is always upon us. And knowing this may we be moved to be a blessing to others also!
A blessed, prosperous, joyful, loving, safe, healthy, harmonious, exciting new year to all! :)