Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (To Work)

One of the universally acknowledged truths is that we love to sleep, especially when it's raining.

- RICARDO T. PAMINTUAN

In our dry-and-wet-season land, a late-evening or early-morning downpour just makes getting up for work extra challenging.

So, when that evil alarm blares at 5 a.m., dutiful members of the workforce soldier on, shower like crows (literally: ligong-uwak), grab that damp and smelly outfit from the indoor clothesline, only to make it wetter after braving the rain that mysteriously (conspiratorially?) pours around the time they're walking (thank God those ugly Crocs are now socially acceptable as public footwear).

We're not even talking about the floods that surely follow the torrential monsoon rain. Let's call it a wet wake-up call.

How can we avoid sleeping in with a warm blanket (or duvet for the alta) in "bed" weather? It's a question as philosophical as asking why the alarm goes off just as our dreams are getting more interesting — worse, when those lotto numbers are emerging.

We begin life practically sleeping for a living. Newborns average 16-18 hours a day. By adolescence, that number cruelly drops because of raging hormones, and by adulthood, we're lucky if we manage to observe the recommended 8+8+8 rule. By the time we retire, we're waking up at 4 a.m. for no reason other than a half-full bladder or a new Netflix episode on our playlist.

Sleep, it seems, is both a necessity and a luxury, hoarded by babies and envied by adults — usually at the same time (just ask new parents). And yet, it remains one of the most vital processes for our body and mind to repair tissues, form memories, and ensure we don't fall asleep during meetings, even if many of us still do.