Security

Physical security is more preventative than security guards. Why do I say that? While the entrance to Fabro boasts of a guarded division, its security guards are useless. Broken in a number of times, is the dormitory that lies about ten meters away. Clothes hanging from its rooftop are lost. A girl in the second floor room screams at dawn while a burglar plays tug-of-war with her and her shoulder bag. Another girl from the same floor recounts meeting a suspicious guy, she loses her valuables to, in the hallway as she goes back to her room fresh from a bath in the common shower room. One morning, a lady in the ground floor finds her bag left at her doorstep with her four grand missing.

Lodgers question the service of these guards who ask for identification whenever our hands are full—grocery on one hand and a thing or two on another but never have they successfully suspected a burglar. The vulnerability of the lovely peach-colored dorm beautiful with its designed curves and fixed exterior electric lanterns is inviting to whoever these offenders are. While all boarders are brought to have their fingerprints taken by the police following an investigation if these events are an inside job, the housekeeper and brother of a local wed to the foreigner-owner of the house, is forced to install physical security measures to protect the house and its occupants. The back door of the canteen is now sealed to prevent the clothes thief believed to have emerged from such an exit. The gate is added an extra height so it is not easily climbable as before. Should there be an attempt to climb up, each balcony has been installed with a grill that is padlocked. The front gate automatically locks itself should a boarder leave it open. The front door as well is double-locked with each one compelled to get a copy of the key or else, she will be staying in the small front yard all night. Each one is instructed not to leave her room open and unlocked every time she gets out of it, even if she is only going to the shower room.

Now, peace and a feeling of safety reign at the ladies dorm for the burglar is now unheard of.

Of sleeping and staying awake

I am so sleepy that I want to go home than nap on this chair. It is 2am. Three hours has lapsed since the shift has started. I am beginning to see misty ghosts around. One just sat on the empty chair beside me while another passed by. Why am I not scared? Because I am with other workers as sleepy as I am. My body will need a couple of naps to shoo these “ghosts” existing between dreamland and wakefulness then I am ready to continue what I need to fill.

The most people to dislike you steal naps are those who have the luxury to hide behind a desk to sleep or those with the audacity to say don’t-do-it-but-let-me slouch-my-upper-body-all-over-the-desk-for-you-to-see-me-sleep-while-you-don’t.

A schoolmate who works for another BPO tells me she prefers the graveyard shift because she has trouble sleeping. Why not earn cash then instead of just lying there penniless and waiting for sleep to come?

When I worked graveyard for six straight months, I was not a sleepyhead  because I wasn’t being a passive recipient but I noticed that there’d be a morning when I could not sleep. Then the next graveyard shift would come. Once, I was sleepless for 72-hours, it gave me a terrible headache. So I said that prayer to the Holy Spirit that I cut out from the newspaper with a firm belief that He would resolve the issue at hand. To make things worst when I went out to buy Circulan capsules, having read from the same paper that it can promote sleep, the driver of the public vehicle was reckless. I was struck dumb with fear and panic as he drove losing a side mirror then denting the right side of the automobile. I thought it was the end as my heart was pounding; I murmured the prayer again. Good thing, a Swedish massage was close by. They advertise to relieve stress and insomnia too. So I had one.  I got home, took another cap before I lay in bed then slept like I’ve never slept before.

Well, at the moment, I am no longer sleepy.  I did not need those naps anymore.  I just had to finish writing this to keep myself awake. =D  I will go back to work now.

Insomnia may lead to depression

Today’s post is a newsletter copied verbatim from Wendy Owen and 20 Tips to Ensure Good Sleep by Michael Smolensky. Both are received via email and posted with permissions:

We’ve always assumed that a troubled mind equals troubled sleep, Friend.

But, is it the other way around?

If you’re depressed and have trouble sleeping, the cause of your depression could be your insomnia. Medical science is now leaning towards the idea that insomnia may lead to depression instead of the other way around.

I’m talking about clinical depression. The type that lingers on without any obvious cause.

However even minor bouts of depression can be linked to sleep problems. It’s now accepted that there is a definite connection between insomnia and depression. In fact one of the symptoms of depression is the increase of REM (dreaming) sleep. This is thought to increase negative thinking in those prone to depression.

This may be because the quantity of deep sleep is reduced due to excessive REM sleep.

What we do know is that both complaints should be treated separately. People who have recovered from depression may still have poor quality sleep which can lead to the depression recurring.

It’s most important to seek medical treatment for your depression. If your doctor recommends sleeping pills for short term relief from the insomnia, just make sure he/she doesn’t prescribe “Ambien” or “Stilnox”. These drugs simply aren’t safe for anyone prone to mood disorders.

And make sure you don’t get hooked on the wretched things! Always seek a natural alternative such as reducing your stress levels and making sure you’re practicing good sleep habits.

Speak to you soon, Friend.

Email to Wendy