When I was in high school, I was popularly called palahubog (drunkard), not because I boozed the night before, but rather - I looked like I boozed the night before! My eyes are half open and my body limp, and my teacher's words were like uncontrollable sleeping pills. Don't ask how I passed high school, but I did.It became worse when I was in college! Back then, I was popularly known as the-narcoleptic-guy-who-always-sleeps-in-class. When everything gets boring, especially during afternoon classes, I always end up dozing off - always first than anybody else (Let's call this weakness of mine as hapontukin), irregardless if I slept early or late the night before! I tried to sit in front of class to help me keep awake, but alas, I only infuriate the teacher more by letting them see my hapontukin moment. So my best bet would be to sit on the chairs way back and pretend to be listening with the use of major props - hiding my face with an open book, using a calculator while facing down, or if I can't really help it, carelessly slop my face right on top of the desk. But everybody knows, duh. They are always on watch for something "weird" that I would hapontukin-ly do. Maybe accidentally bump my head on the desk sleepily (which actually I already did, sigh..).
I can only think of a subject or two where I never slept in my entire college years (And it's not even Physical Education!). And the sleeping bloopers I have made were endless, the worst would be when I slept in the middle of a critical afternoon exam, and waking up 10mins before the deadline to finish! Beat that.
Even riding jeepneys weren't an exemption against my hapontukin tendency. It strikes wherever. The funny part is when your hand grabs the pole and you let your head rest on your arm, and then you suddenly lose your grip when you doze off! Hahahaha.. Instant passenger vehicle celebrity. Well of course, you pretend that it's nothing, although the feeling of suddenly waking up accidentally is very very horrible! Not to mention you're giving pickpockets an easy opportunity to "take good care" of your cellphone for good (based from experience, arrgh!).
People can let my sleeping shortcomings pass during my school days, but now that I am in the professional world, hapontukin at work is a CRIME! And yes, I am still plagued by this "sleeping disorder" up until now. Isn't it ironic that I was led to work here in Batangas City, where Batangas coffee (kapeng barako), known for it's strong taste, is popular? Fate has it's ways. It wants me to drown in coffee and hopefully get rid of my hapontukin.
When hapontukin sets in, I grab my ever-wondrous tumbler and make myself a hot serving of coffee. Extra strong. Black. Then another. And another. The result? ZZzzZZzzZzzzZz... Coffee is good, but I am incredibly immune to caffeine, thank you. So I grab a work manual and read instead, and then ZZZzzZzzzZzZZ.. Well, okay reading is worse. I also tried walking back and forth like a lunatic, or walking in circles, but all people see is a stressed zombie ready to collapse any minute. Hapontukin wasn't my disease alone. Almost everyone at work have it. Even my college friends had it, too, only I was more uhh.. expressive!
I have seen the many different coping mechanisms my colleagues do. Some munch into food morsels or sip a cup of hot coffee. Others chat about non-work related things (a.k.a. gossips). But you know what worked for me? Check these things I found:
1. Eat a loadful of breakfast. Not only does it provide the necessary energy to start the day, it also provides the necessary energy to last throughout the day. No wonder I slept most of the time during college! Like a typical student-on-the-go, I rarely eat breakfast!
2. Don't forget your multivitamins. Those little pills really help. Popping one provides that extra energy kick.
3. Rest once in a while from work. Hapontukin sets in more forcefully between lunch break and afternoon coffee break. Grab a snack, chat with a friend, read a funny email, anything that's not work-related. My instructor back in college was right. She advised that for every 1 hour you devote for work or study, devote 10-15mins away from it, then back to work again.
Fighting hapontukin is a gruesome and stressful ordeal one has to face everyday, but if you have to let it sink in, surrender with style! Do it like what some of my colleagues did after one boring afternoon training session - SYNCHRONIZED SLEEPING!
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