And thou shalt seek rest --Book of Philosophies 12:30

Today's topic is something i think is very important -- the importance of sleep. I have recently found out that many who are taking important exams are forcing to stay up late to maximise their time studying. You know who you are.

But is it worth it?

We all know that sleep is very important. It provides the brain time to organise what to be done the next day, and keeps us energised. But lack of sleep by voluntarily burning the midnight oil is not the best thing to do. So we are faced with a dilemma, to sleep or to stay up?

Here is the Golden Question: Is sleep productive?

According to several resources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia, there are several functions of sleep:

1. Restoration

Sleep can improve and increase the rate of healing within the body. A study shows that wounds take longer to heal because there was insufficent sleep. This is the very reason why hospitals have a quiet atmosphere -- it encourages the person to sleep. Sleep can also cure headaches.

2. Acheiving a catabolic state

Sleep achieves the catabolic state where the body renourishes and rejuvenates our immune, skeletal, muscular and nervous systems vital for the growth of an organism.

3. Memory processing

Sleep is also when the brain processes all the memory. Whatever the brain (not you) feels unnecessary, it simply throws it away. This explains why you remember what you may be wearing five years ago but not where you put your keys. The same goes with stuff you studied for. After brain torture throughout the night, the brain shuts most of it off because it needs to process the more important things you experienced earlier in the day.

4. Preservation

Sleep is also when your body protects itself because the you do not to eat or drink 24 hours a day. As a method of survival, your body sleeps to protect itself from all sorts of danger. If you went to SuperTeens, you will see something similar when Ken makes a fat guy stand over a thin guy, only there, you achieve sleep in a conscient mind.

For those of you who really want to stay up, fret not, the way out is to do Nidra Yoga, an exercise where performed in 15 mins, you feel like you have slept an hour. Trust me -- it works. BUT-- Nidra Yoga should never substitute sleep.

FYI-- circadian sleep disorders are treatable. Those who do not get it treated can be like Mr. Thai Ngoc who has not slept for 33 years. Seriously. He couldn't sleep after he got a mysterious fever.

What are your views on sleep? Write them here!

(The reason for me writing this since last Friday is because I kepp falling asleep writing this article)

Earth Day 2008

Here's to me wishing the whole world a Happy Earth Day. For my part, I am going to do my part to refuse to throw away a single object (recycle them instead), although that's what I always do.

For this Earth Day Special, I wish to shout out a message to the whole world.

*Clears Throat*

The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Cecilia Tan probably saw it ALL happen. Anyway, man has continually inhabited this planet for 2 million years now, and the Earth can provide it all.

But then, there is a hitch.

The Earth is dying. Fast. But we, the species who started it all, can end it. The crisis began during the industrial revolution in the 1800s when many new inventions appeared on the face of this Earth. Little did they know that the stuff the contraptions release are dangerous. The very stuff destroying Earth, unfortunately, is difficult to get rid of. When refrigenrants and styrofoam was invented, they did not realise that the ozone hole is developing. And the ozone crisis continues today, but it is heartwarming to know that the hole is closing up again.

What can we do?

Well, for starters, it starts from YOU. Yes YOU. By doing your part, you can save tonnes of waste by the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Excess waste caused by humans is causing a bulk of these problems. By reusing old stuff, or supporting by bringing your own carriers when shopping, or even using biodegradable plastic carriers can go a long way. Buying environmentally friendly products such as rechargables and hybrids also can go a long way.

That way, we can hope for a better future for our future and for our future generations in future.

Remember, the world is in our hands.

Share your message to the Earth here on the Cbox or in the comments!

When one rejoices, another will suffer --Book of Philosophies 12:44

I was in a bookshop just now (no need to say which) and i realised something very disturbing.

Ever wondered why some paper products are expensive? Well, they aren't. The cheaper alternatives can be found in the bottom piles, and I saved about a dollar doing that.

Another disturbing fact is that publishers of past-year model papers can be after your money by cheekily putting the price of the paper in question really cheap -- only for you to find out that the answers are sold separately, and it is better of with the book with the answers in it. To prevent such scenarios from happening, purchase from credible publishers such as Dyna. SAP has separate answers booklet either sold with the book or separately, so be very very very very very careful.

My focus today is the shifting tides. Is it actually equally fair to compare and be compared to others when circumstances slightly differ? I got the inspiration from our O Levels. I'm sure people taking the 'O's in 2008 are facing a crisis -- a major change in syllabus (although chemistry students enjoy the benefit of a much easier syllabus).

This major change in syllabus is rather drastic and is listed as follows:

1. Social Studies: The addition of terrorism to the syllabus
2. Geography: Pure brain drainage on the removal of MCQs
3. Elementary Maths: This one changes every year so i'm not complaining
4. Additional Maths: The addition of quadratic roots, partial fractions and %$%# geometrical proofs
5. A much earlier O level date

What does this mean? Simple -- we have more to study for, with a shorter time to do so. Moreover, removal of JC tryouts means we are always 2 points short of people who take the 'O's before us.

JC points are dropping drastically to boot.

To sum it all up, the good results windfall last year made others expect more of us.

By the way, I have calculated that their A1 might only account for an A2 and A2 can account for a B3 if the people before us were to take our 'O's syllabus taking pressure, time and workload to consideration.

So tell me, is it fair to be compared to others? Post your views in the cbox or in the comments space!

Of a Journey of 10 Billion Millimetres, the First is always the Most Important -- Book of Philosophies 12:79

And that's what I'm gonna do today as my first official post. This post is the Mundane Discussions genre and my topic for discussion for today is a controversial film by Geert Wilders, Fitna.

Fitna is an Arabic word meaning "disagreement". This film shows terrorism linked to Islamic groups such as Al-Qaeda and is accompanied by verses from the Qur'an, the holy book of the Muslims. This film implies that these verses are these attacks as seen in,

"Those who have disbelieved our signs, we shall roast them in fire. Whenever their skins are cooked to a turn, we shall substitute new skins for them, that they may feel the punishment; Verily God is sublime and wise. --An-Nisa' 4:56"

As any person can see, this verse shows that Muslims are supposed to torture those who do not share their faith. But is it really? Is in not fair that we hear what the Muslims have to say?

This verse from the Qur'an actually depicts the fate of sinners (ie. non-believers who do not follow the faith of Jews, Christian, Sabians or Muslims) in hell for rejecting faith while living in the world that God has created.

Also in the film there has been depicted of the notorious capital punishment for the Islamic faith, including the punishment for homosexuality, female genital mutilation and punishments for child abuse. Sure, the Sharia' law is capital, but it serves as a reminder for the masses that these acts are unacceptable. Furthermore, the Muslims believe that such punishments actually lighten the punishments received in hell or even in further in life.

Impacts of this film may include further aggression from already-extremist Islamic groups like Taliban towards the Dutch government or community and may spark more strife. Already having a bad impression of the West as seen as territory-hungry warmongers (most of Middle Eastern territories have been colonised at some point in time by Westerners and the American occupation of Iraq caused the people to hate the American government for not pulling out even though Saddam Hussein is dead ) and this image will be worsened further.

Let's look into Wilders' point of view. His main motif of this film is "to provoke thought". IMHO, if an opinion wants to be voiced, it has to be done in a professional matter and has to be done and backed with facts from research.

Finally, let us remember that because of a few rotten apples the whole basket has to be thrown away (unless the apple carries a transmittable disease but this has not always been the case). Islam, like any other religion, promotes goodwill and peace. This can be backed up with a verse from the Qur'an as follows:

"Those who believe (in the Scriptures) and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, -- any who believe in God and in the Last Day (Armageddon), and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. -- Al-Baqarah 1:62"

What is your view on the film Fitna? Post your views in the Comments section (preferably) or drop a line in the CBox on the right. Until then, watch out for my next article!