Rest Fest
The last week was a tiring one. Almost everyday of the week, I felt my sleep debt swelling during office hours.I would stare at my Emac computer screen, and the both of us (my comp and I) would fade into sleep mode.
My office Emac (which we purchased several weeks ago) is built with almost humanlike functions. After idling for several minutes, the screen will start flashing soothing pictures of forests and waterfalls till it eventually tires out and turns blank. It's an energy saving mechanism (like all PCs and humans).
But what I find extremely fascinating about this machine is its on/off light indicator. Unlike most PCs or Macs, the Emac's indicator brightens and dims in a similar pattern to our breathing rhythm.
From dim, the light gradually brightens till its brightest and then decreases as if it were exhaling air out of its CPU. Short of striking meaningful conversations, the Emac also has a pallette of voices to choose from, to verbalize warnings and errors. Currently, an adroid tells me when my printer is not responding at all. I think I'll choose the little girl's voice instead.
Rest and fellowship are important. Without rest you can't work, without work, you can't rest (and I may add: should not rest!). Rest is such an automatic bodily function. Once you've reached your limits, your body will start to remind you of rest. Even worse, you may just shut down, as in the case of depressed people.
I look forward to Friday nights where I'd unwind with my closest friends over teh-tarik (pull-tea) at our favourite (ok, usual) mamak. Before mamak, we'd gather at church for a round of Bible study and prayer. The Bible study, helps us re-align ourselves to our core values and beliefs -- that God is the reason we're living for and we have meaning for existing. And prayer keeps us in tune to God, who causes all things to work for those who love Him. God calls us to rest and fellowship with Him. And I almost get my full dosage on Friday nights.
Last Friday, we had fruit fest. Each of us was supposed to bring a fruit which would be turned into juice at the fest. Equipped with a fused blender and no electricity, our fest was delayed a little. The fruits were being cut in darkness, while the guys tried to swap fuses with a standfand. Part of the house was under a black out. Fortunately, the house had a separate wiring system - leaving the other half of the house well lit. Unfortunately, the wrong part of the house blacked out.
The blender was fixed and a working powerpoint was discovered. All the fruits were blended. Tomatoes, Carrots, Watermelon, and other once-upon-a-time-taste-inducing fruits were blended in such harmony, that we couldn't even guess the ingredients in the concoctions. Never leave eighteen year olds in a dark kitchen with a fruit juicer.
We didn't have Bible study, but dedicated a few songs to God and shared anecdotes about how God was good to us. We prayed too.
We had a Taboo set, but didn't play it. Some were so engrossed in the blending while others were making patterns and shapes with odd looking grapes on the table. A few sat around the table and engaged in random conversations, heart-to-hearts, and comedy.
I grew addicted to the grapes that night. I'd never tasted grapes so sweet. Except for Vitagen and Shiraz. It was nice to sit around the table and tell stories. But I was feeling tired and wasn't much of a conversationalist. My eyes were watery and red. My facial muscles were corresponding in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, I found rest in watching others unwind.
My office Emac (which we purchased several weeks ago) is built with almost humanlike functions. After idling for several minutes, the screen will start flashing soothing pictures of forests and waterfalls till it eventually tires out and turns blank. It's an energy saving mechanism (like all PCs and humans).
But what I find extremely fascinating about this machine is its on/off light indicator. Unlike most PCs or Macs, the Emac's indicator brightens and dims in a similar pattern to our breathing rhythm.
From dim, the light gradually brightens till its brightest and then decreases as if it were exhaling air out of its CPU. Short of striking meaningful conversations, the Emac also has a pallette of voices to choose from, to verbalize warnings and errors. Currently, an adroid tells me when my printer is not responding at all. I think I'll choose the little girl's voice instead.
Rest and fellowship are important. Without rest you can't work, without work, you can't rest (and I may add: should not rest!). Rest is such an automatic bodily function. Once you've reached your limits, your body will start to remind you of rest. Even worse, you may just shut down, as in the case of depressed people.
I look forward to Friday nights where I'd unwind with my closest friends over teh-tarik (pull-tea) at our favourite (ok, usual) mamak. Before mamak, we'd gather at church for a round of Bible study and prayer. The Bible study, helps us re-align ourselves to our core values and beliefs -- that God is the reason we're living for and we have meaning for existing. And prayer keeps us in tune to God, who causes all things to work for those who love Him. God calls us to rest and fellowship with Him. And I almost get my full dosage on Friday nights.
Last Friday, we had fruit fest. Each of us was supposed to bring a fruit which would be turned into juice at the fest. Equipped with a fused blender and no electricity, our fest was delayed a little. The fruits were being cut in darkness, while the guys tried to swap fuses with a standfand. Part of the house was under a black out. Fortunately, the house had a separate wiring system - leaving the other half of the house well lit. Unfortunately, the wrong part of the house blacked out.
The blender was fixed and a working powerpoint was discovered. All the fruits were blended. Tomatoes, Carrots, Watermelon, and other once-upon-a-time-taste-inducing fruits were blended in such harmony, that we couldn't even guess the ingredients in the concoctions. Never leave eighteen year olds in a dark kitchen with a fruit juicer.
We didn't have Bible study, but dedicated a few songs to God and shared anecdotes about how God was good to us. We prayed too.
We had a Taboo set, but didn't play it. Some were so engrossed in the blending while others were making patterns and shapes with odd looking grapes on the table. A few sat around the table and engaged in random conversations, heart-to-hearts, and comedy.
I grew addicted to the grapes that night. I'd never tasted grapes so sweet. Except for Vitagen and Shiraz. It was nice to sit around the table and tell stories. But I was feeling tired and wasn't much of a conversationalist. My eyes were watery and red. My facial muscles were corresponding in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, I found rest in watching others unwind.
Comments