Don't be alarmed

There was once a fire at the Hilton in Singapore on Orchard Road. One firefighter had to wake one of the guests up to evacuate him of the building. At school someone mentioned this and everyone laughed. How could one sleep through an alarm? Have you heard one? It's loud and obnoxious. 

I didn't laugh. I have slept through a fire alarm that went off in our building and that bell was just outside my room wall. It happens. Alarm clocks never worked. When I was at home, dad was my alarm clock. Every morning before he headed downstairs for breakfast all ready to go to office, he would just peak in and go, "leiyandra" (wake up in Telugu). But there were mornings when I depended on an alarm clock. Ironically the clock rang like a fire alarm. It was loud and obnoxious. 

When I left home to college, my parents were worried. What if I slept through an emergency situation?! Over time I trained myself to wake up to alarms. I had roommates and I had to dispose my loud obnoxious alarm clock. Although I realised that my roommate was just like me. She would sleep through the alarm clocks. Then I discovered the electricity dependent alarm clock that had a snooze button! 

But soon I was able to wake up to the alarm on the mobile phone! It no longer needed to be loud. And didn't need that snooze button anymore. And I can't sleep through one anymore. I am up and ready to go. Maybe I might need five minutes or I might continue just laying on my bed but I will be awake. 

So I have come a long way. But now I miss that heavy sleeper. I wake up now to all neighbouring apartments, upstairs, downstairs, next door who set their alarms and they go off between 6am - 7am every morning! One apartment takes 20 minutes before they turn it off!! On the weekend it went on for 40 minutes!!!! 

And my husband he sets two alarms. It takes him half hour to wake up and one just in case! So, I lay there wide awake for half hour and sometimes longer wide awake. It's a great occasion though to bully the hubby! ;)

Now I wonder how do people sleep through alarms??? do you?