Morning the Night

Endless overnights. Long, long overnights.
Aside from the constant harassment and threats we get from the people around, one of the things that is constant in our lives in the publication is the overnight.

Because we are all students and has to, obviously, attend to our academics during daytime, we often do our works in the publication at night. We stay in the office and encode our reports or edit or layout, and sometimes, we stay overnight in the office just because we like it. We seldom sleep in our own beds that our housemates find it puzzling if they see us at home at night.

Of course, nobody is forced to stay awake the whole night. We do have sleeping mats in the office where you could catch a few naps side by side with anybody who happens to have the same plan as you. And I mean it when I say anybody. In the organization, it doesn't matter who is lying beside you when you sleep because malice has no place in here. Like what we always say, we are all brothers and sisters here.

We also have plenty of coffee in the office for those coffee addicts who just can't live a day with out coffee. You can stay awake the whole night, drink all the coffee (just don't blame us if something happens to you), sleep all you want or face the computer and do whatever it is that you do in front of the computer.

Because we are a weekly student publication, overnights are held almost always. If the deadline for the submission of reports is on Tuesday, then editing starts on Wednesday and usually lasts for two days or three at the most depending on the number of reports. Of course, Lay outing of the paper follows usually by friday or Saturday. The paper will then be passed to the printer either Saturday or Monday morning. Of course this means that, for editors, we have to stay overnight starting Wednesday night until the newspaper is released either Monday or Tuesday.

There are also times when we have to print six-page or eight-page issues and the newspaper has to be folded by the staff. This means another sleepless, back-breaking night.

So if you will analyze it carefully, if we would really follow this order we could only sleep normally on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Of course there are times when we have to skip the three-night luxury because we have to finish our projects or assignments.
How's that for a schedule?

Despite its unappealing reality, overnight is one of the greatest things in TN. Overnights does not only allow us to finish our jobs and fulfill our duties but it also allows us to know each one of us better. Its one great bonding moment where anything could just happen. Every overnight is an experience to remember.

Overnights are usually fun-filled nights full of laughter and enjoyment. While working of course. Missing one overnight is like missing half of your life. A lot of things could really happen and not being there could really send a pang of regret to your stomach.

Tiring it may seem but this is one activity in the publication that very few would want to miss. You will hate it at first but it could grow on you and before you know it, you don't want to go home anymore. Who would want to when you could have a fully airconditioned and internet connected slumberland complete with music, television and many other forms of entertainment (provided by the staff of course)?

Honestly, I wouldn't trade overnights for the world's most comfortable bed. Losing sleep is worth it when you are with the people you love and makes you happy.