| Friday, August 03, 2007 |
| dreams of the week |
Remember the dream diary that I had to keep for 7 days?
It's finally over and done with! I'm not sure why I found it such a hassle, since I regularly relate my dreams to my friends. I even have written (or rather typed) records in emails and things like that, because I enjoy sharing my dreams quite a lot! But this was different, somehow. Maybe because of the trouble of having to force myself to sit up and write down my dreams, which always take up so much space as they're always very detailed. I got tired of writing it all down and the descriptions got shorter and shorter by the day. I'm afraid that by doing this I've already introduced some error into the study!
Like I said before, this study is not going to be about analysis of dream content, but rather about the senses people experience in their dreams, and the vividness of their dreams. That was partly why I neglected the description segment, which I regret a little now since we had to add up the number of nouns and adjectives - of which I would have a lot more if I had bothered to be more precise and write everything down! It would also have been a more accurate measure of my dream content. But anyways, it was still an interesting experience because now I better appreciate the difficulties that researchers face in gathering data!
There's something that this study doesn't touch on, but which is often a prominent component of my dreams - emotion. I often experience emotions in my dreams, and they always make sense in the context of the dream. They're not always strong emotions; sometimes they're subtle, like in real life. I almost never forget the emotional dreams - I remember that when I was younger (maybe when I was 12) I dreamt that I'd gotten lost and I was very scared and alone, until a mysterious lady in black appeared and led me to safety.
A couple of years ago, I dreamt that this evil spirit wanted to harm me. I experienced what I suppose you can call bone-chilling fear. She looked like a little girl, wearing a white dressing gown, with long hair, red eyes. Ok very stereotypical lah I know...but the look in her eyes! It was as though she was consumed by an overwhelming hatred for me and a desire to harm, even kill, me.
Then there are all those times where I've dreamt of missing my assignment deadline or not being prepared for my exams...haha.
Just this week, I dreamt of a friend I'd not seen for very long and whom I have a few regrets about. I remember the way I felt when I saw this friend in my dream - a bit of sorrow and regret. Bittersweet, almost.
I've had dreams in the past where I've woken up screaming or crying before too, though thank God they never happen anymore.
It's not just negative emotions though. Sometimes in my dreams I feel completely enveloped by a sense of peace and security and warmth. :)
I don't like the dreams I've been having since I've had to keep the dream diary. I suspect the very act of anticipating a dream makes you dream all the more, and I've been dreaming like crazy, all sorts of absurd dreams!
Here's an except:
I dreamt that I had to draw two circles 4.3 cm in diameter. Was trying to do so in a wood-paneled left. Kept trying to measure 4.3 cm using a ruler but something seemed to be wrong with it.
Haha very weird right? But I think I know where this comes from... I've been reading this book called The Parrot's Theorem, which is about an old shopkeeper who receives a library of books on maths from a long-lost friend. He'd never been interested in mathematics, but decided to study some mathematicians to better understand his friend. Soon after, he receives an official letter announcing that a charred body had been found in the burnt down house of his friend. The dead person is assumed to be the friend (I haven't read until the end yet, there is always the possibility that the dead body isn't the friend!) and so he, along with a parrot, a deaf boy, a pair of teenaged twins and their mother (they live together with him but they're not related), embark on a...er, mathematical adventure to solve the mystery.
Omg I sound so much like a blurb. Anyways, the book is full of diagrams and equations and the like. God knows what I'm doing reading such a book, since Maths has traditionally given me headaches instead of pleasure. I must admit I've skipped over many of the parts where they elaborate on certain mathematical principles and problems which I still don't understand now, even though I know I've encountered many of them in my pre-tertiary years - geometry! algebra! trigonometry! curves! differentiation! integration! sine! cosine! logarithmns! imaginary numbers! irrational numbers! I think my eyes glaze over when I see these things, LOL.
But the book is surprisingly good reading. It's not fast-paced or exciting in the traditional mystery novel way, but it's got a hook somewhere. I suppose I'd be able to appreciate it so much if I actually understand the Maths, but still it is interesting to learn about the lives of ancient and contemporary mathematicians. Did you know, for example, that early mathematicians were philosphers and even poets? (Interestingly, Psychology also has its roots in Philosophy!) Also, that Newton was also a mathematician? Ok maybe everyone else knows this but for me Newton has always been the dude who came up with the idea of gravity when an apple fell on his head... and I've always associated his name with Physics!
Yup so the circles and diameters obviously come from the book. Didn't think I'd dream of it though, haha!
Last night, I also had this dream of one of my aunts telling me that I had a male cousin living in Tampa Bay. I know the name 'Tampa Bay' comes from my JRN1903 Reader - I came across it a few times yesterday while reading it. The weird thing was, however, that this 'cousin' of mine is also called... ESTHER. Of all names, really! My aunt was also enthusiastically telling me in my dream that no one was cuter than this cousin of mine. This part doesn't make any sense at all!!!
According to Cece, this means I have a secret desire to be a man.
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posted by esther @ 4:18 PM  |
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| 2 Comments: |
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Week of weird dreams...hhaha...I wanna dream about my bishies again XD (and that is NOT a weird dream)
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Week of weird dreams...hhaha...I wanna dream about my bishies again XD (and that is NOT a weird dream)