Dream on…

Dream (dri:m) n: a sequence of scenes and feelings occurring in the mind during sleep.

Nevertheless, as it is ingrained in the nature of all human beings to over-analyse simple things, this simple 'sequence of scenes' too have been probed and dissected into mincemeat. The following are the interpretations of some common dreams:

Being chased
Chase dreams often stem from feelings of anxiety in your walking life. In these dream scenarios, you are usually running away, hiding, or trying to outwit your pursuer. Chase dreams may represent your way of coping with fears, stress or various situations in your waking life. Instead of confronting the situation, you are running away and avoiding it. The pursuer or attacker who is chasing you in your dream may also represent a part of you. Your own feelings of anger, jealousy, fear, and possibly love, can assume the appearance of threatening figure.
One may be consumed by their own anger, jealousy, love, or self-destructive behaviour. You may subconsciously be threatened by these actions which have been jeopardising your relationships and/or career. Your dreams are a way of calling attention to these self-destructive actions.

A more direct analysis of chase dreams is the fear of being attacked. These dreams are inspired by fears of violence and assault in which we are so over-exposed from the media. The violence that the media portrays magnifies our fears and how at risk we all are.

Flying
Flying dreams fall under a category of dreams where you become aware that you are dreaming, known as lucid dreaming. Many dreamers have described the ability to fly in their dreams as an exhilarating, joyful, and liberating experience.

If you are flying with ease and enjoying the scene and landscape below, then it suggests that you are on top of a situation. You have risen above something and feel unbeatable. It may also mean that you have gained a different perspective on things. Flying dreams and the ability to control your flight is representative of your own personal sense of power.
Having difficulties staying in flight indicates a lack of power in controlling your own circumstances. You may be struggling to stay aloft and stay on course. Things like power lines, trees, or mountains may further obstruct your flight. These barriers represent a particular obstacle or person who is standing in your way in your waking life.

If you are feeling fear when you are flying or that you feel that you are flying too high, then it suggests that you are afraid of challenges and of success.

Falling
Falling dreams are another theme that is quite common in the world of dreams. As with most common dream themes, falling is an indication of insecurities, instabilities, and anxieties. You are feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in your waking life. This may reflect the way you feel in your relationship or in your work environment. When you fall, there is nothing that you can hold on to. You more or less are forced toward this downward motion without any control. This lost of control may parallel a waking situation in your life.

Falling dreams also often reflect a sense of failure or inferiority in some circumstance or situation. It may be the fear of failing in your job/school, loss of status, or failure in love. You feel shameful and are unable to keep up with the status quo.

Falling dreams typically occur during the first stage of sleep. Dreams in this stage are often accompanied by muscle spasms of the arms, legs, and the whole body and you may even awaken from the jerk.

Failing an exam
To dream that you are taking an exam, indicates that you are being put to the test or being scrutinised in some way. Such dreams highlight your feelings of being anxious and agitated. You may find that you cannot answer any of the questions on the test, the test is in some foreign language, time is running out or you arrive late at the exam? These dreams usually have to do with your self-esteem and confidence or your lack of. You are worried that you are not making the grade and measuring up to other people's expectations of you.

These dreams also suggest that you may feel unprepared for a challenge. Rarely, are these dreams about the content of the test, but rather the process and how you are feeling during the exam taking process. Generally, you feel distressed and frustrated. These feelings may parallel how you are feeling in a particular challenge or situation in your waking like.
Dreams of this nature are also an indication that you are being judged. You may be having this dream because you feel guilty that you are neglecting your preparation for a school exam, meeting, business project, or some challenge.

I'll end this article with the words of Tommy Cooper, who once said, "Last night I dreamed I ate a ten-pound marshmallow, and when I woke up the pillow was gone."

Source: dreammoods.com
By Raya Mahbuba

Oddly enough

Canadian newspapers expected to be a lot more fun to read as Canadian reporters can now use the F-word
Not too long ago, it was the word that provoked horrified parents to wash their children's mouths out with soap. But the vulgarity that falls somewhere between "fuchsia" and "fuddle" in the dictionary has persevered to earn a grudging public acceptance.

Editors are pondering how - or whether - to include the expletive. "We found the word was creeping into our news stories on a fairly regular basis, probably because people are saying it more and more in public, and various media pick it up on their microphones and recorders," said an editor.

The addition to Caps of what might well be the English language's best-known curse word would have been unnecessary 20 years ago because it just didn't appear in print that often. Now it's routinely listed in dictionaries and in movies that aren't rated R and can be heard regularly in acclaimed TV shows like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. It's used to convey annoyance, despair, anger, incredulity and lust. It's a verb, a noun, an adjective, an adverb - even verbal punctuation.

"It's much more socially acceptable than it used to be," says another editor-in-chief. "I hear children using it a lot. I hear them walking down the street saying it, and I mean young children who are only nine or 10 years old. Maybe children that age have always been running around yelling it, but I don't think so. Somewhere along the line it has lost some of its power, but that doesn't mean that it's not still offensive to certain portions of the population."

"Daily journalism is very quick to reflect the way people use language, especially when it comes to slang. There was a time when the expression 'sucks' would have been considered vulgar; now you see it everywhere," she said.
Language is an ever-evolving beast. Today's vulgarities may very likely be tomorrow's toothless expressions of frustration. [cnews.canoe.ca]

Japanese brewery making non-alcoholic beer for children, because "Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink"
The Japanese company behind Kidsbeer, a non-alcoholic beverage that looks like the real thing, is apparently shipping 75,000 bottles of the stuff a month. From The Japan Times: Satoshi Tomoda, president of the beverage maker, said: "Children copy and mimic adults. If you get this drink ready on such occasions as events and celebrations attended by kids, it would make the occasions even more entertaining."

The Kidsbeer label captures a nostalgic mood as it was modeled after classic beer labels.

"Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink," reads the product's advertising slogan. [boingboing.net]

South African drivers most aggressively incompetent in the world. Article writer clearly has never visited Dhaka.
South African drivers are the worst road rage offenders in the world, an international survey has found.

Some 67% of South African motorists reported aggressive behaviour directed at them in the past year - more than in any of the 10 countries surveyed.

Eleven per cent were at the receiving end of threatening behaviour, with the aggressor getting out of his vehicle, ready for a fight, the report said.

South Africa's road rage is set to worsen as car numbers rise, it says. South Africans have always had a reputation for being poor drivers, who see their cars as an extension of their egos. But the survey makes it official.

South African motorists proved more fiery than their counterparts in Brazil, France, Greece, India, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, the UK and the US. The cost of this poor behaviour contributes to a staggering toll in crashes: 36 deaths a day, and a bill of more $5bn a year. [news.bbc.co.uk]

Compiled by Ahmed Ashiful Haque

Shout out

Hey people!
It's all about friendship this month at Shout. Take a minute to write in a message to tell all your buddies how much they mean to you. I think the A Level results are out...I hope everyone is satisfied! And best of luck to everyone waiting for their O Level results to come out. Meanwhile, send in your shouts to shout13@gmail.com!

Hi PIA ! Happy birthday (23 August). Wish you a very happy and enjoyable birthday. Celebrate the day with your family, friends and many ones and certainly with me in distance. Take care and goodbye.....MASUD

This is to all my best friends: Lami, Benazir, Saima, Raihan, Samiul, Labib, Danny, Mishaal and the rest. I have spent the last 8 years in your company and they've been the best of my life. I can't imagine spending them with anyone else as blissfully as I have with you all. Even though we've been split up into different sections, I truly hope that our friendship will never fall apart. We will always remain together and our ways shall never part.
Love to you all,
Fariz {iceG}

Holla Bro's
What's up to all the buddies of mine..! Feeling cool, yeah? I just want to say To all buddies of mine that "You guys ROCK ..BIG TIME..!" Missing all the "ADDAs" bro.......Missing them like hell....Anyway…You guys take care and keep in touch
Amit Biswas (From MIT School of management, Pune)

Hi Farhana,
How are you, pal? I'm missing you a lot. I haven't seen you for ages. I just hope that you stay cool. Just in case you forgot my number its 0176789707.You can call me anytime you want. Anyway, take care. FRIENDS FOREVER.
Tommy.

Hey Atina, (natuna paga)
As we are growing older
Things are changing,
But they don't always have to end.
Even though it is different now,
You will always be my best friend!
love you dost!
-Preanka (frinka ;)

Hi Farhana,
As the friendship day went by, I just remembered the great, funny and enjoyable times we had spent together. I'd be lying if I say I don't want them back. Anyway,I just stopped to give you a short message-Farhana, Banna-FRIENDS FOREVER.
From Banna.

MARUF!
Yesterday I looked in the mirror for the first time in weeks, and I saw a vampire with shadowed eyes, long hair I've not cut for you and a pale shrunken face. I don't know how to say this, but my feelings towards you have changed since last year. I just wanted to tell you-there's no need to run away from me, I only wanted to be your friend. You're too great and brilliant to be the friend of a nerd like me, I guess. Well, sorry for anything rude I've done to you. Good luck, Mr Handsamo!
-Four-eyed Miss Pimple of 6A
(or Tasmia)

By the Hitch-hiker
[ATTENTION: This column is NOT responsible for negative (or otherwise) outcome of the messages printed in it. The thoughts and opinions printed in this column are entirely the sender's own and Shout Out does not endorse them in any way. Please do NOT abuse the column by using it to play pranks. Personal information will be printed at the sender's expense and we do NOT take ANY responsibility for any inconvenience to anyone.]

Jokes

Do you know me?
A small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial -- a grandmotherly, elderly woman.
He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"
She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me.
You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a rising big shot when you haven't the brains to realise you will never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you." The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the defence attorney?" She replied, "Why, yes I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too.
I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem.
The man can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him."
At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counsellors to the bench.
In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, "If either of you asks her if she knows me, you'll be jailed for contempt!"