Mary Rose Claire M.

Galbo

2007-35538

Thesis Dreams

Just recently, before 2009 ends, I have a series of dreams regarding my thesis. On the
first dream, I was in school waiting for Dr. Lacsamana, one of my choices for my thesis adviser.
Then, Dr. Peralta came, another choice for a thesis adviser and my favorite teacher in our
institute; I talked to her like I usually would and said that Dr. Lacsamana is my thesis adviser. In
reality, Dr. Peralta is a happy folk. She always smiles at me whenever I greet her outside class
but in that dream she was not smiling. She was frowning at me and seems to be unhappy with
my decision regarding my thesis.

I did not mind my dream much for I used to believe that the reverse happens when it’s
about my dreams. For example, I had a dream that I would get a 4 in my Chem44 but I got 2.75.
I was so worried about it because I failed three lecture exams in that subject. My scores were
mostly 50 plus and I don’t know anything about the fourth exam yet. I am very thankful that it did
not happen. That’s why when I woke up I was not worried much that I would make my favorite
teacher frown.

Going back to my dream series, on the same week after the first, I had my second
dream. Dr. Peralta was scolding me in her office because I haven’t started yet with my thesis.
This time I have a topic already, detection of toxin in Jatropha curcas L. via diffraction sensing,
the topic that addictive enough to make me attend the lecture series of DOST balik scientist, Dr.
Cynthia Goh, and make me miss a quiz in Math28. I started to get bothered when I woke up
because reality is catching up in my dreams. Hey, that’s something I really love to work on for a
thesis. The thought that at the moment I don’t have a thesis adviser yet bothered me. I was
even more pressured to get one when I talked to a block mate telling me that he is already
starting on his thesis with my least favorite teacher in my organic chemistry series. So that same
week I made up my mind and attempted to go to Dr. Peralta’s office. I am nervous whenever I
go there alone or when I think I’ve gathered up enough courage to talk to her, either she wasn’t
there or somebody is talking to her. A week after, I went to her office with my previous
classmates and confirmed that we will be working under her for our thesis.

During the weekends, Dr. Goh arrived to talk about the diffraction sensing stuff again but
this time not a lecture series but a small talk in the nanotechnology laboratory. Dr. Peralta
invited me to come since I was involved with the lecture series before and it is one of my options
for a thesis topic. Dr. Goh is really a very inspiring person and she motivated me once again to
do well with my studies and was a big influence when I finally decided to work with the
diffraction sensing stuff.

That night, after meeting with Dr. Goh, Dr. Peralta and some other people from the
lecture series I had another dream. This time it was about diffraction sensing and three ideas
that could possibly be the directions of my thesis. I was suggesting three things to work on
under that topic and I was conceptualizing things with Dr. Peralta’s research assistant, Kuya
Monrey. I was just sad that I failed to remember those ideas when I woke up. I was actually
planning to get another topic by then, the polyelectrolyte stuff for water remediation which is a
polymerization project, also under Dr. Peralta. But because of my dream, my interest in
biosensors and Dr. Goh’s influence, I went with the topic I dreamed about on my second dream.

Some nights after, I had my fourth dream. In this dream I was already gathering journal
articles for my chosen topic like what I do during Saturdays in reality. I was telling Kuya Monrey
that I have found a good article to compare my future results when Dr. Peralta texted me to
come over their house because she found journal articles to give to me for my methodology.
She was about to go to Manila or an important trip normal to a director of the Institute of
Chemistry. My last dream was walking around the hallways near Dr. Peralta’s office with a
friend. Dr. Peralta was behind us and I was having awkward feeling because I have not started
yet with my thesis outline. True enough, as of present, I am still reading a few articles regarding
diffraction sensing and just about to get some articles to finally start something for my thesis
outline.

According to Freud’s dream theory, a dream is a thought to fulfill wishes that go

ungratified during waking hours. This could have been true to my dream series. I was really
wishing to finalize things regarding my thesis before 2009 ends. I was not thinking about it a lot
when I had those dreams due to some more urgent requirements of my other subjects so
nothing gets done yet despite my desire to wrap things up. I was wishing I could finalize me
decision for my thesis adviser. Freud also says that many of our dreams are combinations of
distant early experiences and most recent daily events, but my dream series was more like the
latter, recent daily issues. Dreams have a manifest and latent content, manifest content being
the surface content and the latent content, the true meaning hidden in the images seen. This
however I do not account much for I believe there is no hidden meanings in my dream series
and they are just as what I saw them to be. Freud’s theory also deals so much with sex and
aggression I cannot connect to my dreams.

Cognitive theory of dreaming could perhaps explain my dreams better. This states that
dreaming could be understood by relying on the same cognitive process governing the waking
mind. Dreaming involves information, memory and problem solving. Dreams are viewed as a
mental realm to solve problems and think creatively. True enough, my dream series seemed to
be a means to solve my unresolved dilemmas. I am a very indecisive person; I could not make
important and even simple decisions immediately unlike other people. My dreams provided me
an extension to think critically and weigh things as to what interest me most. The three ideas for
my thesis I had in my third dream were also a manifestation of thinking creatively.

My dream series is really crazy for me but it gives a reality check of my thesis status and
a periodic reminder of what I should be doing. I could have ended 2009 without a thesis adviser
and a thesis topic without it. So, I’m thankful for my dreams whatever the real influence or
process that triggered it. I even hope more dreams would be added to this series until I finish my
thesis and I wish I could remember my creative ideas when I woke up just the way August
Kekule correctly accounted the structure of benzene from his dream of a snake biting its tail .^_^