dirty toilets strike back

today, let us talk about dreams.

no, i'm not referring to your ambition, your retirement plans or life long dreams. we can save that for another day. i'm talking about the dreams that takes over your mind when you're asleep.

a couple of days ago, i was just chatting with my friends about recurring dreams. one of them frequently dreams about falling down from a tall building. another used to dream about turning up in school, only to find that she was wearing her pajamas. most recurring dream reflects our anxieties and insecurities. for me, one of my most frequent dreams as a child was flying away.

yet, i adored my flying dreams because they always gave me a sense of exhilaration. in my dream, people would always be trying to catch me for something which i did not do. and in fear, my natural response would be to levitate and escape out of the window. sometimes when there were no windows, i would have to run along a clear road and slowly lift off, like how an aeroplane takes off on the runway. the most exciting part of my dream would be when i'm up in the air and laughing at everyone chasing after me on the ground.

well, while the dream always began in anxiety, it usually ended well. however, it was not until two nights ago when i was reminded of my other recurring dreams - the unpleasant ones.

since my teenage years, i started having recurring dreams of being kidnapped by strangers in a foreign land, dying in an accident, getting stuck in very dirty toilets. two nights ago, my dirty-toilet dream came back with a vengeance to terrify me.

the dream began with me visiting an old friend at his place. somehow along the way, i had to go and ease myself so i went to his bathroom. and somehow there was so much toilet paper stuck in his toilet bowl that i couldn't flush down and the water started to overflow. i tried to escape from the bathroom, but i realised the door was stuck. i couldn't escape, and i was dying of fright (if not from the contamination). when i jerked out of the dream, i almost wanted to call my friend to scold him. it was too real.

and just yesterday, i was unfortunate enough to experience something not too far from my horrifying nightmare. yesterday morning, i was down with diarrhoea but having been through too many diarrhoeas in the past year, i brushed it off and went ahead to work. another reason why i wanted to go to work was because my centres were having some event at the stadium and i did not want to miss it.

so the morning passed by quite swiftly and peacefully. when the lunch time came and i happily gobbled down the packed bento in hunger. and soon before two hours were up, the churning started and i found myself unable to hold my bowels. i rushed to the toilet immediately. but to my horror, the toilet was one of the filthiest one i've seen (in real life)

the floor was strewn with toilet paper and grass, the room stank of urine, and everywhere was wet and slippery. the scene was taken straight out of my dream.

of cos, i had no choice. i was at my wit's end. i had to use the toilet or risk doing it in my jeans (yes, i was wearing long pants.) the experience was petrifying, multiplied too many times.

and so, the rest was history and i do not want to bore or disgust you with the intricate details. while i can't control what i dream about, i swear the next time i'm down with diarrhoea, i am staying put at home.