Phew.. I survived making 24 wraps.. 24 muffins and 24 spring rolls..Now my back is killing me..
I asked this question this morning along with the wrap post.. I thought I will re post it again because I really want to know the answer.
I never thought the way I remember things were anything special. I think the first time I realized it was something different from other people was when I watched the movie The Assassin. There was a graveyard scene in the movie and the guy was being trained to remember the names on the grave stones. I thought hmmm.. isn’t that how everyone sees and remembers things?
What I want to know is how do you remember things? Rather how am I seeing things differently than you? If you hold a book in your hand and then close your eyes, you can see the book in your mind. Right?
Then why/how am I different?
Daughters of Tomorrow
Nooo..Sarah..Your gift is special…Infact I have learned it only in classrooms and have met only one person with ur ability of photographic memory…
See this..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_memory
Now if Im not compared to your spectacular memory, I consider myself to have a pretty good memory.I cannot remember specific colours or details,but I remember conversations and situations especially the traumatic ones…Not a good trait I guess..:(
The best part of ur memory is..there are certain type of memory skills which can be trained..but not yours…
This is how I remember things and I think it’s quite different from the way you do,
When I read a book, I imagine/visualize things. It’s the concept I remember not the exact content in the book. Page numbers, chapter number etc no idea why, I skip to register I guess. My concentration is mostly on the topic name and I will only be able to rephrase it in my own words.
Let me give you an example, while I am reading your blog, I visualize the events through your narration. I have images of you, your mom, sisters, ammachi etc. When I have some time I will draw the pictures and send them to you, let us see how close to realty my imagination is. I used to score high in subjects other than math, especially algebra was a challenge. It not the calculations that I am averse to, but the abstract stuff. I could easily solve the problems in physics because they were quantifiable. Algebra is abstract in nature with imaginary values, integral of zero to infinity, never got the concept or it application in the real world. I don’t mind if some one calls me dumb for not understanding, for I am quite successful in my career without it and completed my engineering in Computers with distinction. One more thing to add, smells trigger my past memories like, I used Ponds powder (lavender) after a long time and it reminded me of hostel immediately, I used it a lot during my college days. Btw, I had a classmate who we used to make fun of; he could print the text book in the exams.
Not to mention, reading your blog brings back all my childhood memories, you have gone thru a lot Nina (I relate to Nina than Sarah, and wish Sarah never had to go thru all this).
Jina: I read your comment and the wiki article and I have been thinking ever since. A lot of things makes sense now..Why I never fit in any group. Most of my classmates hated me because no one ever could understand that I, who never attended a class could pass the exams, even do a practical the first time during the exams!
I was always alone because I was safe in my world of books and memories. Any time I am upset, I close my eyes and go back to a particular event.. and I will be fine after a while.
But now more than anything I am worried about Yaya. I can see myself in her and I really hope she won’t feel the social isolation I always felt..I hope she won’t go through it.. I really really hope..
Tina: tell me how do you see me.. I would love to know..
I must tell you.. I hated Maths as a child..Like you I never understtod the concept and after SSLC I didn’t want to do anything with Maths. But now I sit with Yaya when she does her Kumon..She is doing Algebra, a subject I never thought I would understand.. yet I can explain to her now.. It is like in the last 20 years something changed in my brain without me ever knowing it.
When I read about smell triggering memories for you.. I thought I could identify with that.. The only reason I am a good cook is because my obsession to recreate something I ate.. I need to smell and taste it.. and the only way I could do it by cooking it myself and I am obsessed when it comes to things like that.
Hi Sarah
No I think very few people are really gifted with this photographic memory. How I wish i had it at times 🙂
I remember stuff I find interesting, random things, using various acronyms, made up sentences and so on.
Which is why I guess I usually like subjects like Math or things which involve a concept rather than theories or details 🙂
If it really is very theory intensive reading it a few times is what helps remember
Hi,
I was reading ur blog posts and found some of them to be very good.. u write well.. Why don’t you popularize it more.. ur posts on ur blog ‘Daughters of Tomorrow’ took my particular attention as some of them are interesting topics of mine too;
BTW I help out some ex-IIMA guys who with another batch mate run http://www.rambhai.com where you can post links to your most loved blog-posts. Rambhai was the chaiwala at IIMA and it is a site where users can themselves share links to blog posts etc and other can find and vote on them. The best make it to the homepage!
This way you can reach out to rambhai readers some of whom could become your ardent fans.. who knows.. 🙂
Cheers,
Ray
I have another way i tend to remember things,it is pretty weird because i haven’t met other people who do it too. I associate things with color, smell and texture. This is usually true with people i meet, names i have to remember etc.
For example when i think of a particular friend, the first thing that pops into my mind is the smell, color or texture associated with them. Usually the association makes no sense because it has no relation with the person!