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So after finishing lunch at work today, I realized that I had several minutes left on my lunch break. I decided to check to see any new blog posts, and I found a post by the Daily Post describing their weekly writing challenge called “I Remember.” Here’s a link to it.

On that post there are four different challenges, each involving a memory. The goal is to practice writing whatever comes to your mind for ten minutes. Since I’m starting to run out of time, I’m going to do mine for only five minutes. All the harder.

Prompt I chose:

  • Your earliest memory. Capture every detail. Document the quality of the memory — is it as sharp as HDTV or hazy and ethereal, enveloped in fog? Write for 10 minutes (5 minutes in my case). Go.

When I think back and try to recall my earliest memory, I find it very difficult to distinguish between real memories and dreams I had when I was young. I remember having a LOT of dreams when I was a kid, and they seem even easier to remember.

I think I read somewhere once that our earliest memory is usually around age 3. I think I fall in this category because my third birthday party was probably my first memory (unless, of course, that memory of me as a baby was not a dream).

I was visiting the Philippines at the time with my family, and we were staying at a relative’s house. The two things that I remember best was that 1. it was extremely hot and 2. they gave me way too much food. I have a vivid memory of the food piling up to be at least a foot high, mostly rice. I was young, and it was almost scary.

Anyways, since I’m running out of time (1 minute to go!), I’ll cut to the chase.

My clearest memory at my third birthday party was going to the bathroom to wash my hands. Yes, out of all the exciting things that were happening with tons of relatives around, my most vivid memory was going to the bathroom. Weird, I know, but the most mundane things stick the most, I guess.

Okay, five minutes is up and I have to return to work. Hope you enjoyed my earliest memory.