Reading a few friends’ blogs brought back some recollections — though my brain is impressively forgetful. A while back I went down to Tainan, and before leaving I tried to recall what life there had been like. Strangely, I couldn’t. But once I actually arrived, something in my brain clicked, and memories of my university days played back like a fast-forwarded recording.
Without many records to anchor them, I started to doubt my own past — my younger face, my old way of thinking.
While searching for old photos for wedding preparation, I couldn’t explain the sense of strangeness I felt looking at them. That feeling of unfamiliarity actually made the images press more deeply into my mind. People and moments I’d forgotten came flooding back, and I realized that memory is like a skill — it needs to be practiced repeatedly to stay sharp.
Today, stuck indoors during a typhoon, reading and thinking, I suddenly tried to recall basic things: What was my student ID in each school? What courses did I take? Who were my teachers? I could barely answer any of them.
Not long ago I reunited with some high school friends — the only ones from before university that I’m still in contact with. Thanks to modern technology, we can still chat on MSN at any time. And I thought to myself: if technology hadn’t advanced to this point, how many of those friendships would I still have?
So, even though Microsoft isn’t exactly a universally beloved company — thank you.
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