Core memories are a set of emotional memories that can have a significant impact on how we feel and see the world, and subsequently forever shaping our personality. Inspired by the core memories of Inside Out, here are unforgettable core memories during the course of my life that have transformed me into who I am today.
1. One of my earliest memories is of my mom putting me to sleep every night when I was in elementary school. She worked from home as a seamstress, and she would pause her work to rock me to sleep before returning to her sewing. Sometimes she would have to do this multiple times in a night, resulting in a complete disrupt of flow in her workload. Oops.
2. Walking to the 99-cent store as a child with my sister was a pleasant, familiar experience. It took only 10 minutes, but it was great to be able to buy the randomest items at the store, including, of course, a big bag of chips. Last I checked, this store is now a “Mini Mart.” Inflation has really screwed us over in that department.
3. Watching episodes of Pokemon in the early morning before school was a fantastic experience. Especially seeing the Pokerap every now and again… that one episode where Charmander was nursed to good health by Ash forever is implanted in my memory, resulting in an eventual Charmander sketched into my skin permanently.
4. Negative memories also encompass part of my spirit, especially when Mexicans followed me home and beat me up in the 4th grade. If we really want to #StopAsianHate, we have to acknowledge who’s actually committing racist acts against Asians. Quite tragic.
5. In the 5th grade, my teacher noticed after several months that I didn’t make any friends. So, she walked up to me and said, “Isn’t it time you made friends?” This resulted in me having the courage (and probably also out of embarrassment) to make my first friend at the handball courts, Thiep Mai.
6. We never forget our first rejection. I made the mistake of telling my friend in the 6th grade who I had a crush on, resulting in him telling her best friend. She walked up to me on the handball courts and told me I was gay. It didn’t make much sense logically, but it hurt quite deeply at the time.
7. This resulted in many years of insecurity and discomfort, but I was able to bounce back in high school. One notable event to restore my self-esteem was winning Winter Formal King, thanks to the helpful nerds pushing me towards the top.
8. Nobody forgets their first relationship! As magical as the start of the relationship was, it eventually descended into chaos when I was late to her choir concert because my friend was playing basketball and lost track of time.
9. The start of college felt like a whole new adventure – and I was forever grateful to Howard and his parents for easing that transition into the dorms with of course some delicious Panda Express.
10. Nothing quite lights up the spirit like the meal that changes your life forever. The second time I went to Phil’s BBQ forever changed my life. The taste of those ribs became a part of my personality from that point onwards, resulting in eventually 200, and as of right now, 212 visits.
11. Late nights staying up and playing board games allowed me to forever appreciate the value of quality time with friends (and pillow talk!). I’ll never forget the times we stayed up all night to play Bang!, Loaded Questions, among a few other games.
12. My love for 24 continued to grow over the years, but nothing catapulted it quite as much as the 24 marathons I did on campus at UCSD. During a nerve gas attack in one of the episodes, one of my roommates very famously threw up in the living room—probably due to the sheer terror of the episode (and his drinking).
13. Ron Paul was the politician I appreciated the most in college, even going as far as to travel to Iowa to campaign for him before the Iowa Caucuses. It was there I discovered a true disdain for the mainstream media and how they distort everything. Everything he claimed still continues to be true, as the value of the dollar decreases due to the Federal Reserve and inflationary policies of all administrations.
14. Moving to Las Vegas would forever traumatize me, specifically when my head gasket blew up, resulting in an eventual exit from the freeway. I then had to navigate by myself the acquisition of a new vehicle (I sure got scammed in the process paying sticker price) and eventually make a fresh start by myself in Las Vegas.
15. At the end of my favorite year teaching to date (the 2016-2017 school year), I went on the end-of-the-year camping trip with some of my favorite students (and teachers). It was quite an unforgettable experience seeing new sights, making new memories, and, of course, staying up super late on the last night of the trip to deal with unnecessary teenage drama.
16. My trip to Europe was my first time ever being out of the country. It was a fantastic experience trekking parts of Europe—my favorite experiences being, of course, seeing the beautiful scenery in Switzerland, visiting wineries and eating baguettes in France, and seeing the Duomo and getting scammed in Italy.
17. Nothing will quite trump the July 4th weekend that was Anime Expo 2018. Not only did I feel much more comfortable in my role as one of the assistant managers, but I also happened to meet my future wife that weekend, Katherine Pham. I wouldn’t know it till later, but me giving her a dose of Emergen-C was just the start of something new. And it felt so right, being here with… her.
18. My final field trip at Rise Kohyang Middle School was by far my most impactful—exploring UCSD, wasting money for 100 students in Embassy Suites hotel rooms, and, of course, spending close to 3k on Phil’s BBQ for the entire 7th grade body. It was unforgettable and was my departing gift.
19. Leaving RKMS was a tragic experience at the time, but proved to be one of the best moments of my life in retrospect. It allowed me to move on, plot my eventual move back to Orange County, and relocate to a better and more successful district ever since.
20. The OC Fair in 2019 is unforgettable, because it was the moment where Katherine and I would start to solidify our relationship, all in the form of a magical kiss that would happen at the end of the night (after getting lost looking for our parking spot).
21. Though not the best vacation we’ve been on (and definitely not the best cruise), it was the first. And that makes for an unforgettable core memory. From delicious tacos in Mexico to having one of the best nights of sleep ever, it was a vacation for the ages.
22. In March 2022, my life would forever change when Katherine made the decision to accept my marriage proposal. After proposing at the lighthouse in Long Beach, we would have friends and family do a painting of the proposal. It was quite epic in retrospect, if I must say so myself.
23. Another unforgettable vacation (if not the best) was Hawaii. From seeing the beautiful scenery at Manoa Falls, to the delicious Spam musubis eaten at every ABC store, to fighting dinosaurs at Kualoa Ranch, it is forever a fantastic memory etched into my heart.
24. Everything became real when our marriage was solidified on our wedding date. Despite being quite a cold day, it was a magical experience getting married to my own Disney princess. It was such an unforgettable night that I was so excited afterward, I couldn’t sleep the rest of that night.
I have no doubt I’ll continue to create more core memories in the future, especially with Katherine by my side. Here’s to hoping our trip to Canada next week will be just as magical, as life keeps surprising us in new and profound ways.
