Joshua Foer, a US memory champion, reflects on various metaphors we use to talk about memory. His personal one:
Memory is a playground. It’s not my own metaphor, that’s what I was once told by the man who trained me to become a mental athlete. The act of making something memorable involves finding what is meaningful, significant and colourful in a piece of information or experience. The more fun you have with this, the stickier your memories will be.
The Dish 