I was born on 1957 in a cold winter morning. Her's a picture of me. I was one year old.

If someone asked me to use two words to describe the path I have lead in my life till now, I would have to say it has been one of hardship and perseverance. I have never been naïve; I realize that growing up in this day and age is difficult for anyone. But I have never shied away from any challenge that has been put before. Rather, I welcome it; I strived to be better than I was, to understand those around me and myself. In many ways I have succeeded.

I wasn’t born in Canada; rather, my parents emigrated here from Punjab, India when I was still a child. If someone were to step in my shoes they would merely have a glimpse of the culture shock I experienced when I first came here. In India I felt at home on our narrow streets roaming on bicycles and using slingshots on unsuspecting friends. Here in the wide open spaces of British Columbian society, I felt lost and alienated quite quickly. The city itself was undoubtedly beautiful to my eyes, but my heart found it difficult accepting my new surroundings.

My family were having financial problems as they just moved to a new country and were still settling in. The school I was enrolled in was one of the worst in British Columbia. When I began high school there I was referred to as the “dumpster kid” by my classmates and often bullied and picked on. Although this made me feel even more alone, my close relationship with my father helped greatly in expanding my view of the world and myself. Working as a Civil Engineer, I still cherish those times my father spent with me teaching me how to construct 3D models and blueprints of building. It was there I believe that my mind was first opened to the possibilities of designing and perceptual thinking.

Graduated from boarding school in 1975

Because the personal memoir is more demanding than the personal essay, for both writer and reader, it doesn’t fit into introductory courses as well as the personal essay. An intermediate-level course is a good place to introduce the memoir. However, if the instructor takes the time to explain and introduce the memoir form, it can be adapted for introductory courses.

The potential questions Moore asks in this exercise are meant to be answered in the memoir. While the memoir tries to make sense of experience, it also shares something in common with the personal essay - the exploration of the question, and the process of trying to arrive at an answer, is at least as important as the answer or resolution you may arrive at.

I tied the knot shortly after graduating college.

Weddings are all about making memories. They're packed full of what we used to call 'Kodak moments' - worth breaking out your camera for. These days, the 6 giga-pixel smartphones in our pockets mean we catalogue every moment of our lives, from bus stop selfies to home cooked meals. But be honest, when you're thinking back over the last ten years - or twenty - or thirty - what are you really going to remember? Your best friend's wedding, or that awesome turkey sub from the place by the station?

Of course, the wedding and the speech you give at it - will help to create a whole bunch of happy memories for the newlyweds and their guests. But it's worth keeping in mind that the unusual intimacy of a wedding crowd means that many people in the room will already share common memories - happy, sad, funny and outrageous - from years of family relationships and personal acquaintances.

Wherever there is common ground, there is an opportunity to get the crowd on side. Whether you're the Best Man, the Groom, or the Father of the Bride, sharing a memory about your friend, your new wife, or your daughter is a great way to warm the audience up and put a smile on everyone's face. Mutual friends and relations will delight at personal details that they recognize as authentic, and by awakening shared memories, or inviting your audience to think back to younger days, people who may not have seen each other for years can be brought closer together in an instant. It's difficult to provide specific examples because we're talking about stories and remembrances of the most personal kind, but we can provide a few pointers to get you thinking.

Firstly, and especially if you're playing for laughs, don't plow into any old story, however funny you think it is, without properly considering the impact it might have on a crowd who range from 3 to 93. If as Best Man, for example, your favorite shared memory with the Groom involves wrongdoing or criminality of any kind, maybe it would be best to save that one for a select few at the bar later. You don't want to scandalize Granny, or learn the hard way that Uncle Pete who you met before the service is an off-duty copper.

Secondly, as ever, exes are off-limits. Unless there are very special extenuating circumstances - like, say, the ex is dead and their donated organs saved the lives of everyone else at the top table - just don't go there. It is an unwritten rule of weddings that the Groom has no memories of relationships before they met the bride. Nothing to share here, people, move along, please…

On a more serious note, shared memory can sometimes involve a lost loved one. Tears are to be expected at a wedding, but not for the wrong reasons. Be sensitive to those closest to the departed before you bring up a lost relative in your speech; doubly so if the bereavement is recent. Have a word with those touched by the loss before you take to the mic, and seek their approval, rather than surprising them with an emotional gut-punch, however well-meaning you may be.