Handy Tip for Memorization:
I found this tip on lifehacker.com- basically put one fact that you are trying to remember on a notecard and focus on memorizing that one fact- pretty elementary....

http://lifehacker.com/software/learning/how-to-make-effective-flash-cards-185927.php

Now, for the serious memorization geek, I suggest a box filled with tiny bits of paper. Back in my rowdy ;) undergrad days, I studied for the vocabulary section of the GRE (Graduate Record Exam). I made lists of vocabulary words and cut them into tiny bits and put them in an old check box. When riding on the bus or waiting for a class, I would pull out the "box of words"-picking them out randomly and figuring out the meaning. I then set those aside that I did not know for future lookup. Through this system, I learned the meaning of such HIGHLY useful words as caparison, evanescent, uxorial and copralite- I won't ruin the suspense for you! Go look them up! If you don't believe me about the word box, just ask Marcy- www.marcysackett.blogspot.com -I'm sure I still have it somewhere... -Kyle