In the West it's ladies first. But in Japan the ladies wait and let the men go first.

Do I want to represent Hong Kong in the 2012 Olympics in Taekwondo? It's possible.

Have you ever been served a drink in a plastic bag (with a straw)? That's how you get a drink "to go" in some places in the world.

It's not every day that the BBC contacts you!
It was nothing spectacular though. I wrote to them a little while back saying that the prices they had on their travel website for NYC subway passes was wrong.

Are there ideas that are unformulated/undiscovered at this point? Or is everything that is considered novel/creative just a synthesis of prior ideas, or something held by another culture? If you look at any movie plot, they all have elements of older stories. And if not, they borrow philosophical ideas or things from other disciplines.

Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: No eye deer

Q: What do you call a fish with no eyes?
A: Fsh

Who is the greatest person that ever lived? How would you go about deciding? If "greatest" means most influential, then you'd have an easy time. What if the greatest person wasn't documented in history?

Setting goals to achieve something specific conflicts with leaving yourself open to seize opportunities. So what should we do? Don't sit on the fence and say a bit of both. Research on goal setting has shown that they are most likely achieved if they are specific, measurable and have deadlines. So, you're not really setting a goal if you are vague. I'm not talking about a general vision statement either. I'm talking about goals vs. being flexible, taking risks and being able to seize opportunities. Am I guilty of all-or-nothing thinking?

There are many people out there that work 7 days a week. I was wondering why the people who work 7 days a week, but who aren't required to (to keep their job) or don't have to (to earn enough to survive) do it. I can understand that if they have strong desire for promotions or recognition, that that's what drives them to do that. But, is that healthy or desirable? Isn't there something maladaptive happening? Aren't they making their happiness contingent on getting that promotion/recognition? Are there people that work 7 days a week primarily for the intrinsic benefit of it, or for the social benefit that their job may have? It's admirable when people have drives and passions, but not when they are based on shallow/superficial reasons.

Jif or Skippy?

Etiquette in an interesting thing. What's the point of having any? It's artificial, and restrains us from our natural tendencies/instincts. But, because it's artificial, it helps us deal with things and express things (like emotions) in ways that others can tolerate. It inhibits us from acting on our offensive impulses - it makes us civilized.

I can understand why people have an incredulous look when they learn that I'm from overseas but don't speak a language other than English. I really should speak more than one language. Between them, my parents speak 5 - English, Cantonese, Tagalog, Hindi and Sindhi. I studied German for 7 years, but that was more for academic than practical purposes. I haven't practiced in over 4 years and consequently I've forgotten just about all of it.

They say when there's a will there's a way. But, I don't know what language I should learn. At this point I can probably get most practice in Spanish. But, would I be using it in the future? Do I want to invest the effort? Do I have the will?

I can't believe they've added "bootylicious" to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary). What is this world coming to?!

George Bernard Shaw said that the US and UK are "two nations divided by a common language"... I think that's still true today. A lot of words and phrases are different, not to mention the pronounciation.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
- Harold Whitman

Based on how I interpret what the world needs, I don't agree with this. The world would be a better place if there was a stronger sense of social responsibility. Ideally people would find a middle ground between their wants/desires and what the world/society needs.

Is it a bad thing when you're cooking and adding a variety of spices, herbs and other flavors to the dish and the person who tries it when it's done says it has a very "natural" taste? I suppose that I should be content that the dish was enjoyed (and very healthy).