If you could go back in time and tell your teenage self a thing or two, what would it / they be?  I got this idea from a discussion forum I occasionally lurk in, and here’s a list of things I came up with:

- I know you don’t have the faintest clue what you want to study at university; that in itself is perfectly normal. But, for crying out loud don’t waste your time doing a pseudo-science like geology..

- For that matter, why the f**k did you not continue with maths or economics?

- Get disposable contacts asap. You’re gonna have trouble making friends with a crappy eyesight like that. And take better care of your eyes.

- Go out and talk to girls more. You’ll be surprised how well you get along with some of them.

- Don’t look down on your classmates who talk about hitting it big. True, you can probably lead a happy life without much money, but having money will make you even happier.

After I finished writing, I realized I can easily incorporate some of them into my life NOW.  It really is never too late to start, I suppose. All told, I’m enjoying my life.

There are three classical Chinese novels that enjoy immense popularity in present-day Japan, having been adapted or parodied into numerous novels, comic books, animation, drama series, and video games. In Mandarin, they are ”Shuihu Zhuan” (水滸傳); “Xiyou Ji” (西遊記）; and “Sanguo Yanyi” (三國演義). So I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that this film starring Andy Lau and Maggie Q has been stirring a buzz of excitement in Japan (as well as China, etc.) and I too will definitely be paying a visit to the cinema, even though I hardly ever go nowadays.

Girls’ names have a huge effect on their affinity for math and physics. From the Guardian:

Parents are being warned to think long and hard when choosing names for their babies as research has discovered that girls who are given very feminine names, such as Anna, Emma or Elizabeth, are less likely to study maths or physics after the age of 16, a remarkable study has found.

Both subjects, which are traditionally seen as predominantly male, are far more popular among girls with names such as Abigail, Lauren and Ashley, which have been judged as less feminine in a linguistic test. The effect is so strong that parents can set twin daughters off on completely different career paths simply by calling them Isabella and Alex, names at either end of the spectrum.

Hmm, I wonder if this phenomenon carrys over to non-English names, or to people with English nicknames as do many Chinese, Taiwanese, Singaporeans, etc.

p.s. Always good to see you, Shuhui. You did look fabulous today

 This is a crime? 

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