IN THIS DAY and age when letter writing – in longhand — is considered a lost art, one wonders how many would still find time to send a thank-you note after receiving a present. But then sending a thank-you note to show one’s appreciation is not only the polite and proper thing to do. It is the right step to take.

MILLIONS OF VISITORS flock to the tiny island of Hong Kong every year. Famous for its expansive skyline and alluring harbor, the name ‘Hong Kong’ is coined from the phonetic rendering of the pronunciation of its spoken Cantonese or Hakka name which means ‘fragrant harbor.’

THE CHINESE CALENDAR is nearly 4,650 years old according to Chinese records, but it is still sought out today throughout China and many parts of eastern Asia and the world with Oriental heritage.

TO LAYMEN, LEAP year is nothing but a year in which February has an additional day. To men of science, leap year is something which involves mathematics, physics, and astronomy. But there is also a superstitious side to this occurrence.

VALENTINE'S DAY: IT is the time of year when people are in a rush for that loving feeling. Roses, chocolates, heart-shaped confections, and lingerie are among the hot commodities of the Love Month.

Imagine if you have no means of recording your birthday. Then you would never know your age. Imagine if there was no system of knowing the days, months, and years.

THERE IS AN old saying that goes, “Show me what you read and I’ll tell you who you are.”  The biggest bibliophiles, whose book collections are often libraries in their own right, not only understand this principle, but also know how to show off what they do read to the best advantage. A well-ordered personal library is both an organizational joy and one of the best personal statements one can make.

IT’S BEGINNING TO look a lot like . . . the end of Christmas. By mid-January, the lights have lost some of their sparkle, the shiny baubles have lost much of their glow, and the imitation evergreens have lost a lot of their wintry illusion. When this happens, you know that the time has come to start putting them back in storage. Remember to remove all the decorations and lights from your Christmas tree before disassembling it.

YOU BEND DOWN, pick up the laundry basket, straighten up, and… yeeow! Pain cuts through your back like a sword.

Put a spring to your step this New Year. Instead of embarking on ‘diet,’ do a detox to rid the system of all the toxins — rich food, alcohol, sugar, and dairy — accumulated during the holiday season. Aside from your green juices, feed on seeds, sprouts, nuts, and legumes — all good to cleanse and bring out the new you.