Author Archives: Raymond Yung

About 2 weeks ago, I participated in a training to become a mental health first aider. It is a new initiative among companies in the U.K. to provide “first line” assistance for people in crisis using the successful framework of physical first aid. I attended the training for two main reasons: First, it was to […]

This won’t be the last blog on this subject, but I think it may be good to write about other topics as well. My last word on this subject (for now) is to have fun and enjoy the ride. There will be inadvertently ups and downs along the way, but it is part of the […]

One way to enhance your appreciation of another culture is to focus on the aspects that you can connect and relate to personally. For example, if you love food and wine, you probably enjoy it in France and Italy (not an exhaustive list here). If you like music, visiting Germany and Austria is probably music […]

Hard work is quite needed to get a better handle of a different culture. It may include reading books, listening to music, watching movies as well as discussing with others about it. Most important of all, pay attention, observe and ask questions with an open mind. All these activities require time and effort. It is […]

If you come across something unpleasant in a foreign country, stop yourself from taking it personal (though the incident happened to you at a personal level). A similar incident may happen to most foreigners in that country (not that it would make you feel better). Often time, it may be a matter of miscommunication due […]

Recently I have attended a “Cross-cultural Awareness “ workshop and subsequently read 2 books on the same subject. I would like to share some of the key points. 1) More understanding before judging Sometimes when we don’t know why people of a different culture act or behave in a completely unexpected way, we have a […]

Last week a thought came to my mind that there may be a “sweet spot” in a one’s life. What I meant by a “sweet spot” in one’s life is the period that one is more agreeable and considerate of others. In my humble opinion (every case is different of course), it is approximately between […]

What is happiness? How can we define it? During last weekend, I had lunch with 2 friends and the topic of happiness came up in our conversation. I found one interesting and inspiring point: Challenge in life (perhaps difficulty from time to time) is an important element of happiness. Imagine a life only to enjoy […]

Well – it is not the first time that I talk about a difficult subject (won’t be the last time neither). On the advice of my doctor (the same doctor from the previous blog), I went to see a specialist for my allergy (my nose). Mr. Specialist looked at me and said, “You have a […]

I went for my annual medical check last week. I would like to share some advice that I found useful from that visit. #1) Do cardiovascular exercises as simple as walking to the office for at least 30 minutes every day. #2) Drink more water (ideally 2 litres a day). #3) Avoid too much orange […]