Check into any business hotel in Asia, you find a basketful of stuff in the bathroom: tooth brush, razor, comb, shower cap, etc. They are mostly cheap stuffs, but useful nevertheless.

In the USA, they are simply not there. I am talking about the same hotel chain: Hyatt, Marriott, Westin, etc.

I always bring my toiletry bag with me anyway. But this is a very curiously different custom.

I am in California (again) attending a few days' internal meetings. When I am here, I usually drive to work from Cupertino to Menlo Park. The normal way will be Highway 85 connecting to 101 and exiting at Willow.

In San Francisco Bay Area, almost all highways have one lane marked as "car pool lane." Only cars with more than 1 person may drive on these lanes. Californians like to enact laws to influence social behavior. Car pool lanes is one of those thing. In that spirit, hybrid cars, even within only one person in them, may drive on those lanes too.

This morning, driving by myself, 6 Toyota Prius zoomed past me in the car-pool lane. Yes, 6 in a row proudly enjoying their privilege.

Only in California.