I had a recent falling out with a group of friends over a wedding I chose not to attend. Two months before the wedding, I hadn't received an invitation from the groom, so I contacted a mutual friend for more info. He’d received his invitation, but said some people still hadn't.
Three weeks before the wedding, I contacted the groom but my message wasn't returned. I planned to skip the wedding. I later ran into the groom while visiting a mutual friend in hospital.
He said I was definitely invited, and he’d drop off an invitation the next day. After seeing my sick friend, I decided life is too short and I could still make the most of the situation by going to the wedding.
The invitation wasn't dropped off nor was there a phone call with details. The week of the wedding I still had no idea how to plan for travel and accommodations (it was a 6-7 hour drive away).  I skipped the wedding. Now, my friends are accusing me of  "not wanting to go" and are shocked I pulled out. What do you think?
- No Dancing

Your friends have too much time on their hands. Otherwise, they’d be too busy to stir trouble, since you clearly didn’t skip the wedding, you were left out.
More important is, what’s with the groom … is he a friend who’s annoyed for some reason or just a jerk? If the latter, go back to your wise realization that life IS too short for false promises and phony friendship. If the former, you need to find out what the groom’s stewing about.

I have a relative who can be so very highly offended if she has to wait on someone. Example, she was supposed to be at my home at 10 a.m. to go out of town, but called to say she’d be two hours late, running her errands. I was annoyed, but accepted it.
Several years later, she picked me up at work; my co-workers and I were supposed to finish at 5:30 p.m., but were delayed 15 minutes by a customer. When I got into my relative's car, she angrily told me off and said she was going to strand me there if I took any longer.      
I was so angry with her for yelling at me, I couldn't talk.  I later told her how I felt.  She said she thought we had it settled. I explained that I didn't appreciate her behaviour, pointing out her own bad habit of keeping people waiting on her, and how other people said the same thing about her.
- Trumped Her

There’s some hostility between you two beyond time issues. Yes, it’s annoying to be kept waiting – by her, by you, whomever. But you both seem to make a meal out of these incidents, and should ask yourselves why and whether there are enough reasons to continue doing things together.
If YES, then remember this: With cell phones, there’s no longer much excuse for not alerting someone about delays, so they can do something else while waiting or at least be informed.

If a friend gives you a gift you dislike and don’t want, can you exchange it without telling them?
- Unsure

Yes. BUT … if it’s a family heirloom or hand-made, it’s kinder/diplomatic to just store it somewhere, without comment. If you’re close friends, consider carefully whether he/she can handle your saying that you appreciate the gift’s value, but prefer something you need.

My younger brother, 19, has low self-esteem, no motivation or ambition. He’s failed three university subjects, has few friends and mostly plays Internet games.
Our parents strongly value academic excellence; Dad feels his son’s a big disappointment. He’s obsessed with “what went wrong."
Meanwhile, my mother’s always accommodating my brother’s behavior; the parents butt heads in dealing with him.
- What Should I Do?

Show caring and help him find his own areas of interest … music, art, sports, whatever. Internet games are a distraction for him, a place to hide. However, if he seems addicted to the games, and/or depressed, suggest he go to student services for counseling.
If you find that his withdrawal is deepening, alert your parents that he needs their support as well as professional help. It’s not your responsibility to “fix” your brother; rather, you can lead by example by showing your parents their son needs more understanding, less pressure.