I suppose it is due to cultural bias and stereotypes that I have the following ideas. It seems to me that when people are more relaxed, less driven, warmer and friendlier, that they would also be less reserved. And that when they are less reserved in one way, they would automatically be less reserved about everything.

This is just not true. We would never dream of kissing a total stranger on the cheek, the moment he/she is introduced to us. But the exact same people who do this, sometimes stick to a formal version of address, despite showing a sense of fun and mischeviousness even. It is a way of keeping a sort of barrier - a safety zone so that things don't become inappropriate in some way, I suppose.

It feels extremely akward to me to use a formal, 3rd person form of addressing a someone, unless the person is much older "Hello, how is he?" "I am fine, and how is he?" The west coast of North America must be one of the most casual places on earth, maybe except for Australia and New Zealand.

The subject of dress and speech is another one. I have had such limited experience in corporate settings. Several of them were really "old boys school" but only one of those necessitated an obviously formal attitude, and even then, I don't remember it being all that formal, except that I was a receptionist and really had to do something about my hippy-ish messy hair! And realised it was not appropriate to yell across the office to make sure that one of the senior people got a phone call he might be looking for.

It is quite an effort and a discomfort for me to decide on the spur of the moment whether to call someone "Usted" or "Tu". You are really stuck and have to choose in a split second, if they beat you to asking "Que tal?" Because you are then the one that has to reply with, "fine thanks, and you?" I've tried repeating "que tal?" over again but that feels ridiculous. Most people automatically choose "tu" with each other, unless they are serving you in the service industry.

Some act like you are being crazy and silly if you call them Usted. They say, "please! what's this calling me usted business, come on!" Then others don't say anything so you have to assume you should keep addressing them formally. My problem is that in writing e-mails to people about teaching English, it often starts out formally, because it is a business type of interaction, and the Spanish do not start e-mail with, "Hi!" In a business environment, e-mails start with the equivalent of "Dear..." (It's even better actually; it is "Estimada Srta. Callaghan" - esteemed señorita Callaghan). Some people send e-mail this way, others start off very casually. There is a big range, but I think the ones who are proper businesspeople, rather than some random guy wanting English classes, write formally.

There have been few times, so many years ago, where I actually needed to wear business attire or to speak formally. When teaching people English (in China as well), I find it against my instinct to teach them anything truly formal. From my point of view it is obsolete in the English speaking world; and certainly does not seem to exist in my end of the world. Only the Queen would ever say "How do you do." I tell my students not to use this, unless they find themselves in the House of Lords in Britain, or something. I believe that most businesspeople speak casually, in Vancouver. The only formality I am ever used to hearing is in Starbucks or a fancy restaurant. This amounts usually to simply contrived sounding speech, rather than anything more respectful than normal.
There certainly is a different way I would talk to people my parents age, whom I don't know very well. I just wouldn't say "how's it going?" or "what's up?"
I am starting to realise that I really don't know, and that there may exist a world even in Vancouver, where people are all "proper-like".

In many experiences in my life, dressing and acting formally would be looked upon with a sense of distrust or perhaps just confusion. "What on earth is this girl wearing a silk blouse and scarf with her jeans, to work in a physics lab for!?" What is she trying to prove?

I feel that perhaps I should put on heels today ... but the only ones I have are bright red suede or snakeskin. The only flats I have that are suitable are fake snakeskin with a patent leather red trim... hmm Hmmm... dancing salsa, maybe or going on a date. Oh well. That is the only option my feet leave me with. Maybe I should just do that stuff and not work at all... :)

Except that I am looking forward to another session of "vvvvv" and "zzzzz" and sit vs. seat, liver vs. leaver, bat vs. but, and forth vs. ford.