when i was living here asian meant the same to me... chinese, philipino...etc
but when i moved to the UK asians were actually indian, pakistanis, afghanis and all and far eastern ppl were referred to as oriental..
middle easterns are arabs
and so on
i think it does make it easier to distinguish them that way

but hey.. who cares..

"He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king."