Theory of Everything ???

Hi there ... Was just reading "Theory of Everything" by Stephen Hawkings for the nth time. Of course I like it, mostly because of the way it teaches the basics to nearly everyone ! But there are two things that really made me think !

At nearly two points in the book, it is mentioned that the series of events that happened before the Big Bang (if at all there was a big bang) was not of much significance. Now I thought & thought, but I still don't want to believe it. If all there was a big bang, then definitely the events before it WERE important, since they led to the point of Big Bang. Can somebody help me clarify myself more?

Next thing is the assumed living about people in the BCs. How can they be living backwards - I mean the way the book says - they remembered the future & awaited the past, it really sounds odd. The way I see it is that it is US who have designed our timescale the way it is i.e. BC--->ZERO--->AD. So how is it that our way of measuring things make such big changes? 

If anyone has something to add in, please do.