Hi, my name is Murray Wenzel. But my friends call me Muz, Muzza, Wenz or even Moon. Yes, I have lots of nicknames. But in Australia, where I am from, that's quite common.

    In fact most men in Australia call their friends something other than their real name. It is part of our culture to shorten or make up names for those we know and love. For example, one of my friend's names is Alex, but we call him Al. Another is named Jayson, but everyone knows him as Jase. In Australia most men called William are known as Bill, while Jeremy is Jez, James is Jim and Joseph is Joey.

    Sometimes we use the person's surname in their nickname, like my friend Karl Schussig who we call Schuzza. Sometimes we combine them, like my friend Troy Cassels being called TC. And we sometimes make up a new name for our friends. My friend Nathan's nickname is “Prez”, because when we first met he joked that I should call him “El President”.

    Even more confusing is when we are given ironic(讽刺的) nicknames. For example, a man with red hair will be known as Bluey, a tall man will be called Shorty or a large man will be known as Slim.

    Most of my friends call me Muz, but those who I play hockey(曲棍球) with call me Moon. However, my parents still call me Murray.

    So, I have different names depending on who I am talking to. Nicknames are so popular that sometimes people forget what the person's real name is.

    I think it is our way of showing affection to those we are close to.

    February 14th, Valentine's Day, is a complicated but interesting occasion. First of all, Valentine's Day is not a holiday from work. No one gets a day off. In many countries it is observed by sending cards to your friends and candies or flowers to your husband or wife if you're married, or to your boyfriend or girlfriend if you're not married. In Japan, some girls even give their fathers chocolates.

    Why is this holiday for people in love called Valentine's Day?

    One explanation comes from a Christian man whose name was something like "Valentine". He lived at a time when the Roman Emperor refused to allow any Roman soldiers to get married for any reason. Many couples came to Valentine to be married. So he would secretly marry them in a Christian ceremony. He was discovered and put in prison by the Emperor. One tradition says that he wrote notes to his friends by marking on leaves and then throwing them out of the window of his prison. The leaves were shaped like a heart. Valentine was killed on February 14th and Valentine's Day recalls his tragic death.

    On Valentine's Day, American elementary school children make or buy Valentine cards, write the name of a classmate on them, and take them to school and put them in a special Valentine's Day box. And then on that day the box is opened, the cards are taken out and given out.

    Do you know about any manners(礼仪) in England? How can you act politely when you are in England? This guide will help you to do things as the English people do.