Victoria 37th Annual Anti Cancer Golf Day at Rosebud Country Club on Thursday, May 6

Rosebud Country Club hosts the Victoria 37th Annual Anti Cancer Golf Day on Thursday, May 6. Players from around Victoria will be teeing it up and chipping in for the charity event. The day has helped raise more than $353,000 since its inception and is the biggest single fund-raiser for cancer research in Victoria. The Rosebud course is in immaculate condition with more than 200 golfers expected to compete with more than $5000 in quality prizes on offer. Entry is $55 and includes dinner. Come on and support one of the standout charity golf days on the Mornington Peninsula.

The Ultimate Guide To Golf.

Miley Cyrus Macaroni Cheese Meat Pie

Teen megastar Miley Cyrus is still raving about the macaroni cheese meat pie she ate at the Woolamai's Dr Food Cafe on Phillip Island, Australia.
The locally well know Phillip Island pie shop has now become famous in the US. Business is now booming at Dr Food where the macaroni cheese meat pie retails for $4.80 with locals and visitors all asking for the Miley Cyrus pie.

Miley's Love Getaway Downunder in Australia

Red Hill Market Saturday, May 1st

The Red Hill Market is on again this Saturday, May 1st. This will be the last market until September, so make sure you get along. The market is a village style country market offering the best of local produce and crafts. Open from 8am to 1pm at the Red Hill Showgrounds, Red Hill Rd, Red Hill (Mel 190 J3).

How to Sell Handcrafts at Local Markets for Fun and Profit

Mornington Peninsula Markets

Golden Week in Japan

Golden Week in Japan is fast approaching. The end of April through around May 5th is called “Golden Week” in Japan and is based around a period of Japanese national holidays. Golden Week in 2010 is basically from April 29 through May 5.
There are four national holidays during this period: Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4), and Children`s Day (May 5). This is a very busy travel season in Japan and most tourist destinations are extremely crowded. Many Japanese offices close for about a week to 10 days, depending on the calendar with many people taking a vacation, travelling abroad or to a tourist attraction in Japan. Airports and train stations are usually overflowing with people during this time and it can be very hard to get reservations for accommodation and transportation during Golden Week.


The first national holiday during Golden Week is April 29 and is the birthday of the former emperor Shouwa, and is called showa-no-hi (Showa Day). The second holiday is kenpou-kinen-bi (Constitution Memorial Day), May 3. The new Japanese constitution was put into effect on May 3, 1947. May 4 is called midori-no-hi (Greenery Day) during which we show appreciation for nature. The last holiday is kodomo-no-hi (Children`s Day) on May 5. It`s a Japanese Boy`s festival and is a day to pray for healthy growth of boys. It`s a Japanese tradition for families with boys to hang up carp streamers (koinobori) outside their houses around this holiday. Carps are believed to symbolize successes in children`s lives. Also, samurai dolls called gogatsu ningyo (May Dolls) are displayed in their houses. May is a great time to travel in Japan and I would advise planning a trip to Japan after the Golden Week travel rush has ended.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

Mornington Farmer's Market

The Mornington Farmer's Market is on again this Saturday, April 24th from 8am to 1pm. Located at the Peninsula Lifestyle Ctr, Bungower Road, behind Bunnings (Mel 104 J11) Parking is FREE. The Market offers the best of local food including vegetables, fruit, free range eggs, cheeses, olive oil, honey, jams, pasta, meats, chutneys, spices, bread, cakes, and much more.

How to Sell Handcrafts at Local Markets for Fun and Profit

Mornington Peninsula Markets

Casey Berwick Farmer's Market

The Casey-Berwick Farmer`s Market is on again this Saturday, April 24 at The Old Cheese Factory, 34 Homestead Road, Berwick. The market is a great way to purchase fresh fruit and veg produce direct from the grower. The produce available includes fresh organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices, honey, wines, olives, cheeses, jams, condiments and preserves, as well as free range lamb, beef, poultry and eggs.

2010 Saturday Markets

January 23
February 27
March 27
April 24
May 22
June 26
July 24
August 28
September 25
October 23
November 27
December 23 (Twilight)

How to Sell Handcrafts at Local Markets for Fun and Profit

Mornington Peninsula Markets

The Japanese Salaryman

The Japanese Salaryman
Salaryman (サラリーマン Sararīman, salaried man) refers to someone whose income is salary based; particularly those who work for corporations. Its prevalence in Japanese manga and anime has gradually led to its acceptance as a noun for a Japanese white-collar businessman. The Salaryman is now firmly entrenched in Japanese culture and becoming a salaryman is viewed as a gateway to a stable, middle-class lifestyle in Japan. Of course there are many stereotypical images of the Japanese Salaryman many depicted by the media and various cartons.

The following are stereotypical images of the salaryman:
• Lifestyle revolves entirely around work at the office.
• Works over-time on a daily basis.
• Diligent but unoriginal.
• Thoroughly obedient to orders from the higher levels of the company.
• Feels a strong emotional bond with co-workers.
• Drinking, golf, and mahjong are the three main social activities that provide stimulation outside of work.
• Lack of initiative and competitiveness.
• Wears a suit, necktie, and dress shoes to work every day without fail.
• Late night karaoke.

In recent times there have been an increase in gaijin (foreign) salaryman appearing in Japanese society. A lot of these working gaijin have started to talk about their life in Japan and several best selling novels have been written about their experiences. Some of the books I highly recommend are "The Blued Eyed Salaryman" and "Tokyo Vice".

Seaford Farmers Market Sunday 18th April

Seaford Farmer`s Market

The Seaford Farmer`s Market is on again this Sunday from 8am to 1pm. Located next to the Seaford Community Center, Station Street, Seaford. The market offers a diverse range of seasonal produce and freshly made goodies. Entry is a $2 donation per adult with the money going to local charities supported by Rotary.

How to Sell Handcrafts at Local Markets for Fun and Profit

Mornington Peninsula Markets

Loved it Baby Market at the Mornington Racecourse

This Sunday, 18th April, there is a special market at the Mornington Racecourse. The market will feature baby and kids pre-loved clothing & accessories. It is a unique event with 60+ indoor stalls. The market will be held at the Dining Room Racecourse Rd, Mornington from 9:30am to 1:30pm. Entry is $3 with parking free.

Mornington Peninsula Markets

Phil Mickelson wins 2010 Masters

American golfer and fan favourite Phil Mickelson won his third Masters green jacket earlier this morning at Augusta National.
Mickelson who shot a final round 67 finished 3 shots clear of his nearest competitor British golfer Lee Westwood who shot a final round of 71. Earlier in the day Anthony Kim shot a brilliant final round of 65 to post the club house lead at 12 under the card but ended up finishing 3rd. Mickelson who was battling the demons of last years near miss birdied the par 3 twelve hole a hole he made a double bogey on last year and then hit a brilliant recovery shot from the trees to within 3 feet for eagle on the par 5 thirteenth. Mickelson missed the putt but opened up a 3 shot lead. Mickelson played steady golf over the closing holes finishing with a birdie on the par 4 eighteenth hole. Tiger Woods who started the day 4 shots behind the leader struggled all day but still managed to shoot a 69 and finish at 11 under the card. Woods who made a shocking start to be 3 over par after the first few holes come back with a brilliant stretch of eagle, birdie, birdie, but couldn`t get anything together after that as he struggled with his driver and his swing. The win was Mickelson`s third Masters green jacket which leaves him trailing only Jack Nicklaus on six and Tiger Woods/Arnold Palmer on four. Italian schoolboy, Matteo Manasero, who earlier in the week produce a record-breaking effort to become the youngest player to make the halfway cut in the tournament as a 16 year old finished as the leading amateur golfer. Manasero indicated in his post match interview that he will be turning pro in May.

The Ultimate Guide To Golf.

Tiger Woods New Nike Ad featuring his father, Earl Woods

Nike has unveiled a new commercial featuring Tiger Woods and the voice of his deceased father, Earl Woods, using recordings that appear as though he is addressing his son about his recent sex scandal.
View the controversial video at the below link.

Tiger Woods Nike Ad

The Ultimate Guide To Golf.

Tiger Woods back at the Masters

The wounded tiger is back at the Masters trying to recapture the form that has made him a 14-time major champion.
Remorseful and humbled after confessions of adultery, Woods arrives at Augusta National Golf Club having not competed in an event since winning the Australian Masters back in November. The two best inform players at the moment have to be Ernie Els who has won the two biggest Masters tune-up events at Doral and Bay Hill and Phil Mickelson. Tiger wouldn`t be playing if he didn`t think he could win and just needs to gain some tournament feel back to be the Tiger of old. Tiger is aiming to be the only golfer since the legendary Ben Hogan in 1951 and 1953 to win the Masters as their debut event of the season.

The Ultimate Guide To Golf.

Apple iPad goes on sale in the US

The new Apple iPad went on sale in the US yesterday at $499. As expected there were huge crowds of people flocking to retail outlets to get their hands on Apples latest gadget. The main reasons people gave for wanting the iPad were for the apps, to use instead of a laptop computer, coffee table tablet, novelty, and impulse buy. The critics have had mixed views with the iPad with same slamming the gadget for the lack of a camera and inability of iPad ready websites to playback video. The Apple iPad will go on sale in Australia in late April.

How to Speak Japanese Fluently

How to Speak Japanese Fluently
There are many ways to improve your Japanese and fluency. One way is through a good textbook another is from speaking to people in Japanese. My Japanese teacher always told us that beer makes you speak better Japanese and I took her up on her word. I found that my spoken Japanese improved dramatically when I found a local Yakitori restaurant that became my local. I found that meeting Japanese people there and striking up a conversation greatly improved my fluency. Getting a Japanese girlfriend also has great benefits in improving your Japanese. If you prefer the textbook method I highly recommend the following Japanese Textbooks.

• Shin Nihongo no Kiso I & II – The Shin Nihongo no Kiso series is great for studying grammar and the stuff that you will find on the Japanese Proficiency Exam.

• Shin Nihongo no Kiso Japanese Kanji Workbook – This is great for learning and practicing all the kanji that you will find at all levels of the Japanese Proficiency Exam.

• A Course in Modern Japanese by The University of Nagoya Press

• An Introduction to Modern Japanese by Osamu Mizutani & Nobuko Mizutani

The above books were really helpful in improving my grammatical Japanese and my reading/writing. I also recommend the following dictionaries.

• Kanji & Kana a Handbook and Dictionary of the Japanese writing system
• Kankyusha`s Japanese-English Dictionary

I hope this helps and inspires you to improve your Japanese like it did mine.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently