Several of you must know that cheese is my weakness: old, aged, smoked, soft, cream, the list goes on! I can never go back to processed cheese or mild tasting ones either. I relish in the sharp distinct taste some cheeses hold and paired with the right wine or food, life is complete. But you may be asking, why all the cheese talk?

Well I had the lovely opportunity to attend an event that was organized at Chien Noir Bistro in downtown Kingston to preview and kick-off the upcoming, The Great Canadian Cheese Festival which is less than a month away in Prince Edward County on June 6 and 7! Some great local producers gathered together along with local media, bloggers and special guests to sample delicious food and drinks.

A few snapshots from the afternoon:

The Great Canadian Cheese Festival- the the biggest artisan cheese show in Canada—takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7, in Picton, Ontario, at the Fairgrounds. 

See you in the beautiful Prince Edward County also known as the "Gastronomic Capital of Ontario" by The Globe and Mail.

For more information and tickets, visit www.cheesefestival.ca

“Cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey.” - Jack Layton

A common goal is what the Canadian Cancer Society fights for on a daily basis - as a national community-based organization of volunteers, they fund research and advocate the prevention of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer.

Every year, Canadians across the country join together in the fight against cancer at the community fundraising event, Relay for Life. With well over 400 relays taking place across the country, participants spend months fundraising on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society and get recognized for reaching their individual fundraising goals at Relay events. The move to declare June Relay For Life Month paves the way toward bringing together Relay participants to experience an event that rallies hundreds of communities across Canada over the past 16 years.

{I relay for my mom and how she overcame a major stride last year with early detection but also all my family friends who've fought a hard battle with different shapes and forms of cancer.}

An event that unites so many brave participants, resonates a sense of pride throughout to create a world where no Canadian fears cancer. I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the province wide media relay and talk with local Kingstionian Shirley Brown - a proud breast cancer survivor, fighter and major supporter of the Canadian Cancer Society (applause please!). She has walked miles and raised thousands - "If it wasn't for all those who funded the research before me, I wouldn't be here" Shirley states. Money raised through Relay For Life helps save lives as two out of every five Canadian will develop cancer in their lifetime. Shirley like many others hopes to further educate the general public and communicate the message about the fight against cancer. Join Shirley, accept the baton and be part of Relay for Life 2015 in Kingston!

Relay For Life in Kingston and Surrounding Areas
Kingston 1000 Islands Sportsplex, on June 6, 2015 from10h00am-10h00pm.
Napanee District High School, on June 12, 2015 from 7h00pm-7h00am.
Parham Ball Field on June 20, 2015 from noon to midnight.

Don't forget Kingston! 
$10 registration night on May 13 at the Canadian Cancer Society Kingston chapter at 496 Days Road from 5-7h30pm! Want to volunteer? Relay for Life is the perfect event!

To continue the province wide media relay in support of Relay for Life, I'm handing over the virtual baton all the way over to Moose FM in Timmins!

Learn more and register today at relayforlifeontario.ca or call 613-384-2361.

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are among the most popular social media tools that individuals and many companies use to either promote themselves or simply share relevant content with others. Now days online personal branding is crucial as most employers will Google you when job hunting. But rather than utilizing a form of media everyone is utilizing, being creative and thinking outside the box is sometimes what employers will look for.

Ever heard of an elevator pitch? Well imagine an online pitch to elevate your career. Video resumes are a great way to show your personality and pitch yourself in less than 2 minutes whether it is general or job specific - they can be a clever complement to your existing job hunting resources i.e a traditional resume.

The number one rule of thumb is to be clear, concise and have a powerful but also memorable message that will grab your audiences attention. In terms of content, state your desired outcome and build a short story around it to illuminate your skills. Use words that create a visual image in your listener’s mind and focus on connecting the dots based on your experiences. A great piece of advice would be to not recite your resume but show a unique side of you, something that wouldn’t necessarily be portrayed on a piece of paper. A video resume gives you plenty of room to express who you are, while conveying the message of why you would be the right person to hire. Be creative, yet professional as preparation, hard work and lots of thought is required! 

So if you've struck a chord in your audience with a lasting word or phrase and left them wanting more, then you have literally ‘hooked’ them. But remember, create a video resume if it is relevant to the job you want to do and not because you can.

Hint
Instagram videos, Vine and Youtube are great resources!

Good luck with job hunting!