Get ready Kingston foodies!

The air date for the You Gotta Eat Here episode featuring Geneva Crêpe Café Bistro is TODAY, June 26 at 9h00PM eastern on Food Network Canada. Funnyman himself John Catucci was on a quest this past February for Canada's most delicious, crepe joint and made a pit stop in Kingston to dive into the kitchen of Geneva Crêpe Café with owner Genevieve Patenaude.

Where: 297 Princess St, Kingston, ON

Images from You Gotta Eat Here.

The one and only British music festival Bestival makes its inaugural appearance this coming June 12th and 13th at Hanlan’s Point Beach, Toronto Island. This two day event is filled with little touches to make your experience memorable - from bubble blowing brilliance to awesome acrobatics, this is a taste of how Bestival takes you beyond the music.

This is your time to lose yourself amidst a crowd of likeminded individuals and enter the the escapist world of Bestival made up of world attractions including the world-renowned inflatable church, yarn bombing, amazing carnival bands, incredible dancers and acrobats and loads more stuff all waiting to be discovered. So come along for the ride as it doesn't stop there.


Here's the full low down on events beyond the music this weekend:

Fido's Grove of Curiosities
Fido will be on-site with a ‘Grove of Curiosities’; an organic space where you can sit back and take in Bestival. Lounge in their human-sized dog house, tree-forts, hammocks and hanging yurts. Take in the multi-media works of young artists from across-Canada, get yourself professionally body and face painted, grab some Fido festival-going swag and charge your smartphone (for capturing and sharing amazing pics of course!).

#MobileMusicVideo
As part of the experience, Fido is working with one of the Bestival acts - electronic Canadian DJ trio – Keys n Krates – to make the World’s First Location-Based #MobleMusicVideo. Directed by Vania Heymann, not only does the video feature a different viewing experience wherever you watch it, but it will also be the highly-anticipated premiere of the new Keys N Krates track "Save Me" featuring UK vocalist Katy B.

Like an Instagram feed, the #MobileMusicVideo will be a scrolling content stream of GIFs of the band performing seamlessly incorporated into photos submitted by artists from across the country, photographers, the public, and YOU.

To become part of this ground breaking collaboration, you just need to post a picture on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #MobileMusicVideo for your chance to be featured in the video – the first iteration to be unveiled at Bestival.

At Bestival be sure to tag your photos with #MobileMusicVideo as the video is constantly changing and you can be featured!

Amazing Costume Pop Up Shop
Hosted by Amazing Party & Costume

Since Bestival is a Fancy Dress flavoured festival it goes without saying that an on-site pop up costume shop is an absolute MUST!  In the Bestival tradition of keeping things costume-crazy, Canada’s largest costume and party supply store Amaizng.ca, will be on site to make sure there are many kinds of kooky costumes to choose from for those who forgot to come prepared, ensuring no one has to miss out on any dress up fun.   If there is Christmas in July then the Amazing Pop Up Shop will make sure that at Bestival it’s like Halloween in June!


Bollywood Temple/Dancers
 (as well as elsewhere in the festival)
The Mystical Eclipse Clan

A enchanting troupe of otherworldly, ethereal beings who will most often be holding court at the Bollywood temple - otherwise you can catch them dancing and prancing around the rest of Bestival spreading love, magic and sparkles all over, making endless loco motion & creating dazzling, spellbinding supernovas everywhere they go.

Bubble Battle Flash Mobs
Hosted By Newmindspace

From the creators of International Pillow Fight Day: Join Newmindspace for a magical & exceptionally hyperactive bubble battle.  They will converge, distribute hundreds of bubble guns, and blow millions of bubbles all Bestival long!  Loosely based on the Dr. Seuss classic The Butter Battle Book, choose your side:  Bubble side up or bubble side down - there will be bubble battles all around!

Knitting Tent & Yarn Bombing
Hosted by Knit-O-Matic

During all of Bestival knitting workshops will be run in the knitting tent by Toronto’s sweetest knitting supply shop Knit-O-Matic, where anyone who pops in can learn how to knit and crochet.   Knitted squares will be created for Streetknit, a charity that knits all year round for homeless outreach groups in Toronto - creating blankets, sweaters, socks, scarves and hats to keep people without shelter warm during the harsh Canadian winters.  onated to Streetknit to assemble into clothing and blankets to help those in need.

Visit www.bestival.ca to spark your curiosity and purchase tickets.

Word on the street is that the summer music festival frenzy has begun and this weekend, Toronto welcomes for the very first time the ever so popular British-import Bestival where getting fancy is encouraged and music goers take on a different persona. This two day boutique style festival will take place on June 12th and 13th on Toronto Island.

Excited? I sure am!

With a artsy-fartsy fair vibe, there is no storage of an amazing lineup - it features Florence and the Machine and Nas as headliners, along with Caribou, Owen Pallett, Wavves, Jamie xx, SBTRKT, Flume, Rudimental, and Omar Souleyman. Also playing are Flosstradamus, Robin Schulz, Jamie Jones, Clean Bandit, Born Ruffians, Cashmere Cat, Justin Martin, Dusky, Skream, Robert DeLong, Cassy, Shamir, and Keys N Krates.


Stay tuned tomorrow to find out what lies beyond the music and a guide to surviving Bestival!

Here's a sneak peek:

FIDO's Grove of Curiosities
Fido will be on-site with a 'Grove of Curiosities'; an organic space where you can sit back and take in Bestival. Lounge in their  human-sized dog house, tree-forts, hammocks and hanging yurts. Take in the multi-media works of young artists from across-Canada, get yourself professionally body and face painted, grab some Fido festival-going swag and charge your smartphone (for capturing and sharing amazing pics of course!).

Visit www.bestival.ca to spark your curiosity and purchase tickets.

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!

Day trip  ✔

Winery tour  ✔
Dinner for two  ✔

These are all splendid adventures when visiting Prince Edward County come spring time but why not incorporate them all into one evening! What am I talking about you may ask? Countylicious of course! It is a twice annual prix fixe ($35 for 3 courses) culinary celebration that helps launch The County’s tourism season that attracts local food lovers to fill their bellies with delightful locally-inspired meals and wine.

Count me in!
This weekend, the month long food festival Countylicious brought my foodie partner in crime and I on an adventure to the Drake Devonshire Inn located on the picturesque Lake Ontario where we awaited Chef Matt DeMille's delightful classic creations using homegrown ingredients with a flavourful twist. Boy were we excited and impressed - imagine a place where food could be described as rustic chic meets laid-back vibe with a sophisticated flare. You'll be wanting more!

Such a stunning view, I wanted to stay the night!


Where: 24 Wharf St., Wellington | www.drakedevonshire.ca

For more information about Countylicious, visit www.countylicious.com

Many of us are addicted to social media and all of its commodities, however some forget that it can actually be leveraged as a digital platform to extend your reach and to influence others. Your online presence and managing your digital footprint is quite crucial in this 21st century tech world we live in.

First question, have you ever Googled yourself?

Well you will be surprised that friends, associates and clients are in fact looking you up. This may come as a revelation, but Google is now used as a resume but more precisely it is your personal brand. Unless you are head over heels about each listing on the first page, it's time for you to dominate and conquer -  this means a fresh start to a blank slate and for you to share accurate, relevant and valuable information about yourself.

Claiming your name on main social networking sites such as Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn is the first step, as they rank higher in Google search results. As a college student this may be very useful as potential employers will most likely be viewing your online profiles. Depending on your major, having an online portfolio or a visual resume would be considered an asset as it'd showcase your personality, artistic abilities or even writing skills. The options are endless as to what you can do online - though this must be done in an efficient and effective manner.

Hint
If your full name is common, stand out by including your middle name.

Once your name is present online, it is important to grow your network and build a platform. Whether it be gaining more followers on Twitter or following groups on LinkedIn, show the online world who you are and what your message is. Sites such as about.me and visualize.me are great tools to express in depth who you are and what you’re interested in. As a student or a graduate, networking with the right people online could lead to great opportunities for the future.

Final Words
Be creative and be yourself!