Inspired by Perez Hilton's reporting on the new superbowl Sunsilk commercial featuring Shakira and Madonna - I was inspired to do a quick check to see if any other commercials (you know, the ones they spend mucho money on) was up on youtube yet...and this is what I found...

As a small exercise, it would be neat to see what the stats on # of views, comments, favourites etc. are post Super Bowl.

I like to think that I have a very good understanding of dining in this city. Where to eat when you feel like sushi, where you should go for a business meeting, where you should take your discerning parents when they are in town...

2 years ago, it was never so. I was just your average foodie willing to go uptown for croissants, across town for pad thai and wait in a 30 minute line up for good gelato. That was it. I like good food and am willing to go the extra mile for it.

As a true food lover and an online marketer - I went to the web to share my gastronomical experiences. I started to write food reviews for blogTO (I stopped last year), I became an active chowhound community participant (not just a visitor), added photos from many of my meals to flickr, started a squidoo lens focused on Toronto and food, started a wiki amongst friends to share family recipes and even posted a video (poor quality) up on youtube.

What can I say, I love to eat.

So every now and then I get an email from a friend, acquaintance...stranger on where to go for fresh croissants, whose pad thai uses real tamarind and what restaurant will please in-laws when they are in town.

..And I like to think it is because of the small little brand I have built for myself online.

PS. Oh right, and it you are with me, I am quite picky on where we go for wings, beer, fois gras and...pretty much everything.

Last night I went to one of the best networking events in a very very long time - AMA Toronto's (NOTE: I am on the board), inaugural Speed Mentoring event at the Drake Hotel on Queen.

About 50 people gathered in the basement of the historic hotel to, well network...quickly.

There were 5 mentors stationed at their tables and about 21 mentees rotating through 6 rounds of 'mentoring'. Each mentor took on 3 mentees at a time, the remaining ones got to network with AMA board members 'on the beach' as well as amongst themselves.

I was lucky enough to participate as a mentee and got to ask my pressing 'corporate world' questions with Vikram Bawa, the Director of Frozen Foods at Nestle, Jim Warrington, President of Fantail Communications, Peg Hunter, VP Marketing & Communications for The Home Depot Canada and Blake Hellman, SVP Marketing at HSBC Bank Canada.

One of the other great networking opportunities was amongst the other mentees. Many who are going through the same obstacles I am, or have gone through and can also offer advice.

It was like a quick visit to an marketing Ashram in the urban centre.

I will definitely report back when the next one is taking place.

After getting tagged by Eden, I will add to the 5 things meme post I did last year.

So here goes some more info about me:
1. I am getting married this June in Toronto - I can't wait!
2. I have an obsession for good lingerie.
3. I teach interactive marketing at Seneca College - and surprisingly, really enjoy it!
4. I have a love/hate relationship with meat.
5. I met my fiancee when I worked at Jonas Software as a Business Writer.
6. I volunteer at Transforming Toronto - a citizen group focused on green local power and Human Rights Watch. I strongly believe in both causes.
7. I don't like listening to voicemail.
8. I don't like the sound of cutlery scraping on a plate. I can hear it a mile away and cringe every time.

I'm tagging: Michael Seaton, Verne Ho, Arieh Singer and for fun, Chris Bosh, Doug Smith, James Chatto, Jerrold and Darcy Miller.