Valentine’s Day is just a little over two weeks away. Don’t be a wallflower! Get up some nerve and ask that cutie down the hall to lunch. Or if you’re already taken, plan ahead for once and put together a V-Day your honey will never forget.

• Balzac’s Café in the historic Distillery District is a warm, welcoming place to spend an evening. For a true tête-à-tête, choose a table overlooking the great wooden staircase. Perfect place to catch an espresso before the show.

• The Opal Jazz Lounge is a sophisticated Queen West destination boasting live jazz, fine wine and a fantastic menu. The Miles Davis mural will set the tone for romance – as will their fabbo V-Day menu.

• Only Café is a quirky, retro Danforth eatery offering a renowned brunch. The only place in town where you can eat under the watchful gaze of Mahatma Gandhi, the Beatles, Van Gogh and Marilyn Monroe.

Now… how to arrange the Barry White serenade?

Visit Pink Sherbert's photostream on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/

It’s Auntie Viv for me this weekend at Montréal’s Fête des Neiges! I’ll be racing after my nephews at Parc Jean-Drapeau, where a huge winter playground of (mostly) free activities for the whole family awaits.

I’m exhausted just thinking about the tube sliding, boot hockey, skating, snow scooter rides, trampolining, snow shoeing, and ice fortress scrambling they’ve got planned… let alone some of the wackier entries! A giant inflatable shoe race? A Hydro-Québec labyrinth hunt for evil drafts?

Good thing we’re going by Metro – I’ll barely be able to move by the end of the day!

Join the fun January 24-25 and again January 31-February 1.

Remember the Become a Vivian fan on Facebook contest?

I am pleased to announce that our official winner is Amanda Bhaggu from Toronto!

Amanda has won a $200 VIA Rail travel voucher valid for trips anywhere in Canada.

I look forward to hearing about your exciting Canadian travel adventure, so keep me posted, Amanda!

Thanks Sonya! Your comment steered me to a new must-read blog: TravelingTheGreenWay.

Billed as “Earth friendly ideas for your travel”, Sonya scours the web for daily green travel news, green travel destinations around the globe, green gear that makes trips a cinch, and plenty of nods to fellow green travel bloggers and resources.

My personal favourite ? Green Places Canada, of course! A prediction that classis trips are THE travel trend for 2009 also caught my eye, give VIA’s amazine 50% off deal on cross-Canada adventures.

I know Sonia will definitely help me plan my next vacation!

Picture it – a young Vivian, boarding her first-ever train. The rollicking sway, elegant dining car, comfy armchairs magicked into beds, and waking to that first glimpse of the ocean… I’ve loved rail ever since!

Share the adventure this winter with 50% savings on VIA’s legendary cross-country trains booked by March 31. 2009.

To the west: stunning vistas of frozen lakelands, star-filled prairie skies and the majestic Rockies aboard the Canadian (Toronto-Vancouver). To the east: snowy forests, soaring cliffs and sleepy villages greet the Ocean (Montréal-Halifax) and Chaleur (Montréal-Gaspé).

At 50% off regular and sleeper fares, can you resist?

Forget about holing up indoors if you’re in Western Canada this season! From Winnipeg to Vancouver, band together with friends and family and genuinely enjoy winter at these festivals and events:

1. Saskatoon – 2009 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships – With a win here leading to the worlds and a shot at 2010 Olympic glory, this event is a must for every figure skating fan. See it in person January 14-18, 2009.
2. Edmonton – Ice on Whyte – Ice carving’s finest battle at this internationally sanctioned competition.  Kids will love the giant ice slides and castle, while adults relax at the outdoor café and concerts. On January 15-25, 2009.
3. Vancouver – PuSh International Performing Arts Festival – It’s edgy, offbeat and often genre-defying fare at this fest devoted to theatre, dance, music and more. January 20-February 8, 2009.
4. Winnipeg – Festival du Voyageur – Celebrate Winnipeg’s French-Canadian roots with fireworks, francophone concerts, fiddling, and plenty of sugar shack treats. February 13-22, 2009.
5. Edmonton – Silver Skate Festival – Try your hand at ice sculpting, skating races, and even winter triathlon and marathons at this weekend event aimed at the whole family. Held February 20-22, 2009.

Only a few months of winter left, so get shakin’!

Naturally, I can’t get enough of the Web. Helloooo, I’m made of pixels!

The social web allows me to share my fabulousness with… well, everyone. And since I want you to also embrace the best things in life – I thought I might take a moment to help you decide which platform best suits your passions.

		The world’s favourite online sharing site for photos and videos. Posting your photos is easy and your friends can leave comments too!	View my Flickr photostream!
		The place where millions of people keep their friends up to date with photos, links, videos, etc. There is also a lot of poking.	Visit my Facebook fan page!
		Blogging too long? Love Facebook status lines? Join Twitter and keep your friends updated with unlimited snippets from your life.	Follow me on Twitter – or follow VIA Rail!
		This social bookmarking service lets you share the web pages you love with friends. Extremely useful if you like to read, but don’t care to browse.	Check out my bookmarks on delicious!
		Have friends with too many profiles (like me)? Follow it all on their FriendFeed account – that way, no switching between different sites!	Track me on FriendFeed!

So… how are those resolutions coming along? If you – like me – have vowed to refresh your image for 2009, and are in need of some inspiration, let me share with you some of my latest fabulous finds!

• Vitamin Daily: Once you’ve chosen your city edition, dive into style tips, shopping guides and insider news on the coolest stuff. A very useful little site if you’re ready to renovate at home!
• Living in the Queen’s City? Then check out the Toronto Style Blog – a fun way to discover hot Canadian designers, the latest and best make-up tips and other girlie things.
• Daily Candy: The latest in fashion, food and fun delivered right to your inbox. There’s no Canadian edition – and many items may be out of your wallet’s league – but oh, what fun to look at!