By Erica Phillips I just jumped right in. Recently, I completed swimming lessons- Adult Splash 1. The seeds were planted a few years ago after started running: taking Aquafit for cross training, then at a friend's pool party: I started to learn to love the water and not fear it.

Chef Jean Rimple is passionate about barbecuing - so much so that his face lights up when he talks about the history of the cooking technique. RD's Southern BBQ in Brampton, Ont. is an outlet for that passion. Rimple and his wife, Petra Dean, opened the restaurant (the RD stands for Rimple and Dean) in January.

Canadians should wave the Canadian flag even more proudly, not just on Canada Day or at sporting matches, but every day. This is a great time to reflect on the things we hold dear: the ability to vote freely, health care, and of course the arts.

By Erica Phillips Jazz, rock, blues, country: new school, old school, it's music festival season; time to dance under the stars, in the sunshine, soaking up that heavy beat. Don't let festival names fool you. They tend to be driven by history; to draw new audiences they have expanded their offerings: Stevie Wonder and Joe Cocker have appeared at jazz festivals.

"Fifty years ago, we wouldn't have been able to stay at the same hotel at the same restaurants, drink at the same fountains," Troy Carter said. Today, Carter and his biggest client, Lady Gaga, do all that without a blink.

By Erica Phillips Fefe Dobson and Drake are up for four MuchMusic Video Awards (MMVAs) this year on June 19 in Toronto. Dobson's 'Ghost' is up for Video of the Year and Pop Video of the Year; 'Stuttering' has been nominated for International Video of the Year by a Canadian and UR Fave Video.

It's hard to know where to start with Canadian Music Week, which is held for several days every March. The 30 th edition last week was at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto.

Christmas is a time of joy and wonder especially for children, but if you didn't grow up with these traditions it can also be puzzling and overwhelming. For many people this will be their first Canadian Christmas. This time of year is filled with rituals, symbolism, and iconography: some religious, some secular or pagan.