If you are an aspiring fashion design student in BC, listen up.

Portobello West, our favorite monthly artisans market, is sponsoring an award for deserving fashion students in our fair province. One winner will be selected based on their academic accomplishments, design skill and potential to start their own line in the future.

This award is a great launch pad for any new designer. Here's what you get if you win:

Above: Sally dress by Dace

Get your butt down to Gastown because there are some incredible deals to be had at Railtown Station.

Dace, Lifetime Collective, Spy, Addict, Nicole & Company, Julius & Friends (Paul Frank), Patricia Fieldwalker, and Vestal are all blowing out their samples and some older stock.

Read on to find out what I scored today and all the details you need to know.

Last month at the International Gaming Summit here in Vancouver, a new task force was launched to ensure that BC remains at the forefront of the world's gaming and digital entertainment industry.

Almost sounds like a comic-book premise doesn't it? Quick, someone make a movie. And don't forget the spandex jumpsuits.

New Media BC heads this worthy initiative, which was created to address the fear that Vancouver is losing its lead in the heated race around the world to be the premier hotspot for digital entertainment. In order to sustain our position in the global marketplace, Vancouver must devise ways to cultivate smart business growth.

After more than 10 years on the air and battling it out against other locals like JACK and the Beat, Z95-3 and all of "today's best music" went off the air as of Sunday night.

I had the misfortune of being stuck in a vehicle for much of the day today, and the station was airing jokes, quirky songs, clips from funny TV shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, and snippets from comedy acts. I was giddy, I figured "Finally! Someone is going to play endless jokes on the radio all the time. Wee!" Or maybe they treated the entire staff to a day off...then a message came on saying a new station would take over the 95.3 frequency beginning 7am Tuesday.

Perhaps they'll rekindle what the Beat initially set out to do with an "urban music" station...

Like the $30 jacket I bought at a Chinese mall recently, I never really think about how uber-synthetic things are. In that example, I was like "Cool, looks and feels enough like leather but it's not actually animal - I'll take it," much like how I figured candle wax was a perfectly reasonable replacement for whale blubber oil. It's easy to be ignorant, I know.

Most candles are made of paraffin, which I only recently learned is a waste by-product of petroleum, and chock full of yummy ingredients like benzene, formaldehyde, soot and lead. How about when that romantic candle starts coughing up black smoke sometimes? Yeah, that's likely the soot. Not so good for you or your lungs.

Read on to find out the worst thing of all that I've discovered - and sorry to say, it has a little something to do with those relaxing scented / aromatherapy candles...

This is the 9th year of the Leo Awards, but the first year for Chill at the Leos, a celebrity fashion show hosted by Michele Thistle of Launch Rx. Partial proceeds from the event go to Women in Film & Video, a very worthy cause that supports female filmmakers right here in Vancouver.

Chill at the Leos allows new and emerging designers to showcase their collections to an audience of stylists, film and TV wardrobe personnel, fashion designers, and celebrities in town for the Leo Awards that weekend. You too can attend, and it'll only cost you $25 (available at the door or through Launch Rx website).